The Heiress and the Hothead by Sabrina Jeffries Published by Pocket Star on November 28th 2016
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Stunned by the heat of an unexpected kiss on a cold winter’s eve, two strangers from vastly different worlds turn hotheaded principles into burning passion in Sabrina Jeffries’s delightful yuletide story, The Heiress and the Hothead.
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¬¬Reviewed by Amy¬¬
Lord Stephen Curry is a guest at the Christmas house party of his good friend Yvette Keane and her husband. Aiding his cousin in her attempt to attract the attention of a suitor, he goes to kiss her under the mistletoe. Only to both party’s surprise, the woman he kisses is not his cousin. She is Amanda Keane, the sister of his host and the very woman he came to the party to meet. Amanda owns a cotton mill in America and is in England to observe the mills there in hopes of making her own mill more successful. Stephen is a journalist and activist for the London Monitor and writes speaking out against the atrocities of the cotton mills in England. He is a champion for the poor and abused workers. Stephen intended to interview Miss Keane about her mills so that he might show that these abuses took place in America as well. Stephen had imagined Miss Keane would be a colorless spinster with a hard -nosed view of life. Yet Amanda was nothing like that. She was a beautiful girl with curly red hair and a dusting of freckles. Amanda had read Stephen’s articles and imagined him to be an awful person who made a profession of speaking out on matters he knew nothing about. So why did that one kiss affect them so? Stephen had never been affected so fiercely by a woman. Amanda was moved by Stephen’s kiss as well. He was a good kisser and it did fluttery things to her insides.
Amanda agrees to be interviewed by Stephen if he will introduce her to his sources and allow her to ask questions of them. In the days that follow, they do just that. And in the course of that time came to see each other in a different light. Stephen liked Amanda’s forthrightness and strong will, and Amanda liked that he didn’t criticize her for speaking her mind. When he kissed her, he turned into something other than an insufferable English radical. She’d never had fun flirting with a man before but Stephen made her heart pound. For Stephen, Amanda was beautiful, but more than her beauty called to him. He wanted more time with her. More kisses. Something deeper and more permanent. But each realized the impossible situation they were in. Amanda would never want to leave the business she was building in America, and Stephen was compelled to continue his work in England. His principles were unalterable, even for her. Would either be willing to compromise for the sake of love?
Though short, this story is filled with delicious chemistry. And the characters are so loveable, you can’t help but root for them. Sabrina Jeffries has a real talent for making sparks fly between her characters. I loved Stephen and how passionate he felt about making changes in the world. Amanda was the perfect match for him. Where he tended to only focus on the hardships and difficulties surrounding him, she saw potential and hope. And by seeing the world through Amanda’s eyes, Stephen began to see the good in people as well. If you are a fan of Sabrina Jeffries, you will fall in love with this novella. Though part of the Sinful Suitor series which I’ve not read, I had no trouble picking up on the story and how characters were linked from a previous book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
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About Sabrina Jeffries
Sabrina Jeffries is the NYT bestselling author of 39 novels and 10 works of short fiction (some written under the pseudonyms Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas). Whatever time not spent writing in a coffee-fueled haze of dreams and madness is spent traveling with her husband and adult autistic son or indulging in one of her passions—jigsaw puzzles, chocolate, and music. With over 7 million books in print in 20 different languages, the North Carolina author never regrets tossing aside a budding career in academics for the sheer joy of writing fun fiction, and hopes that one day a book of hers will end up saving the world.
She always dreams big.
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