Review: Staking His Claim
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 7, 2014
I can't believe I'm writing a review for a novel titled STAKING HIS CLAIM, let alone admitting to reading it, but I am and I'm giving it a round of applause. The story revolves around Lucy Mason, a recent master's graduate, and her unfolding romance with sniper--and best friend to her older brother--Matt Donovan. Matt has been assigned the duty of transporting Lucy and her flaky friend Sasha from Syracuse into NYC. Sasha, of course, bails and it's only Matt and Lucy and the long drive home.Never mind that she's instantly attracted to him and him to her. She pretends to be Sasha (because she overhears him describing her as a nuisance) and they fight their attraction until his car conveniently breaks down and they conveniently have to spend the night together where the motel manager conveniently is smarmy and causes Matt to conveniently refuse to book Sasha a room by herself. Fill-in-the-blank for where this is going...Ultimately, the story was good because of Tessa Bailey's adept hand. She's a good writer; the story kept my interest, even between the copious amounts of sex, which I think were the basis for the novel (plot line second). I even finished it after one too many insert clichés here. I enjoyed it to the point that I'd like to read what else she's written, even though erotica and I are not generally on the best of terms.