An Armored Heart is the fourth book by R. C. Boldt that I have read. The previous books of hers I read fell into the category of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. I enjoyed them and so I picked up An Armored Heart, which falls in the contemporary romance category, expecting great things. It did not disappoint. In her newest release she gives her readers a mash up of a fake relationship, grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract romance.
RULE #1: Do NOT catch feelings for the man who doesn't believe in love. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: An Armored Heart
Author(s): R.C. Boldt
Published by RC Boldt Publishing LLC on May 23, 2023
Pages: 634
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Source: Publicist
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 
Heat Level: 
Four months. That's how long I’ll need to pretend to be Steele Cunningham's doting girlfriend.
I agreed to this insanity only to save my restaurant. He's doing it because he needs someone outside his “social circle” to stick it to his meddling parents and clingy ex.
Ruthless and emotionless in both his personal life and his career, Steele’s ego rivals his net worth.
Operating on joy and positivity—and a healthy bit of feistiness—I challenge him at every step.
He’s a tin man—heartless and cold. Falling for him would be a colossal mistake, because there’s no chance he’ll ever love me.
He can’t.
After all, he’s the man with an armored heart.
An Armored Heart tells the story of restaurant owner Daniella Marcheti aka Ella and millionaire Steele Cunningham. Ella and Steele do not move in the same circles. However, their paths would cross when he purchased the property on which her restaurant was located. Ella confronted Steele in his office, hoping to convince him to not tear down the building. However, the confrontation, which led to some laugh out loud moments, led to her agreeing to be his fake girlfriend for four months and in exchange, he would not destroy the building.
Watching them navigate the terms of their agreement was fun and heartwarming. I liked Ella from the moment of her introduction. She’s fiery, sassy, nurturing and determined. When one comes into her presence, one cannot help but feel the love an kindness she emits. It took sometime warming up to Steele because of his aloofness, his desire to keep people at a distance and his belief that love is a fallacy. However, throughout the progression of the story, I saw a side of him I never expected. In no time, I warmed up to him. The fake relationship changed his entire perspective on love. Seeing the way he grew from an unbeliever of love to falling head over heels for Ella was a beautiful sight to behold.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters, however there were a few exceptions. Steele’s parents and ex-girlfriend fell into the category of the exceptions. When one thinks of them, two words come to mind: caustic and pretentious. Thank goodness Steele was nothing like them, which made Ella’s job of breaking down his barriers less complicated.
She brought sunshine into his life. It was a treat seeing their fake relationship slowly develop into the real thing. Of course, drama with the ex and parents designed to put a wrench in the entire scheme of things reared its head. Thankfully, it was light and didn’t overshadow the story. The author infused quite a few lighthearted moments, which led to bouts of laughter.
Overall, An Armored Heart was a delightful slow burn romance and one which I highly recommend.
| Story Evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Plot | |
| Characters | |
| World Building | |
| Writing Style | |
| Pacing | |
| Cover | |
| Enjoyment | |
| Ending | |
| Overall: | |
About R.C. Boldt
RC Boldt is a USA Today bestselling author currently living in part of the Costa Rican jungle with the love of her life and her mini-me. If you’re in the mood for some killer mojitos or can’t recall the lyrics to a particular 80s song, she’s your girl. RC loves hearing from her readers at rcboldtbooks@gmail.com. To join RC’s readers group on Facebook, click here to request to join. RC is represented by Prospect Agency. For rights inquiries, please contact Emily Sylvan Kim at esk@prospectagency.com.
- Second Chance Husband: Carrie Ann Ryan - October 10, 2024
- My Husband’s Past: Shari J Ryan - October 8, 2024
- Remember Her Name: Lisa Regan - October 6, 2024
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
That is neat how the author could write well in multiple genres like that. Ella’s sunny nature does sound great.
Yes! Ella has a lovable nature.
I love a fun fake relationship. This sounds fun.
Yes! It was a fun read.
I do enjoy that fake dating trope a lot; this romance sounds like one I would like. 😀