MIA'S SCANDAL (The Balfour Legacy) - Michelle Reid

Author: Michelle Reid
Line: Mills and Boon Special Release/Harlequin Presents
Release month: UK: Mia’s Scandal Jun 2010 North America: August 2010 Mia and The Powerful Greek
The S-Factor: Sizzling

Back Blurb:

While scrubbing floors, Mia dreams of a better life. Then she discovers she's a Balfour—the illegitimate daughter of one of the world's richest dynasties! Thrust headfirst into her new family's spectacularly glamorous lifestyle, she's scared….

But then comes an opportunity to learn about high society, through the chance to work for Greek tycoon Nikos Theakis, who struggled his way up, himself, from the slums of Athens to Millionaire's Row. Nikos has got where he is by always having taken what he wanted…. Until Mia's sweetness and integrity stop him in his tracks…

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Mia’s Scandal sets the stage for the Balfour Legacy series. Also author Michelle Reid’s online read on Eharlequin, Scandal at The Balfour Ball.

I was so thrilled to have read this book as Mia Bianchi was one smart, sexy and sizzling Italian heroine and Oscar Balfour’s illegitimate daughter. Her untimely arrival at Balfour Manor had caused all sorts of things with her father trying to keep her a secret, the untimely death of his wife and now a scandal. However Oscar wanted to teach his daughters a few of life’s lessons and the first daughter he chose was Mia. Oscar sent her to a one of his business associates, a powerful, dark, handsome and successful Greek billionaire!

Nikos Theakis was the perfect Greek hero as far as I was concerned. He came from poverty, abusive parents, and he came up the hard way. However, he owed everything to Oscar Balfour because he was the man he was today because of Oscar! But take in his daughter, teach her about business, social settings, give her confidence and integrity? The very same beautiful young woman he almost ran over at her parents estate? The very same woman with a “cheeky” mouth, lush curves and determination? What had he agreed to, and what was he going to do with her?

Talk about chemistry, he’s constantly touching her and he’s not even aware. For a man who goes through women like one would change his socks, Mia drives him crazy with her beautiful eyes, long flowing hair, sexy sultry voice and the same holds true for her. She may be an innocent but not for long! She loves him and when they act on their passion, it goes seriously up in flames but it becomes complicated when she finds out she’s pregnant!

What I so loved about Mia’s Scandal was how Michelle Reid tied both of their feelings into knots. Mia definitely wanted love from him whereas due to his abusive past he didn’t know how to love. People viewed this proud Greek as a successful business man, a very handsome man with a string of beautiful women in his past. They didn’t know he never slept alone, that he didn’t have locks on his doors and it was even more brilliant how she chose to put Mia in Greece right along with the very mother that gave her up and how in the end Niko’s realized he loved Mia. This is going to be such an exciting series and I can’t wait to read about the other Balfour sisters!

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book:

.What do you enjoy most about writing as part of a continuity series; how does it differ to writing a single title?

This was my first attempt at writing for a Continuity series, and I enjoyed the challenge of creating a story from someone else’s ideas. However the real challenge for me had to be disciplining myself to keep the story within continuity guidelines when my writer’s head wanted to shoot off in all different directions!

.Did you identify with Balfour sister you were writing about?

Oh gosh no. Mia Balfour was born and brought up Italy, so I had to teach myself to think like an Italian heroine! I do this all the time with my Italian heroes but it felt somehow quite different climbing into the head of an Italian heroine. And Mia was so young and sweet and vulnerable and brave, I admired her from the beginning and I loved “learning” to understand her.

.Which sister’s hero did you find most appealing?

Besides Mia’s hero Nikos Theakis? I thought long and hard about this question but each time I decided on an answer I instantly changed my mind. So I suppose I have to say that I found them all appealing!


Michelle’s website

ONE NIGHT......NINE-MONTH SCANDAL - Sarah Morgan

Author: Sarah Morgan
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents
Release month: UK: Jun 2010 /North America: Sept 2010
The S-Factor: Sensual, Sizzling, Sexy

Back Blurb:

She sold the Zagorakis diamond…but he’ll buy her back!

