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WORKING MAN - Melanie Schuster Harlequin Kimani/Romance July 2007 |
SYNOPSIS: Funny and feisty true-crime writer Dakota Phillips has almost everything she wants. She's still looking for the perfect man—all wrapped up in rich chocolate brown. Enters Nick; a self-made mogul who works hard, plays hard and loves life's finer things. He's not perfect, but he makes Dakota feel beautiful, desirable—and maybe a little too vulnerable. Dakota can't surrender to a take-charge man, and Nick has worked too hard for everything to give up control. Moving on would be easy—except for a little complication called love.
SERIES ROMANCE |4+| La-Tessa Montgomery
REVIEW: Dakota Philips is moving to Chicago for a fresh start. But
her fresh start quickly becoming stale when after a minor fender-bender,
she discovers that her wonderful refurbished town home is a piece of
junk, not safe for habitation. Things continue to look bad when Nick
Turner, the sexy owner of the other car, shows up at her home to
apologize. Nick, a licensed contractor, offers to repair her home when
he sees the deplorable state it’s in. Admittedly, not many woman would
consider having a successful, attractive man with startling green eyes,
interested in them a major problem. But it’s the last thing Dakota wants
after the job her ex-fiancée did on her self esteem. When Nick refuses
to back down from their mutual attraction; Dakota tries in vain to fight
it. But how long can she hold out when Nick shows her what it’s like to
be loved for who she truly is?
WORKING MAN is a truly romantic tale that showcases the passion and
conflict at the heart of all great romances. Dakota is smart, sassy, and
independent, but her insecurities about her full figure threaten to ruin
her chance at love. Nick, a true southern gentleman, definitely knows
how to make his woman feel safe and loved. Ms. Schuster pens a novel
with all the classic elements of a romance, with smoking hot leads.
Their chemistry is corporeal and erotic, but not in an explicit or
tawdry way. Nick is not ashamed to show or tell Dakota how he feels for
her, but he is very respectful and doesn’t attempt to rush her. Ms.
Schuster does an excellent job of layering the sexual tension between
her leads with their developing romantic relationship.
The cast of WORKING MAN would be not complete without Toni, Dakota’s
co-worker, and Billie, Dakota’s sister. These two play a pivotal role in
Dakota’s transformation, without taking over the plot. I am definitely
interested in learning more about them; especially about Toni, her
relationship with her finance, and her boss who apparently has deeper
feelings for her than he’s letting on. Something is definitely amiss
with that entire situation, and I would love to find out what!
The only drawback I found with this story is that it lulled for just a
bit toward the end. While I believe the author was just trying to tie up
a plot point, it extended the story a bit, and I felt a slight
disconnect from the leads and the romantic chemistry that propelled me
through the book.
WORKING MAN is captivating tale of romance and passion. I recommend this
story to all true romantics at heart, who like to spice it up every once
in a while.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com | 1st October 2007