Book Review: An Act of Persuasion by Stephanie Doyle

Book Title: An Act of Persuasion
Author: Stephanie Doyle
Publisher: Harlequin, March 1, 2013
Series: Tyler Group #2
Source: Netgalley
Amazon|Goodreads
Review: ★★★✩✩

For all the wrong reasons?

Anna Summers has always been more than Ben Tyler's assistant. She's even been more than his best friend. Too bad Ben didn't realize it until after she quit. Now that he's more like his old self after facing off against a life-threatening illness, he's ready to win Anna back.

Of course, it's not simple. One night Ben broke his own rule about getting involved with an employee. And now Anna is pregnant. She refuses to let him use the baby as a reason for them to reconcile. It will take an act of persuasion to convince her they belong together... and not only because of the baby.

Review: 

The Characters
Anna. I find her cool when she was not pregnant. Especially when she threw the snow globe - it was childish but she pulled it off. She thought that one night she had with Ben meant something to him, but she was dead wrong. When she heard he agreed to the risky stem cell therapy - she left. He wanted to die, and she wasn't going to watch him do it.

Growing up in a few foster homes, all Anna wanted was a home of her own. She's saving her money to finally buy a dream house.

She's pregnant with Ben's child and she wanted him to be a part of it. But she refused his marriage offer - after all, he just wanted to marry her because: 1) she's pregnant with his child 2) his chemo left him sterile.

Ben. He didn't like being defeated, especially with a disease that could leave him for dead. He gave up his chemotherapy and proceed to the stem cell therapy -a risky procedure but with a high chance of cure. Ben knew he was risking his life, but he wasn't the kind of person who would let anyone or anything break him. That night, thanks to the yoga pants - he broke his personal rule: never to get involve with his employees.

12 weeks later, he was well and Anna, just when he had expected an apology from her for leaving him at the time that he needed her the most - dropped the bomb.

                              

She was pregnant with his child. A child he could never have after the rounds of chemotherapy left him sterile. If only he can convince the mother of his unborn child to marry him. 

Mark. He's Ben's rival during his CIA era. I like how his brain works. He may consider Ben an adversary but he respects his former chief and cares for Anna. 

He has his secrets on why he suddenly quit his job and moved to Philadelphia - he wanted to be with his prodigy child - but his daughter didn't want his absentee father in her life.

How can he convince her that he's back in her life for good and he's willing to be a father now?

Please Stop.

I find their relationship exasperating. She wanted him to love her but when he wanted her in his life - well, at first mostly because of the child, but when he started to show he cared - she ran afraid. Their fights which mostly she instigated because of her fear (or probably hormones) is quite annoying - good thing Ben is patient and doesn't give up on her. He would take his time, plan his strategies well and reach for his goal before their child is born. Yes, his will power and patience is admirable. He doesn't get provoked easily to matter how Anna poked him. Can he finally convince her to include him in their child's and most importantly, in her life?

I would have loved this novel more if not for the 'provocations' that Anna would start because the emotions got her scared. It felt so weird after all the efforts shown by Ben in trying to win her. Somewhere along the novel - it was obvious that he wanted her as much as he wanted the baby in his life - now why can't a level headed woman see that?

About the Author

Stephanie Doyle

I started writing romance when I was twelve. I fell in love with Princess Leia and I wanted to write a wedding story between her and Han Solo. It was all very dramatic and romantic.

Soon however I wanted to write my own heroines and tell their stories. Who are these women? My heroines are always strong, always ready for whatever adventure is thrown at them and they need a hero who is strong enough to keep up with them.

Sometimes they're in over their head - but doesn't that happen to all of us?

As for me most of my adventures happen only on the page, but my travels have taken me from Ireland to Paris and as far away as the Galapagos Islands! For the most part though, I'm at home in New Jersey with my three (yes I did say three) crazy cats.

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Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.