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A Malibu Kind of Romance
Rhythm of their hearts Slick lines and sweet nothings have zero effect on ambitious real estate developer Julie Dominick. Her love rules have thankfully saved her from dealing with messy relationship complications. But since R & B superstar Dante Wilson hired her to open his new Malibu nightclub, he's determined to add some pleasure to their business dealings. And Julie's strategy to protect her heart may not stand up to his seductive appeal. Growing up in a music dynasty, Dante enjoys all the female attention that comes with his fame. For the first time, he knows what it feels like to be brushed off by someone he's falling for. When his usual moves fall flat, he has to show Julie the real man behind all the glitz and glamour. Will it be enough to convince Julie that it's better to break the rules rather than risk losing love's passionate melody?
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 19, 2016
42 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 27, 2016
Great story with strong characters that refuse to let meddling, over-bearing parents; vindictive ex-hook-ups; as well as huge trust issues block their journey to true love. Dante's powerful, record executive, father does not respect him or his dream to create his own sound. The men in Julie's life treat her like she's some weak and stupid, cheap slut. When in fact, she's an intelligent, professional entrepreneur. Will Dante and Julie be able to overcome doubt, distance and deceit to have the life they deserve?
June 12, 2019
I can accept Julie's reaction to finding out she was roofied the night before, but the way everyone else handled it was so jarring to me that I put this book down for several months before coming back to finish it.
"I took you to my room. Esha cleaned you up and put you to bed. She sat with you while the doctor checked you out. He drew your blood. The police will need it to test it for the drug to have a case against Carlos."
She touched her arm where the Band-Aid had been. Mystery solved. "You called a doctor?"
"I wanted to make sure you were OK. My doctor lives nearby. If I would have shown up with you at the hospital it would have been a media circus. After I threw everybody out and dealt with the police, I came up here and watched you all night.[...]I was pretty sure whatever he gave you would just knock you out, but I didn't want you to get sick again and no one be there."
(page 125-126)
Minus this plot point, I would give the book 3 stars, but it bothered me enough that it knocks a whole star off. What kind of doctor draws the blood of an unconscious person and lets them stay unmonitored in a random bedroom with an unknown drug in their system?! (Also I'm pretty sure the police need to have some kind of evidence chain for that blood in order to use it, based on what I see on Law and Order, but that's beside the point.) Hospital stays can absolutely be kept quiet! This was just so...unnecessarily unsafe for Julie. Not romantic to me AT ALL.
"I took you to my room. Esha cleaned you up and put you to bed. She sat with you while the doctor checked you out. He drew your blood. The police will need it to test it for the drug to have a case against Carlos."
She touched her arm where the Band-Aid had been. Mystery solved. "You called a doctor?"
"I wanted to make sure you were OK. My doctor lives nearby. If I would have shown up with you at the hospital it would have been a media circus. After I threw everybody out and dealt with the police, I came up here and watched you all night.[...]I was pretty sure whatever he gave you would just knock you out, but I didn't want you to get sick again and no one be there."
(page 125-126)
Minus this plot point, I would give the book 3 stars, but it bothered me enough that it knocks a whole star off. What kind of doctor draws the blood of an unconscious person and lets them stay unmonitored in a random bedroom with an unknown drug in their system?! (Also I'm pretty sure the police need to have some kind of evidence chain for that blood in order to use it, based on what I see on Law and Order, but that's beside the point.) Hospital stays can absolutely be kept quiet! This was just so...unnecessarily unsafe for Julie. Not romantic to me AT ALL.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2016
I have read a few books written by this author and I have found them entertaining. A MALIBU KIND OF ROMANCE falls in the same category. This is a story for readers who enjoys celebrity romance that is hot with a hint of sweetness.
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August 18, 2016"I love her writing. It keeps me coming back. She is a relatively new author to me but I have read all of her books with the exception of her newest one. I would recommend reading this book and her others" (Review @ Harlequin.com) To read more reviews, go HERE> http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.ht...
