"Sugar Daddy"
By: Lisa Kleypas
Synopsis from Amazon:
SHE'S FROM THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS
Liberty Jones has dreams and determination that will take her far away from Welcome, Texas---if she can keep her wild heart from ruling her mind. Hardy Cates sees Liberty as completely off-limits. His own ambitions are bigger than Welcome, and Liberty Jones is a complication he doesn't need. But something magical and potent draws them to each other, in a dangerous attraction that is stronger than both of them.
HE'S THE ONE MAN SHE CAN'T HAVE
When Hardy leaves town to pursue his plans, Liberty finds herself alone with a young sister to raise. Soon Liberty finds herself under the spell of a billionaire tycoon---a Sugar Daddy, one might say. But the relationship goes deeper than people think, and Liberty begins to discover secrets about her own family's past.
WILL THEY FIND THEIR HEARTS' DESIRES OR WILL HEARTBREAK TEAR THEM APART
Two men. One woman. A choice that can make her or break her. A woman you'll root for every step of the way. A love story you'll never forget.My Thoughts:
I'm going to start this off on a negative note and end on a positive, so be prepared. This is perhaps my least liked Lisa Kleypas book. I read it when it came out and HATED the first person narrative that I didn't finish. I didn't like Hardy the so-called hero and I felt so bad for our heroine that I didn't pick it up until recently. While it is still probably my least liked Kleypas novel, I can say that the second time around was much better than the first!
"Sugar Daddy" is a complete departure from what most readers would categorize as classic Kleypas. It's a contemporary novel and written in first person while spanning decades. The book description is a bit of a misnomer, Hardy isn't the hero of the novel although he is a friend of Liberty's in the beginning. Easily the first half of the book deals with Liberty's life as a poor Latino girl living in a trailer court, with a fairly useless Mother, and an infant sister who relies on her. Her Mother is killed and Liberty decides to care for her sister and refuses to give her up for adoption. She works thankless jobs for minimum wages to put food on the table until suddenly, things start looking up. Mysteriously she gets a scholarship for school, money here and there, a sudden job offer...and on and on.
At the salon she's working at, an older man starts coming in for manicures. He turns out to be a multi-millionaire and over several months they become friends. He has an accident and decides she should quit her job at the salon and come to work for him as a secretary. Of course his children are suspicious, heck I would be. Anyway, she has this love hate relationship with his oldest son, Gabe, AND Gabe turns out to be the hero. It's such a long journey getting there but the payoff is almost worth it.
Gabe is one of those heroes that is quiet, reserved, but has a lot of passion hidden. He doesn't mind the responsibility of Liberty's sister, he's interested in helping out and rolls with the punches. I loved Gabe until Hardy comes back in the picture. Suddenly Liberty's childhood friend Hardy comes back into the picture and he graciously steps back. Bleh. I was incensed that he would just step back and let her decide. Maybe I've read too many romance novels, but I just don't see that happening in real life.
So in recap, the book is really only ok. I enjoyed the journey and the destination, it was just the pitstops that I didn't care for. It's a fast paced book and Liberty is a fun, strong heroine...but the men she chooses to surround herself with just make you roll your eyes. PLEASE don't start reading Lisa Kleypas with this novel because she is just an incredible novelist. "Mine til Midnight," "Lady Sophia's Lover," and "It Happened One Autumn" are all amazing romances that will bowl you over.
Book Details
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date of Publication: March 6, 2007
# of Pages: 432
This is actually her first book I read. I thought it was horrible and honestly disliked pretty much every character. *sigh* Then I read the first in the Wallflower series as well and didn't like the characters in their either. The women were silly and the men were mean and obnoxious, so I've kind of given up on her.
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She DOES get better, I promise. I tried to read "Secrets of a Summer Night" this weekend after reading your comment, and I've gotta agree with you with that book. The hero seems super pushy and arrogant - and I loved it the first time I read it!
ReplyDeleteI really loved her three contemporary books. I like books when are written in first person (like Diana Gabaldon's The Outlander Series and Sonia Marmen's The valley of the tears). Liberty is a very strong character and I suffered with her while she was growing up. But like an old saying "para gustos... los colores"
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I love Lisa Kleypas but this does not sound like something I would like. Thanks for the review. It's good to be prepared when I go into the bookstore!
ReplyDeleteI have never read any of Ms.Kleypas' books yet but have a few on my to-read-list. Now that I have read your honest review I am in no hurry to read this one. Thank you for this review. :) Jeanne
ReplyDeleteI am disappointed that this is not a good Lisa Kleypas book. Perhaps this is one I should not read. Thanks for the honest review.
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