Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas

Danielle from Alpha Reader kindly suggested this book when I asked for Contemporary recommendations. I had mixed feelings about this book in the beginning -I didn't realize it would span so many years, but I liked it. Thanks Danielle!

I don't know how to review this book without spoilers, so let me just say: Spoilers Ahead! I'll try to only do a few small ones.

Sugar Daddy starts out with 14-year-old Liberty Jones and her mother moving into a trailer park in Welcome, Texas. (Her father died when Liberty was very young) There she meets Hardy Cates when she is almost attacked by pit bulls. He's an older boy but she is immediately attracted to him. Over the next few months, she doesn't see him much. She goes to school, hangs out with friends, and as she gets a bit older she gets contacts, plucks her eyebrows, and cuts her hair. The boys start to notice her, but she only wants Hardy to notice her. He tells her he's too bad for her.

While this is going on, her mother is working to support them and ends up pregnant. Baby Carrington becomes the center of Liberty's life. Judging from the events in the book, it sounds like her mom might have had post-partum depression, and Liberty took over. Her grades were falling and she was exhausted from getting up at night to care for the baby. On one particularly bad night, Hardy comes to help. That night, her mother tells her she doesn't want her seeing Hardy anymore and Hardy agrees.

Soon after that her mother dies in a car crash and Liberty is left alone to care for Carrington. She's never had a job and only has a high school diploma. She gets custody of her sister, and enrolls in beauty school. There she lands a job in a fancy Houston salon. She moves to Houston to be closer to work and so Carrington can go to a good school. At the salon, an exceedingly rich client, Churchill Travis, comes in for a haircut and they end up talking. He starts to ask for her whenever he comes in, and they begin to meet away from work. It's a totally platonic relationship, although other people think they're sleeping together. Her relationship with Churchill becomes a father/daughter type of relationship and they talk about everything. He ends up asking her to be his personal assistant, and Liberty and Carrington move into his mansion.

During this time, Liberty has done a bit of dating but no one can make her feel like she did when Hardy was around. She figures she's doomed be miserble and alone.

Churchill has three sons and a daughter. The oldest son, Gage, went into the family business and is in the mansion a lot. He thinks Liberty is sleeping with his father and resents her for it. He's rude and Liberty doesn't like him. Gradually their relationship takes a turn and they start dating. Then she runs into Hardy, who is now rich and successful. Liberty is conflicted because she has feelings for Gage and their romance is new, but can't forget how she felt about Hardy. While she's sorting out her feelings, she also learns some disturbing news about Carrington's father.

I enjoyed this story, but I was frustrated the build up to her adult life took so long. I will concede that it was important to the story and we needed it to understand Liberty's choices as an adult. I felt bad for Liberty - she had some tough breaks, and when her mother died I wanted to cry for her. I liked her secondary characters, especially Churchill, and Gage too, once she got to know him. I was mad at Hardy at the end of the book, and except for that I liked the ending.

All in all, it was a good read. I will definitely read the other books in this series. Thanks Danielle!

When Strangers Marry by Lisa Kleypas

Lysette Kersaint is bethrothed to Etienne Sagesse. He is an awful, crude man whom she does not want to marry. Her stepfather has bethrothed her to Etienne for a substantial sum of money. When she tells her stepfather she does not want to marry Etienne, he beats her severely.

She runs away, but is caught stealing a pirogue in the river by twins, Justin and Philippe Vallerand. They bring her home to their father, Max, a very powerful man in the New Orleans territory. He also happens to be the enemy of Etienne Sagesse, who had an affair with Max's wife. Max's wife was murdered, and her murderer was never found. It has been whispered (loudly) that Max himself murdered her in a jealous rage. Max quickly sees Lysette's arriving on his doorstep as the perfect way to get revenge. He plans to keep her long enough to "ruin" her so that Sagesse will not want to marry her, necessating a duel, at which point he will kill Sagesse.

Lysette's stepfather and Sagesse find out where she is staying and demand her return. She begs Max not to send her back. He claims she is sick and unable to leave his home. She gives Max a letter to mail to her cousin, asking for help, but Max does not send the letter. While she is waiting for a response from her cousin, she starts to fall in love with Max. Max is attracted to Lysette but is so bitter from the betrayal of his first wife that he fights his attraction.

Lysette gets sick and he nurses her back to health. Her family comes again to get her and she refuses to go and she is ruined now due to her continued association with Max. He duels Etienne over Lysette and wins but forfeits killing him. Then he comes home and tells Lysette he wants to marry her. They are wed shortly after, but memories of his first wife continue to haunt the household.

Meanwhile, there are all kinds of political maneuverings going on between the Governor and Successionists, and Max is courted by both sides. He disappears for hours at night, and Lysette doesn't know if it's to see his mistress, or conducting illegal business.

When Etienne is murdered, Max has no alibi and people think he did it. Lysette must prove Max didn't murder Etienne, and when they find out who the real murder is it's a down-to-the wire effort to save Max!

This story had two of my favorite things: a New Orleans setting (although we didn't see much of it) and a marriage of convenience. It had murder, politics, romance and a sweet storyline between Max and his children. I enjoyed watching Lysette grow confident in herself and the relationship that bloomed between her and Max was good.

The Hathaway Series by Lisa Kleypas

I saw a post somewhere about Lisa Kleypas' Hathaway series, read an excerpt, and thought "Why not?" Why not, indeed. This is the first romance I've read that doesn't involve time travel, vampires, werewolves, or faeries (although I think Mine Till Midnight had a ghost involved at one point). Not what I expected, but they were entertaining to read. I liked Mine Till Midnight better, but Seduce Me at Sunrise was also good. They both had a bit of a mystery intertwined with the usual romantic tension and "stubborn male/female who refuses to acquiesce to his wishes" storyline.

Mine Till Midnight featured Amelia, one of four sisters, out searching for her drunk brother. While searching, she meets Cam, a handsome gypsy living in society. They meet again after Amelia moves to the country to (hopefully) cure her brother's wicked ways. A mystery ensues and reluctant romance blooms between Amelia and Cam. It is a sweet story with a good ending. I enjoyed the characters, her sisters were fun and the secondary stories woven into the novel were good.

Seduce Me At Sunrise is the story of Amelia's sister, Win. Win is sickly due to a bout of Scarlett Fever a few years before the story, and is in love with a close family friend, Kev. Kev is also a gypsy and, although he has loved Win since they were children, he doesn't think he is worthy of her love. Some of the scenes wherein he tries to discourage suitors for her are pretty funny! Win goes off to France for a cure, and comes back healthy and wanting Kev, who pushes her away. This book has a mystery involving the doctor who cured Win, and the strange tattoo that both Cam and Kev each have. The end was sweet.

I enjoyed both books, particularly the interaction between the hero and heroine in each story. The side stories were good to keep the books moving along. I think the next story will be about the brother, Leo - I'll read it!