My first thought when I picked up Discretion by Karina Halle was "Wow, that cover is stunning". So, yes, I am shallow. But, the story sounds interesting: billionaire French playboy meets poor American student. Also, the setting sounded stellar: The French Riviera! Karina Halle has certainly caught my attention from the start!
Olivier, our hero, has one seriously dysfunctional family. They are greedy, secretive, and cruel to each other frequently. He is beholden to some in his family due to some information he doesn't want shared. I struggled with this a bit because it felt a bit weak. I think Olivier could have handled it differently and it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But, that's totally just my opinion! Sadie, our heroine, is backpacking in Europe and dealing with her own issues. She was relatable in many ways. She is young, undecided about some things in her life, wanting to explore and find herself. Its all very common for college age kids (except many of them don't get to leave the country and travel). She is freshly single and there certainly is instant chemistry between her and Olivier. Beyond the chemistry, I am not sure I totally understood their relationship. I didn't FEEL it. I can't quite put my finger on why, but something about these two didn't feel believable.
Discretion has some suspense to it as well which was satisfying. What I loved most was the way Karina Halle created such a beautiful setting. Discretion doesn't just take place in the Riviera, the Riviera is a part of the story in each beautiful description. If you like soap opera type families, gorgeous settings, and a touch of suspense, you will enjoy Discretion by Karina Halle!
- POV: dual 1st
- Tears: no
- Trope: billionaire, dysfunctional family
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: stand alone
- Cliffhanger: [spoiler]no[/spoiler]
- HEA: [spoiler]yes[/spoiler]
[rating-report]
authors like Corinne Michaels, KA Linde, Jamie McGuire...then you will probably like Discretion by Karina Halle!