REVIEW: Stripped by Nicola Marsh

Stripped by Nicola Marsh is a sexy and enjoyable workplace romance set on a beautiful island locale off the coast of Australia.

Daisy Adler is ready to use her PR skills to set up a marketing campaign for the luxury resort hotel on Gem Island. It’s a plum assignment and one she hopes will springboard her plans to start her own company. She’s had better luck with her career than with men lately, having broken off an engagement several months earlier to a man who had turned into a controlling prick. But when she meets her new boss, she wonders if she will be able to keep her attraction to him under wraps long enough to get the job done.

Hart Rochester is a reclusive and grumpy billionaire, still grieving the loss of his grandfather who bequeathed him the hotel chain that’s been on a downturn. He needs Daisy to help turn around their fortunes so that he can pass the business off to someone more worthy and devote himself full time to his charitable endeavours for foster kids. The attraction between them is mutual, and if she’s willing, he’d be happy to engage in a no strings attached fling for the duration of her time on the island. But what happens when a simple affair turns into something more complicated?

I enjoyed this passionate romance! The setting is new to me, part of the Whitsunday islands off the Queensland coast. Hart has multiple plans for the island – to bring tourists back to the luxury resort but also to renovate some older areas for use by foster families. Having been a foster child himself until the age of sixteen when his real grandfather found out about him and brought him home, he knows the complicated and emotional land mines faced by kids in foster care. He’d been bullied, and learned to keep his real feelings hidden. To this day, he still has trouble sharing about his past though with Daisy he’s able to let down his guard and reveal some of his inner turmoil. He’s not a perfect character – he has a temper and he makes mistakes but he’s also willing to apologize and own up to his failings.

Daisy isn’t afraid to speak up for herself and to confront Hart when it’s needed. She’s smart and talented and knows that adding a personal touch by including Hart in the PR campaign will draw more customers. She has to work hard to convince him that his involvement with foster child charities deserves attention that will benefit everyone, including helping him deal with his own time in foster care. She still has some issues with self esteem from her ex boyfriend but is working through them and this project is giving her a much needed boost.

Daisy and Hart’s attraction leads to some steamy scenes and a deeper emotional connection. Their fling doesn’t interfere with the work that they are doing together but it does make Hart realize how much he’s going to lose if he doesn’t tell Daisy how he really feels about her. They get their happy ending, complete with a lovely epilogue. This is an entertaining island set romance!

Book Info:

Publication: Feb 01, 2019 | Harlequin Dare |

She wasn’t into bad boys…until she met him!

Getting naked with reclusive billionaire Hart Rochester wasn’t part of Daisy Adler’s PR campaign. She’s on the stunning Whitsunday island to save his reputation, but after clashing with the infuriating, sexy CEO, a fling is the perfect way to burn off energy after hours. As they strip each other bare, their desire only rages hotter – can a man with such a tortured soul ever be the partner she needs beyond the bedroom?