Young widow Angela Reynolds doesn’t need a gorgeous older man pursuing her while she asserts her independence professionally and personally. But hotel magnate Stephen Montoya won’t permit this sweet, vibrant beauty to escape him. When he demands she kiss him each time she enters and leaves a room, the two of them discover that some passions cannot be denied–or tamed.
When Stephen asks Angela to marry him, she knows she wants his tantalizing body inside hers for heart-pounding intimacies she’s only imagined. But she’s unsure if she can surrender completely to this dominating man, or give up her newfound freedom.
Marriage, for some people, is like making it to the Promised Land. For others, it is a legalized form of servanthood and especially for women it can be the making of a slow death. There are few men who can understand how freeing it can be to be able to establish one’s own identity, order one’s own life, follow one’s own goals, and express one’s own personality in their job or through their artistic talent. Such a person was Angela Reynolds who was a designer for hotels and other commercial buildings, and who has now come to Mexico to be the head designer for Stephen Montoya who is building the “flagship” of his hotel chain. While Angela’s new life came as a result of her husband’s death in the Middle East conflict, nevertheless their marriage was not happy and was very restrictive. Now she has an opportunity to spread her wings and to show what she can do as an individual. She wants Stephen–she has not had affairs or long-term relationships since her husband’s death–and he wants to share her life. She is not sure if that would once again mean the end of her creative freedom, even her personal freedom to order her own life.
The good news in this short novel is that Stephen has an epiphany–an awakening to the fact that his future with Angela–a future he desperately wants–depends on him curbing his penchant for domination. Only as he finds a way to be “with” her and not “lord it over her” can he hope to win her heart. The bad news is that he had a “plan” and no matter what, his plan would triumph. Perhaps he doesn’t understand as much about Angela as he thinks.
It seems to me that the core truth in this novel is that giving someone your heart doesn’t necessarily mean giving up all control over your life or your talent. For many couples, that is the reality. For others, hubby speaks and the world stops to listen. Angela and Stephen were going to have to find a way to negotiate the realities of their relationship. Unfortunately, a lot of couples don’t take the time to do that. Stephen and Angela were going to have to learn to trust one another even if it meant acting and reacting differently, depending on one another instead of allowing one of them to determine the course of the relationship, allowing control in the progress of the relationship to shift back and forth between them.
I didn’t think this was the strongest novel of Ms DeLand’s that I have read. The kissing when going in and out of a room seemed just a bit contrived, but that may say more about me than about the novel. Certainly Stephen had opportunity to prove that he was not going to take advantage of Angela by means of kisses. I do think the story was well told and the plot was different than some of her other work. The reader has a very good grasp of the characters, what they are thinking and what is important to them. The story is certainly readable and entertaining, qualities that are a part of all DeLand’s work.
So I think that there is much to like here–a smooth-talking, gorgeous Hispanic hunk who is willing to give whatever needed to have this woman in his life, along with an American business woman who isn’t quite sure what she wants out of this relationship but is willing to be open to possibilities. Good foundation for a really nice love story. I think many romance fans will enjoy this short novel.
I give it a rating of 3.75 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.
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