Fresh Temptation

Barboza Brothers #1

by Reeni Austin

Victor Barboza is a man who has everything but a good woman.

Cara Green has a young son, three part-time jobs, and a few extra pounds.

Their worlds collide as Cara serves Victor at an upscale party in Manhattan, upsetting Victor's ex-fiancee, Alexis, in the process.

Victor pursues Cara, but Cara is not sure of his intentions: Is he using her to make Alexis jealous? Does he just want her for sex? Or is love Victor's true aim?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Ebooks, Adult, Erotica, Amazon

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2012

About the author

Reeni Austin is also known as Shaina Richmond.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Visit her website to learn more:
reeniaustin.com
facebook.com/reeniaustin

Reviews

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of the day we have to remember we read these stories to get away from reality. Like watching a movie. It's called fiction for a reason.
How believable is this?: Not, but that's the beauty of it. I deal with reality all day long so when I read fantasy is fun. This one is. Victor falls for a single mom who is working three jobs to make ends meet. When his ex gets her fired. He won't stand for that so ride the crazy rollercoaster as he tries to make it work for Cora & little Isaac.
What bothered me about the book?: the way Cora fought at every turn & her body image & self esteem. Victor was not up front so when he held back info it cause a lack of trust.
Do I recommend this book?: yes, highly.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didnt have high hopes for this as a free ebook but i was still disappointed. At first the plot sounded interesting and went along well but it rapidly deteriorated. I found the characters to be very cardboard. Cara came across as far too insecure and whiny for my tastes and for all the talk of how "independent" she was i saw no actual evidence of this. Victor was only marginally better but theres no getting around the fact that he hired Cara because he wanted to sleep with her and was sorta a megalomaniac. The two had almost no chemistry or character/relationship development and the sex scenes were pitiful. I mean really a man who "wiped his mouth on his long sleeve" after giving a woman oral sex isnt really appealing in my eyes. And he kept apologizing for moving too fast but kept right on steam rolling. Alexis as a villain had potential but in reality she acted too childish for me to even properly hate her. The story of the single mom being rescued by the handsome latin prince has strong starting potential but then the author adds unbelievable, unlikeable characters and dialogue thats cheesy even for a romance novel and the end product is a feeling that i wasted a couple hours of my life. Because even when you get excited to see what revenge victor has for alexis....it was laughable that what happened could even be called revenge.
Overall this book started out with a 2 star rating because i liked the plot but after writing all the many things wrong with it im reviising it to a one star and saying that id give it less if possible. The plot was ok but the characters and the dialogue were awful so id advise you not to waste your time.

[Melanie♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was shaping up to be a good story and then it just fizzled at the end. Nothing was really resolved and I didn't get my necessary HEA. It sounds like the story will continue in the next book about one of the brothers. So...the first story continues as a secondary plot in the next brother's story....nope, not doing it for me.

[Melissa Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay read. I did have a hard time trying to get through it though. No interest in continuing with the series either.

Questions/Comments:

After meeting Victor at the charity thing and knowing that he wasn't with Alexis, why did Cara tell her mom and friend Marcy, that Alexis was his girlfriend?

"Well, he says she's not but they were sitting together." Um...so?

Cara shows up for her interview at Victor's office. Why did she had a briefcase with her?

So Rhonda and Cara are talking about how Gary is gay. "'He's gay, you know...Yeah, I got that.' She'd noticed some pictures on Gary's screen saver that morning...But then she had a thought. 'Oh wait, you mean Gary, not Mr. Barboza, right?'" What was her thought? I didn't understand why she ended up asking Rhonda, or confirming, that Victor wasn't the one that was gay. I mean they were only talking about Gary...

Victor was telling Cara about the ranch they lived at. Victor's youngest brother had helped the ranch owner out and years later, the rancher tracked him down and offered him a job. How old were they all at this point? I mean if he's old enough to be working or whatever, why did the whole family end up moving there? Weren't Victor and brother's all adults?

Why in the world would Cara ever believe that Victor was using her to get back at Alexis? That made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I mean Cara is so self conscious about her extra weight. If Victor had wanted Alexis back, why wouldn't he have gone out with someone along the same lines as Alexis? Either way, it was obvious to me with just the way Alexis spoke of Victor to Cara, that she wanted him back. Or...when Alexis tells her that Victor had cheated on. Why, again, would Cara have believed that? He cheats and Alexis wants him back?

