From New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle comes a delicious saga of wealth, luxury, and scandal—and the wicked secrets of success behind an envied family dynasty.The Riviera means indulgence—if you’ve got money. For Sadie Reynolds, a down-on-her-luck student, the Riviera means dingy hostels and back streets. When a wrong turn puts her in jeopardy, the last thing she expects is to be … she expects is to be saved by the most handsome stranger she’s ever locked eyes with. When she later wakes up in a luxury suite with a Mediterranean view, she’s in the tender care of her rescuer: Olivier Dumont, France’s most eligible bachelor, billionaire hotelier, and heir to the Dumont fashion fortune.
Olivier also owns his reputation for scandal. But Sadie is unlike any woman he’s ever met. Her humble persona and wild innocence promise real passion. He’s promising Sadie something too: anything she wants. From Bordeaux to Cannes to Paris, Sadie’s past in America is swept away and replaced with a fantasy too good to be true.
Pulled into Olivier’s orbit of wealth, glamour, and excess, Sadie discovers that the Dumont dynasty comes with a legacy of wicked secrets. And Olivier’s secrets may be the most damning of all…
more
3.5 – 4 stars. I have been an avid fan of Karina for a lot of years, and have fully enjoyed the wide variety of tropes she has written in. She is an amazing writer and always keeps me captivated with her stories. This new Dumonts series has intrigued me from the time of first hearing about it, and the description is so intriguing, ” a delicious saga of wealth, luxury, and scandal—and the wicked secrets of success behind an envied family dynasty.” I was super excited to see what was in store for us!
Karina starts the story off with a bang, with Sadie having a terrifying encounter and Olivier swooping in to save the day. They set off on a whirlwind romance, and admittedly the sexy encounters they have are hot and passionate and I lived vicariously through Sadie and the luxury that Olivier was lavishing on her.
There is intrigue right off the bat with secrets that Olivier is keeping, that his Uncle is holding over his head. What could those secrets be? It is obviously something affecting how he’s been living his life for the past ten years, and has driven a wedge between his family and that of his Uncle Gautier. Talk about a slimy snake! And his cousins Pascal and Blaise…
The story was a little slow for me, lots of Sadie and Olivier and their sexy times, and the pace didn’t really pick up until the end, when we’re taken on a wild ride through the streets of Paris. So that part left me a little breathless but it happened too late into the story for me to feel like this was an evenly paced book. It was quite a wild ride though!
The secret that Olivier has been keeping all these years, the “thing” that his Uncle is holding over his head? It just fell flat for me, it wasn’t believable that it would hold the level of power over Olivier’s head that his Uncle was wielding. The secret that was being kept felt very insignificant compared to the consequences that were being held over Olivier’s head. Since there is no resolution at the end of t his book, I am hoping that things turn around and are resolved in the next book.
Speaking of the next book, it will center around Olivier’s sister, Seraphine, who I felt like had the biggest balls of all the men in this story! She is a kickass woman!! I can’t wait to see what Karina has in store for her!
Discretion (The Dumonts #1) is a great start to this series!! I loved the engaging storyline, Olivier and Sadie’s connection was on point and their steamy encounters were very satisfying. The family drama (the blackmail, deceit and lies) made for an angsty and suspenseful plot that had my mind spinning. I must say that I expected more from the ending and although Disarm (Book 2) is about Olivier’s sister, Seraphine, I hope some of those lingering questions will be answered.
Backpacking through Europe, American college student Sadie is looking forward to forgetting about her breakup with her boyfriend and experiencing life in her journey around Europe. But when she is followed and put in a situation where she wishes she was still with her boyfriend, a stranger saves her and takes her in until she is back on her feet enough to do her traveling. With her bank account quickly dwindling, Sadie isn’t sure how she is going to afford this and still stay her three weeks left in Europe before needing to head home. She soon realizes that the handsome, french guy who saved her life is actually a french billionaire who owns numerous hotels, and whose family is as well known and sought after like Chanel. What she didn’t know was he had secrets and ghosts haunting him. When a tragedy hits Olivier’s family, his hand is forced to do the opposite of what his father wanted, and soon he and his siblings, along with Sadie, are in danger.
This story was super good. I loved the suspense and “action” of it all, and it was super steamy as heck too which is always a plus.
I loved how even though there was an age-gap between the two main characters, they didn’t let that get in between what they had. Though it seemed their relationship moved SUPER fast, and a little too fast for me, I hoped throughout reading it that they would hold strong together and make it through to their happy ending.
