*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review*

I immediately loved Sadie. I think she’s such a great female character and I liked her backstory a lot. Olivier was definitely hunky and sexy, and his family drama made the story interesting for sure. There was definitely some good intimate scenes but I wasn’t completely feeling the chemistry. But overall the story was good and well-written. There was drama, romance, a little bit of mystery, and interesting family dynamics. I’m excited to see whose book will be next!

Every time I pick up a book from Karina I can't put it down until I am finished and this first book in the new Dumont family series was definitely no exception. This is such a beautiful love story, set in romantic locations with a hero who is a sexy incredibly rich Frenchman. Now what's not to love about that?

The heroine is Sadie an impoverished American student backpacking alone around Europe after dumping her cheating boyfriend. She's a very ordinary girl unused to glitz, glamour and riches who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a fairytale when she is rescued from an attacker on the streets of Nice by Olivier Dumont. Sadie has no idea who Olivier and his famous family are which is both refreshing and intriguing to Olivier. As Sadie has a sprained ankle Olivier takes her to a hotel room so she can recover and she wakes up to luxury she can never have imagined.

Slowly Sadie finds out who Olivier really is but she is falling for the man she knows not the image or the money. Olivier is also falling hard but he has to keep her hidden from his family or there will be consequences for both of them.

I was totally riveted by this exciting fast paced love story and family drama. There's an evil uncle and cousin who will stop at nothing to keep their wealth and position and other intriguing characters whose stories hopefully will come in the future.

Sadie and Olivier's story is so beautifully written, with a good balance of intrigue and mystery and scorching hot chemistry and sexy love scenes. Definitely not to be missed, and I can't wait for the next book about the Dumonts.

First book in a new series by Karina Halle. Discretion is set in France based on jealousy, blackmail, privilege and wealth. Olivier and Sadie meet when she is being attacked on the street. He is very chivalrous and rescues her and takes her with him, setting her up in a hotel. Olivier is quite smitten and wants Sadie to remain in Paris with him. The only downside was the reason he was being blackmailed. In this day and age I think it was a weak reason to be the main focal point of the story.

An incident of crime leads to being saved.
Oliver is a hotelier, a rich Frenchman who seemingly is living the playboy life.
Sadie is on her last dollar or Euro backpacking through Europe.
As scenes unfold, there is confusion & mayhem until pieces of clues start fitting together and the puzzle becomes a solid picture.

**I very generously was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you to Karina Halle and the publisher**

I recently binge read Karina Halle’s excellent Experiment in Terror series (if you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out!). I enjoyed the slow burn, the paranormal aspect, the romance and the characters in the series tremendously. I’ve also read several of Halle’s standalone romances (one featuring a trope I despise) and was equally impressed by them. So when I was granted an ARC of this book, I have to admit I was having one of those totally giddy fangirl moments. A new book by a talented author whose books I like?? I was so in.

Discretion features the very handsome Olivier Dumont. He comes from a very wealthy family whose name is synonymous with the money and prestige of, say, the Hiltons, if they also had a line of luxury clothing and handbags like Hermès. He’s driving home after a particularly disastrous date with yet another waifish model when he turns down the wrong street and happens upon 23 year old Sadie, who is being attacked by a thief. Olivier steps in and fights off the attacker, whisks her off to a hospital, then convinces her to stay in one of his hotels to recuperate. Sadie is a short, curvy American on a backpacking trip. She’s recently broken up with her cheating ex, and is completing the vacation they’d planned together on her own.

What Karina Halle does particularly well is paint characters in a realistic way. They are not perfect, in looks or in character, and they are wonderfully real and human. I also enjoyed the secondary characters introduced, such as Olivier’s ballsy sister Seraphine and his cousin Blaise.

Unfortunately, where the story fell apart for me was the plot with Olivier’s family, and the secret his uncle holds over his head. It was very weak as a plot device to ask readers believe there was so much drama over the secret, for such a long time. Another reviewer commented it wasn’t as though Olivier was a murderer, and had been found out, and I have to agree. It was also ridiculously easy to figure out, so something that should have added tension and drama just didn’t. Even worse, Olivier’s secret, and the decisions he makes as a result, did not serve to make him seem noble and self sacrificing. Instead, it made me think he was weak and immature.

