FALCO: THE DARK GUARDIAN (Orsini Brothers) – Sandra Marton

Author: Sandra Marton


Line: Mills and Boon Modern /Harlequin Presents

Release month: UK: AUG 2010 USA: NOV 2010

The S-Factor: Sexy

Back Blurb:

Revered businessman Falco Orsini has left life in the Special Forces behind—though he uses his powerful skills occasionally, when duty calls.

But duty is always on Falco's terms! When his estranged father asks him to protect a young model that is being stalked, he begrudgingly agrees…only because of the vulnerability he can see in her eyes.

Elle Bissette won't be a victim—she can take care of herself! And surely big, dark, devilish Falco is dangerous. Because one kiss from a man like him will leave her breathless….

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

I’m never disappointed while reading a Sandra Marton romance and this series, the Orsini brothers has been exceptional. Falco: The Dark Guardian was tense, dangerous and full of sweet and tender romance. Like his brother’s, Falco Orsini was proud, arrogant and extremely handsome and a knight in shining armour.

Casare Orsini was the head of the mob and his sons absolutely did not approve. However, he had used the excuse he was dying and had asked his sons to help him and now he was enlisting the help of his son Falco. He owed a favor to an old friend who was a film director in Hollywood. One of his actresses was being stalked and threatened and she did not want the police involved. As Falco had served in the Army in Special Forces, his father requested that he fly out to California and be Elle Bissette’s bodyguard. His father had photos of her, she was beautiful and there was something in her eyes that drew him to her and made him want to protect her.

Elle Bissette had a secret past, even though she knew the threats were serious she didn’t want people to know about her past life. She had once been a model and then came the chance to star in a film. However, it wasn’t just the pictures of her she received in the mail with the threats, her stalker was now calling her at home. She didn’t want the world to know about where she came from and what had happened all of those years ago. Now she was faced with a darkly handsome man sent to protect her and she wasn’t going to have any of it! They argued and in the end, Falco won. However, not before yelling at each other and Elle was not going to let him take charge of her life.

What was it about Elle that attracted Falco? Was it her beauty, spirit or her fear? They fought, yet he followed her and then a series of things happened, from a break-in at her cabin, to her home where it was very clear to them both that the stalker was extremely dangerous. From time to time, there was some kissing, touching and barbs, it lead to a very fascinating story. I wondered who would kill who because they constantly fought and the barbs were given freely. Upon returning to her Hollywood home and seeing the mess, Falco took matters into his hands, hired a jet and took Elle to Maui where they lived in a secluded home.

Their relationship changed immediately. As shy and inexperienced as Elle was she knew she was attracted to him. When Falco kissed her, her fear of being intimate changed to desire and passion thanks to this Italian’s understanding and patience. Their days were romantic and incredible until Elle finally trusted Falco enough to tell him her story. Oh boy, what a story! And then he sent her away first with tears and then anger to keep her safe back to California with his friend. He said it was over! With the stalker dead he went home to New York in a bad temper!

I wondered how their story would end and Sandra Marton didn’t disappoint me. A beautifully written romance…..sweet and tender yet there was also anger and danger which had me sitting on the edge of my seat. In the end, they both were willing to make sacrifices to get their happy ending.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

RED WINE WITH HER SEXY EX – Kate Hardy (Chateau Lefevre)

Author: Kate Hardy
Line: Mills and Boon Modern Heat/Harlequin Presents Extra
Release month: UK: Sept 2010 USA: Dec 2010
The S-Factor: Steamy and Sexy

Back Blurb:

Her head says no!


Yes, Xavier Lefèvre was still the most gorgeous guy Allegra had ever met. If it were possible, he'd got even tastier with age! But everything has changed since that long, hot summer affair years ago. This time it's strictly business - like it or not they both own the vineyard, and she isn't going to see Xavier her piece of the label!


But her body screams yes!


Now she has two months to prove to him she'll make a great partner, and to persuade herself she doesn't need him in her bed. Yet who is she kidding? Even the thought is far too tempting, far too delicious...


Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

What an incredible and beautiful love story set in France wine country by the very talented Kate Hardy. The Chateau Lefevre series is described as “Rich and spicy – these men are as irresistible as their wine”. Trust me, Xavier and Guy Lefevre and two fabulous Frenchmen.

Truly a romance about second chances Red Wine and Her Sexy Ex was actually about a vigneron, Xavier Lefevre who gave up a young woman he had fallen in love with because he was duty bound to his father and the vineyard employees. However, now Allegra Beauchamp was coming home to France and he feared that she was going to make trouble for him. When he really needed her years before, she had broken his heart and now she was returning to her Uncle’s home, a little too late as he had passed away. The very same wonderful man who had provided a home for her each summer and she never even returned for his funeral.

