Series: Chicago Sons (Book 2)
Born on the wrong side of the bed, Riley Ellis is done
playing second fiddle to his half brother -- the legitimate heir. Determined to
make his own company a success, Riley needs leverage and Kalissa Smith is it.
Only he knows Kalissa is the long-lost identical twin to his rival's beloved
wife. What a scandal their union could cause…
By the time Kalissa learns the truth, Riley's passion is
the real deal. But can he convince her she isn't a mere pawn in his seduction
scheme?
Good book where revenge gets overtaken by passion. Riley is the illegitimate half-brother to Shane Colburn of Sex, Lies and the CEO. His father never acknowledged him, and Riley grew up resenting the fact that Shane seemed to have it all. As an adult, he went into the same business as Shane, and has made a point of competing with him. One day he sees a woman who is the spitting image of Shane's wife and believes it is Darci and that she is attempting to spy on him.
Kalissa is a landscaper who has recently started her own business. One day her partner sees a picture of the new Mrs. Colburn and comments on the resemblance. Kalissa doesn't take it seriously until she is confronted by an angry Riley. Once she has convinced him of who she is, both become aware of the attraction that has flared between them. Riley later contacts her and hires her to landscape his home.
Riley considers the possibility of using Kalissa's resemblance to Darci as a weapon against Shane, but quickly discovers that he's far more interested in Kalissa herself. He really likes her blunt speech and innate honesty. He refrains from telling her who he is and his connection to her sister. He knows he's going to have to tell her the truth, but is afraid of what will happen when he does.
When Kalissa and Riley begin dating, she realizes her resemblance to Darci could create problems for the other woman. I loved the initial meeting between the two women, and Kalissa's determination to make sure Darci realizes that she isn't after anything financial. I loved watching them get to know each other. There are some interesting twists that come about, that will complicate Kalissa's relationship with Riley.
Kalissa is falling fast and hard for Riley. She likes the way he isn't intimidated by her attitude. They have a lot of fun together. And when they give in to their attraction the passion is incredible. Just when things are looking really good for them, the truth comes out. Kalissa feels betrayed and is heartbroken that Riley was only with her to get to Shane. She doesn't want to listen to anything he has to say and has lost all trust in him.
I loved the fact that Riley doesn't give up. He knows he screwed up and is willing to do anything to get back in Kalissa's good graces. There are some really fun parts as he does some pretty wild things to get her to listen to him. Kalissa still has feelings for him, but trusting him again is something that is really difficult. I liked seeing them work their way back to each other. I really liked the event that showed Kalissa the truth of Riley's feelings.
I have to say that in this book Shane did not come across very well. I got very frustrated with the way he rode roughshod over Kalissa's wishes regarding Riley. I know he was trying to protect her, but she's a grown woman. It was also interesting to see the interactions between him and Riley. Things got really intense the day that Riley showed up at Shane's home to see Kalissa. That confrontation had some unexpected revelations and was the beginning of something neither had foreseen.
The final resolution of both Kalissa and Riley's relationship and the one between Riley and Shane was very well done. I'd love to see them a couple years down the line and see how they are doing.
