Wednesday, June 30, 2010

AMBUSHED (Sons of Chance, Book 2) Vicki Lewis Thompson


Author: Vicki Lewis Thompson
Line: Harlequin Blaze
Release month: North America/UK: July 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling, Sexy, Sensual

Back Blurb:

Morgan O'Connelli hated the restless lifestyle she'd had as a child. All she wants now is to create a real home in small-town Wyoming. So first she hangs up her real-estate agent shingle…then she promptly borrows the horse of the hottest cowboy in town!Cutting-horse champion Gabe Chance is blown away by the feisty redhead who unexpectedly lands right in his bed…and, soon enough, his heart! Morgan's perfect for him in every way. Until he realizes that while she's turned out to be everything he never knew he wanted, he's got everything someone in her profession has ever wanted…his family's ranch.And that's a legacy he's just not willing to give up—not even for the sexiest woman he's ever fallen for….

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

To say sensual would be putting it mildly when describing Vicki Lewis Thompson’s , Ambushed! The entire journey from cover to cover was “blazing hot” for these two past classmates, from Wyoming.

Morgan O’Connelli had traveled from town to town with her parents and her seven siblings. When they stayed in the small town in Wyoming for a brief time, Morgan wanted to make the most of it by getting involved in her high schools activities because other than that all she had was the job of taking care of her brothers and sisters. She loved the town so much, once she graduated from college she returned to Shoshone to set down the roots that were so important to her. So she purchased a home and started up a real estate business. Selling homes to families was important to her. She even entered the 4th of July Parade riding a horse and advertising the grand opening of her office. When the horse acted up, she was rescued by Gabe Chance a handsome cowboy she knew years ago, a young man she had a crush on, a young handsome, sexy man she had thought about over the years. In fact so much so, when she returned back to Shoshone she checked on his marital status.

While riding in the parade, Gabe Chance noticed a beautiful well endowed redhead, someone he remembered from high school. And now she was having problems with a horse she was riding, so he set out to rescue her. She was so sweet and sexy and she stirred things in him. She also was so enchanting in the way she was participating in the towns activities, her first Fourth of July celebration and she was going to make the best of it and Gabe decided her enthusiasm was contagious. That’s not all that was contagious, her smile, her sparking eyes, her figure and her determination to belong which he suspected was do to her past. So, as Gabe was home for awhile and not entered in any riding competitions, he decided to make the best of it and show Morgan a good time and if they ended up in bed together, all the better. Then all hell broke loose when they entered a watermelon eating contest and she won and he kissed her and couldn’t stop kissing her. Talk about fireworks!

This was a most amazing romantic and sensual journey and I absolutely couldn’t put it down. The Chance family, their brothers, their friends made the story come more alive in book 2, Ambushed. The loss of their father had caused such grief and in a way had caused the bothers from time to time to challenge each other. Not to mention their mother’s grief. At first Gabe’s mother and his older brother didn’t trust Morgan as they believed Morgan being a real estate agent had motives. Add to the mix that Morgan and Gabe wanted to only have a little fun which turned into a hot and steamy relationship, one neither were ready for. On top of that the family arguments over the Chance Ranch’s future and Morgan’s doubts about taking the relationship further muddied the waters. Morgan and Chance's short affair was absolutely explosive!

Ambushed was about trust, coming home and in taking a “chance”. It was a wonderful love story and a wonderful addition to The Sons of Chance Miniseries. My sincere congratulations to Vicki Lewis Thompson on this particular love story as it was most amazing!

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book

INNOCENT IN THE ITALIAN'S POSSESSION - Janette Kenny




Author: Janette Kenny
Line: Harlequin Presents / Mills and Boon Modern
Release month: North America/UK: June 2010
The S-Factor: Sensual and Sizzling

Back Blurb:

When Gemma Cardone's boss is hospitalized and Stefano Marinetti, his estranged son, takes over the family shipyard, she is caught between duty and desire….

Her duty—Gemma's friendship with Stefano's father was steeped in secrecy. But Stefano suspects that she was his father's lover. Gemma can never tell the real truth—it would tear Stefano's family apart.

His desire—Gemma has never met a man as determined or intense as Stefano. In his presence, she melts. Though she knows he despises her, between his sheets it's a different story….

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

I didn’t see it coming, the sadness I would feel for both the hero Stefano and the heroine Gemmna in Janette Kenny’s Innocent In the Italian’s Possession. Betrayal, secrets, loss of family plus sensual tension that literally leaps and sizzles off of the pages of this amazing romance.

