Kristie J’s review of Loving the Secret Billionaire (Love at Last, Book 1) by Adriana Anders
Contemporary Romance published by Adriana Anders 19 Apr 18
Normally I tend to avoid any book with the word billionaire or millionaire or C.E.O. or any of those kinds of titles. As soon as I see the hero is a boss or rich or anything like that, I Very Quickly skip them. I’m a blue-collar hero fan, no matter what genre. But when I read the outline of this book and having read this author’s Blank Canvas series and loving them, I thought I’d give it a try. And I’m ever so glad that I did. I enjoyed every word in this book.
Veronica is running for city council of the small town they live in, but she doesn’t have much of a chance since her opponent is an incumbent with big-name recognition and she is new to politics. But in her job as a preschool teacher, she sees a lot wrong with the way things are being run.
She approaches the “house in the woods” of hero Zach and almost barges in, since he’s reluctant to let her in. Whereupon, she proceeds to give him her reasons as to why she is running for office. When she gives him time to get a word in, Zach, lets her know he’s blind, since she’s also trying to get him to look behind her because her opponent is right on her heels. Right away Veronica notices Zach is very nice-looking as well as surprisingly self-sufficient. And, much to her dismay, she is quite attracted to him, despite the fact she can tell he’s younger than she is.
Turns out Zach is as attracted to Veronica as she is to him. While listening to her and her passion for the people, he is enchanted, and after she leaves, he’s determined to help her and her campaign. While very few people know, he’s rather well off. Veronica is less than pleased when she discovers what he’s done and heads back over to confront him.
This story is endearingly charming. I think I had a smile on my face through the entire book. Zach is impossible to resist. He lives a very lonely life. His parents were both killed earlier in his life and he was home schooled by his grandfather, who has also passed. He rarely goes out due to the fact he’s very uncomfortable in crowds. As a result, he’s completely inexperienced with women, and I mean to the point of never even having kissed a woman. He does have a totally different life on-line where he’s something of a legend. The book is a novella, which was part of an anthology. Ms. Anders has since reworked it, expanding it, but there is a lot left to the reader’s imagination. While there is a possibility this might be annoying for some, to me it made the hero with a mysterious past even more appealing.
Veronica is a rather quirky, passionate heroine, and while she thinks she doesn’t have a chance in winning a spot, she needs to at least try. Although reluctant to get involved with Zach, she can’t help it and their love story is so sweet. And just to confirm, I mean sweet in a Good Way. I’ve read sweet where it’s so treacle-ly sweet my teeth almost hurt. But this isn’t that kind of sweet. As I already mentioned, it’s the kind of sweet that makes the reader smile.
While this book works great as a stand-alone, it’s now the first book of a series, Love at Last. I’m for sure going to keep on reading this author.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Mystery man, recluse, finance guru… Virgin.
I was a shut-in for a reason. With too many secrets, too much to hide, and way too much at stake, I spent years in my mansion in the woods, never trusting a soul.
So, when a stranger showed up at my door, with her plans to save the world, I should have sent her away, like I’d always done.
But from the second she arrived, I couldn’t resist Veronica Cruz. She was all the things I’d been missing—passionate, generous, and so damned sexy.
I let her into my life, gave her everything—including my heart.
Now, the one thing she wants is the truth. The question is, will she still love me when she knows my secret?
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
Loving the Wounded Warrior – June 14, 2018