Xav wanted to buy her out but she wasn’t going to allow him to purchased her Uncle’s land, the Uncle who she so adored. Just seeing Xavier made her heart race, made her remember those years ago when then love was so sweet and pure, the very same young man who took her virginity. The man who broke her heart! Well let him think again, she was here to stay, to learn the wine business and make her contribution whether he liked it or not! What Allie didn’t count on was how much Xav still affected her and how much the more time they spent together, the more she remembered what they had shared.

So many secrets Xav kept from Allie, the reason he hadn’t gone to Paris or come to her in London, his mother’s affair, the vineyard problems, his father’s health and his parents divorce. However, Allie was also to blame. Only being eighteen, she was somewhat clingy and wanted him to come for her. Their time spent at the vineyard and chateau, her suggestions for marketing and sales, was wonderful to read. Kate Hardy obviously had been to France and provided great insight into the wine industry. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the different grapes and wines and the beautiful countryside. I felt I was actually there during harvest time.

Working alongside of Allie became torture for Xav as he could see himself falling in love with her like all of those years ago. And if things got tough would she walk away again and leave him? She had some great ideas for the vineyard and she was getting to him. So much so, Xav finally gave in and they made love. Allie knew she had never stopped loving this man but he thought it was just physical or so he kept telling himself. He had trust issues and wondered if she’d be just like his mother and bail out! They also went together to Paris to meet with a distributor, the city where Xav years ago was going to propose to her and I wondered it they would survive the trip and maybe get their second chance?

I so love a romance with a happy ending and yes, Xav and Allie get theirs but there were a few bumps in the road, enough to send her back to London and in the end, him chasing after her because she was more important to him than the vineyard, France; without her he would be lost because she not only loved him, she believed in him.

Note: You won’t want to miss Kate Hardy’s Champagne with a Celebrity. It’s about Xav’s brother Guy; another marvelous love story involving Xav’s and Allie’s wedding, perfume, food and a sexy event planner!

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the book   

SENSIBLE HOUSEKEEPER, SCANDALOUSLY PREGNANT – JENNIE LUCAS

Author: Jennie Lucas
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents Extra
Release month: UK: June 2010 North America: September 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling and very Sensual!


Back Blurb:


THE HOUSEKEEPER


What right did Argentinean billionaire Rafael Cruz have to demand her in his bed? Housekeeper Louisa Grey had managed his homes impeccably. She'd catered to his every appetite—except…


THE BOSS


Oh, no, his virgin housekeeper did not flirt…but their simmering attraction had Rafael so close to losing control. And if there was one thing he was good at—besides seduction—it was taking charge!


THE BABY?


But now they'd never be able to go back to being just boss and employee….


Review: ♥♥♥♥♥


Author Jennie Lucas has written a breathtaking romance with Sensible Housekeeper, Scandalously Pregnant one I consider to be on my top list list for 2010.


There are absolutely no words to describe the intensity of this love story, the pain I felt for Louisa Grey a woman who by both of the men she loved was so misjudged. And then the final blow, the man she loved, her boss, the very same man she gave her virginity to, believed a rumor about her and thought she was setting out to trap him.


Where to begin? Housekeeper Louisa Grey escaped one bad relationship in which she gave her heart to a man she was to marry until her sister sole him away by sleeping with him and becoming pregnant. Now she had a chance to start over in France as the housekeeper of the well known “ladies man” Argentinean billionaire Rafael Cruz. She was such a hard working woman not only as his housekeeper; she did everything for him from managing his homes, his staff, waiting on him hand and foot and watching him date beautiful women. She knew that his women were irreplaceable and no one will steal his heart.


From being his housekeeper in France, Louisa now found herself in Istanbul because of a one night stand she had with him in Paris. It was very complicated how the one night happened but now she feared she had become accidentally pregnant with his child and he was due to arrive shortly for his birthday party in his Istanbul home. It had been five months since they had seen each other, long months for them both. Rafael was in a fowl mood because he had found out the identity of his father only to arrive and find out he had passed away and he was too late in meeting him.


While reading the early chapters I realized that Rafael had a “dark” side and for the most part it was because he felt betrayed by his mother and step father not having the opportunity to get to know his biological father. However, he honestly trusted Louisa and she affected him on a personal level. He was determined to resume his relationship with Louisa, keeping her as his household manager. He even rewarded her, his mistress with a trip to a private Greek Island. However, his birthday party turned into a disaster and Louisa found out she was pregnant. Then he found out about her past fiance, and accused her of nasty things.