Gemma Cardone was a most dedicated personal assistant to Cesare Marinetti. Her boss had lost so much……the death of his wife and his oldest son and years without his younger son Stefano. Add to his the fact he found out he had a love child who was seriously ill in Milan. Plus the fact his business was failing and he had suffered a heart attack. Through out it all. Gemma was devoted to her boss. And now she was forced to work for Stefano Marinetti a well known Italian billionaire and playboy while her boss was in the hospital. Could she keep the secrets from him as she promised Cesare?

Stefano didn’t want to be at Marinetti Shipping, but family was family and he owed the revenge he promised his mother against his father’s PA Gemma because they both believed Gemma to be his father’s mistress. What he didn’t count on was how much he would be immediately attracted to her and want her for himself. Every step of the way Gemma tempts him, stirs him but he’s determined to find out what secrets she’s keeping from him. He’s demanding, he’s arrogant and he’s determined so much so that he demands she work for both his father’s company and his as well.

Gemma shouldered so many responsibilities…..her grandmother and the family Inn, her brother, Rachel who was Casare’s young daughter and on top of that, keeping her promise to her boss about the state of things. Add to that the attraction she felt towards Stefano and the churning emotions she experienced daily. Always doing for others and I began to wonder when would she get her turn at happiness? Could that happiness be in the form of Stefano Marinetti?

Talk about passion exploding off the pages of this rollercoaster romance from the beginning to the end. I began to wonder when some of the secrets would be revealed so this couple could have a chance at happiness. However, even though this arrogant Italian found Gemma irresistible and finally bedded her, he was so dense I wanted to shake him. It was brilliant how author Janette Kenny put up road blocks every step of the way in Innocent in the Italian’s Possession. She made this romance extremely entertaining and also a very emotional read.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book
Authors website

Monday, June 21, 2010

THE LAST LONE WOLF - Maureen Child (Kings of California)


Author: Maureen Child
Line: Silhouette Desire
Release month: North America:/UK: May 2010
The S-Factor: Sexy

Back Blurb:

Mr. May: Jericho King, ex-marine, all business

The Promise: Look after a fallen comrade's sister

The Price: She wanted his baby!

After a career of life-risking service, Jericho King desired only the solitude of his mountain lodge…and the occasional no-strings affair. But when Daisy Saxon arrived, his plans came to an end, for he'd once pledged his help if ever she was in need. Surely he could give her a job and a home, all without succumbing to his desires. But the lone wolf was in for a shock when he learned Daisy's true agenda was to get pregnant with King's baby!

Review:
♥♥♥♥♥

The Kings of California has been an incredible series and The Last Lone Wolf is Jericho King’s story. To say the least, this cowboy is one sexy loner who is a retired ex-Marine. He’s come back to his beautiful mountain lodge and has started a camp for corporate executives, teaching them survival and team skills. An now when he least expects it, a beautiful woman arrives unannounced to take him up on a job offer he made a year ago. The determined and sassy Daisy Saxon is the sister of a solider he watched die, a young man he loved like a brother. The same man he made a promise to that he would look out for his sister, the sister who raised him.

Daisy is actually still grieving for the brother she lost but now she is also determined to take the job as cook at the King Lodge because Jericho King offered her help a year ago. It’s taken her some time to get through her grief and she’s realizes now that her brother and parents are gone, she sincerely wants a family. She feels since the Marines took her brother and he loved and respected Jericho, what better man to assist her with this task and getting her pregnant but what she doesn’t count on is how much she would come to love the country, the lodge and the man who was so determined not to get involved nor give away his heart.

Daisy sneaks under Jericho’s radar with her vibrant and sunny personality, her beauty and her determination to help him out at his camp. As much as he tried to resist her, she wormed her way in and finally they began a relationship even though Jericho knew it could never go anywhere. He was not like his brothers who now were married with kids, he had no place in his heart for a woman and vowed to never marry.

