Sold to the Enemy (Harlequin LP Presents Series #3113) - Sarah Morgan Although I've been known to bemoan that they don't write Harlequin Presents like they used to, gotta say that a book in which the older hero first meets the heroine when she's only 17, and spends the evening talking with her about her dreams instead of slavering over her and/or judging her, is a very pleasant change. That's not the only thing that's fresh and delightful about this.The basic trope is similar to books like Catherine Anderson's [b:Simply Love|89358|Simply Love|Catherine Anderson|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347462362s/89358.jpg|86240] -- the naive, trusting heroine thinks the selfish, cynical hero is so awesome, he finds himself living up to her expectations against his will. It's easy to overdo this set-up but it works really well here, because Selene isn't some ridiculous Pollyanna. For example, Stefan sets the scene for her to think he took advantage of her while she was passed out drunk -- to teach her a lesson -- but she doesn't fall for it for a second. "I may be inexperienced, but I'm not stupid. I'd know if I'd had sex." The title is total bosh, by the way, and offensively so -- Selene is not a passive victim in any sense, she actively goes after what she wants.Selene's directness and strong sense of self are very refreshing, if perhaps surprising in someone who's lived in seclusion with domestic violence all her life. My problems with the book were in the plotting, which is so episodic it feels like it's been sectioned. The first third is terrific, and then it goes off the rails; Selene's anger towards Stefan seems overdone, goes on for much too long, and then resolves itself off-stage. Other than that though, she's a very consistent and appealing character; Stefan is more of a type, but not too much of one. If it weren't for the plotting/pacing issues, I might give this 5 stars.