What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mistress Deception
When Rachel offered to help Matthew Riordan undress after a party, her intentions were purely innocent. She'd been trying to avoid a scandal--instead she found herself being blackmailed!Yet Matthew oozed sex appeal; he didn't need to blackmail Rachel into his bed! But they'd clashed over a business deal... Was Matthew planning to make Rachel his mistress simply out of revenge?
146 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2000
13 people are currently reading
212 people want to read
About the author
Susan Napier
141 books153 followersPerhaps being born on Valentine’s Day was an omen that Susan Napier would become a romance writer. This New Zealand author has written over 30 Mills & Boon category romances since 1984. Napier and her husband Tony Potter met when they both worked at the Auckland Star newspaper. After they married, she left the newspaper to work for a film company where she learned the art of dialogue. After the birth of her sons, Simon and Ben, she was a freelance scriptwriter for documentaries. It was soon after that she decided to try her hand at writing the romance fiction she dearly loved.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Read
January 8, 2025Another review from the archives.
This is the second part of my accidental Susan Napier binge, which was itself part of a wider attempt to get some sort of handle on category romance. And the truth is, when I picked up The Mistress Deception and saw it was by the same author as The Mistress of the Groom my little heart sank a bit. It wasn’t that I was particularly averse to The Mistress of the Groom but, as anyone who has actually read that book will testify, it does rather leave you feeling like you need to lie down for a while in a quiet room. But The Mistress Deception turned out to be quite a different experience altogether.
It opens with the hero, Matthew Riordan (who we know is non-alpha because he wears, wait for it, glasses) being unpleasantly surprised to receive a blackmail message and some kinky photos of himself tied to bed by a hot chick. He immediately concludes that the blackmailer is the hot chick because blackmail works really well if you put yourself in the same compromising position as your victim. Of course, the hot chick is the heroine Rachel Blair, who works for a private security firm and, of course, is absolutely not the blackmailer because she possesses many excellent qualities as a heroine and a human, and one of those is common sense. And I like to think if she did decide to blackmail someone, she would do it effectively. We learn in a flashback in the next chapter that she did, as it happens, tie Matt to the bed but it was For His Own Good because he rocked up horrendously wasted to a formal dinner party where Rachel was in charge of security.
This is another deliciously absurd premise but I think part of the reason I eased into it better than I did in The Mistress of the Groom was because, unlike poor Jane who spends the whole of her book being shafted, The Mistress Deception takes Rachel’s competence and independence very seriously. She has a job, and she’s good at it, and the only people who question either of these facts are idiots. And while I’m willing to concede that getting into sexualised shenanigans with a drunk you’re trying to subdue is probably not present as a beacon of best practice in The Big Book of Private Security, Napier does a fairly decent job of make Rachel’s actions seem … well … not totally outlandish in context.
Also this whole scene was a delight to me because, okay, hot dude tied to bed, but it’s also genuinely intriguing on a range of levels. Firstly, I guess it just interested me to see a hero immediately vulnerable – emotionally and physically – when in most of the books I’ve read so far it’s something earned by the heroine when she has proven herself HEA material. And, secondly, the balance of information revealed and withheld is just about perfect. There’s clearly more going on than either the characters or, at this moment in time, the reader are capable of understanding. And once I’d read the book, so I knew what was actually underpinning their reactions and responses, I actually came back and re-read the scene, and it held together really well for me. It’s actually quite amusing first time round because it seems like it’s just this farce of intoxication and exasperation, but what I read initially as absurdity turned out to be expressions of loneliness and hurt. And the whole thing was pretty sad and nuanced. So, accepting for what they were, the flourishes and excesses of Napier’s slightly histrionic writing style and the general silliness of the premise, I felt that this was nevertheless a strong and interesting piece of writing in its own right, and it put me in a more receptive and positive mood for whatever was coming next.
Unfortunately, once the bed-tying/blackmail premise has been established, The Mistress Deception veers briefly into what is perhaps standard territory for either this author or this category. Matt starts acting like a complete tosser, randomly sexually assaults Rachel in a supply closet and then literally kidnaps her. I genuinely thought, at this point, the book was going to go all Mistress of the Groom on me, but then the characters start talking to each other honestly, in a manner vaguely reminiscent of humans, and the tentative liking I’d developed in the first few chapters grew into real emotional investment.
To be honest, the book is probably just as melodramatic, and just as ridiculous, as Mistress of the Groom but I found it much easier to accept, either because I was starting to get used to it, or because it felt better grounded in the characters. I think the difference might be that, in Mistress of the Groom, the hero and heroine cause the melodrama, whereas in this book they merely navigate it. For me, Jane’s good qualities were sort of rendered irrelevant by her permanent subjection to a domineering arse, but I genuinely felt Matt and Rachel were decent people who understood and respected each other, and deserved to be together and have nice things. I enjoyed Mistress of the Groom in a cracky, Nic Cage kind of way, but this one had themes I could recognise and respond to: strength and vulnerability, and the strength in being vulnerable. It was honestly pretty lovely watching Rachel and Matt fall in love.
I liked Rachel especially from the get-go and although she struck me as having some similar traits to Jane (strength, an apparently Amazonian figure), she seemed, in general, better articulated and the book seemed less keen on grinding her beneath the narrative heel. And, despite his brief daytrip to Tosserville, I was quite into Matt as well. He’s got all the alpha millionaire tropes on the surface but he’s kind of the anti-Ryan: somebody clever and passionate and sensitive, and not entirely comfortable in his life. Again, I’m not really in any place to making broader points about the genre, or this subgenre, but it seemed to me there were ways in which he was pretty subversive: the glasses, the fact he is shorter than the heroine and actually physically less powerful, and he often, quite willingly and non-angstily, takes the less assertive or dominant role in their relationship, and defers to Rachel’s expertise where relevant. On some level, it feels vaguely odd to me that this came across as quite so subversive and refreshing. I mean, there’s nothing emasculating in acknowledging that some people can do some stuff better than you can, even if they also, incidentally, also female. But, I deeply appreciated Matt, and I appreciated the care that went into his portrayal because there seemed to be no implication, or even the expectation of an implication, that behaving like a human (most of the time) made him less masculine or attractive.
The other thing I should probably mention about Matt, and this is also kind of a spoiler so look away now if you don’t want to know the score, is that the dude’s a virgin. A virgin widower. And even a genre-doofus like me can see there’s a trope there, undergoing a good old subverting. The whole idea kind of tickled me, the reasons behind it are, well, semi-plausible and, again, I found it genuinely well executed.
Once again, there’s no sense that the text – or Rachel – thinks any less of Matt for being a virgin, or that it renders him weak, unattractive or unmasculine. And the last line neatly reminds us just how constructed such ideas are, and the way certain sexual choices are gendered or perceived in certain ways. After all, it seems to me that it’s precisely because virginity is derided in men but prized in women that the virgin widow trope exists at all. And even though Matt is circumstantially a virgin, there’s also an extent to which it reflects his beliefs and his desires. For example, he tells Rachel “I never bought into the illusion that sex is an adequate substitute for love, and a love that has to be bought isn’t worth the investment” which, since men are “supposed” to want sex and women are “supposed” to want relationships, usually tends to be the sort of sentiment expected of, and expressed by, female characters. Rather than by individuals, of any gender, who have made certain sexual and romantic choices.
But I think what I found most interesting, and also most confusing, about The Mistress Deception is the way it deconstructed some of these tropes and gendered expectations but reinforced others. For example, the book has a deeply weird relationship with kink. I think both it, and its hero, are secretly a bit into the idea but can’t find a way to square it with the slightly tragic conviction that while Matt can be nice and a virgin, making him mildly sexually submissive would de-man him irredeemably forever. So it sort of leaks out in other ways and in weird hints, and this constant see-saw between outrage and reluctant fascination. For example, Matt’s immediate reaction to the photo of himself being all deliciously helpless under Rachel is pretty intense: “He was furious, and aroused— and furious at himself for being aroused.” And when she’s manhandling him, he tells her: “I like it when you’re rough with me…” But then it’s like the book freaks out runs away screaming from its own subtext:
Well, no, Matt I’m pretty sure Rachel wouldn’t like abject submission but she seemed pretty into you tied up with your cummerbund. Just sayin. One the other hand, the book was perfectly willing to teasingly acknowledge that Matt incidentally tied up was hot but absolutely unable to accept that it could potentially be okay for two pepole to enjoy some mild kink as part of a healthy, balanced diet...err...relationship.
One of the interesting side-effects of Matt’s virginity is that their first sexual encounter is much more tender and far less assured than what appears to be standard genre convention. Matt’s hands tremble. He has trouble with the condom. Rachel, to some extent, takes the lead until he gets the hang of it. It’s actually really nice. I mean, I’m not a virgin and I sometimes goof up a condom so – in that respect – it’s been one of the more engaging sex scenes I’ve read. I felt like it was sex you might semi-realistically have with someone: satisfying and intimate, but lightly touched with the realities of two humans trying to complete a complex physical manoeuvre. They have sex again, later, in a range of positions, one of which, oh gasp, is doggy style. Later Matt asks Rachel if she’s okay with it, in case it triggers bad memories of abuse to be put into a sexually submissive position and she basically tells him it’s fine, and she likes it. Which, again, I kind of applauded because, well, sex is just sex. Yes, you can make it about dominance and submission if you like (and if you do like, that’s fine) but being taken from behind is not necessarily or inherently submissive. Sometimes, for some people, it just feels good. And it just struck me as odd that the book could explicitly address this with Rachel, but not do the same for Matt. Wanting to be tied up is no more “abject” than wanting to do it in a particular position. To me, that just feels like the same, ultimately arbitrary line in the sand, but I found it kind of interesting where, and how absolutely, the line turned out to be drawn.
