Author: Brenda Jackson and Olivia Gates
Line: Silhouette Desire
Release month: UK/ North America: July 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling and Sensual
Back Blurb:
Husband Material by Brenda Jackson
Beware the jilted husband: Matthew Birmingham never played fair…especially when it came to his ex-wife. When she moved across the country, he moved back to their estate—back to their bedroom—determined to win back her love…by any means necessary.
The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates
Meet the shocked groom: Sheikh Adham saw marriage as a business venture, his wife a mere convenience…until they portrayed the loving couple in public. Would finally seeing his bride in a new light shatter all his rules?
Review: ♥♥♥♥♥
Book 1 in A Summer Scandal miniseries it’s described “spend the season in the Hamptons, where the wealthy play hard and their passions run hot!”
Husband Material by author Brenda Jackson was a very sensual read about a second chance at happiness and love. A Hollywood Producer and Actress that were adored by the press and fans as they were to have shared a perfect marriage. However, Matthew Birmingham was a work alcoholic and he only wanted to provide the best for his wife; he wanted her to have everything. However Carmen his wife didn’t care about that she only wanted her husband and when he didn’t show up in Spain as promised and she lost her baby she was going to tell him about upon his arrival, that was it…..she filed for divorce.
Now a year later and part of her divorce settlement, she’s staying at their Hampton estate and going to attend the polo matches and have a little R&R. What she doesn’t count on is Matthew showing up and telling her he’s determined to stay at the estate and they could share! Gossips, the press, everyone speculated about a reconciliation. However, they both were determined to seek revenge for each of them hurting each other and it was a very dangerous game, a very sensual game which literally sizzled off the pages.
Husband material was a very enjoyable read, emotional because of the emotional loss they both felt, the misconceptions, the hurt and in the end, the happy ending. It, along with the Sheikh’s Bargained Bride set the stage for this series and I’m looking forward to reading about the other characters introduced at the polo matches.
The Sheikh’s Bargained Bride by the fantastic author Olivia Gates was book with all sorts of surprises because one is immediately given the insight that he cherished and adored his wife, but that was only for the press. Let’s just say I was shocked at the reason he married Sabrina Grant because it was obvious they had made love and that she adored her new husband. She was also confused why he stayed away from her until she found out her about the bargain he made with her father. A ridiculous one at that!
Again, set in the Hamptons and around the polo matches of course this rich sheikh would be involved as he was a top notch player and bred Arabians. He adored his animals but he mistrusted his wife because he believed she knew about the agreement he had with her father. However, he wanted her!
As a new bride Sabina Grant could not understand why her new husband had put a distance between them. They had been intimate when they were dating and she adored him and missed him fiercely. Why during the day in front of his friends and the press did he pay attention to her, touch her, act as if she was the most special woman in the world? Then nothing, no sharing a bedroom…..nothing!
Well it had to stop and then the most horrible thing happened she overheard a conversation one that explained that what he thought of her and why he married her and it broke her heart! However, in the end he lusted after her, he couldn’t help himself and she saw “red” and left him. Well, I loved a dark man, a mysterious one and in the end this particular royal was brought to he knees, I promise. Again, Olivia Gates has written a sensual dance between two extremely charismatic characters in The Sheikh’s Bargained Bride.
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn
Author: Kate Hewitt
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents
Release month: UK: Dec 2009 North America: Aug 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling
Back Blurb: French count Jean-Luc Toussaint had never seen such a beauty! Under the glare of the spotlight, the spirited performance of the waiflike pianist mesmerized him. He wanted to taste that passion for himself! Swept off her feet by the count, Abigail Summers naively thought she'd be forever wined and dined at his château. Instead, the unassuming starlet found herself abandoned, penniless, pregnant… and waiting with bated breath for the brooding Frenchman to read the newspaper headlines and come thundering back to take what was his…. Review: ♥♥♥♥
Kate Hewitt has written a soulful book with two tortured lovers in Count Toussaint’s Baby.
They met at Abby’s concert, went to dinner and then to his hotel. It was magical their feelings even in light though Jean-Luc Toussaint blamed himself for his wife’s death. However, for a brief moment in time, he felt alive and that was because of Abby.
