Format: E-book
Read with: Mobipocket Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Mercenary/Goddard Project, Book 2
Publisher: Brava
Hero: Rand Alexander / Carter Sloane / Colton Denning
Heroine: Phoebe Garrison / Daisy Jackson / Fayre Cranston
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication:  March 1, 2005
Started On: July 29, 2010
Finished On: July 29, 2010

3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys is a collection of 3 short stories featuring Rand, Carter and Colton, all 3 of them sons of Hoyt Salone. Hoyt had married Carter’s mother Cassandra whilst Rand’s mother was already pregnant with him. Cassandra had discovered this fact after she got pregnant with Carter and had cut off marital relations with her husband. Hoyt had resumed his relationship with Rand’s mother, never having really loved either woman enough to leave one for the other. Hoyt had loved the prestigious upper class lifestyle that he could afford being Cassandra’s husband and as her husband he had remained till he died. Although Rand and Carter knew of each others existence (it was hard not to considering they lived in a pretty small town), they both come to know of Colton’s existence only during Rand’s story. I will review the 3 stories separately and give the book a final grade in this review.

A Deal is a Deal

Rand is a man who has closed off his heart upon the death of his wife and son. A man who witnessed what undying love did to his mother, the death of those two whom he held dear to his heart was the final lesson that taught him that love made you vulnerable in ways unimaginable.

Rand befriends Phoebe when Carter ends their engagement and goes off traveling, leaving a heartbroken Phoebe to pick up the pieces of her life. Before long, Phoebe finds herself totally in love with a man who has closed off his heart a long time back, and Phoebe knows that what she felt for Carter was nothing compared to the love that burnt fiercely deep within her heart for Rand.

Phoebe knows that she is not the type of woman who would hold the interest of the tall, sexy and enigmatic Rand. Opportunity comes calling when Rand wants an island bequeathed to her by her uncle, and Rand agrees to give her a week in his bed in return for the island.

Although Rand aches something fierce to take Phoebe in his arms he knows that his world would alter on its axes from that moment onwards. Rand doesn’t think that Phoebe would hold him onto his word and before he knows it he has tasted what Phoebe so beguilingly offers and Rand knows that there would be no turning back.

This story is highly explosive and I loved every passion filled moment of reading Rand’s story.

Carter’s Story

Carter’s story starts off when he proposes marriage to Daisy Jackson and promises to give her half a million dollars in return. Carter’s father had written up an airtight will that stipulated that he marry within five years after the death of his father or Sloane Electronics would go on the auction block and the proceeds would be put in a memorial fund at the hospital in his father’s name. Carter has other plans, such as sharing his wealth equally amongst his siblings and he has no intention of letting his father win just because a stupid will says so.

Daisy and his unwilling attraction towards her 4 years earlier had been one of the reasons that Carter had broken off his engagement with Phoebe thinking that he wasn’t much better off than his father if he couldn’t remain faithful to the woman he planned on getting married to. But 4 years of unfulfilled needs and celibacy has convinced Carter that he is nothing like his father and if he had to get married, it would be to Daisy who rocked his world on numerous levels.

Daisy cannot believe it when the president of the company she works for asks her to marry him. Though she knows that Carter’s proposal is far from the romantic one she had envisioned all her life, Daisy takes the chance to be with the man she loves and take whatever Carter is willing to give.

Carter’s story ends pretty quickly with him falling in love with Daisy soon after they get married. Even then, Ms. Monroe keeps the sizzling tension going which made this short story a memorable read as well.

Colton’s Story

Colton’s story is the third and final story in the anthology and features the all too serious Colton in a situation he never thought he would find himself in. Waking up with a beautiful sensual woman by his side and the father of all hangovers in Vegas, Colton has no recollection of what took place the night before. Not wanting to face the music, he leaves the sleeping woman and sneaks out leaving her a note to explain that he had taken off.

Six weeks later, a woman who looks remarkably like the woman who has been haunting his dreams and every waking thought walks into the Mexican bar and announces that she is looking for her husband, the husband who turns out to be Colton himself.

Fayre can’t believe that she succumbed to the lies that Colton had spouted off so easily the night they met and made her agree to marry him and then taken off after a night of mind blowing sex. Pregnant and pissed off to no end, Fayre comes looking for the no good man she married but finds herself hurting and humiliated when Colton seems to have no recollection whatsoever of the night that changed Fayre’s life so remarkably.

Though Colton has no memory of what happened that night, the fiery woman who stands in front of him so defiantly touches every corner of his heart and once he finds out that she is carrying his child, there is no way Colton would let her go.

If I were to pick a favorite from the 3 stories, I would have to go with Rand’s story because the story appeals to me on many levels. I bet I would have loved the book if the story had been drawn out and made longer.

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