Customer Reviews

Heated Rivalry

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Heated Rivalry by Patricia Sargeant is another exceptional story of love and emotional growth.

Valeria Parker pushes herself to excel at her fathers ad agency. It seems no matter what she does she falls short in wining his approval. Now she has to deal with the new hot shot partner Steven Crennell. Val feels she is ready for more challenging accounts and a much deserved promotion but Steven keeps getting in her way.

Former NBA star Steven Crennell wants to prove he is more then just a basketball player. His work at the Parker Ad agency is challenging and fulfilling. When his ex tries to worm her way back into his life he needs Valerie to run interference. Val agrees to work with Steven on his ex's account by posing as his new fiancé.

Working so closely with Steven on the account has their normal competitiveness turning into an all consuming passion. Can Steven get Valerie to trust him and turn their fake relationship into the real deal?

Heated Rivalry has compelling characters that have problems that are touching to watch them work them out. Steven and Valerie are both driven to succeed but have to learn to let the really important things like love into their lives. Patricia Sargeant writes books that are keepers for me, I can go back to them at any time and fall right back in love with the characters.

Valerie Parker is employed at her father's advertising agency and he's decided to assign the advertising campaign she's been working on to her nemesis, Steve Crennell. She's furious and is determined to get her campaign back; however, she also has to deal with her growing attraction to Steve. Steve can't understand why the attractive Valerie despises him the way she does and wants to find out why. When Steve's past makes an appearance, he turns to Valerie for assistance and she reluctantly agrees. Before long, their attraction becomes intense and they must decide if their rivalry is worth the trouble.

This is a tale of how differences between two people can blossom into a budding relationship. Ms. Sargeant smoothly and suavely depicts Valerie and Steve's love story. The sub characters were lively and offered a humorous twist. HEATED RIVALRY is a treat and worth the read for the true romantic.

Reviewed by Jaime L. Lincoln
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

Valerie Parker was smart, attractive, and a work-a-holic. After gaining the interest of Good N Healthy Foods, she was ready to prove that she was more than capable of bringing in the big accounts as well as serving as artistic lead. But her father, Gerry, co-founder and senior partner of Parker Advertising, had other ideas. He assigned the account to his junior partner, Steven Crennell, retired NBA star, who was also drop-dead gorgeous. Steven had an idea that could benefit them both - but Valerie wanted guarantees that she would get what she wanted. In Patricia Sargeant's Heated Rivalry, Valeria found herself fighting for accounts, her father and her heart.

Sargeant gives readers an interesting twist to a repeated theme. Valerie and Steven had to learn to trust each other and to accept a few hard truths about themselves. I found the story entertaining and would recommend for romance readers.

The book was provided by the author for review.

Priscilla C. Johnson
APOOO BookClub

This was a really good story up until the end. The ending felt a bit rushed to me and for a story that took it's time, that bothered me. It seemed like Ms. Sargent was trying to find a way to wrap everything up in a pretty bow and ran out of ideas. I felt like she started a whole new plot close to the end of the book just to say that the protagonist did this. It bothered me. everything thing else gets five stars but the ending killed the whole book for me.

I felt like that relationship was real and genuine. You showed them dealing with their flaws, learning from them as well as moving past them.

Bravo

Heated Rivalry is a very good read. I found the characters very interesting. Valerie and Steven both worked for an advertising firm created by Valerie's parents. I felt their relationship wasn't just about sex, but very sensuous. I mean, Steven had it going on in the bedroom, and I have to give it to old girl, Valerie, because she held her own too. What I found frustrating, was Valerie's lack of self confidence, and Steven's "kiss-butt" attitude. I felt Valerie should have just stood up to her father and made him come clean because he treated her like dirt, and Steven would let a gold-digging faux pas ex scare him. This is my read by this author, and I look forward to reading more by her. This was a good buy.

Valerie Parker could not understand why her father insisted on pushing her away. Ever since her mother died twelve years ago, she has been seeking the attention and approval of her father. When her father consistently passes her over for promotions she has obviously earned and gives her new clients to ex-NBA star Steven Crennell, Valerie can't believe it.

After a career-ending knee injury, Steven decides to invest in Parker Publishing and put his people skills to work...and not get caught in a family dispute. Steven knows something is wrong with Valerie and her father's relationship, but he is not sure what. He just wants Valerie to stop treating him like the enemy.

Along with all of this, Steven's ex-fiance, who married one of his teammates, is back. She's back under the pretenses of needing help advertising her new spa, but she is actually back for Steven. To keep her at bay, Steven introduces Valerie as his fiance. Somewhere during the pretend love affair, Valerie let her guard down and fell for the sexy ex-NBA star. The question is: can Steven love her past all her insecurities?

