Category / Contemporary

by mvbookreviewer

Review: My Fake Fiancee by Nancy Warren

Format: E-bookMSRCover
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Blaze, #553
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: David Wolfe
Heroine: Chelsea Hammond
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 1, 2010
Started On: July 20, 2010
Finished On: July 21, 2010

This is one of the best Harlequin Blaze books I have read recently. Nancy Warren does a superb job of character development and keeps up the sizzling sexual tension between the characters that made this book a gem to sink into. And what clinched the deal was the fact that instead of one happily ever after, we get to read about two happily ever afters, both stories adding to the charm of this book.

David Wolfe, is an insurance broker who finds himself in a bit of a fix when the vice president position at the firm where he works is up for grabs – for those who have a significant other by their side. Thus, thinking it harmless, David starts mentioning of his non-existent fiance around the firm and before he knows it, the board of directors at his firm wants to meet this fiance of his that they have been hearing about. David knows that the fluffy dolls he dates is not the wifely material that the firm is looking for. But David is loathe of anything to do with commitment ever since the woman he was engaged to left him to be with her old boyfriend and thus decides to put his mind to finding the perfect woman who could pretend to be his fiance until the position of vice presidency is his to claim.

Sarah Wolfe, David’s younger sister is as driven as David, but a divorce lawyer. Sarah has been best friends with Chelsea Hammond since Chelsea moved into the neighboring home when they were teenagers. From the moment Chelsea had laid her eyes on David, there had been room for no other in her heart. Though David barely noticed her back then and life had taken both of them in different directions, Chelsea always remembers the vivid crush that she had on David with fondness. Now back home after spending time in Paris at the Le Cordon Bleu, Chelsea had always wanted her own catering business but the lack of capital is preventing her from starting out on her own. Salvation comes in the form of Sarah’s neat plan to throw in Chelsea to act as a doting fiance for David. Chelsea in turn gets to reside in David’s beautiful home and make use of the fabulous kitchen which David has no time for.

David can’t believe his eyes when the sexy alluring woman who catches his eye whilst waiting for Chelsea to turn up for the dinner is actually Chelsea herself. And when a kiss of chance explodes white hot desire within David for Chelsea, he is all in for starting a wildly satisfying affair with his fake fiance. But Chelsea has other plans knowing that she wouldn’t survive with her heart intact if she gives into the desire that courses through her whenever David is around. But before long Chelsea succumbs to David’s searing touch and kisses, and what Chelsea thought and planned to be a one time thing barely scratches the itch she has for David.

The ever commitment phobic David doesn’t know what hits him when he starts wanting the domesticity that Chelsea effortlessly wields in his home. Thinking that succumbing to his heart’s wants and desires would prove to be dangerous, David does all that is in his power to push Chelsea away emotionally though he craves to be with her with a burning intensity that leaves him breathless.

On the other end, the driven and focused Sarah finds herself exchanging e-mails with a man whom she has never met before and finds herself getting intrigued at the thought of meeting him up and seeing where things could lead. Mike, a yoga instructor and someone who walks through life only at the pace that is suitable for him couldn’t be any more different from Sarah. Mike is tired of all the relationships that he has had with women that had revolved more or less around only on sex. What Mike is looking for is something a bit more permanent and at first Sarah is doubtful whether she is ready for what Mike has to offer. But as things proceed, Sarah finds out that Mike’s brand of slow loving is what she really needs.

David and Chelsea’s happily ever after doesn’t come that easily. David has to exorcise his phobias and open himself up to all the feelings that reside within him for the woman who brings all the color and taste into otherwise his bland life before a true happy ending can be achieved.

I loved both the stories, especially the character development, the sizzling tension between the characters and the tastefully done love scenes that contributed towards the storyline rather than taking the reader’s focus away from it. If all novels by Ms. Warren are as tastefully done as this one, which I am going to check out, I would no doubt be a top fan of Ms. Warren.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Amazon Lily by Theresa Weir

Format: E-bookamazonlily
Read with: Amazon Kindle & Mobipocket Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Pocket Books
Hero: Asher Adams
Heroine: Corey McKinney
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication:  October 1, 1988
Started On: July 17, 2010
Finished On: July 19, 2010

This is another book that was recommended on the Amazon discussion forum having similar story lines to that of Wild Orchids by Karen Robards. Though the book lacked the adventure part that I was looking for, this book was a wonderful romance, one filled with heart pounding tension and enough love to clutch at your heartstrings.

