Flying Frog Fairy’s Review of Kidnapped by the Greek Billionaire by Rachel Lyndhusrt

Kidnapped by the Greek Billionaire
By Rachel Lyndhurst
Amazon | B&N

Kidnapped!

Or that’s what it feels like to Kizzy Dean when a business disagreement with arrogant Greek lawyer Andreas Lazarides leaves her no choice but to accompany him to the Greek Isle of Rhodes. It doesn’t help matters this sexy brooding stranger, who is unaccustomed to the word No and the very idea of commitment, shows her what it feels like to be truly desired.

Amidst the ancient myths and alleyways, tensions run high as Kizzy feels an immediate attraction for the man she wants to both ravage and strangle.

Accustomed to gold-digging women, Andreas is mesmerized by Kizzy’s feisty nature and Gypsy beauty. Guilt and sorrow have been his only bedfellows since his sister’s death, but Kizzy stirs up a desire he’s unwilling to succumb to… until she makes him an offer he simply can’t refuse.

Review by Flying Frog Fairy:   2 Stars

Ok, let me start by saying that this book is from a new line by Entangled Publishing, called Lori Wilde’s Indulgence.  It is described like this:

“Lori Wilde’s Indulgence offers readers quick paced, exciting contemporary category romances. Whether funny, sexy, mysterious, edgy, or emotional, they showcase what it’s really like to fall in love in the twenty-first century. The 45,000-60,000 word category romances are written by fresh and hip voices in the industry. Hallmarks of the line will be rapid-fire dialogue, fast moving plot lines, sizzling sex, and realistic characters.  Above all, the heartfelt emotions that speak to the way young people live, love, and work will be at the center of every story. Lori Wilde’s Indulgence will launch February 14th and will be priced at $2.99 per title.”

I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect from this when I began Kidnapped by the Greek Billionaire. The hero really turned me off in the beginning. He was thoughtless, arrogant and a plain old jerk.  Later on, we learn that there are issues in the past that lead him to behave this way, and we do get to see a better side of him but, by then it is almost too late. And while we, the reader, get to see that better side of him, the heroine…not so much. So, why is he so surprised when she doesn’t behave the way he thinks she should?  I was just so frustrated reading this book. I wanted to yell at the hero to pull his head out of his ass and start behaving like a human being.

The heroine was not much better.  I was dumbstruck that minutes after meeting him, she allows the hero to “kidnap” her away to Greece. It is not really a kidnapping, more of a threat that she caves into. He is testing her, sure she is a golddigger while she…I am not really sure she has a motive. It was like she didn’t have anything better to do, so she went along with it.  Yes there were the initial sparks and she was attracted to the big, hunk of man, but once he showed his true colors, I would have been running the other way.  She just comes off as spineless and not being able to make her own decisions.

That said, as I read on, the characters kind of grew on me.  I was really rooting for Andreas to finally stop living on the past and see what was right in front of him. For all her shortcomings, Kizzy really did fall in love with the dumb galoot.  When the inevitable happens, instead of that ending the story and having HEA, it is just a catalyst for more angst and drama.  During the last 1/4 of the book, I really, FINALLY, felt for the characters.

Then I realized, I had actually felt for them all along. Yeah, I thought Andreas was a dumb ass, and Kizzy was a spineless ninny, but the story actually elicited strong reactions from me. So I am not going to say I loved the book.  But I didn’t hate it either.  In the end Andreas and Kizzy finally redeemed themselves