Stevie‘s review of Captive Hearts (Hearts on Fire, Book 2) by L.M. Connolly
Contemporary Romance published by Tule Publishing 01 Jul 19
I greatly enjoyed the first book in this new series, and while I was initially a little apprehensive that this novel’s plot also involved a surprise pregnancy, I liked the idea of a hotelier heroine. So I set my fears to one side and gave this the best chance possible. Which was definitely the best thing I could have done. Our protagonists are at opposite ends of the scale when it comes to the hospitality business. Scarlett Woodward is struggling to keep her family’s relic of a city centre hotel operational, whereas Ethan Black is CEO of an international chain of top-of-the-range conference venues. Ethan is also working on a side project to renovate more niche properties into unusual and exclusive venues for a specific class of clientele, and that’s what propels him into Scarlett’s orbit.
Having given up her jet-setting career to look after the family hotel when her father became ill, Scarlett is tempted by an anonymous offer to buy the property from them at far more than she would have expected it to sell for. Torn between the prospect of being able to start afresh somewhere new and the wrench of having to give up the place that’s been home to her family for generations, Scarlett packs her father off for a few days away while she mulls things over. Expecting to have the place to herself, she is surprised when an American visitor arrives out of the blue, but thinks on her feet and tries to accommodate him, without any of her usual staff.
Ethan is visiting incognito, because he wants to get a feel for the hotel before making a final decision on his purchase. He and Scarlett have a wild fling in the aftermath of a major power outage caused by the hotel’s faulty wiring, but he is forced to return to the US in order to avert another family-related emergency in his main business. Having dealt with the crisis, Ethan immediately finds himself facing another: his father is keen for him to marry and is prepared to put the pressure on by means of his vote on the board of directors. Ethan wants to keep on improving the hotel chain while the rest of his family want to be able to draw excessive amounts of money from the business, whether that is ultimately bad for the chain or not.
Unhappy about both of his father’s suggestions of brides, and concerned that he and Scarlett weren’t particularly careful all of the time they were together, Ethan returns to London to complete the purchase of Scarlett’s hotel and also to propose to her. Initially taken aback by the discovery that Ethan had lied to her about his identity, Scarlett is far more shocked to discover that she is indeed carrying Ethan’s child, having previously been told she was infertile. The pair decide to make a go of their relationship, but Scarlett is unprepared for how many obstacles Ethan’s family and the press will throw in their way before they can finally make a life together.
I liked both the main protagonists in this one. I could empathise with Scarlett’s position regarding her pregnancy, having had friends go through the same set of circumstances. I also felt for Ethan’s twin desires to do away with his family’s attempts to control him and also to make both his hotel businesses the successes they deserved to be. I liked the eventual solutions the pair came up with to gain Ethan his freedom and his dreams. And there was one secondary character at least that I hope we get to meet again. Now, of course, I’m looking forward to seeing brother number three and finding out if he’s the last of the clan or if another sibling will emerge from the secrets of Evangeline Miller’s past.
Grade: B
Summary:
Scarlett Woodward is struggling to keep the family hotel in London afloat. When the weekend brings only one guest, handsome and enigmatic Evan White, she sends the staff home to save funds. Scarlett sets the kitchen ablaze leaving them both in the dark and cold. The lack electricity doesn’t mean there aren’t any sparks or heat. A night of unexpected passion leads to a baby, but when Scarlett learns who Evan really is and what he was really doing at her hotel, she’s can’t say no to his marriage proposal fast enough, baby or no baby.
Ethan Black was undercover on a research trip to buy Scarlett’s hotel without using his famous name or family business—the international Noir Group. He’s determined to build his own boutique hotel empire far from his manipulative and parasitic family. He broke all his rules and jeopardized his plans when he slept with Scarlett, but no way will he abandon her or their child. He knows he needs to woo the independent beauty and let her see the real him, but it’s difficult when his family is determined to undermine his position on the board of director’s and ruin all he has built with the Noir Group.
Ethan has spent his life making deals. Persuading Scarlett to fall in love with him may be the biggest challenge he has faced.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
