GREEK TYCOON, WAYWARD WIFE – Sabrina Philips (Self-Made Millionaires)

Author: Sabrina Philips
Line: Harlequin Presents / Mills and Boon Modern
Release month: North America: Jun 2010 UK: May 2010
The S-Factor: Sizzling

Back Blurb:

The two-week marriage bargain...

Trembling with trepidation, Libby Delikaris braves the lion's den to ask her Greek husband for a divorce. But he's more merciless than Libby remembers and she suddenly finds her plan has crumbled.

The infamous Rion Delikaris knew Libby would return before long. He's been patiently waiting. No longer the boy from the slums, he's ready to show his wife what she's been missing!

Rion's offer: a two-week reconciliation... and he'll make sure she honours all her wedding vows!

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Sabrina Philips yet again has written a roller coaster romance with Greek Tycoon, Wayward Wife. A young love and marriage of an English beauty and a proud and determined Greek, a marriage gone wrong. And now five years latter, Libby Ashworth is back in Rion Delikaris life to ask him for a divorce.

When I said “roller coaster romance” I meant it. One immediately gets the impression that Rion is a determined alpha, one who grew up poor and worked most of his adult life to become a successful millionaire. He worked to hard to provide for his bride, worked long and hard hours in order to get them out of their slum apartment. His determination was not only based on his love for her, it was because she came from a well to do family and he wanted to be an excellent provider. However, like all new marriages, there was no communication and being Greek, he didn’t want his wife to work, so she was left alone in a foreign land. It was too much for her and in the end, she fled and went back to England but not her family home because when Libby married Rion, her father disowned her.

Now five years later, Libby arrives at her husbands work place asking for a divorce. It’s evident she still desires him and it’s mutual. However, Rion has an agenda and he somewhat blackmails her into returning to his home Metameikos as his wife because he is running for a political office. It was obvious they both still had feelings for each other, felt the passion simmering between them. However, there were so many hurts for them both to heal, so many misunderstandings, lack of communication and assumptions.

While on Metameikos, Libby learned a lot about her husband. Surprising things surfaced and as secrets were revealed she had a new understanding as to how he grew up, why winning the election was so important to him but she also realized she loved him still but would he ever return that love? One just wanted to shake them both because at every turn, they assumed things about each other and they never tried to get everything out in the open. Would they get their second chance, or would Libby walk away again? There was a lot to take in with this particular love story and Sabrina Philips did a brilliant job with the passion, conflict and giving Libby and Rion their second chance.

On a personal note, I’m going to miss author Sabrina Philips as I’ve loved everything she’s written for Mills and Boon Modern and Harlequin Presents. From her very first debut to this her last book, I’ve taken the journey with this author. Thanks Sabrina, for all of the hours of reading enjoyment and I wish you the very best and hope to come back to us someday.

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

Behind the Book

PRINCE OF MONTEZ, PREGNANT MISTRESS - Sabrina Philips

Line: Mills and Boon Modern / Harlequin Presents

Release month UK: November 2009 / North America: January 2010

The S-Factor: Sexy

Back-Blurb:

Pregnant – by royal decree!

It’s the night of a most glamorous art auction in London, and Cally Greenway is due to win the restoration commission of her dreams… Until the paintings sell to an unknown bidder and, devastated and dashed, uncharacteristically Cally finds solace in the arms of a handsome yet ruthless stranger…

The very same man who bought her precious paintings – the Prince of Montéz! Leon summons Cally by royal decree – His Majesty wants a mistress: biddable, pleasurable…and pregnant?

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

From the very first moment he saw her he wanted her and was determined to have her for as long as he wanted! This thrilling and powerful love story by Sabrina Philips leaves the reader breathless as it begins so intensely leaving nothing to the imagination because it’s very obvious that Leon desires Cally like no other woman in his life. He makes his desire for her immediately clear.

Cally Greenway needs the chance to work on the restoration of two priceless paintings which would also give her resume a boost for future work. She’s been promised the restoration job if a London gallery wins them in the auction. She’s on pins and needles the night of the auction and notices the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen. Unfortunately, the gallery does not win the auction and she’s left with not knowing what to do other than to return to her hotel. However, the handsome stranger invites her out for a drink, she accepts and they kiss; the passion is overwhelming and to her astonishment and dismay he sends her away in a taxi back to her hotel.

