Cruel North

4.25stars—CRUEL NORTH is the fourth instalment in JB Salsbury’s contemporary adult THE NORTH BROTHERS erotic, romance series. This is thirty-five year old attorney Hayes North, and thirty four year old single mother/app developer Vanessa Osbourne’s story line. CRUEL NORTH can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Vanessa and Hayes) CRUEL NORTH focuses on the second chance romance and relationship between Vanessa Osbourne and Hayes North. Vanessa Osbourne and Hayes North were high school sweethearts. Hayes wanted to be a professional hockey player, and Vanessa wanted to delve into computer technology but a surprise pregnancy was something neither expected, and Hayes was in no position to become a young father. Fast forward to present day wherein, Hayes is blindsided with the appearance of Haven, a seventeen year old young woman claiming to be his daughter, a daughter he never knew existed. Vanessa Osbourne never told her daughter the truth about her father, but a box full of heart breaking memories becomes the catalyst to push Haven to go in search of the father she knew nothing about, a father who now lives and works in New York City. With her daughter searching for Hayes, Vanessa goes in search of the daughter whose heart she broke. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and relationship between Hayes and Vanessa, and the potential fall out as Vanessa and Haven’s time in New York comes to an end, an end predicated upon perceived betrayal and misunderstanding.

Vanessa Osbourne’s hatred for Hayes North is powerful in the wake of Hayes pushing Vanessa out of his life. As a single mother Vanessa struggled with every aspect of their lives but not only did Hayes walk out of her life but so too did her parents who refuse to acknowledge their granddaughter’s existence. Hayes North had no idea that Vanessa kept the child he never wanted.Having watched his father’s life implode, Hayes refused to follow the same path, as he battled between head and heart in an effort to get to know the daughter he never knew.

Then relationship between Vanessa and Hayes is one of second chances; a rekindling romance between two people torn apart by immaturity, misunderstanding, heartbreak and dysfunctional family relationships. Hayes wants a chance to get to know the daughter he never knew but Vanessa struggles to get past the hurt of being abandoned by the man that she loved. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters. We are reintroduced to Hayes siblings: twin brother Hudson and Lillian, Alexander and Jordan, Kingston and Gabriella, as well as their father August; security specialist James, Hayes and Vanessa’s daughter Maven, Vanessa’s parent Nicholas and Annabella; Vanessa’s best friend Tag, and Hayes’ best friend Ellie.

CRUEL NORTH is a story of misunderstand and mistakes, family and friendships, betrayal and forgiveness, love and acceptance. The premise is emotional and captivating; the romance is seductive and provocative; the characters are independent determined and charismatic.

I've been waiting for Hayes book and I wasn't disappointed. Hayes is such a jerk! There is no other way to say it without swearing! I sure did love how Vanessa stood up to him and put him his place. No one could do that but her, His brothers didn't believe he would ever be tamed. I loved Vanessa from the start and cheered her on every time she showed Hayes that she wasn't going to put up with his cruelty. As the chapters went on, Hayes began to become a little human. I didn't think it was possible for me to ever like Hayes, never mind love him ... but it happened. The author hinted at there being more North siblings that may come out of the woodwork ... and I sure hope so, because I don't want this series to end!

When Haven, Hayes' seventeen-year-old daughter, shows up in New York ... Hayes is shocked to learn he has a daughter at all. When Haven's mother Vanessa comes to get her, Haven doesn't want to go back to Colorado, she wants to stay in New York with her bio dad. So, Hayes proposes to Vanessa and Haven to stay at his place for month, so he has a chance to get to know is daughter. Vanessa reluctantly agrees but she's not going to be nice to Hayes ... after all, he gave her $2,000 to "take care of" the situation. Her parents send her to Colorado to have the baby, but when Vanessa decided to keep the baby, her parents disown her. Fueled by anger for Hayes and her parents, she raises Haven all by herself. But now she feels betrayed by her daughter who wants to live with the dad she never knew. Hearts will break and feelings will get hurt while the three of them live together in a penthouse suite in New York.

I received an early copy courtesy of Social Butterfly PR in exchange for a honest review.