GRR Reviews Hard to Stay by S Jones

Lexi ran from her evil boyfriend who has her family enthralled. No one would believe her boyfriend is also banging her sister, while mentally abusing her. And he's rich and can get away with a lot of stuff. So she ran. And met Brad... // Brad is a cop with a shitty history in love. There's Emily, and Samantha... but that's in his past. Now with Lexi, he wants a fresh start, and as a cop, he knew she's keeping secrets. When evil Colton showed up, intending to force her back, Brad is there to protect her. But Colton has plenty of underhanded tricks up his sleeve...

Brad has no temperament for a cop. He's easily goaded by fellow officers, esp. the douchebag one. And it's pretty obvious he's being set up by Colton for something. Except Brad swallowed the bait, hook, line, and sinker. This is basically "PMS pro" cliche trope. The ending is a total cop-out and a deus ex machina, where basically Brad came up with even BIGGER connections than even Colton can call upon. And what sort of family Lexi has that listens to a stranger and not their own daughters? 2/5

NOTE: This book managed to hit no less than THREE corny tropes: deus ex machina, PMS Pro, and Heart-break savior.

GRR Reviews Treasured by Thursday by Catherine Bybee

Gabriella survived her ordeal (see book 6) and chose to start over as a new matchmaker for Alliance far away in the US. When her latest prospective client billionaire Hunter Blackwell refused to come clean about his reasons for a marriage of convenience, she rejected his application. However, he can't take no for an answer... for his own reasons. Instead, he applies leverage: his private investigator dug up about her past that she wanted to keep hidden... and two accounts she didn't know about on the other side of the world. She reluctantly agrees to the marriage... with some interesting additions to the pre-nup. In the meanwhile, she managed to log into those accounts from afar and changed the access code to them. Unfortunately, that also turned her into a target... as the real owner of those accounts is Diaz... the evil mastermind behind Gabi's suffering (in book 6), and he really wanted his money back, that he'll come to the US to deal with Gabi and Hunter personally... even as Hunter revealed the reason why he needs to marry ASAP...

I am not too sure about this one. While the premise sounded fine initially, Gabi seems to just fold with little reason when she has the entire Alliance to back her up, but somehow she wanted to "deal with it herself" (but it could be that she wanted to prove herself, it's almost plausible). Also, she somehow found accounts in foreign banks, and was able to gain login and password to those accounts just like that? That seems a bit far-fetched. These plotholes are pretty glaring when previous novels didn't have such problems. 4/5

GRR Reviews Trusting the Billionaire by C C Snow

Elle was a waitress who got fired when Troy's date knocked Elle's tray over and the entree ended up in Troy's lap. Troy found Elle's sass admirable and wanted to know her better, but she ran away, had enough of alpha jerks who think they are gifts to womenkind, having been betrayed once before. Elle was helping out in a cafe when he saved a rich pregnant woman's young child, which lead to her being hired as that woman's personal assistant. That woman turned out to be Troy's sister-in-law... and so they meet again. But Elle's past came back to haunt her... Elle's evil ex, Carter, who seduced her into bed while engaged to her half-sister, wanted to use her "indiscretion" to blackmail Elle to steal secrets from Troy. Troy saw betrayal, and Elle refused to explain when he's being so judgmental...

I kinda like it and kinda don't. I can see why Elle prefers to call out her inner b**** when accused, but it really seems to be a VERY stupid way to handle things. The twist was handled very nicely. Still, I honestly don't see why Elle would see herself as the homewrecker. As the logic goes, "it takes two to tango", so why was it her fault? 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Her Wild Coast Haven by Dakota Davis

Cody and Jared left the big city hustle behind (and death threat from a crime boss) for the crab boats of Alaska to make a fortune and create their dream: a special camp / boarding school for kids. They saved each other lives many times over. They share in EVERYTHING... including women. Now they have the seed money saved up, they just bought the land. They can build cabins and classrooms, but they need a teacher... Enter Tasha. // Tasha found out that her ex, a pharma rep, had been selling prescription stuff "on the side". Add to it that she can't have children, she divorced him and left to teach in Alaska, but it's not a permanent position. Tasha was happy to learn that Cody and Jared are hiring, and if she's willing, she can enjoy BOTH of them at once. When she learned that her ex is being investigated by the DEA, she wanted to testify, and that's when she got the first blackmail contact...

