This is going to be a quick review. Basically, if you like this line and these kinds of stories, you will probably like this one.
I don’t pay much attention to covers on the Kindle (ebooks automatically open to page one), and it wasn’t until I finished it that I realized I was not reading a Harlequin Presents. Twitter friends (thanks @Mcvane, @BevBB, @Young Librarian, and @Jane_l!) informed me that Presents is the more international line, Desire more domestic (US), so I am guessing this one, which, while set in New York, has a Greek hero and some quality time spent in Greece, is a bit of an odd duck (?).
It’s the second in Banks’ trilogy about three Greek hotel tycoons. In this one, Theron comes to NYC to manage one of his hotels, and finds himself informal guardian of the daughter of an old family friend. Theron barely remembers Isabella, until she saunters into his office, aged 23 with the bod to prove it, all alluring tramp stamps and piercings and bare midriff.
Given that Theron wants very much to settle down, given that Isabella has been in love with him (I was never sure why. She has only met him a few times, and he has two equally commanding, rich and good looking brothers, after all) since her training bra days, and given that they are incredibly hot for one another, why isn’t this a two paragraph book?
Well, Theron thinks he should be more of a father figure and less of a mack daddy to Isabella, and he’s already chosen Alannis, a nice Greek girl back home, for an arranged marriage. For her part, Isabella is too chicken to tell Theron the slightly stalkerish truth (Her entire life, including the move to NYC, is oriented around getting him to the alter. She has no job, no plans, and nothing else to live for. Considering Isabella’s singleminded pursuit, the fact that “Theron” means “hunter” is a bit ironic.), and she believes his pre-engagement to Alannis is the real deal.
What I liked about this is the forwardness of Isabella. She’s a virgin, of course, and her one and only goal in life is marriage, but at least she’s the aggressor in the relationship, leaving Theron a bit befuddled and off balance (When I say “aggressor”, you have to read it in context: she’s never forthright about what she wants. It’s manipulative feminine wiles all the way) . She often mocks him for his old fashioned notions of women and sexuality (while conforming to them completely, of course). He’s more likable and less awful than so many of these Greek tycoons tend to be. And the resolution of the Alannis situation does not require turning her into a hellish shrew, for which I was grateful.
Of course, the plot is entirely predictable, beyond the mere certainty of an HEA, as these categories so often are (for example, the minute we discover Isabella has a stripper friend, we know Isabella will be working the pole, that Theron will see her, and that his anger will push him over the sexual edge).
I’m attracted to category romance because they are short and cheap, but I find them so dicey. This one was a bit better than average, but whether that’s high praise will depend on your point of view.
The best thing about it for me, was that it inspired me to make up a quiz, which you can take in the next post.
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#1 by KMont on June 30, 2009 - 7:33 am
I like these kinds of romances for their cheaper prices, too, but maybe I’m just too picky because I still expect and hope to be blown away by them. So far I’m not having much luck in finding ones that are wowzers except for Sarah Mayberry. The one I’m reading now by Diana Gaston shows no sign of a romance at almost 200 (Sony Reader) pages in. I’m glad I don’t have a paper copy or else it might be shredded by now.
#2 by MsMoonlight on June 30, 2009 - 7:38 am
I loved this Harlequin. I like when the heroine blindsides the hero and rocks his world and that is exactly what Isabella did. Theron didn’t see her coming and he had his life all planned out in a neat little package then along comes Isabella to knock him off balance and show him all the things he would have missed out on if he didn’t take a chance on passion and love. For a quick read (like all these Harlequins are) I thought it was a great story.
#3 by Laura Vivanco on June 30, 2009 - 8:01 am
“it wasn’t until I finished it that I realized I was not reading a Harlequin Presents. Twitter friends (thanks @Mcvane, @BevBB, @Young Librarian, and @Jane_l!) informed me that Presents is the more international line, Desire more domestic (US), so I am guessing this one, which, while set in New York, has a Greek hero and some quality time spent in Greece, is a bit of an odd duck (?).”
I haven’t read many Silhouette Desires, but I wonder if for historical/editorial reasons they may have more American authors than the Presents line which is edited in the UK and I have a feeling contains many long-standing UK, Australian and New Zealand authors who probably joined the Presents/Modern/Sexy line before Silhouette Desire existed/was sold in the UK/Australian/New Zealand markets.
The main difference that I can see from a quick scan of the eHarlequin guidelines is that the Silhouette Desires are supposed to be heroine-centric:
“The Desire heroine is complex and flawed. She is strong-willed and smart though capable of making terrible mistakes when it comes to matters of the heart. This is primarily her story so much of the book should be from her point-of-view. There is room for the hero’s perspective as long as his thoughts are centered on the heroine and their conflict. Instead of dividing the novel equally between both protagonists’ points-of-view, Desires should be more 60% heroine and 40% hero.” (eHarlequin)
The Presents/Modern line, on the other hand, doesn’t have that focus. Notice the way that Trish Morey at the I Heart Presents blog puts the heroes first:
What do you love most about Harlequin Presents? Is it the to-die-for heroes, the feisty heroines, the high stakes and passion and intense emotions, or is it the fabulous international settings?
For me, it’s definitely all about the heroes. Not to mention the strong heroines.
#4 by FD on June 30, 2009 - 11:20 am
Laura Vivanco wrote:
I think it’s a combination of the two points maybe?
I definitely agree about the long-standing names, e.g. Susan Napier, who does not entirely ‘fit’ into the standard Presents mould, yet is normally published under that line.
And also possibly that the Presents heroes with the emphasis on their alpha, macho, frequently sexist tendencies, are more easily conveyed by making them (eyerolling) ‘foreign’ and thus not expected to be bound by the normal rules of western society. I’m not saying that this is true, but that it’s a convenient writerly shorthand.
#5 by ReacherFan on June 30, 2009 - 12:48 pm
LOL – I just read this one and I make a point of avoiding this whole Silhouette line. What I can I say – trite, formulaic, predictable, but still, it’s Maya Banks, so it is well written tripe.