REVIEW: The Professional by Kresley Cole
Dear Ms. Cole:
To be honest, I stopped reading your Immortals After Dark series a while ago. And for the life of me, I’m not sure why, when your writing works quite well for me. I was intrigued by The Professional when it first came out as a three part serial, but I absolutely, positively do NOT do serial novels (I have instant gratification issues), so I passed on it. But I was glad to see it released as a complete novel, and spent about four hours happily devouring Sevastyan and Natalie’s story.
Natalie Porter is a Masters candidate in Nebraska working three jobs to make ends meet. She’s adopted and has always wondered about her birth parents. So much so that she hired a PI to go to Russia, where she was adopted from an orphanage to see if she could discover anything about those who conceived her. She’s heard nothing at all from the PI despite repeated attempts to get a hold of him. In the meantime, she’s out with friends, who are marveling at her ability to “manalyze” or instantly size up any man/college boy on sight and generally be quite accurate about it. But when she catches sight of a real man, a specimen, in fact, walking into the bar, she drunkenly decides she needs to try to pick him up. She’s been ruing her long held virginity, and she’s decided he’s The One. But when she approaches him, he puts her off immediately, humiliating her. She goes home with her tail tucked between her legs.
Imagine her shock when he interrupts her very enjoyable bath (she was fantasizing about being with him) to tell her to pack her bags. Her birth father is very much alive and in Russia, and in fact, a vor v zakone, a mafiya lord. Her existence might very well have become known to his enemies and she must go directly to him so he can protect her. Natalie is incredulous. First, she’s not stupid, despite her attraction to this man, she has absolutely no intention of going anywhere with him. She doesn’t even know his name. His name is Aleksandr Sevastyan, he is her father’s enforcer, and she most certainly WILL be going with him. By force, or of her own free will, she’ll be getting on a plane and flying to Russia that very night.
Next thing Natalie knows, she’s on a plane with this man who is compelling in the extreme. He’s also determined to resist her at all costs. Despite his work for the mafiya, he has a strong sense of honor and has told her father that she will be delivered to Russia unmolested. Sadly for Sevastyan, Natalie has a different idea and sets about seducing him. While they don’t have sex, they have some serious touching going on, where Sevastyan demonstrates that he is a Dominant. Despite technically being a virgin, Natalie has been with other men, and done a lot of self-exploration. She feels like she’s pretty much prepared for anything Sevastyan would like to throw at her.
Soon she’s in Russia, and has met her father, who, yes, is a mafiya vor, but is also incredibly kind to her, and generous with his love and affection. He thinks of Sevastyan as a son and would like for them to be together, but warns Natalie that Sevastyan has some very dark corners that he’ll probably never share with her. Despite that, Natalie can’t help but continue her attraction to Sevastyan. But he runs very hot and cold with her. Either he can’t keep his hands off of her, or he’s shutting her out completely. After her father is unexpectedly killed, Sevastyan spirits her to Paris to an opulent home where he can better protect her. Natalie feels like a caged bird. By this time, she and Sevastyan are engaging in a full fledged affair, but he tells her nothing and won’t let her leave the house. She’s a caged bird. As her frustration mounts, she considers leaving him. But as Sevastyan’s secrets are exposed, will Natalie be able to accept the dark things this man has and will do? Or will she flee from him?
I liked Natalie immediately. She’s smart, inquisitive and never strays into the TSTL zone. I liked that despite her unwanted virginity, she’s sexually aware, and daring. She’s a natural submissive, but doesn’t know it until she and Sevastyan begin their sexual journey. I also liked that she was a smart ass. She teases Sevastyan and frustrates him over and over by pushing back. She doesn’t just sit in the corner like a good little girl. She’s endlessly pushing for them to build closeness. She wants that relationship with him. It’s due to his horrifying past, Sevastyan is unwilling to talk about his past.