The "bad guy", IMHO, was too stupid to count as a real threat. And the link to her ex was never explained. Menage a Troi is definitely hot though. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Alpha's Temptation by Renee Rose and Lee Savino

Jackson is the head of SeCure, a top-tier data security company. While he enjoys being rich, he really prefers coding to management. He also has a secret: he's a werewolf, a lone wolf that answers to no pack. His only two regrets in life so far were one, to not catch "Catgirl", the only hacker that got through his defenses years ago, and two, to not take a mate, which increases his chances of going berserk. When he was caught in an elevator malfunction with the new hire Kylie, she somehow drew him like no one ever could. But a normal human would never survive mating with a werewolf... // Kylie had always been fascinated by Jackson... and Kylie has a secret... She was "Catgirl" the hacker that got through Jackson's encryption when she was fifteen. Having a headhunter offering her a position at SeCure was her dream come true. Meeting and working with Jackson? Priceless. She didn't know she was put there by evil forces, ready to bring down Jackson using her as the trojan horse. She had to fight her desire for Jackson and being a pawn in someone else's game... and in turn, learn a lot more about herself than she'd ever suspected...

Better than I first expected. My usual yardstick for shifter romance is the Alicia Montgomery's True Mates series. And this one is... close. 4/5

GRR Reviews A Secret Buried in the Ranch by Aurora Hanson

Georgie is a rich tomboy and her father's wealth had always kept the bad boys at bay. She prefers riding to romance. But when her father died, the only hope for her to keep the ranch is to marry. And her existing suitor, Leo, is simply not suitable for her. So she put in an ad for mail-order husband... // Jeremy knew he went wrong and his stint in prison was his debt to society paid in full. Unfortunately, the bad people he associated with before wanted him for one last thing: they want the loot they stashed before they got captured. He wanted to thank the man who helped him, only to found him dead... and his daughter in search of a husband. Jeremy wed Georgie, by pretending to be her mail-order husband. But his disguise is thread-bare, and Jeremy had fallen for Georgie already. Can he save everyone he loved? Or will his past bury him like the secret buried in the ranch?

Good setup, okay execution. 4/5

GRR Reviews Broken Hero by Aubrey Wright

Natalie is a skilled lawyer, but she chose the wrong boyfriend, Joey. Turns out, Joey's a mob prince, and he won't take no for an answer. When not even the cops are willing to do something, Natalie had to hire her own security, Garrett. And Garrett is strikingly handsome and powerful. But Garrett has a secret... He's actually working for Joey, because Joey is threatening his sister studying in California. Garrett is supposed to dissuade Natalie from going to the cops... because she knew too much about Joey. But Garrett had fallen for Natalie. How can he extract himself, his sister, AND Natalie from Joey's trap? Can his relationship with Natalie be saved? Or will he be betrayed just like he betrayed her?

Pretty good twists and turns. 4/5

GRR Reviews Force of Nature by S L Scott

Bennett Everest, one of the three Everest brothers, is trying to close a deal by chasing down the wayward daughter of the owner of a company he's trying to acquire. He found her in Paris, but Winter is nothing like he imagined. Instead of a feisty rebellious woman, he got a slightly-scared mature wistful woman. And they fell for each other. Soon, they are embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens to envelop them both... Where not even family can be trusted...

Okay, some parts of this are quite good, but the final confrontation requires a TSTL moment as a setup. It's OBVIOUS that the box was a trap, and Winter went ahead and stepped on it, even though there was NO PROOF there's anything of value in the box. Also, how did they nab her from TWO guys who was supposed to be right next to her in the first place? That scene still doesn't make sense.

The conspiracy and grand plan works. The little details... do not.

4/5

GRR Reviews The Resilient One by Cami Checketts

Alyssa escaped from her rotten father who apparently sold access to her body to his sleazy friends, doing anything to make a buck. That cured her of desire for any men... Alyssa was always a photographer, and her escape to Maui should be perfect for her... Until Beckham Taylor arrived. The ex-NHL star was nice and protective, but Alyssa has secret guilt... Her photograph of his moment of grief with his family was twisted by tabloids into a family feud. Even as Alyssa fell for Beckham, who rescued her multiple times, her past misdeed was thrust into the light when a tabloid decided to make her and Beckham front cover news...

Ah, now that's some emotional turmoil, yet both are reasonable, not over the top. She's afraid of men who wanted to take advantage of her, and he's "too busy for love" after losing his parents. The extra complications, like Alyssa's father showing up, the tabloid after them again, works. My problem here is I didn't know Alyssa's bestie works for a tabloid?

