At Any Price (Gaming the System #1)

NEW ADULT:  Just as in mythology and traditional cultures from around the world, from ancient to modern, the selling of a woman's virginity is a sacred event.  Mia is determined to benefit from by selling hers via the internet to the highest bidder.  Not only will she set herself up for medical school but help her mother save her ranch and pay for those expensive cancer treatments.  Mia's plan does not include love nor will it ever.  She strongly believes love is for fools; that is, until she meets Adam.  Her heart is not part of the package but Adam has a plan of his own that may change Mia's mind.

There are more to these characters than what first meets the eye, and their tormented pasts add a real dimension to the story.  At first Adam is a mind-boggling character. It’s hard to pinpoint his true nature but his elusiveness makes him interesting.  He starts off quite unlikeable as the tiresome and pretentious millionaire but along the way he gains one's affection.   Mia is an astute character, but slowly becomes less sure of herself. This allows her walls to come down just enough for the reader to connect with her but she loses much of her appeal in the process. Their one-on-one moments have an engaging intensity and desire that comes on firework-strong and powerful but sometimes sputters and gets lost in the drama of the story, which causes the reader to disconnect a little too frequently.  Still, it’s easy to embrace what's considered the New Adult genre with compelling stories such as this one.

Margaret Faria