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Series: Innocence #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Publication Date: 1/28/14
Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Source: Publisher
Rating:
"I'm not sure what you have been told about me, but I'm not nearly as bad as they make me out to be." His deliciously deep voice carried a little bit of ego.
I'm sure you are exactly as bad as they make you out to be….
Brad De Luca is used to getting whatever and whomever he wants. The premier divorce attorney in town, he's a playboy who's bedded half the city—including his own clients. And when the newest intern at his firm poses a challenge, his seductive prowess goes into overdrive.
Pre-law student Julia Campbell is fresh off a failed engagement and happy with her new independence. Even if she weren't warned away from Brad at every turn, she'd know he was bad news. The last thing she needs is a man who could destroy her job prospects, not to mention her innocence. But before she knows it, the incorrigible charmer has her under his spell. His deviant tastes plunge her deep into a forbidden world of sexual exploration…but her heart may not survive the fall.
Based on the blurb, Blindfolded Innocence seems like a story about the typical rich, overbearing, dominant boss and the naive intern. And to an extent, it is. I'll admit, that I probably wouldn't have picked it up on my own. I decided to give the story a try, hoping for the best. The result was a bit of a mixed bag. There was a lot about the story and characters that just didn't work for me. But...the farther I went, and when I just went with the flow instead of fighting, I did end up liking Blindfolded
Innocence way more than I anticipated.
So the story here is: Julia is a new intern at a law firm, Brad is a partner. The two are very attracted to one another, but she's been warned off from Brad who, because he has no impulse control around pretty ladies (
?) knows he should stay away. Of course that means they head to Vegas together, which is obviously a great idea. It's cool though, because Brad just brought Julia because he hates to travel alone and knows she would have fun. He's not there to sex her. Of course, this plan is basically screwed because the two sleep in the same bed, he gives her her first O, and they have a wicked good time at a gentleman's club. They swear everything will be cool when they get back home, but it's clear Brad and Julia may never get enough of each other.
Brad and Julia were really something else. I can give Julia a pass because she's twenty-one (
I was married at that age, but still an idiot) and because she goes through the story with a strong sense of self-awareness. She knows getting involved with Brad will probably wreck her, but still, he's damn sexy.
I'm kind of over characters like Brad. I don't deny he does have a charm, but honestly, nothing about book men who are super authoritative and all-knowing and positive they can cure women with their magic wang appeals to me. But even though that doesn't work for me, I guess I could see maybe a wish-fulfillment fantasy there? There's no doubt many, many readers love men like Brad. See, I'm just the wrong audience for the rich, dominating man who seduces by wining and dining and reveling in the "good life". Personally, all I need is a babysitter, dinner at my favorite, moderately-priced restaurant, and a six pack of Guinness or Beck's, and I'm all good. I don't know if that makes me low-maintenance or easy, but there you have it. Having said that, Brad did grow on me at the end.
I felt a disconnect throughout the first two-thirds of
Blindfolded Innocence. It's like these two act in direct opposition of everything they say. Julia says she won't hang out with him, but goes to LV. Says she won't have sex with him, but does sleep with him. Brad says it's not about sex, he just doesn't want to be alone. She wakes up w/him on top of her, kissing her, getting her off, but he tells her it's still not about sex. Brad says he doesn't want a relationship with her, and yet he runs every other man off. It was frustrating.
The "romance" didn't work for me for the first two-thirds either. Brad tells Julia most women can't handle his true desires, but the ones who can don't actually appeal to him. He wants to do her, but she shouldn't have unreasonable expectations about his feelings. Wow. Somebody get the smelling salts cos I am swooooning here. I mean, isn't this every woman's dream? I am not about convincing a man that he really wants to be with me because, call me crazy, I believe we all deserve more. So at this point I would probably give him my best glare (
I give good glare) and tell him to go fck himself. To be fair, Julia isn't really having it. She does give in to a certain extent, but when things get tough, she stands up to Brad. So I did like that.
But... but... things did turn around at one pivotal moment, it's a moment that truly took me by surprise and definitely gave me pause. I wasn't expect Big Bad Brad to turn around and lay a whopping sweet, insightful moment on Julia, but when he did, my perception about a lot of
Blindfolded Innocence was changed.
"What if what we're looking for is each other?" he asked quietly.
That was unexpected. I turned to stared at him. "You've got to be kidding me." In his eyes I saw a flicker of vulnerability, but that disappeared before I could grab hold of it.
"Look, we're both looking for a soul mate, right? And I know you want your prince to come riding up, all perfect and unmarred, but this is real life. Typically the best things come from the most screw-up circumstances. How do we know we aren't the person we're both searching for?"
From there on, I pretty much made a tentative peace with everything I had disliked about
Blindfolded Innocence. Brad opened and softened up, as did Julia. The story ended on a very interesting note, and I would surely pick up book two.
The Innocence Series
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Purchase Links
About the author
Alessandra Torre is an exciting new author who astonished the publishing world with the success of her first novel, Blindfolded Innocence. Initially self-published, the intriguing romance and erotica title quickly rose to the top of the charts on Kindle and Amazon where it attracted the interest of major publishing houses. Currently available on Kindle, iBookstore and Nook, Blindfolded Innocence will be available in print in through Harlequin Publishing on January 25, 2014.
Torre’s captivating story about a young intern’s sexual awakening has won praise and rave reviews from numerous critics, bloggers and book reviewers, including the acclaimed Dr. Laura Berman. In her recent article “35 to Read After 50″ in Everyday Health, Dr. Berman recommended Blindfolded as a must-read for book enthusiasts searching for a new fix after Fifty Shades of Grey. The book has also received high marks from readers on Goodreads and other literary web sites where fans frequently remark they can’t wait for a Blindfolded sequel.
Momentarily stunned by the book’s rapid success, Torre resumed her daily writing routine and published ‘The Girl in 6E’, an erotic thriller that explores the hidden fetishes men covet and the life of a female recluse who battles an overwhelming desire for murder. The Girl in 6E will be released in Summer 2014, as a hardcover novel, through Redhook, an imprint of Hachette.
From her home near the warm waters of the Emerald Coast in Florida, she devotes several hours each day to various writing projects and interacting with her fans on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Happily married to her “best friend” and with one son, she loves watching SEC football games, horseback riding, reading and watching movies.
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