Book Title: The Unwilling Executive (Captured by Love, Book 1)
Author: Miranda P. Charles
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
He doesn’t care about the wealth and opportunity his father offers.
Racing car mechanic Lucas Renner never expected his biological father to start acknowledging him as a son and only heir. He bet the old man has ulterior motives that has nothing to do with wanting to develop a relationship with him. He refuses to make contact with the man who has rejected him all his life… until his father’s message is hand-delivered by a blushing beauty who stirred him in the right places.
She cares about keeping her job.
Jade Tully thanks her lucky stars for her new role as the personal assistant to a wealthy CEO. Heaven knows she needs it. But she doesn’t anticipate getting entangled in the personal conflict between her eccentric boss and his extremely hunky son—a man who rattles her poise and melts her heart. She wants to help bring father and son together. But if she continues to do her boss’s bidding, would she lose Lucas’ trust and her chance to capture his heart?
The Unwilling Executive can be enjoyed as a stand-alone or as part of the Captured by Love series.
This book is for adults only. It contains hot sexual scenes.
Lucas stared at the signature line of the printed letter. Scrawled in black ink were three unmistakable words: Your father, Thomas.
Heat rose to his face and he didn’t bother hiding his scowl.
“This is from Thomas Bilton,” he said accusingly to the brunette in front of him.
“Yes,” Jade said with a hint of apprehension. “I’m his new PA.”
“I don’t appreciate being conned like this,” he rasped, slitting his eyes.
“Conned? I don’t understand,” she said, her eyes rounding.
He crumpled the sheet and put it in his pocket. “Did you type the letter?” he grunted as he took a couple of bills from his wallet and dropped them on the table.
“No. Mr. Bilton must have typed it himself,” Jade answered, sounding nervous. “I don’t know anything about it. He just told me to come here and hand it to you.”
He inhaled deeply, scrutinising Jade. She held his gaze, looking bewildered… and damned attractive. It was a pity she worked for Thomas Bilton.
“I wouldn’t have turned up if I knew this was Bilton’s doing,” he said, standing up. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m leaving now.”
“Wait, Lucas, please,” Jade said, rising to her feet. “Could you please just read it? I’m supposed to relay your answer back to Mr. Bilton.”
He snorted.
“Please, Lucas,” she said quietly. “He told me it’s imperative that you read it.”
Something in Jade’s tone made Lucas pause, and he found himself pulling the letter out and smoothing it. Admittedly, this whole business of a beautiful woman hand-delivering him a letter made him curious as to its contents.
He read it and his lips twisted. The old man was good. He penned quite a moving piece—if Lucas didn’t know any better. But he did. Thomas Bilton was simply trying to manipulate him to protect his reputation.
He shoved the paper back in his pocket. “You said you don’t know what this is all about?”
Jade shook her head.
“So if your boss tells you to jump off a cliff, you’d do it without any question?”
Jade’s face reddened. “Of course not. I didn’t ask questions because he said it was a private matter.”
“So you’re the kind of person who doesn’t care if your job requires you to lie, as long as you get paid good money for it.” Why he felt the need to goad the truth out of her, he didn’t know.
Jade lifted her chin up in defiance. “I’m sorry, but I never lied to you. I was simply following instructions to meet you.”
They glared at each other, and Lucas felt his anger start to evaporate. Jade’s expression seemed honest enough. And hell, her captivating face was distracting him. Those long lashes that framed her beautiful hazel eyes didn’t seem embellished by mascara. And her lips—full and sexy, and—
“I need your answer, Lucas,” Jade said.
The bitter taste came rushing back in his mouth. “My answer is no. And if the circumstances were different, I would have said it was a pleasure meeting you, Jade Tully.”
Then he walked off.
**Arc received for honest review**
This is my first book by Miranda Charles and I was pleasantly surprised.
This story focuses on Jade Tully and Lucas Renner. Jade works for Lucas’ father and helps Mr. Bilton connect with Lucas, who doesn’t know the Bilton is his father. Jade works hard to be honest and open but Lucas doubts her intentions. The couple must build trust between each other before a relationship can build. That becomes the focus in the story. The relationship takes time to build, seemed to be too long to me but the end justified the means in my opinion.
I mentioned trust before. Lucas doesn’t trust anyone and yet something about Jade made him want to trust her. To read the letter she presented in their first meeting. I can say I honestly expected her character to do something on the opposite spectrum. I expected her to become something she doesn’t. I’m pleased with the way the author wrote her story.
Lucas must make some big changes before he is ready for Jade to look at him seriously. He struggles with his own feelings and must decide if Jade is worth the effort. Can he change? His mother knows Jade since she buys flowers for her sister-in-law from Ruby’s flower shop. The shop becomes a meeting place for Lucas to meet Jade, taking advantage of her flower buying days.
The characters are written well, very believable. The sex between them is beautiful and respectfully written. Sensual most times, you could tell Lucas respected her and wanted to make her happy. I just wish the two hadn’t waited so long to “kiss and make up” per say. It seemed like forever for them to fix their problem, don’t want to give anything away.
I liked the book, giving it four stars. I would recommend this to someone looking for a new erotic romance book.
I’ve loved reading romance novels since my early teenage years. My auntie used to send me boxes of her books and I would devour them one after another. Every so often, I would read a mystery or a suspense or a paranormal novel as I love those genres too. But romance is still my favourite.
For many years, I wrote technical and non-fiction materials for professional use and had only dreamt about writing a novel. Then, one day, after a period of binge-reading sexy romances, I decided to sit in front of my computer and start writing my first fiction book. The result? My debut novel, “Will To Love”, the first in the hot and sexy Lifestyle by Design series. After that, I knew that I’d love to write more beautiful love stories.
I live in Sydney, Australia with my amazing husband who lovingly cheers me on in my journey as a writer.
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