A breezy romance that may appeal to summer readers looking for sexy sun and fun rather than depth or intricacy of plot.
With a cache of stolen diamonds at stake, two strangers-turned–lovers and investigative partners discover that the fun may be over when their trust in each other is tested.
Steph Anderson and Jake Harlowe are working together to recover a fortune that her stepfather, Eli, stole from the hedge fund business he retired from, and, despite initial reservations, Steph is falling for Jake. That is, until a diamond Eli gave her disappears from her hotel room the morning after Jake stays over. Convinced she’ll never see him again, she’s surprised when he shows up to their next rendezvous and acts shocked at her accusation. Trying to figure out who stole the diamond and where the full stash is hidden—Eli’s club, The Sapphire? his fiancee’s art gallery?—it becomes clear that someone else is after the fortune and isn’t happy that Steph and Jake are in the picture. Problem is, there are also way too many suspects to keep their eyes on, and their continued roller coaster of trust/mistrust gets in the way of moving forward. Blakely finishes off the heist storyline started in The Sapphire Affair (2016)—and possibly begins a new, continuing series—with a book that never delivers quite as much deep conflict, emotional tension, or suspense as is hinted at and offers too many red herrings, unanswered questions, and quick resolutions to be ultimately satisfying. However, the sex is hot, the romance works in the end—once the lovers decide they really do trust each other—and the heist angle is lighthearted fun.
A breezy romance that may appeal to summer readers looking for sexy sun and fun rather than depth or intricacy of plot.Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5039-3569-3
Page Count: 226
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The leisurely pacing may frustrate some, but this sweet tale of mutual longing finally expressed repays the investment.
The dangers of fame in the internet era draw a former model and her longtime bodyguard closer together.
Katrina King is a retired model–turned–successful angel investor. She has battled debilitating anxiety and panic attacks all her life, thanks in part to her abusive and controlling father, but became terrified of venturing far from her well-secured home after she was kidnapped 10 years ago. She has a loyal, honest, and incredibly good-looking bodyguard in Jasvinder Singh, who also helps run her many ventures. Katrina has had a deep crush on Jas for years but is reluctant to risk their friendship by making a move. She's finally ready to try some exposure therapy at a local cafe when she becomes the subject of a viral social media post. When Katrina is endangered by the ensuing publicity, they retreat to Jas' family’s farm north of Sacramento. Jas is an Army vet with PTSD from a horrifying event that left him with a busted knee and a sense of deep betrayal. Little does Katrina realize that Jas shares her feelings: “It was her small acts of kindness that had sucked him in, her clever intelligence and sweetness that had kept him hooked.” Forced proximity on the farm finally breaks down her caution and his reserve, and they give in to their desires in sexy, sweet scenes. But Jas, a man of few words not used to acknowledging his pain, must stop hiding from his military past and his family issues in order to earn Katrina's love. With so much going on, the romance can feel secondary at times, although the couple’s strong history somewhat makes up for Rai’s (The Right Swipe, 2019, etc.) slowest of slow burns.
The leisurely pacing may frustrate some, but this sweet tale of mutual longing finally expressed repays the investment.Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-287813-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Roberts (Private Scandals, 1993) keeps us sensuously engrossed in a suspenseful romance that moves smoothly between the harsh world of high-stakes crime and the zaniness of theater, antiques, and bric-a-brac. Jedidiah Skimmerhorn, a prematurely retired police captain, has moved into an apartment above an antiques shop owned by Isadora Conroy. Jed has money, social position, and power, but he is wary of love and burdened by guilt for the death of his sister Elaine, who was killed by a car bomb intended for him. Dora is small, tough, and beautiful, with an impeccable sense of style. She was raised in a family of actors who lived the romances they played on the stage. Jed's world of minks and diamonds, heirlooms and fat portfolios is contrasted with the noise, the smells and the freedom of being in the center of things that characterize Dora's life. Jed and Dora's physical proximity and inevitable chance encounters lead to comic intimacy and a quick repartee that thinly masks sexual attraction. When a lot of smuggled antiques is accidentally shipped to a country auction house, Dora unwittingly becomes owner of priceless antiquities and an original Monet concealed under a superficially rendered abstract painting. She and Jed team up to follow the path of collectible objects d'art and murders to an obsessive collector and ruthless killer. The suspense relies not in discovering whodunit — the murders are violently obvious — but in the inevitable confrontation between Jed and Dora, our detective team, and the culprit. Jed and Dora's romance is as fast-paced as the plot. The refreshingly contemporary style of their courtship, romance sparked with funny dialogue, makes this book a good choice for light summer reading.
Pub Date: July 13, 1994
ISBN: 0425233537
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1994
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