Book: A Malibu Kind of Romance by Synithia Williams
Edition: Paperback
Description:
Slick lines and sweet nothings have zero effect on ambitious real estate developer Julie Dominick. Her love rules have thankfully saved her from dealing with messy relationship complications. But since R & B superstar Dante Wilson hired her to open his new Malibu nightclub, he's determined to add some pleasure to their business dealings. And Julie's strategy to protect her heart may not stand up to his seductive appeal.
Growing up in a music dynasty, Dante enjoys all the female attention that comes with his fame. For the first time, he knows what it feels like to be brushed off by someone he's falling for. When his usual moves fall flat, he has to show Julie the real man behind all the glitz and glamour. Will it be enough to convince Julie that it's better to break the rules rather than risk losing love's passionate melody?
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
In A Malibu Kind of Romance, Julie Dominick is a no-nonsense real estate developer from Atlanta, Georgia who was hired to open a nightclub in Malibu, California by her old friend Raymond, an up-and-coming R&B star and Dante Wilson, a young legend in the R&B world.
From the moment Julie met Dante, she was instantly attracted to him but since she was there to work, she wasn't going to let herself fall for the devastatingly handsome singer who is a notorious player. She had no desire to get involved with someone like that again especially after having her heart broken from a previous relationship with rap star Antwan. Since then she has protected her heart by following a set of rules.
Meanwhile, Dante was equally captivated by Julie and he figured he could easily capture her heart. Since, he generally has no problem attracting women because they are usually fawning all over him. However, despite his stunning good looks, charming personality, fame and fortune, Julie did not seem to give in to her attraction to him.
Julie knew that mixing business with pleasure was not a good idea but Dante was quickly growing on her. However, she didn't want to let him get too close because her heart was already vulnerable and she didn't want to get hurt again. Dante was finding his efforts to charm her resulting in Julie being warm one instance and cold and standoffish the other. As much as she was starting to fall for the irresistible singer, she was wary of becoming yet another conquest for him and she also did not want her professional reputation to become damaged due to rumors.
Throughout the story you can see how they were realizing their feelings for each other but both needed to deal with the issues that were holding them back from becoming more. Julie was so against getting her heart broken again that she not only had a cold and distant demeanor but followed an imposing set of rules to prevent it. On some level I think her rules are a good thing because they allowed her to avoid dating guys who were playing games, only looking to hook up, not pursue a serious relationship, etc. However, her rules along with being very analytical make it difficult for her to follow her heart and take a risk on love. She was also worried about her professional reputation and didn't want anyone to think her career was based on getting jobs by dating or sleeping with her clients. However, a terrifying incident had her forget about her rules and embrace Dante but it left her feeling too vulnerable and exposed and Dante feeling unsure about his growing feelings.
At first, I believe Dante initially saw Julie's lack of interest in him as a challenge because he wasn't used to that happening to him. However, his feelings for her were quickly becoming real and he was finding himself having to sort through them. The thing is Dante is someone who is used to getting everything he has ever wanted and disappointment and rejection are not something he's used to dealing with. For instance, he has had a successful singing career since he was a teenager. However, he was embarking on two areas of his life that were uncertain and could lead to not only failure in his career but in love as well. First was his interest in Julie, he was pouring out his heart and there was no guarantee his love would be returned. Second was creating a different type of music from his usual sound that even though he loved, he did not have the support from his family and his record label W. M. Records (which is owned by his family) who wanted him to continue making the same type of music he has always made.
This was a good read that had a fast-paced interesting story that was filled with drama, misunderstandings, suspense and romance. Although it had a few racy scenes there were not so many that they distracted from the story. I really like the main characters Julie and Dante, professionally both were driven to succeed and didn't seem too hesitant to take risks in that regards. However, when it came to romance it was going to require them to take a chance which is something they both have been avoiding.
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