Hero Wanted

Hero Wanted by Betina Krahn was a delicious read. The cover is spectacular it drew me in. The title was perfect. Rafe and Lauren are contracted to marry by their fathers. During a boat ride in the river they come upon two ladies in the water. Lauren stripes down to her chemise and jumps into the water to save the woman. Rafe refused to get into the water so Lauren called him a coward in front of a lot people causing a huge scene. At first I really didn’t like Rafe along side Lauren but then later I was smitten just like Lauren. These two were very strong characters and I enjoyed them both immensely. This book had adventure, romance, politics. The politics around the tariffs was so interesting and very cleverly written. The proposal part was so romantic I loved every second of it. over all great read!! #NetGalley

This steamy romance will give you all the feels. Fun dialogue, wonderful romance, passionate love scenes and an intriguing storyline – don’t miss this one!

4.5 stars rounded up!

When their fathers desire a profitable business merger, handsome bachelor Rafe Townsend and forward-thinking, impulsive Lauren Alcott are pushed into an engagement. There is a spark of attraction between them which suggests they may just be well-matched, until a Sunday picnic goes badly awry and brings the efficacy of their engagement into question.

When Rafe won’t leave their boat to help two women whose boat overturned on the river Lauren takes matters into her own hands. She removes her heavy overskirts and takes to the water to save them herself, flinging Rafe’s ring back at him in the aftermath. A reporter happens to be nearby and sensationalizes the story, leaving Rafe publicly declared rather cowardly and Lauren viewed by some as an angel and by others as a wanton. With both their reputations sullied, they must salvage things by making their relationship very publicly visible and very amicable, even if they don’t intend to follow through with a wedding. Their ensuing closeness will either go down as part of a successful campaign or sew the seeds of a truly loving partnership.

This was my first read from this author, but it won’t be my last. I liked the writing style and with a unique spin on the arranged marriage trope, this book felt fresh and held my attention. Lauren and Rafe were already engaged but they had preconceived notions of each other and seeing them get to know one another as they faced challenges together was excellent. They both developed feelings for each other before they’d realized it and I loved their teamwork and how they made a conscious decision to be together. Rafe had more depth than he showed at first blush, but both he and Lauren grew and changed their perspectives as they learned more about each other and I loved that character development and the tension between these two was great. I do wish we’d gotten a bit more steam, but I loved the storyline and the characters kept me entertained so I didn’t really mind. Lauren’s impetuousness was curbed by Rafe’s cautiousness; these two brought out the best in each other and I’ll look forward to continuing this series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspot.com/2021/02/hero-wanted-by-betina-krahn-arc-review.html

Rafe Townsend and Lauren Alcott find themselves trapped into an engagement by their powerful business magnate fathers. Rafe is totally not hero material when he refuses to jump in the water to save tow ladies whose boat turned over. Lauren to the rescue and calls Rafe a coward and calls off the engagement. I love this story the whole event makes it into the tabloids and they are forced to continue their engagement and spend time together. One event or disaster after another they soon discover they may have misjudged each other neither is what they appeared to be selfish, arrogant self-centered, brazen, hoyden and hopeless romantic. I have voluntarily read and reviewed the excellent book.

Hero Wanted
Reluctant Heroes Book 1
Bettina Krahn
https://betinakrahn.com
Release Date 02/23/2021
Publisher Kensington / Zebra Books

From New York Times bestselling author Betina Krahn comes a sparkling new historical romance series that will ignite your spirit, and your heart . . .

When dashing, determined bachelor Rafe Townsend, and beautiful, impetuous Lauren Alcott are trapped into an engagement by their powerful business magnate fathers, their attraction suggests there may be pleasurable compensations to matrimony after all. Until an outing together puts a damper on their future . . .

