Chosen As The Frenchman's Bride - Abby Green

Title: Chosen As The Frenchman's Bride

Author: Abby Green

Line: Modern/Presents

Release month: USA: April 1, 2007/ UK January 2007

The S-Factor: Sizzling!

Back-Blurb:
Being swept off her feet by a tall, bronzed Frenchman isn't on Jane Vaughan's holiday list of things to do. But Xavier Salgado-Lezille isn't a man a girl can say no to easily. Especially when he comes complete with a chateau on his own island!Jane tries to play it cool, but she's inexperienced, out of the depth, and a virgin. Falling in love isn't part of the plan...neither is discovering she's pregnant once she's home and the affair is over.Now Xavier knows she's carrying his child, and he wants an heir. Jane has been chosen as his bride!

Review:
CHOSEN AS THE FRENCHMAN’S BRIDE is a fabulous debut novel by author Abby Green. It’s a prime example of passion like no other……and from the moment Jane and Xavier literally bump into each other the air around them sizzles. Abby’s strong alpha Xavier is everything a Presents novel should portray…… power, wealth, strength, good looks, passion, tenderness all of it.

Jane Vaughan is alone on holiday and by mistake boards a boat heading towards an exclusive island. Once she arrives she is forced to stay and make arrangements for a room. Then he appears and she’s captivated, in fact they are both captivated. With just a simple dance and then a picnic the next day, it’s evident to both of them their journey is just beginning.

When Xavier realizes he must pursue Jane and see where this sensual pull will lead, he asks her to stay at his estate for the three week duration of her holiday and she agrees and falls in love. When it’s time to leave he asks her to stay as his mistress. Of course Abby knows he has the power to destroy her and so with dignity in tack she leaves and returns home. In later weeks, she realizes she is carrying his child and must tell him the news. Upon learning he is about to become a father he insists they marry in order to give him his heir and satisfy his need for her.

Abby Green’s characters simply reach out and grab you. If your reading experience is anything like mine you won’t be able to put this book down. Throughout this entire story, I felt Jane’s pain. She was so overcome with lust, joy and completely swept away…. I wept! Theirs is such a stormy journey in finding love and trust; at times it will break your heart. And so to Abby Green, congratulations for such a beautiful debut, CHOSEN AS THE FRENCHMAN’S BRIDE is one I will long remember!

Reviewed by: Marilyn

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

Did you know that Irish Author Abby Green dances the Tango?

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The Ultimate Millionaire - Susan Mallery

Title: The Ultimate Millionaire

Author: Susan Mallery

Line: Silhouette Desire

Release month: USA and UK: January 2007

The S-Factor: Sizzling!

Back-Blurb:
Todd Aston III's reputation as a playboy preceded him; he wore power as seamlessly as he wore his custom-cut suits. But Marina Nelson had promised her sister—who was marrying Todd's cousin—that she'd help him plan the perfect wedding. And somehow, between tasting cakes and modeling wedding dresses, Marina discovered that she wanted Todd—and that Todd wanted her. She was powerless to prevent the inevitable. Yet the harder she fell for Todd, the more she realized that he didn't trust marriage-minded women.
Which made her grandmother's offer of a million dollars to whichever Nelson sister married him a big problem….

Review:
This final book in the Million Dollar Catch series was the perfect ending to the Nelson sisters and the three strong, handsome and sexy men they fell in love with. Their long lost grandmother Ruth, wealthy in her own right decided she wanted her nephew Todd Ashton III to be married to one of her granddaughter’s. With only one being left, Marina, since her other sisters had found their own fabulous husbands, would there be the possibility for Marina and Todd to become attracted to each other?

In the first book you meet Ryan and Julie. They are about to be married but have a business planned trip in China so that leaves them asking Julie’s sister Marina and Ryan’s cousin Todd to help them plan the wedding in their absence. Marina has already told her Grandmother she will have one date with Ryan and so they meet to discuss the wedding and agree their first date will actually take place on the wedding day. In the meantime they have a wedding to plan, so what’s so difficult about that? Well, for one, they are both immediately attracted to each other not only sexually but by each other’s intelligence, wit, charm, and agree to enjoy planning this wedding for the family members they both love.

Marina found Todd charming, sexy and definitely a challenge and thought he probably had no depth. She usually dated “safe” men and was afraid to risk her heart and terrified she’d end up like her mother. Her mother had only loved one man and had risked loosing her own parents when ran off and married him. Throughout their growing up years and three Nelson sisters had watched their father come and go and Marina was especially afraid if she fell in love he would break her heart.

Todd on the other hand, grew up wealthy and found at an early age women only wanted him for his money, lied to him and tried to trick him. So he had been burned enough times not to trust. However, upon meeting Marina he took a step back and asked himself when was the last time he had enjoyed a woman’s company?

What neither of them counted on was enjoying each other’s company and finally they shared a week of passion like no other with some humour thrown in for good measure…….food poisoning. Leave it to Susan Mallery to throw in this bit of humour as she’s so well know for in her books…….and passion on top of it all? The chemistry and passion between this couple will just plain blow you away.

