Rival's Challenge

The Chatsfield #6

by Abby Green

When one night with a stranger turns to more . . .

Orla Kennedy doesn’t take risks. But, on the eve of a business deal, nerves lead her to share a drink with a handsome stranger, which results in a night of passion she’ll never forget. Then Orla discovers that the man in question is Antonio Chatsfield — her biggest rival!

Antonio might be a war hero to his family, but his life feels as empty as his recently vacated bed. He never wanted to return to The Chatsfield, London, but his sister needs his help. And he’s more than willing, until he meets the woman who came apart in his bed just hours before! Now Antonio’s sights are set on a merger of a different kind…

Welcome to The Chatsfield, London!

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Abby Green spent her teens reading Mills & Boon romances. She then spent many years working in the Film and TV industry as an Assistant Director. One day while standing outside an actor's trailer in the rain, she thought: "there has to be more than this". So she sent off a partial to Mills & Boon. After numerous rewrites, they accepted her first book and an author was born.
She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here www.abby-green.com

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two strangers (Antonio Chatsfield and Orla Kennedy) meet in a bar in a London Chatsfield hotel, hit it off, and spend the night together making love (without revealing their names to each other).


The Chatsfield hotel, London

The next day they unexpectedly meet again at a business meeting. (Orla's family's hotel business, the Kennedy Group, is failing. The popular Chatsfield hotels are interested in buying them out.) Tensions flare between Orla and Antonio.

Orla loves the family hotel business. Her father started the Kennedy Group hotel chain in Ireland and then moved to England. But due to her father's bad judgment their hotel business is now failing. Orla and Antonio get to know each other better while Antonio stays at the Kennedy hotel for a while during the planning of the takeover…



This was a really enjoyable read. Orla and Antonio had great chemistry.



Orla was a sweet and strong heroine. When she was nine she overheard her father say he wished he had a son to work in the family hotel business with him, so Orla worked extra hard proving that she could do it as good as a son could. I liked Antonio who was tall, dark, and gorgeous. He was in the French Foreign Legion for many years and he has now come home at the request of his sister to help her out with the Kennedy Hotel deal.

I liked the hotel themed story and the nice settings. Orla and Antonio were a good main couple. This book also had many sexy love scenes. An entertaining read by Abby Green.

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 1st book in the Chatsfield series that I’ve read - I haven’t really felt drawn to it…. But Rival’s Challenge, being written by one of my favorite authors, was an immediate go for me. How could I go wrong?
Weaving a story of passion, fear, loss, family obligations, honor, trust and love, filled with some interesting and quirky characters that takes us into the glamorous and exciting world of luxury hotels and family secrets.

Orla Kennedy, daughter of the Kennedy Hotel empire built by her father and now facing huge problems
and Antonio Chatsfield, charged with negotiating the take-over of some of the Kennedy hotels by his family’s Chatsfield Hotels group, both have some serious family issues.
Wow, first chapter and we have some serious heat!!

One night of hot and mind-blowing and explicit sex when they meet for the first time…...tossing all the pressures behind them, they spend one night together, without revealing their names to each other.
All hell breaks loose when they discover their true identities. Orla looks nothing like she did the night before…surprise…..

Fighting the attraction and the feelings of who to trust and believe, we are taken on a fabulous journey to great settings, where Orla & Antonio try to find their happiness together without betraying their families.
I really connected with these two characters and loved the way they worked through all the misunderstandings and heartache. Liked that Orla was independent and strong and not someone looking for her prince to save her…..And just adored Antonio…he was loving and caring…..surprising Orla with something she has always dreamed off…..

Orla has always lived in her family’s hotels and has always dreamed of one day having her own home…which Antonio buys as a present for her…it was such a sweet and lovely scene…loved it.. A romantic and emotional and totally fab read.
And I might just read the whole series……..after this story…….

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another promiscuous heroine another soft hero. I used to like this author so much...

[Kace | The Booknerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my. This one's freaking hot read! The hottest book in the series so far! It's Abby Green, folks! Rival's Challenge has everything I’ve come to expect from this author’s romances. You know that it’s going to be hot, sexy, emotional, and darn right sweet! Honestly, I wasn’t expecting, however, was to love it as much as I did. When I first downloaded this series, I wasn't included in the 8 out of 16 books that I wanted to read. But I'm glad that I changed my mind last night because I was pretty hooked from the first page up to the last.

