Dramatic and Passionate: The Favor by Suzanne Wright

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 13, 2020

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I was a bit apprehensive starting The Favor; it’s been so long since I’ve read a contemporary romance by Suzanne Wright. But, once I started the book, I was reminded how the staple in all of Wright’s books (paranormal and contemporary) are the strong women who narrate them.

Now, Dane is independently wealthy–extremely wealthy, so he doesn’t need the money from the trust fund, but what he wants are the trust fund assets, which hold sentimental value. He also abhors the idea of his trust fund being divided between his two younger brothers–which is what will happen if Dane is married for a year by 38.

The resulting story is filled with the angst and drama of Dane and Vienna attempting to pull off this secret fake marriage while navigating all the people (and there are a lot) who hope to break them up.

The Best Heroine

Despite there being a significant unbalance of power (Dane is the CEO of a billion-dollar company, while Vienna is his PA), I really enjoyed how Wright made sure to demonstrate how capable and smart Vienna was. I also liked how Dane realizes early on how much he doesn’t really know about Vienna–that the assumptions he made of her didn’t take into account all the parts of her life she kept separate and private from her work life. Dane was kind of shocked to discover he didn’t know the real her.

Dane’s realization, I think, helped balance the scales because it allowed him to understand his double standards: if he wants to know about her life, he can’t shut Vienna out when she asks personal questions a fiancé would know. Also, I liked how it emphasized Vienna wasn’t just sitting around, mooning over him. Yes, she admits Dane’s hot and that she has a crush on him. But, she never thought they would hook up, let alone marry!

I think it was crucial to establish that Vienna has this whole other life outside of work–ex-boyfriends, friendships, complicated familial relationships–and that her world didn’t revolve around her “unattainable” boss, which is a frequent stereotype in marriage of convenience stories.

The Marriage of Convenience Trope Revitalized

The marriage of convenience trope was huge in contemporary romance when I was in high school. But, I slowly realized that the trope was commonly used to excuse (maybe even romanticize) cold, asshole, workaholic bosses that treated their PA’s like crap. The fake relationship/marriage would either start with the boss blackmailing or paying the PA (who desperately needs money because they’re underpaid and overworked) and end with the PA realizing they’re just “misunderstood.” Eyeroll.

What I loved about The Favor is that Vienna agreeing to be Dane’s fake wife is premised on her returning the favour he did for her two years ago. Yes, it is a bit of an asshole move. He leverages the fact he got rid of the sex tape her ex-boyfriend made of them–the sex tape made without her consent–but it totally fits his behaviour and personality: everyone is a pawn for him to get what he wants.

I also really liked how the fidelity agreement between them (both agreeing to be celibate while married) was met with Dane basically saying duh. Their relationship was based on mutual respect–even if there was no love (obviously, to begin with). I also loved how Dane recognized how important Vienna was to his business and his company’s success. Many times, before they even start to blur the lines between them, Dane states how the only person he trusts is Vienna. That says a lot, given Dane’s childhood.

Finally, as I’ll get into below, there was SO MUCH DRAMA in The Favor but what I appreciated was that Dane and Vienna would always talk it out. Sure, there were times Dane had to make Vienna talk to him to sort out what was wrong, but each of them was so self-aware of their triggers, faults and blindspots when it came to their arguments. Their communication was overall spot on.

So. Much. Drama.

The only reason The Favor wasn’t five-stars was that there was so much freaking drama and the big reveal at the end (the discovery of who was trying to come between them) took up too much of the ending.

Also, all of the drama in The Favor was ‘other women’ and ‘other men’ drama, which basically means people from Vienna and Dane’s sexual pasts were coming back to the present to cause problems. I admit it created a lot of angst and kept the plot moving and super engaging. But, the one no-no was the fact that Dane slept with his current sister-in-law (like two decades ago, but still). Vienna has to see her all the time and attempt to be friends with her (they’re “family”), which was just so blah.

Also, while Dane’s whole cold and calculating personality made the fact he slept with his now brother’s wife believable… it still didn’t seem excusable. Like, his sister-in-law was dating his brother, they broke up (and apparently the brother was engaged to someone else at the time), Dane and she had a one night stand, and then the sister-in-law got back with his brother? The whole thing is just yuck.

What’s different from Wright’s past books is that normally her books either have an ‘other woman’ or an ‘other man.’ Very rarely are there both, and when there’s an ‘other man,’ it’s always noted how he would never be a viable partner–too cowardly, too “soft,” etc. BUT, in The Favor, the OM was Vienna’s ex-fiancé (who she had no interest) who was also successful, good-looking and had a kid. He wasn’t this loser the Heroine mistakenly had feelings for in the past (for example, Harper’s ex-boyfriend in Wright’s Dark in You series).

In Conclusion

I loved The Favor way more than I thought I would. Vienna’s strong personality and her self-awareness honestly made The Favor such a delight to read. I loved how she admitted to herself that she was crushing on Dane and how she struggled with those feelings growing as she pretended to be his girlfriend and then, wife. Vienna’s struggles felt so real to me.

I also loved how Dane’s personality was consistent throughout the whole book. There was no “love changed him” trope, where he suddenly became this happy-go-lucky person. His consistent personality also made all the sweet moments way sweeter–and his tendency to control everything made for quite a few funny moments.

Overall, The Favor was a super entertaining read with a smoking romance. While the drama and whodunnit reveal did take up way too much of the ending, the heroine’s characterization and the relationship between Vienna and Dane made The Favor a four-star read.

Buy The Favor

Other Books I’ve Reviewed by Suzanne Wright

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Lure of Oblivion (The Mercury Pack, #3)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Single Sentence Review: A steamy, paranormal romance that epitomizes romantic suspense with a supernatural twist, the book tells the story of a Heroine standing up for an outcast in the shifter (and, even more so, mundane) society after a violent assault and a Hero realize just how far his sadistic twin will go to settle the score between them–with the added touch of a hot romance and an independent, kickass Heroine, the book is a 5-star read!

<strong>Synopsis</strong>

Gwen Miller may be a human, but she has no problem taking a stand against her own kind. She’s going to testify against the teenage boy she saw viciously assault a lone shifter female—and no amount of pressure from the boy’s wealthy family will make her back down. But when the harassment turns violent, help comes in the form of a lean, toned wolf with winter-gray eyes.

As a guest at Gwen’s inn, shifter enforcer Zander Devlin can’t help but notice that the fierce and leggy brunette is in serious trouble. Since she’s putting herself at risk for one of his kind, keeping her safe is the least he can do. That’s not the only reason Zander wants her close. He desires her, even as the wolf inside him backs away from her. But his feral instincts are hard to keep down, and as they take shape, they’re harder for Gwen to resist. Then again, embracing them could be the only thing that could save her life.

Tags: Abuse, Family Issues, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Soul Mates, Strong Heroine, Traumatic Past, Werewolves