Taken Home by Ruth Cardello Series: Lone Star Burn #3
Published by Montlake Romance
Publication Date: April 5th 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 234
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
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Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.
Playboy Mason Thorne is nothing short of complicated. Though he was a movie star at a young age, his life took a downward spiral when he turned to drugs after losing his mother. He cleaned up his act and became a senator but still keeps his distance from most everyone—including his own father. There are plenty of women around, but most are gone by morning.
Twenty-five-year-old Chelle Landon thinks she must be the last virgin in Texas. She’s worried if she doesn’t remedy it soon, she’ll stay one forever. She attends yet another small-town wedding where the last single man her age is officially off the market, until sexy politician Mason Thorne appears. He’s the answer to her prayers, if one can pray for something that decadent.
He needs a cover story, not another lover. Chelle’s on a mission to lose her virginity, no matter what. Will he break her heart or will she heal his?
Review
Playboy Mason Thorne is between a rock and a hard place when a one-night stand-turned-stalker turns out to be the daughter of one his political opponents in the California Statute House and her obsession puts a bill he’s been working hard on in jeopardy. His solution? Find a temporary fiancé to dissuade the attention of his stalker. And of all places to find this temporary fiancé, he picks the wedding of his friend’s sister.
Chelle Landon is on a mission to rid herself of her virginity and Mason Thorne is just the perfect man to help her. His reputation precedes him but she’s not looking for anything beyond one night. When she gets roped into playing the role of fake fiancé, Chelle gets a chance to leave her small Texas town and experience the adventure she’s always craved. But she gets caught up in the excitement and forgets to guard her heart.
Mason comes with his own baggage and is determined not to pull anyone down with him, so he’s avoided anything long term but Chelle tempts him to break his own self-imposed rules and reach out for happiness with her. Only, Mason’s reputation has come back to bite him and the cost of getting Chelle back is too high. Or is it?
TAKEN HOME has the makings of a fun and lighted heart romance which for the most part it was, but while I enjoyed it, I wanted something more. The story somehow felt very simplistic to me, maybe because I had just finished reading an intense romantic suspense before I started this.
I enjoy seeing characters grow as their story unfolds but in this case, some of the growth on Mason’s part was forced on him instead of coming natural to him, which didn’t feel real. While he needed to deal with the negative feelings and strained relationship with his father, being forced to reconcile with his father in order to prove that he loved Chelle was out of line. And his acquiescence was also out of character for the kind of man he was portrayed as. Also, Chelle was sweet and all, but she didn’t excite me much and I don’t think she was the woman Mason needed.
While this didn’t work for me, I think that anyone who enjoys a romance where a worldly man falls for the sheltered woman will enjoy this.
About Ruth Cardello
Ruth Cardello was born the youngest of 11 children in a small city in northern Rhode Island. She spent her young adult years moving as far away as she could from her large extended family. She lived in Boston, Paris, Orlando, New York--then came full circle and moved back to Rhode Island. She now happily lives one town over from the one she was born in. For her, family trumped the warmer weather and international scene.
She was an educator for 20 years, the last 11 as a kindergarten teacher. When her school district began cutting jobs, Ruth turned a serious eye toward her second love- writing and has never been happier. When she's not writing, you can find her chasing her children around her small farm, riding her horses, or connecting with her readers online.
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