'A Man in a Million' Moorehouse Legacy #4 by Jessica BIRD (J.R. WARD)

From the BLURB:

As far as bad boy Spike Moriarty was concerned, Madeline Maguire defined female perfection. When they'd met, she'd walked up as if she wasn't the most gorgeous thing on the planet and asked to see his tattoos. He--a tough guy who'd make grown men run--had just about passed out. But their connection was definitely one-way…it had to be. Because he could never be the man in a million she was looking for, not with the things he'd done and seen. So for as long as she'd let him, he'd give her whatever she wanted. He'd worry about her walking away when it happened.

How’s this for persuading J.R. Ward fans to get stuck into the ‘Moorehouse Legacy’ series…. In the 4th book, ‘A Man in a Million’, the hero (Spike Moriarty) is a confirmed ancestor to Blackdagger Brother’s; Zsadist and Phury!
That’s right – Spike has yellow eyes and a harmless penchant for biting – and J.R. Ward confirmed on her ‘Jessica Bird’ chat board that he is indeed intended to be ancestor to the BDB twins! Yowza!

Spike’s story bares a small resemblance to Zsadist and Bella’s. The similarity comes from the fact that Spike has a checkered past that he’s reluctant to share with his heroine, Madeline. Whereas Zsadist hid his sexual abuse, Spike is hiding the fact that he’s an ex-con – convicted of manslaughter at the age of 24.

I loved Spike. He’s a tattooed biker and tough as nails sous chef – but the actions of his past have clearly impacted him and he’s a very humble and wise leading man.

Madeline is one of J.R. Ward’s more interesting leading ladies. Madeline steps onto the page with plenty of spark, personality and problems to boot. She is a very fleshed out character and intriguing to read – she’s a supermarket heiress, but her family life has left her deeply scarred. Her father was a perfectionist; her half-brother a tyrant in the making and her half-sister used sex as a means to hurt others (and she hurt Madeline by sleeping with at least two of her ex-boyfriends). Madeline crewed on Alex Moorehouse’s sailing boat, and earned the nickname ‘Mad Dog’ for her adventurous spirit. But on land she is a very introverted, cautious young woman who struggles in social situations and has never had a real romantic connection with a man.

Spike’s gentle-giant and Madeline’s delicate-tomboy make for a very compelling romance. Not only do these two heat up the page (having sex on Spike’s Harley, for instance) they are also really very sweet;

She touched his face. “You look hungry.”
“I am.” His voice was low, hoarse. “And I feel like I should apologize for it.”
“Don’t.” She put her mouth on his. “I’m hungry too.”
With those quiet words, it was as if she’d popped the lid off of him. His arms shot around her and he spread his legs wide so he could get her into his hips. He was almost out of time and she was everything hot and good and sustaining in the world.

‘A Man in a Million’ is the last instalment in Jessica Bird’s ‘Moorehouse Legacy’, and it’s a great way to cap-off the wonderful journey. Sure, the book occasionally veers into cheesy ‘lovey-dovey’ territory, but that’s just a case of Bird writing for her Harlequin audience who thrive on such honey.

I would highly recommend these books for anyone who enjoys the romance in her Blackdagger Brotherhood series. Ward’s Jessica Bird romance’s are just as steamy as the Brother’s HEA’s, minus a heavy plot concerning good guys vs. bad guys.

4/5