She had wanted his birthday to be perfect, she even baked his favorite brownies and dress in a lovely black dress, not her normal baggy clothes. Louisa knew it would end when she told him she was pregnant. She had given Rafael everything of herself, made his homes beautiful and had sacrificed her every need for him. And he paid her back by making curt remarks about how she was dressed, accused her of possibly trying to trap him, like her sister had with a child. However, the truth was she realized, for years she had made excuses for his bad behaviour and told herself he had some goodness inside him. And she thought herself a fool for loving him. And then for Louisa the light bulb went on, she couldn’t tell him she was expecting his child, she needed to life to him and immediately get out of his life because he wouldn’t believe that it was an accident, even though she was protected by the pill.


As fate would have it, Louisa returned home to the United States, made up with her sister and together they started a bakery with one of the most popular items offered, the brownies that Rafael so loved. Now she, her son, niece and sister lived together and were happy. She adored her family and her work until one day who should walk a year and a half later, who should walk through the door but Rafael. He wanted her back, he apologized and told her he needed her and then he found out she lied to him about their son and everything fell apart.


Just when I thought this USA Today Bestselling Author couldn’t make their love story anymore intense, well I was knocked for a loop! Once this proud billionaire found out she had lied and he had a son, everything turned upside down. Even though I personally tried to put myself in his shoes and thought about what he missed out on with his son and his father, it didn’t excuse for me, his anger and treatment of the two women in his life, Louisa his now wife and his mother. Just when I thought this couldn’t get anymore intense, wham! From threats of taking away her baby, to resuming their relationship, a fallout with his mother and then abruptly moving the family to Paris and threatening her she would loose her son if he saw his Grandmother……honestly, my heart was racing!


Sensible Housekeeper, Scandalously Pregnant was simply amazing! By ending this review and not discussing the ending, it would only be fair to fans of Jennie Lucas, the Mills and Boon and Harlequin Presents line. Trust me, they do get their happy ending? The last chapters were “tough” to read because everything Rafael Cruz thought true was wrong and it took two strong women who loved him and his son to show him the way.


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Reviewed by: Marilyn


Behind the Book:


For the behind the book story and an incredible brownie recipe that the heroine served her lover, take a look here on Jennie’s website!

AT THE BILLIONAIRE’S BECK AND CALL – Rachel Bailey

Author: Rachel Bailey
Line: Silhouette Desire
Release month: UK / North America: September 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling and Sexy


Back Blurb:


Corporate raider takes contract wife


In a merger tailor-made for the tabloids, tycoon Ryder Bramson sought Macy Ashley’s hand in marriage. But his true goal was to buy her father’s company—and thereby wrest control of his own conglomerate from his illegitimate brothers. To ensnare Macy in his web of intrigue, Ryder first offered the beautiful businesswoman a job in his start-up. Yet slipping the ring on her finger proved more difficult.


Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Another fabulous love story from Desire author Rachel Bailey. Chocolate, a beautiful woman and a sexy CEO, her boss with an agenda. Talk about one steamy and roller coaster romance!

Macy Ashley had a powerful desire to be the CEO of an Australian company, Chocolate Diva. She had a presentation to give Ryder Bramson, her USA boss. What she didn’t count on was not only how handsome he was but that he had a hidden agenda. He wanted her as his wife and he had made a secret deal with her father to buy out his company which would give him the much needed shares to give him control over his business.

Macy had left the US to make a life for herself in Australia. Her mother had died when she was only thirteen and her father had turned to her sister leaving Macy so alone. Ryder as a child, had a similar situation in which his father had married his mother for her money. He actually had two families. He stayed married to her mother but had a mistress and two sons by the union spending time with his second family. He had passed away suddenly before his affairs could be settled leaving Ryder no option but to purchase Macy’s father’s company. However, he felt a strong attraction for her, knew in his heart it would be a good marriage because the chemistry was certainly there and she was a beautiful and accomplished young woman. Now he only had a few weeks to convince her that their marriage would be a good one and he would be faithful.

Such an emotional read with a chain of events happening one after another. From their first kiss being photographed , traveling together and fighting their mutual attraction and ending up in each others arms. Learning from the newspapers about Ryder’s deal with her father. Ryder learning about his stepbrother’s death and having to return home to the US. Top it all off when Macy realized that she loved Ryder even though she was aware he couldn’t love her back.