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews Marriage in Name Only by Dorreen Owens Malek

Years ago, Ann had to leave Heath behind without a goodbye. Ann is a rich girl, and Heath is from the wrong side of tracks whose only talent is fixing things. But they had a love affair that summer... A decade later, Heath is now a millionaire yacht builder and Ann's family is disgraced, with the business ruined by her alcoholic brother. Ann was forced to return to the town, and Heath offered her a devil's bargain: marry him and be a dutiful wife, and he'll save her pathetic little brother from jail, and maybe her company business too. // Heath had been waiting a decade for the revenge. Ann had been playing him all along, and now that he's rich among the elite, he's determined to have her and make her pay. When Ann told him her father threatened to have him arrested (Ann was technically underage at the time) he did not believe her. He will marry her, and treat her with cold disdain. He will even have sex with her but never sleep in the same bed. But what will happen when he finally learned she wasn't lying?

Uh, sorry, the personality flip came too fast, and the woman was the silent suffering type, no spark, no nothing. Crying silently in private. ARGH. 2/5

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 2/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Billionaire's Blackmailed Mistress by Kelly Dark

Elizabeth kept her father's computer distributor business going, and a lot of people depended on her. Two weeks ago, she had a moment of weakness and slept with her largest vendor's CEO, Luke. She always had a crush on him, and that night was wonderful, and that's all she can take... // Luke knew Elizabeth is the woman for him, but the way she ran off just boiled his blood. He'll do anything to get her back into his bed... Including blackmailing her with the future of her company...

What's so romantic about having a douchebag for a main character? There is no redeeming quality with the MMC at all. Seduce her? Sure. Convince her? Sure. BLACKMAIL HER? WTF?!?!!?

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 1.5/5 rounded up

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Out of Bounds by Jillian Quinn

Victoria aka Tori was betrayed by the man she loved. Subsequently, she fell into a deep depression, lost her scholarship, and hated football... and the man. But she is determined to graduate, even within sight of the man she hated... // Sebastian aka "Bash" loved Tori, but one night at a party and it all fell apart. Nothing actually happened, not that he could explain it in his drunken stupor. He knew he wanted Tori back, and it has been two years, even if he had to keep a big secret from her to save her from herself. But he's rich, he's the team captain, and he's even got the Heisman trophy to prove he's good. And this time, he's not looking just to score...

SPOILERIFIC:

I WARNED YOU! SPOILER AHEAD!

Plot barely made sense. The complications are childish. Bash was so powerful he can force the school to "fake" a scholarship for Tori to keep her in school. But it took TWO YEARS to get close to her again?! And Harper, the queen bitch, somehow found out and use this to blackmail Bash into having sex with her? WTF? This doesn't even make sense. What exactly changed in 2 years? Nothing.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Sunset Thunder (Caliendo Resort) by Shannyn Leah

Sunset Thunder is about a woman who thought she couldn't love again, vs. a man who wanted her for a long time. However, the ending made absolutely no sense whatsoever. The motivation for the nemesis is mud. I initially wanted to rate this higher but ended up giving it average.

Violet Caliendo is the wedding coordinator for Willow's Valley's five-star Caliendo Resort, and she puts on perfect events no matter what, that she's known as the "Ice Queen". However, her latest wedding to coordinate was her ex marrying someone else... Even if it's an ex she no longer loved, but got pregnant with. Despondent in private, Violet fell for the suave charms of Ryder Carlex, a well-known womanizer, and her ex's best man. She figured she just needed it one time, to get it out of her system. She hadn't had someone for years... But Ryder wanted Violet for a long time... Not that he'd ever get between his friend and wife... But Violet's single now, and available. Ryder and Violet got into a torrid relationship, but he has his own dark secrets to keep. And Violet's one indiscretion would come back to haunt her in a way she never imagined... Will their (lack of) trust doom their relationship?

The ending left me exasperated as in "what was the author thinking? This made absolutely no f***ing sense!"

SPOILER

ALERT

I WARNED YOU!

Couple years ago, Violet fell for Joel the rebel, but Joel's really after her family fortune. Joel got Violet pregnant. Violet's father paid off Joel's debts with one proviso: marry Violet, because the kids will not be born as bastards. On the night before the wedding, Violet realized she was stupid but the wedding must go forward. In a drunken haze, violent had a one-night stand with Ryder... and Joel somehow got video of them bonking.

