Review:
I’ve read a fair share of Harlequin Presents (it’s one of my biggest guilty pleasures) and there have been some utter disappointments and some really engaging and emotional reads. Fortunately, this book belongs to the latter, in the really positive side of the spectrum.
I liked most aspects of this story, here’s a few:
A big plus was that there was a decent amount of dialogue and actual conversations between the characters, not only describing their feelings for pages and pages. In addition, the dialogue was mostly quite interesting too, nothing too standard or general as is the case with too many Harlequin romances.
I really appreciated the actual chemistry between the characters. But, as always, love and desire (insta love) comes quite fast in Harlequins stories, blink and you might miss it, but here, although again not nearly enough time devoted for that for my liking, everything just clicked and was spot on with what I got to know and how I pictured the characters and how the story flowed. I didn’t doubt that Caleb and Sage were insanely attracted to each other and that love could blossom from this stable and strong chemistry.
I liked the hero and heroine, they weren’t your typical alpha male and nurturing poor female needing care, they actually had personalities, appealing ones at that. They had their moments but, overall, a strong and compatible pair that was entertaining, romantic, infuriating, emotional and perfect all at once.
The way they met was slightly cliché: the hot rich hero come to the rescue, but I liked that Sage didn’t go down easily and Caleb didn’t have to do everything by himself, she was a force to be reckoned with.
And as usual, what is a Harlequin without the big misunderstanding, and several in this case, BUT however corny, unlikely or silly I’ve always had a soft spot for them, mostly because of the amounts of angst that comes with it, in tolerable doses of course. The angst here I approve of.
Me no like, much:
Was I the only one that felt the David line of the story kind of felt short and too convenient? Would have liked to see and know more.
Characters:
Sage was sweet and tough, she held her own against all and fought for what she considered important to her. While still vulnerable and caught in diverse misfortunes, I admired her determination and independence. I especially liked how she stood up to Caleb and did it quite successfully, even though, he is the one who is supposed to be the hotshot attorney.
Caleb actually came across human and, thus, likable unlike many carbon copy alpha males. I liked how he showed his care, love and respect for Sage. He was able to let loose and not be this intimidating rich cold only-business kind of guy. I loved the conversations he had with his brothers.
Overall:
Definitely one of my favorite Harlequin Presents. It had all the good stuff that I usually expect only that it took those to another level. A quick and romantic read.