As emotional as At the Billionaire’s Beck and Call was to read , I loved author Rachel Bailey’s, Ryder Bramson. He knew what he wanted and he went after it, and that was Macy. However, I prayed in the end he would realize how much he loved her and what a special life they would share together. Happy endings are what make the perfect romance and you won’t want to miss reading Macy’s and Ryder's story.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

FIRED WAITRESS, HIRED MISTRESS – ROBYN GRADY (Jet Set Billionaires)

Author: Robyn Grady
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents Extra
Release month: UK: March 2010 North America: Sept 2010
The S-Factor: Sexy


Back Blurb:


There's only one position he wants her in...


Nina Petrelle, disastrous waitress to over-privileged island holidaymakers, has just been fired by her high-handed new boss


Gabe Steele - aka the smoking hot stranger she's just spent the best night of her life with Gabe can't say no to Nina's endless sun-kissed legs and her too-smart mouth that he's just craving to keep busy! But, despite the sun, sand and scorching hot nights, his head is definite - it's only a temporary fling isn't it?


Review: ♥♥♥♥♥


Fired Waitress, Hired Mistress by Robyn Grady was a fabulous rags to riches for the hero but for the heroine, quite the opposite. Then add sizzling attraction, danger and a startling reunion for Nina and Gabe set on an exclusive tropical paradise, it’s a perfect romance you’ll not want to miss.


Nina Peterelle for the most part and lived a charmed life until her brother and father died and her mother went through her father’s wealth. She had a job she adored in publishing until due to the economy she lost it. Through a friend she learned about a waitress job at a luxury resort and hopefully she would earn enough to keep her home. However, a few things became very clear to Nina that #1 the employees resented her because a friend helped her get the job and #2, she wasn’t cut out for her position.


Gabe Steele was quite the alpha hero in more ways than one because he saved Nina from drowning when he spotted her leg trapped in a log with the tide coming in on her day off. There immediately was a physical attraction between them, they felt it, it seemed familiar and unreal. Gabe ran a very successful accounting firm and was also the owner of the exclusive resort was that wasn’t revealed to Nina until it was too late. Gabe thought Nina was a guest and didn’t know she was a waitress. What he also didn’t realize was he knew her years ago when she was a “mean girl”. A spoilt rich girl, who said mean things to him, the sister of his best friend.


Talk about an uncomfortable reunion especially since they had become very intimate. Then the walls came tumbling down when each of their secrets were revealed their identities, their occupations, their goals, their dreams. They were both different people now. Nina had learned so much from her experience at the resort and there was one thing she learned for sure, who she was and what she wanted out of life. She also knew she loved Gabe but in the end she would need to leave him and the resort behind to protect herself and her heart.


Fired Waitress, Hired Mistress was a beautifully crafted romance by the extremely talented Robyn Grady pairing together two such different lovers together and weaving a love story and giving the couple a happy ending.


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Reviewed by: Marilyn


Behind the Book:


Author Robyn Grady talks about her journey to becoming an author and talks about how it relates to her latest release.

TAMING HER BILLIONAIRE BOSS (The Jarrods) – Maxine Sullivan

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


Back Blurb:


No one quit on Blake Jarrod! So when his devoted assistant suddenly turned in her resignation, the hotelier wanted answers. Though, Samantha Thompson wasn't talking. Turning her two-weeks' notice into four, Blake gave himself one month to seduce the truth from her. And despite his rule about business and pleasure never mixing, Blake intended to make the most of his endeavor….


Review: ♥♥♥♥♥


Author Maxine Sullivan has written a magnificent addition to The Jarrods series. As head of the family’s Aspen resort Blake Jarrod is one workaholic, just like his deceased father who drilled that into all of his children. And now they are all paying because Donald Jarrod's will stipulated his children must return home for one year and work at the resort. Blake being only a few minutes older than his twin Guy, is doing a brilliant job per his siblings and the board of executives. He had the experience as he own properties in Las Vegas.


Samantha Thompson was Blake's executive assistant and she excelled at her job, working evenings and weekends right along side of her sexy boss. It was getting harder and harder for her to see him with other beautiful women because he had stolen her heart and so she decided to give her resignation to save what was left of her heart! He was bewildered and then angry. How dare this woman leave him and what was the reason? So he threatened her with her contract plus he realized seducing her would now go to the top of his list.


Reflecting back on his mother’s death and his father withdrawing from his children putting all of his efforts into the Jarrod Resort, Blake vowed to never again count on anyone. However, what troubled him was he had always thought he could count on Samantha and now she too was leaving him. However, when he touched her he realized that there were sparks between them and then suddenly realized he could capitalize on those emotions running through her. They lived in the same lodge, worked well together and he needed her, needed her to help him make a success of Jarrod Ridge.


