Seductive Fantasy (Harlequin Temptation #832) By: Janelle Denison Series: Fantasies Inc. Book Number: 1 Star Rating: Sensuality Rating:

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Synopsis

After losing her parents at a young age, Alexis Baylor was raised by an uncle who left her his tech company when he died. She's spent years focusing on building up the company and is on the cusp of releasing a new video game that promises to be a huge success. Now it's time to finally do something nice for herself, so she books a vacation with Fantasies Inc. Her fondest wish is to indulge in a torrid, no-strings affair with a gorgeous man and hopefully return home pregnant with his baby. So far Alex hasn't had much time for relationships but feels that a child of her own will finally give her the sense of family that she's been missing in her life. She just didn't expect to fall head-over-heels for the man who ends up fulfilling her fantasy or that he might have a hidden agenda of his own.

Jackson Witt is convinced that Alexis stole tech from him, without which her video game wouldn't have been possible. After being betrayed by all the women in his life, he's had enough and wants to exact revenge by stealing her heart. When he discovers her vacation plans, he makes his own plan to infiltrate her fantasy, sweep her off her feet, and then leave her devastated. However, from the moment he meets her, Alexis doesn't seem like the type of woman who could have pulled off such a cold-hearted move as stealing his tech, and the more he gets to know her, the more he finds himself being seduced by her beguiling sweetness and wanting to make what they have real. But after spending a week together under false pretenses, will she ever be able to forgive him if he tells her the truth?

Review

Seductive Fantasy is the first book in the multi-author Fantasies Inc. series that's set at a group of island resorts catering to their guests' deepest desires and fondest fantasies. Our heroine, Alexis, is a businesswoman who inherited her uncle's video gaming company and is on the verge of releasing a new game that could prove to be very profitable. Before that happens, though, she decides to take a little vacation and indulge her fantasies at the island known as Seductive Fantasy where she hopes to meet a man who will show her the true meaning of passion and focus all his attention on her. Our hero, Jackson, also owns a tech company and has just discovered that Alex is using crucial software that he created in her new game, which has him up in arms over this blatant piracy. Angry that Alex would steal his tech, he decides to exact revenge on her by going to the same vacation spot with the intention of seducing her, getting her to fall for him, and then revealing his true purpose before cruelly dumping her. He just didn't expect to be seduced himself.

Alexis lost her parents when she was young and was raised by her uncle. She followed in his footsteps, getting a degree in computing and then going to work for his company. Upon his death, she inherited it and now runs it as the CEO. The company is about to release a new game called Zantoid that has already created a lot of buzz in the gaming world and promises to earn them a fortune. Needing a little down time after finishing this huge project, she schedules a vacation at Seductive Fantasy. Alex has spent so much time perfecting her craft and then running the company that she hasn't really dated in the past five years and has minimal relationship experience. Thinking there probably isn't anyone out there for her, she simply wants to indulge in a week-long, steamy, no-strings affair with a man who focuses solely and completely on seducing her and teaching her what real passion is like. She also hopes to walk away pregnant, feeling that a baby will give her someone to love and to love her in return and provide the sense of family that was lost to her. When she meets Jackson on the seaplane to the island, her hormones go into overdrive, leaving her hoping that maybe he's the one, so when he starts pursuing her, she's incredibly pleased. However, the more time they spend together, the more she finds herself genuinely falling for him and wishing that what they have could become more than just a fantasy, but when she discovers his real reason for being there, it could derail everything. Alex is the perfect combination of sweet and sexy. She's a little on the shy side, hiding in baggy clothes and not thinking of herself as particularly attractive, but the way Jackson looks at her makes her feel beautiful. He also sparks her confidence so that she sometimes takes the lead. I like that as the week went on, she felt a prick of conscience about secretly getting pregnant and decided to tell him if she did. Overall, Alex was a very relatable heroine for me.

Jackson is a self-made man who lost his father as a child and was betrayed by the women in his life. Growing up, his mother mostly left him alone while entertaining a string of boyfriends and now only has contact with him when she wants something, usually money. His fiancée feigned love for him, while really only wanting him for his money, too, so he has little reason to trust women. That's why when he discovers Alex has stolen his tech - or so he thinks - he's had enough and wants revenge. He tells the owner of Seductive Fantasy that what he wants is a woman who'll love him for himself and not for what he can give her, which is the truth, while keeping his real reason for being on the island a secret. However, once he meets Alex, he can't quite believe that this kind, sweet woman could be so devious. He keeps telling himself that she could be deceiving him, but the longer he plays his game, the more real his feelings for her become until he isn't sure if he can really go through with it after all. If anything the seducer has become the seduced, leaving him longing for something real outside of the island. Jackson is a good guy who's been done wrong one too many times, but deep down he has a kind heart and a conscience that leads him in the right direction. He's also observant and intuitive, anticipating Alex's needs and desires, while putting the pieces together that help him to finally trust in her innocence.

Overall, Seductive Fantasy was a great read that was filled with romance and steamy good times that was pure sensual indulgence. I used to be a big fan of the Fantasy Island television show, so I loved the "Fantasy Island" theme. What woman wouldn't want to have all her deepest desires come true with a hot, sexy guy on a beautiful tropical island? I understood and related to both characters quite well. Alex was the consummate girl next-door who just needed a little push to let her sensuous side out to play, while Jackson was a dream lover. This book came very close to receiving five stars from me. There was a bit of awkward phrasing on occasion, but not enough to throw me out of the story. This couple had a strong emotional connection with plenty of sexual chemistry right from the start and it didn't let up for the entire book. So ultimately the main reason I knocked off the half-star was because I was a bit surprised that when Jackson learned the full truth of Alex's fantasy - namely her wanting a baby - that he didn't feel used or in any way betrayed. Granted it happened at the end of the book and the story was so short that it didn't really allow much room to explore something like that, so it ended up being a fairly minor quibble that didn't detract too much from my enjoyment. Otherwise, it was a fun read that I can wholeheartedly recommend for anyone looking to indulge in a little escapist romantic fantasy.

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Janelle Denison

Themes

Geniuses, Scholars & Scientists aka Geeks - Heroines
Physically Ordinary Heroines