Talk about guilt Luc was feeling for his dead ex-wife. And then there was the beautiful and talented Abby who lived her life as a prodigal pianist for her father. Now due to his mismanagement of her funds, she was penniless. As for Jean-Luc he blamed himself for his past, for hurting his ex-wife and for hurting Abby.
Abby had lived her life for her musical parents. Piano and music was her life and nothing more. She had definitely never felt this way about a man and she was determined that this very special night would be one she would have and that she would give herself to this man even if it meant only this one time. However, it didn’t happen. And then months later he found her in a small seaside town and they made love.
Now months later, he finds out from a newspaper that she was pregnant with his child. Of course, being the rich and successful alpha he was he came after her and brought her home with him to France but there was no emotion shown and I couldn’t even imagine how this sweet young woman could endure not being loved.
There were so many secrets between them. Their only emotional bond between them was their baby. It was a one sided love and Abby really loved him. And when Abby learned his secrets and the mystery of his Chateau and his past I wondered if they would get a chance to make it right. However, it only took Luc to realize that he couldn’t run from his past and that instead of protecting her, he was protecting himself. It was about taking a risk and choosing love.
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥Reviewed by: Marilyn
Author: Maureen Child
Line: Silhouette Desire
Release month: UK/North America: July 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling
Back Blurb:
The revelation turned Erica Prentice's world upside down—by birth, she belonged to a wealthy Colorado dynasty and her real father had left her a fortune. And the Jarrod family attorney, Christian Hanford, was there to show her the ropes. As Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome escorted her around Aspen, Erica was in for a second shock—her fiery attraction to the strictly off-limits attorney. Fraternizing with the Jarrod heiress could get Christian fired.
Which would she choose: duty to her family dynasty…or desire for a dynamic bachelor?
Review: ♥♥♥♥♥
Another marvelous book by the very talented Desire author Maureen Child. This is book one in The Jarrod series. “A powerful family divided by secrets, reunited to forge a dazzling future.” This is Erica Prentice’s story, the illegitimate child of Don Jarrod who had recently passed away.
Erica’s life had been turned upside town when a sexy, handsome lawyer from Colorado turned up and told her the father she’d known her entire life was NOT her father and that she had a sister and brothers. She was also told she had inherited a sixth of the Jarrod estate because Don Jarrod had actually been her real father. Part of her inheritance meant she must return to Colorado and help her brothers and sister run the Jarrod resort.
For Christian Handford the Jarrod attorney, there was immediate attraction when he set his eyes on Erica Prentice. However, he also knew his job would be in jeopardy if he acted on those feelings. He also realized another thing, that he had never been so attracted to a woman before in his life. This beautiful woman who he could sense was very strong, especially the way she took the news, she didn’t cry and told him she would go not for the money but for her, to find out who she was since her whole life had been a lie.
Confronting her father with her news was stressful for her but she needed to know the truth from the man she spent most of her life loving only to not have the love returned. He definitely would not allow her to work in the family business, only her two brothers. He made the revelation that Don Jarrod was her birth father, more about him than her. Erica realized when she learned the truth that her father had wanted to prevent a scandal not protect her. However, in the end she was wrong, he actually loved his daughter, he just had trouble showing the emotion.
Christian made arrangements for Erica to fly out to Aspen so she could acquaint herself with Jarrod Resorts and meet her siblings. Immediately, there was a connection with her sister but a few of her brother’s were a challenge. Her new position was to be working with her brother who was the Marketing Director and she would do the PR for an upcoming Food and Wine event in Aspen. However, the attraction between Christian and Erica went to a new level and he found it more difficult to stay away from her. When it became unbearable they acted on their passion for each other. He still resisted because of the clause that had been put into place by Don about personal involvement with a Jarrod. However, Erica was determined that he know what he was missing and she was determined that they be together.
Claiming Her Billionaire Dollar Birthright was Book 1 in the Jarrod series and a marvelous one. It not only set the stage for the upcoming books in the series, it gave the reader lots to think about, gave a little insight and dynamics into this unusual family who all left town, only to be drawn back by their father from the grave. Desire author Maureen Child did a brilliant job tying together the Jarrod family and Emily Prentice a strong and determined young woman.
