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Reckless Night In Rio (2011)

by Jennie Lucas(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0263886735 (ISBN13: 9780263886733)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Mills & Boon

review 1: 3.5 stars, nearly 4 stars!This was another Jennie Lucas story with a similar set up with her other books with the heroine, Laura worked for Gabriel for five years as his assistant, tending to his every need possible and being invaluable to him. She fell made in love with him and had been ever since they met and kept on hoping that he would fall in love with her too. One night, they make love, finally, with Laura giving her virginity to him, which at the time he didn't know, and have a passionate one night together. Even though it was the most incredible, magical, memorable night of her life, she came to the realization that Gabriel will never love her like she loved him so she had to leave right away not being able to be around him all the time, loving him like she did whi... morele knowing that he would never feel the same about her. Gabriel didn't stop or protest when she told him that she was leaving, which confirmed to Laura that he had no feelings for her. She was depressed when she came home and missing him like crazy and was shocked to learn that she was pregnant with Gabriel's child, but she decided not to tell because he was clear that he never wanted a wife and children ever in his life so she figured he wouldn't want to child and if he did it would only so he could do his duty, and she didn't want that for her child.So, the setup was similar to other Jennie Lucas's books where the heroine didn't tell the hero that she was pregnant and the book kind of having this suspenseful plot of when, where, why, how, and his reaction to the news that he was in fact a father, which was very different in this book than others I have read in her other books. Though really in all her books, its different of how the revelation of the child came about in the book, which is what makes the book different and not the same or boring.In this one, fifteen months had gone by since Gabriel and Laura had seen each other after their one night together. Laura was determined to be an independent single mother that would raise her child on her own never expecting Gabriel to be apart of her or her child, Robby's life ever. But of coarse Gabriel showed up at her sister's wedding, claiming to need in order to close a business deal, which was to get control of his family's business, which Gabriel gave away when he was 19 due to grief after he lost his parents and brother in car crash, he didn't want to reminder. He didn't give any of his feelings away from her just claiming to need her because she was the perfect PA for him and they had massive passion together and knew she was the only one to help. He had to convince the guy who was selling the family company that Gabriel was committed and had fall in love with Laura, which was unluckily since he was this supposed playboy who never did commitment or want a family ever. So, he needed Laura to pretend to be in love with him, convincing this guy that he was in fact committed to him so the deal could have been done. Which the reason it wasn't done was because the guy's fiancée used to date Gabriel and he was convinced that Gabriel and his fiancée would get back together once the deal was done, playing him for a sucker in the process. And though the ex may want to get back together, Gabriel did not, finding her annoying and wanted nothing to do with her, but the ex didn't believe it and neither did the businessman. So, Gabriel needed Laura to run interference and knew that the ex would only believe that he would fall for and commit to Laura, figuring there was something between them because she saw it when she was dating him.This premise was a little silly to me, and kind of didn't make sense, but in a way it did. I just felt like the businessman could have cut the ex loose a lot sooner than he did then all this could have been avoided, but then again there would be no story. It just didn't was little off, I would have felt better if the businessman wanted to sell to a committed, family man like many Harlequin Presents book do, but that wasn't the case, and I just felt it the reasoning why they have to pretend to be a couple was a bit weak for me.But it was what was and that was the set up for getting them back together again. At first she told him, no, fearing that he would figure out that Robby was his son and would then want to take Robby away for her and bring him into an unloving environment. But instead of figuring out that he was the father of Robby, he was angry with her for supposedly being with someone else shortly there after they were together and he was pissed about it because he thought she wanted more than a physical relationship, which he could have given her since that was all he could give, instead of letting her go like he did so she could find a loving husband and have a loving family. And he was so angry at her when he had no right to be, for one because she wasn't with some else and had only be with him, but he didn't even think about that nor did he ever believe Robby was or even consider it. I understand that they used protection that night, but for it never to cross him mind and the fact that Robby looked just like him and he still didn't think about it. Come on. He was an intelligent guy. He had to no that the use of protection is never a hundred percent, but apparently he did, which was why he discounted Robby as being his son, which I didn't get, he could had a little question in his mind, but there was none. Another reason he shouldn't have been mad at her if she was with someone else was because they weren't together. And he was the one on the no commitment thing so he had no right to demand fidelity from her especially when he had been with other women the entire fifteen months apart. So, how fair as that? C'mon, that's not right on so many levels, and it shows the bias between men and women and what's acceptable and not acceptable.So, they do this little charade with Robby in tow in hopes to fool the businessman and his fiancée of their committed relationship. And it was very hard for Laura, knowing that she couldn't compete with the ex who was a bikini model and absolutely gorgeous. Laura, never having felt beautiful in life more content with being the smart girl, was nervous that no one would believe that Gabriel would commit to her and the ruse would be immediately spotted. And though Gabriel found her very beautiful and always had (for five years in fact. He wanted her since he first met her) and always would and told her so, but he wanted to give her a little makeover in order for it to be believable for one, but I think the bigger reason was to give her some self confidence as well, but the makeover was a part of the charade too. So, they go to this party and the charade began with the ex and the businessman both being suspicious of Gabriel and Laura's relationship so Gabriel pulled out all the stops and went for it, pretending to high heaven or was he. Though that was what Laura believed of Gabriel's actions, even though the reader could tell that he wanted her and was not really playing as much as Laura believed. So, it was difficult for her especially since she still feelings for him and she was keeping the secret of her son a secret from him. So, she was going through the emotion ringer plus denying that they still had all this chemistry together.The passion between them was hot though, and the sexual tension was definitely there throughout the book practically