Caterer Mia doesn’t think there’s any issue in topping off her triumph at billionaire Zander’s birthday bash by going to bed with him – until she realizes the one night stand’s resulted in a baby.
Harlequin romances come through for me whenever I want a low brain happy read, and have done so again in this book. It’s part of the Harlequin Presents imprint, which is the line you’re thinking of when you think of the classic high drama romance with wealthy heroes and exotic locales. Author Lucy King goes for a more grounded version of this though.
Zander is your typical filthy rich, emotionally constipated hero with commitment issues and an uneasy relationship with his family. However, King tries to address his character arc upfront, as Zander comes to understand through Mia’s help how his life experiences have brought him to this point. Unlike a lot of his alphahole predecessors, he’s not happy that he is the way he is, and as such his characterization is a breath of fresh air.
However, I thought the romance was just middle-of-the-road. Though Mia and Zander get along well, I never really understood what drew them to each other so powerfully. As such, while I liked both characters, I wasn’t so invested in their romance together. I would have liked more conflict to propel the plot too – external conflict is minimal which I don’t mind, but with internal conflict being solved easily by Mia’s mind-blowing armchair therapist skills we get left with a rather basic story.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.