I love well-researched novels and this is one of them. I found myself indulging one of my guilty pleasures and learning at the same time.Kleypas provided several quotes to ponder on the following subjects:
Sexual orientation. "...he didn't care if someone was a man or a woman, he was more interested in the person inside."
Character. "Sometimes I'm not nice for a reason. It's a way to find out what someone's made of."
Perpetual wandering. "People like me only travel because they don't have enough reasons to stay put."
Taking chances. "But there were certain moments in life when you had to step up to the plate or lose your chance forever."
Love. "Sometimes an imitation of love can be pretty damn convincing."
A lot was also said about narcissistic personality disorder - from its identification to how to deal with individuals who has it. Kleypas points bullying and domestic violence including marital rape as effects of this disorder. It surprised me to learn that a person could actually be a walking target for abusers if he/she is vulnerable enough and can easily be manipulated. This adds more to the dangers of trying to please everybody.
I was dismayed with what became of Hardy Cates in the first book of the series (you'll have to read [b:Sugar Daddy Travises 1|306364|Sugar Daddy (Travises, #1)|Lisa Kleypas|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312017515s/306364.jpg|1823893] if you want to know more about him) and I thought he would just go into oblivion when that story ended because, afterall, he's not a Travis. But dear me, he came back hotter than ever!
What do you say to a pheromone-charged Texan male with eyes of blue on blue pursuing you in front of your family of full-bloodied alpha males?
Haven and Hardy are not perfect and in fact each carry much emotional baggage but their "combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together."
This story also includes a backgrounder on Jack Travis.