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Showing posts with label The Professional. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Professional. Show all posts

12 February 2014

Review: The Professional: Part 2 by Kresley Cole

Author: Kresley Cole
Publication Date: January 6, 2014
Publisher: Pocket Star
Genre: Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance
Find It: GoodreadsAmazonB&NKobo
Source: Purchased

He makes the rules . . .
Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.
Rules are made to be broken . . .

PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.
Are you ready to play?

Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true.

Though I enjoyed parts of The Professional: Part 2, it didn't live up to my expectations. I had a lot of fun reading Part 1 - Sevastyan is possessive and dominant, with a sexy Russian accent to boot and Natalie, while a little annoying at times, was, for the most part, a heroine that I could root for. 

While they continue to explore their sexual relationship in Part 2 (hot!), there was little emotional or personal development in the characters. Sevastyan was especially frustrating and ran from one extreme to the next. One minute he wanted nothing to do with Natalie and the next he couldn't live without her. And while I found his intensity slightly unsettling but still sexy in Part 1, it bordered on creepy in Part 2. I hated how he distanced himself emotionally from Natalie and thought that it really bordered on cruel. He asked her to commit to him completely, while he held himself back from her at every opportunity. I also hated how his dark past was hinted at all the time but never revealed. This has happened to me before in books and the actual reveal almost never lives up to the buildup.

Natalie got on my nerves as well and I found her to be really whiny and annoying. She and Sevastyan definitely had physical chemistry but not much else. Overall I just felt like the characters and relationship lacked depth and I wanted more than hot sex.

Though this installment left me feeling frustrated, I am not giving up on this book. Natalie and Sevastyan seemed to be making some headway in their relationship near the end of this segment and, well, there's still the smoking hot sex. This installment also has a bit of action in it which added some excitement.

The bad thing about serialized novels is that authors often like to end things on a cliffhanger, which Cole does here, to great effect. I am dying to know what happens in Part 3 and how things will resolve. Will Natalie and Sevastyan be able to work through their issues and have a relationship that's more than just sex? Who is after Natalie and can Sevastyan keep her safe? I guess I'm going to have to read Part 3 to find out!





Visit the author online at kresleycole.comFacebook and follow her on Twitter @kresleycole

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links. For more details, please see our full disclosure policy here

15 January 2014

Review: The Professional: Part 1 by Kresley Cole

Author: Kresley Cole
Publication Date: December 16, 2013
Publisher: Pocket Star
Genre: Adult Contemporary Erotic Romance
Find It: GoodreadsAmazonB&N, Kobo
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

He makes the rules . . .
Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.
Rules are made to be broken . . .

PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.
Are you ready to play?

Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true.
The Professional: Part 1 is the first installment of an erotic romance by Kresley Cole, author of the Immortals After Dark and Arcana Chronicles series. The book is being published in 3 parts, with each part being a little over 100 pages. This is my first Kresley Cole book and I wasn't sure what to expect. While it has its faults, I found this story to be sexy, entertaining and extremely addictive.

Life is pretty normal for grad student Natalie Cole. To make ends meet, she works 3 jobs when not at school. This leaves little time for romance. But even if she did have the time, Natalie isn't interested in any of the men she meets. Then one evening, tall, dark and Russian wanders into her bar and the attraction is immediate. But Aleksandr Sevastyan isn't an ordinary customer but a hit man and bodyguard sent to protect Natalie. Stevastyan informs Natalie that the biological father she's been searching for is the head of a Russian mafiya clan. As his only heir, she is in danger and Stefavtyan whisks her away to Russia and introduces her to a life of wealth and forbidden pleasures.

Part 1 of The Professional throws you right into the thick of things. To say that the plot moves quickly is a bit of an understatement. One minute Natalie is cozy in her Midwestern house and the next, she is given a new life in a Russian palace, complete with jewel and a new wardrobe. I generally enjoy fast paced plots, but I wish we could have slowed down just a little. Natalie seems to accept her new life a bit too quickly and I would have liked to have seen a little more of her internal struggle. Though, to be fair, if a hot Russian came up to me and told me I was a millionaire Mafia princess, I might not argue either.

Natalie and Sevastyan are not the most original characters, but I liked them. Natalie is feisty and funny and loves pushing Sevastyan's buttons. Sevastyan is your typical alpha male. He's domineering and possessive, and also very sexy. I was a little annoyed at how hot and cold Sevastyan was. One minute it's "you're mine" and the next he's sworn off of her. Natalie is quite frustrated with these mixed signals and I can understand why.

While there isn't anything groundbreaking about this story, it's a fun guilty pleasure read. The love scenes are hot and I have a feeling that they're going to get even hotter in the next installment. I am not sure if I am sold on the serialized format. I do not see the point of it, though the cliffhanger ending does leave you wanting more. And I've already downloaded Part 2, so Cole must be doing something right. Now to read Part 2 and find out what happens in that sauna!


*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.





Visit the author online at kresleycole.com, Facebook and follow her on Twitter @kresleycole

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links. For more details, please see our full disclosure policy here