LynneC’s review of His Brand of Passion by Kate Hewitt
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents 3 Jul 12
While the last book by Kate Hewitt that I read didn’t quite work for me, this one does. With engaging characters and a story that flows easily from one scene to the next, it’s everything I ask for in a Presents.
Aaron is a groomsman at a wedding (one of the previous characters in this miniseries) and he is paired with maid of honour Zoe, who is incensed when she sees him surreptitiously using his phone at the service. What Zoe doesn’t know is that the firm is in serious trouble. Nobody knows because Aaron hasn’t told them. She steals his phone and drops it down her front, and Aaron sees this as a challenge. He traps her in the ladies’ room and retrieves it himself in a deliciously sexy scene. They are both attracted, and neither can see the sense in not taking it further, so they have a night together.
However, Zoe hasn’t done challenging him. When she finds herself pregnant, she comes back into Aaron’s life. But she says no to marriage and no to an abortion. While the last book I read that featured talk of an abortion infuriated me, this one is entirely different. Aaron admits from the start that he is scared of the responsibility of a child. He doesn’t judge Zoe and he accepts her decision. This is so much more realistic and believable. Zoe is 31 and she wants the baby. While she knows Aaron has to know, she doesn’t assume he will marry her, and she doesn’t want marriage “for the sake of the child.” Aaron and Zoe have a sensible discussion. I knew I liked them then.
Next comes events I won’t spoil, but they try both Aaron and Zoe to the limit. However, the angst brings out their characters aNd they are both likeable but flawed – my favourite kind of character. They decide they don’t like each other, but that doesn’t stop them working together for the good of the life they’ve created together, although Zoe has her stubborn moments.
This is a romance, so it’s not hard to guess how their relationship works out. I enjoyed every minute of their journey together, although sometimes the characters behave in less-than-likeable ways. However, they always have a reason, which isn’t always apparent initially. They behave with grace and humour, which save this book from being too dark.
Kate Hewitt writes with considerable skill and has a distinctive voice that always comes through in her books. She takes tropes and adds her own special flavour to them, exploring them in depth, so they become real and far more meaningful than just a plot device. Sometimes they become too dark, and the characters seem irredeemable, but in this book she hits just the right note.
This one’s a goodie.
Grade: B
Summary:
Money usually solves everything…Billionaire Aaron Bryant lives and works on a knife’s edge; his dark, brooding persona and fearsome reputation hide a shameful family secret. So sassy maid of honor Zoe Parker is an unwelcome distraction when, at his brother’s wedding, she hides Aaron’s ever-ringing phone down her tight pink dress!
But Aaron’s never had a problem like this before!
Aaron’s arrogant, skilled retrieval of his property sparks a chemistry that ends in a mind-blowing one-night stand. But such uncontrollable passion leaves an indelible mark on their lives. He never expected to see Zoe again, until two little lines appeared on a stick.…
Read an excerpt.