A sleek Ferrari in the sleepy English village of Little Molting was always going to create a stir – but for schoolteacher Kelly it only means one thing. Her ex, Alekos Zagorakis, has stormed back into her life the way he left it: completely on his own terms.

Four years ago Kelly stood, bouquet in hand, realising that her gorgeous Greek groom wasn’t walking down the aisle to meet her. Now he’s come back to claim what’s rightfully his – and that includes one night with Kelly…

…with a nine-month consequence!


Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

To use the adjectives amazing, marvelous, incredible doesn’t even describe One Night……Nine-Month Scandal. Alekos Zagorakis is unlike any Greek alpha I’ve read about. Yes he’s typical with the wounded past, he’s tall, dark, handsome and very very rich but he just can’t seem to get it right when it involved Kelly Jenkins, the woman he left at the altar four years earlier.

Now Kelly was doing the unthinkable, she’s selling the fabulous heirloom diamond ring he gave her, his grandmother’s ring, her engagement ring. And she's selling it on EBay! Kelly was like no other heroine, she loved this man, she spoke freely, she was sweet, kind, adored children, was a teacher and charmed all people she met. She only loved one man, a very confusing Greek man and he left her at the altar, humiliated her in the press, yet four years later she still loved him. However, what she didn’t understand was how he could hurt her like he did but it was time for her to move on, so she decided to sell the diamond, not so much for herself but for closure and yes to make a statement, because the man she so loved was publicly seeing a famous Greek dress designer and it looked serious.

Of course, this proud Greek alpha buys the diamond for four million dollars and came to collect it himself! Call it what you want, lust, passion it leaps off the pages between Kelly and Alekos and when they returned to her home to get the ring they acted on their passion in a most irresponsible way. In the end a pregnancy! A pregnancy Kelly wanted very much and one Alekos did not!

Kelly drove him insane, so much so that he ended his relationship with the Greek designer and sent for Kelly on his private jet and brought her to Corfu. Kelly tried to tell him why they failed, as hard as it was for him, he tried to open up and share why he left her at the altar because he actually didn’t want children. There was a good reason for that because when he was six years old his parents made him choose who he would live with and it took its toll on him. As for Kelly, well she knew what it was like to hope her father would make time for her but he never did…….she was always waiting, hoping and she didn’t want that for herself or her child.

There were so many twists and turns to this romance, so many ups and downs I just kept reading all through the night because One Night……Nine Month Scandal literally captivated me, kept me holding my breath, had my heart racing and all I wanted for this couple was that happy ending! You won’t believe the ending Sarah Morgan gave these lovers, it was simply amazing!

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥
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Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book

"The idea for One Night – Nine Month Scandal came to me while I was on holiday on the beautiful Greek island of Corfu last year.

Corfu is one of my favourite places - sparkling turquoise sea, golden sand and the most breathtaking sunsets. It’s the perfect setting for a sizzling hot Presents romance.

One hot morning we hired a boat and sailed around the coast to deserted beaches that couldn’t be reached on foot. While we were swimming off the boat, enjoying the clear water and the marine life (my family were watching the marine life, I was looking for sharks because I’m a writer and that’s how my brain works.....) another small boat sailed into the bay and a young couple swam from the boat to the beach.

Later, talking to the locals, we realised that the beach was private and belonged to a rich Athenian who had a holiday home on the island, tucked away out of sight.

I started imagining what would happen if an ordinary English girl on her gap year just happened to innocently swim to the private beach of a Greek billionaire. Soon the story was racing ahead in my mind. I decided that this relationship would be passionate and intense right from the beginning – that my heroine Kelly would be completely swept away by her handsome Greek lover, Alekos. Under the red glow of that romantic sunset he would propose marriage and Kelly would dress for her wedding, sure that she would be with this man for the rest of her life. But on the day of the wedding all her dreams would collapse..........