Heated Rivalry by Patricia Sargeant was a good read. The plots were very well developed. There were several storylines happening simultaneously, and Sargeant does a great job of weaving them all together. The primary and secondary characters were also well developed. There were some moments when the story seemed to lag. However, Heated Rivalry was an attention keeper overall, even with all the different drama happening.

Reviewed by Tenecia for Urban Reviews

Valerie Parker and her father Garry owns Miami advertising agency with a partner from the NBA player of great talent, Steven. The family business is doing very well except for the rivalry with Valerie and Steven. Valerie has way more talent then Steven but Garry put him in charge because of his status as an NBA star... and totally disregard Val status.

All Valerie wants is Garry acknowledgement of her natural abilities and stop putting her down as his daughter/employee. For years Valerie has been dealing with the lost of her mother and needs the attention of her father. Val can't get ten minutes of her father time without Garry bringing in Steven into the conversation which becomes a problem, to make Val dislike him more. If only Val could get his attention/time long enough she would be so happy....

Steven is a people pleaser, butt kisser and Garry likes this. All hell brakes lose when Steven ex-fiancée Tracy appears out of the blue and wants Steven back after she gets rid of Steven to marry another NBA star that have greater money. Instead of telling Tracy that she couldn't have him back, flat out... He declares to Tracy that him and Val is a couple and is engage. Val goes along with the falsehood to come out later to find Steven was worth the untruth.

Garry is old and sat in his ways, he continues disregarding Val request to treat her as an equal and it takes Val to walk away for him to appreciate her natural abilities that made the company.

With all the highs and lows there's middle to all the madness. The story was very touching about two adults that are at each other throats to have their relationship bloom into a very pleasing and impressive ending. I highly recommend this book for all romance lovers.

Hiding in The Shadows (Peace In The Storm Publishing Presents)

Having read and enjoyed all of Patricia Sargeant's previous books, I was looking forward to the release of Heated Rivalry. And I was not disappointed. The sheer quality of her writing in combination with an engaging storyline is truly a joyful experience. Ms. Sargeant's characters are very well developed. She has painted a three dimensional picture of her main characters. Not only was I able to see them, I was also able to feel their emotions. Steve and Valerie's story was very special. The pain and frustration that Valerie was experiencing as a result of her father's negligence was palpable. It had stymied her growth emotionally. She was stuck, unable to move forward with her life. And yet Steve was able to see beyond that to her inner being and appreciate her true value, something she was unable to do for herself. At the same time, in spite of her own flaws, Valerie was able to hone in on Steve's major issue, people pleasing. The way Ms. Sargeamt was able to go inside, outside, and bring it all together, AWESOME!! I've been completely enthralled with everything Ms. Sargeant has published so far. Kudos to Patricia Sargeant!!

This is the first Patricia Sargeant book I've read and I loved it! The main characters, Valerie and Steven, are smart, funny and hot, but both have human frailities that make them our friends as well as interesting characters. What I liked most about this book was the development of the supporting characters, from Valerie's Dad and Aunt to Manolin, her co-worker; from Steve's family and friends to his ex-fiancee, each character lived and breathed and generated interest and emotion from the reader. This book is carefully written, the detailing is wonderful and the love scenes are hot. A slam-dunk for Patricia Sargeant.

Valerie Parker has fought tooth and nail in her father's ad agency, doing everything necessary to advance herself and convince him to give her her own account team. It didn't look like that was going to happen anytime soon, seeing how he's insisting that she share a prospective, very lucrative account with junior partner Steven Crennell. Steven's capability is inarguable; he's charming and extremely attractive. Add the fact that he's a former NBA star and the man is downright irresistible to many, Valerie's father included. Being forced to work together has Valerie and Steven spending considerable time together and the attraction between them is undeniable and intensely heated. Despite Steven's tender affections, Valerie remains deeply hurt by her father's repeated, almost blatant, rejection.
Steven wishes things were different between Valerie and her father, but he sees Garrison Parker as a mentor and doesn't want to interfere in their personal matters. His budding relationship with Valerie has him over the moon, but he's quickly brought down to Earth when Valerie makes a drastic, unexpected decision that has serious ramifications for both of them, professionally and personally.
Readers will quickly fall for Valerie and Steven. Steven is a former NBA star who suffered a career-ending injury. He is an incredibly likable hero, and despite the typical playboy reputation of sports stars, he has maintained a level head and has consistently given back to the community. Valerie continues to mourn the loss of her mother years ago because it seems that she lost her father at the same time. Despite working together, there is an invisible wall between them and Valerie's heartache at times seems almost tangible; her frustration and pain are excellently written. I highly recommend HEATED RIVALRY to all romance readers. I feel certain that you'll find it as emotionally satisfying as I did.