Blake put his plan into action and Samantha turned the tables on him from time to time by teasing him with other men. She adored his family and they adored her but most of all she loved Blake. His taunting and touches soon turned their relationship from boss and secretary into a smoldering love affair. Samantha only knew joy in his arms and to Blake she confused him, because it all felt so right but he didn’t like nor understand the feeling. She even put resumes on his desk for her replacement while he was trying so hard to convince her not to leave him. But Samantha was determined to leave because he wanted short term and she wanted forever.


Taming Her Billionaire Boss was absolutely marvelous with so much insight into not only Blake and Samantha but also all of the Jarrod siblings and their significant others. However, the best part of this particular love story was how Blake came to terms with the past so that he could move forward and have a permanent future with Samantha.


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

Riding The Waves - Tawny Weber

Title: RIDING THE WAVES

Author: TAWNY WEBER

Line: HARLEQUIN BLAZE

Release month ( North America/ UK / Australia): North America - September

The S-Factor: ( Sizzling! / Simmering / Sweet) Sizzling

Back-Blurb:

All uptight workaholic Drucilla Robichoux wants is to experience incredible sex, at least once in her life. So she heads off to Mexico for some sun, sand and sin. And she finds the perfect playmate in sexy surf instructor Alex. Her temporary boy toy teaches Dru to ride the waves, all right…

…right into the most intense climaxes she's ever had!

But all vacation flings must end. When Dru heads home, she buttons up tight again. Might as well keep this delicious fantasy right where it belongs…in her naughty memories.

So it sure is a shock when she walks into work Monday morning and finds her secret fling is her new boss! And he's definitely still interested in catching the big one with Dru.

Review: ♥♥♥♥

Ms. Weber adds another sizzling read to her list with RIDING THE WAVES.

Drucilla "Dru" Robichoux wants for once to have some great sex. It seems her track record with men isn't what it should be. Since she has some vacation time to use up before she starts up a huge project at work, her best friend suggests a vacation fling. So when Dru goes to Mexico and lays eyes on the sexy surf instructor, maybe her friend's idea wasn't so outlandish after all. Alex seems to be the perfect vacation fling. Sexy, fun and best of all, they'll never see each other again.

Alex "A.A" Maddow spends his off time in Mexico, relaxing and hitting the waves, sometimes filling in at the local resort as a surf instructor. In his day job however, he's the rock star of the physics world, a job that has him bouncing around from city to city, project to project every few months. Mexico is the one place he can relax and truly be himself, leaving the world of "A.A" behind.

Dru and Alex are a well matched pair, even if the two of them don't know quite how well. While on vacation, Dru neglects to mention her own job as an astrophysicist, and Alex never mentions his real job isn't teaching the tourists to surf. Instead, he's pretty well everything Dru ever wanted in a man, including the brains and great sex.

Ms. Weber excels at is the chemistry between her characters and Alex and Dru are no different. Together they make an explosive pair. When the truth comes out as to Alex's full identity, Alex "A.A" Maddow, the man who's supposed to lead the string theory project with Dru things are beyond awkward. Alex demands to know the truth of why she left Mexico without a word to him and Dru just wants to forget...but truthfully, how can she? It seems Alex is everything she ever wanted in a man, but he's the one getting the helm of what was originally supposed to be her project. Can the two of them overcome that obstacle? One thing's for sure, Ms. Weber creates a memorable sexy read with these two wonderful characters.

Reviewed by: Lis

Hero Hotness Factor ♥♥♥♥

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THE VIRGIN'S PROPOSITION - Anne McAllister

Author: Anne McAllister
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents
Release month: UK: North America: Sept 2010
The S-Factor: Sexy


Back Blurb:


Anny Chamion isn't used to acting out of the ordinary—not when her regal position dictates that she behave sensibly and with decorum. But a chance encounter with the infamous Demetrios Savas has this princess desperate to throw the royal rule book out of the window!


Demetrios Savas's heart is empty—that's the way he likes it. So how has this delectable stranger left him reeling? And why he is craving to taste such deliciously forbidden fruit once more?


Review: ♥♥♥♥♥


If you’re a fan of Anne McAllister’s like I am, you’ve read her Greek series, especially and clans of Savas and Antonides, Greek families who is in the end become family due to marriages and share a beautiful family home in Greece. The Virgin’s Proposition was a beautifully written romance which featured a princess, Anny Chamion and a hunky American actor Demetrios Savas, a beautiful Greek alpha.


