Series:
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Book 1)
Her biggest rival
Is also her greatest temptation…
Shanna Jacobs has ambitions to be the next
superintendent. But when a cheating scandal rocks her school, she's put under
the supervision of her sexy ex, Lynx Harrington. Also a school principal, Lynx
has his eye on the same job. Working to clear an accused cheater's name --
albeit a beautiful one -- only complicates the plan. But their attraction is
undeniable. And Shanna's kisses are a perfect ten. Maybe their fledgling
partnership will make the grade after all?
Good enemies to lovers story and start to the new series.
Shanna is a high school principal with ambitions to become the next
superintendent. Those plans hit a road bump when several students and teachers
are caught cheating on the SATs. Though she had nothing to do with it, Shanna
is under intense scrutiny while the investigation continues. This includes
being placed under the supervision of rival principal Lynx Harrington. Not only
is he her former high school boyfriend, but he is also in the running for the
superintendent job.
Lynx is not happy to be in charge of Shanna. His memories
of their high school breakup make it difficult for him to trust her. His
attraction to her only complicates matters.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Shanna and Lynx
develop. Their antipathy toward each other is evident in every word of their
initial encounter, but they have no choice in working together. Lynx, who had
plans to attend an out-of-state auction that week, invited Shanna to go along
and make it a working vacation. Shanna was wary but willing to try. The trip
started a little rough, with Lynx and Shanna sniping at each other until the
subject of their high school relationship came up. They finally cleared up that
misunderstanding, leaving Lynx to realize what a jerk he'd been. With that out
of the way, the door is open for Shanna and Lynx to rekindle their friendship
and maybe a little more.
I liked how Lynx helped Shanna see the benefits of a
life/work balance by planning fun activities for when they weren't working. Not
only did they get to know each other better, but their attraction also grew
until they could no longer resist it. It is clear that their feelings for each
other grow stronger. But the investigation hanging over Shanna's head raises
some issues between them. Lynx is a fixer and wants to do anything he can to
help her with her situation. Unfortunately, he tends to jump in with a solution
instead of talking to Shanna about it. Shanna is intelligent, independent, and
stubborn, and she sees his actions as a lack of trust or belief in her.
When Lynx takes his "fix it" attitude too far,
Shanna is furious. Their relationship had been going well until then, with both
thinking about a future together. This blow splits them apart. I ached for
Shanna but felt she was being a bit unreasonable. A conversation with her best
friend brought up some ideas Shanna hadn't considered. I liked that Shanna's
self-examination showed her that Lynx wasn't the only person in the wrong.
Meanwhile, Lynx misses Shanna. He's had an eye-opening conversation with his
mother, showing him he has a lot to learn. I enjoyed seeing him search for the
best way to show Shanna how he felt. I loved his solution - it was a beautiful
expression of his feelings and understanding. The ending was terrific.
Family is an essential theme in this book. Shanna has her
mother and her younger sister. Mom has dementia, and the scenes of Shanna's
visits with her are heartbreaking. Shanna's biggest worries during this book
are losing her job and being unable to provide for her mother. She also helps
support her younger sister, Yanni, who is in college. I liked the closeness
between Yanni and Shanna.
Lynx is part of a large family. When they were young, he
and his brother Hawk were adopted by the Harringtons. Lynx and Hawk are white,
and the Harringtons are Black, but that never made a difference when they were
growing up. He is also close with his five other brothers. I enjoyed the scenes
with the brothers together. There is a lot of teasing, but the support is unquestioning.
I look forward to reading their stories.
There is a fair amount of time spent showing the issues
Shanna faces as a Black woman in her profession. Her anger and hurt at her
treatment are understandable. The incident at the convenience store was well-portrayed
and disturbingly realistic. I was happy to see Lynx wanted to understand - his
conversation with his mom was especially enlightening.