As a somewhat more serious concern, Rachel has been sexually abused in the past and, although this struck me as being well handled for the most part, the bit where Matt goes for her a supply closet was somewhat unfortunate:
Um, last time I checked, if you don’t explicitly consent, it’s still sexual assault. Even if the guy assaulting you is hot. I think, to try and give this the benefit of the doubt, Napier seems to be trying to clarify that is not an abusive experience for Rachel because her desire for Matt constitutes an implicit consent. But, for me, it crosses a line.
Non-consensual supply closet aside and with the usual provisos of “what do I know”, I thought Rachel’s history worked well. It has affected her, of course, but it doesn’t completely overshadow her. And when she tells Matt about what happened to her, and the fact that her niece is actually her daughter, he says:
Now, okay, I know it’s not ideal to congratulate people on their “courage” for surviving rubbish things that have happened to them, but, at the same time, but – to my mind – Matt is still way ahead of the field here. I think he’s maybe the only hero I’ve read so far who hasn’t immediately degenerated into frothing manrage on discovering the heroine has been sexually abused. Of course, it’s hard to bear witness to the suffering of someone you love but spending all your time thinking about laying the manly smackdown on the heroine’s abuser essentially turns the sexual abuse of women into a demarcation issue between two men. Matt, however, responds immediately and instinctively to Rachel. And, to be honest, I found that pretty damn romantic.
In case it isn’t obvious, I was really, and unabashedly, into this book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still thematically and stylistically similar to Mistress of the Groom but I felt it was working with the genre in interesting ways, as well as being a charming and satisfying love story on its own terms.
Everything I learned about life and love from reading Mistress of the Groom: the most sensible way to stop a drunk person embarrassing themselves is to tie them to a bed and sit on top of them, it’s okay to be tied up when you’re drunk but not when you’re sober, if someone sends you incriminating photographs in which they personally feature they’re probably not the one who’s blackmailing you.
This is the second part of my accidental Susan Napier binge, which was itself part of a wider attempt to get some sort of handle on category romance. And the truth is, when I picked up The Mistress Deception and saw it was by the same author as The Mistress of the Groom my little heart sank a bit. It wasn’t that I was particularly averse to The Mistress of the Groom but, as anyone who has actually read that book will testify, it does rather leave you feeling like you need to lie down for a while in a quiet room. But The Mistress Deception turned out to be quite a different experience altogether.
It opens with the hero, Matthew Riordan (who we know is non-alpha because he wears, wait for it, glasses) being unpleasantly surprised to receive a blackmail message and some kinky photos of himself tied to bed by a hot chick. He immediately concludes that the blackmailer is the hot chick because blackmail works really well if you put yourself in the same compromising position as your victim. Of course, the hot chick is the heroine Rachel Blair, who works for a private security firm and, of course, is absolutely not the blackmailer because she possesses many excellent qualities as a heroine and a human, and one of those is common sense. And I like to think if she did decide to blackmail someone, she would do it effectively. We learn in a flashback in the next chapter that she did, as it happens, tie Matt to the bed but it was For His Own Good because he rocked up horrendously wasted to a formal dinner party where Rachel was in charge of security.
This is another deliciously absurd premise but I think part of the reason I eased into it better than I did in The Mistress of the Groom was because, unlike poor Jane who spends the whole of her book being shafted, The Mistress Deception takes Rachel’s competence and independence very seriously. She has a job, and she’s good at it, and the only people who question either of these facts are idiots. And while I’m willing to concede that getting into sexualised shenanigans with a drunk you’re trying to subdue is probably not present as a beacon of best practice in The Big Book of Private Security, Napier does a fairly decent job of make Rachel’s actions seem … well … not totally outlandish in context.
Also this whole scene was a delight to me because, okay, hot dude tied to bed, but it’s also genuinely intriguing on a range of levels. Firstly, I guess it just interested me to see a hero immediately vulnerable – emotionally and physically – when in most of the books I’ve read so far it’s something earned by the heroine when she has proven herself HEA material. And, secondly, the balance of information revealed and withheld is just about perfect. There’s clearly more going on than either the characters or, at this moment in time, the reader are capable of understanding. And once I’d read the book, so I knew what was actually underpinning their reactions and responses, I actually came back and re-read the scene, and it held together really well for me. It’s actually quite amusing first time round because it seems like it’s just this farce of intoxication and exasperation, but what I read initially as absurdity turned out to be expressions of loneliness and hurt. And the whole thing was pretty sad and nuanced. So, accepting for what they were, the flourishes and excesses of Napier’s slightly histrionic writing style and the general silliness of the premise, I felt that this was nevertheless a strong and interesting piece of writing in its own right, and it put me in a more receptive and positive mood for whatever was coming next.
Unfortunately, once the bed-tying/blackmail premise has been established, The Mistress Deception veers briefly into what is perhaps standard territory for either this author or this category. Matt starts acting like a complete tosser, randomly sexually assaults Rachel in a supply closet and then literally kidnaps her. I genuinely thought, at this point, the book was going to go all Mistress of the Groom on me, but then the characters start talking to each other honestly, in a manner vaguely reminiscent of humans, and the tentative liking I’d developed in the first few chapters grew into real emotional investment.
To be honest, the book is probably just as melodramatic, and just as ridiculous, as Mistress of the Groom but I found it much easier to accept, either because I was starting to get used to it, or because it felt better grounded in the characters. I think the difference might be that, in Mistress of the Groom, the hero and heroine cause the melodrama, whereas in this book they merely navigate it. For me, Jane’s good qualities were sort of rendered irrelevant by her permanent subjection to a domineering arse, but I genuinely felt Matt and Rachel were decent people who understood and respected each other, and deserved to be together and have nice things. I enjoyed Mistress of the Groom in a cracky, Nic Cage kind of way, but this one had themes I could recognise and respond to: strength and vulnerability, and the strength in being vulnerable. It was honestly pretty lovely watching Rachel and Matt fall in love.
I liked Rachel especially from the get-go and although she struck me as having some similar traits to Jane (strength, an apparently Amazonian figure), she seemed, in general, better articulated and the book seemed less keen on grinding her beneath the narrative heel. And, despite his brief daytrip to Tosserville, I was quite into Matt as well. He’s got all the alpha millionaire tropes on the surface but he’s kind of the anti-Ryan: somebody clever and passionate and sensitive, and not entirely comfortable in his life. Again, I’m not really in any place to making broader points about the genre, or this subgenre, but it seemed to me there were ways in which he was pretty subversive: the glasses, the fact he is shorter than the heroine and actually physically less powerful, and he often, quite willingly and non-angstily, takes the less assertive or dominant role in their relationship, and defers to Rachel’s expertise where relevant. On some level, it feels vaguely odd to me that this came across as quite so subversive and refreshing. I mean, there’s nothing emasculating in acknowledging that some people can do some stuff better than you can, even if they also, incidentally, also female. But, I deeply appreciated Matt, and I appreciated the care that went into his portrayal because there seemed to be no implication, or even the expectation of an implication, that behaving like a human (most of the time) made him less masculine or attractive.
The other thing I should probably mention about Matt, and this is also kind of a spoiler so look away now if you don’t want to know the score, is that the dude’s a virgin. A virgin widower. And even a genre-doofus like me can see there’s a trope there, undergoing a good old subverting. The whole idea kind of tickled me, the reasons behind it are, well, semi-plausible and, again, I found it genuinely well executed.
This lean, sexy, hard-bodied man she had been fantasising so lustily about was still a virgin? Colour poured into Rachel’s face as she felt her body react helplessly to the notion, her nipples peaking against her shielding arms and darting thrills radiating through her lower extremities.
‘Shouldn’t I be the one blushing?’ he asked, and indeed there was high colour streaking along his cheekbones as he watched her struggle with the arousing concept of his innocence.
‘I had no idea…’ she murmured inanely.
‘I do try and keep that kind of information out of the public domain,’ was his dry reply. ‘Virginity is not something for which a mature man is traditionally admired.’
Once again, there’s no sense that the text – or Rachel – thinks any less of Matt for being a virgin, or that it renders him weak, unattractive or unmasculine. And the last line neatly reminds us just how constructed such ideas are, and the way certain sexual choices are gendered or perceived in certain ways. After all, it seems to me that it’s precisely because virginity is derided in men but prized in women that the virgin widow trope exists at all. And even though Matt is circumstantially a virgin, there’s also an extent to which it reflects his beliefs and his desires. For example, he tells Rachel “I never bought into the illusion that sex is an adequate substitute for love, and a love that has to be bought isn’t worth the investment” which, since men are “supposed” to want sex and women are “supposed” to want relationships, usually tends to be the sort of sentiment expected of, and expressed by, female characters. Rather than by individuals, of any gender, who have made certain sexual and romantic choices.
But I think what I found most interesting, and also most confusing, about The Mistress Deception is the way it deconstructed some of these tropes and gendered expectations but reinforced others. For example, the book has a deeply weird relationship with kink. I think both it, and its hero, are secretly a bit into the idea but can’t find a way to square it with the slightly tragic conviction that while Matt can be nice and a virgin, making him mildly sexually submissive would de-man him irredeemably forever. So it sort of leaks out in other ways and in weird hints, and this constant see-saw between outrage and reluctant fascination. For example, Matt’s immediate reaction to the photo of himself being all deliciously helpless under Rachel is pretty intense: “He was furious, and aroused— and furious at himself for being aroused.” And when she’s manhandling him, he tells her: “I like it when you’re rough with me…” But then it’s like the book freaks out runs away screaming from its own subtext:
“His eyelids flickered, and although he steadily held her gaze, his colour rose. ‘I doubt you’d want, or expect, abject submission from a man in your bed. I think you’re far more likely to demand an equal exchange of passion…”
Well, no, Matt I’m pretty sure Rachel wouldn’t like abject submission but she seemed pretty into you tied up with your cummerbund. Just sayin. One the other hand, the book was perfectly willing to teasingly acknowledge that Matt incidentally tied up was hot but absolutely unable to accept that it could potentially be okay for two pepole to enjoy some mild kink as part of a healthy, balanced diet...err...relationship.
