Falling In by Lydia Michaels (The Surrender Trilogy #1)
Released: September 17, 2013
Erotic Contemporary
Penguin
Reviewed by Mandi
I knew what I was getting with this book before I started (kind of). I knew the hotel maid fell for the tycoon hotel owner, all of this is stated in the blurb. What surprised me however was how much this heroine intrigued me at first. She has been homeless her entire life, born in an alley to a heroin-addicted mother. She lives on the streets and sleeps in a shelter. She still brings crumbs of food to her junkie mother who is barely surviving. She doesn’t know how to read yet she has risen up and has accepted a job as a maid at a fancy hotel. She is excited to actually get her very first paycheck.
On all accounts Scout impressed me. Until she meets Lucian, the billionaire hero. She cleans his penthouse which is where he meets her. Less than twenty-four hours later, she is “his.” She agrees to escort him to business functions (where I shook my head and asked, seriously?), she agrees to be dressed in fancy clothes and live in a fancy suite. That fierce, independent attitude washes away down the drain with the grime of the shelter. Do I fault her for wanting some luxury? Hell no. But where I find fault is the asshole hero she ends up with. And yes, he is an asshole. Not a sexy alphahole. This is where I may have started weeping. He is so rude, obnoxious, mean, cold. Making her come in front of his friends. Having an attitude of “I was hurt so now I must always be in control blah blah.” Gah! Being all upset that she happened to be a virgin and didn’t tell him. Hmmm..maybe if he had made an effort to actually get to know her and not just see her naked, he would have discovered this. It made me so angry to have a heroine who totally engaged me end up with this kind of hero. There was no romance (okay, maybe a tiny bit at the end. Slight redempion). No love. There was ownership and there was confusion on the part of Scout. Not my type of romance for sure.
You know really intrigued me? Scout’s fellow homeless friend Parker. Scout and Parker together could have stolen the show and I’m not sure I would have put the book down. Scout and Lucian – did not work for me at all.
Rating: C-
So as I ranted about this on Twitter, some offered other books that feature a homeless character:
Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia
Fever by Maya Banks
New Life by Bonnie Dee (not sure if this is homeless, but hero suffered a brain injury and now works as a janitor. This sounds very interesting – Dear Author reviewed it earlier this year. )
Do you have any recs for books along this line? I’d love to hear them.
“Not a sexy alphahole.” – LOL! I think I can understand why she would abandon her independence in favor of luxury, but to do it for a true asshole instead of an alphahole… unforgivable. smh
We should get Tack in here to show him the way. ;)
Can’t Tack come by, put her on the back of his bike and hook her up with a sexy biker?? ;)
Hmmm…I don’t think I’d like this one either. He sounds very unlikable. I did read Fever & liked it. I read everything of Maya’s. Great review.
If I’m going to read an asshole hero, he better be sexy!
Not a favorite trope of mine. I don’t mind the billionaire and the ingenue but when the heroine becomes a puddle of stupid hormones and the billionaire is a butthead-yeah, I’m gonna walk.
Though… admit I’m curious now.
I can see her giving in to get a taste of what it feels like to live the good life, but for this to be a romance we would have needed some redemption of the asshole hero. Too bad, sounds like it would have been a good read had the hero learned a lesson or tow.
Gah, I really don’t like when author is convincing me for five chapters that heroine is strong, fierce and independent, just to wash all that away with hero strolling in and taking away personality from heroine…
As for your question, I don’t know if you’re up for it, but there is great mm romance featuring homeless hero: A Note in the Margin by Isabelle Rowan.
He sounds like a dick, no thanks
A Note in the Margin is a must read!!
Is there not a book out there where the girl does not immediately “belong” to the billionaire? I would love to read one where she keeps saying no and he has to keep convincing her. All these girl of course say NO how dare you belive I am that type of girl and in the next page they are having sex. REALLY?!
Ugh. Give me a story where the billionaire really has to work to get her. Give her some damn self respect please!
I do agree with Bookster. I want my heroine to be and to stay a strong character and not get reformed into a doormat.