As the old saying goes, “never say never” and for both Daisy and Jericho everything backfired. Even going away for days into the mountains, he couldn’t get her out of his mind or system. His men loved her, the executives who came to his camp loved her and in the end, he knew he was in trouble. Would the secrets they were holding back ruin a future for them? As only Maureen Child can pen, this romance was explosive, sensual and a genuine and entertaining addition to The King’s of California.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

About the book

Maureen Child’s website

Thursday, June 17, 2010

OVERTIME IN THE BOSS’S BED – Nicola Marsh



Author: Nicola Marsh
Line:
Harlequin Presents Extra / Mills and Boon Modern Heat
Release month: North America: June 2010 UK:
April 2010
The S-Factor:
Sizzling and Sensual

Back Blurb:

Desperate for a job, dancer Starr Merriday is forced to hang up her ballet shoes and accept a position as a P.A. in a new city—even if the last time she saw her new boss…she was naked in his bed! Her professional pumps and pencil skirt can't hide her top-to-toe blush when she remembers their blisteringly hot night together!

But Starr won't let that suppress her sassy spirit—after all, unbuttoning her blouse is next on her boss's agenda. So she will switch on her out-of-office and go to a meeting—in the boss's bed!

Review:
♥♥♥♥♥

Author Nicola Marsh has written the most marvelous love story in Overtime In the Boss’s Bed and as she stated at the end “nothing could beat the rush of being loved by the right man.”

Dancer Starr Merriday you’ll love as she was cheeky, sexy, and at the top of her list she just wanted to belong and have a home, because a home was important to her as she never had one as a child. Her parents uprooted her more times than she cared to remember because they were actors and moved around only thinking of themselves and never Starr.

Talk about a sexy and handsome alpha, Callum Cartwright was not only that he was a billionaire and CEO of Cartwright Corporation the family business. He was a workaholic, worked 24/7 but not by choice. His order brother Archie at one time ran it but Archie was no long alive and Callum blamed himself for his death. To prove himself to his parents he drove himself to take the business to the top for fourteen years but it was never enough for his mother and father because they blamed Cal for his brothers death. Because he was so driven, he didn’t do relationships but on one particular night while having drinks with friends, he met the most beautiful woman and that was Starr.

As fate would have it and after many rounds or sparing, Starr and Callum have a one night stand and talk about a night! Cal even went so far as to offer Starr a job when he found out she was in the midst of looking for another dance company and was without work but she refused and in the morning said goodbye. However, in the end, she did go to see him and requested she be consider for his PA position. Starr loved taking chances but this time she knew she had to forget the best sex she had ever had and really focus on building up her finances and work hard. However, how could a girl forget the best sex she had ever had in her life?

Callum was going crazy trying not to think about Starr. It was affecting his work, plus having her living in the cottage rent free on his property wasn’t helping him. And then a storm hits one physical which does damage to Starr’s cottage and the other one was sexual in nature, driving them both crazy , crazy enough for Cal to invite Starr on a business trip, one that would cost them both everything or would it?

Overtime in the Boss’s Bed was absolutely “heavenly” to read because in the end it was about love, home and finding happiness. I especially loved this book because not only did the heroine get her man, Callum the sexy hero had some closure and quit beating himself up over his brother’s death plus he got the woman he so deserved and loved.
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Reviewed by: Marilyn


Behind the Book

Monday, June 14, 2010

HOT BOSS, BOARDROOM MISTRESS – Natalie Anderson


Author: Natalie Anderson
Line: Harlequin Presents Extra /
Mills and Boon Modern Release month: North America: May 2010 UK: Nov 2009
The S-Factor:
Sizzling

Back Blurb:

Pampered princess Amanda Winchester is like an itch that Jared James can't scratch. But the tables have now turned—Jared is successful, Amanda has nothing and he is her new boss. It's payback time—and bedding the delectable Amanda will be his reward!


Amanda hates the fact that bad boy Jared has the upper hand, even if succumbing to his sensual demands will be sweet torture! But when Jared realizes he's taken her virginity, everything changes. Not content with one night, Jared is determined to have Amanda— again and again!

Review:
♥♥♥♥♥

Remember your first crush? Hot Boss, Boardroom Mistress by the very talented Natalie Anderson is about a teen age crush and second chances and Natalie’s love story absolutely dazzled this reader.

From a very young age Amanda Winchester noticed Jared James dark and handsome good looks. He intrigued her so much and of course she had a teenage crush and wanted him in every sense of the word. However, not only did he reject her, he took her back to her home and to her grandfather Colin. Because of her actions and because he thought it would be best for his granddaughter, Colin sent her to boarding school, Jared left town and she never saw him again.

Jared James, talk about a success story. During his youth he grew up with a father who was a drunk and a mother who abandoned him. Due to determination, a scholarship and hard work, he finished school, made some wise investments, bought the company he wanted and became a billionaire. And now he’s on his way home but his plane has been detained. The delay, of course was due to a beautiful and spoilt woman from his past, a woman he hasn’t seen for nine years…..of course you guessed it, Amanda Winchester.

Natalie Anderson’s setting the reunion scene for these two was brilliant. First she had them sitting next to each other on the plane where Amanda was about to pitch an advertising idea to juice manufacture and then the next day at the meeting, she’s shocked when she sees Jared in the conference room. First she believed him to be one of the employees, but to her distress she found out he owned the firm. Her pitch was excellent and Jared decided due to the sparks they both felt earlier on the plane and now in the boardroom, he would award the contract to her firm. However, there was one condition and that was Amanda would work directly for him on the project. Let the games begin!

Amanda and Jared’s story was very moving not because they shared a past, it was how they dealt with the present. He wanted her sexually but was determined not to care about her. And when he took her in his office, everything changed for them both. For Amanda at that moment she knew no one would ever replace him and for Jared he wanted more of her and wasn’t ready to let her go.

Then things became complicated between them as they took their relationship further but in the back of his mind he wondered if Amanda was like every woman who only wanted him for his looks. He didn’t want a relationship, nor commitment but Amanda was in his blood. Then she told him she had to leave for business reasons because she didn’t want to tell him the truth. However, like all secrets, Jared learned the truth about her grandfather, the very man he respected and cared about and how her grandfather had health problems and they both had financial problems.

And then the painful offer came when he wanted to move her closer to him but NOT in with him. Did she want to be his mistress? Heavens no, it would be too painful for her as she loved him. Not because he moved her grandfather out of the nursing home and closer to her where she could visit, she realized she had always loved him all those years ago and now even more. Leaving him was painful and it made Jared furious because he couldn’t understand that she actually loved him. It took seeing her months later and a screaming match for everything to come out making Jared finally realize Amanda loved him, sincerely loved him for who he was not for what he could give her. Amanda and Jared’s story was a fabulous one and a wonderful “second chance” story with a very happy ending thanks to Natalie Anderson.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Natalie Anderson talks about the book

Review: Compromising Miss Milton - Michelle Styles


Title: Compromising Miss Milton

Author: Michelle Styles

Line: Mills and Boon Historical Romance

Release Date: May 2010


The S-Factor: Sensuous


Back-Blurb:


Marrying the Governess!


Buttoned-up governess Daisy Milton buries dreams of marriage and family life in order to support her sister and orphaned niece. But maddeningly attractive Adam, Viscount Ravensworth, is one distraction that shakes Daisy’s safe, stable existence.


Now ghosts from Adam’s past in India threaten Daisy’s future. Just what will it take to convince a tightly laced miss to forgo society’s strict code of conduct…and come undone in the arms of a reformed rake?


Review:


Compromising Miss Milton is an excellent Victorian romance rich in intrigue, adventure and passion that will go down a treat with Mills and Boon Historical Romance fans!


Sensible, practical and responsible are three things which Daisy Milton has always had to be. After the death of her brother in India, Daisy was left solely in charge of his baby daughter and thus she couldn't afford to sit on her laurels. With a baby to look after, Daisy decided that the only option for her was to go out to work to keep the wolf away from the family door - which is how she ends up working as a governess to the Blandish family. Being a governess is certainly not for the faint-hearted. Her charges are spoilt and indulged and their parents are always happy to blame the governess for their misdemanours. Yet, Daisy knows that she must endure it if she is to keep her family together.


One fateful afternoon, Daisy is with her charge, Nella Blandish, when she suddenly comes across a man floating in the river, close to drowning. Although, she knows that it's improper to be seen with a nearly-naked man, Daisy saves the man from certain death - and unwittingly finds herself walking into a web of peril, danger...and passion!


Adam, Viscount Ravensworth, is indebted to the brave governess for saving his life. Yet, he also knows that the enemies who tried to drown him will not stop until they wreak their revenge on him - and on Daisy, now that she has disrupted their plans. Realizing that the only way he can ensure Daisy's safety is by marrying her, Adam proposes marriage and is flabbergasted when Daisy refuses!


Daisy will not be scared by a bunch of uncouth ruffians, but when her life is placed in danger, she realizes that she must heed Adam's warnings and accept his proposal. Theirs was not going to be a love match - until a passion so powerful ignited between the two of them, that their convenient marriage suddenly became all too real...