One of the interesting side-effects of Matt’s virginity is that their first sexual encounter is much more tender and far less assured than what appears to be standard genre convention. Matt’s hands tremble. He has trouble with the condom. Rachel, to some extent, takes the lead until he gets the hang of it. It’s actually really nice. I mean, I’m not a virgin and I sometimes goof up a condom so – in that respect – it’s been one of the more engaging sex scenes I’ve read. I felt like it was sex you might semi-realistically have with someone: satisfying and intimate, but lightly touched with the realities of two humans trying to complete a complex physical manoeuvre. They have sex again, later, in a range of positions, one of which, oh gasp, is doggy style. Later Matt asks Rachel if she’s okay with it, in case it triggers bad memories of abuse to be put into a sexually submissive position and she basically tells him it’s fine, and she likes it. Which, again, I kind of applauded because, well, sex is just sex. Yes, you can make it about dominance and submission if you like (and if you do like, that’s fine) but being taken from behind is not necessarily or inherently submissive. Sometimes, for some people, it just feels good. And it just struck me as odd that the book could explicitly address this with Rachel, but not do the same for Matt. Wanting to be tied up is no more “abject” than wanting to do it in a particular position. To me, that just feels like the same, ultimately arbitrary line in the sand, but I found it kind of interesting where, and how absolutely, the line turned out to be drawn.
As a somewhat more serious concern, Rachel has been sexually abused in the past and, although this struck me as being well handled for the most part, the bit where Matt goes for her a supply closet was somewhat unfortunate:
Since she was fifteen Rachel’s worst nightmare had been to find herself pinned down by superior strength, trapped and helpless against a greedy male assault. But where was the revulsion, the fear and the fury to defend herself now? She was rendered helpless— not by the violence of Matthew’s sexual need, but the uncontrollable desires that raced recklessly through her own veins.
Um, last time I checked, if you don’t explicitly consent, it’s still sexual assault. Even if the guy assaulting you is hot. I think, to try and give this the benefit of the doubt, Napier seems to be trying to clarify that is not an abusive experience for Rachel because her desire for Matt constitutes an implicit consent. But, for me, it crosses a line.
Non-consensual supply closet aside and with the usual provisos of “what do I know”, I thought Rachel’s history worked well. It has affected her, of course, but it doesn’t completely overshadow her. And when she tells Matt about what happened to her, and the fact that her niece is actually her daughter, he says:
‘Congratulations on your wonderful daughter… and on the courage and strength it must have taken you to bring her into the world…’
Now, okay, I know it’s not ideal to congratulate people on their “courage” for surviving rubbish things that have happened to them, but, at the same time, but – to my mind – Matt is still way ahead of the field here. I think he’s maybe the only hero I’ve read so far who hasn’t immediately degenerated into frothing manrage on discovering the heroine has been sexually abused. Of course, it’s hard to bear witness to the suffering of someone you love but spending all your time thinking about laying the manly smackdown on the heroine’s abuser essentially turns the sexual abuse of women into a demarcation issue between two men. Matt, however, responds immediately and instinctively to Rachel. And, to be honest, I found that pretty damn romantic.
In case it isn’t obvious, I was really, and unabashedly, into this book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still thematically and stylistically similar to Mistress of the Groom but I felt it was working with the genre in interesting ways, as well as being a charming and satisfying love story on its own terms.
Everything I learned about life and love from reading Mistress of the Groom: the most sensible way to stop a drunk person embarrassing themselves is to tie them to a bed and sit on top of them, it’s okay to be tied up when you’re drunk but not when you’re sober, if someone sends you incriminating photographs in which they personally feature they’re probably not the one who’s blackmailing you.
July 20, 2019
RE The Mistress Deception - Susan Napier brings us the last Virgin Hero In HPlandia in this one.
The H is widowed virgin. We learn he was married at twenty to his long time crush, who loved his cousin and used the H as an emotional backstop. When the young lady in question picked up the HIV virus from a needle stick, (she was a nurse,) the H's cousin dumped her quicker than a scared rabbit and told the woman to terminate the baby she was carrying.
The H, who had been in love with this neighbor girl since he was 17, leapt into Noble Knight Protector mode and married the lady. She then descended into a neurotic mess. She terminated her pregnancy, as she was convinced having the HIV virus made her evil and unworthy of love, and she firmly refused to consummate the marriage.
The H struggled on with the burden of his wife's emotionally labile and increasingly antagonistic behavior, until she finally took an overdose and ended herself.
Needless to say, this H has had some baggage- including being falsely accused of rape at 15, but he is also determined not to get involved with a lady unless there is a real relationship that includes mutual affection and respect.
The h has had relationships too, but they did not go so well either. She was raped as a teenager and became pregnant, but the h decided to let her older sister adopt the little girl when the h's parents proved to be spectacularly unsupportive.
Then the h was engaged to a guy who owned the majority share of a detective agency, but he died before they could marry.
The h is also taller than the H and older than him too. When the books opens, the h is actually trying to run her share of her late fiance's detective agency and was working security at a big party when she met the H.
He was a bit tipsy when he fell in the pool and the h tried to set him up with a bed and a place to pass out. The big mystery comes from why someone has altered some candid photo shots of the h helping the intoxicated H to bed. But the photo blackmailer makes it look like the H and h are involved in a really kinky relationship.
Dire threats are made to the h and H, as it seems the evil villain wants to damage the H's family business empire and further worsen the H's relationship with his managing father.
After some confusion about who is blackmailing whom and over what, the H agrees to help the h solve the mystery by pretending to be engaged to her, (the seriously ill father would die if he saw the unmarried H in naughty pictures,) and they fall in love during the course of their investigation.
They also have a TON of really funny scenes and very witty banter. There is a big time Purple Passion Lurve Club event or ten and eventually we learn that the H's evil cousin and the h's resentful new business partner doctored the photos and conspired to try and drive the h and H out of their respective businesses.
After the h and H have foiled the evil doer's plan with no comeuppance for anyone, they are free to make their True Love Forever Avowal and make their engagement real.
We leave them in a cute little epilogue, where their four year old son finds the Polaroid and tries to make his own mum and dad naughty pics and the h is preggers with twins for the pink sparkly HEA.
Tho the H's false accusation rape sub trope and the utter lack of justice for all the bad guys knocked a few stars off of this for me, this one was well done in most aspects and a very solid 3.5 HPlandia outing.
The H is widowed virgin. We learn he was married at twenty to his long time crush, who loved his cousin and used the H as an emotional backstop. When the young lady in question picked up the HIV virus from a needle stick, (she was a nurse,) the H's cousin dumped her quicker than a scared rabbit and told the woman to terminate the baby she was carrying.
The H, who had been in love with this neighbor girl since he was 17, leapt into Noble Knight Protector mode and married the lady. She then descended into a neurotic mess. She terminated her pregnancy, as she was convinced having the HIV virus made her evil and unworthy of love, and she firmly refused to consummate the marriage.
The H struggled on with the burden of his wife's emotionally labile and increasingly antagonistic behavior, until she finally took an overdose and ended herself.
Needless to say, this H has had some baggage- including being falsely accused of rape at 15, but he is also determined not to get involved with a lady unless there is a real relationship that includes mutual affection and respect.
The h has had relationships too, but they did not go so well either. She was raped as a teenager and became pregnant, but the h decided to let her older sister adopt the little girl when the h's parents proved to be spectacularly unsupportive.
Then the h was engaged to a guy who owned the majority share of a detective agency, but he died before they could marry.
The h is also taller than the H and older than him too. When the books opens, the h is actually trying to run her share of her late fiance's detective agency and was working security at a big party when she met the H.
He was a bit tipsy when he fell in the pool and the h tried to set him up with a bed and a place to pass out. The big mystery comes from why someone has altered some candid photo shots of the h helping the intoxicated H to bed. But the photo blackmailer makes it look like the H and h are involved in a really kinky relationship.
Dire threats are made to the h and H, as it seems the evil villain wants to damage the H's family business empire and further worsen the H's relationship with his managing father.
After some confusion about who is blackmailing whom and over what, the H agrees to help the h solve the mystery by pretending to be engaged to her, (the seriously ill father would die if he saw the unmarried H in naughty pictures,) and they fall in love during the course of their investigation.
They also have a TON of really funny scenes and very witty banter. There is a big time Purple Passion Lurve Club event or ten and eventually we learn that the H's evil cousin and the h's resentful new business partner doctored the photos and conspired to try and drive the h and H out of their respective businesses.
After the h and H have foiled the evil doer's plan with no comeuppance for anyone, they are free to make their True Love Forever Avowal and make their engagement real.
We leave them in a cute little epilogue, where their four year old son finds the Polaroid and tries to make his own mum and dad naughty pics and the h is preggers with twins for the pink sparkly HEA.
Tho the H's false accusation rape sub trope and the utter lack of justice for all the bad guys knocked a few stars off of this for me, this one was well done in most aspects and a very solid 3.5 HPlandia outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2012
I don't even know how to write a real review of this, I just wanna squee. It's not like its got the best writing in the world… and there's a dumb mystery plot… and some other dumb stuff at the end… but still, this book managed to hit virtually all of my happy buttons.
Business acquaintances Matthew and Rachel are on uncomfortable terms after an incident at a party in which she was providing security. Rachel sneakily douses the aggressively intoxicated Matthew in a nearby pool and drags him off to a guest room -- she is, as she tells him, "taller, stronger and fitter than you are." The ensuing scene in which Matthew drunkenly tries to seduce her might make sensitive readers tense, but I thought it one of the best no-actual-sex sex scenes ever. It helps, of course, that Amazonian Rachel is well able to take care of herself.
This book was all about the characters for me. I love everything about Matthew -- starting with his glasses, which tend to highlight his emotions: "He had smoothed down his wildly disordered hair but his eyes still had a hectic glitter behind the silver frames." I love how he is indeed a bit shorter and several years younger than Rachel, as well as . The balance of power between them feels unusually equal and Napier teases us a bit by suggesting kinky ways in which they could play with that, without ever actually going there. (Rachel subdues Matthew by tying him to the headboard; he tells her, "I like it when you're rough with me.") It's almost like a subtle femdom story, except as I said, the overall effect is a feeling of balance.