They met quite by chance at the Ritz Carlton in Cannes at which time was the celebrated Cannes Film Festival. Anny was at the hotel to meet the husband her father wanted her o marry, a man she didn’t love but respected and knew it was her duty to her country to marry him. However, quite by chance, Demetrios Savas was also at the very same hotel and trying to getaway from the press that was hounding him so when he spotted the lovely and demure Anny he came up with a plan to act like he knew her and have her help him escape the press.


Anny knew immediately who Demetrios was, a famous actor who had married a beautiful starlet who had died leaving a grieving husband behind. For that reason she assumed, he had disappeared from the news but now he was in Cannes promoting his latest release. She felt for him and his loss and he was so unlike Gerard the man she was promised to but she was intrigued, went with him, shared a meal with him and took him to the hospital where she volunteered and for the first time in a long time she felt like a real person. Like Anny, Demetrios felt joy like she did and felt he owed her something; she only had to ask. Actually she did, she asked him to make love to her and it was unbelievable. To make matters worse, the next evening when they thought they would never see each other again, they met on her fiancé’s yacht and Demetrios was furious.


Demetrios knew one thing for sure, he wanted to get on his brother’s sailboat as promised and sail to Santorini for peace and solitude and return the boat and get on with his life. What he didn’t count on was Anny showing up at the dock requesting to sail with him nor his strong desire and how she tempted him every step of the way. Was he a fool to allow her onboard? Could they both survive the journey and keep their hands off each other? The Virgin’s Proposition was a beautifully written love story giving two interesting characters a second chance at love with twists and turns which made their journey even more enjoyable to read.


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Reviewed by: Marilyn


Behind the Book:

From a post on I(Heart) Presents, Anne shares with her fans the following

THE ANDREOU MARRIAGE ARRANGEMENT - Helen Bianchin

Author: Helen BianchinLine: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents
Release month: UK: Feb 2010 North America: Sept 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling

Back Blurb:

Loukas Andreou: a force to be reckoned with in business…and in the bedroom, as rumor has it. The same man who, to Alesha Karsouli's horror, she must marry according to the terms of her father's will.

Alesha reluctantly concedes to a paper marriage where she and Loukas will fulfill social obligations yet lead separate lives. But Loukas needs more…a wife who is doting in public. And the only way to make that arrangement appear authentic is if she's his willing bride in private…

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Helen Bianchin has written the most amazing love story, very powerful, very intense and made me believe that love can survive all in The Andreaou Marriage Arrangement.

Alesha Karsouli had lost so much, her father and had been married for a brief . to a horrible and abusive man, a man she thought she loved and could trust. A man who was only into the marriage for what he could get, money. In order to end her marriage, she had to call her father and tell him of the abuse and he paid off her husband. And now that father who she loved and adored had passed away and had left some of his company to his best friends son, Loukas Andreou, a man with an impeccable business

reputation and and quite the ladies man. A Greek rich and handsome man she in her youth had admired from afar. And now she was being forced into a marriage of convenience with Loukas. Alesha was hurt by her father’s desire to see her married to Loukas plus the fact that she would have to share the helm of running the company with him.

Loukas Andreou was a handsome and successful business man and one could only assume while reading this beautifully crafted love story that he actually was looking forward to his marriage to Alesha. He had always found her attractive, smart and after his meeting with her, I believe she challenged him in and out of the boardroom and the bedroom as well. He certainly realized after they were married that he wanted her and was looking forward to having her in his bed. What he didn’t count on was her past and how very afraid she was of being intimate and then with horror, he realized that she had been abused by someone and then it dawn on him, her husband.

They got off to a rocky start, but with Loukas patience and tenderness their marriage blossomed, or should I say Alesha opened up to him like a beautiful flower. They went on to Greece for business and see his family and as I read this magical love story, I absolutely couldn’t put it down. Reading about their love growing, their mutual respect for each other and how they both came to realize how much they loved each other and wanted a family together was absolutely magical!

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

AN HEIR FOR THE MILLIONAIRE – 2 Stories in 1 – Julia James an Carole Mortimer

Authors: Julia James and Carole Mortimer
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/Harlequin Presents
Month: UK: North America: August 2010
The S-Factor: Sensual

Back Blurb:

Two proud fathers about to claim their heirs!

The Greek and the Single Mom by Julia James
For Greek tycoon Xander Anaketos only money talks, and when he breezes back into Claire's life, he wants her back in his bed. But what will he do when he discovers his impoverished ex-mistress is also the loving mother of his child?

