ARC Review: Insatiable Hunger (Dynasties: Seven Sins 3) by Yahrah St. John

Title: Insatiable Hunger

Series: Dynasties: Seven Sins #3

Author: Yahrah St. John

Release Date: July 1, 2020

Published By: Harlequin Desire

Category: Contemporary – Romance

Type: Digital – Paperback

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Yahrah St. John Website

Rating: 

Heat:

Blurb: 

Feel the drama and passion in the Dynasties: Seven Sins series!

She’s just a friend but he craves so much more…
His unbridled appetites could cost him everything.

Ryan Hathaway isn’t about to let his friend marry the wrong guy—not when the right guy is him. But getting out of Jessie Acosta’s friend zone could destroy his plans to become Black Crescent’s CEO. He can’t afford to give in to the overwhelming temptation of wanting her. But with another man looming in Jessie’s life, Ryan can’t afford not to…

Harlequin Desire: Luxury, scandal, desire—welcome to the lives of the American elite.

One man’s betrayal can destroy generations. Fifteen years ago, a hedge-fund hotshot vanished with billions, leaving the high-powered families of Falling Brook changed forever. Now seven heirs, shaped by his betrayal, must reckon with the sins of the past. Passion may be their only path to redemption. Experience all Seven Sins!

 By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

Favorite Lines:

“Because I will always put you first, Jessie, whether we’re together or not.”  ~  Ryan

Vocabulary Word:

Palatial

adjective

pa·​la·​tial | \ pə-ˈlā-shəl  \

Definition of palatial

1: of, relating to, or being a palacea palatial home

2: suitable to a palace : MAGNIFICENT palatial furnishings

Excerpt:

          Falling Brook’s country club had been given a facelift, Jessie Acosta thought as she walked around the elegantly appointed ballroom. The Black & Silver Soirée theme was in full effect. Silver and black balloons hung from the ceiling and the tables were decked with black tablecloths and silver lamé runners. 

          Black and silver confetti had been sprinkled over the tables, giving them a festive touch, and on top of each sat either a glass vase filled with black tulips and silvergray roses or a bowl topped with silver and black ornaments. Black plates sat atop silver chargers and held silver napkins and flatware. Reunion guests’names were in tiny silver frames next to each setting. The reunion committee had outdone itself. 

          Jessie herself had come prepared to dazzle in an eye-catching, sequined spaghetti-strapped gown with a plunging V-neckline and an open back with crisscross detail. Or at least, that had been her intention, but her long-distance boyfriend, Hugh O’Malley, was nowhere to be found. When she’d asked him if he was coming home from London for the event, he’d informed her he was too busy at work. So she’d spent most of her evening in the company of Ryan Hathaway, at one time one of her oldest friends. 

          That changed fifteen years ago when her parents had lost their entire fortune because of Black Crescent Investments. CEO Vernon Lowell had embezzled millions from his clients—her parents included—disappearing before authorities could catch him. That loss had led Jessie to always wanting to make her parents happy and to do what was expected. Instead of hanging out with Ryan all the time, she’d started dating Hugh O’Malley, who was from one of the richest families in town, just to please them, and she knew they expected them to marry. But lately she’d become increasingly dissatisfied with the direction of her life and their long-distance relationship. And then tonight happened and suddenly she was seeing the world through a different lens. 

          Ryan stood a few feet away, talking to several of their classmates, but he was head and shoulders above them. Ryan wasn’t the sweet, shy boy next door who wore glasses and was slightly overweight she’d grown up with. The Ryan Hathaway she’d met tonight was confident, lean and trim, and wore contacts. There wasn’t anything shy about him. He was sexy and carried it well in a black custom-fit tuxedo. 

          Jessie hadn’t be able to stop herself from ogling. It had been several years since she’d last seen him. Ryan’s oncecurly black hair had been cut into a close-cropped fade along the sides with curly tendrils at the top. And since when did he have facial hair? It was just a smattering—a mustache and fuzz on the chin—but it gave him a hint of mystery and danger. His charcoal eyes had been trained on her for most of the night and, to Jessie’s surprise, she kind of liked it. 

          When they’d talked, it was like the years faded away and they were just Ryan and Jessie sitting in his tree house and talking about their dreams for the future. Ryan had done quite well for himself. He worked for a high-profile investment company in Manhattan while Jessie toiled away as an associate at a midsize firm in corporate law. 

          It amazed her that they’d been in the same city yet hardly seen each other. But how would they, when she worked sixty-hour weeks? Sometimes more. She wanted to make partner and the only way to do that was to get those billable hours. 