I love Rachel's size and physical strength -- Matthew calls her "lioness" -- as well as her emotional resilience. She has some tragedy in her past but doesn't let it rule her. Matthew also has a painful past, so they wind up being very vulnerable with each other.
It's an unconventional Harlequin Presents in many ways and there isn't much crazy drama, but I sure didn't miss it. (The attempt to throw in some angsty conflict at the ends was a big mistake, IMO.) Flawed though it is, it's a five star read for me.
Business acquaintances Matthew and Rachel are on uncomfortable terms after an incident at a party in which she was providing security. Rachel sneakily douses the aggressively intoxicated Matthew in a nearby pool and drags him off to a guest room -- she is, as she tells him, "taller, stronger and fitter than you are." The ensuing scene in which Matthew drunkenly tries to seduce her might make sensitive readers tense, but I thought it one of the best no-actual-sex sex scenes ever. It helps, of course, that Amazonian Rachel is well able to take care of herself.
This book was all about the characters for me. I love everything about Matthew -- starting with his glasses, which tend to highlight his emotions: "He had smoothed down his wildly disordered hair but his eyes still had a hectic glitter behind the silver frames." I love how he is indeed a bit shorter and several years younger than Rachel, as well as . The balance of power between them feels unusually equal and Napier teases us a bit by suggesting kinky ways in which they could play with that, without ever actually going there. (Rachel subdues Matthew by tying him to the headboard; he tells her, "I like it when you're rough with me.") It's almost like a subtle femdom story, except as I said, the overall effect is a feeling of balance.
I love Rachel's size and physical strength -- Matthew calls her "lioness" -- as well as her emotional resilience. She has some tragedy in her past but doesn't let it rule her. Matthew also has a painful past, so they wind up being very vulnerable with each other.
It's an unconventional Harlequin Presents in many ways and there isn't much crazy drama, but I sure didn't miss it. (The attempt to throw in some angsty conflict at the ends was a big mistake, IMO.) Flawed though it is, it's a five star read for me.
March 1, 2015
OMG, thank you Willaful for this rec! Really 4.5 star on plot (the mystery was obvious and the contrived, ironic part where hero had been accused of something terrible was a bit much and momentarily took me out of my happy place) but just for sheer originality, have to bump it up to 5. There is real beauty in the story, heroine's relationship with her "niece" (love that the author didn't try to create a big mystery out of something fairly obvious, and love how everyone acted so honorably and honestly). Heroine Rachel was so richly drawn...I kept picturing Rosalind Russell... Hero Matt does think badly of her but they are smart enough to figure out the misunderstanding pretty early on. They might be the smartest HP H/h I've read.
I play a little "f, marry, kill" game with romance heroes. In HPs I'd kill about 70%, and F the other 30%. This is perhaps the first HP hero that I would "marry"...I'm no dominatrix, but I wanted to tie him to the bed during that scene. Talk about sexual tension...the scenes were awesome. I loved how he comforted her after her family left and on learning of her past...what a steadfast, beautiful man, what a strong, intelligent woman. Great match!
I play a little "f, marry, kill" game with romance heroes. In HPs I'd kill about 70%, and F the other 30%. This is perhaps the first HP hero that I would "marry"...I'm no dominatrix, but I wanted to tie him to the bed during that scene. Talk about sexual tension...the scenes were awesome. I loved how he comforted her after her family left and on learning of her past...what a steadfast, beautiful man, what a strong, intelligent woman. Great match!
November 19, 2022
The hero is rather insufferable for at least the first 60% of the book (so, in other words, a typical Presents hero 🤣) but I fell into this story thanks to a heroine who gives as good as she gets. He's a jackass but she can just as easily cut him to the quick. The bigger issue is that this is a But Wait, There's More! book. The author just keeps piling on the angst until we get a completely out of left field revelation about the hero (revealed to the heroine by his Evil Cousin because of course!) that necessitates an extremely brief third act separation that's all wrapped up in a mere couple of pages. It's the literary equivalent of dropping a live hand grenade into the reader's lap.
Which makes it sound like I didn't enjoy this story - I did! I, in fact, inhaled it. But man, it's just a lot.
Which makes it sound like I didn't enjoy this story - I did! I, in fact, inhaled it. But man, it's just a lot.
October 18, 2022
‘What big hands you have,’ he discovered in surprise, lifting his captured prize to inspect it.
Once upon a time such comments had used to hurt.
She gave her standard tart response. ‘All the better to slap you with.’
His eyes sparkled darkly with innocent curiosity. ‘Are you into spanking? Is that one of your “unusual vices”?’
"The Mistress Deception" is the story of Matt and Rachel.
What a FABULOUS read!
This book is so different from 98% of the HQN tropes, and so very refreshing.
It starts with a dual blackmail sceme, in which the h and H recieve their compromising pictures, photoshopped and taken out of context, and suspect each other for extortion. Soon the mystery deepens as they realize many more power players might be involved, but what nobody sees coming is the budding attraction between this unlikely pair!
The heroine is a private detective/ co-owner of a private security firm/ masseuse/ personal trainer- strong, independent, survivor- - now works as a successful businesswoman, who even took over the PI business after her lover's death. She is taller and older than the hero, and yet, is strong and feminine. She loves her family, and soon, the hero too.
Matt is the owner of a large firm- but underneath all the brooding anger and machismo, there's a sweet bespectacled guy, who has loved and lost- and easily falls for our heroine!
Both are nice, giving MC's who have been dealt a heavy hand by life, yet instead of being cynical and bitchy, meet and fall for one another. They make an odd, but cute couple. There is drama, angst, mystery, humor and such a GREAT epilogue!!
‘Tickle Mummy’s tummy. Mummy’s fat!’ Kevin chortled at his rude joke as he clumsily patted her swollen abdomen.
‘That’s not fat, that’s your little baby sister,’ Matt corrected him, gentling his hand.
Definitely worth your time!
(It just lacked the swoon-oomph factor, otherwise it would have been a 5 star)
Safe
4.5/5
Once upon a time such comments had used to hurt.
She gave her standard tart response. ‘All the better to slap you with.’
His eyes sparkled darkly with innocent curiosity. ‘Are you into spanking? Is that one of your “unusual vices”?’
"The Mistress Deception" is the story of Matt and Rachel.
What a FABULOUS read!
This book is so different from 98% of the HQN tropes, and so very refreshing.
It starts with a dual blackmail sceme, in which the h and H recieve their compromising pictures, photoshopped and taken out of context, and suspect each other for extortion. Soon the mystery deepens as they realize many more power players might be involved, but what nobody sees coming is the budding attraction between this unlikely pair!
The heroine is a private detective/ co-owner of a private security firm/ masseuse/ personal trainer- strong, independent, survivor- - now works as a successful businesswoman, who even took over the PI business after her lover's death. She is taller and older than the hero, and yet, is strong and feminine. She loves her family, and soon, the hero too.
Matt is the owner of a large firm- but underneath all the brooding anger and machismo, there's a sweet bespectacled guy, who has loved and lost- and easily falls for our heroine!
Both are nice, giving MC's who have been dealt a heavy hand by life, yet instead of being cynical and bitchy, meet and fall for one another. They make an odd, but cute couple. There is drama, angst, mystery, humor and such a GREAT epilogue!!
‘Tickle Mummy’s tummy. Mummy’s fat!’ Kevin chortled at his rude joke as he clumsily patted her swollen abdomen.
‘That’s not fat, that’s your little baby sister,’ Matt corrected him, gentling his hand.
Definitely worth your time!
(It just lacked the swoon-oomph factor, otherwise it would have been a 5 star)
Safe
4.5/5
October 28, 2013
Susan Napier is single-handedly destroying all my prejudices against older 'contemporary' Harlequins!
![Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1647896333i%2F31792110._UX200_CR0%2C96%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
December 22, 2011
The hero Matt receives photograph's showing himself and the heroine Rachel in what looks like a compromising position. He initially thinks they are from Rachel in an attempt to blackmail him into giving her security company a contract. He sends them back to Rachel but she thinks that he is trying to blackmail her. She was only trying to help Matt when the turned up drunk at a party, then tried to hit on her, she has no idea where the photos came from. When she and Matt confront each other they realise that the photos came from a third party. To try and counteract any effect they may have, Matt announces their engagement and Rachel is livid about it. Matt admits that he has feelings for her and he helps Rachel through some difficult times, and they grow closer. When the desire between them finally erupts, Matt's revelations have a profound effect on Rachel.
This book certainly does defy conventions, and is thoroughly enjoyable. The hero and heroine are so different from the usual romance types; from the hero wearing glasses to the heroine being taller than the hero. I know these are little things, but they make this book feel very fresh. Both the hero and heroine have backgrounds that are quite shocking and handled beautifully by the author. The hero has a little secret that is so brave of Susan Napier!
There is a lot of chemistry between the characters, a really juicy story, an amazing twist that makes this a fabulous read.
Recommended.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
This book certainly does defy conventions, and is thoroughly enjoyable. The hero and heroine are so different from the usual romance types; from the hero wearing glasses to the heroine being taller than the hero. I know these are little things, but they make this book feel very fresh. Both the hero and heroine have backgrounds that are quite shocking and handled beautifully by the author. The hero has a little secret that is so brave of Susan Napier!
There is a lot of chemistry between the characters, a really juicy story, an amazing twist that makes this a fabulous read.
Recommended.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
May 17, 2012
The ending was faulty, and there were some points of stagger, BUT I have never had more fun with a Harlequin hero and heroine. They were completely fun, and equally crazy while their party scenes made a fan for life out of me!