As I played with the idea I realised that the real story would begin afterwards, when they’d been apart for some years. Bringing them back together was easy – I’ve always wanted to do a scene where the heroine sells her ring on eBay and this was the perfect opportunity. When Alekos sees that she’s selling his ring he explodes right back into her life. The intense passion is still there, but this time they are forced to dig deeper and get to know each other and, as they unpeel the layers of secrets, they each make shocking discoveries –" S. Morgan

To read the opening chapter of One Night – Nine Month Scandal, go to my website www.sarahmorgan.com and click on Browse the Book or the Coming Soon page. Hope you enjoy!

PROPOSITIONED BY THE BILLIONAIRE - Lucy King

Author: Lucy King
Line: Mills and Boon/ Harlequin Presents Extra
Release month: North America: Sept 2010 UK: Jun 2010
The S-Factor: Sensual/Sizzling

Back Blurb:

Mixing business with pleasure has never been more fun!

When a drop-dead gorgeous mystery man comes to PR exec Phoebe Jackson’s rescue at a party she’s hosting, she can’t help but be tempted by the sparks of desire igniting between them…and soon both their attraction and the party go up in flames…

But her rescuer is Alex Gilbert – and he has her career in his hands! Now Alex has a daring proposition for her: she must prove her worth by staging a prestigious charity event on an island paradise or she’ll be fired! It would normally be a walk in the park for Phoebe – but with the oh-so-sexy Alex by her side 24/7 can she keep her mind on the job…?

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Propositioned by the Billionaire by Lucy King was absolutely a magnificent love story and a very sensual and intense journey for Phoebe and Alex within weeks of meeting each other. It was one of those beautiful love stories once you began you had to finish it leaving you smiling one moment and crying the next.

Phoebe Jackson came from a family of over achievers with most of her siblings having PHD’s in high-powered positions. From her parents to her siblings she never felt good enough even though she was good at what she did and had her own PR Firm. And now she’s done something that no one else could; she secured a highly coveted venue for Jo Douglas, launching her new purse line and was determined to get fashion houses to buy her handbags. However, Jo’s boyfriend was drunk and was wrestling not just with a bottle of champagne but also with a flamingo, six stories up and dancing around in a pool. Phoebe was beside herself and determined not to have anything ruin Jo’s event, so she tried to take care of the boyfriend and then he swung the bottle and this dashing, strong man wrestled him to the ground and got rid of him.

Alex Gilbert was furious with his younger sister Jo because she didn’t use his PR firm for her event. He was jet lagged and determined to fire her PR person. What he didn’t realize was Phoebe was that person and he had just picked her up making sure she was not hurt and kissed her senseless. For both Phoebe and Alex it was an electric and sensual moment. And then everything fell apart, from Alex realizing Phoebe was not only the owner of Jackson Communications, she was also running inside as his sister’s handbags were on fire. Could she do damage control and save his sister’s name and reputation?

The answer was yes but he still wanted to fire her. Talk about sneaky, he offered her the chance to keep working with Jo, but he gave her a unbelievable task of flying with him to his private island to oversee a fund raiser and he was sure she would fail. The deal was if she failed, then he could take over using his own firm. What neither of them counted on while on the island was their passion for each other. It ignited and went up in flames. However, unbeknown to them was disaster going on back home with Alex’s sister so they had to immediately and take care of the PR nightmare.

Their passion was like neither of them had ever experienced and they continued seeing each other when they returned back to London. All I can say is it was such a blazing and hot romance, with some ups and downs. Alex has trust and guilt issues from his past and Phoebe had such a lack of confidence, even though she knew she was good at what she did, the effects from her upbringing and the fact that she might let her family down took it’s toll on her, plus she also suffered guilt. So when he asked her to begin an affair she refused but later changed her mind because she didn’t want to let Alex go.

Alex was a very private man. When a tabloid magazine came out with both of their pictures in it, showing them together in intimate settings, with some quotes, he immediately jumped to conclusion that Phoebe was responsible for them and it ripped out her heart. Reading Alex’s struggle to see her for the genuine and lovely woman she was, broke my heart and Phoebe’s need for him so sweet because she was going to fight for her man. Propositioned by the Billionaire was such a sweet and wonderful love story ….simply amazing!

