Jewelry designer Sophie Burke has fled Maine for the anonymity of the big city. She’s starting over with a job she tolerates and a grungy motel room she calls home on the wrong side of town, but anything is better than the nightmare she left behind.
Stone McCabe is Ethan Cooke Security’s brooding bad boy more interested in keeping to himself than anything else—until the gorgeous blond with haunted violet eyes catches his attention late one rainy night.
Stone reluctantly gives Sophie a hand only to quickly realize that the shy beauty with the soft voice and pretty smile has something to hide. Tangled up in her secrets, Stone offers Sophie a solution that has the potential to free her from her problems once and for all—or jeopardize both of their lives.
I always enjoy Ms. Beauman’s writing style. The story and characters in her book are well developed and a pleasure to read this book was no different but all in all I can still only give it 3 ‘Blondie and Mr. Dark, Buff & Broody’ Stars.
Sophie is on the run from her soon to be husband. He is after her trust fund, he is also abusive. She runs fast and she runs far. Well to Los Angeles to be exact where she gets a job at Cooke Security as a cleaner but she is actually a jewelry designer.
Stone doesn’t care for most people, well actually hardly anyone unless he is pestered by Abby to do something. In this case Abby pesters him into taking a closer look at Sophie.
“Do you know her name?” “Nope” He picked up his trowel, sliding more grout among the empty spaces where the new pedestal sink would eventually go. “Well, what do you know about her?” “Not much.” “Wow, two words. You actually said two words in a row. I think this might be a record” He grinned. “What do you want, Abby?” “Holy crap a whole question. I’m going to pass out.” “I’m hanging up.”
Stone caves and keeps an eye on Sophie. After Abby caught Sophie in the women’s shelter home, Sophie moved to a seedy part of a LA and to an even seedier motel. Stone tries to tell himself that he doesn’t care but in the meantime, Eric the abusive ex is planning revenge.
In the end Stone gets Sophie to move in with her. They start decorating the house together, they are basically in a relationship and they don’t know it there just isn’t any sex at the moment.
He brings her an abandon puppy home. So that she doesn’t leave. To top it off they get married so that Eric doesn’t get the trust money but Stone finds out on a business trip that Sophie lied but she actually didn’t know about the arrest warrant. That Stone didn’t believe her and that cut the most.
The ending did drag on a bit and I think that Sophie could have come to the realization sooner that a.) Stone wasn’t interested in Amber, b.) She needed to get her head out of her arse in regards to the ex and last but not least c.) that Stone frigging adored her.
What really got to me was the about of times ‘stupid, stupid Sophie’ were said. I also felt that Sophie wasn’t the same person at the end of the book and I really liked her at the beginning but alas at the end I wanted to slap her into next week or even year.
I enjoy this series and will continue with the rest of them to come.
