wine_country_booklover 's review for:

The Invitation by Jodi Ellen Malpas

5.0

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

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4.5 ⭐️stars

Jude is a man obsessed. Touch her and (you know what) vibes kind of obsessed. Boy don’t we love a smokin’ hot man obsessed. So, take this book for what it is in the over-the-top possessive male category. He loses all sensibility when around her and is jealous of any male who gets near her. So, with that in mind… I devoured this whole thing up like a cat licking cream. 

 

Amelia gets a surprise spa invitation to Arlington Hall, an exclusive resort, and encounters Jude. Sparks fly and his pursuit of her is nothing short of tenacious. After a recent break-up she wants to concentrate on work and has no time for any man. But Jude doesn’t take no for an answer.  And as they come together you get a sense that all is not right in Jude’s world, possibly he’s hiding something. And as the book progresses that feeling of something not all right in the world gets stronger. This ends in a cliffhanger, and what a doozy it is. And it looks like book 2 will give us more about who Jude really is and hopefully we get our happily-ever-after.

 

I usually don’t care for 1st person only POV. But here it works well to add to the mystery that is Jude Harrison. This romance is the obsessive I-can’t-breathe-without-you kind. So, if that’s your jam, (and honestly, who wouldn’t want that) then The Invitation is for you. Jude is an enigma from page one and that leads to delicious tension and an intense cliffhanger.