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book:

“A year or so ago I read somewhere that PR was one of the few industries not to suffer in a recession, and it got me thinking. Modern Heat is about glamour and what better excuse to write about parties? I then decided to give my heroine her own PR Company and an over-achieving family and focused on what would be her worst nightmare. Everything else sort of slotted into place. Eventually.” Lucy King

HIS RING, HER BABY (Billionaires and Babies) – Maxine Sullivan

Author: Maxine Sullivan
Line: Silhouette Desire
Release month: UK/North America/April 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling

Back Blurb:

The job title was housekeeper, not fiancée! But billionaire cattleman Kirk Deverill couldn't throw the lovely single mom off his ranch. Especially when he knew the job would help her keep her son. Of course, the eligible bachelor hadn't expected her to tell everyone she was also Kirk's bride-to-be!

He agreed to Vanessa's ruse for her adorable son's sake. And for the opportunity to claim some "husbandly" pleasures. Of course, making their fake engagement a real union was never going to happen. The Outback loner had his reasons...and even the most desirable of women wouldn't get him to change his mind.

Review: ♥♥♥♥

His Ring, Her Baby was a compelling romance, part of Billionaire and Babies series by Maxine Sullivan. A very sensual romance with sparks flying.

Vanessa Hamilton was in a world of trouble. She had lost her husband, had his parents hounding her for custody of her one year old son, had no money and thank God for her cousin who provided shelter for them while she helped them at their motel. Then Vanessa’s cousins Linda and Hugh informed her they had sold the motel. On top of that one of the most gorgeous men she had ever seen billionaire Kirk Deverill walked in and when their eyes met it was electric, so much so he asked her out for dinner.

Kirk kept asking and Vanessa kept refusing. Just one kiss and he knew he wanted more and then he felt betrayed because he knew she was aware he needed a housekeeper and she was looking for a job and a place to stay. He felt she worked everyone to get what she wanted. Pressured by her cousin Linda, he offered Vanessa and her son Josh a place to stay and a job as housekeeper on his extraordinary ranch located in the Outback and at first their relationship was tense. Gradually Kirk became more involved in Josh’s life and felt more at ease around Vanessa but there was always the strong sensual tension between them and he always seemed to be rescuing her. Due to his last relationship he did not to trust women, however with this one, he was drawn in like a moth to a flame. Their passion exploded but Kirk was keeping a secret, one that would keep him from marrying.

Her ex-in laws came unannounced and it was obvious to Kirk they were snobs and that had no feelings for Vanessa, in fact they annoyed her and were critical. Again, Kirk felt the need to protect them. And then he took them both on a business dinner dance and their time spent together was magical until the little one became ill. Again her in-laws tried to cause trouble and Kirk again came to the rescue. And then she realized she loved this man who put himself before others.

Again due to a slip of the tongue, things came crashing down on them and he made arrangements for her to leave. Would Vanessa wake up and fight for her man? We all love a happy ending and this one will have you smiling at how this beautiful woman and her son found their future together with Kirk, giving them all a chance for a real family.

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book

SOS: CONVENIENT HUSBAND REQUIRED - Liz Fielding

Author: Liz Fielding
Line: Harlequin Romance
Release month: UK/North America: July 2010
The S-Factor: Sweet and Sexy

Back Blurb:

May Coleridge must marry before she's thirty to inherit her family home and keep her new business afloat.

Adam Wavell comes from a long line of wastrels—but he's turned his life around. He's a corporate success story and a pillar of the community. Only, now his flaky sister has left him with her screaming baby!

A deal must be done. May will help Adam with his niece if he'll answer her SOS!

Review: ♥♥♥♥

SOS: Convenient Husband Required by Liz Fielding was a sweet romance with a few twists thrown in for good measure. The heroine May Coleridge a strong and loyal woman and Adam Wavell a sexy hero who was an accomplished billionaire and a man from May’s past……a man she once loved but had to give up!

