Hard Compromise by Samanthe Beck

Hard CompromiseCompromise Me, 2Samanthe BeckContemporary RomanceEntangled Publishing, LLCNovember 21, 2016eBook195

Laurie Peterson assumes her impulsive one-night stand with sinfully sexy Sheriff Ethan Booker is the biggest surprise of the year…until her bakery burns down while she’s basking in the afterglow. It looks like her dreams are up in smoke, but then Ethan proposes a deal too tempting to resist.

Ethan has no intention of settling for a one-night stand with Laurie. Nor does he want anything to do with the women his wealthy family wants him to meet. Not when he’s waited ten years for his chance to make his move. His deal might have strings—and Laurie may not know the stakes—but nothing will stop this sexy cop from staking a real claim on her body and her heart.

You may be surprised to be reading a review for the second book in a series that started off with a book that I had a huge problem with, but I had actually bought both books at the same time and was curious enough to give this story a chance. And I’m glad I did! There were none of the issues from the first book in this one, and I found myself liking Laurie and Ethan more than either Chelsea or Rafe.

Let‘s start with the characters: Laurie was kick-ass. Despite her tough childhood and awful mother (the one thing I didn’t like about Laurie was how she always gave into her alcoholic mother—it was weak of her, albeit realistic, so I can’t be too harsh on her since that’s how some people really react), she is able to rise above her circumstances and fights for what she wants. I also totally identified with her “guard your heart” philosophy and was glad to see her move beyond that by the end of the story.

Ethan, Ethan, Ethan. Strong, steady, hot, and rich. What more could you ask for? The first two made me love him, the latter two were icing on the cake. The way we’re introduced to him is fabulous, and then seeing him present day and his thoughts about Laurie were a great opening to the story. It had me rooting for him from the very start. A gentleman of the highest caliber, I loved him as the male lead.

I felt like the plot here was very contingent on the whole mother thing, and since I didn’t like that part of the story, I can’t say I loved the plot… BUT the characters more than made up for that and so I’m still giving this book 4 stars.

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