All in all, this was still an enjoyable read. The strong characterization and the romance between Olivier and Sadie was compelling. I enjoyed their happily ever after, and would still be interested in reading another novel about the Dumonts. (I’m hoping Seraphine’s story is in the works). But due to the backbone of the novel being built around this “secret” that’s just not shocking, the book was not nearly as good as it could have been.

⇨ R E V I E W ⇦

Not my first review by author and it’s always a good surprise and a big variety when it come from Karina Halle, the blurb got me very interested in this not to mention the beautiful cover itself!

Well this was an unexpected brought out feelings type of book! Was apparently not ready for all the world-win i guess. I want to talk about the characters first: Oliver is a 30 year old FILTHY RICH business man, who owns lot’s of properties along with hotel-chain. His family comes from big money as well, so either way he would always be taken care of financially. Now, Sadie is a college student that went on an adventure only to end up alone…literally and figuratively speaking. She is backpacking and very broke, but getting by, she is not going to let a set-back hold her back from exploring. Until that one night she took a wrong turn and luckily for her Oliver the knight-in-shining-armor was there to save her. It all kind of went like a roller coaster from then on, for both of them.

I really loved the idea of this story, the romance portion was VERY SWOON WORTHY, not just Oliver but the surroundings and all. The author if you’ve never read her is very keen on detail, not too much where it over-powers but enough so it can all play out like a movie scene in your head. Even if you’ve never been to that part of the country, this is a international romance as well. That said, this story is every girls dream to be honest, maybe not the family issue one but the whole being swooped of your feet deal.

Oliver becomes infatuated with Sadie not just for her looks but for her smarts and mouth, he can’t believe she didn’t know who he was when they met. They take a journey and adventure together…but all adventures either continue or have a bad ending…I’m leaving it there….

In this book you will have hardship, romance, SWOON SWOON SWOON, adventure, secrets, lies, hurt & pain and of course HEARTBREAK in many forms…oh let’s not forget DANGER! I rather enjoyed the story and the characters, I am looking forward to learn more about them hopefully in the other books to come in that series!

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Steamy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Recommended: ☑ HIGHLY!
⇨ H A P P Y – R E A D I N G ⇦

Sadie Reynolds student from Seattle is traveling across Europe after breaking up with her boyfriend along the way. On the south of France, she meets Olivier Dumont France’s most eligible bachelor, billionaire hotelier, and heir to the Dumont fashion fortune. From the moment they meet instant connection forms and then begin their relationship that takes us all across France in the world of family drama, intrigue, and blackmail. After some time the long-kept secret is revealed and as expected we get a very sweet happy end.

This was not my first nor will be my last book by this author. She has a great talent for writing books that are a joy to read.
However, I have to say this was rather a forgettable book. The thing that drives the plotline, this huge secret that hero has and for which he makes all his big decisions is just so ridiculous to me.
I just feel like something is missing. Maybe it is my connection to these characters so I can't overcome this "big secret" that is so unbelievable.
I wish that all characters had more substance even villans felt flat.

Overall this is a good book to pass time sadly I wish I loved it more.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I am rating it 4 stars. Overall, I really enjoyed the story of Olivier and Sadie. Their romance was sweet and the underlying mysteries of Olivier’s past did keep the plot moving.

Karina Halle is a great writer and this book makes you yearn to be on vacation in the French Riviera. Sadie and Olivier had great chemistry and this book was very steamy. Olivier was a great character but I did find myself wanting a little more from Sadie. I don't love insta love books and I needed a little more build up to the relationship between Sadie and Olivier. I did like the suspense factor toward the end of the book. Overall, this was a light and fun summer read. This wasn't my favorite book of Karina Halle's but I am excited to read more of this new series!

#Discretion #NetGalley

Releasing August 6, 2019

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2PCN6Yb
Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/KHalleDiscretion

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Karina Halle is my most read author and I am always excited for what she will be writing next. Her writing style, diversity of story lines, genres and locations all appeal to me.

Discretion is the first stand alone contemporary romance in a 3 part series that follows the Dumont family.

Set in France, it’s about Olivier Dumont from the wealthy Dumont Family and American backpacker Sadie Reynolds. Olivier was Sadie’s night in shining armour when she was mugged on her way to catch her train to Spain. I really enjoyed Sadie’s rough around the edges persona which was the complete opposite to the refined and proper Olivier. She didn’t mince her words and wasn’t pretentious. Olivier was drop dead gorgeous and had me drooling.

