Darker Passions

Over all 3.5 stars

Woman Hater
★★★★☆
This is a love story about two damaged people. Winthrop is a man that was not only left emotionally, but also physically broken by a past relationship. The woman he was with had a devastating car accident while she was driving. When it became apparent that Winthrop would not fully recover she left him. This betrayal had left him hating women, especially rich ones. He refuses to even attempt to love or trust again. That is until he meets Nicki.

Nicki lived a privileged upbringing in that she wanted for nothing that money could buy. It couldn’t buy her parents love however and when her mother dies she blames her father and renounces him and all his money. At the same time her fiancé dumps her for reasons that leave her scarred. Now living in Chicago her boss wants her to go to his brother’s ranch for a month. Not being able to live without pay for that long she goes and as expected falls hard for the woman hating brother.

This is basically a story about two people learning to love and trust again. Of course they couldn’t do so without each other. I really enjoyed the dance of Winthrop and Nicki as they would get close and then pull back. There is also the side story of Gerald and Sadie which was nice and didn’t overshadow the main plot. I also loved Mary, the housekeeper; she added some much appreciated humor.

The Humbug Man
★★★☆☆
This is a quick sweet read. Maggie and Tate have both lost their spouses and have been alone for years. Tate has hidden his hurt with a cold attitude and distance; while Maggie has basically hid behind work and raising her son. Spending time at the ranch her father-in-law left her over Christmas put her next door to Tate. They’re attracted to each other and as Tate thaws out and Blake’s plans come together they fall in love.

Overall this is very sweet story of two lonely and hurt people finding each other. The pace is fast, but it needed to be for the length of the story.

(I received a copy from publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Darker Passions