REVIEW by J’aime: Valentine by Kiru Taye

Three friends. Three challenges. Are they willing to risk everything for love?

Life is good for ex-soldier turned entrepreneur Michael Ede. Or so he thinks. When his friends set him a challenge to exorcise the memory of a woman from his past, he expects it to be a walk in the park.

Socialite Kasie Bosa is spitting fire at men. Her long-term boyfriend has asked for a break via text message of all things. Fuming, she’s told him to go take a dive off the nearest bridge. So the next man who crosses her path is at risk of being shredded with her spa manicured nails.

Bad news for Michael who has chosen her as the object of his challenge. But neither of them can deny the sizzling chemistry between them nor control their responses, it seems. It’s the season of love. Will they escape unscathed?

About the Book

Valentine
by Kiru Taye

Series
The Challenge Series Book One

Genre
Adult
Contemporary Romance

Publisher
Independent

Publication Date
January 9, 2014

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J’aime’s Review

Michael is a wealthy entrepreneur, avoiding dating after a bad experience. To get him back into dating, his friends bet him that he can’t attract and conquer Kasia, the spoiled ice princess. The catch is, he can’t tell her who he is or use his money. He has to win her purely by his own charm. Confident, Michael poses as her chauffeur for a few days.

Kasia is intrigued by her handsome and self-assured new driver, but she’s not going to be anyone’s easy prize…

Valentine is a romance by Nigerian author Kiru Taye. Although it has its strengths, it wasn’t a great match for my particular taste in romances.

I was intrigued by the setting in Enugu, Nigeria, and hoped to get a flavor of what that place is like, but the focus of the book stays quite tightly on the characters, without a lot of description or scene-setting. I did enjoy the subplot in which Kasia tries to reconcile with her estranged sister, and would have liked a little more backstory to that.

My main issue with the book is that for me, Michael crosses the line from “alpha male” into “pushy jerk” right away in chapter one, and even though we saw different sides of him later, I had trouble warming to him or understanding why Kasia did.

Since I realize this is a question of individual taste, I would recommend Valentine for romance fans with more appreciation for the bossier varieties of alpha males.

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