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
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Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥Reviewed by: Marilyn
Author: Vicki Lewis Thompson
Line: Harlequin Blaze
Release month: UK/ North America: August 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling and Sensual
Back Blurb:
Following a dream brought Josie Keller to Shoshone, Wyoming. Following her heart brought her plenty of great sex with good-time cowboy Jack Chance! She was head over heels for him… until he left her.
Stay with one woman? Not a chance! Then why does Jack miss Josie like crazy? Had their relationship been more than just incredible sex?
Little do Josie and Jack know that a plan's afoot to get them back in the saddle…together. And once there, it's not long before they're burning up the bedsheets again!
But the past is never far away. Before it catches up with them, Jack has to decide if he's going to stake his claim on Josie, or lose her forever….
Review: ♥♥♥♥♥
He was her last chance!
We’ve all been there and done it and I absolutely couldn't’t wait for each book in this mini-series Sons of Chance, by Blaze author Vicki Lewis Thompson! Hot cowboys who reside in Wyoming on the Chance ranch and raise horses. Each brother handsome and unique and Claimed was the last book in the series, the oldest brother Jack’s story. Honestly, I had a lump in my throat in the final three chapters, it was a real tear jerker! Plus a fabulous cast of secondary characters with a few secrets thrown in for good measure. Conflict, tension at it’s best!
In the first two books Wanted and Ambushed we learned quite a few things about the sons of Jonathan Chance. First of all, their father was killed while picking up a horse, a horse Jack Chance was supposed to take care of and one he asked his father to take care of so he could spend time with his lover Josie Keller, a woman his father wasn’t too fond of his son dating. After the accident, Jack broke up with Josie and broke her heart. He also took over the operation of running the ranch, a duty he never wanted and he became a tyrant, working himself to death and he drove his brothers crazy.
One also learned that Jack had some emotional issues and feelings. His birth mother gave him up and walked away from he and his father. His step mom Sarah Chance, even though he adored her, he kept her at a distance and while she wanted him to call her mom, he insisted in calling her Sarah. All his life, Jack had gotten away with shutting down his emotions. What Josie knew and why their relationship hadn’t worked before and probably wouldn’t work again, was that Jack built up walls so he wouldn’t get hurt, like his mother hurt him when she walked, like his father hurt him when he died. He built them so high, he couldn’t commit to past or presents relationships, that same wall that was keeping Josie out. Until he could tear it down she couldn’t be in his life.
And then there was the woman who drove him wild, Josie Keller, the woman who was going to be in his brother’s wedding along with him, the woman he hurt. He ached for her, he missed her and his family offered him an opportunity to mend fences and see her again so he came up with the plan to teach her to ride a horse because his brother and future bride wanted to get married on horseback at the Chance Ranch. Let’s just say eventually they took up where they left off. I loved Josie, how passionately she still loved Jack but was willing to walk away until he came to his senses. Claimed was a very emotional story for me and reading the final chapters I had tears rolling down my face; I didn’t want the book to end. Talk about an amazing second chance love story.
As I read all three books there was one clear message and that was the legacy that Jonathan Chance left to his sons. Life went on, and their father would have been the first to say it. He would have wanted his three sons to make their mark on the town and to know that the Chance boys had been there. He would also have wanted them to move forward. The ending left me thinking and hoping that author Vicki Lewis Thompson will somehow continue this series, writing Josie’s brother’s story and the secondary characters in the series she so lovingly created.
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn
Author: Kim Lawrence
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents
Release month: UK Sept 2010: North America: Nov 2010
The S-Factor: Sexy
Back Blurb:
When blue blood turns bad...Illegitimacy scandal rocks Balfour legacy. Last night there was only one place to see and be seen at - the Balfour Charity Ball. But despite the glitz and the glamour, all was not as it seemed. Behind the scenes, Olivia Balfour and her scandalous twin Bella were locked in a battle over a shocking discovery - their late mother, socialite Alexandra Balfour, had conceived their sister Zoe during an illicit affair! The beautiful Balfour twins were witnessed in the midst of a cat-fight...Were they ever going to tell their little sister, girl-about-town Zoe, the devastating revelation...?
