Cole Stockton is definitely an alpha-male and he wants it all and he wants Kelsey Murdock in his life. He plans to make her his mistress, maybe even his wife but Kelsey knows nothing about him and he won’t tell her about himself. That’s enough to drive any woman nuts! Kelsey is going on vacation and in the meantime, has to drop some paperwork off on an island in the Caribbean where a client is waiting for it. She’s going alone but Cole has other plans. Of course, they run into trouble, that’s to be expected and it’s up to Cole to get them out of this mess.

Now, I liked the story in-so-far as there was a great little mystery as only Krentz can write and there was lots of push and shove between the hero and heroine, jockeying for dominance position which Krentz writes so well. Kelsey could give as good as she got. Cole was a man with secrets; secrets he didn’t want to expose to his woman. Okay, I can buy that but he was just too dominating. His demands that she tell him everything and he would tell her nothing drove me nuts. I had many people make comments on this being one of their favorite Krentz stories but sorry, gang, in the end, I just couldn’t buy the 180° turn around in Cole Stockton.

Yes, he was a wounded warrior, a man with secrets and a desire to protect the woman he loved. However, his high demands of Kelsey (had I been in her position, I would have told him to go to hedoublehockeysticks in a hand basket and don’t bother to come back) just didn’t endear him to me. He was pure male chauvinist pig and while Krentz can write wonderful alpha-males that are highly chauvinistic, Cole Stockton was just too much so for me.

Now, I can’t give this story a C or a D; it’s not in me to do that to a good Krentz story and I did read it word for word right to the very end. If you truly like an alpha-male who’s extreme, you’ll love this story. For me, it’s one I’ll put back on the shelf and keep only because it’s Krentz. I am giving this story a B because I did finish it but it will never be a true keeper for me.