          “Penny for your thoughts?”Ryan asked, suddenly by her side. She’d been so engrossed in thought, she hadn’t seen him wander over. 

          “Just thinking about how so much has changed,”Jessie said, glancing up at him from underneath her lashes. “You, especially.”

          A large grin spread across his incredibly full lips. Why hadn’t she noticed how divine they were before? “Me? I’m the same Ryan you’ve always known.”Jessie shook her head. “I beg to differ. You’re different.”

          “Is that a bad thing?”

          She smiled. “No, it’s a great thing.”

          He regarded her silently for a moment, as if weighing his options. “Care to dance?”

          “I would love to.”

          Any thoughts she had evaporated the moment Ryan pulled her against him. Jessie felt…well, sort of strange because they’d never danced together. Maybe when they were little and had been playing around. In his arms now, Jessie felt acutely aware of her body and the way her breasts crushed against Ryan’s chest. 

          Raw masculine heat radiated from his close proximity, causing her heart to flutter uncontrollably. And when Ryan pressed his body against hers and slid his thigh between the softness of hers, Jessie nearly lost it. This was Ryan. It wasn’t right she should be feeling these things…but she did. 

          He smelled so good. Felt so good. When he wound his arms around her waist, Jessie wanted to reach up on her tiptoes and sweep her lips across his. What was wrong with her? Ryan was her friend, but he didn’t feel like a friend. She glanced up and peered into his eyes. He didn’t look at her like one, either. 

          His ebony gaze raked over her face, his eyes trained on her mouth. He was going to kiss her. And she wanted him to. Desperately. She wanted to feel his lips crushed against her own, only then might it slake the hunger growing deep in her belly. She licked her lips in anticipation and watched Ryan’s eyes grow dark with desire. 

          He wound his fingers through her shoulder-length bob, bringing her face to his. 

          “Ryan!”

          “Tell me you don’t want me to kiss you,”he taunted. 

          Jessie opened her mouth to say no, but she couldn’t get the word out. And it would be a lie because she did want Ryan’s kiss.

Highlight:

          Ryan hadn’t seen Jessie since their ten-year high school reunion and had been surprised when, out of the blue, she’d asked him to lunch. With her busy career, Ryan had assumed she hardly gave lunch a thought, while he, on the other hand, believed in eating small meals throughout the day. He supposed it had something to do with being overweight as a preteen and the endless bullying he’d received. He now religiously watched his weight, which was why he was eating a grilled salmon and spinach salad at the exclusive eatery. 

          Ryan sipped his club soda. “I was pleasantly surprised to get the invite.”

          Jessie released a long sigh. “You shouldn’t be. We were close once.”

          “That was a long time ago, Jessie.”

          “And I’d like to rectify that,”she stated. 

          Ryan peered into her earnest eyes and, damn him, he believed her. 

          Hadn’t he told himself he was saying goodbye to the decades-old crush he’d had on this woman since his voice had begun to change? 

          He steepled his fingers together on the table. “I’m listening…”He measured his response. He wasn’t about to rush to judgment. This could be nothing more than loneliness in the big city. Perhaps Jessie was in need of a dose of the familiar? 

          “Did you see the newspaper’s fifteenth-anniversary article about Black Crescent?”

          He was right. Jessie wanted a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen. In the past, he’d been all too willing to give an ear. Except this time, it was different. He wasn’t the young, naïve teenager he’d once been, hoping for a scrap of her time. He was done with wishing and hoping Jessie would see him differently. He was a grown man and he had plenty of women he could call who were eager to spend time with him. “Yes. It’s the same ole, same ole, Jessie. Why get rattled?”

          “It may be old news to you, but not to my family,”Jessie replied, dismay in her tone. “My father has never gotten over Black Crescent’s hedge fund tanking. When Vernon Lowell disappeared, my father lost his job, his friends and his country-club membership. He nearly lost the house, too, but somehow Mama was able to hang on to it.”

          Ryan heard the wounded tone in her voice. He, too, had always wondered how the Acostas had managed to stay in their five-bedroom house when many of the other Falling Brook scions had fallen. He doubted Mrs. Acosta could have been making much in her receptionist job at O’Malley Luxury Motors, Hugh’s father’s company. “I’m glad your parents were able to keep the house. Otherwise, you and I wouldn’t have remained friends.”

          Jessie pursed her lips. “Yeah, but it was never the same, was it? I know I pulled away from our friendship.”

          Ryan was shocked Jessie was owning up to it. As the years had gone by, he’d watched their relationship steadily fade into a shadow of its former self. “Why did you?”