Antonio and Orla were my favorite couple in the series so far. Antonio is an intense, tortured alpha with a pang of guilt like the size of Mt. Everest and experiencing some PTSD from the time he was captured and tortured. Orla is a very independent woman. She has both the sweetness and determination of the usual Abby Green heroines. She is a heroine you can’t help but love. She’s caring, she’s selfless, and she’s kind. I can that these two were absolutely perfect for each other.

And the chemistry between them? Freakin' off the charts! Intense chemistry! It’s insta lust but not in the roll-you-eyes unbelievably sense. But the story wasn’t just about the sex, I mean, there was plenty of hot, steamy sex, but there was also a good romance, with enough drama to make your heart skip a beat. Watching the relationship develop between Antonio and Orla was so sweet. I loved seeing him finally open up to someone. He was able to tell her things he's never told anyone. Same with Orla. She also told him things she'd never told anyone, like her dream of owning a house. And that's what Antonio did. He bought her a house. And I can't believe that he got down on his knee and asked her to marry him.... properly!!!! How freakin' sweet is that?

"I love you, Orla Kennedy, and I don't want to be rootless anymore. I knew I loved you last week, but I was the biggest emotional coward on this earth, and I couldn't face up to it. Quite simply, I'd prefer to endure the torture I did when I was a soldier for the rest of my life rather than spend another moment without you because, without you, I feel as I'm unraveling at the seams."

And thank god, this one has an epilogue! And it nearly killed me... too much sweetness!

P.S: As usual, I still loved the Q&A portion at the end. And this particular Q&A makes me so giddy!

"How will you spend your first anniversary as a couple?"
"Re-enacting the night we met in The Chatsfield hotel bar."

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars

I was going back and forth on what rating I wanted to give this book. The problem was that I looked at this book in two different ways so I have two different ratings in my head because of that. In the grand scheme of things it wasn't a bad book and at times it did shine for me. I wasn't bored or couldn't wait until it was over. And I definitely enjoyed both Orla and Antonio as characters especially Orla. Now on the other hand from my other perspective I compared it to other Presents that I have read in the past, and it wasn't the best Presents that I have read. It didn't due the line any favors nor justice. It just didn't have the spark that some Presents have.

One of my issues with this book was it was a one night stand book/the characters sleep together way too quickly for my taste. I hate that type of trope. Sure it created lots of conflict in the story once Orla and Antonio found out each other's true identities and that they were "enemies" and created that tension between them, but I just would have preferred if it was just a hot make out scene not a full blown love scene. Since they happened so quickly there was no drawn out of sexual tension and the suspense of when will they or won't hit the sheets. This took out all the mystery behind when they would get together. And for me that was no fun. I understand they were really attracted to each other and their chemistry was off the charts and they couldn't wait, but I wanted more anticipation to it all. That's why I don't like early love scenes/one night stand theme. So that was a turn off.

On the other hand, I did enjoy and like their sexy banter when they met for the first time at the bar. That was entertaining and I could feel the sexual tension coming off the page. I will give you it was hot and very intense. That was really well done. There was no doubt about their lust for one another. Now if that encounter ended with a hot make out scene and nothing more than I would have been more for it. Because it would have whetted the appetite and increased the anticipation behind it all. The make out scene would have been hot and would have made me wonder what would happen between them in bed. For me it would have worked better.

I also felt there was too much focus on their lust and nothing else. It was like all they wanted to do was rip off each other's clothes for the entire book. It got tiresome after awhile and I wanted more behind their relationship besides that. That just overwhelmed them for most of the story. It wasn't until the end that the started to delve deeper but not enough. Too much lust.

But I will say that the love scenes were pretty steamy. With that much lust how can it not be, right? It did make the pulse pound. The lust was very clear. They definitely had a connection that was mostly based on the physical but I could see a sliver of emotion, though just slightly. I wish a more detailed scene would have been shown after he revealed what happened to him in the arm, exposing him and stripping him bare. I think that would have brought out this emotions as well as their connection. Something where she kissed all his scars would have been really tender and sweet yet really erotic too. This would have shown so much. It would have been a nice balance with the other scenes that were in my view just physical. I needed that balance in order for it to be a complete love story. But I did enjoy the steaminess of the scenes. They were hot.

