BLOG TOUR: REVIEW AND EXCERPT: Mr. North by Callie Hart

Mr. North by Callie Hart

Release Date: November 16th

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Synopsis

Law student Beth Dreymon is out of money and struggling hard. If she wants to finish her degree, she’s going to have to earn some money and fast. When she learns of an exciting opportunity—playing chess with New York’s most elusive billionaire—the offer sounds too good to be true. Reassured the offer is legit, Beth gets her game face on and prepares to geek out…

Only, when she steps foot into Raphael North’s luxurious penthouse, the rulebook goes flying out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. North is beautiful and damaged—a terrible temptation—and he has his sights set on winning Beth over. He’s just a job, though. A job Beth needs in order to make ends meet. If she plans on making her life in New York work, she needs to keep her eye on the prize. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, however, and it isn’t long before Beth finds herself entangled in Raphael’s world of dark desire.

Captor.

Curator.

Lover.

Enigma.

Beth should run from the devastatingly attractive blue-eyed devil, but Mr North has other ideas…and he’s about to make his next move.

Review

Who would have thought that a game of chess could turn into one hell of a risky game off the board – one that held greater losses that the simple idea of a winner and a loser…one that introduced the heroine to a reclusive and enigmatic man…one that left her with no choice but to take a chance on winning it all in a series of devious, erotic, and life-changing moves…where if the hero and heroine play it right, both of them will end up check mated for life.

Raphael North’s past has certainly dictated how he currently chooses to live his life. He’s a man who is stuck in a continual cycle of grief, guilt, and immeasurable pain, and by hiding his secrets and his truths away from everyone, he’s unable to move forward…until a woman enters his life whose very nature brings Raph out of his own head, helping him to live again, even if he’s not fully committed, but it’s unclear if Beth has what it takes to help him let go of his past because when all the pieces he’s been hiding begin to fall, the repercussions and consequences that occur may be more than Beth can put back together.

Any reader who has found herself wrapped up in one of Callie Hart’s dark alpha males and/or twisted story lines knows that characters’ looks and actions as well as the book blurb itself can be deceiving…on purpose mind you because we’re meant to have our reading worlds turned upside down as much as the heroine’s life is in the story, which results in authentic reactions and overwhelming feelings.

Right from the start, it’s clear that Raph is more than a shut-in billionaire who simply vanished from existence, and it’s the mystery behind his disappearance that Beth and readers can’t quite understand, and it seems like the harder we try and the closer we get, we’re all left with more questions than answers and more roadblocks than easy pathways.

Callie Hart does a good job of sprinkling clues about Raph’s past throughout the book, but I didn’t truly feel like I understood everything that happened and what it cost everyone involved even after the book concluded. I’m not sure if it’s because the focus changes numerous times and as more events play out, it’s difficult to ascertain exactly how they all go together or if it’s because I didn’t feel like the characters, especially Raph, were fleshed out enough to wrap my head around all that is revealed.

It’s clear that there’s an intense connection between Raph and Beth and it makes sense that this domineering man would have his kinks when it comes to intimate relationships, but those scenes didn’t seem as fluid as I needed them to be…they seemed inserted at points that didn’t quite fit the flow of the story line.

While I did have a few issues with Raph and Beth’s story, I still enjoyed Mr. North and the many twists and turns that take place, and it’s clear that Callie Hart can write dark romance time and time again…even if there will never be anyone as badass amazing as Zeth Mayfair;)

4 Poison Apples

Excerpt

Raphael North stands on the other side of the abnormally thick glass. He’s dressed in a plain dark blue t-shirt, and a pair of washed out blue jeans. His feet are completely bare. His hair is even darker than it was in his picture, if that’s at all possible. Almost curly, too. It’s then that I realize it’s wet—he must have just gotten out of the shower. There are small dark patches on his t-shirt where water has obviously soaked through the material.

He turns those startling vivid green eyes on me and I’m breathless all over again. It feels like I’m tumbling over some steep cliff face, a weightless sensation turning my stomach over as I fall. Inside, I’m back to wanting to flee the building. Externally, I’m praying to deities of faiths and religions all over the world that I don’t look like I’m about to slump in an unconscious mess on the floor right in front of him. My top lip begins to twitch—something that only happens when I’m really, really anxious. Without thinking, I press my fingertips to my mouth, as if I can put a halt to the twitching by touch alone. A strange look passes over Raphael’s face. A slight movement at the corner of his mouth. I can’t decide if it’s displeasure or amusement. Either way, the reaction is fleeting, barely noticeable at all, and then his face is a blank mask again. He places his hand on a curved silver handle on the other side of the door, and then pulls it toward him, opening it. There are no barriers now. Nothing standing between myself and a man whispered and gossiped about by an entire city. Screw that, an entire nation. I’m in an enviable position right now, but I’d gladly thank the universe if the ground opened up and swallowed me whole.

The first words Raphael North speaks to me will haunt me until the day I die. He angles his head ever so slightly to one side, then says, “Your toenail polish is chipped, Ms. Dreymon.”

Lord have mercy. His voice is deep but soft. It has no hard edges, but at the same time his tone is overflowing with self-confidence and command.

“I’m sorry, I…wasn’t aware of your no-shoe policy.”

About the Author

Callie Hart is a USA Today bestselling author of dark romance novels. She is an obsessive romantic who loves throwing a dark twist into her stories.

Her characters are imperfect, flawed individuals who dictate when she eats, sleeps and breathes. She loves to travel, and often pens her books when she’s on the road, drawing inspiration from her often unique and wild surroundings.

If she’s not writing, you’ll undoubtedly find her with her nose buried deep in a book, or binge watching Game of Thrones.

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