          Jessie was silent for several moments, then reached for her water glass, sipping generously. “When I learned that Jack O’Malley paid for Pete’s and my tuition at Falling Brook Prep, I felt like I owed them my loyalty, you know? How could I forget what he’d done? Because of him, we were able to stay at prep school when most of our classmates had to withdraw and enroll in public school.”

          “I can understand your need to show your appreciation, but it didn’t stop there, Jessie, and we both know why.”

          She arched a brow. “What do you have against Hugh?”

          “Hugh? I don’t want to talk about him.”Ryan’s mouth clenched tightly. “We were talking about Black Crescent and the impact it had not only on your family but our friendship.”

          Jessie took the bait and stopped talking about his rival. “That exposé brought to the surface all those old wounds. My mother said my father was beside himself after reading it and refused to come out of his study for the rest of the day. And then Joshua Lowell had that press conference to announce he was stepping down as CEO to live happily-ever-after. How dare he! He shouldn’t get a happy ending after what his family did to the rest of us.”

          “I’m sorry to hear that about your dad,”Ryan said. “Truly I am. And I get that Black Crescent has a black stain in your book. But what if someone could come along to revitalize it with fresh ideas to make the company better, more transparent?”

          Jessie stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. “Why do you sound like a walking interviewee?”

          Ryan took a forkful of salad and focused on chewing his food. This was a conversation he was not looking forward to. He’d known one day it would come, but it had come sooner than he liked. 

          Jessie’s eyes grew large with expectation. “Well?”

          “I’ve interviewed for the CEO position at Black Crescent. When Joshua Lowell made a formal announcement that he was stepping down to focus on his art career, that he’d gotten engaged and was currently in search for a successor, I tossed my hat into the ring.”

          “You’ve done what?”Her raised voice caused several patrons to openly stare in their direction. 

          Ryan wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Can you lower your voice, please?”

          “I can’t,”she hissed. “You’re making the worst mistake of your life! How can you even consider working for the family—the company—that destroyed mine? I thought we were friends.”

          “We are.”

          “Then how can you do this?”

          Ryan reached across the table for Jessie’s hand, but she shrank back in her chair, away from him. He took that one on the chin. He knew his announcement would come as a shock to her, but the position had also been a way for him to cut off feelings for her full-stop. He knew that working at Black Crescent, the company Jessie despised, was a surefire way to keep her away. She blamed Black Crescent for all her family’s financial troubles and her father’s inability to move forward with his life. 

          Her beautiful face was flushed bright red. “Why does it have to be you?”

          “With my MBA and background, I’m uniquely qualified to take on the role. Who better to repair Black Crescent’s damaged reputation?”

          “Not you. When I spoke to Hugh, he thought—”

          Ryan interrupted her, cutting off her sentence. “Wait just a minute. Hugh…hasn’t been in Falling Brook in years. What would he know about the company?”

          “He called me when Jack told him about the press conference.”

          When Ryan rolled his eyes, she pointed her index finger at him. “There it is.”

          “What is?”

          “The animosity you always have whenever I bring up Hugh. Why do you dislike him so much?”

          “I couldn’t care less about Hugh,”Ryan replied. “But you? You’re giving this guy, who’s been MIA for years, too much credit. I mean, how well do you even know him? When was the last time you spent any significant amount of time with the man?”Was he pushing Jessie to admit her relationship with Hugh was a sham because he hadn’t truly gotten over her? He’d stubbornly forced himself to forget about the almost kiss they’d shared at the reunion, but sitting across from Jessie now reminded him of how strong the attraction between them still was. 

          Jessie stared at Ryan in disbelief. The Ryan she remembered was always quiet, shy and even-keeled, yet the man sitting in front of her was anything but. In fact, she would say he was the opposite. He was confident with lots of swagger. 

          When he’d walked into the restaurant, Jessie had forced herself not to wag her tongue in delight. He’d looked resplendent in a gray suit, white shirt and skinny silver-striped tie, just as he had three months ago when she’d seen him at the ten-year reunion. She’d thought the heady, powerful feelings he’d evoked in her when they’d danced together had been a fluke. 

          A flare of heat had sparked within her on the dance floor, warming her in a way that surprised the heck out of her. If Hugh hadn’t interrupted when he had, Jessie was certain Ryan would have kissed her and she would have liked it. That had been the most confounding thing of all. The unexpected desire she’d felt for her old friend. 

          So she’d pushed it down, spending the last few months purging her heightened emotions by working tirelessly at the law firm until well after dark. She’d tried convincing herself she’d imagined it, but she hadn’t. The flame was there now, burning as bright as it had that night. 

