365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #16

Fantasy - Lori Foster
Mills and Boon Temptation

Original issue-
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 1998
ISBN: 9780263814071

Re issue-
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2005
ISBN: 9780373836406

My rating



From the back cover:

"SOLD! Sexy security consultant Sebastian Sinclair brought a princely sum at auction. And for the next five days he was going to be a boy toy for some rich woman. At least it was going for a worthy cause...and the woman WAS intriguing... SOLD OUT! The LAST thing Brandi Sommers wanted was to fly off to a lover's retreat with some gorgeous mountain of a man. But Sebastian was an outrageously expensive birthday present from her dear, meddling sister, and she couldn't very well return him. Besides, SHE would be in control at all times...she thought."

I read this book in ebook form on iBooks for the iPad, and the version was the re issue one. I couldn't find a cover for the original Mills and Boon Temptation release so I have used the re issue cover instead! Considering this book was written over 12 years ago, it doesn't seem dated at all.

The story begins with the female character, Brandi, attending a charity bachelor auction arranged by her sister. She feels an immediate attraction to Sebastian upon seeing him on stage up for grabs. Her sister notices this and bids on him with the explanation that he is a 'birthday present' for Brandi! The bachelor auction includes a five day luxury country retreat for the bidders and their bachelors. Brandi is nervous about going, she suffered rape when she was 18 and hasn't been intimate with a man since, and still has nightmares from that time. Sebastian is protector with a chip on his shoulder from growing up poor, he feels the need to protect Brandi and help her move past her difficult past and learn to open up to him.

There is no doubt that this book is very sweet and romantic, Sebastian is a really caring guy who treated Brandi with great sensitivity. The issue of rape and Brandi's coping with it was handled well. However I feel that the fact that Brandi went away to a (secluded) country resort with someone who was essentially a stranger and then became intimate with him after only two days was a little unbelievable after what she had suffered.

Despite this the conflict with the two characters admitting their feelings for one another was really well written and in the end this was a really romantic book to read.

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