The Look of Love by Bella Andre

As a professional photographer, Chase Sullivan has traveled the world surrounded by beautiful women.  Never did he expect love would find him on the side of a darkened road in the middle of a late-May hailstorm.  But that’s what he finds the minute he stops to help a stranded motorist and comes up against a most formidable woman.

Chloe Peterson’s running from her past.  Mere hours after surviving an attack by her ex-husband, she finds herself in a storm with a dead car and only the clothes on her back.  To make matters worse, the shivers racing through her body have nothing to do with the shock she’s experiencing, or even the pelting hailstones, and everything to do with her sexy rescuer.  Chloe’s difficulty in trusting Chase is forced aside when she has to rely on him to help her find safety for the night. 

Upon arriving at Chase’s brother, Marc’s, vineyard, Chloe is reluctant to stay.  Chase, already suspecting the worse after seeing the bruise on Chloe’s face, works hard to put her fears at ease.  The chemistry between them that first night was fun to see unfold.  I’m not telling all, but one particular scene involving a tub had me gasping in shock before barreling over in laughter the very next second!  I happened to be in a doctor’s office while reading this, and the looks I received were priceless!

Chase & Chloe’s story continues to unfold over the course of a few days.  Chase is doing a photo-shoot at the vineyard, and the addition of the models to the story gave us a peek at Chase’s professional life.  At first, I wasn’t really certain how Chloe would proceed – and neither was Chase!  He feared she would leave and he wouldn’t be able to change her mind.  The basic need to survive and care for herself was burning inside Chloe.  After a disastrous marriage, she’s spent almost a year trying to build a new life. She blames herself for the attack; believing that she should have seen the signs.  Her attraction and growing feelings for Chase were confounding for her on the heels of such trauma. 

 

Chloe’s talents come in handy on the shoot, and she agrees to stay to help out.  Falling for her so quickly, Chase doesn’t stop for a second to question it.  Instead, he focuses on getting her to trust him, and to make her see that just because she can do everything alone, it doesn’t mean she has to.  Of course, he succeeds even before she’s willing to admit it.  Chloe makes it clear that she’s up for having sex with him during her stay, but anything more is out of the question.

I love how Chloe pushes herself to get past her fears.  I love, even more, how Chase’s steadfast support, acceptance, and love help her to do it.  When Chloe’s newfound strength and confidence are put to the test, she faces her past head-on; leaving no doubt that she can take care of herself and love an amazing man at the same time. 

THE LOOK OF LOVE is the 1^st book in Bella Andre’s new series, The Sullivans.  I’m looking forward to reading Marc’s story, FROM THIS MOMENT ON (Sept. 2011), and learning more about the Sullivan clan!

GRADE: A