          “Are you going to answer me?”Ryan asked, breaking into her thoughts. She saw the faintest clench of his jaw as his eyes narrowed at her. “Or can you not recall the last time you saw the great Hugh O’Malley? Was it the reunion? If so, that was months ago.”

          His tone brought Jessie out of her musings. “My relationship with Hugh is my business.”

          “You made it mine when you brought him into the conversation to pass along his advice. And I’m calling a spade a spade. You’ve been with the man on and off for years. Mostly off, in my opinion. Yet the consensus has always been that you’re going to marry the guy. I’m pointing out that you might not know him enough to make such a monumental decision.”

          She knew that. It was why she’d agreed with Hugh to take a break. They’d texted frequently or FaceTimed and Skyped as often as they could for much of their relationship. And while Hugh attended Harvard and Wharton, they’d been able to maintain some semblance of being a couple, but it had been difficult with their demanding studies. However, when Hugh had decided to accept a job in London, straight out of Wharton, Jessie had been taken aback. 

          She’d thought Hugh would want to be closer, not farther apart. He’d insisted their relationship was strong enough to handle the distance and time apart. It hadn’t been. Instead, Jessie had begun to feel restless, as if the life she’d carved out for herself was no longer enough. So she’d pushed herself harder at work, but that hadn’t brought her the fulfillment she’d thought it would. She needed more. 

          “I admit marriage is a huge step,”Jessie finally responded, “And we are not there yet.”She had no idea where her relationship with Hugh stood at the moment. She didn’t appreciate Ryan shining a light on it. “But, Hugh is a stand-up guy and the O’Malleys are good people.”

          “So you would marry him for his family? Because you feel obligated?”

          “Of course not,”she huffed. Though sometimes she felt that way, she couldn’t tell Ryan that. “You’re purposely misunderstanding me.”

          “Am I? Do you even know what you really want?”

          Jessie narrowed her eyes. “Of course I do. There’s no rush to jump into marriage. Hugh and I are focusing on our careers right now. It’s been hard for me as an associate at my firm. I have to prove myself. It’s the same for Hugh. We both have big dreams.”

          “Which is keeping you both on different continents. Sounds romantic.”

          “Don’t presume to judge me, Ryan, when you don’t have a relationship yourself.”

          “You don’t know that,”he countered. 

Review: 

Jessie has decisions to make. She’s been on the path she created for herself with nothing but her future in mind. Still dating the perfect guy from high school, they are nearing the time of their marriage. They have been working tirelessly to meet their career goals so that they may begin their life together. But this has all taken place with spending very little time together; mostly in different countries. As anticipated, they grew apart. An encounter with her former best friend turned smoking hot sexy guy, Ryan, has her re-evaluating the path she has been relentlessly carving out for herself. Suddenly she realizes she needs to make some changes and it looks like a fling with Ryan will be the way she moves on. But Ryan has his own future plans he has been working toward and he is literally just a breath away from grasping on to the position he has been seeking. Except that position stands firmly against everything Jessie believes in given the atrocious way the Black Crescent scandal affected her family all those years ago. Once Jessie finally decides on her future moving forward, the lingering question that her relationship with Ryan hangs on is: can she be with him and get past the fierce hatred she holds for Black Crescent?

Ryan has loved Jessie for just about as long as he can remember. But she never saw him as anything past her confidant. Hugh was always that golden boy that she saw her future with, so when he has a chance to make a move at their reunion, he cannot waste the opportunity. Never imagining his brazen move triggers Jessie to reassess her life choices, he quickly finds himself in a “casual” relationship with her. But Jessie has been holding back a bit of the truth and Ryan’s continuation in seeking the CEO position with Black Crescent continues to shim a wedge between them. With Jessie firmly denouncing the very company Ryan dreams of taking over and reshaping, it comes down to whether he loves her enough to walk away from his dream job. But with Jessie’s recent betrayal, he isn’t sure he can afford to be the lovesick fool he has always been in the past. Now it’s Ryan who has some serious thinking to do and decisions to make.

This is my 3rd book in the series. I have been following it since the beginning and plan to complete it. I was intrigued by a series written by several authors, but all each holding a recurring theme that binds them all together; even to the point where other characters from previous books continue to make appearances as the series progresses. For this series, it is most frequently Joshua Lowell. He is the current CEO of Black Crescent – the company that ruined the lives of so many fifteen years ago. But the damning deeds were carried out by his conniving sire and Joshua has worked tirelessly to repair the company, it’s reputation, and make whatever restitution he can to all of the affected families. Having found his HEA, he is now ready to step down and let someone else take the reins so he can live his own life. And so this theme recurs throughout the books, providing an air of familiarity. 