May 9, 2017
A RITA-nomination for contemporary romance, one of the first with African American characters, led me to pick up this category romance. I'm not a big fan of category, given the fairly flat character development they feature, and this one was a pretty conventional category, trope and plot-wise: Dante Wilson, a world-famous R&B singer/dancer, is trying to branch out into a new kind of music, but is getting pressure not to do so from his music-legend family & record label. As part of his branching out, he is opening a club in Malibu where his new music can be featured. On the recommendation of a friend, he hires Julie Dominick, a club developer, to help him realize his vision. The two are instantly drawn to one another, but Julie has been burned in the past when she mixed business with romance, and Julie initially resists Dante's charismatic come-ons. But after , Julie and Dante have some life-affirming sex. Given Dante's well-earned reputation as a ladies' man, Julie's self-protective refusal to believe anything more will come of their tryst seems more than wise. But of course Dante is falling for the cool, competent Julie, and pushes her to move beyond her "rules" for dating.
Not my cup of tea, the strong woman who has to be rescued and who has to be talked into following her heart plot line ("He said the words as if fighting for her honor, calling a doctor and keeping vigil at her bedside was the most natural thing. Briefly she considered a life where Dante was the man who always looked out for her, protected her and stayed beside her all night. She liked the idea" [1475]). But Williams is a strong writer, as accomplished as many of the white women who have won the RITA award for category-length romance in the past. So cheers, to her, and to her readers!
Not my cup of tea, the strong woman who has to be rescued and who has to be talked into following her heart plot line ("He said the words as if fighting for her honor, calling a doctor and keeping vigil at her bedside was the most natural thing. Briefly she considered a life where Dante was the man who always looked out for her, protected her and stayed beside her all night. She liked the idea" [1475]). But Williams is a strong writer, as accomplished as many of the white women who have won the RITA award for category-length romance in the past. So cheers, to her, and to her readers!
March 18, 2018
I loved this book! There was a lot of story packed into 218 pages. The cover art was so important to helping visualize how the characters should look. The cover picture matched the way they were described. The theme of ordinary people meeting and interacting with their idols from the stage and screen was explored and the difficulties of being involved with a celebrity. I could easily envision this story as a tv movie. The house in Malibu overlooking the ocean, the pool parties, the supermodels throwing themselves at Dante and his dream of making his own music were made for tv! I liked that Dante was honest and didn't try to make promises he might not be able to keep. Julie was a strong career woman who didn't compromise her integrity to keep her job, but followed her dreams to open her own company. Her internal battle between following her relationship rules to keep from getting hurt versus letting go and following her heart was very real. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
July 14, 2017
Another excellent read by author, Synithia Williams! Music mogul, Dante Wilson, was introduced in "A New York Kind of Love" as a playa that lived the high life that comes with being a celebrity, however when he meets Club designer Julie Dominick, he can't stop thinking about her or stop trying to get with her because she may be just the woman he needs to break his womanizing ways! Awesome love story!!!
June 6, 2017
Couldnt put it doen
At first I was nervous because it started off slow in the beginning. Once I got into it it was pretty good.
At first I was nervous because it started off slow in the beginning. Once I got into it it was pretty good.
August 28, 2018
I couldn't get beyond the male MC's alpha-holeness. DNF'd it.
October 21, 2018
Great read
This is a great romance read and I really liked the characters. It has a good storyline and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. One click now and settle in.
This is a great romance read and I really liked the characters. It has a good storyline and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. One click now and settle in.
May 15, 2022
Cute story about breaking out and going your own way while also letting yourself get the love you deserve.
January 1, 2025
A cute romance!
I enjoyed the journey of this loved story. Very engaging and warm characters. Ms. Williams is a talented writer and I look forward to reading her future books.
I enjoyed the journey of this loved story. Very engaging and warm characters. Ms. Williams is a talented writer and I look forward to reading her future books.
January 5, 2025
I'm sorry I stopped reading this story 📖 at chapter 3 because it didn't grab my interest.
August 5, 2016
What do you get when you mix a hot R & B singer with a hardened heart club developer? You get one hot story! Dante has been in the music business his entire life and now want to break away from the family shadow and do the music he loves. Julie is a club developer that has been emotionally burned by someone in the music industry, as well as by those in her male dominated profession. Put these two together, with a few other horn dog men, and you get a romantic story that is hard to put down once you begin reading.
September 16, 2016
Julie has been hurt by messy relationships and wants to guard her heart, even though she has feelings for Dante. Dante is falling for her, but his moves are falling flat. If he wants the woman he has to show her the real man beyond the glitz and glamour.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews