REVIEW: The Rebel and the Heiress by Michelle Douglas

The Rebel and the Heiress by Michelle Douglas: When Rick is summoned to the Whittaker mansion, he can’t help but wonder what Nell Smythe-Whittaker wants with him. They were friends very briefly as children – before they were yanked apart, his first fledgling accusation of nefariousness came at her hand. The fact that it was patently untrue was neither of their faults, and he didn’t hold it against her, but it also didn’t mean that they should run in the same circles.

Nell’s almost ashamed of herself. She’s had this letter for months, and she’s only now calling on Rick Bradford to turn it over to him. She’s not sure why her late gardener had something so important to say to Rick that he left him a missive, the only interaction between the two came when they were kids and he was shooing Rick away from her. But an obligation to hand it to him personally she had, and it was something she was determined to do.

To say they were both stunned by what the letter contained would be putting it mildly. On top of the surprise of it all, it was also just the beginning of a riddle of sorts, one that they needed to work together to solve. Also one that Rick wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to. Nell, however, did. Not for her sake – but for Rick’s. She couldn’t help thinking that if he had the information, even if he didn’t do anything with it – at least he’d *know*.

In working together, Rick gets to see that Nell isn’t what she always appeared to be. She wasn’t ever the privileged princess he thought she was. Nell was working very hard to achieve her dreams, and he found himself wanting to help her every step of the way.

And Nell always knew Rick wasn’t the man who had been painted with the “bad guy” brush. He wanted nothing more than to be someone’s knight in shining armor. She just didn’t want to be his damsel. Nell was fine being her own Queen – as long as she could keep her father away and make a success of the business she was trying to build. Easier said than done. But with Rick helping, everything seemed possible – until a series of events that might cause the walls to crash in sooner than they should…

I have to say that I loved Rick and Nell. I also enjoyed the intrigue of the scavenger hunt, and then seeing how each character dealt with their own struggles along the way. That being said, I just wish I could’ve gotten into it more. For some reason, I could envision the cupcakes, but I couldn’t see the characters as clearly. If they had been as vivid, this would’ve been a five-star book.

Still, this is a solid four-stars. I really dug that Nell saw Rick for what he was the entire way through without misunderstanding – and was willing to go the extra mile for him. Super gutsy, super strong, and she took no quarter. I hated her father, and I think that was working as intended. 😉

Pick it up for a lovely bad-boy/princess – with a twist – summer read.

Book Info:

Published August 5th 2014 by Harlequin Romance Series #4435

From rebel—to knight in shining armor…?

Losing her family fortune, it’s time for once-privileged Nell Smythe-Whittaker to make it on her own…with a little help from delicious bad boy Rick Bradford!

Rick hasn’t seen Nell since childhood, but with a family mystery to solve Rick needs Nell as much as she needs him. Yet with a past as checkered as his, can Rick ever be good enough for this beautiful heiress? It’s something he’s willing to prove….

The Wild Ones What will it take to tame these rebels?