Tiger Lily

by Amélie S. Duncan

Oh, where do I start and I don’t mean that as a bad thing because as the first body of work that I have read from this author and I found that she presented me with a story that appealed to me on every level.

The story is told with a lightness of touch that make it impossible not to engage with both the characters and the life that they are sharing with you.

Once you pick the book up I have to say that you will be hard pressed to put it down.

Lily is on the right side of getting out of a positively crappy relationship, she is beginning to piece her life together but the pain of the past is not quite ready to let her go and it continues to influence the future she is trying to build. Given the chance to show that she has what it takes to be more than just the assistant to the Chief Editor – she is given a shot at pitching the company to the inimitable Jonas Crane, because landing him is her ticket to moving up the corporate ladder.

While this may be all good in theory, her nerves take hold when she is face to face with this formidable man and she quickly learns that she has a lot to learn when dealing with the likes of Jonas Crane. Barely able to string two words together she is hardly likely to be able to convince him of anything let alone that he needs to sign with her publishing house.

But it is not the lack of conversational finesse that has Jonas intrigued by Lily, because during their interactions he quickly understand that this woman is something special. He isn’t too bad either! Filthy rich and devastatingly handsome, Jonas is recently single and permanently busy – his business keeps him on his toes but his teenage son keeps him in the air, spending hours flying across the country between his home and his son who lives in New York in his desperation to maintain their relationship.

There is no doubt that there is a meeting of minds between the two of them but they have a connection that is deeper than that, Jonas cottons on that Lily is not like many of the other sycophants that surrounded him, she seems happy to enjoy his company and as they chatted it was obvious that they had many things in common, things that may have appeared mundane but when you are surrounded by people that care more for your bank balance than you as a person it must have been refreshing for Jonas to feel that it was him- the man that mattered for once.

Can they find a way to form a friendship that given the right opportunities may develop into something more substantial – is that even what they want? Jonas is certain that he needs nothing more than her friendship at this time, he feels that he couldn’t possibly enter into another relationship after what he has been through and by the same tone neither can Lily, the trauma of her past is still fresh in her memory.

As they take what I can only describe as tentative steps towards being together, they have the weight of the past against them, Lily struggles with past pains, the loss of her parents and she is still the focus of attention from someone who just refuses to let go, that may not be everything she has to deal with because Jonas seems to keep much of his life fairly well guarded and is reluctant to completely let her in.

While this is only part one of their story I have to say that I found it a completely encompassing story. They gathered me up and kept me close as their story unfolded. My heart broke for Lily towards the end of the book, she had already been through so much and her pain was still apparent, I wanted so much for the two of them and I longed for Lily to revel in Jonas’s touch and to allow him to show her what it was like to be truly adored.

I am looking forward to the next part of their journey and congratulate the author on a delightfully, sensual and positively romantic tale.