Lauren is appalled when Rafe refuses to help two women whose boat has overturned on a river. Stripping her outer clothing, she dives in to rescue them herself—delighting a nearby reporter. Soon newspapers and scandal sheets have labeled Rafe as “less than heroic,” for all of London to see, while Lauren is viewed by many as brazen. Besieged by scandalous rumors, and with both their reputations in the balance, what ensues is a prickly scheme that will either forge a partnership of deception—or blaze a path to true love . . .

Will their initial misgivings drive them apart or get them closer …

I added the author’s name to my never ending list of authors to not miss with her previous release Anyone But A Duke. And this new one does not miss its mark. So I happily let myself be sucked by the pages. Even despite a full day of work, I managed to read this book at light speed.
It was such an enthralling, gripping and enchanting tale about two persons who collide with their own views and expectations only to realize they are not so different.
I love a strong woman who acknowledges the limitations of her strength. And Lauren is no meek creature, still she is no Valkyrie, she uses her brains to dig her way, and sometime a dash of her feisty temper and she never gives up.
She is also a romantic at heart, so when her betrothed shows no heroic disposition, she does not see how they could go further and does not hide her contempt.
Rafe is quite a workaholic, and does not think he should change in any way, content with his life as it goes. His goals are set on the future and what wealth his marriage would bring to the two families now merging into one business. So he entered his betrothal with his eyes set on the final goal not the prize he would gain with his wife, she is pretty much an impediment he has to overcome. So when she calls him names, he is happy to let her go.

From there we jump straight into the heat of the moment, with meddling sire’s figures Series on keeping them together. They see no harm, only the final line.
And while Lauren was in her right to question her upcoming union, she will learn people are not always whom they present to the world. How one harsh judgment can be proved wrong in many ways without a man jumping in muddy waters. While Rafe is in for one hell of a ride with his impulsive but so kindhearted fiancée.
And despite their differences and the gap between their tempers, his coolness is well matched with her pluckiness.
So do not sulk your own pleasure and follow Rafe and Lauren on their bumpy journey to their HEA.
5 stars

open doors but without description lovemaking scene.

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Kensington Books, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

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4.5 Stars Rounded-Up! This book is heartwarming, full of romance, adventure, twists and turns, entertaining, and much more! Whenever I picked up “Hero Wanted”, I was whisked away on a journey that had me hooked from the first page to the last.

This is the first book in Betina Krahn’s new series, and I absolutely can’t wait for, what I hope will be, many more! Her writing style and storytelling is so vivid, visceral, and jumps off of the page. Her characters all feel like such real people, and I could envision each moment, place, and scene. I can only imagine the amount of research Ms. Krahn must have done for the various aspects of this book, as everything felt so true and authentic to the era.

Lauren Alcott is such a strong, caring, brave, intelligent, and selfless woman who puts others before herself. She is unafraid to go against what the society around her deems to be proper behavior, and sees that, sometimes, one must act following their heart.

Rafe Townsend is a caring, kind-hearted man, and there is quite a bit more to him than initially meets the eye. At first seemingly selfish and with his mind focusing on the wrong things, never could he have imagined what entering into a plot with Lauren (due to both of their fathers’ plannings) could lead to.

(Possible Spoilers):
I actually did not find myself rooting for Lauren and Rafe to end up together from the start (I quite disliked Rafe in the beginning). However, as the story progresses, so does their relationship, and I began to see exactly why they are perfect for each other. Both Lauren and Rafe grow throughout the book, and come to compliment one another quite well. As the reader, you learn why they do and do not take certain actions, and as you begin to understand their backstories more, it becomes clear that they bring out the absolute best in each other, which is beautiful to read.

The opening scene of this book…just WOW! You are immediately thrown into the action, and I found myself flipping the pages quite quickly to see what would happen next! However, I did feel at times that the pacing of the book did not quite keep up. Even with this said, it in no way affected my enjoyment of the novel in any way.

If you enjoy Historical Romance, I highly recommend this book! I could not wait to see how everything worked out, and I hope we see many of these characters in future novels in the series.

Thank you so much to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, and to Kensington Books for sending me a physical ARC as well, I so enjoyed it! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.