Olivier is hiding a secret from his father and sister and being blackmailed because of it by his uncle. But for me the secret/ scandal/ indiscretion was not commensurate with 2019 and probably wouldn’t even cause a ripple once it became common knowledge. The fact that this was the main driver of the story and the repercussions didn’t sit well with me and I was cranky about how Olivier handled it....
But there is a second book and whilst its not about Olivier and Sadie I’m hopeful that it will be addressed via his sister Serpahine or with appearance from Olivier.

For me, Ms Halle is hands down the best author at succinctly setting the scene and describing the surroundings. There is a scene at a beautiful castle in the Bordeaux region of France where the Dumont family is hosting a masquerade ball and it was so perfectly delivered I could actually visualise it clearly in my mind and feel like I was there with the characters.

There are some really HAWT scenes with Olivier and Sadie, so be prepared (wink wink]!

I am looking forward the Discretion the synopsis sounds fantastic and forbidden!!

I really didn't get into book until maybe at the 30% and that's when all the drama and secrets coming to light. I've never really been able to get into a Halle book before but this one did it for me. Really did like the mystery aspect and the romance wasn't bad either. Can't wait for more books in this series.

Discretion takes you for a ride through the elite world of a French fashion-house family. It was fun to read about the extravagant hotels, cars, and parties. The heat between Sadie and Olivier is intense, and I liked Olivier’s family (not extended family, obviously).

I did have a few minor hang ups- I didn’t understand why Olivier fell so quickly for Sadie, it didn’t feel realistic. It was BAM instant love. The whole “secret” plot of why Olivier would denounce his family’s business felt off, it was not a big enough deal to give up your billion dollar empire, but I suppose he was young at the time?

But hey, this is a romance novel in the vein of 80s and 90s soap operas, so who’s looking for realism? If you want a soapy, dramatic, glamorous ride through the French Riviera and Paris, this is a fun summery book for you. It doesn’t scratch any of the characters surfaces too deeply, but hopefully we’ll get to know them better as the series goes on. Overall I enjoyed it a lot!

2.5 -3 stars

I have to admit, requesting this arc was somewhat influenced by the cover, that guy just had some appeal and when I read the blurb it was definitely interesting. I mostly enjoy Karina Halle’s books but this one was a bit of a miss for me and I will try and explain why.

The Dumont family were alluring French designers and hoteliers. They were a rich and entitled set of two sides, one side of inscrupulous types and another side with some integrity. Olivier was a rescuer with a great accent when Sadie needed a knight. Their meeting had all the potential and promise. I really liked how they were from opposite sides of the track.

I could buy into their insta-attraction for a time but I didn’t buy into the emotional attachment that ensued rather quickly. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy or feel their connection when reading their physical relationship. I felt outside of the situation and not drawn in. I struggled to connect with either Olivier or Sadie on an individual level and so I felt separate from them as characters, with neither love nor hate.

What I did appreciate was the suspenseful element to the storyline although I do feel even that went a little far sometimes with the evil side of the family.

I think this will appeal to those seeking a quick, hot romantic suspense but unfortunately this wasn’t to my taste. Nevertheless, I know that Karina Halle is likely to write another book or series that will be.

Thank you to Montlake Romance and netgalley for the early review copy.

I love Karina Halle so I was beyond excited when I saw a new series coming out by her. When I got it I tried my hardest not to devour it but that's exactly what I did!
Discretion was amazing! It was totally setting the story for this series but didn't feel like a stepping stone. Sadie and Olivier was amazing! I loved both of them so very much! Their love story was amazing but not easy at times. The dramatic parts of this book was amazing. And the ending is making me want book two yesterday!!!

When a chance encounter turns into a whirlwind romance with some twists and turns. Sexy Frenchman Oliver is swoon worthy, yet is caught in a web. Backpacking around Europe, Sadie is saved by Oliver and finds herself swept away in the glamour of France. Throw in a bit of rivalry, secrets, mystery and you’ll be hooked until the end. I can’t wait to read Disarm.

Over the top unnecessary drama is how I would describe this book. I couldn’t buy into the chemistry between the main characters. Olivier seemed too immature and indecisive. During a time of conflict, his flippant attitude and lack of support of his sister make him seem like a flake. The plot is weak and the story bounces all over the place.