Corey a girl from small town Pleasant Grove, Illinois,  makes her way to the Amazon jungle on a mission. The congregation of Corey’s church was considering funding a reserve called San Revs which was located deep in the Amazon jungle. But before the funding could be approved, the church elders had insisted upon sending a representative to South America to personally meet with the reserve’s owner, George Dupree, and bring back a thorough report. Corey had fast talked her way into the job at hand with her degree in social work and her year of practical nursing to back her credentials.

When the bush pilot Mike Jones, who is supposed to pick her up gets late, Corey finds herself with Asher Adams, a man so virile that from the first glance itself that Corey knows that he is not the type of man you mess around with. Asher makes no secret of the fact that he hates the damn do-gooders  who come looking for adventure or  to ogle at the “savages” that inhabit the deep recesses of the jungle. Asher is a man who has toughened up to life in more ways than one. Brought up in a foster home with his brother Luke, Asher had always been labeled as the bad seed, the one who always got into a shitload of trouble.

But when his brother Luke, who could compete for a position up amongst the angels for all his humanitarian work goes missing in the Amazon, Asher leaves everything behind and goes on the hunt for his brother who has been everything to him in his life. Three years on though he doesn’t give up on his search, Asher suffers from bouts of Malarial fever, a testament to just how much the living jungle can take from a human life.

Corey, having led a suitably staid and boring life and expected to get married to her best friend Todd has never encountered anyone like Asher in her life. His larger than life presence with the fascinating  tattoo on his shoulder that blatantly shouted out “Born to raise hell”, Asher never fails to invoke the most extreme emotions in Corey. The sizzling white hot attraction that takes Corey unawares and battles with every step of the way, whilst Asher who tries to label all that he feels for the delectable woman by his side as lust is something worth sinking into.

With time and understanding, Corey finds herself strangely drawn to the rough around the edges Asher who would rather act tough than own up to the fact that deep inside is a heart of gold, incapable of watching someone suffer. Though Asher would not admit to it, Corey knows that he is a humanitarian through and through and the analogy doesn’t sit well with Asher when Corey blurts it out.

The night that Corey gets drunk on an aphrodisiac potion and tries to seduce Asher is one of the best parts of the book. All in all, loved every minute of the book, especially how it ended with the Asher and Corey going their separate ways before finally coming together which made this book one of the best reads!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Fever Dreams by Laura Leone

Format: E-bookn49314
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Blonde Trifecta
Hero: Horace Balthazar Ransom
Heroine: Madeline Barrington
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication:  January 1, 1997
Started On: July 14, 2010
Finished On: July 16, 2010

After reading Night Magic by Karen Robards, I was driven to find books of similar themes and found myself with two recommendations from readers on an Amazon discussion forum, which I decided to give a go at without further ado.

Fever Dreams is the story of how the rich, elite and picture perfect Madeline Barrington finds herself in the company of Ransom on a sultry hot night at a bar in Montedora, a country that had succumbed to the effects of countless years of being led by power hungry dictators. Madeline was there for the purpose of selling off a ranch that has belonged to her family for a few years and the desolate wariness that she feels upon her flight being canceled and the fact that the man who walks into the bar with the take-charge attitude skips a beat or two in her heart is the reason that Madeline does the unthinkable and spends a decadent night of passion in Ransom’s arms.

Ransom never thought that the woman who refused to tell him her name would blow away his mind all through the night and be gone before he even knew it. And back in the States where Ransom, an ex Secret Service agent who works for a private security firm finds himself turning more and more grouchy with a short leash on his temper as he refuses to admit to himself just how much of an effect the night he spent in the runaway woman’s arms has had on him. Matters come to a heed when Ransom’s next assignment turns out to be acting as the protector of the woman who has been haunting his dreams and every waking thought for the past six months.

