Book Review - Heart's Desire

STORYLINE:  Kara Smith embarks on a journey of revenge when her dying mother reveals that Kara’s father is Congressman Sidney Eastman. Driven by ambition, he tells Kara’s mother to end her pregnancy, and moves on with his life. Kara infiltrates Eastman’s office, but her plans backfire, leading to complications, which have dire consequences.

PLAYERS: 

Brent Stevens: is a bright Admin Assistant employed to Eastman. He is engaged to Kara’s half-sister and though he breaks off the engagement, he’s still at the family’s beck and call. I didn’t get a strong sense of who he is, but the Eastman’s certainly know how to play on his feelings of guilt. I don’t remember if there’s mention of his family, but I do recall he started out poor.  

Kara Smith: is a sheltered thirty-year-old woman who is raised in a religious cult. She too is riddled by guilt, but quickly finds her way in the new world that’s opened up before her.

I LIKED: the pace at which the story unfolded. Heart’s Desire had plenty of plot twists that kept the story moving.  The writer does know how to keep the reader turning the pages. I also downloaded a sample of Jenny’s story Too Hot to Handle and whipped through it in no time, which is a good sign.

I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT: the annoyance that came through Brent’s association with the Eastman family. Jenny, their daughter, is spineless, senseless and demanding. By the end of the book, she descends to being spiteful, even more needy and destructive.

OVERALL COMMENTS: I like reading black romances, so this was a treat for me. Though the book was a fast read, I had some issues with it. I thought the editing could have been tighter, which would have improved the story.

Brent’s readiness to pay for Kara’s services at the start of the book threw me a little, making me wonder about his character. It turned me off him a bit. The way she blackmailed her way into the Legislative Assistant’s job seemed improbable to me. Of course, Brent didn’t take her seriously for long, and soon brushed aside her threats of exposure. While she did seem naïve, Kara’s thoughts sometimes didn’t translate the way I expected them to, especially coming from someone who’d been brought up the way she was.

COVER NOTE: I’m not a fan of cartoony covers, hence I also included a copy of the paperback cover, which IMO is way nicer. 

RATING: I found Heart’s Desire still needed work.

SOURCE: I downloaded Heart’s Desire as a free read from Amazon