Ruthless Pride: Experience the Passion in this Dramatic Romance

I love how the desire between Josh and Sophie leaps off the page from the very start. There is no doubt these two have strong chemistry, but their darn pride denies it. While their professions should make them enemies, and their history should make them wary, the draw between them continues to override their thought processes on these matters. Of course, they are electric once they connect, and that passion flows into their feelings. Haunted by their pasts, moving on isn’t easy for either, but together, they make the path they want!

: 3.75 stars—RUTHLESS PRIDE by Naime Simone is the first instalment in the multi-authored DYNASTIES: SEVEN SINS erotic, romance novella series focusing on the families destroyed by betrayal and greed. This is millionaire CEO Joshua Lowell, and reporter Sophie Armstrongs story line. Told from dual third person perspectives (Sophie and Joshua) RUTHLESS PRIDE introduces some of the backstory and fall-out of Vernon Lowell’s betrayal of the people who trusted him with their money and their lives. Fifteen years earlier Vernon Lowell disappeared with millions of dollars in client’s hedge fund money, and the man has not been seen or heard from since. In the ensuing years, his eldest son, Joshua Lowell, gave up his own burgeoning career as an artist, to take over as CEO in an effort to repay and repair the damage done to so many people but Joshua never expected the sins of his father to once again scandalize the family. A young reporter has set her sights on the Lowell story, and is determined to reveal the truth, as she knows it. Enter reporter Sophie Armstrong. What ensues is the building but tempestuous relationship between Sophie and Joshua, and the potential fall-out as more sins and lies come to the surface forcing Joshua to chose between Sophie and the life he has come to endure. The relationship between Sophie and Joshua is acrimonious at best. Joshua does not trust Sophie to not report further on the Lowell family sins, and Sophie struggles between head and heart when she begins to fall for the our story line hero. Joshua hopes to keep Sophie close but never expected to fall for the woman who has stirred up a hornets nest of bad memories and sins. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. The secondary and supporting characters are limited but we are quickly introduced to Zane Patterson, a man who is willing to do anything to see the Lowell family further disgraced, by any means necessary, including using Sophie, our story line heroine. Zanes story is next in Forbidden Lust by Karen Booth. RUTHLESS PRIDE is a story of secrets, lies, betrayal and revenge. The conflict resolution does not address certain aspects and revelations but I suspect the plot line will continue throughout the series. The premise is engaging and entertaining; the romance is seductive and steamy; the characters are energetic and dynamic.

Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 05/10/20 Sophie is one-heck of a reporter, having received accolades galore. Her latest focus is on Joshua Lowell and the devastation his father caused several members of Falling Brook fifteen years ago when he embezzled from the trust fund he ran and disappeared. Now as the anniversary of the debacle approaches, she is writing about Joshua intending to put a different spin on the story. She’s uncovered a lot of information and it would seem that the heir of the Lowell family is much more than he displays for the cameras – an altruistic side he never exposes. But Joshua refuses to participate so she runs with the story she has – and garners his attention full force. Invited behind the scenes for a follow-up story, they each glimpse a side of one other that they normally keep well protected. Sophie doesn’t have a past she is proud of either and Joshua is exactly the kind of man who will shatter her. She should stay far away, but that magnetic pull is fierce and before too long, each succumbs to the flaming desire, terrified of how their own story will end. Joshua isn’t about to trust the head-strong reporter any farther than he can throw her. Keep your enemies closer is the old adage, so he’ll be sure to do so. And maybe the benefits that follow aren’t so bad either. But Sophie has a way of slipping right under Josh’s armor of protection and quickly has him yearning for a life that he long since left behind – scattered to the wind with his father’s betrayal – Josh, the only one to step up and right all of the wrong none of them saw coming. But with his past and people always scrutinizing him, Josh trusts no one. They always leave him anyway in one way or another. Sophie will be no different. So when she suddenly appears to have betrayed him, he is quick to lash out first, never giving her a chance to leave him. He knows it is inevitable anyway. But his mistake could cost him his perfect match in every way and a shot at a life he never dreamed he could ever get back. I have read Ms. Simone in the past and have enjoyed her work. It’s also been a minute since I have immersed myself in some sexy Harlequin reads. When I came across a new series made up of seven books by seven authors and Ms. Simone kicking them off, I knew I had found something I wanted to dive into. At this point, I have obtained the first three books in the series, so I will be able to continue at least that far in the series. After reading this wonderful book, my excitement has jumped a notch. At just over 200 pages, this book can be devoured easily within a couple of hours. The story started off with a crazy amount of tension and sexual chemistry and kept on giving. Despite their growing feelings for one another, the mistrust lies heavy, like an elephant in the room. Once Josh and Sophie give into their undeniable, nearly tangible attraction, the sparks fly and the defenses crack even further. But the suspicion remains – at least on Josh’s part. I appreciated Josh’s sense of responsibility and determination to set right the mess of destruction left in his father’s wake. But this inspiring trait also becomes his crutch and greatest flaw. He has become so worried about judgment upon himself based on his father’s decimated reputation, that he loses sight of who he used to be and what he once wanted for his life – preferring to forget about that period in his life since it can never be reclaimed. But Josh isn’t doing it just for himself. He is also trying to repair his mother and brothers’ reputations through his own efforts. But for all of his attempts, he has only garnered disgust from his own siblings who see him as a copy of their traitorous father. Sophie, however, sees past all of this. In her thorough investigative journalism, she has uncovered the Josh of the past and can see the man inside, lying dormant under the tough business mogul persona he projects to the rest of the world...