In the present day, Violet divorced Joel and is having a fling with Ryder even as Joel is about to marry someone else. Suddenly, Joel blackmailed Violet... "break up with Ryder, or I'll release this tape of you f***ing him just before our wedding night". Violet can't let her family business be shamed, so she puts on a brave face and broke up with Ryder, and Ryder, having figured out what Joel did, confronted Joel, and Joel just basically handed over the footage without a struggle. The end.

WTF?! What's Joel's motivation for this? This is a LAME villain who's ONLY around to mess with the hero/heroine, for no particular reason!

Add to some bits about her mom and uncle knowing something (and did nothing), the dead daddy always manipulating people, even after he's dead, I honestly can't tell whether it's redemption or douchebaggery. At least the slow seductions made up for some of it. I really was tempted to rate this a 2/5 for a while.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Hotel heiress and even planner fell for the best man who wanted her, but her evil ex (who's getting married) has evil plans...

Overall Rating: 3/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews EXPOSED: A second chance love story by Lyz Kelley

Exposed managed to create a bit more unusual older man / younger woman match up along with a bit of protector / woman in peril setup. However, the insufficient karma dealt to the evildoer or the low-level evil he did didn't make him much of a threat.

Gwen had run away all over life, and now she may have to again. When pipes burst in her thrift store, it not only ruined her stock, her landlord just terminated her lease. Then her evil blackmailing ex-fiancee tracked her down too. Until someone came to her rescue. Retired brigadier general Dale Bryant came home to repair his relationship with his daughter and came to know Gwen, who's a friend of his daughter. Gwen needs rescuing, and this marine is up to the job. But he's 14 years older, and a widower. He can save her, but can he love her?

There is a twist at the end which I will not spoil. But somehow, the evil ex-fiancee didn't quite get enough karma. I expected more evil from him and didn't get any either. Other than that the book managed to put a good spin on a slightly unusual matchup.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: A retired marine general can obviously save a woman from her evil blackmailing ex-fiancee. But can he also love her?

Tropes: protector, woman in peril, small town, evil ex, blackmail, widower, May/September

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Acting Married (The Married Series Book by Victorine E. Lieske

Acting Married is a good addition to the author's Married series, but it somehow feels not quite as fulfilling as her other books.

Tara McDermott is a maid for the Hollywood Bad Boy Rick Shade. She had been burned by a dick husband Josh who ended up as some bit actor in Hollywood who only left her with a daughter and bitter memories. Tara just wants to settle the legal bills and move back to mid-West where things are simple. Rick Shade has a bad boy reputation, but he's a softie inside. When his publicist told him he needs to settle down to land a better role, he quipped "I should marry the maid"... And surprisingly, his publicist agreed. Rick promised a marriage of convenience with Tara... they can divorce a year later, and they need to go out to feed the paparazzi every once in a while. In return, Rick will pay off Tara's debts and leave her with a nest egg to start over. But as the two pretended to date, then got married for real, Rick and Tara realized just how good they are together... but each carried shame from their pasts... Rick for letting a girl he had loved go for his career... and Tara for entering into this "fake" relationship and allowing her daughter to be attached to Rick. When the secret was outed, will they stay... or break each other's hearts? And what happens when Josh comes back?

Somehow, the threat from Josh just seems really lame, and came really really late, and the book doesn't quite feel as polished as her earlier volumes. The "forced to marry" schtick is getting a little old, and "maid to billionaire" is an old schtick. Combining them without some new schtick like other volumes left me a bit underwhelmed.


Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: A billionaire need his single mother maid to marry him to help his image, and he'll help settle her with $$$ but when they fell in love for real... would that ever work?

Tropes: maid, hot for boss, single parent, marriage of convenience, scars, triangle, blackmail

Overall Rating: 4/5

GRR Reviews Captured by Love Books 1-3 (The Unwilli by Miranda P. Charles

Captured By Love Vol 1 contains three full-length romantic suspense / romance novels, and they are of rather consistent quality except the middle volume, but the dip was so slight it still averaged out to 4/5. There are 6 MORE books in this series.

