by: Karen Booth
Series: The Eden Empire
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 5, 2022
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Right before the holidays, these two lawyers go from the bedroom to the boardroom in this steamy, rivals to lovers romance!
Upon her return to New York City, high-powered attorney Isabel Blackwell has vowed to avoid drama at all costs, so it’s bad enough that she is spending her Christmas on a high-stakes case. Then she discovers she’s up against the man who took her breath away one very special night.
After his messy divorce affected his performance at work, Jeremy Sharp needs a win. He doesn't need a stubborn client who won't compromise, or his father constantly undermining his authority, and he definitely doesn't need to be distracted by his beautiful, sexy opposing counsel…
A must-read for fans of: Rivals to lovers Workplace romance Christmas in New York City Kittens!
Previously published as A Christmas Rendezvous.
Isabel Blackwell was first introduced in her brother’s story A Bet with Benefits. Initially, she wasn't a very big fan of the Eden sisters. But over time, she has come to love and respect them all. For the last several years, Isabel, a lawyer by trade, has been a DC fixer. She’s extremely good at her job. However, the rat race has been weighing on her. Seeing what her brother Sam has with Mindy Eden has made her realize she's been neglecting her heart and personal life for far too long. Isabel is ready for a fresh start. Her fresh start includes relocating to New York and opening an adoption law firm. But before she can get her new business venture up and running, she has to deal with a potentially catastrophic lawsuit against Eden’s department store. Technically, Eden's legal team should be handling this, but since the future of Eden's and the reputation of the Eden family are at stake, Sam convinces Isabel that she has to take on this one last case.
Forty-year-old Jeremy Sharp seems to have it all. He has a large house in Brooklyn. He's a partner at his family's law firm. He has a fantastic personality. He's also easy on the eyes. But for Jeremy, things are not as they seem. Jeremy is a very lonely man who works extremely long hours and is constantly looking for and hoping for his parents’ acceptance, approval, and praise. Jeremy is currently working on a case he himself would not have chosen. But at his father's insistence, Jeremy is representing Benjamin Summers in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Eden’s department store. In fact, this lawsuit will change Jeremy’s life forever.
Okay, so I can’t talk about A Christmas Negotiation too much. I don't want to give anything away. What I can say is that I have a little crush on both Jeremy and Isabel. They are both great characters. When it's just the two of them together, you really see them shine. However, at the same time, when their case and the outside world intrudes on them, you see them bending but not breaking. It's during these times that you're able to see their strength and devotion to each other. Isabel and Jeremy share the same hopes and dreams. In the past, they have each been tested, failed, and left to pick up the pieces of their broken hearts and lives. Together, they prove to be a united front and make each other stronger.
There are so many wonderful moments in this story. I honestly thought Karen backed herself into a corner with trying to save Eden's from ruin and giving Isabel and Jeremy the HEA they so desperately deserved. She managed to pull off the impossible. And that's why she should be on everyone's reading list. Yes, she's one of my favorite authors, but she's got there by writing stories like this. A Christmas Negotiation proved to be a really nice ending to a series where the women are the ones in power, who show they can truly have it all.
~ Favorite Quotes ~
“I believe that a good nap will cure most problems.”
“I believe that love is ultimately the only thing that ever saves anyone.”
“I dare you to rock my world.”
“Most women aren’t seduced by the idea of negotiations. Ah, but I’m not most women.”
**Received a copy of the book from the author and voluntarily reviewed.**
Rating: 4.5
Purchase A Christmas Negotiation from:
The Eden Empire Series:
A Christmas Temptation ~ Review
A Cinderella Seduction ~ Review
A Bet with Benefits ~ Review
** You can read my interview with Sam Blackwell here. **
You can read Isabel’s heroine profile here.
When she’s not creating hunky fictional men and the women who test them, she’s listening to everything from Otis Redding to Duran Duran to Superchunk with her college-age kids, honing her Southern cooking skills (she makes some mean collards), or sweet-talking her astoundingly supportive husband into whipping up a batch of cocktails.
Karen is co-founder of the 4500+ member Seasoned Romance Facebook group, devoted to the promotion of romance with characters 35+. She has been a finalist for RT Magazine’s Series Romance of the Year, RT Magazine’s Gold Seal of Excellence, the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (NERFA), the Booksellers’ Best Award, and the Holt Medallion. Her books have been translated into seventeen languages.
Places to find Karen Booth:
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