The Heartbreaker is the third and final novel in The Chandler Brothers series by Carly Phillips. The series began with The Bachelor, which featured the youngest Chandler brother, Roman. The boys' mother, desperate for her sons to settle down and give her grandchildren, fakes a heart condition, hoping it will speed up the process. None of the men have prospects for serious girlfriends, let alone wives, but they'll do anything to make their mother happy. So, they decide that one of them will shoulder the responsibility of giving their mom a daughter-in-law and grandchild -- the way they make this decision? A coin toss.
Fast forward to the last book. The two younger brothers are happily paired off and the oldest, Chase, is excited to be free of family obligations. The boys' father died when they were rather young, and Chase has been the father figure ever since. He's your classic knight in shining armor type.
The book opens with Chase visiting Roman in Washington, D.C. He meets a woman in the bar his first night there, and they go to his hotel room. He finds out soon enough that this woman is the daughter of Vice President candidate Senator Carlisle. Or so she thought her entire life.
Sloane Carlisle grew up believing she was one person, only to find out differently, accidentally overhearing the news of her parentage from two of her father's campaign managers. The news sends her to Yorkshire Falls, Chase Chandler's home town, to find her real father. Her stepmother asks Chase to look after her while she's there.
That's the basic setup. I really loved Chase. He's strong and stubborn and chivalrous and, well, hot. And Sloane has just the right amount of spunk to give him a run for his money. The chemistry is explosive and you're rooting for the two to end up together from the very beginning. Which, I believe, is the most important aspect of a romance novel. Carly Phillips does this exceptionally well. And, of course, there's conflict. The characters of romance novels everywhere never have it easy. They don't just meet, fall in love and live happily ever after. Whether it's outside circumstances or internal issues that keeps them apart, conflict is a must. In this instance, it's Chase with the conflict. He's spent his entire life taking care of other people and finally has the freedom he's always denied himself. He's wary of settling down with Sloane so soon after acquiring that freedom.
Reading along as these two fall in love was a lot of fun. The Heartbreaker is a sexy, funny, heartwarming novel that romance fans everywhere will love (or at least this romance fan did!)