What kind of body shaper was Cara wearing? I mean there were some snaps and apparently she wasn't wearing underwear underneath it...

In all honesty, after hearing why Cara didn't blab to everyone about Issac's father and his controlling ways...I kind of felt that Victor and the way he acted towards her weren't really all that different. I mean, I'm sure Issac's father had been really nice, sweet and all to Cara in the beginning. He ends up wanting to know where she is and all....Victor ends up going to Chicago after Cara, instead of giving her space and waiting for her to come back. Having sex with her so soon after meeting her and hiring her. Or when they're in the hotel room and Victor tells her to only wear the robe, knowing that she would be very uncomfortable with this. Then just sitting down on the bed, and basically ordering her to take it off slowly...again knowing she wasn't comfortable. IDK...I wasn't really that much of a fan of him.

That's it.

[The BookChick · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Rating: ★★½

The story was felt very juvenile. Alexis went through great attempts to get Victor to come back to her to the point of hiring two private detectives to get 'dirt' on Cara. Alexis was the guilty party in the breakup and the woman scorned bit was just at odds with her culpability in it. I also didn't understand Cara's reticence to discuss Isaac's parentage. The 'secret' made it feel as if she did something wrong when she actually was the victim in the situation. A lot of the byplay between the characters made me feel as if I was reading a YA as opposed to a contemporary romance. This book did not interest me enough to spur further interest in the series.

Reading Time: 2.5 Hours

For more reviews, visit The BookChick with Kick blog

[Nancy Brady · Rating 2 out of 5]

A poor single mother meets a wealthy man at an event (classic romance material including most of the WTT trends). Green-eyed Cara Green, working as a server at a fundraiser, meets Victor Barboza. Worried more about her sick child Isaac, Cara gets fired for her cell phone use by his ex-fiancee Alexis. Soon, Victor hires Cara, and the romance commences in a rush; however, Alexis is determined to get back together with Victor by whatever means possible.

The characters could have been developed more, but it was an okay read especially for the price (free e-book through BookBub). Loved Cara's mother, Patty, and her own romance with Tom.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably go for 2 1/2 starts if i could. I'm just neither here nor there on this one. Really didn't love or hate anything! It just all... Was, I guess.

Didn't get hooked on the characters, the story, the idea... Nothing.

Suppose I might read the next book if I was free and I couldn't find anything else - then again, maybe not too.

[AWB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. That ending though. What a complete disappointment. All I keep thinking is THATS ALL ALEXIS GOT!?! Bitch was a one woman army leading the crazy town express and deserved at least a straight jacket for her troubles. And what happened to her? Soooo anticlimactic. Laaaaaaaame.

The rest of this book was cute & predictable. Nothing super special, but not bad either.

[Margaret Devaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was predictable. Not bad

[Jeannie Christo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Sometimes when a book is free a read can never know what they are getting into. The character development was amazing and it had a wonderful plot. It was very easy to fall in love with these characters. Cara, being a hard working single mother who is honestly skeptical about things coming too easy. Victor, the boy from nothing and nowhere making his way in business. I loved that Victor showed Cara the warming caring side of him that helped her let her guard down.
I can't wait to read the next installment...Armando Returns

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read was okay. Another story with a lot of miscommunication going on. It wasn't bad, it held my interest enough for me to finish reading it but the hero, heroine, and weird villian of an ex-girlfriend got on my nerves sometimes. Like the best part was the heroine's mother falling in love, heroine's adorable three year old son, And of course the setting being a Jersey girl myself, I love that part. ;)

Could have been better but since I still thought it was worth something to see how it ended; I won't trash it.


Happy Reading!!! :)

[BrazGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I would have given it 4 stars if was not for the first part of chapter 17 (it felt too unrealistic to me). Some other parts of the book were as good as 4.5 stars (I loved the dialogs and the character's interaction). I feel like the book had kind of a hurried ending and it has left me somewhat unsatisfied. But overall very good storyline that kept my attention,
I will definitely read more from this author, I am looking forward to the next Barbosa brother.

