Construction Beauty Queen by Sara Daniel
Contemporary Romance
Released: September 25, 2012
Entangled Publishing
Reviewed by Mandi
Veronica leaves her wealthy parents and lifestyle behind and wants to go out into the world to use her college degree and prove something to herself. She writes her grandfather, who lives in the small town of Kortville and asks if she can help run his company. Her grandfather tells her she can work for his construction firm for thirty days, and if she is successful then she can take over his distribution company he owns.
But when Veronica gets to Kortville, it’s not a friendly welcome by anyone. Her grandfather didn’t expect her to actually show up and the small town takes an immediate dislike to her because her grandfather promised the town funds and land and if Veronica takes over the business, those funds may not be available.
Matt Shaw lost his brother and sister in-law in an accident, and now cares for his niece. He took over Kortville Construction when his brother died, and has become a big part of this town. Veronica’s grandfather has a 50% stake in the construction company and uses that to pressure Matt into letting Veronica work for him for the next month. Everyone assumes Veronica will fail, as she has never worked construction before.
This set-up is so silly to me. All of a sudden, Veronica is hammering down roofs and fixing fences in her fancy boots and cute clothes. Major eye roll. I just didn’t get the connection of working manual construction in order to take over a distribution company. If the characters had been more funny, or if the book had a lighter tone, maybe this set-up would have worked. But they come across very flat. The whole premise didn’t work for me.
This book also lacks chemistry between Matt and Veronica. It was hard to find a spark between them and there was no sexual tension. The first time they kiss, the scene abruptly changes and we don’t know how Matt or Veronica really felt or reacted. And then the story just continues without addressing it in detail. The sex scenes are fade to black. This book is from their Bliss line, so maybe all the books are that way? I don’t have to have sex in my stories but I do need some type of intimacy between the hero and heroine, and we don’t get that here. Some moments, just between them that shows the depth of their physical feelings. I became frustrated with the relationship and the storyline. Not for me.
Rating: D
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I need chemistry, I need to believe so no thanks