REVIEW: A Beauty Uncovered (Harlequin Desire) by Andrea Laurence
Temporary secretary heroine finally entices scarred & very private software mogul Hero out of his office. He is very surprised at how differently she reacts to his massive scars & becomes more comfortable with her. As attracted as she is to him, heroine is cautious about having an affair with another boss. But as Hero increasingly lets her into his life, her feelings for him outweigh her caution. He is still, however, closed off to the rest of the world. The question of what kind of future they hold together with Hero as an extreme recluse becomes an issue.
I began reading this Laurence book with quite a bit of excitement. A boss-secretary romance with a scarred & mysterious Hero. And a mid-30s virgin, to boot. Heroine is friendly & even flighty & is working hard to get Hero out of his cave, so to speak. Good beginning. But gradually plateaued once they got together. It was missing the emotional intensity that I like to see between the main characters. Hero was definitely enamored with heroine. But I wondered if it’s because she’s the only woman who didn’t cringe at his face & was attracted to him. Heroine also cared for him. The only problem I had with heroine is her seeming ability to fall in love with other men easily. She was in love with her former boss as recently as 2 months ago. I'm not entirely convinced that Hero was really all that special to her. Maybe that's why this book was missing the emotional intensity I mentioned before.
Heroine was likeable. She’s not the most independent or goal-oriented woman. Yet she was diligent, fashion-conscious, & easygoing. And it might very well be because she was an easygoing person that she can quickly bounce back from grief. It’s that part of her character that aids Hero from his social fears. She confronted him about the reality of a relationship with her, which necessitates that he takes risk to be around people. I like that she gave him that reality-check. They seemed like a good match. She helps ease him out socially & he spoils her.
Moderately recommended.
*ARC courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
**A more detailed review is on my blog.