After May’s grandfather dies and the will went to probate her attorney found that the family home that had been the only home she ever had was not to be inherited from her grandfather due to a clause that she must be married by her 30th birthday which was only weeks away. She had staff who depended on her, she ran a small business from her home and had also taken out a loan for improvements. All of it would be lost. When her grandfather had been alive, May had also taken care of him, she also was to be married but in the end she backed out of getting married because her fiance wanted to put her grandfather in a nursing home.

Every time Adam walked by Coleridge House he remembered as a teen trying to make love to May Coleridge, bringing her red roses and having her grandfather turn the hose on him in the dead of winter. And then he remembered May would no longer look at him nor talk to him. She was a close friend of his sister Saffy. He also remember sneaking into their stables and helping her take care of all of the animals she would rescue and he called her “mouse”. And now Adam needed May because his sister snuck into his office past his security and left her baby along with a note and disappeared. However, she also suggested that he as May for help until she got her life in order and came back for her baby. However, it was more complicated than that because she left France and her boyfriend was looking for her as he wanted his baby and she fled.

So May and Adam each had a problem…..May needed a husband of convenience and Adam needed a Nanny. He was soon to leave the country for a huge business deal so he set off along with his baby niece Nancie to ask May for help only to see her up in a tree rescuing a kitten. So she falls out of the tree and lands on him and they end up in a muddy puddle. What a day for them both, so they go back to Coleridge House to clean up and to talk about his sister and could he entice May to take care of her? And then May spills the beans and tells him what her problem is and being the smart man he was he offered her the marriage of convenience she needed to keep her family estate and in return she would take care of Nancie. And Adam moved his things in that evening and with a smirk decided he would get a little revenge from her grandfather and he would sleep in the old man’s four poster bed knowing that he was probably rolling over in his grave.

The chemistry between them over the years had not diminished in fact with them both taking care of Nancie, with Adam organizing their wedding, getting reacquainted came naturally for them both. Adam would have any woman he wanted but after kissing May to seal the deal, all of the hurt she had caused him years ago, went right out the door. It left both of them wanting more. And then his sister called the evening before he left for South America on business causing stress for both of them. Adam was away for weeks and Saffy showed up and moved in with May. And then a chain of events happened which could have changed everything for both of them making one wonder if they would get their second chance because it was obvious they were both drawn to each other.

I so enjoyed reading SOS” Convenient Husband Required as it was a very engaging and fast paced romance.

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥
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Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book from Dear Reader

HER SHEIK PROTECTOR (Desert Sons) - Linda Conrad

Line: Silhouette Romantic Suspense
North America/UK: July 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling, Suspense

Back Blurb:

Darin Kadir had to protect American Rylie Hunt at all costs. Seeking answers, she'd traveled halfway around the world to find him. Now she is a target of his family's arch nemesis and must trust Darin in order to survive.

Caught up in a covert war between two families, Rylie wants only to find her father's killers and bring them to justice. She doesn't want to fall in love. But the desire burning in Darin's eyes is unlike anything she's ever known. Will she surrender her heart—or become a casualty of a war across the ages?


Review: ♥♥♥♥

Her Sheik Protector by Linda Conrad is the first book in her Desert Sons miniseries and was not only interesting to read but kept me on the edge of my seat with all of the intense intrigue and danger.

This was so unlike most sheik books which are usually set in the desert. The heroine Riley Hunt was from Texas and Darin Kadir even though he was from a Middle Eastern bedouin tribe, the book began in Geneva, Switzerland and then moved on to Milan.

Rylie’s father, Darin’s uncle, dignitaries, Hunt employees and the press were attending the grand opening celebration of Hunt Drilling. Before Rylie’s eyes, she witnessed a huge explosion which took all of their lives. It took six long months for her to heal. Because Kadir Shipping was also involved in the partnership, Rylie was going to attend a conference in Geneva and get to the bottom of things because she suspected the Kadir’s to be responsible for the explosion. She would make them pay because she and her mother had lost everything by trying to do the right thing and pay off the Hunt employees families who had lost their loved ones.

