In the Eye of the Storm/Catering to the CEO by Samantha Chase
Contemporary Romance
Released: April 3, 2018
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Reviewed by Sheena
In the Eye of the Storm
A Samantha Chase novel is a pretty good bet, so I was excited to see this two-in-one deal. Chase promises sweet and angsty romance and though the door is typically closed during the sexy times, the romantic tension and story telling usually balances the lack of “whoa baby, come to mama! *bites fist*” just fine. In the first story, In the Eye of the Storm, Holly is a personal assistant to her impossibly demanding CEO boss, Stephen who makes it a bad habit of calling her on whims and eating up her personal time. One night after a drunken bar scuffle with his friends, he calls Holly for a ride home and despite the damning weather, she begrudgingly comes to his rescue. The weather is far too treacherous for her to travel back home so she stays the night in his palatial home and awakens to news that she believes will change her life. Apparently Stephen got into his bar kerfuffle with his friends over her and their perception of his relationship with Holly, alluding to an assistant with benefits situation. Holly totally overreacts and wants to quit and the countdown is on for Stephen to change her mind.
“This will all blow over in a couple of days. I can make sure Derek and Will stay away for a while. I’m sure I’m not high on their list right now either. Chances of them even wanting to come around are probably slim to none. Don’t quit!” He said the words with a quiet fierceness that Holly had never heard before. “I can fix this. I swear I can. Give me some time.”
Holly pulled back to look at him and smiled sadly. “I appreciate that you wanted to fight this battle for me, I do. No one’s ever done anything like that for me. But the truth of the matter is it’s not your issue, it’s mine. It may very well be only Derek and Will who have this theory, but I’ll never be sure of that, and it’s not something I can live with. I know I work hard for what I do, and the work I do is legit. I’m not exchanging sexual favors for job perks.”
“So if you know that and I know that, then why let them win? Don’t you see, Holly, by leaving you’re playing their childish game. Don’t do it.”
Yeah, Holly. Don’t do it. Quitting your job because two douchelords make crass jokes about boning the boss feeds their stupid narrative! Stephen is right. Office rumors are typical when men and women work closely together. Holly will be quitting jobs her whole life if she tucked her tail and ran every-time someone started a rumor. She annoyed me with her quickness to turn tail. Stephen’s stupid friends didn’t even work there for goodness sakes.
In any case, the raging storms surged and Holly was forced to stay on longer at Stephen’s house, thus setting the stage for them to fight the battle of their mutual attraction- and lose- and fall madly in wheepy love, with a cute HEA to boot! It is a fast read, swoony and fun, despite my misgivings about Holly’s yellow belly! In the end I was ecstatically rooting for them and they deliver in the best way!
Grade: B-
Catering to the CEO
In book 2, Catering to the CEO, Adam and Cassie erupt in a combustible foes to lovers romance that grabbed my attention from the starting spark! Adam is a little neurotic in a kind of sexy way that made his POV funny and exciting to read. After challenging one another in business and later hooking up, there is a one sided pregnancy scare that is hilarious to watch unfold because all of the angst, paranoia that literally seeps off of Adam as he tries to come to terms with his maybe baby, obviously opting to not confront Cassie with his suspicions because whats the fun in that when he can freak the freak out for chapter upon chapter, entertaining the hell out of me.
With fists tightly gripping the steering wheel, Adam drove toward the restaurant, his mind spinning. Was Cassie pregnant? He had only heard part of her conversation, and from what he did hear, that seemed to be the logical conclusion… Glancing at Cassie, he felt his heart lurch. She was so damn beautiful that she made him ache. There had to be a way for him to find out if she was pregnant and why she was keeping it from him. But how? He could come out and ask her, but that might put her on the defensive and she’d deny it. He had to come up with a plan. For tonight, he’d observe her, see how she behaved and how her family acted toward her. The thought of her keeping such a huge secret from him burned. He wanted to trust Cassie and believe that he’d misinterpreted what he’d heard, but Adam knew that trust was not his strong suit. If she thought that she’d keep his child from him and then demand money from him later on, she’d be in for a huge surprise! There would be no payout for having his baby! …Hell, even in his own mind he sounded slightly deranged. Cassie had never asked him for anything; how could he possibly believe that she would do something so underhanded?
Oh Adam, dear sweet, leaping to conclusions Adam. I appreciated the look into the male POV when faced with a possible pregnancy. Adam had legitimate fears and nerves and budding feelings for Cassie and his journey came across as very authentic and necessary. His wheels were spinning, and it affected his relationship with Cassie. Their love story wasn’t easy and the huge misunderstanding was a road block in more than one way, but I enjoyed every nuance of their affair, Adam’s “eek!” moments that made me lol, Cassie’s strength, professional creativity and her willingness to hold Adam accountable for his actions and willing to be held accountable for her own. As a couple they felt very accessible and their passion was undeniable.
Cassie’s arms twined around his neck to keep him close. This is glorious madness was all Cassie could think as Adam continued to kiss her more intimately than she’d ever been kissed before. His tongue stroked her, and she tasted the wine, the sweetness, and wanted to drink him in. Too soon he moved his mouth from hers and trailed kisses to her cheek and her throat and up to her earlobe before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her over to one of the over sized sofas in the living room… Cassie whimpered with need and wrapped one leg around Adam’s to give them full-body contact. In the next instant, she found herself pinned beneath him and staring up into his heated gaze.
“Dammit, Cassandra, I was trying to be a gentleman,” he said, breath ragged. “…I knew that if I touched you, if I kissed you, that I’d want to make love to you, and I don’t think you’re feeling up to that yet.” Adam rested his forehead on hers. “For once I was trying to be the good guy.” He placed a gentle kiss where his head had rested and positioned himself more comfortably between her legs, enjoying the sight of her gasping for breath.
Kudos to Chase for a story that was romantic, serious and sad at times, but left enough room for laughter.
On the whole, these stories are fun, real and steamy enough to entice, I definitely recommend In the Eye of the Storm and Catering to the CEO for those looking for fun, semi-steamy reads with characters who are multi dimensional and fun to root for!
Grade: B
Recent Samantha Chase reviews: One More Promise, Holiday Spice, A Sky Full of Stars
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