Review & Giveaway: Hero by Samantha Young

Hero by Samantha Young
Published by Penguin on February 3, 2015
Genres: Adult Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Drama, Erotica, New Adult, Romance, Suspense, Women's Fiction
Pages: 404
Format: eBook
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The emotional and unforgettable new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series.

Alexa Holland’s father was her hero—until her shocking discovery that she and her mother weren't his only family. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets. But when she meets a man who’s as damaged by her father’s mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.

Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa’s efforts at redemption, but it’s not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and explosive affair.

Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for. And when they're on the precipice of danger, he finds he’ll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again…

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Samantha Young book.  I really need to catch up on the On Dublin Street series!  When I saw Hero was coming out I jumped at the chance.   Let me tell you, I’m so glad I did.  I was hooked after the first chapter.  Normally it takes me a while to get in the mood.  I need to get a feel for the story.  I’m picky when it comes to stories.  I need lots of foreplay before I’m ready to commit.  That’s not needed with Hero.  The story just jumps right into the crazy, sexy, intrigue that is Alexa and Caine’s story.

This is not your run of the mill billionaire meets naive girl who refuses his money romance.  Nope.  On face value you might think so though.  Yes Caine is a self made billionaire.  Yes he comes from a shady family background.  Yes he’s broody, moody, and sexy as hell.  Yes Alexa has a shady family background, no she’s not a virgin, yes finds herself trying to “fix” him.  Absolutely none of this matters though because Hero is actually a very layered story about how our parents actions have on us as individuals in the future.  Hero is deep!  Caine wasn’t just born broody.  He’s actually quite justified.  Alexa is a fixer, she’s determined to amend the bad, bad stuff her father did.  We all know it’s never that easy.

I really appreciated that the author didn’t just throw this couple together.  I thought the timing within the plot was actually perfect.  Alexa’s character was intriguing to me.  She’s smart, independent, and sassy.  I found myself laughing quite a bit at both her internal dialogue and banter with just about everyone else in the book.  Alexa is actually very much like Caine, she’s experienced profound loss and disappointment from her family and I found it refreshing that she didn’t pout and stamp her feet and act like a child.  Caine’s character is easy to love and hate.  He’s one of those guys you want to crawl inside his head to know what he’s thinking.  He never went back on his word.  He never lied.  If he said no you know it meant no.  I loved that about him actually.  Yes there are secrets.  There are ALWAYS secrets.  But if you overlook the typical romance stuff that we always find in these stories you’ll see something much deeper.

Unfortunately, that’s where I felt the story fell short for me.  I thought that Caine’s storyline was so much stronger and when everything came to a head, well it just fizzled.  Alexa’s story seemed to wrap up and she found all the closure needed.  I thought her side was handled so much better. I needed that same closure for Caine and not getting it left me feeling unsettled. Overall I think you’ll love Alexa and Caine’s story.

*A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

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