365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #98

The Man She Loves To Hate - Kelly Hunter
Mills and Boon RIVA
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2011
ISBN: 9780263883732





My rating





From the back cover:

"Three reasons to keep away from Cole Rees...
1. My mum had a scorching affair with his dad - just think how awkward that 'meet the family' would be...
2. His arrogance drives me mad - he might be gorgeous, but I hate how he knows it!
3. Every time he touches me I go up in flames...and it's utterly terrifying.
Come on, a fling with the man I love to hate? Like that would ever work out..."


This was another book I read while at Glastonbury Festival, and I remember reading it sitting in my camping chair! No internet or TV means I read even more fast than usual! Another great book.

Jolie, the heroine, has returned to her hometown to help comfort her mother after her long term lover passed away. Although Jolie loves her mother, she has always hated the fact that her lover was a married man and the father of her former best friend, Jolie has faced a lot of scorn over her mothers actions as well. As a favour to her mother she goes up to collect some of her mothers stuff from the ski cabin that belonged to him, however she gets stranded on the mountain after an avalanche with the hero Cole, who is the son of her mothers lover and someone who hates Jolie. Cole is forced to change his opinion of Jolie after she saves him in the snow storm, he also finds himself very attracted to her and one thing leads to another and they begin an affair. Jolie has spent her life being judged by her mothers actions and is reluctant to make her and Cole's affair public, and Cole is also concerned about the reaction to it, but realises that his feelings for Jolie may be deeper than he realised.

Kelly Hunter has written a fantastic book here, with a really great twist on the 'forbidden love' theme. The confusion that both characters felt about their feelings for each other feels very real, and the message that love isn't always easy and people aren't perfect made the book very believable. Jolie is a fantastic female character, her strength and shyness are traits that gave her such depth and made me really like her. The whole book has a very passionate mood, and the chemistry between the characters, not to mention the love-scenes, sizzle!

A great book.

Oh, one last thing, I do wish the back cover blurb was different, I really don't like it and it actually put me off reading it. Obviously this is not down to the author and has no effect on my enjoyment of the story.