Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Bachelor Unleashed - Brenda Jackson (HK #213 - Dec 2010)

Series: Bachelors in Demand (Book 2)

From playing the field to playing ... for keeps?

They had a hot, fleeting affair Farrah Langley has never forgotten. Attorney-to-the-rich-and-famous Xavier Kane was tender, sexy, attentive -- and ravished her body. Everything she ever wanted in a lover. Getting together with him again in New York is a fantasy come true. She certainly doesn't expect the footloose bachelor to change his ways. And the burned-by-love mediator isn't looking for forever.

But Xavier is.

There's something about Farrah...something that touches him deep in his soul...something that keeps him coming back. So when fate brings them together again, Xavier's ready to pick up where they left off. But this time around, he wants more. Can he convince the lean, leggy beauty that he's finished playing the field? That he wants only one woman in his bed, in his arms -- in his heart?

Good book about two people who, burned by love in the past, resist risking their hearts. Xavier is the founder and card-carrying member of his god-brothers' "Bachelors in Demand" club. They are six men who enjoy their bachelor lifestyles and have no intention of giving them up. Xavier's heart was broken in college by a woman who used him then dumped him. Since that time, he indulges in physical affairs only, avoiding any emotional entanglements. Farrah's pain over her ex-husband's betrayal made her equally determined to avoid emotional relationships.

As the story opens, Farrah and Xavier have been involved in an affair for almost a year. This is far longer than either has spent with anyone else. Farrah suddenly ends their liaison because she has become far too comfortable with their arrangement and is afraid that her heart would get involved. Six months later, neither has moved on to other people nor have they forgotten what they had. When they run into each other in New York, Xavier wants to pick up where they left off, but Farrah isn't sure.

I enjoyed the development of Xavier and Farrah's relationship. Though they looked at their initial relationship as merely physical, neither realized how close they had gotten until Farrah broke it off. Farrah saw the signs in herself, which is why she ended it but hadn't noticed how deep she already was. When Xavier made his proposal, Farrah could see the potential for trouble. She missed him, but nothing about her fears had changed. Xavier wants Farrah back in his bed, and he pulls out all the stops to convince her. It wasn't long before Xavier admitted to himself that he wanted more than just an affair.

I loved seeing the change in Xavier from the playboy to the man determined to win his woman. He knew Farrah well enough that telling her his feelings straight off would drive her away. Instead, he plotted and planned ways to show her that they belonged together. His actions slowly chipped away at the wall around her heart, but Farrah was reluctant to trust again. The ending was intense as Farrah allowed her fears to try to push Xavier away. But this time he wouldn't give in, and I loved how he stood his ground. His declaration of his feelings and understanding of her fears were great. The effect on Farrah was eye-opening, and I loved seeing what she did with it.



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