Entice is the second book in the Hearts of Stone series by Veronica Larsen. I read it as a stand-alone. Emily has been fired from her job as an attorney and decides to seek solace with her older sister until can get another job lined-up after the holidays. Returning to the town Emily grew-up in, she decides to visit one of her favorite places to escape to when she was a teenager; a little restaurant. This restaurant was Emily’s safe place to be herself. She was away from the others that were her so called “friends”. Here she could actually relax and be her true self. She often found herself visiting with the middle-aged owner, Lucas. When she steps into the restaurant, she isn’t met by Lucas but Mister tall, built, and sexy by the name of Owen. Emily soon finds out that
Owen is actually Lucas’s son and they went to high school together (although she doesn’t remember Lucas having a son or going to high school with him). Emily finds herself very attracted to Owen; he has felt the same way for Emily for many years. Eventually, Emily decides to stay in town, she finds a job, and begins dating Owen seriously. There is only one problem…….which I am not going to tell you or it would spoil everything!
I enjoyed this story very much. Emily and Owen had never actually dated, nor did Emily even realize that Owen existed which was a nice change from other books where the characters had always been infatuated with each other. Ms. Larsen built their relationship through her writing. I thought it was also a very realistic book as everything was not smooth sailing for Emily and Owen in their personal lives as well as their relationship. There was only one thing that I think could have been expanded and that is when Emily’s problem is revealed, she excepts it, then they all live happily-ever-after. I thought that this issue could have been addressed in more detail which would have left me feeling more satisfied as a reader. Overall, I thought it was an excellent book and plan to read the first book of the series as well as any books written after Entice.