If you were a man, the sky was the limit. But if you were a woman, there was a glass ceiling. And she had reached it.

Sandra Marton’s The Bridal Suite is one of those romances that manages to be equal parts sexy, funny, and emotionally charged. The premise itself sets the stage for sparks to fly; Dana Anderson, a brilliant programmer battling the constant underestimation of women in a male-dominated workplace, suddenly finds herself trapped in a situation with Griffin McKenna, the financial genius with a pirate’s reputation for taking whatever he wants. When business forces them to share a room at a conference and of all places, the bridal suit, the inevitability of their simmering attraction becomes impossible to deny.

Griffin is the quintessential alpha hero: hot-blooded, smug, and unapologetically arrogant at the start. His reputation as a womanizer precedes him, and his take-no-prisoners attitude in business leaves Dana bristling at every turn. Yet beneath that exterior lies a man who is all passion, intensity, and just enough vulnerability to keep readers hooked. Dana, on the other hand, is his match in every way. Smart, independent, and unafraid to stand her ground, she is not dazzled by Griffin’s charm or cowed by his authority, if anything, she delights in throwing his arrogance back at him.

What makes their dynamic so delicious is the constant push-and-pull between them. The misunderstandings, jealousy, and denial fuel the sexual tension that is already sizzling from the very start. Griffin may be used to being in control, but Dana keeps him perpetually off-balance, while she herself struggles to reconcile her attraction to a man she insists she wants nothing to do with. It is opposites attract at its finest, where both are forced to confront truths about themselves in order to see the other clearly.

What I loved most about this story is how unashamedly emotional and irrational both characters can be when it comes to love. The angst is sweetly realistic, because honestly, who remains calm and rational when every touch and kiss threatens to consume you? I feel sad sometimes when I read books of today where everyone is calm and rational about their feelings. No, life does not work like that, especially when you are in the throes of passion and uncertain of your place with the one you want to be. The humor threaded through their interactions lightens the narrative, balancing the tension with laugh-out-loud moments that makes the ride even more entertaining. The ending, tender and satisfying, ties everything together beautifully.

Recommended for: readers who love boss-employee dynamics, opposites attract, and sizzling banter that will keep you grinning as much as it makes you swoon.

Final Verdict: A witty, passionate romance with a hero to make you melt and a heroine who refuses to bow to him; The Bridal Suite is Sandra Marton at her sparkling best.

Favorite Quotes

If he hadn’t been linked with every beautiful female on the planet, it was only because, at thirty-five, he hadn’t yet had the time to get around to them all.

His kiss was hungry, hot and urgent. There was no tenderness to it, but tenderness wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted him, had wanted him for days. For all the years of her life, and when he caught her up in his arms and took her to the bed, she sighed and sank down with him into the softness of the silk, her hands already under his shirt, her fingers hot against his hard, muscled flesh, her mouth open to his.
“Dana,” he whispered, as if her name were all he could manage.

His hand closed on her blouse, tore it, ripped it from her, exposing her flesh to his mouth, his hungry, eager mouth…
Somewhere in the distance, bells began to ring, chiming out the opening notes of Here Comes the Bride.
It was the doorbell.
They went rigid in each other’s arms. The bells rang again. Griffin cursed, rolled off the bed, and headed for the front door.
Dana sat up. She was trembling. What had she done?

“Sweetheart?”
Dana closed her eyes at the sound of Griffin’s voice. She heard the terrace doors slide open, then felt his body brush lightly against her.
His arms went around her, and he drew her back against him.
Don’t, she told herself. Oh, don’t. This is wrong. It’s wrong…
“Dana.”
He put his mouth to her throat, and her breath caught I love you, she thought, oh, Griffin, I love you. What was the sense in trying to deny it?

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