"The Greek Rule" by Aleka Nakis

Title: “The Greek Rule”
Authors: Aleka Nakis
Publisher: CreateSpace
Year: 2007
Genre(s):  romance, contemporary
Part of a Series: Yes, book 1
Rating: 

Why I Read It: For a summer read that went past the summer. Oops.

Summary: Athena has one rule: Do not date a Greek. And then business man Alexandros Strintzaris comes into her life and is determined to win her heart. Athena puts up a fight but unfortunately for her, Alex’s brother is marrying her best friend. As the wedding approaches, they end up spending more and more time together. Alex shows Athena his real self and she starts to feel her resolve crumbling. Will she break her own rule? Or can she resist Alex’s charms?

Review: I decided to read this because I’m third generation Greek-American. So I thought it would be interesting. Now, I don’t know where to start.

I guess with the romance. That’s my specialty, right? And the romance is…not so great, in my opinion. It started out as a slow burn, which I always love. But I couldn’t get behind this. And it boiled down to one thing: I didn’t like the leading man. Alexandros didn’t’ strike me as romantic at all. He seemed more possessive, seeing Athena as a prize to be won, not a person to be cherished. I didn’t feel he truly loved her, that he only said the right things. I wanted Athena to stick to her guns and run far, far away.

Especially because I liked Athena. She’s confident, determined, intelligent and witty. That’s why I didn’t want her to be taken by Alex. I wanted her to see through him, to realize she was right initially about him. To go to her friend’s wedding and fly back to some exotic place, where she can find a good man.

If it weren’t for Alex’s inner thoughts, I might’ve liked it. From Athena’s perspective, I would’ve thought he did truly love her. I probably would’ve rooted for them. Because when she doesn’t include Alex being all possessive, the romance is quite sweet and passionate.

The setting was lovely and well described. It’s clear Nakis loves Greece. And she paints a great picture.

Bottom line: Would’ve been a pretty good romance…without the leading man.
Sex: A few scenes, nothing too graphic.

Moonlight Musing

Being possessive—sexy or nah?