This book was fun, sexy and I thoroughly enjoyed the OTT action. Give me a car chase and I am all for it LOL. I am eager for book 2 as this seductive and mysterious family has me eager for more.

Sexy? Check! Instalove? Check? Family feud? Check? Romantic Hero? Check, check, check!
I have read some of this author's books and they are all pretty good. This one was no exception. It was slightly different from her other books but she did not disappoint. If your a fan of instalove, don't miss this book because it has loads of it. The life of the very rich and very famous come together with a girl that has nothing but herself to count on and by then you discover, as she did, that life isn't always about the material safety that you might have. The other characters in the book kept me on my toes and I'm sure great stories will come through them. Can't wait to see what happens.

WOW. Just complete and utter wow. This book has it all: wealth, power, scandal, a crazy family, and oh yeah, LOVE. Like crazy, sexy, can't put this book down, LOVE. Sadie is exactly what Olivier needs, and never thought he could have. This story took me on one wild ride, and I am DYING for the next book, because I need to see justice served!

Discretion, The Dumonts Book 1, Karina Halle

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: romance, general fiction (adult)

Karina is one of my must-read authors, ever since I stumbled upon the wonderful experiment in terror series, and then of course her contemporary romances. Lately though, I seem to be on a different wavelength, I started but abandoned Maverick, and if this hadn't been a review book I'd have done the same.

I wasn't convinced in the insta-love Olivier had for Sadie, though its the kind of start I usually love. Then there's the way she throws all caution to the wind and stays with him. Would you? I know some folk would, I just didn't get that vibe from Sadie though, that she'd risk all on a stranger. Gorgeous, seems kind and filthy rich but a stranger non-the-less.
Throw in Olivier's family, the sort of nasty characters I usually adore, and this should have been perfect for me. I just didn't really understand why his mistake, his big secret, still affected him so much. Its played that letting it out would hurt his father and his sister, but his actions in abandoning that side of the family business seem to be hurting them more. Plus, he's rolling in cash, folk like that are usually rolling in lawyers too ;-) and I'm sure one of them could have found a way out of the Big Secret. Frankly, I didn't think it was something that would particularly shock his family anyway....Throw in that towards the end the drama, the secrets, the whole story line goes a bit OTT, and this just wasn't a book for me.

The romance between Olivier and Sadie does wrap up, sort of, though it takes til nearly the end. However I still didn't really think the dangers had gone, it was a bit call-my-bluff, OK bluff-called, but the threats and risks were still there IMO, folk like his family don't just give up.
I guess that's for the later books, I'm not sure if the next book(s) detail more of their story, or go on to another family member. I don't like the kind of ambiguous ending of this one, so think there's more to come from them, but I could be wrong and their story finished.

Stars: Two and a half, there were bits I enjoyed, Karina's writing style works well for me but this book seemed a little OTT and choppy somehow. Much depends I guess on the next book, that may make me feel differently about this one, depending on what it contains.

Arc via Netgalley and publishers

I am a really big fan of author Karina Halle. Her books normally leave me with a huge book hangover!
However, this one just did not work for me. II just felt like something was missing between Olivier and Sadie. I just never felt any chemistry or magic between the two of them.

4.25 Stars

The South of France.

Sadie is traveling through Europe. She's about to leave for Barcelona, but on the way to the train station she almost gets her purse stolen by a creepy guy - and maybe something even worse would've happened. But she's saved by a mysterious, sexy stranger.

Olivier takes Sadie to the hospital and then home with him to his luxury hotel. Yup. His hotel. He's one of the Dumont siblings/cousins. THE Dumonts.

He's pretty happy with his bachelor lifestyle and his hotel business ... But ten years ago he made a stupid mistake and his creepy uncle is about to call in the debt ... that's why it's not a good idea to fall for this sweet American girl ...

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Well. I liked that! I really did.

I loved the whole french, sunny, billionaire-y atmosphere.

Olivier is adorable. The typical poor rich boy. One with a past that will come calling soon.

And Sadie. She wanted out of her life for a while and Europe was amazing, until she found out that her idiot boyfriend cheated on her. But then she met Olivier and life is looking really good again. But she can't stay. She has to go back home. Her mom needs her.

Plus the whole Dumont family and their money and secrets are really scaring her ... But of course we all know that love has other plans... But Olivier and Sadie have to fight for their happily ever after...

