The Business of Love

Sofia’s beloved step-father has died and left the family company in a three-way split between her step-brother, Allen, who hates her, and a past lover, Dante, who broke her heart six years ago. Worse yet, she is the executor of his estate while being the one responsible for splitting everything in half. Just like Murphy’s Law warns, it does get worse than that because everything goes wrong.

A hot, dark, brooding hero paired with a younger, more innocent heroine, Ms. James weaves intrigue and surprise into this classically arranged chick-lit tale. Dante’s quiet strength is a perfect foil to Sofia’s flighty tendencies. They both have much to overcome, from their time as lovers and as the top tier in a business they now co-own. Their chemistry is sizzling, and he is as affected as she is, though sometimes Sofia’s lack of physical control around Dante—common in the genre—is too much, and occurs too often. Subtle hints and breadcrumbs work better at building tension. At the end, the requisite HEA makes no sense from him. He just suddenly changes his mind. Readers need to hear more from his point of view and how he worked through their myriad issues. With one stab in the back just healing, and some still oozing as the next one hits, Sofia and Dante are an amazingly capable couple, and completely authentic in their business dealings. This is one heroine who is not stupid, and having a gorgeous and smart leading man mixed in is a tasty delight!

Julie York