Friday, April 5, 2013

Unrivaled

Title: UNRIVALED
Author: Siri Mitchell
Publisher: Bethany House
March 2013
ISBN: 978-0764207976
Genre: Historical

Lucy Kendall returns from a tour of the Continent, her luggage filled with the latest fashions and a mind fired by inspiration. After tasting Europe's best confections, she's sure she'll come up with a recipe that will save her father's struggling candy business and reverse their fortunes. But she soon discovers that their biggest competitor, the cheat who swindled her father out of his prize recipe, has now hired a promotions manager--a cocky, handsome out-of-towner who gets under Lucy's skin.

Charlie Clarke's new role at Standard Manufacturing is the chance of a lifetime. He can put some rough times behind him and reconnect with the father he's never known. The one thing he never counted on, however, was tenacious Lucy Kendall. She's making his work life miserable...and making herself impossible for him to forget.

The premise behind UNRIVALED seemed interesting. Rival candy makers—who can beat that? But the story starts out with her returning from her European tour to find out her father had had a heart attack and wasn’t recovering right. The aunt and uncle seemed selfish as they wouldn’t even tell her until they arrived at her house. They didn’t consider cutting the trip short despite the family emergency.

Despite the candy industry, I remained detached from the characters and story. Both the hero and heroine seemed ruthless. With them virtual enemies throughout the story, it seemed rather contrived that they’d fall in love so quickly at the end.

The story is written in first person, with clear headings as to whose point of view we’re in—Lucy’s, Charlie’s. . .   If you like historical fiction and a romance with two strong cut-throat characters, then UNRIVALED is a book to consider. 3.5 stars. $14.99. 400 pages. 

Link to buy the book:
Meet Siri:
Siri Mitchell is the author of nearly a dozen novels, among them the critically acclaimed Christy Award finalists "Chateau of Echoes" and "The Cubicle Next Door". A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in business, she has worked in many different levels of government. As military spouse, she has lived in places as varied as Tokyo and Paris. Siri currently lives in the DC-metro area. 

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