From the beginning of the story, where we learn that Natalia's secret wish is to form a charity to distribute aromatherapy to the poor, I knew this was going to be a Very Special heroine. And I was not disappointed, as she then proceeds to molest a client during a professional massage.For our hero Kadir, Jordan dug back into her old bag of tricks and brought out the classic jumping to conclusions asshat (though given that Natalia was sexually harassing him, it's harder than usual to blame him.) He delivers such awesomely convoluted lines as:"You may have stolen from the other men you have shared your body with their right to be in control of your pleasure, but you will not do so with me."and"Now I shall take from you what you are so willing to give me, even though my intellect tells me it is a worthless offering worn thin by the hands of all the others who have possessed you before me."I suppose I have to give Jordan props for trying to be progressive, but she's so heavy handed about it! Natalia's long-winded speeches about women owning their own sexuality land with a dull thud.I would have given the book 2 stars for being vaguely entertaining, but it hit one of my biggest pet peeves at the end. Kadir, himself a "bastard" rejected by his mother's husband, plans to do exactly the same to Natalia's child. He only comes around when he believes the child is his after all.
