The Auction Deal by Sam Taylor Mullens

The Auction Deal 
by Sam Taylor Mullens

Ella, a single, career-oriented woman with a strong head on her shoulders, goes to Beverly Hills to bid on a rare, expensive statue at a prestigious auction house. She doesn’t want to disappoint her boss, since her job and art gallery is all she has in her life.

Lance, a successful gallery owner from Chicago, is also seeking the same item on behalf of his partner. They are both determined to win it no matter what. Their worlds inevitably collide as the bidding day nears. Neither one of them can walk away from the bidding war or from each other. Ella is reluctant to set aside her competitive spirit and give in to Lance’s charm.

Soon their professionalism is set aside and a relationship develops. Lance can’t seem to notice anything but Ella while she begins to wonder if he could be the one. Can Lance leave his past behind to move forward with Ella? Will his scorned past and ability to trust be a hindrance?

Once the auction concludes, everything changes. They race against obstacles to get rid of a statue that brings them unwanted attention and places them in dangerous situations. When Lance is met with a deep-rooted betrayal, it may end it all.

* Contains adult sexual content and language.

Goodreads

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Her boss wants her to get the statue no matter what. His business partner will pay anything to have it. What neither Ella nor Lance were expecting was each other, nor the mysterious way everyone seemed so interested in an unremarkable statue. Their attraction is intense and immediate and there's no way either will let the other go, once they sort out their bad first impressions of each other. As the auction comes to a close though things get weirder and weirder as people come out of the woodwork trying to get their hands on a statue that shouldn't be quite so special.

Ella is strong and confident she does the best she can in work because she has no personal life. According to her best friend she's just oblivious to admirers, but she has a hard time letting anyone in, until the undeniable attraction to Lance.

Lance was burned many years ago by people that were supposed to be friends, now he goes through life doing a job he just ended up in rather than the one he really wanted. He has a hard time opening up and it's caused all his relationships to fizzle, but one look at the brown eyed beauty and he sees a future he never expected.

This story is romance mixed in with a bit of mystery, all thrown into a very fast pace. There's allot of information with every turn of the page and the story keeps you on your toes. This was a fun afternoon read.