The Millionaire's Contract Bride by Carole Mortimer
Impossibly rich Xander Fraser wants struggling single mother Casey Bridges to be his bride…of convenience! Casey knows their marriage can never be real, but that doesn't stop her falling for her new husband….

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Two Greek alpha’s, both named Xander!

Julia James – The Greek and The Single Mom

No commitments for Xander Anaketos in fact he never kept a mistress for more than a few months and then his goodbye, an expensive parting gift! However, Claire sincerely believed her time with him meant more, that she actually might have a chance and a future with Xander because not only the look in his eyes but she had spent almost a year with him and she had a secret, she was expecting his child.

Can you imagine loving a man, knowing you were pregnant with his child and that you actually felt he care more for you than any other woman he had been with before? And then the bomb is dropped, he’s met someone in New York and he’s going to replace you! Personally, I think I would have wanted to kill him but not Clare. She quietly left him alone in a restaurant and literally walked out of his life. And now four years later living with his beautiful son Joey and an older woman Vi who she cares for like a grandmother, she’s trying to make ends meet and saving for a vacation for the three of them. Vi had been wonderful, taking them into her home and in exchange they had worked together and had become a family.

A new job at a new hotel, one that Xander would never think of using until a fateful night when sealing a business deal and who should he run into but the woman from his past, his mistress that had walked out on him, who had made him furious. Of course Xander couldn’t leave it alone, with the help of the staff he finds out where’s she’s living and finds out that he has a son she’s kept from him. Being the alpha he was, he insists they marry and Clare will have not of it. However, they both agree to a Caribbean trip, just the three of them.

Father and son, not a problem in bonding but for Claire, well let’s just say the entire experience was extremely painful. So many things to get past, especially the sensual tension and of course, he manipulates everything thing setting off not just fireworks, everything spirals out of control. A second chance not just for love but for a family? Julia James in this short story wove a beautiful romance with a very happy ending.

Carole Mortimer – The Millionaire’s Contract Bride

Xander Fraser and Casey Bridges whether they want to or not, have a mutual problem. Their spouses left them both with no thought for anyone but them selves. They didn’t care what it would do to Casey, Xander and their each of their children and now they (Sam and Chloe) were both dead and Chloe’s father was trying to get custody of his grand daughter Lauren.

Their children Lauren and Josh had become friends and had been through so much. However, so had the parents who had been left behind due to their selfishness? However, Xander had a plan to save both of the children and Casey who was struggling to make ends meet. That was putting it mildly; she was working two jobs and was dead on her feet. Therefore, Xander’s plan was for them to have a marriage of convenience, providing a trust and safety for Josh and Casey and thus fending the take over of his daughter Lauren. Thus, it would create a stable environment, especially for the children.

Casey had been told so many times she was frigid by her ex-secretly he wanted it all. Would they have a chance at happiness?

The Millionaire’s contract Bride was brilliant, short and sweet and very sensual. What I loved about this is how author Carole Mortimer tied this three week romance up into a wonderful happy ending.

Both authors gave readers a sample of their extreme talent in this “2 stories in 1” romance, two Greek alphas with sweet heroines who so deserved romance and a happy ending!

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

SWEET SURRENDER WITH THE MILLIONAIRE – Helen Brooks

Author: Helen Brooks
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/UK: June 2010 North America/Harlequin Presents Extra: August 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling

Back Blurb:

Willow Landon is starting a new life. She's determined to prove herself as an independent woman, having escaped a controlling relationship. She certainly doesn't need help from Morgan Wright, her arrogant neighbor! Morgan may have movie-star good looks, own a country estate and have millions in the bank—but she's not interested.

Morgan is also determined—to show Willow just how a lady should be treated….

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Helen Brooks has written a most interesting romance with Sweet Surrender with the Millionaire because usually it’s the heroine who surrenders but in this case it was the hero Morgan Wright, the self made billionaire who lived on the bordering estate.

Morgan Wright’s parents passed away at and early age and he was sent to live with numerous relatives, no one really wanting anything of turning them away. And now, his five dogs and his housekeeper and her husband have become his family. He’s extremely handsome, well built and quite the ladies man and clearly is not interested in ever being married.

Willow Landon wants her independence and is determined to purchase a little cottage in the country. She’s been married which was a disaster, she’s lived with single friends and now she’s ready to find peace and quiet in the country when she purchases a fixer-upper country cottage. However, what she doesn’t realize is that this cottage needs work, it needs a central heating system, needs the chimney to be cleaned so when she cleans up the backyard she not only sets a huge fire, the embers and papers fly onto to the estate next door and Morgan comes to Willow’s rescue. And then, she sets her chimney on fire and again, Morgan rescues Willow and she has to stay overnight at his estate until her home can receive the required maintenance.