There is no Balfour blood running through Zoe Balfour's veins! The Balfour name might be synonymous with glamour and style. But this is the second illegitimate family member to be outed in as many months. It seems this dynasty is rotten to its core. Now Balfour is just a by-word for disgrace and scandal! Such behaviour at this commemorative ball can only lead us to conclude that the Balfour twins are following in their mother's distinctly uncertain footsteps. Is it too late to stop the rot? We challenge Oscar Balfour, the proud patriarch of this crumbling family: wake up and smell the scandal!
Review: ♥♥♥♥
Sophie Balfour was the middle child of the family, the quiet, shy one, and she lived on the estate in the carriage house with her mother where she had studied a interior design course from her home. And how after the Balfour Charity Ball and the scandal involving her sister Zoe, her father is determined that all of his girls will go out on the own and learn something about hard work. He has a past friend who owns a shop and so he sends Sophie there to work. Sophie works very hard and is put always in the background and because of her determination to succeed they take advantage of her and pile on tons of work. And then with they get the call from the handsome Italian Billionaire Marco Speranza that he wants to restore is family villa in Sicily, the owner plus her co-workers are unavailable to go so in the end, they must send Sophie. She arrives in Italy, with no luggage, wearing a sack dress to hide her generous curves and falls asleep in Marco’s office while waiting for him to return to his office. He’s not interested, and is surprised to see such a “plain Jane” sitting there. However, Sophie is fierce with her presentation and in the end he agrees, but she must oversee the job not her boss. There is something about her that intrigues Marco.
Marco had once been married and had married for love. He had expected someday to have a family but once the ring was on his wife’s finger, she told him she had other ideas. And then time after time she humiliated him and he finally divorced her and moved out of his family villa. Now he had returned and was going to hire an interior design firm in England to bid the job. At the last minute the owner had to send Sophie Balfour as she was the only one able to give the proposal because the others were unavailable.
Their initial meeting was very interesting. He wanted to call a halt but Sophie was determined to succeed not only for her boss but to show her father she could. There was something intriguing about the girl and her determination and eventually she wore him down and agreed to take her out to his villa the next day. For Marco, this Englishwoman seemed half alive and yet the was passion just below the surface. As a Balfour she had a life most people would dream of and yet she wasn’t living it. He was also troubled because this plain woman with no fashion sense intrigued him, plus the fact that she hid her curves.
Marco felt anger at the Balfour family who had allowed Sophie to become invisible just because she was the quiet one. Behind her smiles and quiet manner, she was stubborn as anyone he’d met and she was also quietly ruthless when it came to getting her own way. He felt this was why the project came in under budget and was finished ahead of time. She had a body that drove him wild and she responded to him like to one else. She was sweet, stubborn and most of all loyal. One thing was for sure during the evening of his ball Sophie had organized, there was no comparison between his ex-wife and Sophie. She was pure and said what was in her heart. She brought his home back to life and when he finally realized it there was no turning back. They both had a marvelous perfect and happy ending.
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥ Reviewed by: Marilyn
Author: India Grey
Line: Mills and Boon Special Release/Harlequin PresentsRelease month: UK: August 2010 North America: October 2010
The S-Factor: Sensual
Back Blurb:
She ran away from her fairytale lifestyle when she’d discovered her father was a cheat and a liar. Now she’s struggling to make ends meet. When Prince Luis Cordoba sees Emily teaching underprivileged kids to dance, he instantly recognises a Balfour heiress. But Emily’s pride won’t make it easy for the prince to rescue her – especially when she’s uncomfortably attracted to him…
Review: ♥♥♥♥♥
Emily’s Innocence was a superbly written Cinderella story and a very teary one at that by the very talented India Grey. The fairy tale ending so unique if told would definitely ruin the reader’s experience.
Emily Balfour was looking forward to the Balfour Charity Ball and then an unbelievable thing happened, she’d was kissed in the gardens by the very handsome playboy Prince Luis Cordoba of Santosa. She had never in her life felt such burning desire and then he had embarrassed her by saying “call me when you grow up!” A lot had happened in her family, the loss of her mother, a sister they didn’t know about and her untimely arrival. It had all been too much; the emotions of it all cost her ballet career. And now months later and yet another scandal in her family which was revealed at the ball along with a picture of Luis in attendance. However, Emily’s had not been living at the manor, she’s disappeared after the first scandal and death of her mother. She was living in another city in a shabby rental and teaching ballet at a shabby youth center.
