Conviction (Club Destiny) – book review

Conviction
by Nicole Edwards
Release Date:  July 30, 2012
Publisher: Nicole Edwards Limited
Book #1 in the Club Destiny series
Number of Pages: 380
Kindle Edition
Source:  Amazon Purchase
Erotic Romance
Ages 17 and up
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Samantha Kielty only thought she knew who she was and what she was made of. Until she was offered a position that would take her from her small office in San Antonio, Texas to that of her company’s larger, more upscale headquarters in Dallas, Texas, Sam hadn’t seen anything. Her new boss was not only intensely sexy, he was also about to show her things she had only read in books.

Logan McCoy’s life was steady going until he set his sights on his new Vice President of Project Operations. The woman makes his blood boil and makes him want things he hadn’t realized he was in search of. Logan only hopes that Samantha is capable of handling his dominating, controlling ways… especially between the sheets, or in the shower.

When Logan and Sam get together, sparks fly and they bring out each other’s deepest, darkest desires. He will push Sam past her sexual boundaries, and she will bring out his need to possess her in every way. But, can they find love within the inferno that burns between them?

Warning: This ebook contains sinfully, hot encounters between two (and sometimes three, and even four) consenting adults. Includes m/f/m and m/f/m/m. Contains graphic material that is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18.

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I originally read this book back in 2016 but decided to do a re-read because the author is getting set to release another book that continues the story of this relationship. Actually, I’ll be doing a few re-reads because there are multiple books in the Club Destiny series that deal specifically with Samantha and Logan.

I’m going to first give you the review I wrote in 2016. This was only posted to Goodreads at that time. After my old review, I’ll give some thoughts from my current read of this story…

Holy smokes, this book is super hot. Even before any of the intimate scenes took place the pull between the hero, Logan, and heroine, Sam, was written really well and had anticipation at a high. So why would I only give it 3 stars?

The beginning of this book is all about Sam, her job, and her possible transfer for work. The talk about her job and her projects and her position is too much. Over and over. Trust me, if you can get passed the first 25% of this book it will be worth the effort.

At some points, like when we are introduced to Alex, I wonder if I should already know him. He’s not given much of an introduction. Then there are things, like the scene with Luke’s dog, that you think are important but they’re really not. At least not in the way you think they will be.

Even with the issues I had with those aspects of the story, I still really enjoyed this read. I started this book because I am on book 2 of the Alluring Indulgence series and realized they overlap back and forth. I decided to start from the beginning. This book doesn’t seem to have as much of a storyline as the first book in the other series, but it’s still enjoyable.

Now, my 2022 thoughts.

When I had initially read this story, I was pretty new to Nicole Edwards. I have since read everything she has published and always pre-order her books. I could definitely see how far she’s come as a writer since this story. Not that the story itself is bad, but I still had issues with the first 25% of the book being a bit slow and wordy. It’s just that now I know that she’s really honed her craft.

It’s funny, I have held onto a belief that I have always disliked Sam. I didn’t dislike her in this story at all. So my feelings on her must have been picked up in one of the other books in the series that focus on her. In fact, there were a few times in this story that I was absolutely enraged with Logan and his actions and I don’t remember that at all. Just as I thought I’d always disliked Sam, I also thought I’d always loved Logan.

Because this author has a vast universe for her different series, where characters cross over and make appearances once in a while, it’s hard for me to separate what I already know and read this with totally fresh eyes. I may not remember particulars, but I already know the players and where they end up. For me, that actually added to my reading experience this time. As much as the author’s writing is still a bit rough and the pacing was off, there is a lot of world building for the series in this book. On top of that, I adore the connection Sam and Logan have in this story. It’s something I didn’t remember clearly so I’m glad I revisited the beginning of their relationship.

I gave this story a 3-star rating last time. I’m bumping that up to a 3.5. Is that because of my connection to all of the characters in this story now? I’m not sure. But I think I enjoyed it more this time. Keep your eyes peeled over the next few days for more review updates from me on the other books that lead up to the new story about Logan and Sam. The next will be Addicted, a novella length story.

3.5 stars