Kadir being the oldest felt it was his responsibility to attend the very same World Industry and Shipping conference in Switzerland. He and his brothers thought because of a century old feud between the Kadir and Taj Zabbar family, they might have been responsible for the explosion due to recent changes in the Taj Zabbar family’s financial and political positions.

So much for being subtle……the spunky redhead who was barley able to stand and still weak from the accident, literally accused Darin and his family of her father’s death. And then such an unbelievable chain of events occurred. During the conference they noticed each other across the room but Rylie knew which one was Darin Kadir, with eyes locked on her, Darin witnessed her on unsteady legs fall to the floor and he was at her side immediately. Then she told him who she was an accused his family of being responsible for the explosion.

Darin and Rylie set up a meeting at a bar to discuss the explosion and then everything went haywire, from Taj Zabbar watching them, from the head of their family trying to abduct her in hopes of finding out information she might know. Then attempted kidnapping of Rylie, Darin killing one of the abductors and finding a Taj Zabbar secret document. Darin agreed with his brother’s to bring the document to Milan where they suspected the Taj Zabbar would try to follow. Rylie followed Darin and he had no choice but to take her with him to protect her. Then they both boarded a train to Milan and everything changes! Trust me, it was brilliant how everything was tied together and how Linda Conrad documented the family feud and the history of the two families. Don’t think the feud is over.

What I loved about Her Sheik Protector was immediately Darin Kadish new they were destined to be together. And for him that was quite something because he protected his brother’s after their mother died, he was afraid to love but in the end after they made love he was so moved and determined to have and protect this woman it was fierce. Darren was a planner and a man with lists. A man who didn’t fall in love; however Rylie moved him to tears. she was his…..had to be his and he would go to any lengths to protect her!

And Rylie, she was determined, strong, feisty and scared because she loved this man only after a few days together. He gave her magic and he scared her to death. But let me just say this, her determination to help him, in the end. what she would do for him was so incredible. I can’t remember ever reading about such a strong heroine as Rylie and in the end how she dealt with everything ……the abductions, the attacks, everything……she was fierce!

Her Sheik Protector was an high paced romance suspense combining family, feuds, passion, danger all rolled into one. I’m certainly adding Ms. Conrad to my auto-buy list and I look forward to the next story in this miniseries.

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book from Dear Reader

THE GOOD GREEK WIFE? - Kate Walker

Author: Kate Walker

Line: Mills and Boon Modern / Harlequin Presents Extra

Release month: North America: October 2010 UK: July 2010
The S-Factor: Sexy
Back Blurb:

The return of the proud Greek husband…..

He was declared missing at sea - but now notorious Zarek Michaelis is back and ready to take control! First he'll see to his business, and then to his wayward wife…..

For two years Penny has struggled to come to terms with Zarek’s disappearance. But enough is enough. It’s time to move on…..

Her proud Greek husband is still as darkly handsome as ever, and the attraction between them is just as potent. But Penny can’t trust Zarek’s motives - does he just want her body and the fortune he left behind…….or to try again?

The Greek Tycoons Legends are made of men like these!


Review: ♥♥♥♥
The Good Greek Wife? by author Kate Walker was an intriguing romance which addressed piracy on the high seas. It made this reader wonder how one would feel if your husband’s vessel had been boarded like those incidents which have appeared recently in the news? I would be devastated to think of the person I loved being threatened , killed or missing in action and gone for two years. And that was the case with shipping magnate Zarek Michaelis. All he physically suffered and then not remembering who he was or if he had a family.

After pirates boarded his yacht the Troy, he was injured and thrown overboard and left for dead. However, he was rescued by a wealthy man from Malta and suffered amnesia for over two years. However, even though he didn’t know his identity, he was troubled during the day and night because for some reason embedded in his heart and head he knew their was someone else in his life. Some one of importance . So when he finally remembered his identity, he sent an investigator to his Greece homeland to investigate the lay of things with his stepmother and brothers, his shipping empire and his wife. And then as planned, he walked in on his family during a board meeting in which they were going to declare him legally dead. Shocking them all with the fact that he was alive! Can you imagine the impact that would have had on his greedy family and his grieving wife?