***4 Stars***
This was a smexy, sweet and fun read with a huge blast of insta-love, a good dose of familial strife and a slew of characters that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next and left me making grabby hands for the next book in the series.
I really liked Olivier and Sadie. Olivier has been raised in privilege. He can have anything he wants with a simple flick of his wrist and has no issue taking advantage of it, especially if keeps people at arms length. But underneath it all is a man who is sweet, charming and, while confident, isn’t arrogant ~ at least not with those he calls his own ~ and will do anything for those he calls his own. Sadie is stubborn, sweet, snarky, caring and hard working. Her life hasn’t been easy and having the rug pulled out from under her in a foreign country has raised her guard in more ways than one, and though she may take a bit to take things at face value, once she does she is all in.
Their journey to their HEA was a fun one, though, as I stated earlier, the insta was strong in this one, but I didn’t mind. Considering how Olivier and Sadie first collided and where they both were emotionally and mentally at the time…well, I got it. And they did take the time to get to know each other beyond the physical. And speaking of physical, it was smexy as all get out. These two were on fire! The bumps in the road weren’t unexpected, but I do love where they were at when the book ended.
This was a fun read and part of it has to do with the secondary/soon to be primary characters we meet. Seraphine, Blaise and Pascal all caught my interest and I want to know a lot more about them, especially Pascal. And as for the series arc, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how it all plays out, because something tells me that there is a lot more going on than we know.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
This was the first ever book I have read by Karina Halle and I will be trying to find the rest of her work. The book was written incredibly well. The characters were extremely likeable. The story line was interesting. At first, when I realized this book was set in Paris, I thought I wouldn’t like it because I couldn’t really envision the setting. I thought the “language” of the characters would be hard to follow. However, it wasn’t at all. It was sweet. It was romantic.
Olivier was the absolute best. He was swoon-worthy with a questionable flawed past. Sadie was a relatable college student backpacking through Europe who ran into a string of bad luck that turned out well for her. The story reads like an insta-love HOWEVER, it did not feel like it to me. Believe me when I say that I absolutely hate insta-love and this definitely didn’t feel cheesy or too fast. I feel like it was fleshed out just right and felt right. There is a tiny age gap but nothing completely too big.
I feel like Discretion by Karina Halle had the full impact – romance, suspense, mystery, deceit, and some fabulously written sex scenes!
You are going to fall in love with Olivier!
Trapped in a family where his Uncle and cousins are the spawn of the devil, he is trying his hardest to spare his father and sister the embarrassment of the one mistake he made ten years ago. His Uncle is blackmailing him and soon, he must make a final decision. He has been a player with never one girl to love all this time as part of his plan to protect the innocent. Now that Sadie has come into his life, all he can think of is keeping her safe.
Sadie is a strong and independent woman. She is also a protector. She protects her Mom most of all. The love she feels for Olivier is more than she has ever felt before. True he saved her from a most horrible mugging a few weeks ago. Meeting Olivier under those circumstances makes her feel gratitude for him. Now that they have been together for three weeks, she knows her feelings for him have grown to full love.
Both Sadie and Olivier are in mortal danger from his family. It is unthinkable what they are willing to do just for power and revenge. I cannot wait for the next installment in this series. I am also pushing for justice, where these horrible family members will get their just deserve.
I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Thanks to the author for sharing a copy with me.
Discretion by Karina Halle was a journey full of dangerous unexpected turns, impulsive life changing decisions and intense emotions. Love can happen any place, any time and with anyone. If you believe in fairy tale love stories which make you fall in love with love, Discretion is the right kind of story for you!
So why do I call it a fairy tale romance? For one, the story is set in France and one of the heirs of the Dumont Empire, Olivier is the hero. There is something about smooth talking, charming and wooing French man with their calm yet burning sex appeal. And this family is like French royalty with drama, secrets and conspiracies.
Second, this was a complete Prince-falling-for-a-common-girl story! Sadie is a poor American student backpacking through Europe after breaking up with her cheating ex. And Olivier rescues her from an attacker and so begins their courtship. Sadie has to take his help. She never wanted to take undue advantage of his status and wealth. But before she knows, her life gets tangled with him. I love her honest personality. I love how she acts oddly with relatable discomfort in Olivier’s world. She is fighting the evil for him and she doesn’t need Olivier’s help to stand strong.
Having said all that, this story felt lacking few things. The chemistry between Sadie and Olivier did not work out well for me. Yes the sex scenes were scorching hot but the development of their relationship seems a bit forced. I didn’t feel the spark or the pangs of passion I usually feel in Karina Halle’s writing. The decisions Olivier took seemed way too easy at the end. Secondly, the so called indiscretion of Olivier that the story completely relied on, was not really strong. I did love the chase and the suspense. I could ignore the absurdity of Sadie and Olivier’s relationship in today’s world and indulge in the fantasy romance. I absolutely loved Olivier’s headstrong kickass sister Seraphina, who is the best part of this story may be. But it failed to impress me like other Karina Halle story.
