Tempted at Midnight

September 15, 2019
Atlanta designer Sylvie Gates has a night of passion with a stranger only to discover he's the CEO of Jordan Industries, her newest, and biggest, client. Chemist Erik Jordan was happiest hunkered down in the lab of his family's multinational cosmetics company, but when he accidentally discovered that his father was embezzling funds, he had to inform the authorities. As Erik's father is carted off to prison, the board appoints Erik CEO, entrusting him with restoring Jordan Industries' financial health and reputation. Erik is proud of what his family's African American cosmetics company "represents to so many women who have been told they're not beautiful or that they have to conform to someone else's idea of beauty." But he needs a designer to remodel the company's headquarters as he modernizes with new products. Sylvie Gates of SG Designs knows the JI gig could help her fledgling business take flight, but she's not prepared to discover her unforgettably hot one-night stand occupying the c-suite. Erik and Sylvie are both workaholics. She's been burned by love and he has commitment issues, not to mention a very messed-up family situation. But their attraction is too powerful to resist, and before long they develop a friendship with benefits. Family secrets and misunderstandings threaten, but Hodges (The Business of Love, 2019, etc.) lets Erik and Sylvie act their ages in this well-paced story. Secondary characters, especially Erik's mother and brother, add richness to the tale. An entertaining and sincere romance with plenty of family drama set in Atlanta's business district.

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September 27, 2019

Sylvie Gates, a rising interior designer in Atlanta, is no longer worrying about the past. Between her ex-boyfriend, whose cutting remarks she let slide for years, and her lazy former business partner, she is determined to move on. With the prestigious opportunity to redesign the corporate offices of Jordan Industries looming, Sylvie decides to celebrate with the hottest man at her best friend's New Year's Eve engagement party with no regrets. Erik Jordan's takeover of his family's cosmetics company is the right choice for the shareholders, but his parents are coldly furious. After reluctantly attending his brother's holiday celebration, Erik is shocked when his one-night fling leaves without a word, only to see her taking measurements in his office a few weeks later. Could a model-hunting corporate Casanova finally surrender to a real relationship? VERDICT Hodges (Strategic Seduction) breaks no new ground with the familiar plot of mixing work with pleasure, but readers looking for a soapy, melodramatic tale with familial drama and steamy love scenes will be satisfied.--Nicole Suarez, Frankfort P.L., IL

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2019
Sylvie Gates is looking forward to taking her design business to the next level. But at a New Year's Eve party, she decides to have a fun night with a sexy man she just met. She leaves him a note in lipstick on his mirror on her way out the next morning, only to learn that he is Erik Jordan, CEO of the company that just hired her to design public and office areas. Chemist Erik is forced to take over his family's cosmetics company after his father is caught embezzling funds. He can't resist dating Sylvie when he discovers that she is his new designer. They both deny that anything serious is going on, but their feelings grow as she supports him through his family issues. Several fun, sensual moments and flirty dialogue add delightful chemistry to this appealing contemporary romance featuring two smart, successful people. Fans of Julie James and Brenda Jackson may enjoy rising star Hodges.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)