Review: Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas

Blurb:

Liberty Jones has dreams and determination that will take her far away from Welcome, Texas—if she can keep her wild heart from ruling her mind. Hardy Cates sees Liberty as completely off-limits. His own ambitions are bigger than Welcome, and Liberty is a complication he doesn’t need. But something magical and potent draws them to each other, in a dangerous attraction that is stronger than both of them.

When Hardy leaves town to pursue his plans, Liberty finds herself alone with a young sister to raise. Soon Liberty is under the spell of a billionaire tycoon—a Sugar Daddy, one might say. But the relationship goes deeper than people think, and Liberty begins to discover secrets about her own family’s past.

Susi's Review:
Before I start squeeing and ramlbing about this fantastic book let me make one thing clear: I started this book without any expectations besides reading a good contemporary. I got many recommendations for  this series so I just thought why not and started it. I didn't even read the blurb- I just took a peek at the reviews- or better said the ratings and thought, yep most reviewers liked it so I will buy it. I started reading it before I even looked at the back and just started reading.

This book is pretty addictive and I just couldn't seem to stop. It has a quite different feel than the ordinary romance novel. For me, it felt more like a biography told out of our heroines view. We start in her youth and experience her life while she tells us about how she remembers it. This made the whole book so much more intimate that it touched me deep inside. The writing is so smooth and just seems so real, as if you're really in Liberty's mind and listen to her recollections. I loved to see her mature through the story and my heart broke for her more than once. This book definitely is a tearjerker. So many hard and sad times in her life but Liberty survived them.

It is weird because I usually like the more relationship centered romance novels but this book is more about Liberty than the romance. It's her story that's being told and I'm sure that is also the reason that some readers were disappointed. I just glimpsed at some reviews and they all mention that we meet the Travises too late. It seems it was for once good that I didn't read the blurb before because it really is misleading. Everything it says actually happens near the 2/3 of the book and readers expecting this early are sure to be disappointed.

I can't say enough how much this book made me feel. It grabbed my heart at the start and never let it go for just a second. It is more about family, friendship and intimicy (not the sexual kind). This book shows us how hard it can be to let people close and how much actual friendship means in life. I loved to see the interaction between Liberty and all the wonderful sidecast. They helped me through the story as much as they helped her.

I loved that, at least for me, the romance came with a surprise. For me those is always the best kind. I loved to see how such a wonderful love grew out of nothing- even less than nothing. The slow buildup made all that sweeter for me too. These two are so good for each other. *happy sigh*

One thing I have to point out again. This book is, even though the series is called The Travises, not really about them. Yes they play a rather big role but they join the story really fast and the focus never leaves Liberty. So if you want about them you will actually be dissapointed. It is about Liberty and for me it was the right way to tell this story. She deserves the spotlight and her story is heartbreakingly good. So give her a chance.

This is a wonderful book that I just can't seem to praise enough. It made me heart skip some beats, made me smile and laugh and it made me cry. Reading Sugar Daddy was a very emotional ride and I'm sure I will go that road again in the future. If you love romance with a good story and a good characterization this is the book for you.

with a perfect happy sigh HEA

Last Note: The title is also a bit misleading- even though it makes sense at the end. But don't expect the obvious here- you won't get that. 

Author Links:
Website, Twitter, Facebook

Book Links:
Goodreads, Amazon, Book Depository