If you want to start Karina Halle’s book, Discretion should not be your first one. It was a sweet romance with lots of passion and elements of thrill. It was a well written Contemporary romance but definitely not one of the best by Karina Halle.
Received ARC for Honest Review
This first book in the romantic suspense Dumont Series packs a punch right away. The Prologue gives you an idea of what’s to come and who to watch! Once you get to know the characters of this privileged, rich dynasty and what drives them, you’ll be in for a ride. I liked Olivier immediately and was rooting for him and Sadie’s HEA, but like any good romantic suspense, it certainly had quite a few twists and turns and edge-of-your-seat moments, as well as steamy ones. Olivier and Sadie had chemistry from the getgo, but it was more than just lust and it was nice to see them develop a deep relationship. Can’t wait to read Seraphine and Blaise’s story in the next book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.
I loved this 5 star story so much that once I started it, I devoured it.
Sadie is backpacking her way through Europe. A journey she started with said boyfriend now ex-boyfriend. She has no way to get home earlier, so one night down on her luck, Olivier saves her. He makes her an offer she can’t refuse.
I really enjoyed immensely this romantic story that brought me on a travel through France. Karina is an expert traveler, so it shows in her stories. It was an highly entertaining and captivating story. I can’t wait to read more from hopefully a new series.
Standalone told in a dual POV with an HEA. I highly recommend this story.
This book!!! This book is absolutely amazing! It has it all. A gorgeous love affair, a mystery, blackmail, a chase, ruthless relatives and beautiful settings! Immaculately written, it will grab you up and take you along on a fabulous journey which I, personally, didn’t want to end. I had to slow down my reading rate to drag out my time spent with Olivier and Sadie for as long as possible. Karina Halle is a writer whose books I never pass by and this one is outstanding!
Discretion was book that made me feel very unsure in the end.
While I fell in love with both main characters and loved the pull between them I felt like something was left out in the story.
Olivier and Sadie fell in love almost instantly and their attraction was like sparkles flying in the air, hotness pure, like magma flowing through their veins. While she was backpacking he saved her from robbery.
When they were in their pink bubble locked out from the outside world there were things happening to bring Olivier to his knees and strange things around Sadie, or was it all just paranoia?
When you are in the middle of the vortex of this lovely book you want to know more, to find out what´s happening. You want to fight against the wrongs, to do something, not just to sit and watch everything crumbling down, to give up. It´s the human nature to save what is to save right?
While the plot was greatly written I felt like I somehow got lost in the story, I lost the excitement, the tension, I felt like there was more potential to contend what´s right.
Anyway the writing was still amazing. Maybe it´s just me who feels this way 😉 Or maybe it was
intention and we would be surprised in the second book
What a fantastic way to start a new series! Discretion is the first book in Karina Halle’s new The Dumont series and even though this book has its own HEA the plot doesn’t end here and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Olivier and Sadie meet in the most unexpected way and there relationship blooms almost instantly but their story is filled with family drama, danger, hidden plots, twists, turns and some hotness all wrapped into a book that will leave you wanting more ASAP!
I really fell for Sadie first, not that Olivier wasn’t amazing but there was something about Sadie that drew me in right away. Then I fell for Olivier and together they might be one of my favorite couples.
I really need to know what happens next and I can’t wait to find out who the next book is about! Grab this book now so you can be ready for the next one, you don’t want to miss out
This was my second Karina Halle ARC. I was so ecstatic when I received this… The blurb lured me in and I devoured this book in one day.
This is Olivier’s and Sadie’s story. It started off with Olivier saving Sadie and the rest they say is history…
I had butterflies in tummy. I was excited for them… its the classic Cinderella story where the business mogul falls in love with a simple college student. I know this is a series because it says Dumont#1, but I hope Olivier’s and Sadie’s story doesn’t just stop where it ended… I felt like it was left hanging… am I the only that thinks this?
And… I think that Olivier was avoiding or escaping. He has bigger problems and he shouldn’t just leave them be. It was almost perfect but I felt like it was anti-climactic that he just up and left to start anew with Sadie… although there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just… I’ve got some niggling questions that were left unanswered when the book ended.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book… it was fast paced and still built excitement, but the last couple of chapters just left me baffled.
Maybe the next books in the series will straighten everything out.
