Review: Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas

Despite being forewarned that this wasn’t exactly a contemporary romance, I was still surprised to read that Sugar Daddy was more of a women’s fiction read. It was a heartfelt coming-of-age story involving one of the best heroines I’ve read in a long time. Liberty Jones wasn’t born into a lavish life. She lived with her mother in a trailer park with her useless boyfriend in a place where being half-Mexican wasn’t entirely accepted. But despite being dealt bad cards, Liberty has an inner strength that allows her to persevere through the tough times. Sugar Daddy starts off with Liberty at a very young age and while I didn’t see why we needed to read about her growth from so early on, it made sense in the end. I never should have doubted Kleypas and her contemporary writing skills. I approached this book with a little skepticism but after flipping that last page, I am a firm believer in her skill as a writer. Whether she writes historicals or contemporary novels, Kleypas shines!

I made the HUGE mistake of reading the blurb for Blue-Eyed Devil about halfway through this read and I was kicking myself for that mistake! Whatever you do, DO NOT READ THE BLURB because although I fully believe that Liberty ends up with who she is supposed to be with, I was still surprised at the results.

I don’t usually enjoy first person narration, but there’s something about Liberty that you can’t help but like. It might be her charming personality or maturity level for such a young woman. It could be the fact that she sacrifices so much of her youth to care for her little sister, Carrington. Or perhaps it’s the fact that despite her unlucky times, Liberty never complains about her life. She has moments of weakness where she breaks down and sobs, but that makes me love her all the more. I can’t think of another book where the heroine deserves a happy ending as much as Liberty.

I won’t divulge too much about Liberty’s love life, but I have to mention the love scenes. Kleypas usually keeps her sex scene pretty tame, where less is more. But there are a couple scenes in this book that were steamy as hell! It wasn’t that she became suddenly explicit in her work. I think it was the way she wrote Liberty’s yearning, exploring a side of Liberty where she lets herself fall into the arms of this man, trusting him to catch her, to take care of her. It was the fact that Liberty’s love shone through that made this scene one of the steamiest sex scenes I’ve read in a long time. It was perfect.

Having now read the blurb for Blue-Eyed Devil, I cannot wait to read the next book! Kleypas continues to reach into my heart and mind, teaching me that extraordinary things can happen to ordinary people. You just have to recognize it.

Favourite Quote:

"I know without a doubt this man loves me for exactly who I am. No conditions, no limits. That’s a miracle too. In fact, every day is filled with ordinary miracles. You don’t have to look far to find them."