The Unwilling Executive -- Lucas Renner just want to be left alone, as he knew he was a bastard and his family had been threatened before. When his father suddenly is trying to contact him, he only saw trick or subterfuge, but the latest messenger, Jade Tully, was so honest and innocent it broke through his defenses... Jade was lucky to land the exec assistant job to a wealthy CEO, but she didn't count on getting stuck in the struggle between the CEO and his unacknowledged son... a man that rattled her heart. Will working for the CEO destroy her chance with the gorgeous Lucas? Or will her "meddling" actually bring them together?

Nice twist, but a predictable one. A conspiracy 30 years in the making, IMHO, was resolved a bit too quickly, but the struggle between the two of their hearts and their responsibilities was quite good.

The Unyielding Bachelor -- Rick Donnelly, in order to save her step-sister's inheritance, has a contract with his stepmom to remain unattached for six more years, in order to manage the money and save it from his stepmom's squandering. If he loses... he'll also lose 20% of his own company. Normally this isn't a problem, as he's a playboy, but Lexie Mead is tempting his heart like no other. Lexie wanted the hunky Rick for a long time, but she's not the kind to flaunt. But Rick cannot tell her the truth. When Rick found that there is yet another level of deception going on, is there a way for Lexie and Rick to be together after all?

The twist is actually quite good, though it's almost unrelated to the romance plot other than it complicated Rick's life. But it folds back on itself quite nicely.

The Undercover Playboy -- Detective Carter Garrett is undercover as a handsome electrician not afraid of being seen with a lot of women. Few knew his real job, and he needs it that way to investigate a blackmailing ring that is ruthlessly eliminating potential witnesses. Cassie Stephens was tired of getting passed over when her old boss retired and her promised promotion did not come through, even though her responsibility had expanded. She resigned and found a job at a gallery and there were generous salary and benefits. And her roommate's brother is the hunky Carter. What she didn't know was the gallery owner was one of the suspects on Carter's list. When Carter falls for the beautiful Cassie, he can't tell her about his investigations... or how he had to flirt with other women to maintain his cover... or how being seen with her can jeopardize her safety. But when a betrayal arrived from an unexpected direction, can Carter really keep Cassie safe without breaking her heart?

The twist was actually quite good, but I think the hints planted earlier are not quite explicit enough for it to all make sense. Still, it's quite good.

All in all, a good collection of romantic suspense novels where the couples are caught between conflicting desires and responsibilities. I'd recommend the entire series.

Category: Romantic suspense

Primary Plot: N/A, collection, see individual book summaries in review

Tropes: different worlds, hot for boss, evil parents, disguise, law enforcement, family secrets, scars, conspiracy, blackmail, betrayal, protector

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews When You Got A Good Thing (The Misfit I by Kait Nolan

When You Got A Good Thing is a contemporary romance that featured a lot of misunderstandings, secrets, lies, and trust issues. There was a good twist about why the FMC had to stay away from her hometown.

Kennedy Reynolds had wandered the world for the past decade. Everybody thought she simply left town, even the boy she left behind... But she was keeping a secret, a promise that she will keep... Until news that her adoptive mother had passed away in a car accident, and she's going home. Xander Kincaid, deputy of the town, believed that he had driven Kennedy away ten years ago. Now that she's back, he wanted to apologize, to see if they can pick up where they left off... if that is even possible. Kennedy tries to patch things up with her adoptive family, but her abandonment for the past ten years was not so easily forgiven. As Xander help Kennedy through the ordeal, Xander found out what really happened ten years ago that drove Kennedy away... and the truth will devastate him... and he will have to make a choice...

I find Kennedy's naivete back at 18 to be... a bit unbelievable, but it's "almost" plausible that it didn't bother me too much. And that forced choice had truly devastating consequences. What I truly liked is there is an evil perp in this story, and that evil perp got karma. Maybe not as much as you'd like to have seen, but it is nonetheless karma. And that relationship was definitely "love interrupted", in a good way.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman who stayed away from ten years returned; the man she left behind will now truly know what happened that fateful night...

Tropes: family secrets, return, reunion, blackmail, fated mate, law enforcement

Overall Rating:  5/5

GRR Reviews Claiming Carlos (Sanchez Sisters Book 2) by Rachelle Ayala

Claiming Carlos is a contemporary romance set within the context of a large Filipino family and a family restaurant, between a woman refuse to let her one mistake ruin her life, and a guy who aspired to be more than just a cook. The family dynamics is what sets thsi romance above average, but one can't help but feel the chemistry between the two are not quite there.

