Pride and Passion
Jenna Bayley-BurkeContemporary romance
Available from Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60504-952-6
May 2010
| Lily is in a very difficult position. Her father has just died leaving her nothing but debt and scandal. She has spent much of the recent past caring for him and has not completed her degree yet. She has to find a job and a new place to live and is determined to finish her degree so that she can begin teaching. Jake was her father's partner and has had his eye on Lily for a while now. He has a reputation as a playboy, but is determined to have Lily as his wife even though he thinks that she is little more than a social ornament despite her academic achievement. He and Lily strike a deal; he gives her a job and if she sticks it out and learns about the company she will not have to marry him at New Years. Lily does not trust Jake no matter how attracted she is to him and Jake is determined to have her, no matter what.
I really liked this book. Lily is a bit innocent and naïve but by no means a pushover. She really shows her grit when Jake moves her around the company and still manages to keep up with her schoolwork. Jake might deserve a bit more trust, but he keeps throwing women in Lily's face while saying that he is not involved with them. It is obvious that Dee and Mikayla in particular want a lot more from Jake and Jake does nothing to dispell the impression that he is much more involved with them than he actually is. He really has no cause to expect blind trust from a girl who has had her world turned upside down and who has just found out that her beloved father is not the man she thought that he was. I loved the Thalia character especially, she gives Lily a lot of insight into Jake's character and the Hawaiian setting added a bit of the exotic to the story. Lily and Jake's rocky romance is a pleasure to read.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Maura Frankman |
