HGTV’s Property Brothers meets The Marriage Bargain in this second volume in the Billionaire Builders series, an all-new heart-wrenching and sexy contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.
When she was a teen, Raven Bella Stratton’s father was killed in a horrible car crash. The bigger shock was the discovery of a woman with him—Diana Pierce—and their two fully packed suitcases with airline tickets to Paris. Devastated by her father’s betrayal, Raven went to live with her aunt, never truly overcoming the traumatic event. When she discovers that the mysterious woman had a family with a husband and three boys, Raven vows to leave the memory of her father behind.
Until Dalton Pierce visits one night and suddenly her past challenges her future…
Leaving his life in California behind to run Pierce Construction with his two older brothers, Dalton Pierce has enjoyed returning home and studying his passion of woodworking. But when he visits the local bar with his brothers one evening, he’s immediately drawn to the smart-mouthed, badass, sexy bartender who sets his body on fire. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem as intrigued by him, and his multiple advances are met with rejection. When he offers to restore the bar back to its original glory, he begins to work with her on a daily basis, and falls harder. His plan of seduction slowly weaves a web around them both, until they are caught up in the spell. But Dalton doesn’t know the secret that can either destroy them both…or finally mend two broken hearts.
I loved this book even more than Everywhere and Every Way. I think it’s because the emotions here were so much rawer—moved me to tears for the last section of the book. Anyway, like the last book, the characters here were great.
Dalton is the playboy of the Pierce brothers, but he’s also a hard worker that never seems to get the credit he deserves from his two older brothers, his future sister-in-law, their assistant Sydney, or even their architect Brady. His mother running away with another man hit him the hardest, and still haunts him with nightmares. At least he has his work—and the owner of My Place, if she’ll give him the time of day—to keep him busy.
Raven is the daughter of the man who was running away with Diane Pierce. She knows who the Pierce brothers are and is determined to hate them. But it’s a lot harder to do that when one of them is devastatingly hot, is offering to help you fix your establishment, and attracts you like crazy. She tries to stay focused on not falling for him, but life has other plans.I also think the plot was much more interesting than Book 1 of the Billionaire Builders series. Caleb and Morgan’s story was a “when will they”? Whereas this one had a lot more “will they or won’t they” despite the assumed HEA. With such a big secret tying and also separating Raven and Dalton, how could the plot not be engaging?
Though this book definitely has light and funny moments, it also has deep, sometimes dark emotional moments that make you dig deep. And I love this book all the more for it.