The Particulars: Contemporary romance, Harlequin Presents #3324, 2015, Out of print, Available digitally, Book 4 in The Call of Duty series
Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?: Yates is an autobuy for me in the Presents universe because she understands the assignment. The emotions run intense and she leans in hard on the fairy tale. I have a signed print copy of this, which means I picked it up at an RWA conference back in the day.
The Review: There was never any doubt that I would dig up a Presents for this month's Tropetastic! theme. This is the very definition of low-hanging fruit. That said, given my reading mood and output of late (dreadful), I knew if I was going to pick up a Presents I was going to entrust my fragile reading mojo to a pro - and Yates is, if nothing else, a total pro in the Presents line. She's since moved on to single title glory, but I feel strongly that if you strapped her into an office chair and tied one hand behind her back, she could still churn out a total banger Presents.
Twelve years ago an impressionable 16-year-old Victoria Calder fancied herself in love with a much older man, a business associate of her father's. While the relationship never turned sexual, this man used Victoria's naivete to his advantage, breaking her heart and stealing away her father's business. And ever since then? Victoria has been throwing herself on the pyre, determined to win back the business and Daddy's love. And now? She's landed on the perfect plan.
Dmitri Markin is a former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, plucked from the streets and underground fighting scene in Moscow by his mentor, since passed. Dmitri parlayed his success in the ring into a thriving business portfolio (because of course he did...) and one of those businesses? You guessed it, Victoria's family business. What Victoria also finds out is that Dmitri wants to start his own charity to honor his late mentor, but his reputation is preceding him. Nobody's real anxious to throw money at a guy who wants to help children when said guy has a reputation for being a hot-headed, uncouth man-whore. Victoria, being of the silver spoon set, with loads of experience stumping for various charities, knows this - and proposes a deal. She'll help him drum up support for his charity by hosting various galas and putting a little polish on his tarnished reputation by pretending to be his oh-so-suitable fiancé. In return? He gives her back Daddy's business.
On the surface these two couldn't be more different. Dmitri from the streets, fighting his way through just to survive. Victoria, the blue-blooded princess, raised to want for nothing, only to be scorned by Daddy the minute she steps out of line. However, as Yates peels back the layers, you realize how alike these two characters are. Not to put too fine a point on it - they're both fighters - and honestly, my money is on Victoria. Cruelly used by a villain taking advantage of a 16-year-old girl (!), faced with Daddy's disapproval after the fallout, she wraps herself in an Ice Princess cloak and wears it with style. This heroine puts the cold in cold fish - because when she wasn't cold, when she wasn't the Ice Princess? The people who should have loved and protected her turned their backs on her. Eventually through Dmitri she learns that she can't keep paying for one past "mistake," and on top of that she's not the bad guy in that scenario (not by a long shot). She's vulnerable, and certainly falling in love with Dmitri makes her more so, but does that mean when the third act break-up hits she curls into a little ball and cries her eyes out?
No.
Because she's a fighter. And she's past taking shit from anyone - and that includes Dmitri.
Dmitri is an OK sort, prototypical Presents hero with a wounded past that's practically slathered on with a trowel. I mean, if you didn't think the street kid fighting in seedy Moscow bars was tragic enough, we find out later how he ended up in such a predicament (Daddy and Mommy issues - because, Presents). He has serious self-worth issues, despite the success he's had in MMA and in business, so naturally the third act break-up is all his doing - not being good enough for Victoria, control issues stemming from those Mommy and Daddy issues, along with the general Presents ickyness surrounding Victoria's "innocence" (of course she's a virgin before they do the mattress mambo, this is a Presents y'all).
Ultimately Victoria is the bigger, more mature person even though her heart is broken and Dmitri comes crawling back begging for forgiveness. It doesn't exactly tread new ground, but that's not what I want in a Presents. I want the intensity, I want the passion, yes I want the drama llama third act break-up where the hero comes crawling back in order to ultimately win the heroine's heart. Yates understands this, and delivers.
Final Grade = B
10 comments:
Yay for reliable authors who deliver!
I like yours better than mine. I think the author figured out a lot about how to push the boundaries of Presents in the four years between these books. Her later category titles seem to have stronger heroines with more agency, which I really appreciate. (Side note, I just read her stand-alone First Witches Coven and LOVED it.)
Presents have never been my jam, but I'm always happy when readers find what they need in the books they read; here's hoping your mojo comes back, preferably with a vengeance!
Sounds like a winner to me! I have some Yates on Mount TBR, specifically her fairy-tale Presents titles, and I'm fairly sure its because of your reviews. I still keep an eye out of her work when I'm on the hunt in secondhand shops.
I also picked a Harlequin title this month (and was *thisclose* to hopping into Presents-land but decided to try to find something with ALL my favorite tropes), actually a March 2026 title from the Romance line, Sweet on the CEO Again by Kate Hardy. It is a very sweet, quiet, emotional read that I enjoyed a lot. Finally, a hero who communicates clearly! and often! and has some Real Shit to tend to from his past! The heroine was a little less mature and is the one that has allllll the plot beats, so YMMV. But I can say with certainty that this is not a random-trope-mobile story, as the last one you reviewed was. This is probably because Hardy also writes for the Medical line.
Jazzlet: I mean, right?! I went to my Harlequin cupboard and pulled out 6 books by 6 different authors I have read before and "enjoyed." The Yates just ended up being the one that tickled my fancy the most - although the Caitlin Crews and Dani Collins books I put back are now calling my name....
SonomaLass: Oh! I'm glad to hear you liked the Witches book - I also have that one in my TBR! I was digging around in my archives and of the Yates Presents I've read they've ranged from B to C grades - so I've liked some more than others. What I do appreciate about her is that she's really "solid." She knows the beats of the line well and if nothing else I know I'm getting a readable product. The niggle on this book is that there is some grossness regarding the heroine's virginity and that connotating "innocence" in the hero's eyes - he doing the whole "I'm not good enough for her" shtick. But, you know, Presents. If they didn't have Old School they'd have No School at all.
AL: It took me a long time to start reading Presents and once I did I realized they feed that id part of my brain that used to mainline soap operas. It's the angst, drama llama, and emotional gut punch that keeps me coming back. But oh, when Presents go wrong they go oh-so-horribly wrong. There's that fine line tightrope between Alpha and Neanderthal Who Needs To Be Shot Into the Sun.
Eurohackie: Hardy has also written some Presents - although I think she's been more active in Romance and Medical. I'm not sure if I've ever tried any of her Medicals? I'll need to root around in my TBR and see what I might have.
@Wendy: well, that explains it (I've never been a fan of soaps/telenovelas; there's something about their being the written equivalent of a roller coaster of angst and drama that just never worked for me)
Yay! Sounds like your go-to was a winner for you, which is so helpful in a slump!
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