Penny Michaelis for the past two years since her husband had disappeared had been running his company and maintaining his estate. From the first moment she met him, she fell instantly fell in love with him and when they consummated their love on their wedding night she knew she loved him even more. And then over the months she realized it was a dream, that he really lusted after her and wanted an heir. Love was not involved and they argued, especially when he found out she was taking the pill and told him she didn’t want a baby. They argued the night he sailed away on the Troy and now he was presumably dead and she wanted to move on. But could she? For the past two years she left everything in his bedroom the same, the clothes in his closets and drawers, had taking up caring for his beloved dog, had learned to cook his favorite dishes. That didn’t sound to me like a woman who didn’t love nor miss her husband.

The majority of The Good Greek Wife, addressed their issues of what each of them expected from each other. However, they really didn't talk about those issues, they danced around them. It was like being on a seesaw, each one accusing the other but there was one thing for sure, the sexual attraction was so strong and Penny fought it while Zarek wanted to act upon it. They so didn’t understand each others feelings and all I could think of was they needed a referee.

The conflict kept building until I wondered if they would ever get their second chance. Kate Walker’s building up to the ending had me twisting my hands because I wondered if one of them would give up and walk out. The Good Greek Wife was just that because the heroine in the end knew she couldn’t live with her husband. But hold on to your hat, because Zarek, the hero shows and makes a miraculous declaration, giving this roller coaster romance a very happy ending. It was very clever how the author tied in Greek mythology to the ending of her “classic modern love story”.

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥Weepy Factor♥ Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book

Kate discusses Greeks at I(Heart)Presents

HIGH SOCIETY SECRET BABY - Maxine Sullivan

Author: Maxine Sullivan
Line: Silhouette Desire
Release month: North America/UK: June 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling

Back Blurb:

He'd done his late brother the ultimate favor and now Dominic Roth was paying the ultimate price. The tycoon could not declare Cassandra Roth's child his own—society could know the baby only as his niece. So when the opportunity arose for Dominic to lay claim to both mother and child, he played his cards.

Yet even as Dominic finally had the woman he'd secretly coveted, he knew he could not reveal their daughter's true parentage. For the billionaire daddy dared not risk destroying his tenuous hold on true happiness.

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

High Society Secret Baby by Desire author Maxine Sullivan takes family drama to a new high! Talk about two people who gave up so much for the people they loved certainly deserved a chance at love and happiness, didn’t they?

Dominic Roth was an amazing man the perfect hero and an honorable one on top of everything. He would do just about anything for his family and he did when his dying brother Liam asked him to donate sperm so he and his wife Cassandra could have a child before he died. The very same woman Dominic secretly had lusted after.

Cassandra lost her parents at a young age, was sent to foster home and then to another foster home where the people adopted her and another girl Penny who Cassandra considered a sister. Her foster mom passed away and her father had to be put into a nursing facility for health care. It was so expensive that when her husband Liam declared he wanted a child and she didn’t, she bargained with him to pay for her father’s health care and then she would agree to have his baby. However, after Liam died she received a letter stating that she must marry his brother Dominic, that he had deeded over their home to Dominic and he insisted the marriage take place so that their daughter Nicole could continue to be raised a Roth. By doing so, would also give his parents great comfort after he was gone. If she agreed, in six months time his letter would be destroyed. Liam also insisted she marry his brother because he didn’t want her marrying any one else.

Talk about secrets, the nursing home situation, desperately needing money for her father and sister and Dominic being the sperm donor. On top of that the accusations against Cassandra that she was money hungry, that she didn’t marry Liam for love and that she had an affair with his best friend. Dominic and his parents believed Liam. How could her first marriage go so wrong when she had married Liam for love and in the end he hurt her. How would all of this affect Cassandra and Dominic’s marriage and would they eventually fall in love?

