The Rebel, Alice Ward

LOVED IT!!  I couldn't put it down once I started.  All the fears I had for added drama like the MC club, other women, manwhore stuff, saying awful things out of fear or hurt feelings, Zach's shenanigans, etc...none of it happened.  Is that good?  Yes!  Was it boring for lack of drama?  Absolutely not!!!  The way Alice pulled everything together was believable, touching, sweet and tender, amazingly hot, real, and absolutely wonderful to read.

Honestly, there are so many good things to say about this book that I almost fear it'll be a crap review because it's only praise so I'll try to be as specific as possible without giving too much away.  Here goes...

Sean is broody, frustrated, lonely, and tempted to fall back into what he was doing before.  He does, however, have a great ability to look at what he wants and the consequences of what he's tempted to do so that he can make a better decision.  His life has taken him in a direction that makes that intelligence a necessity.  Not everything has gone according to plan and he's allowed life to roll him for far too long.  When Claire comes back into his life he's reminded of not just responsibility, but of his heart even if it's filled with negativity for the moment.  Then comes the biggest shock of all when he finds out that Paisley, his 8 year old daughter, needs him now more than ever.  How to cope?  What do do?  Well, whatever he's going to do, he's going to give it everything he has because, for once, there's someone who truly needs him.

Taylor is driven, focused, and enthusiastic.  She's determined to make a success of the business she loves even if she's not family and not in a position of power.  Her mind is quick and despite the struggles she has with Zach, she knows what she needs to do and goes for it.  When Sean quickly becomes an answer to the company's problems she throws herself into the deep end to see it through to success.  Now to just get Sean on board...

I was worried that Ray and Zach would make her train Sean to be her boss, that she would be overlooked in a testosterone driven field, but that was not the case.  It was quite unexpected, his role, and the way things progressed in the business was unpredictable and fun to see.  There was immediate connection and the interplay between them was genuine and passionate.  Then another fear was hoping Zach wouldn't come between them.  He did, just not in a way that I thought he would.  All in all, there were so many surprises with how things progressed in the business and romantically that I was engaged from the word go.  I fell in love with Sean, Taylor, and Paisley just as much as they all fell for one another.

The romance wasn't contrived, forced, or awkward at all.  There was intense passion, overwhelming feelings, and a great sense of rightness.  Humanity and genuine affection between everyone was always present and I respected them for how things proceeded.  With the synopsis I was expecting a manwhore that screwed any woman that came along and had a sexist, arrogant attitude.  I was honestly expecting to not like him very much.  What I found instead was a man who had a heart, who kept control of himself, and aside from a sexy fantasy and lustful thoughts, he didn't talk the whole time about her body.  He was much more interested in who she was, how she made him feel, her importance in his life.  Not that there weren't fireworks in the bedroom, there most definitely were, it just wasn't only about how they connected physically.  He was supportive of Taylor's professional ambition and he made her feel important, gave her a place to call home in each aspect of her life that was important to her.  Taylor in turn gave him confidence, the encouragement and support, and the push he needed to fulfill his potential.  She didn't try to mold him into a corporate suit, she let him be himself.  They were a powerful couple that were utterly perfect together.

Overall, I am so very in love with this book.  This is probably my favorite book by Alice so far.  Reading and reviewing her books is an absolute pleasure.