steaming up the pages. Just they had the chemistry between them from the moment they met. And some of those scenes were fan worthy. Hot! Hot1 Hot! And though there was plenty of passion, there were a lot of emotions going on too during these encounters especially for Laura, whose feelings for Gabriel had never really gone away and she loved him just as deeply as the day she first slept with him. And it was really intense for her, and didn't want to succumb, but she couldn't help herself, neither could he, with her missing him and loving him so much but not being able to express that and just show what had been denied for months, and feeling that closeness with him. And the passion was definitely mutual.Gabriel did get the deal from the businessman, partly because he faked proposed to Laura right in front of him, convincing him of Gabriel's commitment to Laura, but even that the businessman didn't quite believe so Laura pulled out all the stops so Gabriel would get the precious deal by revealing that Gabriel was the father of her child, which sealed the deal. Laura felt it was a relief to get that off her chest and also the fact that Gabriel didn't freak out about the news and might even accept the fact that he was now a father and could possibly love not only his child, but her as well. So, she believed their relationship was becoming something real and deeper than it had been. But she soon learned that Gabriel still didn't believe Robby was his son and thought she only said it (lied about it) so he would get the deal, and was really grateful to the lie that she provided him, knowing that it would soon spread in all social circles about his new role as dad and he could give Robby his name since it would be believed that he would be Robby's father, which he really was, but he didn't know it yet. So, that was another emotional blow to her and she couldn't believe that he couldn't believe that he was the father of her child, and it was devastating to her, and knew that he would never change and she needed to leave him. But once he found this out, he begged her to marry him, for real, because he couldn't live without her, and surprisingly she agreed, but before she could walk down the aisle she knew she had to tell him the truth. He couldn't believe it, and told her that he would never love or Robby ever. He was angry and upset, and revealed he didn't deserve to have a family since he caused the accident that took his family's life and blamed himself ever since and vowed to never love again including her or Robbie, so she refused to marry him if he couldn't at least love Robby as well as herself so he left.But he soon came back when she was making the announcement to her family that they weren't getting married, and immediately declared his love for her (He had some big epiphany in his plane that his company wasn't important, but love was and that was his family's true legacy) and for his son, which was just too unbelievable for me. It was too quick and rushed for my taste because one minute he said he would never love her and then all of a sudden he was declaring his love for her and only her, and it was this deep, intense love for her. Which was great for Laura, but pretty unbelievable for the readers because it was just too, too quick and not realistic at all. It would have been better if they had been apart for longer and he came to the realization that he loved her and then came to find her and win her back, but that didn't happen in this book. He just got hit in the head with the knowledge that he loved her and all of a sudden he was there and deeply in love with her all of a sudden. I wasn't even sure if he was quite there in the love department yet, though I knew he had deep feelings for I wasn't sure he was quite there yet, but he was getting there. It was just too quick like I said and a little bit rushed to tie up the story and giving them their happily ever after. I just needed a little time in between to show the passage of time and his realization at a more realistic pace. Also, I would have liked to see more development of a relationship between Robby and Gabriel, showing them forming this deep bond with one another and have Gabriel soften towards him even maybe, and then maybe have some flickers of feelings towards his son or even having something chirp in the back of his mind that he felt a connection to his son and just be more father like. And there was that scene of the beach, but he still held back and felt like Robby was just Laura's child instead of theirs together. And since there wasn't that development it made it hard to believe that he suddenly developed feelings for his son all of a sudden because there was no evidence of that in the book at all in fact he kept Robby at a distance and kind of regulated to the back of his mind and said he would tolerate Robby because of Laura and that was the only reason he let a baby into his house in the first place. Otherwise he could just brush him off, and I didn't like that at all. I wanted more, and didn't get it, and again it made the ending really unbelievable too.I wished the ending was a little bit more and more believable, but it made the story no less enjoyable to read and follow on this passionate journey. I liked Laura, and how selfless she was and how she wanted to protect her child, but she also wanted Gabriel's love too because she passionately love him and that was who she wanted and connected with. And I was hurting for her during the entire book because she had to deal with her emotions for him while feeling turmoil over keeping Robby a secret from Gabriel. So, she was wreck yet holding it together as best as she could and I give her props for that as well as standing up for herself in the end. I liked Gabriel too, but there were a few things I didn't like about him, which I mention above like his quick realization of his love for her and his son, which seemed to come out the blue for him and made it at the last second pretty much. Plus his sharp judgment of her and their child, and never looking to close the distance between them until the last minute. Also he manipulated her through their chemistry to convince her to do some things that she was trying not to do, mainly their physical relationship, just for his own selfish needs and to get what he wanted like the business deal and them making love. So that didn't really soften his image because he knew what exactly he was doing and he wasn't considering her feelings at all just his own. In fact he barely thought about her feelings or did anything for her to show that he did in fact care about her, okay maybe physically, but nothing of substance. I think he could have done a little bit more and showed that she was more than a body to him because I know she didn't feel that and just thought that he just wanted a body and nothing else. So, I wasn't overly thrilled with him, but I didn't hate him either so I was fifty-fifty with him.I enjoyed this book, and I will continue to read Jennie Lucas's books in the future even if they have predictable set ups to them, yet with their own variations to them, which makes them fun to read, and I look forward to it. Definitely worth the read.
review 2: This was a fast, light, entertaining read. It lacked the emotional depth and treacherous angst that could have made the story more powerful and kicked it up to a five star read. Some of what happened really wasn't credible..like leaving immediately for Rio or her Mother casually breaking the "baby news" to Rio. The epilogue was good and helped to save it. I think this author has written some better books.... less

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