Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas

Yes, I know, I'm a bit behind in the game. Go figure. :) This book was one of those "Do I really want to buy this one?" kind of books. Kristie J raved about it & it's sequel Blue-Eyed Devil, but I guess I was afraid to try it. Sometimes when authors genre-jump, they don't do so good in the new genre they're trying to write in. I should have known Ms. Kleypas would be the exception to the rule.


Here's the back blurb for Sugar Daddy-SHE'S FROM THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS...

Liberty Jones has dreams and determination that will take her far away from Welcome, Texas--if she can keep her wild heart from ruling her mind. Hardy Cates sees Liberty as completely off-limits. His own ambitions are bigger than Welcome, and Liberty is a complication he doesn't need. But something magical and potent draws them to each other, in a dangerous attraction that is stronger than either of them.

HE'S THE ONE MAN SHE CAN'T HAVE

When Hardy leaves town to pursue his plans, Liberty finds herself alone with a young sister to raise. Soon Liberty is under the spell of a billionaire tycoon--a Sugar Daddy some might say. But the relationship goes deeper than people thing, and Liberty begins to discover secrets about her own family's past.

WILL THEY FIND THEIR HEARTS' DESIRES---OR WILL HEARTBREAK TEAR THEM APART?

Two men. One woman. A choice that can make her or break her. A woman you'll root for every step of the way. A love story you'll never forget.


I always seem to start my reviews this way. I never know exactly where to start. Go figure.

First of all, this book is written in 1st person POV. I can take or leave 1st person. Ms. Kleypas does it well.

Secondly, I almost felt like I was reading a journal. Anyone else feel that way? There aren't any dates or anything like that, but it's almost like the narrator of the story (Liberty) is telling us her story. It's kind of a weird way to write a romance, but that didn't bother me. In fact, I enjoyed the way this story was written.

I found the back blurb to be rather misleading. Neither of the men Liberty finds herself attracted to in this story make much of an appearance. I think this story is more a coming of age, trying to figure out who I am kind of story. Yes, there's romance and some hot sexin' going on, but not as much as I expected.

When I first read the back blurb I thought "Ew." when it came to the Sugar Daddy comment. The thought of that totally grosses me out. Maybe that's why I had a hard time buying the book. Anywho, turns out that's not exactly what happens. I won't say anymore than that. :)

I really liked Liberty. She's a tough kid whose life doesn't go as she expected it. She grows up poor, in a trailer park. Basically white trash (as she states it). However, she doesn't spend the book bemoaning her fate and "why meing," which is a HUGE pet peeve for me in most books like this. She sucks it up and does what she has to do. When her mother dies, she raises her little sister on her own. In her mind, this isn't a bad thing, because she feels more like her sister's mom than her sister. She basically raised her anyway, so it's more like she's now allowed to take full responsibility for her.

She makes mistakes and has typical issues of a young girl with a tough life. But she NEVER WHINES! Yes, there are a couple of times when she cries, but boy, does she have a good reason to cry.

She's the kind of character I really enjoy. She's feisty and funny and hard-working and...why can't there be more heroines like this?

As the back blurb says, she's got it bad for Hardy Cates. Can I just say how much I hate that name? Is it just me? Anyway, he's the white knight, her hero, etc. when she's a young teen and she hero worships/loves him. He is her "dream."

Near the end of the book when she gets to the "Sugar Daddy" point of the book I had kind of an "ick" feeling. It's because there's a chance that something could be really, really wrong with her being interested in a certain person. Thankfully, it didn't end up being what I expected, but it threw me there for a minute. (Kristie J, do you know what I'm talking about? If so, how did you deal with that particular part?).

As for the choice Liberty has to make? She definitely made the right one. *sigh* Very swoonworthy & sexy choice. Will I tell you which one she chooses? What, am I smoking crack? LOL! Nope, you've got to read the book yourself to see what I mean.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced, fascinating, sad, warm-fuzzy inducing and just plain awesome! It is a romance, but I would again term it as more of a growing up/coming of age type book than a true romance. I 100% recommend it.



My Rating: A