January 8, 2023
This time Matt was lying flat on his back on the bed, the muscles of his deep chest straining against the pull of his arms stretched over his head, his crossed wrists bound to the head of the brass bedstead with the narrow silk cummerbund he had been wearing in the earlier photo. Straddling his lower belly was the Valkyrie, flaunting a vast expanse of smooth, creamy skin unmarked by tan-lines, her knees digging into his lower ribcage, her spectacular breasts hovering invitingly above his pillowed head as she arched up to secure his bonds. The crowning salacious touch was the thin black leather whip which lay coiled on the bed beside them.
Susan Napier puts to shame every single stereotype that category romances from Mills&Boon and/or Harlequin have been stuck with. She brings to light characters that were ahead of the times in which some of her stories were written, and Ms. Napier never minded pushing the boundaries of convention that ruled the world of romance, while at the same time delivering stories that have so much wit, heart, and heat!
The Mistress Deception brings together 31 year old Rachel Theodora Blair and 26 year old Matthew Riordan (Matt) one fateful night that ends with “racy” photographs of them taken and sent to both of them. Matt is livid, more so when his father has a heart attack after seeing the pictures, more so because of dreams of his that were shattered.
When these two are thrown together once again, it is only a matter of time before both of them succumb to the red-hot desire that rages between them. Matt who has been groomed by his father in a certain way with the expectation that he would take over the reins one day, and Rachel who would never have thought she would be heading the security company her deceased fiance had left behind, are two lost souls in their own way.
What drew me to the story most was how both Matt and Rachel surprised me in the most unexpected ways. Matt might be the cool sophisticate to everyone else, but underneath all of that lies a romantic soul. Matt’s lack of luck when it comes to love was something that really punched me in the gut, and I fell like a ton of bricks for him because of the way he falls for Rachel and sees her for what she is worth.
Rachel’s back-story is one that is equally emotional. I cannot even imagine the kind of strength she would need to have mustered to do what she had done, at the mere age of fifteen, and how life’s second blow would have literally broken most of us. However, Rachel has a hard time placing her full trust in any man given her past. But there is no reversing the tide from the course it has set upon, and the scenes of passion were as beautiful as they were sensuous in nature, showcasing the wealth of tenderer emotions that they both hold for each other.
Ultimately, it all boils down to the matter of trust as Rachel finds towards the end of the story; that she could choose to trust the best thing that has happened to her or keep sticking to what is safe, when it would not give her what Matt brings to her life – the beauty of love that is all consuming.
Definitely recommended for those who love category romances with unexpected twists and turns and witty banter. This one certainly packs a punch!
Final Verdict: Susan Napier delivers an emotionally gripping story with twists and turns that I never saw coming, with love of the grandest kind paving the way.
Rating = 4.25/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
Susan Napier puts to shame every single stereotype that category romances from Mills&Boon and/or Harlequin have been stuck with. She brings to light characters that were ahead of the times in which some of her stories were written, and Ms. Napier never minded pushing the boundaries of convention that ruled the world of romance, while at the same time delivering stories that have so much wit, heart, and heat!
The Mistress Deception brings together 31 year old Rachel Theodora Blair and 26 year old Matthew Riordan (Matt) one fateful night that ends with “racy” photographs of them taken and sent to both of them. Matt is livid, more so when his father has a heart attack after seeing the pictures, more so because of dreams of his that were shattered.
When these two are thrown together once again, it is only a matter of time before both of them succumb to the red-hot desire that rages between them. Matt who has been groomed by his father in a certain way with the expectation that he would take over the reins one day, and Rachel who would never have thought she would be heading the security company her deceased fiance had left behind, are two lost souls in their own way.
What drew me to the story most was how both Matt and Rachel surprised me in the most unexpected ways. Matt might be the cool sophisticate to everyone else, but underneath all of that lies a romantic soul. Matt’s lack of luck when it comes to love was something that really punched me in the gut, and I fell like a ton of bricks for him because of the way he falls for Rachel and sees her for what she is worth.
Rachel’s back-story is one that is equally emotional. I cannot even imagine the kind of strength she would need to have mustered to do what she had done, at the mere age of fifteen, and how life’s second blow would have literally broken most of us. However, Rachel has a hard time placing her full trust in any man given her past. But there is no reversing the tide from the course it has set upon, and the scenes of passion were as beautiful as they were sensuous in nature, showcasing the wealth of tenderer emotions that they both hold for each other.
Ultimately, it all boils down to the matter of trust as Rachel finds towards the end of the story; that she could choose to trust the best thing that has happened to her or keep sticking to what is safe, when it would not give her what Matt brings to her life – the beauty of love that is all consuming.
Definitely recommended for those who love category romances with unexpected twists and turns and witty banter. This one certainly packs a punch!
Final Verdict: Susan Napier delivers an emotionally gripping story with twists and turns that I never saw coming, with love of the grandest kind paving the way.
Rating = 4.25/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
March 1, 2015
I love it!!! I mean, he was the virgin here. That was very subversive to the rules of the genre. She was 4 years older, that was rare to.
But insted the dull stories that I had read today, Susan Napier wrote a very good plot whit two strongs and pasionates characters.
I whish the plot explore more deeply her past, the rape, the adoption of er daughter and the dead of her fiance. I don't like that Frank and Nevile didnt pay their crimes but the epilog whit their son taking pictures of them is poetic and then they had twins!!!!
But insted the dull stories that I had read today, Susan Napier wrote a very good plot whit two strongs and pasionates characters.
I whish the plot explore more deeply her past, the rape, the adoption of er daughter and the dead of her fiance. I don't like that Frank and Nevile didnt pay their crimes but the epilog whit their son taking pictures of them is poetic and then they had twins!!!!
Read
October 27, 2020Didn’t feel the connection between the h and H. h was headstrong and other triggers. Tall, ran all kinds of businesses, a victim, a parent, older than the H and various others. Also, older than almost all other HQ h’s. Off to another.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2019
4 1/2 Stars ~ Struggling to prove herself as a valuable asset to her partner in their security company, the last thing Rachel needs is a drunken guest at the private party she's working. The handsome wealthy young man is quickly getting out of hand with his lewd comments to the female guests. The only option open to Rachel is to encourage him to leave but when that fails she deftly makes him stumble into the swimming pool. Whisking him into the pool guest house, she realizes he's more than just drunk he's feverish. Scared that he'll get even more ill in the wet clothes, Rachel quickly helps him get out of them. Matt's grateful to Rachel for her discretion at the party, that is until he opens the morning mail and out come some very scandalous photos of the two of them. While he can barely remember their tumble with his clothes, the photos lead his thoughts in directions he hadn't thought. Surely he'd remember if they'd made love? Cursing the woman, believing Rachel is behind the threat, he scribbles a nasty note of his own and sends the photos back to her. When Rachel opens the courier envelope she's shocked by it's contents and enraged that Matt would try to ruin not only her reputation but her company's as well. When they confront each other it becomes clear that neither is behind the photos, in fact, one of the photos is clearly doctored to look scandalous. Matt has just the right plan to neutralize a scandal should the photos come to light, a plan Rachel knows nothing about until she reads the headlines in the newspaper that they're engaged!
I've always loved Ms. Napier's sassy sense of humour and this book is loaded with fun innuendos and hilarious situations. Matt is an amazing hero with an amazing secret , and some painful experiences that have shaped who he is. Rachel also has some traumas in her past, but she's a strong woman with a determined attitude to overcome all. She's not a typical Harlequin heroine in that she's actually taller than the hero and almost an equal match in physical strength. Their tumbling scene at the beginning of the book is actually quite hilarious especially when I read it again after learning the hero's secret. Matt and Rachel have great chemistry and their story is a delight to read
I've always loved Ms. Napier's sassy sense of humour and this book is loaded with fun innuendos and hilarious situations. Matt is an amazing hero with an amazing secret , and some painful experiences that have shaped who he is. Rachel also has some traumas in her past, but she's a strong woman with a determined attitude to overcome all. She's not a typical Harlequin heroine in that she's actually taller than the hero and almost an equal match in physical strength. Their tumbling scene at the beginning of the book is actually quite hilarious especially when I read it again after learning the hero's secret. Matt and Rachel have great chemistry and their story is a delight to read
January 1, 2021
Matt Riordan has had a bit of a tough life. Recovering from a flu and on top of that drunk, he shows up at a party and causes quite a bit of havoc. After he "falls" into a pool, Rachel helps him to bed and out of his wet clothes. But Matt gets a bit more energetic then and tries to seduce her and they end up in a wrestling match of sorts (actually a pretty interesting and well-handled scene - it walks the border between kinky, tense and sexy). He receives an envelope of photographs of this scene and immediately suspects she is trying to blackmail him. He shoots off tersely worded note along with the photos to her and she thinks he's trying to blackmail her. So they both think the other is blackmailing them. This only starts their time together, because someone actually is trying to blackmail at least one of them and the only way to negate the scandal of those photos is to act like they're engaged.
I really did like the characters in this story. At first, when Matt was doing his drunken rantings, I thought he was a sleaze, but later it turned out he was a really decent guy. He wasn't overly arrogant or domineering, but he wasn't a wimp either. Awesome boyfriend material. Rachel's past with her niece daughter was very poignant and had my guts twisting a bit. I agree with many reviewers that the big of angst there at the end felt thrown in for the sake of more angst and didn't really help the story any. Also interesting that the heroine was older and taller than the hero (though this didn't always reflect in descriptions, like when the hero pulled the heroine in to rest her head against his chest and I imagined her awkwardly hunched over to accomplish it.)
This was an enjoyable read and was so absolutely refreshing. It broke so many romance cliches in one go.
I really did like the characters in this story. At first, when Matt was doing his drunken rantings, I thought he was a sleaze, but later it turned out he was a really decent guy. He wasn't overly arrogant or domineering, but he wasn't a wimp either. Awesome boyfriend material. Rachel's past with her niece daughter was very poignant and had my guts twisting a bit. I agree with many reviewers that the big of angst there at the end felt thrown in for the sake of more angst and didn't really help the story any. Also interesting that the heroine was older and taller than the hero (though this didn't always reflect in descriptions, like when the hero pulled the heroine in to rest her head against his chest and I imagined her awkwardly hunched over to accomplish it.)
