The Benefactor (See No Evil #2) by Nana Malone-Review & Excerpt tour
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 9, 2020
I am many things. billionaire, rogue, rebel. But I never figured myself for a thief. My money can buy power, control, access. Even oaths of loyalty. The one thing it can’t buy is her…or her safety. I vowed to protect her… I failed… I can’t, under any circumstances, fail again. In order to save her, I’ll have to give up the one thing that I value most–control. The Canary Jewel is the key. Tonight I am no longer a billionaire. Tonight I keep new secrets. My name is Ben Covington and tonight, I am a thief.
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REVIEW: THE BENEFACTOR is the second instalment in Nana Malone’s contemporary, adult SEE NO EVIL erotic, romantic suspense trilogy focusing on billionaire businessman Ben Covington, and operations director Olivia Ashong. THE BENEFACTOR should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff-hanger of book one BIG BEN.
NOTE: If you have not read book one, there may be some spoilers in my review
SOME BACKGROUND: Ben Covington, and his friends East Hale and Bridge Edgerton call themselves the London Lords, and are members of the Elite, closely connected to the Uber rich and powerful of Eton Academy in London England, but the murder of their best friend Toby ten years earlier, finds Ben focusing on the men responsible, in an attempt to destroy them all.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Ben and Olivia) THE BENEFACTOR follows several intersecting paths including the building but acrimonious relationship between Olivia and Ben. Olivia is a woman on a mission to complete her late mother’s book that has now placed a target on our heroine’s back but to complicate her life even further, Olivia’s relationship with Ben Covington places our heroine in the direct line of fire as Ben continues his vendetta against the Elite in an effort to gain control of the Director Prime. As Ben, East and Bridge put together a plan to take down the Van Linsted family, who for the past thirty years have controlled the Elite, Olivia finds herself struggling with the information her mother has uncovered, and the possible connections to Eton Academy. What ensues is the ongoing relationship between Ben and Olivia, and the potential fall-out as our couple have crossed a dangerous line of dark secrets and lies.
At the end of book one BIG BEN, Olivia must face the reality that her life is no longer under her control but our fiercely independent heroine has yet to realize that danger is her new partner, and her relationship with Ben struggles with Olivia’s need to go it alone. Ben is fiercely protective of Olivia Ashong and affording her protection meant keeping secret the truth about the how and why. Olivia’s discovery of Ben’s need for control finds our couple facing off against one another as Olivia continues to place herself in the direct line of fire.
The relationship between Olivia and Ben continues to grow; a palpable sexual attraction that must weather Ben’s need to protect the woman he loves, and Olivia’s need to remain independent regardless of her safety or threats to her life. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several from many of the author’s other series and stories: Alexi Chase (Chase Brothers series); Lucas and Bryna (Royals Undone Series); Sebastian and Penny (Royals Undercover Series); Jessa and Roone (Royals United Series), as well as Olivia’s ex boyfriend Dexter, his boss Fenton Mills, and her friend and hacker Telly; Olivia’s driver Todd, and Ben’s father.
From the outset, the first half of THE BENEFACTOR was choppy, and the flow felt rough and uneven. It was not until about fifty percent did the story settle, did the relationship and story take on a more measured and balanced tone. Also, Olivia’s struggle for independence came across as spiteful and vindictive- being a strong woman does not mean she has to be a b*tch.
THE BENEFACTOR is a story of lies and betrayal; of a secret society whose membership is rich, dark, dangerous and sexually deviant; and of one woman who struggles to keep her independence in the face of danger and death. The fast paced premise is intriguing, imaginative and complex; the romance is spicy and hot; the characters are strong, dynamic and spirited but I did struggle with a few issues. THE BENEFACTOR ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.
Click HERE for Sandy’s review of BIG BEN
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sandy
USA Today bestseller Nana Malone’s love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she “borrowed” from her cousin.
It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She’s been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin, in the meantime Nana works out her drama, passion, and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is.
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