Now weeks later, Cally is summoned to Montez to interview with the buyer of the paintings, the Prince of Montez and of course it’s Leon Montez the very same man who sent her away. How can she accept this job from the very same man who humiliated her? She has no choice, so accepts because of the reputation she will gain for future restoration work.

Leon decides he’ll be patient and she’ll come to him on his terms! He watches her restoration during the first days which totally distracts her. He keeps taunting her and is constantly reminding Cally about how much they want each other. When she can’t stand it anymore and gives in to the desire, the passion explodes between them and they realize during their lovemaking she wasn’t protected.

As the story unfolds the reader learns about each character. Cally’s given up quite a lot in her life, her painting and another wealthy man she thought she loved who in the end used her. A man she thought she could trust only to be betrayed. As for Leon, he was used by women wanting him for his wealth and what he could give them, not for him. He definitely had trust issues.

Cally’s entire stay on Montez is emotional and overwhelming. Even though Leon desires her like no other woman, he can’t seem to trust her motives for coming, her motives for the restoration and feels it’s the fame and the press she wants. Even 1when his reason for the mistrust is revealed, it doesn’t help one to understand his abruptness and obsession towards Cally.

Their affair explodes off of the pages and you begin to wonder will it continue or how will it end? That’s not all that explodes especially when Leon’s ex-sister-in-law shows up with accusations, her love blows up in her face. It’s too much in the end, she leaves heartbroken for Paris and then finds out she’s carrying Leon’s baby. Surprisingly enough she’s happy and seems to adapt. It reminded me of the fairy tale about a girl that jumps into a rabbit hole and how does she come out of it unchanged? Well the answer is, she doesn’t.

As only Sabrina Philips can pen, The Prince of Montez, Pregnant Mistress is an intense and passionate romance with many lessons for this couple to learn such as acceptance, forgiveness, trust and love. It’s simply a brilliant contemporary romance which in the end has a happy ever after.

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
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Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor♥♥♥

Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book:

“In terms of the story, I started knowing that I wanted to write a book in which the hero and heroine were new to one another from page one. My previous two stories were about couples with a shared past reuniting, and I wanted to try something different. When I was sunbathing on my honeymoon in Zanzibar I started contemplating how a girl might find herself going to live and work in the home of a wealthy alpha hero, and out of nowhere the heroine-as-art restorer idea was born. The auction opening scene – a delight to write, sprang to mind next, and then the story just took off!” Sabrina

For more on “behind the scenes” see Sabrina’s website

THE DESERT KING'S BEJEWELLED BRIDE - Sabrina Philips

Author: Sabrina Philips

Line: Mills and Boon Modern and Harlequin Presents


Release Month: UK: July 2009 / North America: August 2009

The S-Factor: Sizzling and Sexy

Back-Blurb:

Kaliq Al-Zahir A'zam cannot believe the audacity of Tamara Weston! This teasing little virgin, who once rejected his proposal of marriage, is now a top model, displaying her body on advertising billboards for all to see.

Kaliq still wants Tamara, so he sees to it that she returns to his kingdom for the assignment of her career—she will model the royal jewels she should have worn as his bride, and deliver to him the wedding night he was previously denied….


Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Sabrina Philips has created an amazing and spectacular love story with The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride. It is also her first sheikh book and I’m certainly hoping it’s not her last as it’s exceptional!

Seven years earlier Kaliq and Tamara met when she visited her father in Qwisar. Even though they were chaperoned by the King’s aide, they were attracted to each other. And Kaliq being duty bound even asked her to marry him and she refused. Though Tamara was attracted to him, one gets the impression she instantly fell in love and also realized he didn’t love her so she refused him and returned home to England.

Now seven years later Kaliq has discovered Tamara is a model and doesn’t think to highly of her occupation nor her but he still finds he’s attracted to her and hires her to take his people’s mind of his ailing father, the King. He brings her home to the desert to model the family jewels which were worn by his mother on her wedding day. However, what she doesn’t count on is her feelings of love for him all over again, for that very same honour and duty bound prince.

So when she puts herself and the jewels in danger and her fearless sheikh rescues her she realizes that theirs is a dangerous game and that she wants him very much. However, Kaliq doesn’t believe she is an innocent until the night they make love and he is shocked to the core. It’s obvious he’s not willing to let Tamara return home to England so he asks her to become his “fake” fiancé and travel with him to visit his friend.

