Hilary Forrester resents her father’s ploy to buy her a suitable husband
with the family’s chain of restaurants. Hilary takes a proactive stance
and approaches candidate number four, Logan Saber. Logan is amused and
intrigued when Hilary introduces herself to his secretary as the future
Mrs. Logan Saber, and he determines that Hilary would fill that role
nicely. Hilary is convinced that she cannot be happy with Logan, but even
in her adamant resolve to resist his charms, Hilary is drawn to the
enigmatic businessman. The pair experience several trials to their growing
passion, most notably, Hilary’s devised schemes to thwart Logan’s attempt
at courting her.
This book is typical Silhouette Romance – very little sex and plenty of
emotional strife. However, it also has JAK’s trademark theme of trust and
integrity underlying the predictable motives of the characters.
When read in the current climate, this book’s alpha hero is not
particularly likable. The book as a whole is quite dated in many respects.
The alpha hero represents everything romance readers believe they’ve grown
beyond but still enjoy once in while, anyway. A heroine who has hidden
depths but is reluctant to upset her father and stand completely
independent of his wishes. Plenty of inter-related misunderstanding
between the h/h which advance the plot while remaining predictable. And,
the corporate setting in which the heroine has to struggle valiantly to
succeed within while retaining her utter femininity.
I recall reading this book in the mid-80s and enjoying it; but now, the
book simply serves as a historical marker in JAK’s remarkable journey
through romantic fiction. This mile-marker represents the only Silhouette
Romance title JAK produced. As an example of the timeframe in which it was
written, A Passionate Business is a wonderful book. As a model of romance
fiction’s evolution, APB is average to mediocre with a tendency to bore
readers expecting a more sophisticated representation of romantic
fiction.
Danyelle Warden
