Hired for the Billionaire's Secret Son

Finished April 17

Hired for the Billionaire's Secret Son by Joss Wood

This novel offered few surprises over how much in this genre has changed since I read Harlequin romance novels as a teenager. The main female character, Olivia Cooper grew up with parents who ran their own accounting business. She took an accounting degree and was expected to join the business, but found during her studies that this wasn't something that she would enjoy as a career. She took some time away and has worked as a nanny for several years, for a respected agency used by famous and wealthy families. She's grown close to the owner and is considering buying a share in the company and working to take it over some day. She had a difficult experience where she grew very close to a family she was working for during a very difficult time in their lives and then had to leave their employment. After that she decided to only do short term contracts to avoid getting emotionally involved in the lives of her clients. When she took a break from her family obligations, she knew she had a deadline and that deadline is fast approaching. Her parents expect her to join the family business at that time. She doesn't want to and doesn't know how to go about talking to them about this. 

The main male character, Bo Sorenson, is a respected architect. He saw his parents' marriage fall apart, and saw his father live a life that was less focused on responsibility. He determined not to follow in their footsteps and has had clearly communicated expectations from his relationships over the years, that they would never lead to children. 

When his recent ex-girlfriend, about to be married, dies with her partner in an accident, he finds he was a father despite his best plans. He doesn't want his child to go into the system, and he can afford to care for his son, but he has no idea how to be a parent, having less than stellar role models. He knows he wants to be a good parent and hires Olivia to be there for the first few months (although he would prefer a longer contract) to show him the ropes, while integrating his son into his life. 

Olivia is a strong woman in most areas of her life, and knows her value. It is only with her parents she is less confident. This was one area that struck me as she had a good childhood despite their busy careers, and she seems a good communicator in the other parts of her life. Bo is also a strong character, but he doesn't have traditional expectations. His mother is a good businesswoman, although not a loving mother, and he knows women are equally capable. I think setting this story in Europe feels believable and the situation never feels like a forced plot or outside the characters' personalities. 

A light, entertaining read. 

An Unhallowed Grave

Finished April 16

An Unhallowed Grave by Kate Ellis

This book continues the Wesley Peterson mystery series. Here we have a woman found hanging from a tree, staged to look like a suicide. As the police begin to uncover her history, they find that she has connections to others in the area from deeper in her past. 

An archeological team is working in the area, and uncovers a body nearby that is from five centuries before. As the team makes other finds, connected with the change in religion from that earlier time, there is also a more personal story about a local family and the larger community that worked for and interacted with them. 

I really enjoy having the archeological finds mirror the case that the police are working on. Here, we have the young woman working for the wealthy local family, looking after their children, and being blamed for something that may or may not be their fault. There are also elements of infidelity in both timelines, and a tragedy. 

I also liked how Wesley's personal life had a relation to the story as his wife looks for a child care provider that she can trust as she prepares to go back to work. 

This is a slower-paced mystery, and there are many small side plots that are interesting as well. I like seeing the various reappearing characters develop through the books. 

Protecting the Heiress

Finished February 6 

Protecting the Heiress by Nana Malone

This novella is billed as the first of a duology, but it is more properly the first half of a novel as it doesn't wrap up either of the main storylines, the mystery or the romance plots. I chose it from free Kobo books to meet a reading challenge. 

It's set in a small fictional European country called the Winston Isles, and follows several characters. The two main characters are Jax and Neela, but it starts with Ariel. Ariel has started her own company after leaving the Royal Guard of . She is putting together a team based on recommendations from friends and former coworkers. The first one she approaches is Jax Reynolds, and she's been following him for a while as he works a case. He's been working in London, but used to be a Royal Guard and would like nothing more than to get back in. He quit for a woman, and when that relationship didn't pan out, he found himself without the job he'd loved. 

Jax's first job is to go undercover as a nanny for a woman who recently took custody of a friend's child. There is some uncertainty whether the friend's death was an accident, and her lawyer doesn't want anything to happen to the child. 

Neela is a cryptanalyst who looks into security issues for companies. She had started the company with her boyfriend, but that relationship has recently ended and he's been not playing very nice about how the company is being split. When she unexpectedly finds herself the guardian of a baby, she finds herself happy to accept the help the lawyer has arranged for her, unaware that she is also gaining protection for her and Mayzie. 

Jax knows better than to act on his attraction for his employer, but the attraction is mutual, and hard to ignore. When Neela gets threatening messages and other dangerous things begin to happen, things get pretty intense in another way.

The cryptology angle of the story is interesting and I liked both the main characters. We see many other side characters, from the King of this small country to Neela's coworkers, but other related series follow them in more depth. 

As I said, this book leaves the reader wanting more.