Life had also changed for Prince Luis, he had lost his bother and sister-in-law in a tragic accident and his father the King was gravely ill. The palace press were trying to change his playboy image and one of the things they had planned for him while he was in England was to visit different charities boosting his image. As fate would have it, they visited the very youth center where Emily taught to witness a ballet and to donate money. Imagine the shock for both Luis and Emily when they discovered each other. More of a shock to Luis was Emily’s appearance and her using the name Jones instead of Balfour. While attending the ballet he thought of his shy little orphaned niece and it pricked his conscience that he really didn’t know her and watching Emily with a shy little dancer moved something inside him. He was determined to find out why she was using another name so he demanded she have dinner with him at his hotel. He could see she was dead on her feet and wore clothing not fit for a Balfour. However, he did call her father and told him he’d found Emily and due to the Balfour scandal he’d take care of and talk to her.
Luis found out a couple of things about Emily, she was still suffering from the loss of her mother, the arrival of an unexpected sister and her outlook on the morals of her father. Plus the loss of her ballet career because she was so emotional. However, he also found out from her father that whatever Emily Balfour did she did it passionately with her whole heart and soul. Personally, I thought that statement was the key to who she was plus the fact she revealed to Luis that honor, trust and truth were important in a relationship. Luis understanding that Emily wasn’t ready to go home and was eager to get away from where she was living and working, offered her a job teaching his niece ballet and she could stay in the palace and in the end, she accepted.
The Prince was a wolf, always touching, taunting and it was driving her crazy plus she fell immediately in-love with his little niece Luciana. Of course, Luis had his father to worry about his secretary Tomas and his press secretary was driving him crazy trying to reinvent his image. And the paparazzi had a field day when he took Emily out to dinner or the ballet and Luis couldn’t seem to keep his hands off of her. Their relationship grew to a boiling point and became a very sensual and a passionate one, a most romantic one and Emily fell deeply for him. But the fact still remained; when his father passed away he would be King and would be expected to marry one of the women chosen for him. He knew he didn’t want to hurt Emily and that he would always care for her and he really tried to keep her at a distance. And then the worst thing happened, the King died and Emily’s heart was broken.
Emily’s Innocence was such a wonderful romantic love story with a charming and beautiful ending, giving this innocent young Emily Balfour her Prince Charming in a most spectacular way. India, the ending was amazing!
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥Weepy Factor♥♥♥Reviewed by: Marilyn
Behind the Book:
See what author India Grey has to say at IHeartPresents
Author: Sharon Kendrick
Line: Mills and Boon Special Release/Harlequin Presents
Release month: UK: August 2010 North America: September 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling
Back Blurb:
After another of Kat’s exploits makes headline news, Oscar Balfour calls in a favor. Spanish tycoon Carlos Guerrero will employ Kat as cabin crew on his luxury yacht. Trapped in the middle of the ocean with the most fiercely sexy and powerful man she has ever met, can Kat swallow her pride and learn the most important lesson of her life?
Review: ♥♥♥♥♥
Another incredible romance written by author Sharon Kendrick. Kat’s Pride part of The Balfour Legacy series was a very emotional and sensual read. The Balfour’s were famous for their scandals, wealth, beautiful daughters and their annual Balfour Charity Ball.
Looking back a year ago at her father’s charity ball, Kat remembered how she had humiliated herself with the handsome Spanish billionaire Carlos Guerrero. He was absolutely the most handsome man she had ever seen; she was drawn to him and didn’t understand the emotions she was feeling. She shamelessly flirted with him and he made it plain to her he didn’t like it, nor her behaviour and thought her to be a spoiled rich girl. Kat rarely dated and she put up an armor using fashion and make-up to hide behind. She truly felt the moment you showed hurt, you made yourself vulnerable. However, her spirits were lightened when her father told her he was sending her away to the Mediterranean to sail on a luxury yacht.
Carlos Guerrero was not a happy man because he let Oscar Balfour talk him into taking his daughter Kat and putting her to work on his yacht to teach her responsibility. He didn’t like the young woman, even thought he thought she was beautiful, the didn’t like the way she behaved and the way she flirted. He remembered he had turned her down. You can well imagine when Kat realized not only was it his yacht, her cabin wasn’t a luxury one and she would be cooking and cleaning for his staff she exploded and wanted to be returned to the mainland. In fact she tried by jumping off the boat and had to be rescued by him.