I did love Orla and her feisty personality and even though she did give into him way too easily at times, I did like that she tried to stand up to him, but lust took over for her. I liked when he busted his chops. I thought it was funny and added to their banter. I really enjoyed her. I rooted for her.

Overall it was good, but not great. I've read better romance by far especially in the Presents line. It needed to be an more emotional love story for me. The lust was fine and good but it just overtook the falling in love aspect out of the story. The first love scene was just too quick and turned me off honestly. I like the build up in romances and there was really none of that here. There wasn't really slot of angst either, which I really enjoy but there was none. That would have added to the intensity as well. The overwhelming lust just did in for me as well as the one night stand aspect. This was the perfect example of why I don't like those types of stories.

[Desere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orla Kennedy is in control and always ensures everything goes her way, and most importantly she never takes risks. It's just not her style.

But on the eve of a business deal she's tired, stressed out and in desperate need of blowing off some steam, this leads her to sharing a drink with an attractive stranger and also a night of unbridled passion. It's the best night of her life and she'll never forget it.

But work looms on the horizon and she places the super hot memories in the back of her mind. Easy as relive, day dream a little and then get all hot and dirty minded and then back to work, yeah right ! This is a Abby Green book so we know that will never happen.

And it doesn't, soon she discovers her one night stand is her rival, the fearless Antonio Chatsfield. He has pretty much everything he wants and is known as a war hero, so fame, fortune the whole set up is there, but his life feels as empty as his recently vacated bed.

Yet he still drags himself over to The Chatsfield, London to aid his sister. But when he comes face to face with the woman who came apart in his arms just hours before he starts forming a new merger of a entirely different kind.

This was a brilliant book in true Abby Green fashion, from the very start till the very end! The author weaved a tale of secrets, passion and rivalry with exquisite detail and with her unique slightly dark almost mysterious bordering on sweet writing style she created characters I will never forget.

The character of Orla was wonderful, I loved her spirit and fun I handle it all attitude, it did show her as a little too much self involved, but only slightly for as we all know we always think at some stage in life we can handle everything and anything that comes our way, without so much as a drop of help from anyone, so the character did still have that realistic feel I adore so much in romance reads.

The character of Antonio, was super hotness combined with just a smidgen of darkness that every now and then breaks through the barrier of being fair, kind and sweet but not too sweet that he doesn't go all out in getting who and what he wants.

Through both characters the author showed that in life there is the past and there is the present. What we think of the past is what will hold us back, what we do with the present is what will ultimately set us free from the past. Of course that's is a message us readers have seen in many other books, yet this author brought it home in a different manner , slightly familiar but with a new kind of flare, that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I highly recommend this read for all who love a good can do anything my way war hero meets head strong heroine and is brought to his knees story.

4.5 star review
" The ultimate rivals become trapped in the ultimate game, but who will win?"

[Megzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only book in the series so far that was worth reading. There was tangible chemistry and some. There was a real story there and not just poorly constructed plot like in the rest of series so far. I enjoyed the setting and the relationship between the characters and with the hotel staff.

[Hsiau Wei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orla is “reliable” person and she likes to think she is until she discover that the stranger that she spent a night with is her rival, Antonio Chatsfield. Orla’s family needs the Chatsfield’s backing to save her family’s business. The business is in dire needs of funds in order to prevent it from closing its door and Orla has sworn to save it. Antonio have his doubt that the night spent was a plan that Orla instigated to garner his support. As much as both of them wanting to put behind the passionate night that they had, the attraction is getting stronger each day.

This story is about family obligation, secrets, passion and rivalry with likeable characters. This book is addictive and once you pick it up, it is hard for you to put it down. I love Orla for her spirit and attitude in her life and the way the author has presented her as someone that I can relate to in reality while I m totally smitten with Antonio. Overall, it is a sweet read for me.

[Mender · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly nonsensical, as all Mills&Boon romances are. But I've read worse. It improves after the intensely painful infodump at the start.

Why a man who was in the French Foreign Legion for about a decade and before that got himself a masters in wine is independently rich enough to buy millions of dollars of real estate is never answered, family money aside. I'm also slightly baffled as to where his expertise on investing in hotels in SE Asia came from. He wasn't keeping up with the family business, and yet apparently it and its money just seeped into him by osmosis. Yay?

