The heartfelt, steamy first book in the contemporary Let it Rain series from Gordon (author of 30 Days in Belfast) offers an engaging romance set among Black society’s business elite. Sophisticated real estate attorney Raven Rain Nichols heads to Seattle to visit her sister before a deal that could secure her partnership in her firm. Ditched by her sister, Rain plans a solo sightseeing tour until suave, super-rich financier Noah “Nik” Knight begs for a one-night stand. She can’t resist. The next morning, he upgrades the offer: seven days of decadent sex interspersed with luxury travel. Between work calls and Rain’s worries about a deceitful ex-boyfriend, the pair’s blossoming mutual devotion makes them dread goodbye. Pleasure reigns in multi-climax love scenes, and the lovers’ angst is minimal, focused on past disappointments such as Nik’s childhood move from London and Rain’s painfully clear memory of her father walking out on her family. These never distract from Nik’s dreamy bedroom skills and the cinematic aura of opulence. A helicopter flight over Mount Rainier will make armchair travelers drool, among other escapades, and visits to African-American heritage sites enrich the characters. The author thoughtfully includes a list of Seattle-based, African diaspora-focused organizations in a resource section at the novel’s end.
Gordon’s skill in immersing the reader in the senses while the lovers cavort in Seattle’s trendy hot spots or during their erotic adventures shines via spot-on imagery. Use of present tense and first-person point of view, alternating between Rain’s and Nik’s experiences, enhances the immersion experience and injects a sense of action to business plans and sibling tension. Readers will connect with the realistic banter whose humor and subtlety is worthy of a Hollywood script. Also fascinating is Gordon’s portrayal of the scandalous side of the real estate and development industries. Most importantly, the romantic voice enthralls. Romance aficionados will embrace these lovers who wow in both boardroom and bedroom.
Takeaway: Swoon-worthy romance indulges fantasies of wealth and seduction in Seattle.
Comparable Titles: Christina C. Jones’s Behind the Scenes, Stephanie Nicole Norris’s No Holds Barred
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
