REVIEW: Risky Return by Nicole Helm

Risky Return (Harrington Airfield, 2) by Nicole Helm: Ryan Harrington and Celia Grant were madly in love by the time they attended their senior prom. So much so, that Ryan proposed and they got married. A few days after their secretive wedding, they found out that the officiant that performed the ceremony was not at liberty to do so. So Celia took the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and pursue her dream of becoming an actress. She left Ryan in the Kansas dust and broke his heart.

Ryan pulls himself together, goes to law school and becomes a successful divorce attorney. After ten years, he decides to to return home to help his twin brother Nate manage the family’s airfield and be a part of the Celebrity Air reality show his brother’s girlfriend is producing. In order for the show to be successful, they need a big name celebrity for the pilot, so Ryan seeks out the now famous Celia Grant. Due to a snafu, Celia and Ryan are actually still married. Thus, if Celia wants Ryan to keep their marriage under wraps and obtain an secret annulment, she has to return to Kansas and do the show.

Ryan knows all of Celia’s secrets that she has kept hidden from her public, including their marriage and that she was abused as a child. Blackmail aside, they are still in love with each other. Only lots of communication, acceptance and forgiveness will get them to acknowledge their mistakes and find a common future ground. But before that happens, Celia’s vindictive mother begins talking to the press, which will ultimately ruin Celia’s squeaky clean image.

As a story goes it was just okay for me. I found the plot to be inconsistent with some gaps in the story. With the exception of Aubrey, Celia’s publicist, the characters are one-dimensional and lacked depth. I found it difficult to make a connection to Celia and Ryan as a couple as well as individuals. Occasionally, Celia would surprise me with some substance. Secondly, the sex scenes were somewhat emotionless and lackluster. Celia and Ryan have no spark in the bedroom. And lastly, Ryan’s back-story was incomplete, especially about his relationship with his father.

From the onset, the blackmailing scheme left a poor impression of the rest the book. In addition, it is quite possible that reading the first book in the series would have helped me enjoy book two.

Book Info:

Published March 6th 2014 by Entangled Publishing, LLC

Blackmail never felt so right.

Celia Grant has spent the last ten years keeping her past at bay, building her Hollywood reputation as America’s Sweetheart. When ex-boyfriend Ryan Harrington threatens to reveal her darkest secrets, she has no choice but to return to Demo, Kansas, and the people she left behind. In exchange for Ryan’s silence, she will appear in a reality television show that promises to save his family’s legacy.

Ryan Harrington knows an opportunity when he sees one, and using Celia to save his family is one he can’t ignore. But he didn’t count on the pull they still have on each other.

Celia reminds herself that she and Ryan were never destined to have a happily ever after ending like in the movies she stars in. But even as the ghosts of her past refuse to be suppressed any longer, she finds herself tempted by the hopes of a love she never thought she could have.
 Between secrets, fame, and love, Celia’s made the riskiest return of all.