A Tycoon's Jewel by Avery Laval

Can a man who came from nothing trust a woman who lost everything?

Six years ago, Jenna McCormick lost it all—her parents, her fortune, and her family's jewelry empire. After the shock wore off, Jenna realized she didn't need her fortune to be happy. Today, she has her brother's love and a small apartment. She doesn’t miss the champagne lifestyle she left behind. But she can never forget the day Grant Blakely stole her family's company, placing himself at the helm. She was half in love with Grant, her father's protege, now the youngest black CEO in Las Vegas history. She never wanted to ask him for help. But now she has no choice.

When Jenna asks Grant for a job, he's certain she must be joking. Even Jenna couldn't have burned through her trust fund that fast. She's persuasive, though, and her appeal hasn’t faded. Grant tests Jenna's resolve: he hires her, but as his assistant. She won't be able to put up with the menial tasks and hard hours of a real job. But Grant fails to predict how the sizzling attraction grows between them as he discovers she's not the playgirl she used to be.

Soon, the spark between them reignites. But can Grant trust her? And can Jenna trust the man who took everything from her?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33259027-the-duchess-deal

Title: A Tycoon's Jewel
Author: Avery Laval
Series: Sin City Tycoons
Pages: 224
Genre(s): Contemporary, US
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This is the first book in the Sin City Tycoon’s series but fear not, it completely stands alone from the rest of the series and you’re guaranteed a happily ever after.

But, damn, Jenna and Grant make you work hard for that happily ever after. Well, more just Grant - if there’s ever been an alpha male who tries to resist falling in love, it’s Grant Blakely. Luckily, that’s the kind of hero that I just adore and boy does Avery Laval write them well. Watching someone like Grant succumb to Jenna’s charms is so bloody satisfying. Even more so because Jenna isn’t trying to trap him or seduce him - despite what Grant himself might think.

As an ex-party girl (I was envisaging Paris Hilton-esque) I assumed it would be quite hard to like Jenna - even though she had turned her life around and turned over a new leaf. Not so, I’m happy to report. I was rooting for Jenna from the first and wanted her to get her happily ever after and get her man.

Grant was high power, all arrogance and all suspicion. Understandably so, since we learn of his motivations and his back story. But I still took pleasure in all the confusion and angst he felt while trying to first outwit and then keep his emotional distance from Jenna. The fact that Ms Laval could write such potentially polarising romantic leads is another testament to the quality of her storytelling.

And the writing really is very good. All consuming and involving - I couldn’t stop the pages from turning and found myself trying to carve out time at all hours of the day just so I could find out what was happening in the world of Grant and Jenna.

I also have to give massive kudos to Ms Laval for her portrayal of mental health and what it must be like for relatives of sufferers of a severe form. The depiction was so emotive that I was stunned speechless by those particular passages.

I really loved this book and enjoyed every moment of reading it. Having previously read the second book in the series, A Tycoon’s Rush, and loving it just as much as I did this one, Avery Laval is well on her way to becoming an auto-buy author for me.

I cannot wait for the third and final book in this series, A Tycoon’s Secret, which comes out in June. I understand it will tie all three books in the series together and I for one look forward to finding out how Grant and Jenna are getting on.

A fun, delicious and page-turning read with lots to sink your teeth into - this is a book I can whole heartedly recommend. 5 stars.