We meet Misha Sokolov as he drives north to Japan’s Aishu forest to attend his best friend’s wedding. An ex-soldier and successful banker, Misha’s recent divorce has left him disillusioned and alone, and it isn’t until he stumbles into the fiery, intelligent Sayuri Saito, that meaning and passion seem to flare again.
Misha and Sayuri’s instant connection explodes with romance, adventure and irresistible dialogue. Sayuri, recently separated from her husband, tries to remain loyal to her broken marriage, and while she and Misha engage in a witty flirtation, erotic tension deepens with every page.
Misha throws caution to the wind, inviting Sayuri to join him for a weekend vacation in Hong Kong, a place he describes as Japan’s Las Vegas. In this mecca of exotic sights, sounds, and smells he plans to seduce Sayuri and win her heart forever.
Thrilled by this unexpected love, Misha returns to work, and it’s there that the plot twists and darkens. Misha discovers a suspicious email thread; a criminal bank fraud scheme that puts everything he has at risk, and throws his relationship with Sayuri into jeopardy.
Suddenly, Misha is caught in a complex web of intrigue and uncertainty. The truth endangers both Misha and Sayuri’s lives. Holding desperately to his new found happiness, Misha must carefully choose the path before them. AMAZON
After the Prologue, the opening part of this story brought us right into a really interesting, beautiful wedding. Not a traditional one by any means. But it was so original and described so well you could almost see it. A beautiful unique blending of two cultures, woven right together side by side. His best friend Brice is the one getting married. I liked the fact that Misha didn't see his assignment to Japan as banishment or a stepping stone to somewhere else. He saw it as promotion and was enjoying everything about it. Especially the culture, food and his work at the bank. The only rub is Clive Tillman; a man who works at the bank, someone everyone adores. But there's something off about him that Misha just couldn't put his finger on. Howard Haliwell was the head of the bank where Misha worked. He's an honest man with a love for Japan and a sense of honor just like Misha. He also shows up in the story from time to time, always in a good way.
The things that Misha discovers about Tillman is that he has quite a clever scam going. Things start to really take off when that threat starts to be uncovered. But that isn't the only threat out there and as time goes on, that becomes clearer and clearer.
Sayuri is beautiful, talented, creative and very direct. She is not only a Event Planner but also an instructor in different areas as well. Sky-diving, surfing, skiing are just some of those areas. She also was a person of honor, who would not kiss or sleep with Misha while she is still married. Yes, she has been separated from her husband but hadn't made up her mind about pursuing divorce yet. But she is being drawn more and more to Misha as she spends more time with him.
In some ways I guess I would call this book an Intelligent Romance. I think that because of Misha sharing his love of history and food and sharing that like a teacher to Sayuri. His kindness and caring about Sayuri also came through in the book, he cared more about her and didn't want to lose her because he rushed things. He wanted to prove to her (and he did) that he wasn't controlling like her husband.
Things come to an action packed, explosive conclusion, when a not so silent enemy comes out of hiding. Great ending!
What a great choice for the cover of this book. I love it! Not only is it artistic and appealing but it also fits so well with the book. After all, it matches Sayuri's dark, black eyes, something that Misha mentioned several times. It seemed like an important feature of her appearance in the story and I was glad to see it was followed through in the book cover.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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