Kristie J’s review of The Bastard (King Family, Book 3) by Julie Kriss
Contemporary Romance published by Amazon Digital Services 12 Jul 18
Julie Kriss is an auto-buy author, so when I noticed this book was out, I snapped it up immediately without checking blub, story line, anything. Then when I noticed it was the third book in a series, I thought I’d read the other two first, beause they weren’t that expensive. I read those two and then finally got to this one. The series story line is the family patriarch recently died, leaving behind four children – three half-sisters and one half-brother. The first two books were about two of the sisters and now we come to the bastard son, Dylan King. He was the result of an affair between his father and his father’s mistress. There was a bitter custody battle between the two when Dylan was very young, and, as a result of his mother keeping him from his father, for the most part Dylan had little to do with his father’s side of the family, except for one summer he spent with them and getting to know his sisters.
And since then he has had very little to do with them, only the very occasional email. He had joined the Special Forces and been sent around the world and hard to keep in touch with. But things are different now. He’s out of the forces and living off the grid in Panama. Then he happens to be watching TV in a bar one evening and sees a story that Sabrina, his youngest sister, has been kidnapped.
With his background, he figures he’s the right person to help find her. He has years of neglect to make up for as far as relationships with his family go and heads home. But first he makes a stop in Los Angeles where he meets our heroine, Madison. She is a high-powered attorney and has represented the King family for years. Because Dylan knows nothing about his possible inheritance, this has all been covered in previous books and I recommend reading them prior to this one. First, because they are good reads and, second, one needs to know what’s happened to figure this story out.
It turns out Sabrina has already been rescued, but Dylan is flabbergasted to learn he is the sole beneficiary of all his father’s wealth – if he claims it within a certain time frame. And the time frame is almost up. It’s up to Madison to guide Dylan in everything he needs to know, if he plans on accepting the legacy.
That’s the story line and now for my thoughts. I was most astonished to find this is my least favourite of the three books, especially when this book is the reason I started the series in the first place. Basically, I had quite a number of issues with Dylan. Despite knowing the dysfunction of his family, he pretty much ignores his sisters, never really bothering to keep in touch with them. When he learned his father had died, in fact, he closed his email account completely and had no phone, so it was impossible for them to get in touch with him. And as we have seen in previous books, they really needed him because they had been cut out of the will completely. When he’s brought up to date with things, he figures it’s his job to ‘rescue’ his beloved sisters.
Give me an f’ing break. He had no issues with acting as if they didn’t even exist for years and now he expects to be their hero???? Uh, no. They have managed to survive without his presence in their lives.
And without even having met him and getting the lay of the land, he hates his future brother-in-law, Clayton. Clayton is the one who has had their backs for years. And even when a number of people tell Dylan how much Clayton loves his sister Ronnie, Dylan just ignores it and keeps up with his plans. He isn’t really redeemed enough for my satisfaction on that account. The sister let him off way too easily. His rationale is there has been extreme hostility from both his mother and father towards the other, but that doesn’t excuse his treatment, or lack of treatment rather, of his sisters. I get the feeling he thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips.
I like Madison a lot more. She comes across as very cold and unfeeling, caring only about her career, but that’s a mask she wears because of her unhappy childhood. And I like the fact that she has kept track of, in fact close track of, Dylan over the years. She’s quite smitten with this guy she’s never met.
I like the dynamics between Madison and Dylan. They play kind of a cute cat-and-mouse game throughout the book, circling around each other as they grow closer and their attraction grows.
I still recommend this book – in fact, the whole series. There is one more in the works about Bea, the sister we haven’t really gotten to know yet, and I’m looking forward to her story too.
Grade: B-
Summary:
They call me the Ice Princess. As the King family lawyer, I keep all of the family secrets. And as a woman in the high-powered world of million-dollar business, I have to stay cold and in control.
I’ve earned my way to the top, and I’ve never met a man who makes me weak. Until Dylan King, the family’s exiled son, comes home.
He’s former Special Ops, the family rebel, a mystery, a myth. A man who seems like he can do anything—including becoming the heir to the King empire if he chooses. He’s also the only man whose touch can melt my ice. And he wants me.
But nothing is simple, and love doesn’t come without a price. When I offer Dylan a devil’s bargain—and he takes it—there’s no telling who will win. And if he discovers the secrets I’m keeping, I might lose everything—including the heart I’ve so carefully put on ice.
No excerpt available.
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