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If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may have noticed that I like to read Harlequin Desire category romances. I am not at all an expert in what each of the lines means in terms of rules, but I decided it would be fun to start exploring some of the other lines, so I’m here today to talk about three different books from three different lines. From the Harlequin Suspense line, I read His to Protect by Sharon C. Cooper, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher! I really liked this one and felt like it had a few sexy times scenes that made it comparable to the Desire line books I normally read. I also read from the Harlequin Historical line, A Marriage of Equals by Elizabeth Rolls, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher! Again, I do think this had a few sexy times scenes and it was also comparable to the Desire line books I’ve read. And finally, my trust Harlequin Desire book was Taking on the Billionaire by Robin Covington! I really enjoyed this one.

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His to Protect by Sharon C. Cooper

His to Protect was my first book by Sharon C. Cooper, but definitely not my last. I found her writing style to be so compelling and engaging, I was flying through this book! The chemistry between Trace and Connie was really well-executed and I loved all of the secondary characters in this book.

Essentially, this book is about Connie, who is the VP of a personal security firm and she goes to the bank one day and the bank is robbed while she’s there. She gets a decent look at one of the robbers and from there, things are off to the races. Trace is one of the employees at this company and he’s really attractive. He and Connie also had a one night stand a month or so ago, but Connie has a rule against dating co-workers. However, with Connie in danger, Trace pretty much refuses to leave his side.

The only thing I didn’t like about this one is that I still don’t really understand what happened with the bank robbery and the other incidents. Like… it just didn’t make a lot of sense the way things wrapped up. I was with it until like the last 10% and then I was just confused. However, given how compelling the writing was, I still think this book was excellent and would definitely recommend.

A Marriage of Equals by Elizabeth Rolls

Psyche was born into slavery in Jamaica and brought to England by her father, who dies and leaves her in the custody of her uncle, a Lord. Theo is great and good to her, better honestly than her father and Psyche eventually winds up leaving Theo’s household to run her own coffee shop. There’s a suspense element here too because Psyche agrees to shelter Kit, an heiress who has run away from her awful father. The suspense element is what brings Psyche and Will together and they are immediately attracted to one another. It’s really sweet how they come together and I enjoyed their dynamic quite a lot. Will is a white man, maybe a second son? He’s now living his life as the secretary for another Lord who is an abolitionist, unlike his own family who sucks.

I have no idea how to write this review, if I’m being honest. A Marriage for Equals was well-written, engaging, and had me anxious to know what would happen next the whole time. If I hadn’t gone investigating to learn more about the author and discovered that she’s white, I would have never questioned anything. I don’t really know that it’s my place to question anything, but I really struggle with the idea of a white person writing this story, based on real history, where Psyche is exposed to so much racism.

That said, I think this is an incredibly important story to tell. In Rolls’ afterword she talks about the real history that inspired it and I was definitely fascinated. I also really liked the writing here. The story Elizabeth Rolls told was really well done in such a short package and it was nice to see people related to the aristocracy, but not Lords/Ladies as the leads. So, complicated feelings all around, honestly.

Taking on the Billionaire by Robin Covington

Taking on the Billionaire follows private investigator, Tess Lynch, who is attracted to the billionaire who is currently paying for her services, Adam Redhawk, and who she’s keeping a secret from regarding her past. Adam is adopted and originally hired Tess to track down his siblings because the three of them were split up when they were young in violation of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Now, he’s asked her to continue helping him figure out some sort of corporate espionage situation. Also, he is extremely attracted to Tess as well!

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book! My biggest qualm with this one was the inclusion of one of my least favorite tropes. What I liked about Taking on the Billionaire the most was probably the characters, plus the inclusion of a sick bed scene! My current favorite thing, I think. I also really enjoyed Covington’s writing. Aside from that issue I had with trope usage and third act break up situations, I also feel like when a plot has a family element like this, I inevitably wind up feeling like the category length does a disservice to the book because we don’t really get to explore all that it brings up. Regardless, I am very excited for book two and I loved getting to read about a Cherokee hero from a Cherokee author!! More of that, please.

Have you read any of these? Do you read category romance? If so, do you have a favorite or a favorite line?

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