Brady Clay’s return to power as president of The Pentagon Group takes longer than he expected, hoping to be reinstalled by the opening of his dream project, The Pentagram Hotel and Conference Center in Boston. Frustrated by being denied his presidency before opening day, Brady’s impatience with Pentagram’s front desk clerk prompts assistant manager, Solana “Lana” Coto, to step in. Enchanted by …
Enchanted by the raven-haired beauty, Brady takes a non-conventional approach to pursue the enchantress with a dark past. However, Lana isn’t so easily charmed. At every turn, Brady and Lana’s attempt at a relationship is thwarted by outside forces. Is it a curse? Or is Brady too spellbound by Lana’s charms to realize she’s not all she seems?
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Brady Clay is my new book boyfriend. He was introduced in the ‘bound’ and was almost to villain level with how he went after Perla both for Pentagon and then for himself. But there was something sad and almost boyish in his mixed up need to find love through control and manipulation. It was almost as if he truly didn’t know better. He was incapable of doing it in a normal way. I loved the book being strictly from his viewpoint because being in Brady’s head is a trip! This book. Looking for words to explain how much I loved this. Every word. Not sure what storyline I adored the most, Brady with Valarie or Brady with Lana. Watching Brady work towards how to be normal in a relationship with Valarie’s guidance in therapy was as important and entertaining as the build up of his relationship with Lana. Which the build-up between Lana and Brady was fun, hot, romantic, sweet and touching. Beyond all I loved these two as a couple.
The first 40% of the book Brady’s narrative had me full on laughing out loud at both his audacity and then ego. For example Brady’s decision why Lana was acting disinterested in him at first “Lana was a lesbian. It was a viable explanation for her disinterest in me.” Oh my God, the ego!
The interactions with Valarie throughout the book were priceless! For example why I loved Valarie’s influence on clueless Brady: “And how does that make you feel?” I reflected, “Offended. Out of control. Pained.” Valerie scribbled on her tablet. “Let’s take each feeling one at a time. Why were you offended?” I shrugged, raising my hands in the air. “I have so much to offer, and I can’t conceive of why she doesn’t want me.” This! This sentence is so Brady and why I was so continuously amused, laughing, frustrated and in love with Brady.
Watching Brady figure out how to date Lana when Lana would not do what she was told or fulfill anyone else’s expectations or even change her schedule was sooo entertaining! He had to quell his urge to stalk his new romance interest “Without resorting to stalking, I needed to know everything.” He had to learn an entire new way to be. Which was the funniest and in so many ways poignant parts of the story.
Loved that Lana didn’t give a crap about all that Brady thought was so impressive about himself; “What else could compare to what I had meticulously planned for our lives?” Oh the statements of Brady! They were laugh-out-loud funny and yet he doesn’t have a clue why! A few of my favorites “she attempted to dismiss me. Cute” and “hated the word—obsession—it being so…pathological.”
His cluelessness and yet desire to change with Lana is so well done. I loved every moment of the journey with Brady. Then about halfway through the book, the book took a more serious turn in delving into Lana’s history. Oh Lana, loved and adored her beyond how I could explain. She is strong, smart, tough and I love that she never once lost that. She took no crap from anyone and especially Brady. Which was what he needed and forced his change. She is so likable on top of all this. As a reader I wanted nothing but great things for her. Whether or not it was Brady but he came through in the end. This story also included all kinds of factors that involved Pentagon and Brady’s past coming back to haunt him (which was deserved on his part) and I loved how the author brought it all to a head and brought resolution to all Brady’s past.
I loved and adored and could not put this book down. It’s funny, romantic, sensual, thrilling, intricate, smart, loving and full of sparks and chemistry. It is now one of my favorite books of all time and my favorite of this authors. Just wow.