A Ruthless Proposition
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Natasha Anders
Release Date: January 26, 2015
All that glitters may lead right to his heart…
The last thing Cleopatra Knight expects on her business trip to Tokyo is to fall into bed with her arrogant, irresistibly hot boss, Dante Damaso. It’s a mistake—a steamy, mind-blowingly satisfying mistake. But a few nights of passion with the superwealthy bad boy prove to have long-term effects when Cleo’s world is unexpectedly turned upside down.
Dante has cultivated an enviable, jet-setting lifestyle: beautiful women, exotic destinations, and luxury without limits. He’s not looking to be domesticated, and certainly not by his assistant—even though he can’t get her out of his mind. Still, he knows he has both the responsibility and the financial means to help Cleo.
Though Cleo has no interest in Dante’s money, her lack of prospects gives her little choice but to accept his help. But living under the same roof, Dante discovers he wants more, and if Cleo lets down her guard, she just might find what her heart’s wanted all along.
This is what happened when you allowed yourself to have feelings for someone like Dante Damaso- they found the most creative ways to hurt you, and God, this hurt.
A few years ago I discovered this author when I first read The Unwanted Wife and I’ve been absolutely hooked ever since. She has a winning formula that works for me every single time. Take an utter asshole of an alpha, throw in a bit of a meek heroine that grows a backbone and a hell of one throughout the story, mix it in with some delicious angst and steam and BAM! Book perfection.
See I have this thing about assholes, I absolutely love them. The more asshole-ly they are, the more I pant after them. I don’t even know what it is about it, but it just does it for me. It’s like that saying about the bigger they are, the harder they fall and I absolutely love watching them fall and then of course the grovel. All of it put together is basically a literary orgasm for me.
Cleopatra Knight knows that the only reason she continues to have her job is her boss happens to be her brother’s best friend. That’s not why she applied, and it certainly wasn’t her means of getting it, but it is part of the reason she stays. After her dreams of being a dancer were shattered after a devastating injury, she may not know what else there is for her, but her job is a means to an end. Too bad her boss is a demanding, demeaning, unthoughtful and overworked asshole.
Dante Damaso is rich and successful beyond his wildest dreams, and he works his ass off to stay that way. He’s not interested in lasting relationships. Seeing his father work his way through countless wives has put him off relationships indefinitely. But he’s certainly not one to abstain. He loves a sweaty night between the sheets with a beautiful woman…so long as it’s just that night. And he makes himself very clear in that respect. When a trip to Tokyo stirs his attraction to his assistant, he sees no reason to abstain either. But he makes it very clear to her what it is and what it isn’t. After all, he’s not about permanence, particularly with a woman that he believes used his connection to her brother to get a job without being even a little qualified.
But one night together begins to turn into another, and he can barely control his lust around her. Until a particular consequence brings things crashing down, turning Cleo’s world upside down.
A Ruthless Proposition follows Natasha Ander’s tried and true formula and I found myself devouring the pages. I couldn’t put it down. At first because I was waiting for the epic fuck up, then because I was waiting for the epic grovel. And I got both of those. In spades. I also found myself blubbering like a baby towards the end of it. It’s not often that a book will bring me to tears like that, so this deserves a 5 star for that feat alone.
If you’ve read this author before and enjoyed her books, this one will be a hit as well. I love that even while her formula for romance follows from book to book, none of her books sound the same. The characters are unique and as are their story. I loved this one and if you’re a fan of assholes and angst, you really can’t go wrong with it.
After the delicious smut fest that was 
But I suppose I’ll hold off final judgement till we see how everything gets resolved in the last book.
It’s been a long time that I read a book that effected me on such a visceral level. I had honest to god tingles while reading this. My heart was beating out of my chest, my head was spinning, and I was completely and utterly incapable of putting it down for even a second. It’s also been a long time that I read a hero that was so alpha he practically crackled with electric magnetism through the pages. This book hit every single one of my yes spots. It’s exactly the kind of thrill I love in my romance. It was unpredictable, erotic, a little taboo, undeniably captivating and absolutely spell-binding. It’s also almost impossible to review without giving anything away, so excuse my attempt at trying…
The sexual aspect of the romance may take many out of their comfort zones, so if you’re not a reader that’s comfortable with that, this book may not be for you. It has a touch of BDSM and yet…not quite. There’s no clear lines, and that may not work for some. Emily is a multi-faceted character and her desires are not quite…standard. But that’s what truly works because you can see exactly what draws these characters together.
Then Laurelin hits you with the mother of all cliffhangers but I swear it just made the book all that much better. Does that even make sense? Ugh. I don’t even care because it does to me. The wait for the second book just may kill me, but I don’t regret it for even a second. This book was nothing that I expected and yet everything that I love. If you’re looking for something spellbinding and different, this is a must read. First touch is part one in a duet.
I’ve been a huge fan of Karin Tabke for quite some time. I even loved her PNR titles under her pen name of Karin Harlow. While this is the second book in a series, it’s easily read as a a standalone. While I did read the first book, 
I get what the author was trying to do with this story and while I appreciate her effort, it just didn’t pan out for me. Not even a little. Why?
Now I hate to name call, so I won’t. I also hate slut shaming, so I won’t. What I will say, is I absolutely hated her decisions and treatment of Devin for basically the entire book. One, she’s dated and flirted with his teammates. She proceeds to go on a date after her and Devin finally sleep together. Then there was her decision to go down on him after she finds him in the middle of a drunk hookup and throwing the woman out of the house they’re currently sharing. Also knowing how Devin is, her decision to continuously sleep with him but refuse anything more was downright infuriating. Considering everything Devin’s been through it was almost callous.
Again, I understand that this happens, and if this was any other character, I could have looked past it. But with Devin? No. I felt like he regressed and just wasn’t the Devin that I ultimately fell in love with throughout the series. I did not like him for a good 75% of this book.
Well, well, well, and so the plot thickens…and how! The Boss serial is my crack and Cari and Taryn are my favorite pushers because this self-professed serial avoider is addicted! Usually I wait until a series is complete, but something about these books leaves me in actual pain until I get my next fit. I should probably look into this.
What Grace doesn’t realize, however, is not only does Blake know what she’s after but he’s hiding quite a few things of his own…and they’re a doozy.