I really adored reading this. It was sweet and funny and exciting and heartbreaking.

I didn't really love-love the whole bad guy thing. No, it was more that I didn't understand the why of it. Why were the bad guys bad? The uncle. Why??? He's not a poor guy ... why is he so creepy and power hungry? There's really no obvious need for all that in my opinion - but there had to be a bad guy for the story-line. It wasn't really logical, but it was ok for the story.

I also wish Karina would've asked a non-american french person to go over all her french sentences, but pff - who cares.

Great romance - can't wait to read the book about Olivier's sister next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Karina Halle, and Montlake Romance for an Arc of discretion. When I first saw this book what intrigued me was the cover because the man on it is dreamy and then when I read the plot I knew I had to read it. I love a good romance that also has some mystery and secrets involved. It just captures my attention and brings more to the story. This is the first book by Karina Halle I have read but I've looked at other ones before and now I will definitely be picking them up to read.
Sadie is a down on her luck student staying in the Rivera. When she finds her self in trouble she is saved by no other then Olivier Dumont billionaire hotelier, heir to the Dumont fashion fortune, France's most eligible bachelor. They quickly realize their chemistry and he whisks her away wherever she wants to go but she soon realizes his family holds many secrets.
I really enjoyed this book with its mixture of sexy romance and mystery. It really grabbed my attention and Sadie and Olivier really seemed to have major chemistry. I loved hearing their story and can't wait for the next book in this series.

Oliver is just quite full of himself, “that you met a very handsome French man who promised to take care of all your needs.” Sadie's thoughts tend to walk on the naughty side at times, "the man is stunning. And he’s hung like a horse. A French horse. Much more of an elegant-looking ***k, not just large and in charge." I liked this book, I loved Oliver.

I was super thrilled to get a copy of Discretion! This book is mysterious and utterly romantic. I could not put this down and I also didn’t want it to end. Olivier and Sadie was the perfect match for each other. It’s like fate that they came to be at the perfect time. Olivier needed Sadie and she was a breath of fresh air in his chaotic life. I absolutely loved Sadie. She was unapologetically true to herself and she was honest. She basically told Olivier how she felt and Olivier basically did the same. The only secret that was held back was the issue with his uncle and cousin. This especially made me enjoy the book because it was very low on angst. I loved Sadie and Olivier as a couple. It makes you believe that true love is still out there. With it being in France it made it that much more romantic. I was completely enthralled. I wanted to know all the secrets. Oh and what horrible atrocious people Gautier, Pascal and Camille were. There really are no words for how awful they are. I think Karina did a fantastic job on portraying all the characters in Discretion. My favorite part of the book was the car chase. Now that was a great scene. I cannot wait to read more of this series. I really want to get to know more about Seraphine.

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley

Argh, gotta say I didn’t like this one. It just didn’t sit right with me. I almost didn’t finish but decided to power through. I don’t know if I didn’t like the story plot, the absurd nature of the story, or the instalove of the main characters. It started out pretty good and then just blah for me.

OMG!!! I absolutely LOVED this book. Discretion is the first book I have read by Karina Halle and it won't be my last!!! I don't know what has taken me so long to pick up her books. I have many sitting on my kindle.

This book had a little bit of everything in it, there was romance, humor, heartache and suspenseful drama. I loved the characters we met in this story. Although she did give us some that I didn't like so much, but that's what adds the tension and drama to the story. I thought the flow and pace of this story was perfect. The secrets were revealed at the perfect time. Just when the reader is getting comfortable the author springs something new on us.

This book held my attention all the way through. It was a fairly quick read but that is only because I didn't want to stop reading once I started.

I really hope we get other books with some of the side characters we met in this story. I think Seraphine really needs to tell her story as well. I also believe that her getting her own story would also wrap up some of this storyline better. No this isn't a cliffhanger and Olivier and Sadie's story is wrapped up in the end of the book, but there were some questions I was left with that I think another book (for Seraphine) would help clear everything up for me.

I would 100% recommend this book to all Karina Halle fans. If you love a great romance novel with some edge of your seat drama, then this is the book to read.

"Our lives are made up of nothing but moments. But I want to live in every moment with her."