Weary doesn’t even begin to describe Willow. Her parents are both gone, her marriage was an abusive disaster and she absolutely doesn’t trust men nor herself. However, she’s grateful for her neighbors attention and friendship but it can only be that, just a friendship because Willow definitely has trust issues. Even though her sister and her husband approve of Morgan and encourage Willow to date him, she resists every step of the way. What so intrigued me about this love story is how quickly the hero Morgan fell for Willow, how she enchanted him and made him feel things he had never felt before.

Emotional doesn’t even begin to describe Willow and Morgan’s relationship. She’s an emotional wreck, thinking about him all of the time, dreaming about him where Morgan is quite at peace because he’s very sure of his feelings for Willow. So much so, he realizes he loves her whereas Willow is so afraid, even though her sister encourages her. And then one fateful night, fate intervenes in the form of the birth of Willow’s nephew and it becomes a wake up call, especially for Willow.

Did they get their happy ending? You bet and what a wonderful one it was, sweet and endearing!

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

WEDDING NIGHT WITH A STRANGER - Anna Cleary

Author: Anna Cleary
Line: Harlequin Presents Extra / Mills and Boon Modern Heat
Release month: North America: Aug 2010 UK: Apr 2010
The S-Factor: Sexy

Back Blurb:

Bride: signed, sealed and delivered!

Ariadne Giorgias has been set up! Instead of being welcomed in Australia by family friends, she's picked up from the airport by a lone, strikingly gorgeous stranger...

Sebastian Nikosto doesn't know what to expect from his contract wife-to-be. But it certainly isn't the beautiful Ariadne, or the combustible attraction that sizzles between them. Perhaps there might be an upside to this ridiculous arrangement?

But once the bartered bride’s been wedded, it seems that neither party is in such a hurry to annul the marriage as planned...

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Anna Cleary has written an intriguing romance which was absolutely fascinating and lovely to read. The way they met, how they first reacted to each other, how the tables were turned on both of them was a sweet, soft and tender romance.

Ariadne Giorgias sole my heart because of all she’d been through’ from loosing both of her parents as a young child, to being raised by a dominating older Greek Uncle, for her reason she left her groom at the alter causing a scandal for her Greek family. Now her family sent to Australia for a holiday and to get away from Greece and the press. She believed it was a fully paid holiday from her Uncle until she phoned them before her plane departed and found out that her uncle had arranged a deal with an Australian businessman. She was shocked because her family expected her to marry him. She was terribly upset and didn’t want to go. And then she found out that the holiday had not been paid for and she needed money to survive, money she didn’t have and the question was how was she going to get it?

As a courtesy to her uncle, Sebastian sets up a meeting with Ariadne because her uncle had made a deal with him. He would provide the cash flow to put his business back on top if he would marry his niece. What he didn't know was that she came with baggage but so did he because he vowed never to marry again as his wife died three years earlier and he never wanted to make that sort of commitment again nor experience the loss. However, he felt a duty to his company and employees and so he decided to meet her; but it started out badly. He didn’t meet her as planned at the airport and she found him frosty. He felt she was a spoiled rich girl. What he didn't know was that she didn't inherit unless she married and at the moment she really needed the money because she was actually stranded in Australia and would have to leave her hotel to seek a place to live and a job.

Boy oh boy did the sparks fly between them. I actually felt like a third wheel while reading their first encounters. And then I felt so badly for Ariadne because she tried to hock her jewelry so she could find a place to live; in the end she didn’t have enough money and had to settle for less and agreed to marry him, stay married for a short time and then when she got her inheritance walk away. Honestly, reading about their married life, how hard they both tried, how sweet Sebastian was to her, how much she adored him and wanted to make a special home for him was very special until everything blew up in their faces. However, like all relationships that were meant to be they had to learn what was important, search their souls so that in the end they could have their happy ending. Charming, sensual, emotional and happy endings all rolled into one by the talented Anna Cleary.


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Reviewed by: Marilyn
Behind the Book from author’s website:

“Imagine you're stranded in a strange country without money, a place to live or any connection to a living soul. Except for an icy, angry, stunningly gorgeous Greek who despises you, that is.
This is the situation Ariadne Giorgias finds herself in when she steps off the plane from Naxos and into a nightmare.
Can this beautiful, sad, and until now very sheltered heroine survive the cruel shocks of life in Australia?”