Sunday, August 02, 2009

BLACKMAILED INTO THE GREEK TYCOON’S BED - Carol Martinelli



Author: Carol Marinelli

Line: Harlequin Presents/ Mills & Boon Modern

Release month UK: August 2009/North America: August 2009

The S-Factor: Sizzling

Back-Blurb:

Bookish heiress Karin has failed in her first act of defiance! She's tried to take back the symbol of everything good in her life, but ruthless billionaire Xante Rossi has caught her red-handed!
Why is this shy beauty stealing from him? Xante is intrigued. Karin's purity belies the corruption her family name represents. To save her from scandal and uncover the truth, he'll make a proposal. If Karin wants her precious heirloom, she'll have to earn it back in his bedroom!

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Carol Marinelli’s contribution to the International Billionaire’s series with Blackmailed Into the Greek Tycoon’s Bed was stunning. Immediately one becomes aware that the handsome, successful and wealthy millionaire Xante Rossi is immediately attracted to the beautiful English heiress Karin Wallis. Also, as one reads this brilliantly penned love story a very valuable lesson is learned that “you can’t judge a book by it’sits cover. And that’s putting it mildly.

This series involves rugby and Xante is a huge fan, in fact his hotel is housing the English rugby team and one of his most prized possessions which he’s recently acquired; a ruby encrusted rose which Karin’s grandfather, a famous English player, received and it’s part of her inheritance. Without her permission, her brother sold it to the highest bidder and it’s sentimental value to Karin is all she has left and she’s determined to get it which is the reason for her visit to Xante’s hotel. They meet and the attraction between this couple is so hot it sizzles off the pages. One thing leads to another and Karin is accused of stealing and Xante gets his perfect chance to get to know this woman who has been dubbed by the press as the “Ice Queen”.

Karin challenges Xante in so many ways. He has a past at getting what he wants when it comes to women and she offers him a challenge, plus he’s sure she’s hiding things and he’s also not ready to let her go. What better opportunity to get to know her is to take her home to Greece for a family gathering. Both of them are hiding secrets from each other….Xante about his past as a teenager and how he used lady tourists and Karin, her family secrets, her reputation, an horrific accident and on and on.

For me, this entire story was amazing as throughout it there were twists, turns, more of their secrets revealed and just when you think nothing else can be revealed it happens. There were lessons learned for both of them, for Karin learned that if you opened up and let others in, the “world was actually quite forgiving and kind”. And for Xante, he couldn’t always fix everything and by letting her go and learning about herself, she would become so much stronger. As the author stated in the ending of this wonderful story, “love was a gift that was just a given – but trust was a treasured reward.”

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Humour Factor
Weepy Factor♥♥♥

Reviewed by: Marilyn

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