Satin Pleasures by Karen Docter – a Review

Satin Pleasures by Karen Docter is pure romance, and wonderful one at that.  This was such an enjoyable read, that I couldn’t put it down, since this was such a feel good book.

The story begins with Dan MacDonald, who is returning from a year of a peaceful seclusion from a stressful career, to San Francisco to help his family. He is stuck with his dog, Colby, a German Shepard, on the bridge due to a overturned truck. While he waits, he spots a beautiful brunette sitting on the hood of her car, talking on the phone, and begins to fantasize what sex would be like with her.  Of course, at that moment, a group of young men were passing the time playing Frisbee and boom…….the girl is hit in the head, knocking her unconscious off the car, and the phone into the water.

Dan to the rescue of the damsel is distress. Meet Tess Emory, who wakes up in the arms of a handsome stranger.  Dan brings Tess to his trailer to make sure she is ok, and suspects she may have a concussion.  Tess, who is a business woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown, is in a panic.  She was on her way to a meeting that was important to her career, and with her phone in the water, she cannot call to say she will be late.  Dan tries to calm her, and explain they are stuck there for a couple of hours.  He keeps Tess busy, talking to her, and just about when the traffic backlog begins to open up, Dan surprises her with a kiss. 

Both have had relationship failures, which have turned them off from looking for any kind of romance.  But before they go their separate ways, there is an attraction, and we know they will meet again.

Tess is a manager of a Mall, and is fighting for a promotion.  She is working long hours, and is totally stressed out.  Unbeknownst to Tess, Dan is going to help his family for three months, to operate a lingerie store.  This of course is in the same mall that Tess manages…small world…but not in romance.  🙂

Dan who has been there and done that, stepped away from a high profile job, that threatened to destroy him.  So he knows that Tess is on her way to a breakdown.  Not only because he is attracted to her, but because he is concerned for her well being, Dan tries to help.  Tess fights off her attraction to Dan, and is determined to let nothing stand in her way.  But each time she sees Dan, she finds it harder to keep her distance.  Dan is sexy, handsome, smart, a family man, dog lover, and all in all, a great guy.  The sexual tension between them is hot, and soon they cannot resist each other.

It was beautiful to watch their romance, even if both were afraid to allow this to become something permanent.  But love has a way of sneaking up, despite the two lovers fierce determination not to do so.  Dan learns that Tess needs this promotion, as her father needs an operation, to allow him to walk again.  She blames herself for an accident that happened years ago, and refuses to face the fact that he may never walk again.  Dan begins to understand Tess, and though he tries to make her understand that she needs to live for herself, and let things go, she refuses to see this.  During the course of their romance, Tess gets angry at Dan, and they fight, and near the end, it begins to look like they will never be able to get past these issues. 

Karen Docter has done a wonderful job with this contemporary romance, which grabs hold of your heart and will not let go.  I loved Dan and Tess, and the battle to fight off their attraction, only to see themselves fall deeper in love.  There are twists and turns, but you find yourself rooting for them from the start.  Docter has done a good job of creating great secondary characters, such as Tess’s mother and father, Dan’s family, and even Anthony and Cleopatra, not mention the wonderful Colby, who decided that Tess was his.  I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend this to anyone who wants to sit back read a beautiful romance. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author