But will their enemies succeed in their plans to claim their lives and destroy their love?


Compromising Miss Milton is sheer reading perfection from start to finish! An enthralling, poignant and fabulously readable Victorian romance, in Compromising Miss Milton, talented storyteller Michelle Styles has penned a captivating story that left me eagerly turning the pages late into the night.


I adored her heroine Daisy's sense of honour and her loyalty to her family and it's absolutely impossible for any romance reader to resist Adam! Michelle Styles never fails to pen exquistely romantic stories that sparkle with history, passion and pathos and Compromising Miss Milton is another keeper by a writer who just keeps getting better and better!


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Sunday, June 06, 2010

WANTED! (Sons of Chance Series) – Vicki Lewis Thompson



Author: Vicki Lewis Thompson
Line:
Harlequin Blaze
Release month: North America/UK:
June 2010
The S-Factor:
Sizzling!

Back Blurb:

Photographer Dominique Jeffries has come to Wyoming to find herself—her creative self, her sexual self. After escaping the engagement from hell, she's dying to break loose and live a little. And seducing a shirtless, sweaty cowhand looks like just the place to start….

Nick Chance isn't exactly a cowhand but, hey, he'll be whatever the lady wants! Only he soon realizes that this is more than just a quick roll in the hay. There's something about Dominique that calls to him, something about her that completes him.

There's only one problem. Dominique wants a fling, not another relationship.

Little does she guess how easily she'll be persuaded to take a Chance—again and again and again!

Review
♥♥♥♥♥

“It takes a real woman……to take a Chance”

Wanted! by author Vicki Lewis Thompson, the first book in her Sons of Chance series was an absolute joy to read as it had all of the sensual components which make a sexy and steamy romance! It was one of those books that definitely hooked me with it’s charm. Not to mention the secondary characters and the members of the Chance family.

Nick Chance and Dominique Jeffries met quite by accident out in the pastures of the Chance Ranch. Nick even though his profession was a veterinarian was out on Chance’s acreage digging fence posts for his big brother Jack who was running their family ranch. He wasn’t happy about it but was trying to help his brother’s bad moods due to the recent death of their father. However, Dominique’s reasons for being on the same acreage were entirely different. You see, Dominique was a professional photographer from the mid-West and was trying to get over being dumped by her boyfriend. She thought there would be no better way than to seduce a cowboy and so when she and her camera came upon the very hot, sweaty and well built Nick, she took advantage of the photo opportunity and Nick obliged her by posing for the shots.

All I can say is in the ensuing chapters of their “nameless” time spent flirting and getting to know each other in the “most personal way” was amazing. When Dominique revealed that she had been recently dumped and jilted, and really flirted with Nick sending him a very definite message, Nick obliged her by making love not caring that they didn’t know each other’s names. And then, he found out that she was staying at their Wyoming ranch because the local B&B was full. For them both, it was the most amazing sexual encounter either of them had ever experienced but what neither of them contemplated was how complicated their relationship would become, because trust me, it did!

Nick was determined to take advantage of the five days they would have together and Dominique tried not to become involved with Nick because there was no way she would NOT return home because she had a photography studio to run. She didn’t want to depend on another man. Then, add to the situation a horrible secret which was revealed to Nick when he went through his father's trunk in his father’s office. Everything changed for Nick, his family, those close to him and threatened his relationship with Dominique. Did they stand a chance because Nick definitely wanted her to stay in Wyoming?

Wanted! was a remarkable love story with a beautiful ending, one love story I will long remember thanks to author Vicki Lewis Thompson and her creativity.

Hero Hotness Factor
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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book ( Harlequin Dear Reader)

Dear Reader,

”I'm baaaack! As some of you may know, I've been off creating books Other Than Blaze for the past several years, but along came an offer I couldn't resist—the opportunity to write about my beloved cowboys. I love sexy cowboy stories! Add in gorgeous Western scenery as found in the Jackson Hole region of Wyoming, and I'm in writer heaven.

Welcome to the Sons of Chance series, where the men are hot and the women are happy! Travel with me down a winding dirt road to the Last Chance Ranch, dedicated to the proposition that we all need a last chance to find whatever we deserve, especially love (and great sex). As you sit on the wide front porch of the Last Chance and gaze at the magnificent Grand Teton in the early morning light, you'll notice a tall, broad-shouldered cowboy climbing into a dusty ranch truck. That would be Nick Chance, the middle son. He doesn't know it yet, but his world is about to be turned upside down. And a brown-eyed beauty from back east will try to help him put it together again.

Don't you adore a man in boots, snug jeans and a Stetson pulled low over his eyes? Trust me, you'll have a really good time at the Last Chance Ranch. It's great to be back in cowboy and Blaze country again!” Happy trails, Vicki

From VLT’s Newsletter:

“The Last Chance Ranch is in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and has a breathtaking view of the snow-covered Tetons. This setting was deliberately chosen by me to enhance your summer reading pleasure, because who wouldn’t want to be in Jackson Hole in June? Or in July and August, for that matter, because after WANTED!, you can look forward to AMBUSHED! and CLAIMED!, each starring its own seriously sexy cowboy hero. Let the Sons of Chance series begin!”

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Review: Hot Boss, Boardroom Mistress - Natalie Anderson


Title: Hot Boss, Boardroom Mistress

Author: Natalie Anderson

Line: Harlequin Presents Extra

Release Date: May 2010

The S-Factor: Sizzling


Back-Blurb:


Pampered princess Amanda Winchester is like an itch that Jared James can't scratch. But the tables have now turned—Jared is successful, Amanda has nothing and he is her new boss. It's payback time—and bedding the delectable Amanda will be his reward!


Amanda hates the fact that bad boy Jared has the upper hand, even if succumbing to his sensual demands will be sweet torture! But when Jared realizes he's taken her virginity, everything changes. Not content with one night, Jared is determined to have Amanda—again and again!


Review:

Hotter than a summer's morning, Natalie Anderson's latest Harlequin Presents novel, Hot Boss, Boardroom Mistress is a juicy tale of sex, secrets and seduction you'll guzzle down in a single sitting!


As a teenager, orphaned Amanda Winchester was spoilt rotten by her doting grandfather who gave her everything her heart desired. However, there was something - or rather someone - Amanda wanted whom she couldn't have: bad boy Jared, who had made it blatantly clear that he had no interest in seducing her!


No longer teenagers, both Amanda and Jared have now left the small New Zealand town they grew up in for the bright city lights, but whereas Jared is now one of the richest - and most eligible - man in the country, former society princess Amanda is slumming it and desperately looking for work and trying to find sufficient money to cover her ill grandfather's ever increasing medical bills.


Amanda had hoped never to clap eyes on Jared ever again, but when she lands a new job and finds out that her former crush is now her new boss, Amanda realizes that she's going to need to get up close and personal with millionaire Jared - both in the boardroom and in the bedroom!


But will temporary attraction lead to ever lasting love?


Natalie Anderson has written an exciting and exhilarating contemporary romance that I thorughly enjoyed! Hot Boss, Boardroom Mistress is sexy and sassy, but also poignant, dramatic and emotional. Fast-paced, steamy and unputdownable, Hot Boss, Boardoom Mistress is another mesmerizing feel-good contemporary romance by this fabulous storyteller!


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Review: The French Aristocrat's Baby - Christina Hollis


Title: The French Aristocrat's Baby

Author: Christina Hollis

Line: Mills and Boon Modern Romance

Release Date: May 2010

The S-Factor: Steamy


Back-Blurb:


One night, and she’s pregnant with the Count’s child…


Struggling chef Gwen flew to France to fulfil her dreams – she’d rather work herself into the ground than return to her smothering family. But all her determination can’t help her resist the intense gaze of Count Etienne Moreau…


After an explosive night, Etienne wants Gwen as his mistress – she’s the perfect antidote to cold-blooded business deals. But proud Gwen is outraged – in Etienne’s world money might buy him anything, but this girl is not for sale! But neither has bargained on an unexpected arrival…


Review:


A spirited Welsh chef finds herself falling head over heels in love with a sexy French count in the latest sensational Modern Romance from the fabulous Christina Hollis!


Unable to continue living with her overbearing relatives in rural Wales, Gwen decided that she needed to strike out on her own. Much to her parents' worry and dismay, Gwen booked a flight to France to help her friend Carys run an exclusive upmarket restaurant. Free to create all manner of exciting dishes, Gwen thinks that she is living the dream, but when her friend leaves her in the lurch, Gwen's dream rapidly turns into a nightmare! With no money and very high standards to maintain, Gwen realizes that she is desperately in need of cash, but where is she going to find enough capital to keep her dream alive?


