Review: A sweet and simple story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 2, 2012
Sometimes, all a girl wants is a sweet romance without too much heartache before the big finale - and that's exactly what Cat Schield gives readers in HIS SECRET TEMPTATION. Billionaire Simon Holcroft comes home from a business trip and all he wants to do is crash on his bed, maybe sleep for hours on end. The only problem is that, in true Goldilocks form, there's already someone there - a young, beautiful blonde. It takes a few minutes but Simon realizes the girl is his maid, Caroline Sampson, who actually looks like she may need the sleep more than him. Caroline, who takes her job seriously, is appalled to realize she's fallen asleep in her employer's bed but she's run down and tired from working and finishing up law school. Amidst of flurry of apologies and explanations, the pair is interrupted by a knock on the door. Francine, Simon's ex-girlfriend and his brother's current fiance, arrives to say she's chosen the wrong brother and she's Simon's present. Annoyed and flustered, Simon blurts out that Caroline is his fiance.What happens next is a formula seen a few times - in exchange for a fake engagement over the holidays, Simon will pay for the rest of Caroline's law school, something she's a bit desperate for since she's already past due the current semester and she's so close to finishing. Despite her better judgment, she agrees, and goes to Savannah for the holidays with the Holcroft family.The characters in HIS SECRET TEMPTATION are highly likable. There's no sense of "perfection" in them, which makes each of them easy to relate to. Caroline has somewhat of a wish to be able to have money in order to make life a little easier but she's strong in her ways. Her upbringing plays a bit part of her life and she's learned to live with what she has, but that doesn't mean she won't appreciate the finer things of life. She's also an honest girl and it's a constant struggle for her to keep up the charade which made her more endearing to read. In the same vein, though Simon is the one to come up with the fake scenario of an engagement, it's easy to see his mind is in the right place. He makes his decisions, most of the time, to try and ease the way for others, to help others, and how can anyone be against that? A smattering of secondary characters round out the story and, like its main characters, have more than one side to his or her personality. The only exception would be Francine but aside from the opening scene, she is seen only through conversations and thoughts.With a sweet story such as this one, it's hard not to smile and laugh and nod along with the characters. It's not always easy for the characters but there isn't a moment of full-on angst and it never gives the sense of hopelessness. It's not 100% clear sailing but it's pretty close. Caroline and Simon's attraction to each other is present from the beginning but learning their true emotions is adorable, if sometimes a bit cliche. There were a few moments where the language was a bit too saccharine or bordered on "a little too much" in terms of being a cliche, but they were easily overlooked for the whole of this novel.A quick read, fans of fluff and happiness with just a touch of drama (especially in the beginning!) will enjoy this latest piece from Schield.-- originally reviewed on Ordinary People, Extraordinary Works --