Intimate Fantasy (Harlequin Temptation #840)

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Synopsis

During an accident while on duty, firefighter Tony Moretti sustained injuries that have left him stuck on desk duty. He longs to be a hero one more time and he gets to live out that fantasy at Fantasies, Inc. Every night he dons a disguise and patrols the island getaway as "Michael," helping guests who find themselves in a bit of trouble. On one such evening, he rescues a beautiful woman who's gotten herself stuck in a tree. Sparks begin to fly between them almost instantly, leading to some sultry nights of passion as his alter-ego, but during the day, Tony can't resist striking up a friendship with her as himself. He knows he should probably come clean about his dual personas, and he wishes that she'd fall for the real him. But when he discovers that she's only looking for an anonymous fling and has plans to go back home and marry someone else, he's reluctant to upend her fantasy for what he thinks is a pipe dream.

Since her mother passed when she was twelve, Kyra Cartright has spent the ensuing years looking out for her family, and that includes a plan to enter into a loveless marriage for the sake of saving the family business. But before she agrees to an engagement, she goes to Fantasies, Inc., wanting to experience a sexual adventure with someone who makes her feel special. That someone turns out to be "Michael" who rescues her from a potential fall from a tree. He's everything she could want in a secret lover and her nights are filled with all the passion she's longed for. During the day, though, she finds herself connecting with Tony, a scarred firefighter who's easy to talk to and fun to be around. However, she doesn't suspect that the two men are one and the same. If she discovers the truth, will she be able to forgive Tony for the deception? And when she starts falling for both his personas, will she do the right thing for herself for once or fall back into the old habit of putting her family first?

Review

Intimate Fantasy is the third book in the multi-author continuity series, Fantasies, Inc., in which the heroes and heroines vacation at a Fantasy Island-style resort that allows them to live out their sexy fantasies. In this one, Kyra has always selflessly done what's best for her family, and now she's ready to marry a wealthy man she doesn't love in order to rescue the family business. But before she walks down the aisle, she decides to indulge in her fantasy to experience true passion and adventure. At Fantasies, Inc., she's intrigued by reports of a man who is surreptitiously going around the island rescuing people every night. One night, Kyra gets herself into a pickle when she climbs a tree to save a kitten and is about to fall until "Michael" comes to help her. An instant chemistry sparks between them that leads to her fantasy of passionate nights being fulfilled, but during the daytime, she meets Tony, a former firefighter who was injured on the job, ending his career. Tony is on the island, trying to indulge his fantasy of being the hero again and little does Kyra or anyone else besides the staff know that he's the mysterious "Michael." Kyra continues to indulge her desires with "Michael" at night, while building a friendship and falling in love with Tony during the day. Tony is falling hard and fast for Kyra, too, but he fears that if he tells her the truth about his alter-ego, that scarred Tony won't be good enough for her. Not to mention, she's made it clear she's only on the island for a little fling before marrying to save the family business and Tony has nothing to offer her except his love.

Kyra's mother died when she was twelve, but before she passed, she made Kyra promise to take care of her father and brother. Ever since, Kyra has been the backbone of the family, selflessly giving everything and never doing anything for herself. The family radio station is in financial trouble. Her father's health isn't great and the station has been his whole life for a very long time, so she sees it as her responsibility to do everything she can to save the business. The only way she sees out of her predicament is marrying a wealthy friend of the family who is fifteen years her senior. She doesn't love him, but he's been good to her and her family and can provide the funds she desperately needs. But before she gives him her answer, Kyra goes to Fantasies, Inc., hoping to indulge in a little adventure and finally experience true passion. The island's mystery hero intrigues her from the moment she hears about him, so when she meets "Michael," she feels an instant attraction to him that leads to some very passionate nights. But then there's Tony, the scarred firefighter, who keeps her company during the day. He's so easy to talk to and they form an almost instant friendship that starts leading her toward loving feelings. All of it leaves Kyra torn between her obligations to her family, her love for Tony, and her passion for "Michael." I enjoyed Kyra's good girl persona. She's always done so much for her family that she deserved something for herself. However, even when she thinks she wants a sexy adventure, it's hard for her let go, which was something I could relate to. Both "Michael" and Tony help her to see that she's worthy of all the love and attention he can give her.

Tony is a firefighter who was injured on the job by falling debris and then his girlfriend left him. He now has a bad back and a scar around his eye and has been told that he won't be able to continue working in the profession he loved. Before settling for a desk job or going into consulting work, he wants one last hurrah playing the hero. Every night since arriving at Fantasies, Inc., he's been donning a disguise and a pseudonym and going out, looking for people in trouble. He's rescued several, and although he suspects that the scenarios may have been engineered by the owner of the resort, it does make him feel somewhat more useful. On one such night, "Michael" finds Kyra hanging upside down from a tree limb. After helping her down, the sparks start to fly between them, and by the next night, they're reveling in the excitement of an anonymous fling. Then Tony meets Kyra during the day as himself and can't resist allowing a friendship to blossom. Although he wants to tell her about his alter-ego, he knows that she's only there for a little indulgence before walking down the aisle, making him reluctant to disrupt her fantasy. He's also very self-conscious of his injuries and worries that the scarred Tony might not be enough for an adventure-seeker like Kyra, so he keeps it to himself until he realizes he's fallen in love with her. I'm a sucker for a scarred hero, so I really sympathized with Tony. I could also relate to his desire to be the hero one more time. After being dumped by his girlfriend, I could understand his reluctance to really reveal himself to Kyra, but regardless of whether he was Tony or "Michael," he was a great guy. "Michael" was the dream lover who gave her the genuine passion she was craving, while Tony was the friend who offered true intimacy and love.

I think, in part, because I was a fan of the old Fantasy Island television show, I'm really enjoying the Fantasies, Inc. books so far, so I was looking forward to continuing. However, I noticed that the GoodReads rating for Intimate Fantasy was the lowest of all the books in the series and pretty low in general. This gave me a bit of pause going into reading it. I was very much enjoying it, but also waiting for something to happen to ruin my good time. Thankfully that didn't occur, and in fact, I loved it, which has left me a little baffled as to why so many others didn't. I haven't read any reviews yet to see if they give me any insights, but the only thing I can think of is that perhaps readers had a hard time buying that Kyra didn't realize that Tony and "Michael" were one and the same sooner. Admittedly the "Michael" disguise was a little thin, but no more so than the Superman/Clark Kent masquerade, so it honestly it didn't bother me. I was caught up in the whole fantasy of having a secret lover by night while getting to know him for real by day. I thought it was a fun scenario. Also Kyra and Tony were both very likable characters in difficult circumstances, looking for a little indulgence before dealing with obligations. I suppose some readers might also have been off-put, possibly feeling that Kyra was cheating on the guy she was going to marry, but I didn't see it that way. She hadn't even given him an answer yet and it was going to be little more than a loveless, business arrangement, albeit one that she was determined to remain faithful to once her vows were said, so I thought she was justified in wanting to feel special to someone even if only for a few days. I like that Tony and Kyra were very supportive and respectful of each other's fantasies. Their relationship gave me all the feels I look for in a romance, along with a healthy dose of steam. I also enjoyed the progression of the assumed reunion that will likely occur between Fantasies, Inc. owner Merilee and the love of her life in the final book. Overall, I had a great time reading Intimate Fantasy and look forward to completing the series soon.

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Julie Kenner

Themes

Physically Imperfect Heroes