Tuesday, August 11, 2020

After Hours Seduction - Janice Maynard (HD #2735 - May 2020)

Series: Men of Stone River (Book 1)

Long hours alone with her ex.

What could go wrong?

Wanting him was a mistake,

And still she said yes…

When Katie Duncan agrees to work with her boss's brother, she knows she's stepping into the lion's den. The man she'll be living with is her former lover, billionaire Quinten Stone. Their passion sizzled until Katie couldn't accept Quinten's wealthy world. She'd walked away to save herself. Now the alpha CEO is back in her life, tempting as ever…and hell-bent on seducing Katie back into his bed…

Good second chance story and start to the new series. Quin and his father were involved in a car accident that killed his father and badly damaged Quin's leg. As a competitive skier, Quin pushed his recovery too fast and reinjured his leg, bringing an end to his skiing career. As Chief Operating Officer of the family business, Stone River Outdoors, Quin is stuck working from home as he recovers from knee replacement surgery. His brothers send Farrell's assistant to help him and keep him from aggravating his knee.

Katie isn't so sure about being cooped up in Quin's house with him for six weeks. Two years earlier, she and Quin had an under-the-radar affair. It ended when Katie walked away, unable to handle his extravagant lifestyle. She has successfully avoided Quin since then.

I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Quin and Katie. It is obvious from the beginning that the attraction between them is still there. Quin has no idea why Katie broke things off and wants to start again. Katie doesn't think that Quin has changed and wants to protect her heart. During their prior relationship, Quin's actions were very superficial. Skiing was his life and dominated everything. He liked being with Katie but kept himself closed off emotionally. He also made no effort to get to know Katie as a person.

Forced together 24/7, I loved seeing the changes in the way Quin and Katie related. Without the distraction of competitions, Quin notices things about Katie that he hadn't paid attention to before. This is especially true during their trip to New York when he took the time to see what made her happy. I loved the hot dog scene, and how it showed him her down-to-earth side and made him remember her discomfort with his extravagance. At the same time, Katie saw a more open Quin, who shared his fears about his life without skiing.

Eventually, the sparks between them became too much to resist. As their physical intimacy grew, Katie worried about losing her heart again. Quin slowly realized that what he felt for Katie was different than he'd felt with other women. But just as he acknowledges the truth of his feelings, he finds something that makes him doubt her. I wanted to shake him for his bone-headed reaction and ached for Katie and her hurt over the things he said. I liked how Farrell and Zachary talked him off the ledge and Quin's realization of how badly he screwed up. I loved his heartfelt apology and how he showed her that he knows the real Katie. I look forward to seeing more of their future in the upcoming books.

There is a brief mention of some trouble the company has. It looks like there is some corporate espionage going on. Part of what Quin and Katie do is look for evidence in the records they go through. Quin's brothers also believe that the accident that killed their father may not have been an accident. I can't wait to read Farrell and Zachary's books to see how it turns out.


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