#BookReview – “For Love or Charity” by Chantel Rhondeau

Blurb


Sydney McCallister isn't looking for love, especially not from an overbearing man demanding money for his charity after missing the cutoff date for proposals. Doesn't Matthew Coleson realize his organization isn't the only one hoping for a grant from the McCallister family? Tired of dealing with the constant stream of angry people and feeling terribly homesick besides,

Sydney wonders if she should give up on New York and head back to the family's island resort. When Sydney's office is trashed and she receives a threatening message, she's certain Matt must be responsible.

After confronting him, however, she learns there is more to this man than is apparent at first glance. There's something about his eyes... besides, who can resist a man who helps homeless people get back on their feet? He seems to truly care about people and swears he would never hurt anyone.

Together, they work to uncover the identity of the person threatening Sydney, and Matt seems determined to keep her safe. Questions remain for her, despite the excitement Matt brings to her life...

Does he care about her for herself, or is he more interested in her family money and what that could mean for his charity?
 
Review

In the third McCallister’s Paradise book, Sydney McCallister works in New York City where she evaluates foundations and gives out grant money to various charities. Unfortunately, she can’t accept every applicant, which angers a lot of people.
Matt Coleson founded New Beginnings to help drug addicts recover from their addiction and to get homeless people off the street by giving them an education and a job. He desperately needs the McCallister grant but didn’t get it. After he curses Sydney out at her office, he thinks that’s the end of it, until she bursts into his office accusing him of vandalizing hers. A tentative friendship blooms between them, but they come from two different worlds—he’s the homeless street kid who rose above the statistics to do good things with his life, and she’s the rich girl who wants to help others.
Sydney and Matt are awesome characters, and I love that their roles were reversed when compared to most romance novels. They both have alpha tendencies, but he’s more beta than most romantic heroes, which was a breath of fresh air for me. Their arguing did grow frustrating at times, but they meshed wonderfully and had chemistry.
Half the book takes place in New York, and the other half is on the McCallister resort island. I liked both parts of the story equally. Even though I’d already guessed what the “big problem” was going to be for the couple, their pain drew tears to my eyes and I couldn’t stop smiling once Matt and Syd made up.
The McCallister family is back and as wonderful as ever. Though I haven’t read book 2 in the series, this book gave enough information above the previous one so I wasn’t lost. All these books are standalones.
I like the author’s writing style, but there were some awkward sentences, so I had to reread a few passages to understand what was going on. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more in the series.
4 Stars