Review: Annoying for the conceited ego and conflicting threads
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 06 24, 2013
Second in The Billionaire's Club erotic romance series. The couple focus is on Luke Preston and Peyton Lane.This is an ARC provided by the publisher.My TakeIt's overly melodramatic and rides roughshod over the reader. Garnier is determined you'll know just how mad, bad, and dangerous it is to know Luke Preston. And she goes full bore with his oversized ego and whining. He's the alpha male who's stuck in kindergarten. Which did not make for a sexy read. Not for me.This story rages back and forth, swinging wildly from one emotion to the next, and I really can't recommend the whole of it. The very start is irritating with Luke's bombastic behavior before it slides to the erotic with their meeting at the resort and sadness at parting. But then it swings into WTF territory, making the start look good. Although there is a brief bit at the end I enjoyed.My Whines...Oh, please, "...she'd opened up to him and shown him a part of Peyton Lane..." So what? Which part of their deal, her plan, did she forget? She was a party to it simply being a weekend. She's a big deal in her investment firm. In Chicago. And she doesn't know who Luke Preston is? How does she decide he's the closest thing to a prostitute? A man-whore, maybe. A male slut. But a hooker? What was the deal with the photograph of her at the end?Nor do I grasp Gregg's reasoning that he can be loved by Luke if he brings him a hot woman. Umm, what does that make Peyton when she accepts Gregg's invite?I can't figure out what's going on with this party as Garnier says Luke came up with the idea on the way home from Cancun, makes it sound like a spur-of-the-moment event, and then turns it into "a major event in the party circles" making it sound like an annual thing.Neither Luke nor Peyton made lasting claims of love, so I really don't understand why she's being such a cow when she finds out who Luke really is.The StoryCaught in flagrante delicto, Luke is recuperating from that gunshot and is forced to go into hiding. Upon meeting Peyton, Luke decides to remain undercover, so to speak, to pursue her.It's an incredibly busy and intense 36 hours before they part forever...The CharactersPeyton Lane is in desperate need of a vacation, and she's determined to enjoy herself completely, even if he is all brawn and she's too shy. Deena is her assistant.Luke Preston, a.k.a., Luke Alexander, is a spoiled and outrageous billionaire obsessed with sex. Well, not all that spoiled. He effectively has no parents. Daniel Lexington, the JFK, Jr. of Chicago; his sister Chloe Lexington who's with Graves Buchanan, Luke's best friend; and, Cade West are all his friends. Patty and Natalie are his neighbors who show up for the party.Gary Gregg is Luke's very gay neighbor and appears to be in love with Luke.Xavier Alibris is the shooter.The CoverThe cover is beautiful in shades of blue with a reclining Luke embracing an on-top Peyton.The title works, for Peyton is Taken By Him three ways in this story.