This was an enjoyable read and was so absolutely refreshing. It broke so many romance cliches in one go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2015
Matthew Riordan received some photos of him drunk out of his mind and in several compromising positions with Rachel Blair. He immediately blames her for the blackmail. Eventually, they follow the usual Susan Napier plot of him yelling insults and then forcing Rachel to stay at his house. I swear, this must happen in all her books. In this one, however, as soon as they get there and have another fight, Rachel shouts him down and he immediately accepts that he's made a huge error. From there on out, he's a nice guy and the story becomes very sweet. There's one misunderstanding at the end, but it's cleared up through trust almost immediately.
Rachel is one of Susan Napier's best heroines as she's 6' tall, zoftig, has a quick wit, and isn't stupid enough to jump to conclusions.
Matthew Riordan is shorter than Rachel, but has no problem with that. He challenges her in and out of bed, but treats her as an equal in both places. This is very unusual for SN heroes. He is not a domineering asshole, he doesn't jump to unfair conclusions, he quickly apologizes when wrong, and he's nice to her the whole second half of the book rather than just the last few pages. Add to that the glasses, and you've just described my type.
Rachel is one of Susan Napier's best heroines as she's 6' tall, zoftig, has a quick wit, and isn't stupid enough to jump to conclusions.
Matthew Riordan is shorter than Rachel, but has no problem with that. He challenges her in and out of bed, but treats her as an equal in both places. This is very unusual for SN heroes. He is not a domineering asshole, he doesn't jump to unfair conclusions, he quickly apologizes when wrong, and he's nice to her the whole second half of the book rather than just the last few pages. Add to that the glasses, and you've just described my type.
August 18, 2013
This book was actually rather unusual in a couple ways, and I liked it.
1. The heroine was taller than the hero. I don't think I've ever read a book with a taller heroine. Generally, even if the heroine is very tall, the hero just has to be at least a few inches taller, and usually by at least half a foot. I have read one book where they were the same height, but that's it. (She was also older, another rarity in romance novels.)
2. The hero was a virgin, which is always something I like.
3.
1. The heroine was taller than the hero. I don't think I've ever read a book with a taller heroine. Generally, even if the heroine is very tall, the hero just has to be at least a few inches taller, and usually by at least half a foot. I have read one book where they were the same height, but that's it. (She was also older, another rarity in romance novels.)
2. The hero was a virgin, which is always something I like.
3.
October 18, 2023
Hace mucho que no leía un Harlequin! 🥲, este me sorprendió mucho porque:
— Él es menor que ella por 4 años
— Ella es más alta que él
— Él es virgen
O sea, todo los clichés que le ponen a una mujer en los harlequin están volteados y es el hombre quien tiene esas descripciones, me gustó mucho, la historia esta muy equis y al principio no entendía, me faltaba contexto pero me gustó, obvio en los harlequins usualmente es puro insta love, no suele haber como que un amor muy desarrollado, pero aún así me gustan mucho para pasar el rato 🤍
— Él es menor que ella por 4 años
— Ella es más alta que él
— Él es virgen
O sea, todo los clichés que le ponen a una mujer en los harlequin están volteados y es el hombre quien tiene esas descripciones, me gustó mucho, la historia esta muy equis y al principio no entendía, me faltaba contexto pero me gustó, obvio en los harlequins usualmente es puro insta love, no suele haber como que un amor muy desarrollado, pero aún así me gustan mucho para pasar el rato 🤍
January 13, 2014
Este no es el típico libro de harlequin.
tiene muchas cosas a su favor, primero la protagonista no es la típica niña pobre, no es una profesional que ha luchado y tiene muchas cosas en su vida, es detective, alta y treintañera esa es Rachel.
Y, esta también un elegante hombre no treintañero, aun le faltan algunos añitos Matthew, un viudo que le faltan algo de pantalones.
No es la típica por muchas razones ella es mayor que el, ella sabe y ha sufrido varias cosas en su vida (violación por ejemplo) es mas alta que el, y me gusto mas que otros que he leído por o siguiente se conocen en una fiesta pero su relación empieza por un chantaje, el cual esta mal hecho, todo por los celos laborales de un socio de Rachel.
hay enemigos pero estos callan muy fácil
y esto ultimo es SPOILER
Matt es célibe un hombre de 27 años célibe, casi muero en ese pedazo, y encima viudo, da buenas razones para serlo.
Típico de harlequin vivieron felices, comieron perdices y tuvieron muchos hijos.
tiene muchas cosas a su favor, primero la protagonista no es la típica niña pobre, no es una profesional que ha luchado y tiene muchas cosas en su vida, es detective, alta y treintañera esa es Rachel.
Y, esta también un elegante hombre no treintañero, aun le faltan algunos añitos Matthew, un viudo que le faltan algo de pantalones.
No es la típica por muchas razones ella es mayor que el, ella sabe y ha sufrido varias cosas en su vida (violación por ejemplo) es mas alta que el, y me gusto mas que otros que he leído por o siguiente se conocen en una fiesta pero su relación empieza por un chantaje, el cual esta mal hecho, todo por los celos laborales de un socio de Rachel.
hay enemigos pero estos callan muy fácil
y esto ultimo es SPOILER
Matt es célibe un hombre de 27 años célibe, casi muero en ese pedazo, y encima viudo, da buenas razones para serlo.
Típico de harlequin vivieron felices, comieron perdices y tuvieron muchos hijos.
Read
September 11, 2021I'm grateful to the spoilers written by goodreads reviewers - I didn't finish this story.
I am ashamed to admit how conventional and shallow I am. I want a fictional hero to be an alpha, sexually experienced and physically imposing. *hangs head in shame.* In real life of course I don't need any of those things in a guy.
But in fiction - I really need the guy to have sown some wild oats so he doesn't end up having a mid life crisis later and starting dating teens. Sexually repressed guys are a real turn off for me - experience is where a guy learns the mysteries of a woman's body and how to keep her satisfied. Yeah, I know, I'm as shallow as a puddle.
But hats off to Susan Napier for being an unconventional and unpredictable writer.
I am ashamed to admit how conventional and shallow I am. I want a fictional hero to be an alpha, sexually experienced and physically imposing. *hangs head in shame.* In real life of course I don't need any of those things in a guy.
But in fiction - I really need the guy to have sown some wild oats so he doesn't end up having a mid life crisis later and starting dating teens. Sexually repressed guys are a real turn off for me - experience is where a guy learns the mysteries of a woman's body and how to keep her satisfied. Yeah, I know, I'm as shallow as a puddle.
But hats off to Susan Napier for being an unconventional and unpredictable writer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2015
non-virginal heroine
virgin hero
very good banter between H and h
The heroine is taller and older than the hero
the hero wears glasses
The heroine had a daugter from rape(not hero)
Normally I hate older heroine -young hero theme.But I liked the banter and the hero very much.Matt was so dreamy husband material...sigh.
virgin hero
very good banter between H and h
The heroine is taller and older than the hero
the hero wears glasses
The heroine had a daugter from rape(not hero)
Normally I hate older heroine -young hero theme.But I liked the banter and the hero very much.Matt was so dreamy husband material...sigh.
November 20, 2025
OMG OMG OMG!
OK this book has a rare unicorn in it (not in the idk weird sex way though) for a vintage contemp romance.
I want to say what it is. But I don't want to spoil. IDK if the other commenters did. But the H has a secret and it's so freaking sweet.
Okay. At first, I really wasn't enjoying this book. The hero receives extremely NSFW photos of himself and apparently some kind of bimbo in extremely NSFW positions, at his job in a workplace, from an anonymous source.
He assumes it's from the other woman in the photos- they were taken at a party they both attended a few weeks prior, and hero was so very very drunk and also sick at the time with the flu, so he has memories but they're vague. She appears to be performing various acts of the sex upon him, up to and including a bit of the B in BDSM.
So anyway he rage-writes a hate-letter threatening retribution and forwards the photos to this woman, who happens to be the heroine.
She is not-so-mysteriously recovering from the flu (rememeber, the Hero had the flu? Anyways...) Heroine is an Amazonian goddess-type woman at 5'11 with an hourglass figure. She is a widow whose husband left her a townhouse and 50% of his security/private detective business he ran with his brother. Heroine has been trying to learn the business and make a good go of it while also having not one but two side hustles: personal trainer, AND professionally trained masseuse therapist.
Heroine is a busy, active woman who is constantly on the go. Anyway, she receives the photos/letter and freaks out.
So, the reason I was getting annoyed was because at this point in the story the heroine has a very lengthy, detailed flashback about the party and the hero arriving drunk as a skunk, leering everywhere and causing trouble, and the heroine was there as security for the party. So the hostess asked her to keep the hero from starting trouble since he was super drunk and was a loud and obnoxious drunk. Her way of doing that was tripping the hero into the pool, then dragging him to the guesthouse and trying to keep him there for a while so he could sober up.
Unfortunately hero is so drunk by this time that he's unable to get his own clothes off, and he's also very horny and very handsy, so heroine is literally wrestling with him and eventually ties his hands to the bedposts so she can get him to stop mauling her.
Hence the photos. Anyway, this in-depth description was making me not like the hero at all, because he just came across as a crass, gross, sloppy drunk boor of an a-hole. I nearly stopped reading. Fortunately I didn't. (the reason H was so drunk is because it was the anniversary of his late wife having committed self-death, and also he was coming down with the flu so he was extra out of it. Normally he's relatively okayish)
Anyhow, eventually both H and h realize there's someone else out there trying to mess with them, and also that the photos were actually doctored a bit, so they team up to find out what's up with all that and in the process, reluctantly fall in love.
