His to Claim (His to Claim)

by Opal Carew

[Cocktails and Books]

It is easy to understand how the circumstances of his upbringing could have such an impact on Rafe and all of his relationships. His decision to repair his relationship with Dane, whom he always thought was exactly like their abusive father, even at the extent of his own dreams, however shows a level of commitment one would not have expected from Storm after the way he walked out on Jessica and broke her heart.

In His to Claim we get to see the loving, caring side of Rafe. With Melanie having resigned and no longer his personal assistant, Rafe no longer feels wrong in pursuing the spark between them. But having already had his heart broken once, will he follow his heart or will he play it safe and do the right thing by taking his place within the family company?

Rafe is a hard one for me. Although I can see and understand his reluctance to enter into a serious relationship considering his background, his leaving Jessica in a previous book was a major turn off for me. However that was a favor she returned when she chose Dane over him later on. Still, he does deserve his own happy ending.

Melanie starts off the story a bit flighty but as far as personality goes, pretty strong. Flighty because who in their right mind quits a stable job with benefits to go work insane hours on their feet pouring coffee? However having been in love with Rafe for years she’s finally come to the realization that he will never see her as anything other than his very competent assistant, she choose to remove herself from Rafe’s presence by resigning. Distance is exactly what she needs. At this point in the story I applaud her for not being one of those annoying women who stick around torturing themselves day in and day out just to get a glimpse, maybe a smile, from the man they’re pining over. However as the story progresses she begins to exhibit some pretty selfish tendencies that are not flattering. At time she’s almost not likeable at all.

In the end though, everything works out, as it should. It was a great book that I know I will find myself reading over and over again. I would recommend however that to get maximum enjoyment and the history between the characters you read the first two books in the series, Taken by Storm and His to Possess.

Reviewed by Iris for Cocktails and Books