In the end, Marina falls hard for Todd. She realizes that in order to find perfect happiness she must risk the pain. For Todd, there is still the trust issue and when he believes that Marina has betrayed him instead of trust he’s angry and cruel. Fear not, Todd Ashton III wakes up and is brought to his knees when he realizes how important this woman has become to him.

In closing, this made me weep……..it’s the wedding toast written by this man who never trusted…….and the lesson he learned…….”The Bible tells us that love is kind. Scholars tell us that love can change the course of history. Scientists tell us that love is chemical. Poets tell us that love is eternal. But true love is so much more than that, it’s about believing and risking. It’s about believing in that one person and that one person believing in you. Love is about hanging on the roller-coaster ride of life. Love is about having faith in yourself and the person you love.” Again, Susan’s gives her readers another valuable lesson and this time about believing in your self and taking a chance…..a chance on love.

Reviewed by: Marilyn

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

Did you know that Susan Mallery took astronomy in college? Sooooo didn't want to do the "hard" science thing. Per Susan, she didn't even know what half the classes were. To find out more you can visit her website

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The Nanny and the Sheikh - Barbara McMahon

Title: The Nanny and the Sheikh

Author: Barbara McMahon

Line: Romance

Release month: UK & USA - January 2007

The S-Factor: Sweet

Back-Blurb:

Needed: a mother for the Sheikh’s children

Melissa Fox’s trip to the kingdom of Qu’Arim is a perk of her job with the Valentine family. When she arrives she’s working for Bella Lucia, yet when she expertly calms Sheikh Surim Al-Thani’s three little children, the handsome Sheikh is determined she will stay on as his nanny…

When she realizes how much the children need her, Melissa agrees to stay – she will teach the gorgeous but guarded Sheikh how to love and care for them. Only she finds herself in love with a man she could only ever dream of marrying…

Review:

This book is the seventh in The Brides of Bella Lucia series.

I confess that it took me a little while to warm to the heroine, Melissa, but her genuine loyalty and love for the children soon shone through and had me rooting for her future happiness. Surim is a gorgeous hero, but there was a time when I wondered whether he was deserving of Melissa! He refused to acknowledge how special she was, and failed to see the shallowness of the other prospective brides-to-be. I loved the setting of Qu’Arim and learning about the different customs.

The children were wonderful secondary characters, adding to, rather than detracting from the overall romance. Barbara McMahon has successfully created a believable story, showing that Western and Eastern cultures can blend and have a happy-ever-after future.

Reviewed by: Sue

Hero Hotness Factor = ♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor = ♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor = ♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor (will they have a happily ever after) = ♥♥♥♥
Humour Factor = ♥
Weepy Factor = ♥♥♥

Did you know that Barbara McMahon has over 42 titles in print with Harlequin Romance alone??? Why not visit her website to learn more?

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A Noble Captive - Michelle Styles

Title: A Noble Captive

Author: Michelle Styles

Line: Mills & Boon Historical Romance

Release month: UK - January 2007

The S-Factor: Simmering

Back-Blurb:
Roman soldier

Strong, proud, honourable - Marcus Livius Tullio embodied the values of Rome. Captured on the high seas and brought to the Temple of Kybele, he was drawn towards the woman who gave him refuge.

Pagan priestess

Fierce, beautiful, determined - Helena despised all that Rome stood for. In sheltering Tullio, she had to subdue her awareness of him --- or she might confess all! The soldier’s strength and nobility tempted her to lean on him, but she knew that to succumb would be to betray her people…

Review:

A Noble Captive chronicles the romance between Helena, the priestess’ assistant at a pagan temple, and the prisoner who has just been transported to the same temple – a strong-willed Roman suffering anguish after his capture by pirates. The two are thrown together in a story that is centred around a single location – the island temple – but manages to pack plenty of plot and incident in along the way.

In Helena, Michelle Styles has created a pleasingly complex heroine, one who is both sympathetic and at the same time self-willed, somebody the reader can feel for while at the same time respect. In her hero, Marcus Livius Tullio, Michelle has captured an essentially Roman ‘character’, focusing on all that is admirable about that race, while giving equal weight to Tullio’s own personality and focusing on his own inner turmoils.

An engaging cast of supporting characters flesh out the rest of the book and there are many well-drawn figures to equal the hero and heroine. A sub-plot concerning the romance between Quintus and Galla is particularly engaging and one feels that their own story could fill a book. Meanwhile, corrupt officials and bloodthirsty pirates are always present in the backdrop, adding a palpable sense of mystery and tension to the proceedings.

There is plenty of reference to period detail which helps add to the overall authenticity of the book and the author gives a good idea of what life was like during the Roman period, from the day-to-day chores carried out by servants to the bartering and merchanting that was carried out on the high seas.

A Noble Captive is an engaging and well-researched Historical romance that should entertain any fan of the genre. Michelle Styles deserves kudos for ably bringing to life the ancient past.

Reviewed by: Gray

Hero Hotness Factor = ♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor = ♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor = ♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor (will they have a happily ever after) = ♥♥♥♥♥
Humour Factor = ♥♥
Weepy Factor = ♥♥♥


Did you know that: Julius Caesar's capture by pirates in 73 BC provided the inspirational spark for this book? To find out more about Michelle why not visit her website or her Blog...

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