At least they had sex and she didn't have to remain a virgin til they got married at the end. That's a plus.

[Harlequin Books]

"Green’s lust-at-first-sight to love story is sensational. Her charming, broken hero and determined heroine rule every page with their palpable sexual tension, lively repartee and viscerally carnal love scenes" (RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 stars TOP PICK!).

Miniseries: The Chatsfield

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rival's Challenge was a smooth, easy read. That alone was enjoyable, but it is a story with two great characters who held my attention from beginning to end. Great book!

[Makii · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love❤

[Riz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Harlequin Books]

received 4 1/2 stars TOP PICK! @ RT Book Reviews
Miniseries: The Chatsfield

[Natha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sudah agak kehilangan ketertarikan setelah memasuki pola 'liburan' antara kedua tokoh utamanya. Entah bagaimana, setelah membaca beberapa judul HQ secara kesinambungan, aku jadi paham plot kisahnya serupa. Terlepas dari bagaimana cara kedua tokohnya bertemu, masa lalu apa yang dimiliki dan entah apalagi.

Karena aku menemukan buku HQ lain dari penulis kesayangan, buku ini sejujurnya tidak aku tamatkan. :)) Sorry. Tapi aku rupanya lebih suka buku yang selanjutnya, sampai tidak ingat buku ini sudah kutamatkan apa belum. *tepok jidat*

[nadia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found the story boring. Heroine with numerous multiple casual sexual encounters not for me. Abounded. I love consistency such as from my favourite author Lynne Graham as for A. G. I find her heroines can be very unpredictable. No lovers, one lover, numerous lovers as in this one, previously married etc… frustrating and disappointing.

[Berna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stars rounded up to 3 stars. I liked some sections of the book where the couple communicated honestly with each other. Other than that, I think I do not really like romance books focused just on the main couple.

[LEEFE LEEFE · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is quite entertaining. The interaction between Orla and Anton were too interesting to miss it. Trial leads to falling in love. Anton's character also very realistic and not excessive. Nice shot!

[Amee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.Could not keep my nose out of it!
Also, liked that it had an epilogue (nicely closed off a couple of loose ends)

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abby Green does it again - fabulous read. I loved it!

[Margaret Fisk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on Tales to Tide You Over

Abby Green offers an interesting installment in the Chatsfield series by pairing a man who is living up to his family obligations after running away from them for years with a woman who has given up everything for her family business. The conflict between the two is straightforward in that Antonio Chatsfield is charged with negotiating the purchase of Orla Kennedy’s father’s dream, a hotel empire he built up from practically nothing which is now shuddering on the edge of collapse because of her mother’s expensive tastes.

Add that Orla has always fought to prove herself a worthy heir rather than being dismissed as a girl, and Antonio chose the French Foreign Legion to disappear as a young man, and things are complicated enough one would think.

But that’s not what this story is about.

No, in Rival’s Challenge with all these pressures and obligations, Orla gives herself one moment to relax in the arms of a stranger, acting completely out of character but enjoying the anonymity of forgetting who she is as much as he seems to want to step outside of his normal life as well, both adopting other names even. It’s a one night stand of mind-blowing passion, but that’s all it can ever be.

When Orla wakes in the morning, she’s stunned and wants to linger, but she knows her duties.

The trouble comes when her Marco turns out to be Antonio and his Kate is Orla.

This is where Abby Green turns an uncomfortable situation into a complex dance of loyalties, trust, and desire.

Their attraction is as strong as ever, but so are their family obligations. How can they trust each other when this connection, sexual or something more, is an all too easy angle to manipulate and get the better of the bigger issue of their business negotiations?

I enjoyed watching them try to figure their way through to love without betraying their families or each other. This is a situation where even the truth could be a lie and they have good reasons to use every possible advantage. Even saying they are not could be leverage.

I’m not one to hate misunderstanding romances because I believe life is full of misunderstandings and assumptions that can be hard to work through once they’ve taken hold. However, what made this book a strong one was the complex understandings that lead them astray.

Marco and Orla understand each other on a deeper level than most because when it comes down to it, they have much in common. Sure, they chose very different ways of dealing with it in the past, but the root, their families, is shared. It’s a strange situation to be in where they can see exactly why the other would betray, and can’t fight against it because they would do the same.