Tamara and Kaliq’s love story is breathtaking but like all love stories it’s not just the passion, it’s the secrets they are both keeping from each other because to tell them would make them both vulnerable, revealing too much of themselves. It’s also Kaliq’s problem with her being so independent and a model on top of secrets which cause him to mistrust her. What I loved the most was their few days spent together as a couple on Montez, just being together and getting to know each other.

When the King dies of a heart attack, and Kaliq literally cuts himself out of her life, she makes the decision to follow him because she loves him and gives him the gift of offering to marry him for the sake of his country which would also allow him to become the ruler of Qwisar. I adored Tamara’s courage, her strength, and when she finally realized just the sort of man her sheikh was she was determined to spend her life with him for the wrong reasons than not at all! If you love the sheikh genre, a hot and roller coaster and sexy romance, then The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride is for you!

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
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Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Humour Factor♥
Weepy Factor♥♥♥

Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book from Sabrina’s website:

“This book features a sexy scene in which Kaliq and Tamara play a game of
tennis. It was inspired by the film Wimbledon starring Paul Bettany and Kirsten
Dunst which I adore (though I’m afraid I have no aptitude for tennis myself!)
Furthermore, the 2008 Wimbledon championships themselves were taking place
whilst I was writing the book, and appropriately, it will be the Wimbledon 2009
finals the week that The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride hits the shelves in the
UK!

One of the first scenes that I envisioned when I was planning this
story is one in which Kaliq feeds Tamara an exotic fruit – part of the reason
why I love Sheikh stories is that it’s not just the experience of falling in
love that’s so thrilling and unfamiliar but the sights, sounds and tastes too.
But the question was, what fruit? I sampled various options (from a section of
the supermarket I’d never explored before!) but after a decidedly un-erotic
attempt at eating a pomegranate, I used my imagination and opted for a fictional
guava fruit instead!” SP

ONE MONTH MISTRESS - Sabrina Philips

Title: VALENTI’S ONE – MONTH MISTRESS

Author: SABRINA PHILIPS

Line: Harlequin Presents
Mills and Boon Modern Romance

Release month North America: March 2009
UK: February 2009

The S-Factor: Simmering and Sizzling

Back-Blurb:

Faye Matteson cannot believe the nerve of Dante Valenti! The arrogant Italian expects her to become his mistress in exchange for his help with her failing business.

In her inexperienced youth, Faye gave her heart to Dante—but he took her virginity and left her devastated. She'd sworn, never again!

But no one should ever underestimate the power of Dante Valenti's sensuality. If he wants her, he will have her….

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

I was actually blown away reading this debut book by Sabrina Philips. Faye and Dante’s story is incredible! Dante is one stubborn, ruthless and opinionated Italian. As for Faye, she’s beautiful, loving and loyal to her family.

They had a past. It began when Dante came into Faye’s parents London restaurant. He was immediately drawn to her, even though he realized she was just fresh out of school but he recognized Faye’s talents and offered her a job; moving her to Italy. She was an excellent apprentice. She also knew she had very intense feelings for Dante. One evening Dante and Faye act upon their attraction and he takes away her virginity. He’s so upset by his actions, he hurls cruel accusations at her and Faye flees Italy without a word.

Now Faye is back and she needs Dante’s financial assistance to keep Matteson’s, the family restaurant from going under. In the end, Dante agrees, dangles their past in her face and demands she become his mistress. Their interaction, their attraction, the nasty comments and accusations Dante’s says to Faye will make your heart ache, it certainly did mine. Their time together in Italy will put you in an emotional state just reading about it.

I admired Faye’s determination and her need to save her family restaurant for her mother, for her father’s memory and for the staff at Matteson’s no matter what it would cost her in the end. After weeks of hard work, the accusations, and the harsh comments are too much for her so again Faye leaves Dante to return home to rebuild Matteson's. However, now she has a secret and she's more determined to make the restaurant a success. As for Dante, let’s just say he learns many things about himself and what is most important to him which is Faye.

Sabrina Philips is a brilliant author and I feel so privileged to have been able to read her debut book. Its intensity will take your breath away and it will be one love story you will long remember.

Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Humour Factor♥
Weepy Factor♥♥♥♥

Reviewed by: Marilyn