[Donna Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful story about Victor and Cara. It was a really good story. Cara has a little toddler Issac who seems so adorable you'll fall in love with him. The story is great and it's worth your time to read

[Julianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ex was crazy and he was super sweet, totally looking forward to the next one.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story and looking foreword to the next two.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another short book, but this one was an OK plot. I'm suprised it took more than 10 pages for the main characters to fall in love, but they did join the 'mile high club' pretty quickly. LOL

[Shiela · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a pretty good book, waiting for more.

[Stephanie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I luved it so much both characters played well off each other.. the other character were amazing as well

[Nancy Lovallo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story seemed rushed to me. There was so much potential with all the characters. I especially liked Victor's Assistance Gary. I wish he could get his own story

[Mona]

Newp.

[Leeani · Rating 5 out of 5]

best free book ive read

[Melissa B · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t a fan. Cudos to the author, for finishing the book, and for the ending being rather sweet, but I felt it was too full of contradictions to really enjoy. This girl, Cara, was shown as pretty down to earth and suspicious of both handouts and controlling men, yet when Victor gives her a job directly under him, and a week later starts putting the moves on her, she’s completely okay with it? Especially after having been in an abusive relationships, I think that her development was pretty unrealistic. And the way that Victor was so controlling was making me anxious and a bit skeeved out, rather than titillated. I mean he even makes jokes about ‘please don’t report me for sexual harassment’ and she just giggles while he’s like still inside her. Neither of them seemed to have realistic and normal reactions. I know that certain ‘I couldn’t help myself’s are a part of the genre, but this seemed to take that to an unrealistic level.

[Tonya Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going forward and not letting the past get in the way

Victor was not happy for a while, even before he ended things with his ex fiance but he went to a dinner to pay respects to his almost father in law when he realized how close he almost made the worst decision. But then he met this beautiful women named cara and had to help her. Cara wasnt going to make it easy though she was very independent and wasnt about to be a charity case. So victor did everything to prove his love to her and her son.

[DeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Hidden Gem

Do you buy every new, free ebook you can find? Do you have trouble then reading all those books? I do to both counts. Then I picked Fresh Temptation out of my queue and fell in like. It's a great story and a hidden gem from the vast number of books I need to read. The story is written not as a typical romance but as life really is. Doubts, fears and worries cloud all of our minds at times when we feel unsure of our futures. But even we get a happily ever after in amongst our ups and downs.

[Sandra Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A start to a great series...full of two people finding their way thru personal

hardships., Business adventures, and a longing to develop a lasting
Relationship. I'm the end love makes it all worthwhile. Thank you, Author. I look forward to enjoying the next book in this serirs.

[Amber Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

The stalking thing in the beginning was annoying. Especially since he manipulates her situation to get what he wants. Between Cara constantly putting herself down and Victor hiring her so he could have a chance to sleep with her this was hard to read without feeling sick. I got to about fifty percent and had to quit.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay story. I had a really hard time getting into it and almost didn't finish it! I feel like the back story took really long to develop and the romance part of it went extremely quick. The three year old also bothered me. I really just did not enjoy reading the baby talk from him. Not a terrible read but just not for me!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rich man with an ex-fiancé he caught cheating finds a new girl at a benefit her father sponsored. The ex wrangled the seat next him. Trying to get him back. However when the sever came to the table she thought he spent too much time looking at her so she got her fired for talking on the phone.
He offers her a job at his company. Things develop from there.

[Ann-Maree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I discovered an ebook on my Kindle that I had had since 2013, so I decided to give it a read. Unfortunately, I found it lacking in emotional depth, and the narrative didn’t flow well. The whole makeup job used to persuade a girl to work for the hero felt too creepy for me to take seriously. Additionally, both the hero and heroine annoyed me throughout the story.

[Renata SG · Rating 2 out of 5]

HAD THE MAKINGS OF A GOOD STORY BUT UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME IT FELL FLAT. THE CHARACTERS WERE FLAT & HAD NO CHEMISTRY. CARA WAS A TOTAL BORE & VICTOR WAS STIFF. PERSONALLY I DONT KNOW HOW THESE TWO ENDED UP TOGETHER BECAUSE THEIR GETTING TOGETHER WAS YAWWWWWNNNNNNNNNN ..... SORRY 😫