The Black Sheep and the English Rose (Unholy Trinity, Book 3)

DONNA KAUFMAN

Synopsis from Goodreads: Finn Dalton is the black sheep of his privileged family--because he's always trying to do the right thing. But do good guys let bad girls go free? Ask British heiress Felicity Trent. Finn should have called the cops when he caught Felicity with a fortune in stolen jewels. But after the hot night they'd shared, betraying her meant he'd never have her again. Two years later, he discovers Felicity scantily clad and handcuffed to a bed in a posh Manhattan hotel room. Finn has three choices. Turn Felicity in. Turn her loose. Or turn her on...

Finn Dalton is bad boy personified. Felicity Trent should know; she's a bad girl herself. But for Felicity, life as a jewel thief is almost as seductive as Finn is--and that's dangerous. Because for a girl like her one night is all she needs to get what she wants, anything more means trouble. Now, with both of them after the same thing--the rarest of treasures--who gets there first might be the last thing they want.

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, published by Kensington Publishing Corp., 2008.

How acquired: Won from the author in a giveaway on her Facebook page.

First line: Someone else had gotten to her first.

My thoughts: This third book in the Unholy Trinity trilogy is about Finn Dalton, the partner who was off on a job during the first two books and not involved in those stories. He's trying to track down a jewel and return it to it's rightful owner. His path quickly crosses that of Felicity Trent, an English heiress who is also after the jewel. Finn and Felicity have crossed paths before, two years prior, when they had some hot sex and then parted company. He can't quite figure her out. He thinks she's a thief, in it for the thrills maybe, but his gut tells him she's not a bad person.

Finn and Felicity team up, him eagerly as he realizes he wants to know more about her and get to know her better, her grudgingly.

Neither Finn nor Felicity ever really stood out as an appealing character, and their banter didn't seem nearly as witty or entertaining as that of Kate and Mac in the first book, or Rafe and Elena in the second book. But I think it was mainly because the whole plot with the jewel just wasn't my cup of tea and it bored me. It wasn't until the last hundred pages or so that I finally became captivated and didn't want to put the book down.

So for me, not a very high rating on this book, but I think fans of the author and her writing will probably like it, and readers who enjoyed the first two books will probably enjoy this one as well. And while she seems to be a little hit or miss for me, I do like the author's writing style and her humor and will continue to read her.

The Black Sheep and the Hidden Beauty (Unholy Trinity, Book 2)

DONNA KAUFFMAN

Synopsis from Goodreads: They're back - the boys you go out looking for precisely because your mother warned you not to - the bad boys every good girl needs at least once, if not twice...

Raphael "Rafe" Santiago may have left the streets years ago, but the street has never left him. A rough childhood in the Bronx taught him never to let his guard down, to keep everything in order, and always to trust that little voice in his gut that tells him when someone's got something to hide. horse trainer Elena Caulfield, is definitely hiding something, and Rafe intends to find out what it is and take care of it - his way.

But his way wasn't supposed to include feeling an intense attraction to the tomboyish Elena. With her mud-caked boots, quiet strength, and gentle manner, she's nothing like the flashy, seductive, overtly feminine women Rafe usually beds. The closer he gets to her, the harder it is to control that fiery passion he's worked hard to keep cooled, the kind that can catch a man off guard and leave him open to danger - because whatever secret Elena's protecting, it's big...and worth killing for. Because when you're from the Bronx, you take care of what you love - or die trying...

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, published by Kensington Publishing Corp.,2008; received from the author - I won autographed copies of all three Unholy Trinity books in a giveaway on her Facebook page!

First line: He found himself watching her.

My thoughts: We met Rafe briefly in THE BLACK SHEEP AND THE PRINCESS, so I already knew his style and personality would be quite different than Mac's. I'll admit right now that I like Mac's cover better than Rafe's – there's just something about a man in jeans and a black t-shirt. Mac also appealed to me because he was a former cop, and I like stories with cop/former cop heroes. Rafe is more the white collar type, always impeccably dressed and groomed. Which of course provides an immediate contrast between him and our heroine, Elena, who is always dressed in overalls and boots, often with a thermal underwear top, and usually dirty/muddy/horse poopy. Most definitely not Rafe's type, yet he can't seem to keep himself from watching her as she trains the horses for Kate's camp kids.

I followed with the plot this time around much easier than in Mac and Kate's book, finding it less convoluted and confusing. The fact that it revolved around horses, and Elena's previous job as a trainer at a racing stable, may have helped, as the world of thoroughbred horse racing used to be my life's dream, back when I was a teenager.

Rafe of course is one-third of the Unholy Trinity, the three friends who grew up terrorizing summer camp, and are now partners in a company called Trinity. They help people, the underdogs, righting wrongs, championing those who don't have the means to champion themselves. Elena is a horse trainer, hired by Kate to work with the horses at her camp for disabled kids. She previously worked for a large racing stable, and supposedly left that job in search of a calmer, quieter environment for her own horse, who is pregnant, and who had difficulties with her first pregnancy. Elena keeps to herself, is friendly but does not go out of her way to befriend other employees at Dalton Downs. After covertly witnessing a conversation between Elena and her vet, who showed up unexpectedly to talk to her one day, Rafe is convinced that Elena is hiding something, and determinedly and doggedly sets out to uncover her secret.

