An Inconvenient Affair

Catherine Mann

Publisher: HQN
Publication Date: Aug 7, 2012
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Netgalley

Sometimes Wrong Feels Oh-So Right Hillary Wright has always been a magnet for Mr. Wrong. Her latest left her in trouble with the law, and to clear her name, she’s agreed to an undercover sting-as the “date” for infamous Troy Donavan. The notorious hacker is now a government good guy…and a sexy billionaire playboy. Troy has a reputation as the sort of man she’s vowed to avoid, and his secretiveness adds fuel to Hillary’s distrust. But with his kisses like molten sin, her fierce resistance is melting. And being sensible in the face of such overpowering desire is just not an option.

Goodreads Summary

I tend to avoid these types of Harlequin imprint books, mainly because the covers are so cheesy. I mean, really. Harlequin is a huge publishing house and they can’t design better covers? I’m sure that for most of these books, the stories are actually really enjoyable and wonderful. But the packaging. Geez.

Because I’m continually striving to be a better person in general, as well as a more well rounded reviewer, I decided to ignore the hideous outside and give this book a shot. I was hoping for an enemies to lovers type of story, but what I got was an insta-love with hit and miss chemistry between the MC’s. Bummer.

Hillary Wright has bad luck with men. Her latest wins the prize though, since his high profile arrest has revealed his more criminal tendencies. In an effort to clear her name and save her professional reputation, she agrees to help the authorities identify her ex’s partner and is put on the next flight to Chicago.

Troy Donovan is one of the richest men in America. He’s a technological genius, and while he’s proud of his successful business, he’s mostly bored with it. As a teenager, he performed a bit of illegal hacking in classified government databases, and was sent to a military reform school as punishment. The headmaster taught him how to channel his excessive energy and smarts into more legal ventures, and Troy has been a consultant for various government agencies ever since. Because of Troy’s wealth and social status, he’s perfect for a case like this where the government needs his connections to find this mysterious money launderer (or Hillary’s ex’s partner), among the rich and famous.

Instead of taking his own plane, Troy takes the liberty of meeting his partner ahead of time and joins Hillary on the flight to Chicago. While Troy knows about the case, Hillary has no knowledge of Troy’s involvement. And for some reason, Troy decides not to tell her when they first meet. Hillary has a low tolerance for secrets after her last relationship, and Troy screws it all up before it can even start. She still has to help identify her ex’s partner, and needs Troy’s help to do so. It seems that her ex was involved in more than just money laundering, and Hillary has now become a target of the criminal organization she is helping to bring down. Troy has developed a soft spot for Hillary, and offers himself (and his vast resources) to protect her until the case is closed.

I think the main problem with this story was that it just wasn’t memorable enough. There was supposed to be a little bit of a mystery, but once I got into the story I found that plot line to be very minor. I could understand how Hillary would be gun shy after dating a criminal, but the resistance she put up was way over the top. She professed over and over again how she wanted complete honesty between them, and when Troy keeps something from her for what I thought was a very romantic reason, she gets all huffy and ends things between them. There was some major eye rolling on my part happening at that point in the story.

Troy was interesting enough, but he wasn’t magnetic. I want characters that pull me in, that capture my emotions and refuse to let go until the end of the story, or even beyond. That didn’t happen with this book. I couldn’t bring myself to care about either Troy or Hillary. The story could have been helped out a bit by the suspense and mystery, but it was just too minor to come into play.

It seems like every hero I read about these days is a mega billionaire. I’m not complaining about it necessarily, but I wonder if authors are using that as a crutch. Wealth opens up a lot of avenues that regular joe’s don’t have, and characters that can do anything, go anywhere, or own anything just seem too easy. Again, not complaining, because I’m sure that no woman would turn down a billionaire, not even me. This is mostly just a random observation.

My Summary: In this case, the unfortunate cover wasn’t hiding a hidden gem. At least not for me. Neither the characters, nor the story line grabbed my attention. At some points I found myself choosing to do the dishes, or fold the laundry because I was a little too bored. It’s a sad day when I choose housework over reading.

My Rating: C