Things I adore:
1. THERE IS NO MISTRESS! One of my pet peeves with romances is all the "mistresses", when people don't even use that word anymore at all, but even less so when both parties are SINGLE. The hero makes this point: "You could only be my mistress if I was already married. Since I'm not, that would make you my prospective lover rather than my kept woman." (Note: they end up pretending to be engaged, so the title is absolutely inaccurate)
2. Hero is shorter and smaller than heroine and loves it!! I'm not even a Tall, but I appreciated them not just telling but showing the hero appreciating the heroine's height, curves, larger hands, etc. He absolutely reveled in her goddesslike proportions (she's not heavy though just larger-scaled than the average woman).
3. The Big Secret. I was shook when this came out, but in a good way.
4. Hero is just in most ways very secure in who he is. He wears his vulnerabilities lightly. He's unashamed of being human, he owns his mistakes when he makes them, he's open about his attraction to the h.
Both H and h have some deep secrets and trauma, but the book is still just fun and lighthearted.
Despite the hero's first, bad impression.
*No mistresses were harmed, deceived, or harmed or deceived others, in this book. Because there were no mistresses. AFAIK. And the only deception was on the part of the hero.
OK this book has a rare unicorn in it (not in the idk weird sex way though) for a vintage contemp romance.
I want to say what it is. But I don't want to spoil. IDK if the other commenters did. But the H has a secret and it's so freaking sweet.
Okay. At first, I really wasn't enjoying this book. The hero receives extremely NSFW photos of himself and apparently some kind of bimbo in extremely NSFW positions, at his job in a workplace, from an anonymous source.
He assumes it's from the other woman in the photos- they were taken at a party they both attended a few weeks prior, and hero was so very very drunk and also sick at the time with the flu, so he has memories but they're vague. She appears to be performing various acts of the sex upon him, up to and including a bit of the B in BDSM.
So anyway he rage-writes a hate-letter threatening retribution and forwards the photos to this woman, who happens to be the heroine.
She is not-so-mysteriously recovering from the flu (rememeber, the Hero had the flu? Anyways...) Heroine is an Amazonian goddess-type woman at 5'11 with an hourglass figure. She is a widow whose husband left her a townhouse and 50% of his security/private detective business he ran with his brother. Heroine has been trying to learn the business and make a good go of it while also having not one but two side hustles: personal trainer, AND professionally trained masseuse therapist.
Heroine is a busy, active woman who is constantly on the go. Anyway, she receives the photos/letter and freaks out.
So, the reason I was getting annoyed was because at this point in the story the heroine has a very lengthy, detailed flashback about the party and the hero arriving drunk as a skunk, leering everywhere and causing trouble, and the heroine was there as security for the party. So the hostess asked her to keep the hero from starting trouble since he was super drunk and was a loud and obnoxious drunk. Her way of doing that was tripping the hero into the pool, then dragging him to the guesthouse and trying to keep him there for a while so he could sober up.
Unfortunately hero is so drunk by this time that he's unable to get his own clothes off, and he's also very horny and very handsy, so heroine is literally wrestling with him and eventually ties his hands to the bedposts so she can get him to stop mauling her.
Hence the photos. Anyway, this in-depth description was making me not like the hero at all, because he just came across as a crass, gross, sloppy drunk boor of an a-hole. I nearly stopped reading. Fortunately I didn't. (the reason H was so drunk is because it was the anniversary of his late wife having committed self-death, and also he was coming down with the flu so he was extra out of it. Normally he's relatively okayish)
Anyhow, eventually both H and h realize there's someone else out there trying to mess with them, and also that the photos were actually doctored a bit, so they team up to find out what's up with all that and in the process, reluctantly fall in love.
Things I adore:
1. THERE IS NO MISTRESS! One of my pet peeves with romances is all the "mistresses", when people don't even use that word anymore at all, but even less so when both parties are SINGLE. The hero makes this point: "You could only be my mistress if I was already married. Since I'm not, that would make you my prospective lover rather than my kept woman." (Note: they end up pretending to be engaged, so the title is absolutely inaccurate)
2. Hero is shorter and smaller than heroine and loves it!! I'm not even a Tall, but I appreciated them not just telling but showing the hero appreciating the heroine's height, curves, larger hands, etc. He absolutely reveled in her goddesslike proportions (she's not heavy though just larger-scaled than the average woman).
3. The Big Secret. I was shook when this came out, but in a good way.
4. Hero is just in most ways very secure in who he is. He wears his vulnerabilities lightly. He's unashamed of being human, he owns his mistakes when he makes them, he's open about his attraction to the h.
Both H and h have some deep secrets and trauma, but the book is still just fun and lighthearted.
Despite the hero's first, bad impression.
*No mistresses were harmed, deceived, or harmed or deceived others, in this book. Because there were no mistresses. AFAIK. And the only deception was on the part of the hero.
February 3, 2021
I didn’t realize it but I guess I am on a Susan Napier kick at the moment. I’m another kick as well, but can’t reveal that til the end. There will be spoilers....so stop reading if you want mystery
Heroine: (super tall, curvy, almost 31(eek!) and not a virgin)
Never married, was engaged but he died and left her 1/2 of the security business he shared with brother Frank(which displeases him) She is an athletic trainer, massage therapist, who is now trying to be a super security expert to honor late fiance(way too much if you ask me) She knows hero by reputation and meets up with him while doing security at a high end party. He is super drunk and making scenes...the hostess implores the h to handle him. While handling the playboy H, he gets very handsy and makes many overtures to get the h bedded. She is able to subdue him as she is taller, athletic, and not inebriated. The H also has the flu....Anyhoo, life goes on and the h receives some very sexual pictures of her and the H at the party and now she believes the H is blackmailing her.....
Hero-26 and widowed....Meanwhile the H has intercepted photos meant for his dad who just had a heart attack...the photos show the h and him at the party...in one photo there appears to be bondage and in the other it looks as if the h is kneeling while the H holds her head to his lap...he can’t believe the h is blackmailing him and why is he so aroused!!! He sends the pictures to her with a note(this is why she thinks he is blackmailing her) Anyhoo, there is some tailing of each other to figure out what the other one is up to, and they end up making out in a hospital closet. During this meeting they realize neither one is the blackmailer...and join forces
Hero meets h’s sister and niece. However, niece is actually the 15 year old bio child of the h...sadly she was raped by the father of a friend when she was 15....her sister was 10 years older, married and unable to have kids so h gave her child to the sis. Her sis and niece are leaving the country, and our h is very sad. The H comforts her and brings her to his place once she realizes her home was ransacked.. The h attempts to find comfort with our H, but he doesn’t want to take her when she is vulnerable...but he says at some point they will be together....It is at this point each share a story...she tells him about her rape and he tells her that his marriage was never consummated(I won’t tell you the ins and outs of his marriage, I should leave some mystery)...in fact he has never been with any woman in that way...The next morning He plants s false news story that the h and him are engaged so the pics will not seem scandalous....he gets her an engagement ring(with thought and care) The two eventually come together when our H has set her up for one very happy birthday...treats her to a limo ride, flowers and spa treatment. Limo takes her to H’s house where dinner is waiting...h wants dinner to wait longer...she notices the H has a crick in his shoulder...and decides they need to go to the bedroom to work it out...and boy do they work it out over and over again. It was a very enticing
bedroom scene....The h knows she is in love...but we have some pages left so we can’t have an HEA yet!!! We have evil cousin Neville who informs the h that the H went to prison for....Rape!!! She is sickened by this gives back the ring, and leaves ....she comes to the conclusion quickly that her H could not be a rapist and there must be an explanation...there is... he never raped anyone it was a girl trying to hide her sexual relationship with her boyfriend from her father....he went to prison as juvie was filled up as the charges were being filed and quickly dropped...this is another reason our H was celibate...this was a scary incident. Our two lovers find out who the blackmailers are, and we have a nice epilogue 6 years later...4 year old son and pregnant with twins....so this was my 2nd kick I’m on ...heroes who are virgins...Susan Napier got me started with her Secret Admirer book...I have also read a couple of Diana Palmer books with virgin heroes in the past...this is usually not my trope but these last two Napier books were very well done!
Heroine: (super tall, curvy, almost 31(eek!) and not a virgin)
Never married, was engaged but he died and left her 1/2 of the security business he shared with brother Frank(which displeases him) She is an athletic trainer, massage therapist, who is now trying to be a super security expert to honor late fiance(way too much if you ask me) She knows hero by reputation and meets up with him while doing security at a high end party. He is super drunk and making scenes...the hostess implores the h to handle him. While handling the playboy H, he gets very handsy and makes many overtures to get the h bedded. She is able to subdue him as she is taller, athletic, and not inebriated. The H also has the flu....Anyhoo, life goes on and the h receives some very sexual pictures of her and the H at the party and now she believes the H is blackmailing her.....
