Review

Hot Male with alpha tendencies… check.
Heroine who refuses to be used by any man ever again…check.
Sexual tension out the wazoo…check.

All those things equal a Harlequin Presents novel, and they also equal internal conflict with super high stakes. Both hero and heroine have major issues, like brain issues. One is attempting to self-destruct and the other is trying to hold on to sanity by impervious to anyone and anything. When they both attempt to rotate in each other’s circles, the gravitational pull is too hot to handle.

I’d say I really enjoyed this book because I liked the heroine. Zoe is tough and rough. She’s had some difficult years and rose from adversity to be the top PR dog in New York, that says a ton. I liked her no-nonsense attitude and the fact that after so many years of being able to control herself Hunter makes her lose it in a matter of minutes. Her polar opposite is her Achilles heel, and that trope always tends to snag me.

In the opposite corner is Hunter, bad boy to the core, and self-destructive expert. He’s definitely a load of trouble and yummy all rolled into one. While I liked him, Hunter alone isn’t nearly as entertaining as when he’s with Zoe. Their dialogue jumps off the page.

Do you want to play teacher?” he asked, drawing the words out, because he liked the way his voice worked in her, half tease, half promise. He could see it in the way she fought to hide it. He could feel it inside, hard and hot. “Because I have some ideas for the first lesson. I think you’ll like the exercises. But first you have to tell me why I’m here.”

“Mr. Grant,” she said, her voice a cold blast of winter, folding her arms over her chest in a way that was obviously a defensive gesture—but it couldn’t be helped. “I think you have the wrong idea.”

“Don’t lies to me, Zoe.” She didn’t know what was worse—the laughter in his voice, the blaze of intense heat in his gaze, or the unexpected caress of her name in his mouth. That smug, male, somehow intoxicating mouth that she absolutely was not imagining claiming hers. “Presuade. Pivot, if you must. But don’t stoop to lying.”

See… I love the interactions. So much fun. Outside of Zoe and Hunter’s weaving web there’s the external conflict, and over arcing story involving the infamous Jason Treffen. No firm resolutions on his complete demise, but the story does progress.

For me this book highlights the drama and driving internal conflicts Harlequin Presents authors are so good at developing. Crews deftly ties me in emotionally to both hero and heroine so that by the time we reach a climaxing point I’m on edge and can’t stop till I have a resolution.

My only hesitation with this story is the quick resolution. It’s so fast and the author kept me in the dark about everything, until the very last second. Other readers may be up for that sort of thing and in Presents because of the shorter word count books tend to wrap up quickly, but the external play didn’t get enough justice in my opinion.

Overall, this book is a great Present line story and good continuation of the story line. There’s some awesome characters and Crews tackles the heroine and her challenging past with great aplomb. I look forward to the last book in the series and can’t wait to see the villain brought down once and for all.