Karina Halle has done it again! Discretion is a the perfect read! It was that once in a lifetime love, passion, sex, with a dash of thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat! Definitely would recommend this book!!

O M G

I'm not sure there is a word that could accurately describe my obsession for this new series. Karina absolutely nailed sexy, suspenseful, and French. Olivier is our sweet, protective, sexy, (and lets not forget rich) hero who saves our heroine Sadie from being mugged. S W O O N ! ! I'm a sucker for a knight in shining armor. Sadie is fresh out of a bad relationship and traveling solo before she has to go back to her mundane life in Seattle. Halle has this incedible talent of truly making you feel the connection between the hero and heroine, and I cannot wait for the second book in this series!

If you love a swoon worthy read with a touch of suspense and a lot of romance, you'll want to pick this one up.

3.75 stars

Ever since I watched Hostel I have been scared witless of backpacking stories. This, however, was a far more sexy-saucy French fashion/socialite version.

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the handsomeness of the man on the cover? My. Word!

Ok so, when I received the opportunity of an arc for Karina Halle, I was super excited. I heart so many of her books. She definitely has a way with writing unique, funny, sexy characters. Smut and Bad at Love (especially the audio versions) remain some of my all-time favs. So, I was super excited to review this. I am not, however, a big fan of the angst. Ok so, I love angst presented in a very specific, very sexy version (Gossip Girl, The Royals, etc). And most of my apprehension at crossroad points in the storyline was unnecessary. I guess, I created my own angst regarding those slippery slopes we were approaching.

I did very much enjoy the book. And whoa boy, was there some super saucy times. Some of the interactions had me harkening back to that yummy sexy French actor (I think his name is Oliver Martinez) from Unfaithful. Whew. Yum! (and also b/c I'm American -and therefore clueless- and that's pretty much all I've got in my mental French persons dictionary- but as French peoples go- not too shabby, right?).

Anyway, the story... Sadie is backpacking her way through Europe and is at the tail-end. She began the tour with her boyfriend and somewhere in the middle, she broke things off because of some 'enlightening' information from back home. She continues on, he goes back home. So there she is in Nice, checking out of her hostel (***ugh, cringy vibes***) to take a train to her next location when she is attacked by some guy on the street (it's at night, don't get all crazy, it didn't happen in broad daylight). Enter Oliver, who is driving back from the train station and turned down the wrong street. He sees an altercation and stops to see if he can help. Sigh, meet-cute. Oliver not only beats up bad guys but then takes Saddie to the hospital to tend to her injuries. He is beguiled by the untrusting Saddie who also does not know who he is (French fashion royalty). He offers to care for her while she heals and she tentatively accepts. Thus ensues a rather hot start to an almost American cliched version of European travel. But as I've said, when you start to anticipate where the story goes or all the common pitfalls to the story, Ms. Halle changes it up (not too crazy- tipping-it-on-it's-ear type but steers it into a slightly different direction). There were definitely some points of all too common story plotlines but I'm not mad at it. There's potential murder, mystery, intrigue, the ever-elusive goings-ons of the European rich and famous, dirty secrets, villains, and super hot-saucy times. The author leaves us with plenty of continued questions going forward into further stories in this series. I am looking forward to more from Ms. Halle in this series!

I recommend this book for those that like a little angst with their romance, traveling love stories, French hotties, mystery and intrigue associated with rich peoples, and/or just love Karina Halle in general. *cheshire grin*

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this generously provided ARC!

Power and money will take someone’s soul and twist it till it gets what it wants! Olivier finds himself the pawn in a game that one knows is being played! A forbidden mistake and years later Olivier finds himself desperate for hope till he finds himself at the wrong place but at the right time!

Sadie has had the worst luck and when she finds herself alone on her backpacking trip she knows nothing good lies ahead! When she feels all is lost Olivier pops in and changes her life in more ways than one!

A wild romance and all consuming love affair is inevitable for these two but they never saw the demons lurking in the dark! When unforeseen circumstances arise Sadie has to make a decision to risk it all to stay with the man she loves or run to save more then just him! The ultimate sacrifice will lay with Olivier! But be assured that this isn’t the last of the Dumonts and as the web of secrets unravel you will continue to get sucked in!

I enjoyed this side of Halle’s writing and the intense suspense that is in every page of this book! I can’t wait to continue to read on this family and see how it all plays out!