Review: 4.5 star read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 1, 2013
Complications, Cat Grant's third installment in the Courtland Chronicles, is aptly named. With his lover Nick Thompson out of the picture, Eric Courtland renews his friendship with old college friend Allison "Ally" Taylor. Their friendship quickly turns sexual and the two are soon dating. When Eric proposes to Ally, she has reservations about marrying Eric. But the benefits to becoming his wife along with Eric's promises of fidelity and honesty convince her to say agree to the marriage. But will Eric honor his vows when Nick comes back into his life soon after their wedding?In Complications, Eric seems to finally have his life together. He is still ambitious, but his head is finally in a good place and he is actively working toward his future political aspirations. While he appears to have genuine feelings for Ally, their romance and marriage feels more like a business arrangement than a true love match. Eric is still controlling and manipulative, but for the most part, Ally seems accepting of this part of his personality. They do have a few minor clashes, but Eric is able to smooth things over with Ally fairly quickly.Ally is Eric's match in many ways. While she does offer some objections to Eric's assistance with her career, she gratefully accepts the opportunities presented to her. Ally is a shrewd businesswoman and she engineers a very advantageous career move when she finally agrees to marry Eric. She comes across as a little mercenary while bargaining with Eric and even though part of the story comes from her perspective, I am not sure exactly what feelings she has for Eric. She also appears spineless on a few occasions when she concedes too much power to Eric despite her uneasiness in certain situations.The sex scenes between Ally and Eric are quite sensual. Early in the novella, the sex is quite tame, but Ms. Grant does eventually turns up the heat a bit. One of their encounters later in the story has a light BDSM theme. There is also one minor M/M scene that takes place as well.Of the three installments in the Courtland Chronicles, Complications is the least angsty and the overall story flows much more smoothly. It is a nice change of pace to see Eric finally at peace with much of his past. But it is quite heartbreaking to see him give up the man he loves for his political future. I felt like he was marrying Ally to further his career goals and while she knew what she was getting into, I am sure there is future heartache in store for Ally, Eric and Nick.The ending of Complications neatly sets the stage for The Arrangement, and I am quite eager to see what Cat Grant has planned next for Eric, Nick and Ally.I received a complimentary copy for review.