Professional caterer Chandra Madison has had a shock, but it seems pretty
trivial compared to the fact that she just woke up hung over in Reid
Devlin's bed. All she wants to do is go home and be alone in her shame, but
Reid has other plans.
He wants her to be his mistress, accepting his protection and all the other
perks that a mistress enjoys. Hard as it is, Chandra resists Reid's charms,
knowing that he's not interested in the marriage that she considers the sign
of true love.
When a man from Chandra's past comes to San Diego threatening her career and
happiness, Chandra does indeed accept Reid's protection, inadvertently
accepting his terms for a relationship in the process. Chandra must come to terms with the fact that she loves Reid, but he doesn't love her back. Armed with this knowledge, and a strong sense of who Reid is, Chandra manages to deal with the ex-boyfriend, the ex-wife, and the unexpected offer from Reid.
This was the first Candlelight Ecstasy Romance I read, and found it to be
quite good. The hero was very alpha--he has a fit when Chandra goes for
drinks with friends without him, and she accepts that as alright, and he
does threaten a beating on a regular basis.
The heroine wasn't as strong as some others JAK has written, but had much
more of a sense of humor, and was aware of her shortcomings--especially her
lack of depth perception, which caused numerous hilarious problems.
There was sex in the book, but in very little detail. The emphasis was on
the foreplay, and the sexual tension was written well. Taking the year it
was written into consideration, I'd give this book four stars.
Sue Waldeck
