Customer Reviews

Highest Price to Pay

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The Highest Price to Pay (Modern)

THE HIGHEST PRICE TO PAY is an August 2011 release by HM&B Modern series and is the latest presentation by author Maisey Yates.

Book Description reads...

"While it has been reported that I may be missing my own soul, I have no interest in yours. This is about money.' When Ella's failing business comes wrapped up as part of Blaise Chevalier's recent takeover, he plans to discard it - as is his usual way with surplus goods. Then he meets Ella! Cast from the same fiery mould as he is, she makes an intriguing adversary. Perhaps he could have a little fun with his new acquisition...As proud and strong as she is beautiful, Ella is determined to prove Blaise wrong about her business and her worth. As long as she hides her hint of vulnerability and denies the flicker of attraction between them when she catches her enemy's eye...

My Review...

Blaise Chevalier knew the man he could be if he allowed emotion to lead. He knew what he was capable of when he let his desires to take charge, when he abandoned decency in the pursuit of his own satisfaction. He had no intention of ever being that man again.

But Ella Stanton was temptation. She was more than what he had envisioned. The temptation she presented to him seemed too great to combat. But he had to, didn't he?

Ella saw another side to Blaise. When she had thought he was nothing more than a cold, ruthless man who would stop at nothing to get what was his, then it had been hard to stop herself from weaving fantasies around him. Now that she saw this new Blaise, who could blame her from falling for him?

This couple deserved their happy ending because each of them in their own way was strong, strong enough to endure whatever came their way. It's as much a story about recovering from grief, betrayal and self-discovery as it is about the unquenchable desire between Ella and Blaise. This is a story I thoroughly enjoyed, it kept me turning pages late into night with its captivating blend of high fashion business drama, passion, emotional tension, seduction and romance.

Maisey Yates has always written books that enthralls her readers. THE HIGHEST PRICE TO PAY is no exception with characters that leap of the page and holds you captivated. THE HIGHEST PRICE TO PAY is sexy, sensual, filled with tension, heartbreak, secrets, scandals and sizzle!

Ella Stanton, designer and shop owner, has her business taken over by Blaise Chevalier, who buys her debt as part of a package. She's resentful of Blaise and the takeover, and he's only going to give her business the time of day if he thinks it is viable. The attraction between them complicates matters to another level.

I liked the rich characterization in The Highest Price to Pay. These are both strong, yet vulnerable characters and so I was deeply invested in seeing them get together. I enjoyed Blaise and Ella's interaction, even when they were downright hostile to each other. The chemistry and love scenes are well done. Oh, and Blaise was super-hot.

I haven't read a Mills & Boon romance in ages, thinking I'd outgrown the plotlines; however, the writer handled this story so smoothly that I finished reading it in no time. This is the first time I've come across a female lead who isn't physically perfect. While the plot isn't complex, Ms. Yates still kept me tied to the story.

I first came across the cover of the book on Nas Dean's blog and marked it to read on Goodreads. I thought these characters were a radical departure from the usual Mills and Boon romance, but since I haven't read one of their books in a while, I'm probably way out of touch. I came across The Highest Price to Pay again on my Goodreads list this past Friday, downloaded a sample from Amazon and then bought the book.

I could have lived without the deep emotional connection to these two characters. Weird, I know, but I felt Ella's pain and insecurity in all its intensity. Truth be told, there were a few times that my eyes got a case of the burn. Of course, I know this is wonderful stuff. You can't have a better experience than to feel for the people you're reading about.

I have to be honest and say I found the book fascinating because of the cover, which speaks immediately to the racial difference between the characters, not that there was a big deal about it in the story.

The wrap-up came a little quickly for me as well as a teeny point I thought was unresolved, but I understand that this is the nature of a Mills & Boon Romance being that there are only so many pages.

Again, Ms. Yates did a superb job with the characters, and in my book, that's one of the hallmarks of a good writer.

See full review at http://www.readerssuite.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-review-highest-price-to-pay.html

I started this novel with high hopes that it would be an enjoyable read, however that was not to be the case. Bearing in mind that it is typical of the Mills and Boon romance genre and had a formula to follow, at first I thought it would be exceptional. The meeting between the characters was satisfactory, the battle lines drawn and everything set for a wild ride.

However, I have to say I was very disappointed. The characters - one emotionally disabled, the other physically and emotionally - but both gorgeous (of course) - were boring. In my opinion, far too much time was spent spelling out their thoughts and feelings to the point where it became endless repetition. The reader is reminded frequently that the heroine was burned in a house fire and rejected by her parents for being flawed. The only time she ever had a date was because a bloke wanted to see if her scars were as bad as people were saying, so he could humiliate her.

The hero angsts over his father hating him because he went with his mother when she left (he was eight) and seducing his brother's fiance just before the wedding. It's all his fault and he can't get over the guilt - but apparently the fiance didn't know the meanings of the word "No" and "fidelity"!

The dialogue in this novel was stilted and unimaginative. It centered around their problems, a little about her fashion business which "took off" overnight when money was flung at it (fantasyland) and whether or not the hero could bear to touch the heroine's scars. No sparkling wit, no depth to the conversations - in fact a paucity of dialogue all round.

When the two main characters finally get it together, the reader is treated to page after page after page of graphic sex where the hero initiates the heroine, who is - of course - a virgin.

I found myself skimming, thinking "Oh for God's sake, how much more of this?" which is not a good thought for a reader to have about a novel.