The Twelve-Month Marriage Deal

THE TWELVE-MONTH MARRIAGE DEAL -

Margaret Mayo

Author: Margaret Mayo

Line: Modern

Release Month: December 2009

The S Factor: Sensual

Back blurb:

Forced bride…

Called home unexpectedly, Elena not only finds her sister has fled her own wedding, but that she must take her place as the bride if the family business is to be saved from ruin! Willing on her wedding night!

Arrogant billionaire Vidal Marquez is shocked – the ugly duckling has become a swan! Elena is furious about the marriage, so he makes a deal: twelve months in his bed as his wife, and then she can simply walk away…

But Vidal’s bed is not a place any woman chooses to leave!

Review: ♥♥♥♥

Elena takes her sister's place as Vidal's bride, but makes it quite clear she is not happy. Vidal is pleased at the transformation he sees when he meets Elena again. They had been childhood friends, but he had not been expecting Elena to have grown up quite so beautifully.

He underestimates Elena and the price she has paid personally to become his wife and therefore save her father's bank. Elena has her very own business in America, which is thriving. The fact that she was willing to leave this business to help her family immediately establishes Elena as a modern heroine who has forged her own way in the world--therefore ensuring the reader's admiration and respect.

Vidal is every inch the passionate, sometimes stubborn, but always morally upstanding alpha hero that is a must in a 'Modern' read.

Watching them fall in love with each other was a delight, each giving in equal measure but not quite able to admit to themselves that their marriage of convenience was quickly turning into the real thing.

Elena took delight in disobeying Vidal's orders, making him realise that ordering his wife around was not the way to behave. He was able to accept the reason he did this was because, ultimately, he wanted to keep her safe.

Margaret Mayo has succeeded in bringing two characters together who challenge each other from the first page, ensuring this story is a one sitting read. I literally couldn't wait to turn the pages to see how they were going to react to the situations they found themselves in.

The ending was beautifully done, with each character realising their marriage was full of sparks--but for all the right reasons.

Hero Hotness Factor: ♥♥♥♥♥

Heroine Lovability Factor: ♥♥♥♥♥

Awww Factor: ♥♥♥♥♥

Stickability Factor: ♥♥♥♥♥

Weepy Factor: ♥♥

Reviewed by: Joanne