Kat hid behind being impeccably made-up and high fashion, always showing a brittle exterior while really she was insecure inside. She was terrified someone would find out. So when he bated her, she fought back. Her first days onboard were miserable because she had never cooked a day in her life. She failed and he smirked and taunted her. Finally, she asked to use the computer to get some instructions and recipes and she actually enjoyed cooking and the crew and Carlos were amazed and pleased.
Kat and Carlos sparred until it became too much and they acted on their lust when one night when Kat had a nightmare about how her stepfather died. Carlos woke her, cuddled with her and then made love to her. Talk about combustive, I was surprised the yacht didn’t explode. And to his amazement he also found out she was a virgin.
However, one problem occurred to Carlos. He hadn’t used protection and he was the experienced one and now they had to wait it out to see if Kat was expecting his baby. As the days followed, they continued to be close, so close that Carlos share like when he was a young bullfighter and how his father had abused him. He didn’t want his child to feel that their father would be living their life through them, just like his father had done to him. And then one morning Kat came to him and told him she was not pregnant so he sent her home. Only to learn via the press that she was seen leaving an OB’s office.
They each in their own way had suffered pain and both used ways to protect themselves. In ways, they were very much alike….stubborn, passionate. I began to wonder if they could both put their demons in the past and move forward as a couple and embrace their upcoming baby. Kat’s Pride was book 2 in the Balfour Legacy, one I will long treasure. In one word it was stunning!
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
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Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
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Weepy Factor♥♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn
Author: Kelly Hunter
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents Extra
Release month: UK: March 2010 North America: November 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling and Sensual
Back Blurb:
Businesswoman Madeline Delacourte has no time and no need for a man in her life; after all, her late husband left her independently wealthy. But then she meets Luke Bennett. With his hard body and even harder attitude to life he poses a challenge, and awakens a hunger she didn’t know she had…
Luke is only visiting Singapore for a week, and Madeline knows she’s playing with fire. He is as roguish as he is seductive, and if she unleashes this bad boy’s passion she’d better learn how
to tame it – otherwise it’s her who’ll end up getting burnt…
Review: ♥♥♥♥♥
Untameable Rogue was a most unusual romance set in Singapore with a heroine that sincerely tugged at my heart strings thanks to author Kelly Hunter.
Madeline Delacourte was a interesting heroine who by her shear strength managed to survive a tragic childhood and lost so much but was in the end, a survivor. She married an extremely wealthy man 30 years older, did not love him but was faithful to him and now she was a widow. Maddy built up her husbands company with determination but what I adored about her was that she took street kids to her friend Jacob Bennett’s dojo which if they worked hard and didn’t steel they would get housing and food. Please the fact these children were saved.
On one particular day while taking a child to the dojo she met Jacob’s brother, Luke and all I can say is the sparks fly and for Maddy, he’s the first man in years that makes her ache with need to get to know him in a most personal way. It’s the very same for Luke, this proud “warrior” who for a living flies all over the world with the dangerous occupation of detonating bombs.
Luke Bennett couldn’t stop thinking about Maddy, so they began seeing other, sleeping with each other and everything became complicated because they sincerely started caring for each other. They somehow became a team and they complimented each other. Top it off, Luke’s brother was there in Singapore, Maddy’s housekeeper adored him, Po the boy who was now residing at the dojo loved him and there were times they all spent time together and became in a strange sort of way a family.
Then their balanced lives changed when Luke kept being called away in the middle of the night and went to another corner of the world. And then the worst happened, he was shot and it scared Maddy to death because she realized she loved Luke. But would he love her back and give up his dangerous job and settle down with her in Singapore? She knew Luke was a warrior with “honour, soul deep and absolute. Duty-bound, forsaking all else”. As much as she admired him, she loved him and wanted him safe!
