His for a Price by Caitlin Crews

His for a Price by Caitlin Crews
My rating: 4.25 of 5 stars

Oh man, I loved the hero in this book. He was scrumptious. He reminded me of Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent from Devil in Winter in that he's a long, lean panther who talks like a panther purrs. He screams "I'm Bad For You, but I'm So Good!" He was delicious. He definitely goes on my lickable hero shelf. I fell hard for him because he is so super-sexy, and because he gave Hattie steadfast love in a way she'd never had before. At one point, he withdraws from her, and Hattie can't deal with that. He does it because it was difficult for him to deal with the fact that she refused to be honest with him. Hattie doesn't know how to deal with him not being in her life the way he's been for over ten years, and that is the impetus for change. That was when he realized she didn't know how. She didn't know what unconditional love was and the concept of being accepted no matter what. She spends most of the book pushing him away emotionally, and being a bit of a brat, so that tiptoes on the edge of being a bit tedious. Crews managed to change the tone soon enough that I was just burned out on it. I think the reveal for why Hattie has behaved the way she has so long was a pit too rapid in its delivery (and it felt a bit lightweight to be honest), and I would have liked better pacing in that regard. I did love the surprise that Nicodemus gets. I was really surprised myself. I like a good twist in a story.

This book is pretty heavy on internal dialogue and that probably wouldn't work for some. But I felt it was well done, and I think the characters are wonderfully complex. I think this is a nice mix of modern cultural awareness but with the old school intensity dynamic that makes many of us Harlequin Presents readers such advocates of the vintage novels. The sensuality is intrinsic and hot and underlined by the fact that these two people really love each other and can't imagine a life without each other.

I'm hoping that I enjoy His for Revenge, about Hattie's brother, as much as I did this book.

Overall rating: 4.25/5.0 stars.

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The French Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress by Abby Green

The French Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress by Abby Green


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really liked the style of this book, with the French cultural aspects. That restaurant that they went to was such a great idea...and a great steamy moment there. It really added to the passionate atmosphere in this book. Speaking of steam, this book has quite a bit of it. Ms. Green's writing showed how powerful the attraction between this couple was, even if it was totally unexpected. Pascal was a very sexy hero. Both Pascal and Alana carried a lot of baggage. Surprisingly, Alana's load is heavier than Pascal's. If you like a commitment shy heroine, look no further. She almost jumped the shark with me, but when Alana 'woman-ed up,' I couldn't stay mad at her. It was very nice how she proposed to Pascal at the end of this book.

It's all a matter of personal tastes, but I just don't tend to go for books where the couple are having a short fling or affair. I liked that Pascal clearly wanted something more from Alana very early into their affair. Alana did have valid reasons for her fear of getting involved, so it made her relateable.

Despite the title, this story is not in the semi-traditional HP mode. Alana isn't really falling into the mistress role, and Pascal is not expecting that of her. I like that some of the dialogue seems to flaunt the conventions of this line of novels. Well done with that, Ms. Green.

Pascal is a standout hero for me. I liked him a lot. Yes, he's a playboy businesssman, but he had some depth that appealed to me. I liked how he really wanted to show that Alana meant a lot to him. And that he was there for her when she became aware of her pregnancy. Despite his parental issues, he was committed to being there for his child. And he was very droolworthy! I hope that we see more French heroes, because they really have an appeal, especially in a good writer's hands. There's just something about Frenchmen.

Abby Green is clearly a very talented author. Her books go to a deeper emotional level, and in this book, it's not always comfortable for the reader. I think that was why this wasn't a five star book, because I don't really go for the relationship angst all the time. It felt more like a painful chore to read about that, than enjoyment for pleasure reading, although it was very well-done on the part of the author. Having said that, There is a maturity to the inter-personal relationships that impressed me.

I can't complain about anything in this book. Other than personal reading tastes, this was a very good book. If I was more into the affair, traumatic relationship-angst books, I think this would be a five star read for me. For the atmosphere, sizzling sexual tension and love scenes, and the sexy, French hero, not to mention good quality writing, this is easily a four star book.

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