I was less sold in the beginning on Sevastyan. I think because this book is first person, and we discover Sevastyan’s past along-side of Natalie, I struggled to connect with him. He definitely was hot for her, and wanted her all the time. But he also was closed off and distant. I think it’s probably a credit to your writing ability that I found that as frustrating as Natalie. I literally knew nothing about him that she didn’t. So it wasn’t until the last half of the book that I began to connect more clearly to him.
I loved the Russian setting. You did a great job of evoking place and Sevastyan’s nationality by including more than just the occasional endearment. I’m looking forward to more in the series, if they’re all set in Russia. It felt slightly exotic to me, which I really liked.
The sex scenes are plentiful and incredibly hot. I recalled from the Immortals After Dark series that you wrote some very sexy love scenes, but these are so much hotter than what I’ve read from you before. Sevastyan is a Dominant, and he pushes Natalie into sub-space on more than one occasion. What I liked was his reluctance to engage in D/s behavior with Natalie, despite the fact that she really wanted it. And I loved how Natalie finally pushed him into it and convinced him that she could take what he wanted to dole out.
Overall, I found this to be a really engaging book, one that I quite unexpectedly enjoyed so much more than I thought I would. I’m really looking forward to the next installment in the series. I would highly recommend The Professional for readers of D/s books and for those who love a strong heroine paired with an anti-hero. Final grade: B.
Kind regards,
Kati
AmazonBNSonyKoboAREBook DepositoryGoogle
I’m not a big contemporary reader, but from your description I’m tempted to give this one a try!
Well, well, not really tempted by maphia, but very tempted by Russian setting and probably end up buying it. Thank you.
@Sirius: Yeah, that’s the other thing that would potentially keep me away, because that type of characterization can go all kinds of wrong.
Any thoughts on how the mafia aspect is depicted here? Does it seem an integral part, or just an afterthought tidbit? National stereotypes make me cringe…
The mafia aspect is quite glossed over (more an afterthought than integral). There’s very little violence in the book. Lots of mentions of it (it’s the source of “danger”) but it never really comes to fruition.
Hope that helps.
@Kati: It does, thank you.
My first KC book was Lothaire, which I loved. Her writing is extremely engaging and she’s written a lot of great heroes (I love the damaged/tormented soul guys). Whenever I find a great “new to me” author who has a big backlist, I usually then devour the books one after another. I did this with her work but then burned out on the IAD books. I thinking reading a series that way tends to highlight the writerly ticks (you start to notice similar wording and characterizations more than you would if you only read that author’s work twice per year with a healthy gap in between). Her heroine’s tend to have a similar tone (independent, feisty, often glib), which can get a little stale for me (sometimes I like the understated, gentle heroine or the insecure one who comes into her own by the end of the book).
All that said, I wanted to read this book because it is another change (not a paranormal, not an historical). Your review tells me it will be pretty much what I expected, which is mostly good. Thanks!
I was incredibly bothered by the ethics/morals of the mafia hero and father and stopped reading after segment one. I want to be able to at least respect a hero, if not admire. There seemed a sub theme that illegal behavior is okay if you are rich or someone treated you badly. No it is not. Nor is it okay for the heroine to live a life of luxury purchased from other people’s suffering. Just as I don’t like what some books teach our younger readers about relationships, turning a blind eye to stalking and abuse, I didn’t like the message in this one. The message on this one seemed to say it’s okay to benefit from blackmail and extortion. I think our romances should be showing heroic behavior and that includes a heroine leaving so called heroes that are abusive or engage in embezzlement and extortion. ( Just to clarify I am not talking of abuse as a consensual bdsm relationship. )
Kati, does this book have a HEA/HFN ending?
Um, okay, I can buy 3 parts separately for $1.84 each but all three parts together in one book would cost me $11.12. Wow.
@Kaetrin: I was very satisfied with the ending. It’s an HFN which felt very real to me.
I really enjoyed this book too. But I don’t think I’d call it “contemporary”. I saw another reviewer refer to it as ” glitterkink”, personally I call it plot porn meets super romance. It’s enjoyable as all get out, but calling it “contemporary” stretches willful suspension of disbelief even further than the plot line.
@Kati: Thx Kati – that’s good to know. I might give it a try. :)