Most people in Maddy’s social circle gossiped about her, said horrible things about her, trashing her and when they overheard someone saying she sold herself on a street corner she felt the need to explain that those remarks weren’t true. She felt she didn’t fit in Luke’s honorable life, they fought and Luke was angry because he wanted her to believe in him like he believed in her. It was hard for Luke to accept why she married a wealthy husband she didn’t love and the money also bothered him. As for Maddy, she was afraid of getting hurt because most of her life had been full of that emotion. However, in the end this couple get their happy ending in a most glorious way. When I emailed Kelly to see if there was a behind the book story, you can see her answer. I can’t wait to read another Bennett story.
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn
Behind the Book:
“When I wrote my very first hmb 'Wife For A Week' and introduced my heroine, Hallie, I made the newbie mistake of giving her four completely over the top overprotective big brothers, all with ridiculously alpha occupations that I knew nothing about. They were wanderers, these brothers. Thrill seekers not inclined to settle down. And then I had to write them”. K. Hunter
Author: Lucy Monroe
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents
Release month: UK: July 2010 North America: August 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling, Sexy and very Sensual!
Back Blurb:
No-strings fling…to wedding ring?
Self-made billionaire Zephyr Nikos has come a long way from the streets of Athens, but his heart is stone-cold – like marble. He can’t offer Piper Madison his love; instead he offers her his world: fine dining, private jet, rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful…
As their passion heats up and finally reaches boiling point, Zephyr and Piper must end their affair before one of them gets hurt. There’s just one small complication…Piper’s pregnancy test just came back positive!
Traditional Greek Husbands
Notorious Greek tycoons seek brides!
Review: ♥♥♥♥♥
Lucy Monroe has written a very sensual, moving and spectacular romance with The Greek’s Pregnant Lover. Spectacular doesn’t even begin to describe this no strings fling and I wondered if there would be a ring?
Childhood friends Zephyr and Neo met in a Greek orphanage, and left Greece at a very young age on a freighter and headed for Seattle where they as young men made their billions in real estate. We met Neo in The Shy Bride, Lucy’s first book and now this story is about the hard Greek Zephyr Nikos and his interior designer Piper Madison, his “friend with benefits”, his lover and his sincere friend. Zephyr knew someday he would probably marry but it definitely wouldn’t be for love, because love hurt and he had learned that as a very small child when his mother left him at an orphanage and left a life of prostitution and her husband who was her pimp for another man who offered her marriage. He begged her not to leave him but she did. Because of that he forged such a deep friendship with Neo and they bonded as not only business partners but as dear friends and brothers! He also developed a deep friendship with Piper, he enjoyed her beauty, personality and had respect for her as a designer and for her developing her new business. However, the had been separated for well over a month and he missed her. Now she was coming to Greece so they could work on an exclusive resort/spa project on a private island.
Piper grew up moving from city to city because her father was in the military and her deepest dream was to someday have love and a permanent home. She knew deep down because of a failed marriage and now being with Zephyr that it would probably not happen but she also realized while in Greece she loved him. After suffering a painful divorce from a cheating husband and having her reputation trashed by him. She was forced to leave New York and move to Seattle to start over. Zephyr had given her a second chance by hiring her which gave her to open her own design business.
Piper and Zephyr spent some down time alone in Greece just enjoying each other. She also realized in Greece after he revealed the secrets of his past and trust me they were upsetting, that he would never love her. Piper was on the “patch” so when they ran out of contraption, they both agreed it was OK not to use any. However, days later when taking a shower she realized it had gone missing…..what a mess and could she be pregnant. It definitely was nothing they intended. He trusted friendship very much and she couldn't’ understand if she was pregnant why he wouldn’t trust that a marriage would work. However, he knew he could not give her something she made clear and that would be love. So off they go to the private island and wait to see if she is expecting his child.
There was one thing for sure while on the island it was intense. However they had a very successful business trip and then returned to Seattle. She promised after seeing her OB-Gyn to see if she was pregnant she would call but a week went by and no word. He had time to think and he was NOT going to be a part time father and he was not going to beg her to marry him. He was determined she would accept and he went crazy when he couldn't’t find her. But one thing was clear, he begged his mother once not to leave him, to love him and he would never do that again or would he?