*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review*
I immediately loved Sadie. I think she’s such a great female character and I liked her backstory a lot. Olivier was definitely hunky and sexy, and his family drama made the story interesting for sure. There was definitely some good intimate scenes but I wasn’t completely feeling the chemistry. But overall the story was good and well-written. There was drama, romance, a little bit of mystery, and interesting family dynamics. I’m excited to see whose book will be next!
Every time I pick up a book from Karina I can’t put it down until I am finished and this first book in the new Dumont family series was definitely no exception. This is such a beautiful love story, set in romantic locations with a hero who is a sexy incredibly rich Frenchman. Now what’s not to love about that?
The heroine is Sadie an impoverished American student backpacking alone around Europe after dumping her cheating boyfriend. She’s a very ordinary girl unused to glitz, glamour and riches who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a fairytale when she is rescued from an attacker on the streets of Nice by Olivier Dumont. Sadie has no idea who Olivier and his famous family are which is both refreshing and intriguing to Olivier. As Sadie has a sprained ankle Olivier takes her to a hotel room so she can recover and she wakes up to luxury she can never have imagined.
Slowly Sadie finds out who Olivier really is but she is falling for the man she knows not the image or the money. Olivier is also falling hard but he has to keep her hidden from his family or there will be consequences for both of them.
I was totally riveted by this exciting fast paced love story and family drama. There’s an evil uncle and cousin who will stop at nothing to keep their wealth and position and other intriguing characters whose stories hopefully will come in the future.
Sadie and Olivier’s story is so beautifully written, with a good balance of intrigue and mystery and scorching hot chemistry and sexy love scenes. Definitely not to be missed, and I can’t wait for the next book about the Dumonts.
Karina Halle brings it with Discretion. You will love love love this one. Olivier is so hot. He draws you in from the start with the good and the bad side of his family the Dumonts. Each side is powerful in their own right with in each aspect of the family business. Then there is Sadie who is lovely but on a somewhat bad luck trip through Europe. But that only leads to an interesting meeting between Sadie and Olivier. You will love them together. They electrifying and will set the your pages on fire. They just fit so well together. I love how they handle the threats from the other side of the Dumont family. The way they fight for each other and love each other will just make your heart happy. This was a fantastic read that I couldn’t put down. I can’t wait for more.
When a chance encounter turns into a whirlwind romance with some twists and turns. Sexy Frenchman Oliver is swoon worthy, yet is caught in a web. Backpacking around Europe, Sadie is saved by Oliver and finds herself swept away in the glamour of France. Throw in a bit of rivalry, secrets, mystery and you’ll be hooked until the end. I can’t wait to read Disarm.
What a fabulous start to a series!! I could not put it down!! An amazing storyline which made it different and exciting. I love Karina’s style of writing and that she has you loving everything about her books and characters.
Olivier and Sadie are a cute couple with intense chemistry and passion. I love how easily Olivier accepted Sadie even though she didn’t come from wealth.
I’m looking forward to Seraphine’s story (hoping she’ll have her own book!!!) and what other secrets we’ll find out about the Dumont family!!
If you are a fan of Karina’s other books like me, then I’m sure you are going to absolutely love Discretion too!!
I absolutely loved this book! Olivier comes to Sadie’s rescue. She is backpacking through Europe. She is leaving France for Spain when she is mugged. Olivier saves her and basically takes her home to his hotel. Olivier Dumont is known for his family’s legacy. This book has it all! Family drama and intrigue and a love story that will get your heart pumping. Karina Halle, you have done it again! I cannot wait to read the other Dumont books! 5 stars
***I was given an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.***
What a decadent start to a new series by Ms. Halle. She is able to write words that create such visual scenes that I feel I am there with her characters.
From the south of France to Paris you get to experience the rich and famous life of Olivier. The middle sibling of the Dumont family. This is his story. He is born into privilege and family secrets that would haunt him for years. He is struggling to keep his secrets from those he loves the most. He is a true Frenchman and boy is he swoony….I could almost hear his accent and just wowza.
This is also Sadie’s story. A gal that doesn’t let her circumstances bring her down. She is brave. She is also loyal to those she loves and struggles with her insecurities when it comes to her budding relationship with Olivier.
This story is in the style of the prince and the pauper, which I really enjoy! But you also get mystery, intrigue and you get an introduction to the other players in this world. While I was reading I felt like Ms. Halle was dropping hints at how her next story in this series will play out. It kept me guessing until the very end.
I absolutely flove Ms. Halle stories and this one is no exception. I cannot wait to see what the next story in this series brings us next!