Count Etienne Moreau is impressed by Gwen's culinary prowess - and by her quick wit, her curves and her sexy smile. Although Etienne had vowed never to get entangled with another woman ever again, the gorgeous Frenchman vows to bed Gwen and to make her his...


A sizzling affair soon ensues between the two of them, but Etienne makes it clear from the start that theirs can only ever be a no-strings affair. But will an unexpected arrival change all that?


Christina Hollis has penned another winner with The French Aristocrat's Baby! She deftly balances humour with dramatic intensity and expertly concots an intoxicating tale of passion, intrigue, emotion and trust that will leave readers eagerly turning the pages late into the night.


A fanastic Modern Romance that delivers on all counts, The French Aristocrat's Baby is another triumph for master storyteller Christina Hollis!


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Wednesday, June 02, 2010

VIRGIN ON HER WEDDING NIGHT – Lynne Graham


Author: Lynne Graham
Line: Harlequin Presents / Mills and Boon Modern
Release month: North America: May 2010 UK: April 2010
The S-Factor:
Sizzling

Back Blurb:

Already haunted by a youth of illegitimacy and poverty, Valente Lorenzatto never forgave Caroline Hales's abandonment of him at the altar.

But now he's made millions and claimed his aristocratic Venetian birthright—and he's poised to get his revenge. He'll ruin Caroline's family by buying out their company and throwing them out of their mansion…unless she agrees to give him the wedding night she denied him five years ago….

Review♥♥♥♥♥

For those who love romances with vibrant characters and a plot full of surprises Lynne Graham’s Virgin on Her Wedding Night is a story that's got to be read! For a sexy story that sizzles with sensuality and realistic characters, be sure you pick up this Harlequin Presents.

What’s not to love when an Italian alpha is the main hero? Valente Lorenzatto was used to being in the spotlight over the last five years when he made his millions and was accepted by the famed Barbieri family as the Count Ettore and the Barbieri illegitimate grandson. And now at the top of his list is to enact revenge on the Hale family and their daughter Caroline who left him standing at the altar five years earlier. Hale Transport was in trouble and Velente purchased the business and the Hale estate as revenge. The only way he would be happy was to get the wedding night that was taken from him when his bride-to-be, Caroline Hale left him standing at the alter.

Caroline Hale grew up pleasing her parents and in the end gave up the love of her life Valente Lorenzatto because her parents and her childhood friend Matthew Bailey and his family insisted she marry Matthew. And then the very man she once loved had destroyed her family financially so she approached him to plead their case. However, being the man he was he informed her he wanted her to become his mistress. It was bad enough that her deceased husband humiliated her with his unkind words and his mistresses, ruined her father’s business and now she’s faced with Valente proposition? When would Caroline ever get to please herself?

Because of the way she was raised and due to her father's poor health, Caroline realized there was only one option for her and that was to marry Valente. In the end, Valente accepted but he also had a stipulation that they will have a child, giving him an heir to his fortune. However, for Caroline that was a problem because sex was the problem for her and she believed herself to be “frigid” because she never had consummated her previous marriage due to her insecurities. While reading about her past marriage, my heart ached for her because it seemed to me that her entire life, all she did was try to please those around her who only used her for their own good, never thinking about what she wanted. And that included Valente who also forced her back into his life for his own gratification and revenge.

Explosive was how I would describe Virgin On Her Wedding Night because that’s what happened when Valente finally tried to make love to his new bride, Caroline. He couldn't believe it when she tried to hide from him, wouldn't let him make love to her and then everything changed because he found out about her virginity. However, patience and taking things slowly finally paid off for them both. But the happy ever after was definitely out of reach for this couple. Miscommunication, misunderstandings, her parents, her ex-husband and his families betrayal were all revealed. I began to wonder if there would be a second chance for this couple because Valente told Caroline he could never love her as he couldn’t seem to forgive Caroline.

Personally. I love second chance romances and this one was amazing as only Lynne Graham can pen. Caroline had already told Valente she loved him but it took him a little longer to realize how important and how much he loved her. When he realized he spent years plotting to get her back, that he married her in spite of his feelings he never wanted to marry and plus the fact that Caroline was more important to him than his business; in the end everyone got their second chance!

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Virgin on Her Wedding Night made the Borders bestsellers list at #2 for week ending April 24, 2010 and the USA Today list at #88!

Lynne’s
website