Fonseca's Fury

3.5 stars. This book is exactly what I expected it to be – a modern romance tale with a super wealthy hero and a heroine who isn’t afraid to challenge him. Despite her wild-child past, there’s more to Serena DePiero than tabloid headlines. Much more. Actually, I was surprised by how much more. Serena has a very dark past with some unsavoury secrets, few of which Luca is even close to understanding.

Of course that’s part of the, er, fun? Well, not fun as such, but while he’s busy getting indignant over the wrongs she did to him, the reader slowly learns that actually he’s wrong – not completely wrong, so he still has justification for his anger, but wrong enough that we can be full of sympathy for Serena and the things he puts her through.

Like trekking through the Amazon. Hm. These stories are often far-fetched and faintly ludicrous, but I have to admit this one was a stretch even for me. The idea that Luca could set off from Manaus without a guide and stroll happily through the rainforest just wasn’t credible to me. I don’t care how much he enjoys being manly and outside, the background of his story didn’t match up to him being able to do such a thing without risking getting lost. Unless he was following a well-known trail that was conveniently unmentioned.

I did, however, like how uncertain Luca quickly becomes after his temper gets the better of him. He’s says some nasty stuff and lays out ultimatums, but he quickly regrets them even if Serena doesn’t always leave him time to apologise. He’s a strong alpha male, but not obnoxiously so. Or not mostly, anyway. He does have moments of stupidity, but his relationship with Serena is peppered with surprising sweetness.

A quick, unexceptional read that delivers just what I expect from M&B Modern and Abby Green. It’s a good escape for a few hours, but not a keeper. I am intrigued enough, though, to want to know more about Luca’s mysterious brother.