Ryan actually made a few appearances in the previous book. As one of the candidates up for the CEO position, Ryan was a part of the interviews that Allison (the FL from the previous installment) conducted. I did not much care for Ryan after his interactions with Allison. I had the feeling that he was trying to woo Allison behind the scenes intending to gain an upper hand in the interviews. At least that was the impression I took away from him initially. He had a rather bad reaction toward one of the candidates in the previous book and I immediately took a dislike to him for that outburst. His anger and animosity seemed misplaced and inappropriate at the time. Consequently, going into this book I was wary with his character. But I can happily report that his character completely morphed into something else entirely within the pages of this book and I ultimately enjoyed him most of all as I was reading. He possesses many positive characteristics and I admired his reasons for seeking out the CEO position. I, myself, believing he would be the best of the candidates to lead the company. However, we are left not knowing if he does take the position or not. I suppose, as far as the plot goes, this was a good move. After all, the search for the CEO has been what has liked these books together – aside from the BC scandal itself – so revealing the CEO at this point in the series could have been a bad tactical move. However, I was annoyed with Ryan’s decision because – I will just admit it – I didn’t care for Jessie much at all. Ryan’s biggest flaw was his weak spot for Jessie and not being able to get her out of his head. 

I just never really warmed up to Jessie. She struck me as more of a petulant child who was stuck in the misdeeds of the past, unable to break free of that stigma. She could have easily been written as a strong woman who rose above the ashes, but instead, she remained the brat who forced Ryan to decide his future if he wanted any chance of having one with her. She does eventually give a little, but for me, it was absolutely too little too late. The damage had been done and given the lack of any kind of grand gesture from her, I was underwhelmed. True love doesn’t force one to give up on their dreams and conform to the wishes of one. Also, given the extent of loss that Zane experienced in the previous book, Jessie never really lost much. Yes, her family was affected, but Zane’s situation had been so much worse. If he could let that chip on his should go for the woman he loved, what the hell was Jessie’s excuse? Also aggravating was the completely predictable situation within her family that she and her mother finally have a row about. I had called it in the beginning and wasn’t wrong. But what galled me even more, was Jessie’s reaction given that she wasn’t much different. Pot meet kettle. She hadn’t completely broken things off with Hugh when beginning her relationship with Ryan and never even came clean about it with either of them until she had made her own final decision. Selfish, much? But what finally clenched my dislike was when she completely jumped Ryan’s shit for kissing her in public. She accused him of doing it intentionally when he was just lost in the moment. Bitch move. Honestly, I don’t think I would have had a problem with Ryan walking away from her for good at that point. Clearly, I just never connected to Jessie. 

Chase Hargrove makes another appearance as one of the CEO candidates. He is once again in an odd and somewhat unprofessional position with Haley – Joshua’s assistant. I don’t know what the deal is with those two, but it’s uncomfortable, so I wonder what his role will be as the series progresses. Another turn off for me was the materialistic obsession this author held for everything pricey. She describes a lavish kitchen, constantly mentions Armani suits, and each time Ryan gets into his Porsche, it is written as the “Porsche 911 Carrera". Who the frick cares? It’s a Porsche. I got it. You do not have to mention the dang name of it each time. Message received. These guys have money. I am a sucker for a billionaire romance, but this was like intentionally drawing attention to expensive items because the reader needed a reminder? I’m not sure, but it became completely annoying after a while. 

However, there is a silver lining here. I may not have enjoyed this book as part of the series. True. However, this book could be read as a stand-alone. There was enough back story provided that I do not believe a reader new to the series would have any issue with easily falling into this book. Some of my prejudices I carried over from the previous books. For that reason, I wonder is perhaps my knowledge from the beginning was more of a hindrance than an advantage in this case. Overall, the story was still enjoyable. It was sexy at times and there were some interactions between Ryan and Jessie that I enjoyed. But if it was my first read in the series, I doubt I would be coming back. At this point, I am invested and want to finish the series up. Admittedly, I also want to see what happened next knowing we will be reading work by another author. Hopefully, things will look up as this is not the best book in the series. So far it’s ranked in order. I connected with the first book the best and then the second was somewhat near second. Sadly, this was a far third. I hope this does not indicate that the series will continue to dive. Having alternate authors can be a bonus, but sometimes also a crapshoot. This one missed the mark for me. Still entertaining, but lacked the connection and sympathy I felt in the previous installments. As far as Ms. St. John’s work, I am unable to accurately assess if she would be a good fit for me without reading another of her books. Next time I will be searching for a stand-alone that is not part of a series so that I know for sure if we are a good match as reader and writer. 

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.