Concepcion "Choco" Sanchez had been best friends with the head cook, Carlos Lopez, at the family Filipino restaurant in San Diego, CA for a very long time. Both are comfortable with each other, neither wanted the relationship changed. That was shattered when a restaurant consultant Johnny Dee came to make over the restaurant... AND Choco as well. Choco fell head over heels with Johnny Dee, and Carlos is not taking that lying down. Who is Johnny Dee, and why is Choco's father letting Johnny's mother Miranda make over the restaurant? Does this have something to do with Choco's secret? When someone threatened to expose Choco's secret in order to get Choco away from Carlos, so cousin Julia can marry Carlos, Choco walked away, but Carlos wasn't ready to let that happen, even without a penny to his name...

While the family dynamics are great (Choco and her mother need to "take back" the restaurant as Miranda was turning it into some "New Age Filipino thing" and there were funny scene when that happened, while Carlos need to figure out what are his intentions toward Julia and Choco), somehow the relationship between Choco and Carlos was never quite defined. It's as if the two were in love with each other but both thought of it as friendship until a new factor, Johnny Dee, forced them to confront their feelings. Once they figured it out, then it became a regular romance push-pull with outside complications, like family and friends and obligations and so on. I think the transition could have been a little smoother.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman must confront her feelings for head cook when a new restaurant consultant swept her off her feet

Tropes: restaurant, chef, triangle, friends to lovers, blackmail, triangle

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Dare to Love by Carly Phillips

Dare to Love is a contemporary romance with a pseudo-triangle as well a douchebag parent mucking up the romance. It does have insta-lust but otherwise the MMC and FMC push-pull is quite good.

Ian Dare is a billionaire with a broken family with half-brother, Alex, that he despised. When his half-brother walked in with Riley Taylor at a benefit dinner, Ian couldn't resist making a play for her, and their connection is instant, even though she wasn't into alpha guys. Riley grew up under an abusive father, made a break, and swore off all alpha males, but Ian was nothing like her father... or her friend Alex. Ian wanted a future with Riley, even to the point of hiring her for a job (which she was CERTAINLY qualified for) even as Riley found herself was drawn to this alpha but protective enigma called Ian... Riley desires a harmonious family and tried to reconcile Ian and Alex... then her father reentered the picture, threatening to blackmail her...

The pseudo-triangle was between Ian, Riley, and Alex, but it's merely a pseudo-triangle because Alex treats Riley like a sister (but Ian didn't know that). You'll figure out more about Alex and Riley's history as you read along. Plot isn't that new, but it is nicely polished.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Rich guy made a play for his half-brother's companion, and had to save her from her evil douchebag father

Tropes: sibling problem, evil parents, protector, woman in peril, blackmail

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Mr. Cocky: London Billionaires by Nana Malone

NOTE: The book is currently unavailable as of this review's publication.

Mr. Cocky is about a man who seduced his boss, but was under threat to spy on her company from her rival brother. The angst is barely there.

Nick is going places, and he's just couple months shy of finishing his masters. Then he can find a real job and get out of the bartending job, put his mom in a real place to life instead of the crime-infested apartment, and maybe, put his brother on the straight-and-narrow. In the meanwhile, he will get by with flirting at his bartending jobs, no more taking women for a quick romp, even if they are perfectly willing, and he's one handsome guy, and cocky, of course. That is, until his brother came to him, needing 10000 smackers or else the bad guys will take it out of his hide. Then the devil known as Simon came to Nick... Simon believes his sister Selena should not be leading their father's company... He should. So he wants a spy in Selena's company, and Nick going to intern there any way. Nick needed the money, so he acquiesced, and found Selena, his boss, to be extremely charming, yet innocent, and Nick knows exactly how to please a woman like that... But the more Nick wooed Selena, the more real his emotions got. Can Nick play both sides? Or will his family cost his love?

There are several problems that made the book below average. 1) Simon was too "cliche bad". He is just full of ego and believes he can run the company better, so how would a spy help him accomplish that? That wasn't explained. 2) Where does a rich guy like that find thugs anyway? The phonebook? Yet Simon employed thugs multiple times to push Nick back in line 3) The MMC and FMC did not resolve their problems. A deus ex machina was thrown in and the day was saved through some divine intervention. WTF?! That's cheating.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: An Intern Guy Wooed his billionaire bosslady while under threat  from the bosslady's brother

Tropes: disguise, hot for boss, blackmail, family pressure

Overall Rating:  2/5