Karina Halle is my most read author with a total of 35 books. So it is obvious that I am a big fan of her writing. I was pretty excited about Discretion, because I love romance books that focus on family dynasties. There is just something about the intriguing family dynamics plus all the secrets and scandals. I had very high expectations and loved how Olivier and Sadie met. It was during a very scary and horrible incident and thankfully Olivier was at the right place at the right time. He was a gentleman and did all the right things. Sadie is very self-aware and has a great head on her shoulders. She is very practical and I really liked her.

However, the story just didn't pick up and I just couldn't fully connect to the characters. I also didn't think Sadie and Olivier spent enough time to grow a strong bond as a couple. There was a lot of very hot and steamy sex that I loved. But I wanted more from the plot and more focus on the secrets/scandals. I just had a very hard time believing in this couple's relationship. Towards the end I ended up liking Olivier less because of some of the decisions he made. He wasn't a go-getter as I expected and him giving up on certain things disappointed me. The suspense towards the end was refreshing and I enjoyed it a lot. I think it was a great addition to the story, and I can't wait to see how it will continue on into the next book. I hope it will focus on Olivier's sister Seraphine, because I really loved her. She is very strong and dedicated and I want to know what is going to happen next in regards to the Dumont Dynasty.

Even though this wasn't my favorite KH book, I think this series still has a lot of potential and I look forward to the next book.

Sadie Reynolds is a broke, American college student backpacking her way through Europe, after breaking up with her boyfriend. Finding herself in a shady part of town after dark, while on her way to the train station, she realizes she's being followed. Fortunately for Sadie, Olivier Dumont is in that same shady part of town, and drives by as she's being attacked. Coming to her rescue, he insists on taking care of her since she's alone and injured. Sadie doesn't know who he really is, he's worried about what will happen when the truth comes out.

I'm a pretty big Karina Halle fan, while I haven't read all of her books, I've read a decent amount of them, one thing I like is her consistency in writing. I know what to expect when I pick up one of her books, and this one definitely did not disappoint. I also like to go into her books blind, I knew it was coming out, but intentionally avoided all blurbs and information about it. I was pleasantly surprised that it has a little bit of suspense. The scene where Sadie is visiting the catacombs made my skin crawl. And Camille, I'm not an animal lover, but I'm also not a monster, that broke my heart for little Pascal. I could 100 percent relate to Sadie and her anxieties, being a in world that she doesn't belong in, comparing herself to all the women before, especially with Olivier keeping her a secret. Olivier, I struggled with him simply because I wanted him to stand up for himself, I understand that he was trying to protect his family, and Sadie, maybe he'll surprise me in book 2. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm excited for the second to see where everything goes.

This is the first Karina Halle book that I've read, and I am very impressed. The story had enough twists and reveals to keep me intrigued, but the drama didn't cut into the romance. Sadie and Olivier are a fun, sweet, sexy couple that have great chemistry. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series which I am sure will focus on the other members of the Dumont family.

I have mixed feeling on this book. It just fell flat for me. This book was just a bit boring and I'm not a fan of the heroine.
Thanks Netgalley for the Arc

<b>4+</b>

Sadie is touring Europe alone after she broke up with her ex during their trip. She's in Paris and about to catch a train to Spain when something happens that makes inevitable for her stay in France for more days than planned. That's how she meets Olivier, a mysterious man who offers her help and saves her from a mugger. They don't know each other but she accepts his help, since she is an American girl in a foreign country and she needs the help momentarily.

Now on to why I rated it 4 stars instead of 5.

The way Sadie and Olivier meet is cool, even if it may be cliché. She doesn't want to accept his help because she doesn't want to bother a stranger, and I also liked how firm her resolve was in not saying 'yes' too soon to Olivier. Olivier is a wealthy man, so of course to him helping her doesn't cost him anything. The way they start to get to know each other as Sadie spends time with Olivier is slow at first, with them being a bit wary. This is one thing I like in contemporary romances, because I hate when the characters have the hots for each other 5 minutes after they've met. Sadie and Olivier get to learn things about one another until they jump on each other and all of that interesting dynamic that was turning into a soft angst goes out of the window. This was a let down to me, because it felt as if the most important thing was the sex and not getting to know each other. I would've preferred the sex to happen much later, since we understand that Sadie didn't have much trust in men after her ex betrayed her. But this I can get past.

