Title: The Forbidden Billionaire
Author:  J.S. Scott
Publisher/Year:  Amazon Publishing 7/28/15
Length:  240 Pages
Series: The Sinclairs #2

Overview

All of Jared Sinclair’s wealth still can’t ease the pain from his terrible childhood…or his guilt over a recent tragedy. Unable to forgive himself, the billionaire property investor buries his emotions, toughens his skin, and becomes a notorious womanizer, refusing to commit his heart to a woman when he’s convinced she wants only his wallet.

But ever since Jared arrived in Amesport, Maine, he’s been intrigued by Mara Ross, the petite and sexy shop owner who asks nothing of him. When Mara’s store is purchased without her knowledge, she stands on the brink of losing her home, her livelihood, and generations of family history. Then the irresistibly persuasive Jared proposes a business deal to Mara…and soon draws her into a steamy, sensual affair, convincing her that he’s anything but cold. However, when a revelation shakes Mara’s fragile trust to the core, Jared must finally confront the truth about his past.

My Thoughts

Jared’s story was teased in Dante and Sarah’s story – watching how they knew that something was up with Jared but not quite able to put their finger on it, and now we get to see what that was all about. IT’s not surprising to watch the jovial Jared have a tortured past, but what is surprising is how he’s gone about his life since the troubles started. This second installment takes us into the past just a bit watching him self destruct, and then back into the present where he’s finding a way to dig himself out of his misery.

Jared – one of the middle Sinclairs is a whiz at real estate – he’s an architect who has a love for older buildings, and there are some of those in Amesport. The challenge is that he’s tried to distance himself from his passion because of betrayal, and yet he’s drawn to it because of an amazing woman.

That woman is Mara – a women who’s lived her whole life in the same town, and who has a passion for life, but a need to maintain the legacy that is all she has left of her mother. That legacy is a doll making business in a falling down old house, and running a business that’s not making money. She’s living her life for those memories and not for her, and thankfully Jared steps in to change that.

True to the other books here, we watch the Sinclairs breathe life into these women, women who think that they aren’t worthy of the attention of the sexiest men alive, but who learn that there’s so much more to these men and to life to really stick with these ideals.

Jared helps Mara open her eyes to the notion that she’s got a great opportunity to make edibles (jams and the like) instead of dolls and that way she can not only make money but she can make herself happy. He funds her, she gets a chance at life and sadly, the story is never that uncomplicated.

Throughout their story we watch misunderstandings play out. We watch how Jared’s past haunts him again and again, and we watch the secrets of other Sinclairs come to light which has the potential to affect everyone. There’s a fire that destroys a house, a lied that destroys a potential love and the notion that there’s still so much distance between their worlds that hope inevitably is lost.

It’s only the injection of Evan, the eldest Sinclair that brings reason to the story and at the same time we see how desolate and miserable he is in the family. This is the teaser to give us his installment which i’m excited for, and at the same time pushes this story towards resolution. So, of course now i’m off to find the next book because I need to see Evan happy and i’m curious which Amesport lady will do it. Enjoy!