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Taboo Romance

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​Loving Ruby is the second book in The Riverstone Estate series.  If you haven’t read the first book, Loving Amber, don’t worry, each book can be read as a stand-alone.  While the characters from the first book do make an appearance, Loving Ruby features a new couple.

If you enjoy workplace romances, Loving Ruby will definitely pique your interest.  Roya Carmen puts her own spin on the taboo relationship between a boss and his assistant, and it has all of the sinful, delightful, intriguing elements that I have come to expect from her writing.

Ruby Riverstone is the younger sister in the Riverstone family.  She is creative, free-spirited, and not really cutting it at her family’s estate.  She needs a new job, one that showcases her creative abilities.  When she answers an ad for a personal assistant for an author, she has a feeling that this is the opportunity that she’s been waiting for.

August Hyde is a successful author.  He is also relatively new in the small community, which has made him the topic of many rumors and speculations.  Being new in a small community will always make you a hot topic for curious residents, but include the fact that August is never seen outside the confines of his own property, and it’s inevitable that the rumor mill will be abuzz. 

As soon as August meets with Ruby, he knows that she’s just what he needs, but along with that, he’s also apprehensive about hiring someone who he is clearly attracted to.  He is only looking for an assistant, he doesn’t want to have anything other than a professional relationship with his employee.  Inappropriate thoughts and feelings toward an employee wouldn’t only be unethical, but he just couldn’t allow himself to feel any attachment toward another woman.

August lives a reclusive, regimented life.  He is formal, well-mannered, and a tad stuffy, but he is enigmatic and extremely intriguing.  But don’t let his formalities fool you, underneath his proper, polished exterior is a man with a naughty side, a healthy sexual appetite, and a bit of a shoe fetish. 

Although August and Ruby seem like polar opposites, they both seem to complement the other.  Ruby breathes new life into his drab surroundings and life.  Her vivacious personality is a ray of sunshine in his otherwise lonely world.   

Loving Ruby captured my attention from the very beginning.  I was eagerly flipping the pages to find out more about Mr. August Hyde.  There was so much more to him than just being Ruby’s boss.  The story stretched far beyond just the illicit relationship between a boss and employee.  He was a man who wasn’t really living.  He was merely existing in the closed off world that he had created for himself.  He was lonely, grieving, and not giving himself permission to find happiness.

Loving Ruby is a steamy, captivating love story, and even though the characters are immediately attracted to each other, their relationship is a slow burn.  Roya Carmen took her time with their romance, making the build-up and anticipation that much sweeter. 

Loving Ruby is a thoroughly enjoyable read and a great addition to this series!
 

*4.5 Stars