Another thing that pushed me not to give another star is also Sadie herself. There were many times during the whole book where she questioned herself, where she self-pitied herself and thought Olivier didn't want to be seen with her because she was a nobody. There were moments where what she said or thought made me roll my eyes, because she was exahusting. While I liked Olivier much more than Sadie and believe that he is a good character, even he had his flaws. First of all, the suspenseful reason why he decided to dedicate himself to something else other than his family's brand. He is smart, but at times I thought he acted like an idiot and did "noble idiot" actions. Like, man, doubt more! Think more about what you'll do.

Last thing I want to mention is the suspense plot. While this is technically a contemporary romance, there was also an intriguing plot with suspenseful moments. I love suspense and I love asking myself why or who did what and why something happened and so on. This book had an alluring suspense and family drama plot, with Olivier being at odds with his uncle Gautier and his cousins because of his family's brand. But when it came to execution, some was poor and it didn't really get resolved for once and for all. I understand there's a second book being released in the Fall, so I guess that only in the next installment we'll know how things changed. Because the way this story wraps up is happy but it leaves the reader with many unresolved questions.

Don't be discouraged by my criticism! I enjoyed this book despite everything. It's a quick read with some steamy and sweet moments and also some suspense, so you'll love it for sure. Now I'm waiting for the following book to read how things will develop.

Great start to a new series!! I loved this book. As per usual with this author, great storyline, chemistry and steaminess!!! Oliver is swoon worthy and Sadie is a great, strong female lead.

I am hoping Seraphine gets a book and gets back what is rightfully hers.

I loved this book SOOOO much!! In my mind, Karina can't get it wrong. I love her writing and the story telling, She keeps the story going with enough to keep you want to keep reading. The way she builds her characters makes you feel soo much for them. I can't wait for the next one!!!

Such a good book. Very quick but fun read. Loved it so much. If you need a book to get lost in this is it. Definitely don’t want to miss it.

3.5 rounded up four, dancing stars on olalaaaaa French Riviera, hot, sexy, mysterious, deep family matters, dirty schemes, power games stars!

I have to confess, I love KH books! I admitted thousand times after reading her EIT series, she won my heart so when I start to read any of her books, it’s difficult task for me to keep my objectivity! But luckily these days I’m a little picky and looking for some meaningful, deep, life changing romance stories. My picky and critical approach helped me to judge impartially.

And surprise, at first 100 pages, I was about to give 2 stars to this book. There was nothing wrong with the character. Our hero, Oliver seems like a dreamy book boyfriend! He is suffering from a burden, keeping a big secret from his family, he’s rich, Alpha, kind, protective, making unbelievable and quite impressive gestures.

And Sadie, our heroine, sweet but a little insecure (which is normal because her last boyfriend cheated on her and now she’s flirting with a man who has a bad reputation as womanizer) but she is also risk-taker, adventurous, responsible (taking care of her mother who is suffering from bipolar), smart, easy going person.
But the part they fell for each other was too fast and a little bit dramatic and unrealistic for me!
I still had questions why Oliver fell for her so hard since the first time he saw her. He was faking relationships for 10 years and he finally found a real, genuine, beautiful woman but still in one week, they started a sensational, steamy relationship so welllll, it was a little over-exaggerated, reminded me of telenovelas, soft Harlequin romance books!

But after their fast-falling, we start to learn more about Oliver, his family dynamics, his irritated cousins and evil uncle’s leverage on him. So with the thriller, action parts, family secrets, the book turned into a page turner.

Most of the dynamics and relationship formula between hero and heroine also reminded me of the KH`s previous book “My life in Shambles”, rich and famous hero, sweet, ordinary, young girl, chasing her dreams, recently broken up from her boyfriend, family issues, father’s passing away, telling his son that he is proud of him! But this book is more triggering, surprising and full of action.

I liked the last parts and actions of both Sadie and Oliver who stand for each other. Sadie was threatened several times by Oliver’s malicious cousin Pascal but she was brave, smart, tough and ready to fight for her love. I also loved Oliver’s behavior to protect her, his honesty about his past, his nobility to learn from his mistakes and do whatever it takes to be with his love of his life.

For a long time I had hard time to love a book’s hero and heroine at the same time! But KH did good job to make me love them.

So second half book made me change my opinions and raise my points. There were still unanswered questions. So we need to wait for the other “Dumonts book”( I don’t know the pilot but I think it will be about Oliver’s brother, I also like sister Seraphine so much. I think she also deserved her own book, too) to get answers we need! I hope it doesn’t take too long!