Cassandra and Dominic married before Liam’s estate was settled and took a honeymoon taking baby Nicole with them. They literally lusted after each other and let’s just say when they finally act on that lust, the fire and passion leaps off of the pages. It was also rather touching and sweet reading about Dominic and Nicole bonding and it will tug at your heart reading about father and daughter getting to know each other. So many pressure upon this marriage from all of the secrets, to the white lies, the insults, and the mess Cassandra finds herself suffering over her father. On top of all of that, add to the mix the tension between Cassandra and her in-laws.

Lies always have away of surfacing and these were explosive and the drama is one you’ll not want to miss. Also Dominic’s and Cassandra’s passion for each other and how her love grows for her new husband. Will he only ever lust after her and could he possibly grow to love her? Will they all become a family including his parents? You’ll want to sincerely read High Society Secret Baby as well as Maxine Sullivan's second book , High-Society Seduction, about young widower Adam Roth. This book was full of high energy and was a most fantastic read!

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

More about the book

THE MELENDEZ FORGOTTEN MARRIAGE (Bride On Approval) - Melanie Milburne

Author: Melanie Milburne
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/ Harlequin Presents
Release month: North America/UK July 2010
The S-Factor: Sensational/Sensual

Back Blurb:

When fragile Emelia awoke from her coma she had no recollection of the strikingly handsome man before her, whose eyes glittered like fine-cut gems—hard and impenetrable. But he aroused something within her….

Javier Mélendez had wed Emelia for convenience and bedded her for pleasure. The rules in place during their marriage had suited him perfectly, and he'd ensured his trophy wife adhered to them…. But as Emelia's memory slowly returned, she seemed to be laboring under a misapprehension…that their marriage was based on love!

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Conflict, doubt, passion, mistrust, second chances…..trust me you’ll get it all by the very talented Melanie Milburne in The Melendez Forgotten Marriage. If you like books that make your pulse and heart race, you’ll definitely feel some of these emotions while reading this particular love story.

When their eyes met, the attraction was immediate. She was playing the piano, he was in the lounge and it was electric. It was simply crazy their attraction for each other. When they finally made love Javier knew he wanted Emelia in this life permanently so within only a few months they married. However, Javier was firm on his expectations, no children, plus numerous other things which Emelia accepted because in the end she loved her husband. She so wanted to please him, make him proud of her, be the perfect wife and hostess. However, everything backfired and it reminded her of her parents marriage when her mother had been alive, it also reminded her of her father, who went from wife to wife. For Emelia, all she ever wanted was to be loved and yes she had hoped for children and hoped she could change Javier’s mind. In the end it was way too much and she knew she had to leave him so she returned to London and her childhood friend Peter Marshall.

Both Emelia and Javier had similar childhoods. They both lost their mother’s at an early age and had similar father’s who were selfish, standoffish, went from one wife to another. Neither had felt loved. Because of this Javier was firm on not having any children because he had always feared he would not be a good father. However, Emelia felt differently but she married Javier anyway, because she loved him.

Javier Melendez was angry but he had been afraid that he would loose his wife of two years because she had been in a comma from a car accident. How could she leave him, run away to her childhood friend, betray their marriage , splash their name all over the press because she was leaving him for her lover? Her accident changed everything because he needed to take her home to recoup her memory, heal and then he could seek his revenge for her betrayal.

Patience was not a easy thing for Javier. He wanted his wife to remember everything, he wanted her back in his bed and he wanted answers. It took some time for Emelia to remember but it happened finally through Javier’s ministrations through touch, taste and determination. And then everything changes in their relationship and they resume their loving making. As the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit in Emalia’s mind she remembers how much of herself she gave up, how much she wanted to be loved and then everything changes due to a chain of events which I can’t say because it would ruin the romance for you. However, trust me on this, your tears will fall, you’ll feel Emelia and Javier’s pain and wonder if they will get their second chance and who would be the one to make it happen.

The Melendez Forgotten Marriage is definitely a keeper and one to be reread and a fabulous “second chance” sensual romance.

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Weepy Factor♥♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book