The writing felt a little crisper, and like the first book, there is a lot of characterization and dialogue, both internal and external, along with plenty of amusing banter, not only between Rafe and Elena, but between Rafe and Mac. Mac is a little more involved in Rafe's story than Rafe was in Mac's, and that was a good thing, giving us a look at the friendship and brotherhood bond between them. I figured out Elena's secret quite awhile before the guys did, or part of it anyway, but it didn't bother me or take away from my enjoyment of watching the plot unfold. And things got pretty tense towards the end, leading to a very satisfactory resolution.

Overall, I enjoyed the actual mystery/plot more here than in the first book, but I think if I had to choose between Rafe and Mac I would go for Mac. Sorry Rafe! 

The Black Sheep and the Princess (Unholy Trinity, Book 1)

DONNA KAUFFMAN

Synopsis from Goodreads: They’re the black sheep - the bad boys every good girl wants to have hold her, touch her, take her, love her. But being bad never felt so good...

“I have some spare beer, if you’re interested...”
I’d know that voice anywhere, and every time I hear it, it makes me sweat. Not that well-bred heiresses are supposed to sweat, but if you saw Donovan MacLeod, trust me, you’d need a change of clothes, too. It’s been eighteen years, but he’s got the same cocky swagger, silver-gray eyes, shaggy hair, and that sexy smile that promises a whole lot of trouble. Not that I’ll ever find out because he loathes me - thinks I’m some spoiled princess. So, there’s something I’ve just got to ask...

“Why are you here, Donovan?”
The lady asked a question, she deserves an answer. Well, Kate Sutherland, how about, I’ve fantasized about you for eighteen years? Or,I wanted to remember how it feels to need a cold shower every time you flick that perfect blonde hair out of your blue eyes? Or, Why don’t you come over here and let me show you, baby? Yeah, good answers, but I’ll stick with this one - I came back to help, because I think you’re in some trouble. My bad boy gut says you’re gonna need me - in more ways than one...

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, published by Kensington Publishing Corp.,2007; received from the author - I won autographed copies of all three Unholy Trinity books in a giveaway on her Facebook page!

First line: Donovan MacLeod ducked as the compressed-air tank shot like a cannonball over his head and slammed into the shelves lining the cinderblock wall behind him.

My thoughts: I was a little lost from that first line above for the first few pages, as Donovan “Mac” MacLeod and his friend and business partner Rafe tussle through a warehouse while being shot at by, bad guys? I wasn't even sure at first if they weren't the bad guys themselves, being shot at for breaking into someone's warehouse, making the shooters the good guys, or also bad guys. In the middle of all this confusion, they come across a piece of a newspaper article about Kate Sutherland trading her huge inheritance from her late mother to her step-brother in order to take over his inheritance, the family's lake property, which leads them to think something fishy is going on and she needs help, which leads to Rafe insisting Mac just go immediately and scope out the situation cuz they both know he always had the hots for her.

Goodness. Once Mac arrives at the camp and inserts himself in the middle of Kate's business, it's quickly obvious that something fishy is indeed going on and she does indeed need help, though she of course doesn't agree, yet, anyway.

Kate's socialite mother owned a camp for rich kids. Kate grew up privileged, occasionally visiting the camp, covertly watching Mac and jealously listening to all the other girls' stories about him. Mac's father was the camp handyman, kept on despite his constant drunkenness because he was a mechanical wonder and could fix anything, so Mac grew up on the camp grounds, running wild, hanging with his friends Rafe and Finn (dubbed the Unholy Trinity), seducing all the girls except Kate, who he seemed to studiously ignore but who he was actually always very aware of and assumed was out of his league and not the least bit interested in him.

Cut back to the present day, and sparks are flying as Kate and Mac are still wildly attracted to each other. Mac, who was a cop for awhile, and his two friends are now partners in a company called Trinity. They seem to be sort of like detectives, private investigators – they help people who need help (like Kate), not for the money but for the thrill of righting wrongs and helping people who can't help themselves. Kate was cut off by her mother when she refused to allow her mother to run her life for her, and became a teacher. She now wants to reopen the camp, which has sat unused for years, but not for rich kids - for children with special needs.

The story is told from both Kate's and Mac's points of view, with lots of internal ramblings, characterization, soul searching...all of which I love. The plot line about the camp – graffiti, vandalism, unwelcoming townspeople, and Kate's step-brother dragging out the inheritance trade even though it's to his benefit -- at times seemed convoluted and confusing, and I had a little trouble keeping up with it. But at the core of the book are Kate and Mac getting to know each other, remembering each other from their youth and learning how each of their lives since then has shaped them into the man and woman they are today. The banter between them often made me grin like an idiot, and when they finally gave in to the attraction, it is hot hot hot. I was head over heels in love with Donovan “Mac” long before Kate was ready to admit she was too.

The ending went a bit different than I anticipated, and as I began to see that coming I wasn't sure I liked it, but Mac convinced me right along with Kate that it was the best next step.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the book, and am eager to read Rafe's story, THE BLACK SHEEP AND THE HIDDEN BEAUTY.