James & Tina’s Romance Is About A Hotel Mogul’s Obsession With A Strong & Confident Woman Who Has No Problem Telling Him No. James Is A Dom Looking For A Sub, & He Thinks He Might Have Found One In Tina, The Beautiful Woman With The Take-Charge Attitude, But Soon He Finds Himself Losing Control.
This story opens in late spring. It takes place in Houston.
Tina Siegler, fiercely independent, moved back home to Houston some years ago after an ugly breakup. She had worked at a design firm in San Francisco (San Diego is referenced later in the book) where she had a promising career. She had made the unfortunate mistake of becoming involved with a colleague, however, and when the relationship began to crumble, she knew she had to get away. Working with Cecil Golden was simply no longer an option. Her natural self-confidence had taken a gigantic hit, and she has only just begun to heal. She credits much of that to the support of her family, and her sister Dina in particular.
Tina decided to step out on her own a few years ago, opening her design firm. Clients have been few and far between, though, and the bills are piling up. If she weren’t so stubborn and determined, she might have already given up on it, but Tina isn’t a quitter. She is one tough cookie. She runs five miles a day, knows how to shoot a gun, and took five years of karate. Many men are intimidated by her confidence which doesn’t bother her at all. She isn’t ready to start dating again, but that doesn’t matter since she needs her entire focus to be on making her company a success. She even grabs some shifts occasionally at her sister’s catering company just to help make ends meet.
James Maximus, a.k.a. James Ryson, is well-known in Houston as a hotelier and playboy. At thirty-three or so, he is nicknamed the hotel king of Texas. He was the son of a struggling single mom, whom he lost when he was just thirteen. That was when he learned that his father was one of the richest men in Texas. When Connor Maximus took him in, seeing the wealth and opulence stung a little after the poverty he had been raised in. He rebelled through high school, but he eventually got his act together.
James respects women, but that doesn’t mean he is the relationship type. Simone Eastman was the latest in a long line of women to come and go from his life. He bores easily and doesn’t make empty promises, so short-lived liaisons are more his style. What most don’t know is that he has been a member of an exclusive club for years, a place where the wealthy go to play. He isn’t ashamed, but then again, it isn’t anybody’s business but his own. He likes to be in control in the bedroom, and The Black Star offers both entertainment and the chance to work with subs. It is a great outlet for when he isn’t immersed in work.
James has a powerful presence and is known to intimidate with just a glance. He lacks patience and his employees walk on eggshells around him. One of the only persons in his life that he considers a friend is his half-sister, Gianna/Giana Eckerle. Her patience and determination to befriend him are the only reason that particular relationship worked out. James may be a powerful businessman, and women may line up for him, but there is a reason he isn’t good with relationships beyond just the casual fling or casual acquaintances. He lacks social skills. He isn’t good with words or expressing himself, so for him, the less said is better. He is direct and to the point, and that usually works out well for him.
When James spots a beautiful woman with a confident stride breezing through his new hotel, he cannot resist asking her out for drinks. What he doesn’t expect is to be told no. Tina gives him the complete brushoff, something he isn’t used to receiving. But James gets whatever he sets his mind on, and somehow her refusals only make him want her more. Soon his attraction to her becomes an obsession. He doesn’t plan on letting her get away, but if he really wants her, he will first need to learn a few lessons about relationships.
When James and Tina cross paths, neither is open to the idea of a relationship. They are both focused on their businesses with little time for anything else. But as James begins to chip away at Tina’s walls, little by little they come down. The problem is that James still cannot seem to get enough of her, and soon they find themselves in something that resembles a relationship. Things get serious when exes enter the picture, forcing them to recognize their feelings for one another. They face some uphill challenges, but the couple eventually finds a happy ending.
James and Tina’s steamy story grabs you from the first page and keeps your attention through the end. There are several obstacles that the couple must face, either individually or together. It is a big book. It could have ended as a relatively sweet story after one of the earlier obstacles, but I am so glad it didn’t. It allows the reader to experience more with the couple and to become more attached. James is brash, but once you get to know a little about the man underneath, it is easy to feel compassion for him. He struggles with foot in the mouth syndrome. Things are not easy for him, and Tina is not the type to put up with any nonsense. She is smart and quick-thinking. She isn’t afraid to call him out, unlike almost everyone else in his life. Normally he wouldn’t care, but his obsession with Tina has him spinning his wheels and doing cartwheels just to get her attention. It is a mental exercise for him as well as he attempts to learn about women and relationships.
There are a few issues that merit mention. First, the timeline doesn’t feel realistic in terms of Tina’s work on the old Biscayne Hotel. James had to finalize the purchase before she got started. There would have been contracts, designs, approvals, and permits to apply for, not to mention such things as ordering and scheduling delays. The roughly six weeks it took for completion doesn’t seem right, particularly when dealing with a historical property. Sourcing the materials for such a project would take time and research, and some items would conceivably be special order. Next, both James and Tina have vague histories. Their ages are not given, though James’s can roughly be determined. His dating history is a bit confusing. It isn’t even clear if he really did have dates, although he mentions dating. It initially seems he finds women the normal way, but then we learn he uses escorts, and then we learn he gets hooked up with subs at the club. All three seems a little much, and it just felt like the story shifted without notice. Similarly, Tina had worked at a design firm in San Francisco, which later was referenced as a firm in San Diego. There are also some names that change spelling – and the occasional typo. That leads me to suspect that the dating history was not purposely all over the place, but probably just an oversight. There is more. He supposedly doesn’t do relationships, but the implication was that he had indeed spent some time with Simone. Finally, he put a lot of thought and planning into the idea of having a permanent sub at some point, which flies in the face of the notion that he does not do relationships. Regardless of these issues, this story is still very worthwhile.
James and Tina’s romance is about a hotel mogul’s obsession with a strong and confident woman who has no problem telling him no. The couple has fantastic chemistry and they heat up the pages together. There is plenty of steam in this book. James is a Dom looking for a sub, and he thinks he might have found one in the beautiful woman with the take-charge attitude. He finds himself losing control with Tina, but he always gets what he wants. Their story is nicely written, with an occasional typo. The plot is fairly simple. Much of the time, it feels very realistic. The characters feel real. James really grows on you. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between James and Tina. I rate this book four stars.
I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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