A Sunrise in Rio

Rachel
Matthews
Genre: 
Inspirational

Businessman Eric Jansen has had enough of women who date him for his money and status.  He just wants to concentrate on closing his company’s next deal to build a luxury hotel and some low-cost homes in Rio de Janeiro.  The only problem is that the potential investor believes that Eric is a playboy and possibly can’t be trusted with his investment.  In order to win his trust, Eric recruits photographer, Jayla Mitchelson, who’s working on his project, to pose as his fiancée.  But will love actually blossom between them?

 

Rio!  What a wonderfully romantic setting, although the setting is exotic, the story is anything but. The fake fiancée is a well worn trope and can be difficult to pull-off in a contemporary romance. Author Matthews' entry  is rather tenuous and indeed, the pace at which the romance between Eric and Jayla develops is fast and fairly unrealistic.  It’s likely that the reader will be further confused by the fluid timescale. There is at least one glaring factual error and a significant item is missing from the story. The inspirational content appears as a surprise, first occurring unexpectedly about three-quarters of the way through the book, then only mentioned again once briefly.  However, the writing is polished, the dialogue is smooth, and for those who enjoy sunshine in an exotic location, "A  Sunrise in Rio" might be just the ticket. 

 

Heather Belleguelle/Tammy Grant