Review: "At His Service" by Suzanne Rock (At His Service #1, #2, #3, and #4)
Note: These ARCs were provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Please be advised that this review covers all four parts of the At His Service mini-series by bestselling author Suzanne Rock. Each part will have a brief summary and review and then I'll put together my thoughts on the mini-series as a whole to close everything out. ^.^
At His Service, Part One
Karin Norell needs to get through the remaining weeks of her internship at the Palazzo in order to complete her requirements for school. It hasn't been easy as of late, what with other members of the hotel staff mysteriously calling in sick all at the same time and the management spending more time partying and carousing rather than working on bringing in more guests.
The sudden arrival of Leo Perconti, head of Perconti Enterprises, the parent company of the Palazzo, in his hotel suite has Karin scrambling for cover. Just as she's trying to leave the room as inconspicuously as possible, Leo catches her but assumes she's there to help "relieve" his tension. What happens when Leo realizes that the woman before him is actually a hotel staffer?
This was a good beginning to the mini-series in that the introduction of the main characters, Karin and Leo, was a memorable one. I don't know if I would do what Karin did or allow myself to be in that kind of situation but it definitely makes you wonder what's going to happen between the two of them, especially since Leo's going to be around for a while and Karin works in the hotel.
Rating: 4 stars
At His Service, Part Two
Karin Norell wishes she could simply forget her short but memorable interlude with Leo Perconti but she can't and neither can Leo. He knows the best thing would be to keep his distance, especially after finding out that Karin is a hotel employee. However, he wants to be with her again, knowing that she perfectly meets his needs and wants and he's willing to take a chance.
When Karin and Leo decide to spend more time together, Leo introduces Karin to even more bedroom practices. Karin can feel herself becoming even more drawn to Leo and even though she knows she shouldn't be with him, she admits to him that she wants to learn more and participate in Leo's "lessons". But after another night together, he lets her know that changes must be made.
I enjoyed this second installment as it showed that what was happening between Karin and Leo was a game changer for both of them. Knowing that being together was risky, the need to do so was more overwhelming. Karin was opening herself up even more to what Leo wanted in the bedroom but both were closed off, hiding certain secrets sure to impact their budding relationship.
Rating: 4 stars
At His Service, Part Three
Karin Norell is surprised when what she thought was Leo Perconti breaking things off with her turns out to be an offer at a promotion at work. Leo believes in Karin's capabilities and the opportunity for him to spend even more time with her makes his plan all the more appealing. What they both fail to anticipate is the reaction of employees who think Karin's using her relationship with Leo to her advantage.
Certain secrets are also coming to light. Karin's prior relationship with Jason Stone, Leo's rival and owner of the competing Stone Suites hotel, gives Leo pause. Karin knows she has to re-gain Leo's trust and she's willing to do what's necessary to do so. But when envious co-workers start grumbling about her impending promotion, Leo's forced to make a decision that has Karin questioning her faith in him.
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this particular installment. The whole idea of Leo offering Karin a promotion was strange because it appeared as if he was doing just to have her right there close to him and her qualifications were secondary. Plus, what he did to her at the end of the book was more of him throwing her under the bus and that just made him an absolute ass. Sorry.
Rating: 3 stars
At His Service, Part Four
Leo Perconti wishes he could make Karin Norell understand why he did what he did but he realizes that her faith and trust in him have completely been obliterated by his actions. She continues working at the hotel, having been demoted for the sake of Leo's family name and business. She no longer communicates with him even as he leaves her notes that she refuses to read.
The sudden appearance of Leo's ex-wife adds even more tension between Leo and Karin and the added stress of the upcoming wedding of Leo's sister is getting to everyone. When Leo confesses to Karin his secrets regarding his ex-wife, Karin comes up with a plan that will hopefully save both Leo's family and the hotel, but is it too late to save their relationship?
There were moments that I wanted to shake Karin and make her realize that she was being way too nice and understanding after what Leo did to her in book three. I didn't feel as if Leo really made it up to her and I'm still left wondering if this was really about love or just about lust. The twist regarding Leo's sister opens the door for a spin-off.
Rating: 3 stars
All in all, the At His Service serial was a fairly entertaining read with the familiar theme of alpha male going after the vanilla female. Even though the story spanned four installments, it did feel a bit rushed and not as fully developed as I would have wanted. The chemistry between the main characters was a bit lacking, especially at certain points in the books.
Serials can be frustrating because they often end in cliffhangers, all for the purpose to make you want to read the next installment until you get to the last one. There is that feeling of anticipation with these books but mainly because I hate starting a series and then not finishing it. My curiosity is piqued, however, with regards to Arianna Perconti and Jason Stone. ^.^
I'm giving At His Service an overall/average rating of 3.5 stars. The four parts will be released as a complete novel in June and will, in turn, serve as the first book in the Playboys of Boston series. ♥
Release Dates:
Part One - 03 February 2015
Part Two - 10 February 2015
Part Three - 17 February 2015
Part Four - 24 February 2015
Date read: 11 February 2015
Learn more about author Suzanne Rock here.
Grab or pre-order a copy of At His Service on:
Comments
Post a Comment