Rebel Heir (Rush Series Duet #1) – Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward

Genre: Romance
Publisher: C. Scott Publishing Corp

How to kick off a great summer in the Hamptons:

Snag a gorgeous rental on the beach. Check.

Get a job at a trendy summer haunt. Check.

How to screw up a great summer in the Hamptons:

Fall for the one guy with a dark leather jacket, scruff on his face, and intense eyes that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the tony looking crowd. A guy you can’t have when you’ll be leaving at the end of the season.

Check. Check. Check.

I should add—especially when the guy is your sexy, tattooed God of a boss.

Especially when he not only owns your place of employment but inherited half of the town.

Especially when he’s mean to you.

Or so I thought.

Until one night when he demanded I get in his car so he could drive me home because he didn’t want me walking in the dark.

That was sort of how it all started with Rush.

And then little by little, some of the walls of this hardass man started to come down.

I never expected that the two of us, seemingly opposites from the outside, would grow so close.

I wasn’t supposed to fall for the rebel heir, especially when he made it clear he didn’t want to cross the line with me.

As the temperature turned cooler, the nights became hotter. My summer became a lot more interesting—and complicated.

All good things must come to an end, right?

Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming.

I’m always on the hunt for engrossing romance novels since there are so many mediocre ones in the genre. I’ve read a couple of Penelope Ward’s novels and I’ve seen Vi Keeland’s around, so I figured I would give Rebel Heir a shot and I’m glad I did.

 Rebel Heir begins with a hilarious situation as the main character, Gia, tries to bartend and the owner, Rush witnesses her failure. Their attraction and chemistry is instant. 

What I enjoyed most about Rebel Heir was Gia herself. She’s driven, sassy, feisty, and confident. Gia isn’t afraid to say what she thinks even if her comments are inappropriate or risky. Most importantly, Gia is forward. She knows what she wants and is able to pursue those wants. For this reason, Gia is perfect for Rush. Rush is your typical romance love interest. He’s sexually experienced, closed off, and a “bad boy”. Gia and Rush’s chemistry and sexual tension drips off the pages and their banter is fun, witty, and organic.

The reason I rated Rebel Heir four stars instead of five is a spoiler, so all I’ll say is that a particular plot line is introduced that I abhor. I expected the novel to devolve into the stereotypical narrative. Fortunately for me, Rebel Heir pulled the rug out from underneath me with the ending. As soon as the final chapter began I knew where the story was headed and I was ecstatic. I gasped out loud and had a grin on my face until the end.

It’s a good thing the sequel is coming out soon (May 22, 2018) because I cannot wait to see what happens!