Etta Edwards, 25, has finally recovered from an auto accident that left her wheelchair-bound as a child, and wants to start living again – and catch up on all the things she has missed. Including sex. Yes, our Etta is a virgin. And she also suffers from panic attacks.
Determined to try her hand at seducing someone, Etta is visiting a Monte Carlo nightclub when her gaze lands on Harry Damon. He’s actually working – but can’t resist the “something different about this woman” attraction. A high-octane one-night-stand is on.
Little do the two of them know as they fall into each others’ arms: their families are bitter enemies who’ve been embroiled in a lawsuit for years over the auto accident. Harry thinks Etta deliberately seduced him, angling for financial advantage in the case. She’s furious he’d think that she planned their sexy encounter for money.
They’re about to go their separate ways – until Etta tries to convince Harry’s uncle, head of the Damon empire, to bring closure and settlethe lawsuit. The uncle demands that Etta spend a week at the Damon family estate so they can “come to know each other better.”
Etta hopes that week will convince everyone she wasn’t the conniver Harry seems to think. Harry hates the arrangement and still thinks Etta may be up to something, but finds her awfully hard to resist in their enforced togetherness.
The very best part of this tale: witty, believable, and often downright funny dialogue.
“It’s just that the world seems to think being cool is the way to go, and I can never pull it off.”
He realized that was one of the reasons why she seemed so different, why she seemed so real. There was no pretense about her, and it thrilled him. “Cool is overrated.”
She peered up at him curiously. “You seem to pull it off very well.”
“Maybe I’m overrated.”
“That remains to be seen.”
The plot was quirky and fun, if somewhat far-fetched. (Spend a week with a family you’ve been feuding with for 15 years in order to settle a lawsuit?) In a few places, background details were shared in a pedantic, “telling, not showing” way that felt somewhat clunky. But thankfully, there wasn’t much of that.
Amazon pegs the book at 163 pages, though it feels shorter — more like a novella than a novel.
All in all, an enjoyable quick read, with a sizzle factor in the high-90s. The attraction and chemistry between the characters felt real. And did I mention I loved the dialogue!? Four stars for a romantic romp that’d make a great summer read.
“Seducing the Enemy” is the first in the Heirs of Damon series, with four books currently in the series. This book originally debuted in 2013, and its second edition was just released December, 2020. Find the book with our Amazon Associates link here!
By New York Times and USA-Today bestselling author Noelle Adams. For more, here’s her website: https://www.noelle-adams.com/