There’s explicit, and emotional, sex, romantic moments as well as mercenary ones, and characters with a lot going on under their respective business suits. A fun read with a lot to offer, Rival’s Challenge releases on September 19th.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orla Kennedy didn't realize that when she decided to have a drink with a stranger, and then a night of passion, that it would be the one man that she would ever meet again.

Antonio Chatsfield agreed to help his sister Lucilla repair the name of Chatsfield to the new CEO of the Chatsfield hotels.

Meeting Orla one night he didn't realize that she was the person he was supposed to do business with the next day since they both decided to have a night of passion but used their middle names when they met. Orla's family needs the backing of the Chatsfield Hotel in order to save her family's business. Due to her father giving in to the whim of her mother, and allowing her to over spend the Kennedy Hotel is in dire straits and needs funding in order to not close. Orla wants to keep the family name, and Antonio is still not sure that Orla just wasn't using him to guarantee that his family backs her. What Antonio finds when he visits the Kennedy hotel is a close knit family atmosphere that is missing from their chain, but also that he has yet to get Orla out of his system.

"Rivals Challenge" by Abby Green is a continuation of the 'Chatsfield' series. You'll enjoy the relationship between Orla and Antonio. The trials that they go through not only with business but also with their fight to not be attracted to each other. It's an enjoyable, and quick read. 5 out of 5 stars.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review: 5 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley

I greatly enjoyed this book. I love military stories, and Antonio being from the French Foreign Legion and having that history makes him so desirable. His commanding presence, his desire to do good for his estranged family, and his weakening defenses toward Orla make you love him and want to see the couple succeed. Orla is so easy to relate to in her desire to protect her family heritage, even though her father made poor choices in his spending. The career-centric focus of her life and her awakening desires have you rooting for her to allow Antonio in to her life. The chemistry between the two is instant and hot. I highly recommend this story and would definitely read others in this series.

[Artemis · Rating 5 out of 5]

'One more crack like that, Chatsfield, and you'll have to entertain yourself in your little hideaway.'

Antonio took her hand again and found himself feeling serious as he said, 'Not a chance. You're not escaping now.'


This little book packs a literary punch! Filled with plenty of passion, sparks, heart and a sigh worthy ending this book won't disappoint. You'll love the push and pull between Orla and Antonio as they both fight not to fall in love with each other and their back stories add more depth to the story. Beautifully written; I'd suggest this to anyone :)

I won this in a first reads contest in return for an honest review.. thanks for the great read.

[Aisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't care if she's virgin or not. There are not-virgin heroines that are memorable. Orla? I really can't put her on that group. Antonio is a teddy bear than an alpha male. Their chemistry is more sexual than anything else. It looks like they were desperate to mate. Romance between them?? I didn't saw it at all. That said, their story was good, but didn't killed me.

But the biggest problem here is the writing than the story in fact. 8 long --extremely long, IMO-- chapters that makes the reading more slow and the rhyme was almost zero. Maybe more and shorter chapters? Just thinking out loud.

[RomLibrary · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the eve of a business deal, nerves get the better of Orla Kennedy, and a drink with a handsome stranger ends in a night of passion she'll never forget! Only after does Orla discover that the man in question is Antonio Chatsfield--her rival!

Antonio never wanted to return to The Chatsfield, but his sister needs his help, so he has little choice. But when he meets the woman who came apart in his bed just hours before, Antonio decides to set his sights on a different kind of merger.

[Janet Rodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story. Orla Kennedy spent her entire life running the family hotel business. After a one night stand with Antonio Chatsfield she begins to reconsider her priorities. Wonderful love story about a woman who comes to realize what she wants in life and the man who accepts her love to help him heal. I highly recommend this book.

[Gentle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of Rival's Challenge from Goodreads. I've never read any books by the author. Rival's Challenge was a short sweet read. Most of us in life struggle with our place in our own family's and in the world. A dynamic portrayed well in the story through the two main characters. A passionate tale told well.

[Xondra Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

* Copy via Goodreads First Reads *

I didn't feel this one at all. I thought the characters were cold and unlikable. I admit to skimming a bit since the story didn't keep me interested. It wasn't a good read for me.

[Charlisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense from beginning to end

This couple's chemistry literally jumped off the pages they both struggled with their role in their families but burnt up the pages with trying to fight their feelings for each other