Their pasts definitely shaped their future, plus their friendship, their deep and powerful passion for each other. My heart ached for Zephyr because deep down I knew he loved Piper because besides Neo, she actual got him and deep down he knew it! The ending of The Greek’s Pregnant Lover was so very intense and moving it broke my heart learning of this proud Greek’s feelings and his turmoil. And my heart broke for Piper because she loved him so. This book will remain on my keeper shelf, along with the other Lucy Monroe’s incredible and amazing love stories……thanks Lucy!
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥♥♥
Reviewed by: Marilyn
Author: Maisey Yates
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents Extra
Release month: UK: August 2010 / North America: October 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling and Sensual
Back Blurb:
Daring proposal…
When Elaine gives her business presentation to Marco De Luca she thinks she can be cool, calm and collected. She’s wrong! The fierce tycoon can see straight through her shapeless suits and scraped back hair and get right under her skin…
Ruthless awakening!
She may have proposed marriage as the perfect business arrangement, but suddenly Elaine’s not quite so confident. Marco’s made it clear that he’s no modern man – if he takes a wife he wants a ravishing beauty by his side, and at his beck and call day…and night!
Review: ♥♥♥♥♥
Over the past three years I’ve had the privilege of reading many debut authors from the Mills and Boon and Harlequin Presents Line. His Virgin Acquisition by debut author Maisey Yates takes conflict to a new level! It’s a very fresh, passionate and a roller coaster romance and one that had me reading well into the early morning. Personally, Maisey has I believe, an amazing career ahead of her and one that will thrill many readers of category romance. Her characters have depth and passion plus the conflict which makes for a wonderful love story.
They were both two high powered people with their sole purpose to succeed. Two people who came from such sad backgrounds. Marco DeLuca from a father that turned his mother and brother out into the streets and his mother choosing a rich man over taking care of her sons and abandoning them to take care of themselves,. And Elaine Chapman knew her father loved her but never thought enough of her abilities to run his company when he retired. As for Elaine’s mother, when she couldn’t get the attention and love from her husband, she sought out other lovers.
Talk about an interesting story line. Elaine came to the very rich, sexy, billionaire Marco, to propose a marriage of convenience with no intimacy with her goal being in the end, she would get her father’s company and he would gain some acquisitions because he had settled down. In the end , they both would win due to an air tight prenup! She was a very buttoned up woman, one that had been trashed by an ex-boyfriend which trashed her career and reputation.
However, Marco the man of the hour, the very sexy Italian alpha was known for his business acumen, for his success and for his appeals of dating models, starlets and beautiful women. Could he agree to this marriage of convenience? Yes, but only on his terms and he would change her amid would give her a makeover and show the curves she’d hidden. If she was going to be Mrs. DeLuca, then she would look and act the part. In the end, she would get what she wanted….. her father’s company because he had purchased it and would give it back to her when their arrangement was over.
Their timeline was quick….they needed to be seen together socially, then marriage and then off to Hawaii so Marco could acquire an exclusive resort. From the moment they agreed to marry, the tension sizzled between them and she being the inexperienced woman she was, couldn’t and didn’t understand what was happening. Even though she tried to tap it down, her emotions kept flaring, sensual ones that in the end she decided to give herself to her new husband. OMG, talk about emotions and passion when they finally couldn’t fight it anymore and the tension building up to it had me sitting on the edge of my chair and reading about their month together in Hawaii was incredible.
However, there were trust issues so very strong and issues that Marco didn’t understand…..especially his feelings for this most amazing woman. He believed Elaine to be like all women, always having an agenda and then the most horrible thing happened, Elaine found herself pregnant. Something Marco never wanted…..children and then the worst…..anger, harsh words and on and on. Honestly I thought, could their marriage of convenience get any worse and would they salvage it?
His Virgin Acquisition was an amazing and very well crafted romance, one I will remember for a very long time. If I didn’t know that was Maisey Yates debut book, I would have thought she had written several love stories. If you love attraction, forgiveness, passion and conflict, this is the book for you! Thank you Maisey for letting me be a part of your professional journey, the book was most amazing!
Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥♥♥Reviewed by: Marilyn
Behind the Book:
“I started writing the book right after my second son was born. I knew I wanted to write Presents, and suddenly Elaine was there, and she was demanding to have her story told. Of course, then I had to find the man who was...well, man enough to handle her! And that's where Marco came in.” M. Yates
