Book Review of Savor by Monica Murphy

New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy concludes her sexy Billionaire Bachelors Club series with a fiery romance that refuses to be left at the office…

Bryn James can’t take much more. Smart, sexy Matthew DeLuca is everything she wants in a man, but he’s also her boss—the youngest, hottest vineyard owner in the Napa Valley—and he doesn’t see her as anything more than his shy assistant. That’s all about to change. Armed with a hot new look and an attitude to match, Bryn is determined to catch Matt’s eye… professionalism be damned.
With his winery’s grand reopening approaching, Matt is trying to stay focused, but Bryn is suddenly making it very difficult. He’s always thought her prim demeanor effortlessly sexy, but Matt can’t deny that her transformation is jaw-dropping …and going to make it very difficult to keep his hands to himself.
But when one thing leads to another and suddenly Matt is stripping Bryn bare, he’ll be faced with the biggest risk of his career—and his heart. Can he convince her—and himself—that this might just be more than a no-strings office affair?

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As the final book in the Billionaire Bachelors Club series, Ms. Murphy comes full circle and gives us glimpses of the couples from the previous installments as well as the new couple of former athlete Matt and sexy but shy Bryn.  Both of them are attracted to the other but are hiding behind facades so as not to endanger their hearts.

Bryn was born beautiful and it has caused her nothing but problems. No one has ever seen past her looks or ever expected much of her.  She's added to her problems by making poor choices when it comes to men which led to her leaving her previous job after being romanced by a married man.  She doesn't want to lose her new job though so she hides behind drab clothing, no make-up, and a buttoned-up demeanor.  Making her commitment to keep to herself even more difficult is her attraction to her new boss and her new friend's desire to see them together and the subtle matchmaking going on.  Bryn's journey to a HEA doesn't go smoothly as her insecurities and his honor create one roadblock after another to their getting together.  Bryn's a character that has low self-esteem and is too scared to live for fear of making another mistake.  She's wishy-washy and hard to pull out of her shell as the past book heroines find out when trying to befriend her.  She's a character that I never warmed up to and wished for someone stronger for Matt.

Matt's starting a new career that he wants to be just as good at as he was as an athlete.  Being the quintessential boss means keeping his hands off the help which becomes difficult once he sees a glimpse of the real Bryn.  Though he's first attracted to her looks he soon works to win over her heart as he longs for something permanent and is drawn to the caring woman he's come to know throughout each work day.  Matt is a great hero, caring and loyal.  He doesn't want to be compared to his womanizing father which has him hiding his true feelings at first but ultimately becoming a swoon-worthy hero.

This was a slow moving story that never set itself apart from other contemporary romances.  The hero was likable but the heroine was hard to relate to.  Their journey to a HEA flowed back and forth due to her hot and cold demeanor which culminated in a rushed ending that felt incomplete.  Not having read the previous books had no affect on my feelings towards this book.  The storyline doesn't rely on any previous actions and, though nothing special, ends up being an average read.  In no way do I feel like reading the previous installments of this series but will gladly read more of Ms. Murphy's works in the future as she clearly knows how to create a sexy and appealing hero.

My rating for this is a C.

*I received this book from Edelweiss for review in exchange for my honest opinion.