Hero-26 and widowed....Meanwhile the H has intercepted photos meant for his dad who just had a heart attack...the photos show the h and him at the party...in one photo there appears to be bondage and in the other it looks as if the h is kneeling while the H holds her head to his lap...he can’t believe the h is blackmailing him and why is he so aroused!!! He sends the pictures to her with a note(this is why she thinks he is blackmailing her) Anyhoo, there is some tailing of each other to figure out what the other one is up to, and they end up making out in a hospital closet. During this meeting they realize neither one is the blackmailer...and join forces
Hero meets h’s sister and niece. However, niece is actually the 15 year old bio child of the h...sadly she was raped by the father of a friend when she was 15....her sister was 10 years older, married and unable to have kids so h gave her child to the sis. Her sis and niece are leaving the country, and our h is very sad. The H comforts her and brings her to his place once she realizes her home was ransacked.. The h attempts to find comfort with our H, but he doesn’t want to take her when she is vulnerable...but he says at some point they will be together....It is at this point each share a story...she tells him about her rape and he tells her that his marriage was never consummated(I won’t tell you the ins and outs of his marriage, I should leave some mystery)...in fact he has never been with any woman in that way...The next morning He plants s false news story that the h and him are engaged so the pics will not seem scandalous....he gets her an engagement ring(with thought and care) The two eventually come together when our H has set her up for one very happy birthday...treats her to a limo ride, flowers and spa treatment. Limo takes her to H’s house where dinner is waiting...h wants dinner to wait longer...she notices the H has a crick in his shoulder...and decides they need to go to the bedroom to work it out...and boy do they work it out over and over again. It was a very enticing
bedroom scene....The h knows she is in love...but we have some pages left so we can’t have an HEA yet!!! We have evil cousin Neville who informs the h that the H went to prison for....Rape!!! She is sickened by this gives back the ring, and leaves ....she comes to the conclusion quickly that her H could not be a rapist and there must be an explanation...there is... he never raped anyone it was a girl trying to hide her sexual relationship with her boyfriend from her father....he went to prison as juvie was filled up as the charges were being filed and quickly dropped...this is another reason our H was celibate...this was a scary incident. Our two lovers find out who the blackmailers are, and we have a nice epilogue 6 years later...4 year old son and pregnant with twins....so this was my 2nd kick I’m on ...heroes who are virgins...Susan Napier got me started with her Secret Admirer book...I have also read a couple of Diana Palmer books with virgin heroes in the past...this is usually not my trope but these last two Napier books were very well done!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2023
I've read all the SNs before so this was a reread seeing as it came up on the OL returns shelf. The h, Rachel, has inherited her late fiance's half of a private security company and encounters the H, Matt Riordan (scion of the company her firm has just lost a tender for) at a party event for which she is doing security. He's drunk and explosive so she trips him into the pool then takes him to dry off/sober up. The long range, doctored photographs of this process look highly incriminating and form the basis of the initial blackmail set up which keeps them seeing each other.
There's a lot of attraction and, unusually for HP (but not for this author who always tries to play and subvert when she can) the H is a virgin. The romance develops well and the final curveball, given both their backstories, is really angst-inducing. And yet. This h, in true SN style, uses logic and maturity to reason through it after the initial shock. It's not my favourite of hers but it's certainly a decent read. There's an epilogue, for those who like them.
There's a lot of attraction and, unusually for HP (but not for this author who always tries to play and subvert when she can) the H is a virgin. The romance develops well and the final curveball, given both their backstories, is really angst-inducing. And yet. This h, in true SN style, uses logic and maturity to reason through it after the initial shock. It's not my favourite of hers but it's certainly a decent read. There's an epilogue, for those who like them.
August 3, 2025
H/h "meet cute" when the hero is drunk on the anniversary of his wife's suicide and heroine is dispatched to steer him away from the society dinner party they're both attending. Photographs of heroine helping him out of his wet clothes are doctored to look like they're having a torrid affair. So they have to join forces to find out who blackmailed them.
Meanwhile, they discover they have mutual backstories: TRIGGER WARNING
I include these details as trigger warnings, first of all. And secondly, to explain why I gave a fast-paced romance with likeable characters such a low rating. It's just too much to have these weighty, triggering topics enlisted in a fluffy romance. It's just doesn't work emotionally for me.
Meanwhile, they discover they have mutual backstories: TRIGGER WARNING
I include these details as trigger warnings, first of all. And secondly, to explain why I gave a fast-paced romance with likeable characters such a low rating. It's just too much to have these weighty, triggering topics enlisted in a fluffy romance. It's just doesn't work emotionally for me.
December 29, 2024
3.5 stars!!!
March 11, 2025
Not for me
March 14, 2017
Unfortunately this one didn't amuse me as much as The Bellini Bride (A Mediterranean Marriage). There were no down-pourings of out of the blue crazy revelations, which was a bit of a disappoint. But honestly, despite some minor hang-ups, this book was fairly decent.
Rachel is a 30-something personal trainer who only works at that job so she can supplement her lack of income from the security business she co-owns with her dead fiancée’s brother. (Take a minute to wrap your mind around that.) She also has a 15 year old daughter who she adopted out to her older sister because the kid was a result of a rape when Rachel was 15 herself. After so kindly helping a rich guy, Matthew, out of his wet clothes at a party where she was working guard duty, Rachel is outraged when incriminating photos show up on her doorstep with a harassing letter from Matthew.
Matthew, of course, was the original person the photos were addressed to, but instead of thinking rationally about who could've sent them, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that it was Rachel. Thus resulting in the harassing letter and photos making its way to her. This leads to some loaded barbs getting traded back and forth between them until the misunderstanding is cleared up and the two decide to work together. That happens around the half-way point and quite frankly its where the story started to lag for me. The villain was painfully obvious and descriptions of Rachel and Matthew's newly found bliss with each other got old kind of quick. Of course, there's one more misunderstanding that gets tossed in near the end for some needless melodrama between the two but its quickly resolved.
What this book did that racked up some serious points with me was subvert some of the tropes that are typical to these books. For instance, Matthew is the unbelievably old virgin and Matthew's the one sticking his nose in an investigation that the heroine is more qualified and able to properly handle. The only way this could've made me happier is if Rachel would've had a scene where she got to rescue Matthew. But unfortunately, the big confrontation with the villain was rather lack luster. In fact, they basically just talk it out which was a little lame after having such a huge build up. Dude doesn't even get a slap on the wrist.
All in all, a fairly enjoyable read. Kudos to Napier for shaking things up a bit.
Rachel is a 30-something personal trainer who only works at that job so she can supplement her lack of income from the security business she co-owns with her dead fiancée’s brother. (Take a minute to wrap your mind around that.) She also has a 15 year old daughter who she adopted out to her older sister because the kid was a result of a rape when Rachel was 15 herself. After so kindly helping a rich guy, Matthew, out of his wet clothes at a party where she was working guard duty, Rachel is outraged when incriminating photos show up on her doorstep with a harassing letter from Matthew.
Matthew, of course, was the original person the photos were addressed to, but instead of thinking rationally about who could've sent them, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that it was Rachel. Thus resulting in the harassing letter and photos making its way to her. This leads to some loaded barbs getting traded back and forth between them until the misunderstanding is cleared up and the two decide to work together. That happens around the half-way point and quite frankly its where the story started to lag for me. The villain was painfully obvious and descriptions of Rachel and Matthew's newly found bliss with each other got old kind of quick. Of course, there's one more misunderstanding that gets tossed in near the end for some needless melodrama between the two but its quickly resolved.
What this book did that racked up some serious points with me was subvert some of the tropes that are typical to these books. For instance, Matthew is the unbelievably old virgin and Matthew's the one sticking his nose in an investigation that the heroine is more qualified and able to properly handle. The only way this could've made me happier is if Rachel would've had a scene where she got to rescue Matthew. But unfortunately, the big confrontation with the villain was rather lack luster. In fact, they basically just talk it out which was a little lame after having such a huge build up. Dude doesn't even get a slap on the wrist.
All in all, a fairly enjoyable read. Kudos to Napier for shaking things up a bit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2023
[The title and summary are pretty misleading about the dynamic between the hero and heroine, though there is blackmail involved. And the cover is misleading too, because the heroine is taller than the hero, and she's voluptuous and physically strong.]
I really enjoyed this story overall, though I was repulsed by the hero's drunken misogyny in the flashback incident that led to the blackmail. In fairness, he also regretted having made an ass of himself, and he did have a compelling reason for having gotten wasted that day. Both characters are mature adults who don't always make the best decisions but never get hit with the stupid stick, and once they realize they're on the same side (not a spoiler, it's clear from the start that although they automatically blame each other for the blackmail it must be a third party) they get to know each other without jumping to wild conclusions in the grand tradition of category romance characters. But honestly even if I didn't like the rest so much, it would still be worth it for
There is a final conflict that imo was in poor taste. Other reviews spoil that part.
I really enjoyed this story overall, though I was repulsed by the hero's drunken misogyny in the flashback incident that led to the blackmail. In fairness, he also regretted having made an ass of himself, and he did have a compelling reason for having gotten wasted that day. Both characters are mature adults who don't always make the best decisions but never get hit with the stupid stick, and once they realize they're on the same side (not a spoiler, it's clear from the start that although they automatically blame each other for the blackmail it must be a third party) they get to know each other without jumping to wild conclusions in the grand tradition of category romance characters. But honestly even if I didn't like the rest so much, it would still be worth it for
There is a final conflict that imo was in poor taste. Other reviews spoil that part.
May 11, 2011
Tiga bintang ajalah. Tadinya pengen baca buku ini karena beberapa temen kasih bintang 4. Tapi tenyataaaa... Oh ooh...
Ceritanya berkisah tentaNg cewek yag lebih tua dari cowoknya... Hadeuuuuh, laNgsug dah daku illfeel... Tau kenapa, aku gak pernah suka cerita tentang pasangan yang lebih tua umur ceweknya.
Anyway anyhow... Kisahnya sebenernya bagus. Rachel 'terpaksa' membantu Matt gaNti baju setelah Matt tercebur kolam dan basah kuyup. Siapa saNgka, adegan itu malah difoto2 dan dijadikan alat pemerasan ke Matt dan Rachel. Solusinya? Matt bikin pengumuman pertunangannya dengan rachel di koran. Mereka pun kerja sama memecahkan kasus ini. Siapa saNgka mereka malah saliNg jatuh ciñta...
Ceritanya berkisah tentaNg cewek yag lebih tua dari cowoknya... Hadeuuuuh, laNgsug dah daku illfeel... Tau kenapa, aku gak pernah suka cerita tentang pasangan yang lebih tua umur ceweknya.
Anyway anyhow... Kisahnya sebenernya bagus. Rachel 'terpaksa' membantu Matt gaNti baju setelah Matt tercebur kolam dan basah kuyup. Siapa saNgka, adegan itu malah difoto2 dan dijadikan alat pemerasan ke Matt dan Rachel. Solusinya? Matt bikin pengumuman pertunangannya dengan rachel di koran. Mereka pun kerja sama memecahkan kasus ini. Siapa saNgka mereka malah saliNg jatuh ciñta...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews