Solid Soul (Forged of Steele Book 1)  by Brenda Jackson

 

In the real world there was no way flower shop owner Kylie Hagan would ever meet up with millionaire Chance Steele. But the world of single parents and teenage hormones brought them together the first time — and a simmering passion they both tried to deny wouldn't keep them apart for long.

 

Chance made her think of hot, sultry Southern nights. Kylie had him imagining satin sheets and soul-stirring kisses. But in the cold light of day, they had to resist each other. There was no way they'd let uncontrollable desire ignite their carefully protected hearts.

But some things they couldn't ignore.…

 

I have to admit, I find this pretty conservative for a modern-day romance. Kylie has basically (or completely?) been abstaining from sex since her foray into at 16 years old landed her pregnant. Chance is a widower raising his son, who got married quite young. Their attraction, mostly acknowledged from one side-Chance's-is what tended to irritate. And Kylie rebuffed him so many times that his pursuit of her got irritating for me. (Again, even if there's attraction, there's unacceptable behavior & crossing the line if you are rejected). That points out another way in which I find this a bit too traditional-exclusively the man pursuing the woman, basically. She only accepts and never advances on him. I also understand that their friendship was developing, but don't know where the love came from because more of the book was about the mundane than showing why or how they came to be in love.

Overall, all this considered I found the book to be a bit boring, forgettable, and unremarkable.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Tasty Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

 

What are the odds that the paths of a famous movie star and a small town nurse will cross?  Slim to none at best. However, for Faith Logan, her odds increased exponentially when she won the grand prize in a celebrity contest. Her prize, spend a weekend in New York City with Irvin Freeman. A majority of women would have been ecstatic about such an opportunity.  However, Faith was not one of them. She had to be forced to accept the prize.

 

Faith is a nurse. She is the sole caregiver for her parents. She left a lucrative job in Houston, so she could return home to take care of her ailing parents.  She did not feel comfortable with leaving them to go have fun in New York, hence her lack of enthusiasm.  Furthermore, she believed that the down to earth persona, displayed by Irvin during his many interviews were fake. After all, he is an actor.

 

Irvin Freeman is a man who believes in fate. He is the hottest commodity in the movie industry. He came from the UK hoping to make a better life for himself.  He was introduced to the acting world, and since then there has been no turning back.  The celebrity contest was established by him so as to raise funds to support to help in the fight against alcohol addiction. This was a cause that meant a lot to him as such he was willing to spend the weekend with Faith although he believed she was interested in seducing him.

 

The moment these two laid eyes on each other sparks were ignited. However, pre-conceived notions would prove to be a deterrent. The more time they spent together, the more they realised that their assumptions about each other were wrong.

 

The story demonstrates that love can be found in the most unlikely place. I enjoyed reading about the characters. They both had their demons, dealing with. Their fears, doubts, and insecurities made them real for me.  The doubts that Faith had as it relates to having a relationship with Irvin was understandable.  The media were always hounding him and she valued her privacy. Then there was the distance and the times they were forced to spend apart.

 

The story was predictable, and it was not unique. However, this did not prevent me from enjoying it.  This was an instant love connection as everything took place within that one weekend. However, I liked how the author builds on their relationship. They experienced the highs and the lows that relationships go through.  They had to fight to keep their connection alive.

 

 

The ending was sweet. It warmed my heart just to read it.  If you enjoy romance featuring hot movie stars, then you will love this book. The characters are real, the story engaging and the romance was sweet.

I've put down two of the Kimani Romance books on my tbr for the month. They are just too formulaic and one wasn't very well written. When I was just getting back into reading I could read two of these a day. Now they're like most YA books to me, redundant. I will have to change things up. I will continue with the Black History Month theme but will most likely switch up and out the books.

I think I can get through these quick reads. I love romance. I particularly love historical. These are  some of the Netgalley books that I am committed to reading and reviewing this year, ASAP. 

 

Black History Month

#ReadSoulLit