Madeline fled away from what she and Ransom shared because Madeline couldn’t believe that the sensual creature she turned into for the night could have really been her. And there is also the fact that she is a Barrington and the responsibilities that go along with being one. Madeline has always been one to shoulder her responsibilities and not let anyone else see what being the perfect daughter costs her day in and day out. And the fact that Ransom seems to understand her scares the living daylights out of her. Although Madeline too has thought of little else but Ransom throughout the past six months, she is not ready to yield in and give into the intense emotions Ransom rouses in her so effortlessly.

Before the story is through, Madeline and Ransom finds themselves running for their lives in a country at the brink of civil war and Ransom nearly loses his life in the process. Although the story is a bit different from what I expected, I liked the intense connection between Madeline and Ransom, the witty banter between the two and of course the steamy sensuality that scorched the pages.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Night Magic by Karen Robards

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Hero: Jack McClain
Heroine: Clara Winston
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication:  October 1987
Started On: July 11, 2010
Finished On: July 12, 2010

I have always loved a good smashing adventure with a high dose of sensuality and romance in the mix. This is a testament as to why Wild Orchids by the same author remains a favorite of mine. Adventures where a hero and heroine who are as different from one another as night and day gets thrown in together to survive against tough as nails bad guys and the unforgiving conditions of the wilderness of nature that surrounds them. From the moment I found out about this novel on a discussion forum on Amazon I knew that this would be one of those romances that I wouldn’t be able to put down. And boy was I glad when I was proven right!

CIA Agent Jack McClain is as tough as they come. Having fought in the Vietnam war and then later working deep undercover in remote areas of the world and finally being the catalyst that brought everything to a disastrous conclusion earning him a stint in a psych facility and later a desk job at the agency, Jack never thought that he would be lucky enough to land a job within the intelligence community that would boost his career once again. Tim Hammersmith, Jack’s boss in many a deep cover missions sticks out his neck for Jack once again and assigns him with the task of getting Yuprov, a Russian KGB spy to spill his guts about a mole who was working deep within the highest ranks of the American intelligence.

Jack never thought that before he was through with the assignment that he and Yuprov would  be captured and tortured, and Jack barely escapes the fate of death at the hand of his captors by jumping ship into the murky churning waters of the ocean. Jack barely survives drowning and his rescue by two fishermen out at sea and his subsequent transfer to the hospital for treatment once again sets the Russian KGB goons after him from which he barely escapes only to be labeled as the raving lunatic who carried out a massacre at the hospital. Now its not only the KGB that is after his ass but the whole country who is on the lookout before the day is through.

Clara Winston, a romance author who just turned thirty, lives with her old gray Persian cat Puff and two cream and gray Siamese cats Amy and Iris. Clara has always been coached the ways of a proper lady through and through and though Clara yearns to settle down, start a family of her own, she has never been tempted by any of the men who have shared her life albeit for brief moments in time. Clara has always envisioned that she would find a noble and uncomplicated knight in shining armor and settle down and have normal uncomplicated kids someday. She has no inkling of the fact that her dedication in her latest novel to the “Magic Dragon” would land her in a whole different load of trouble and that before the night is through, her home would be invaded by Russian KGB agents and that she would barely escape with her life intact.

Clara first encounters Jack whilst running through the tobacco fields that surrounds her home trying to escape the Russian goons that invaded her home, and though at first Jack thinks that Clara is in cahoots with the KGB, to Clara’s surprise Jack finds the whole story of her book dedication a source of mirth and merriment and a dumbfounded Clara is advised by the roughneck who stands in front of her to take a vacation and get the hell out of the country.

Though Clara runs to the town Sheriff and complains, no one really thinks that her home invasion is more than just a burglary gone wrong. And Clara finds herself captured with her cat Puff and once again in the company of the man who was wreaking so much havoc in her life. These two barely escape and runs for their life for all its worth. The immediate dislike that these two have for one another makes for the best of simmering tension that explodes with no bounds before halfway through the novel. The unbelievable flare of red hot passion Clara feels for Jack, someone she doesn’t even like makes her wary at best, but that doesn’t stop her from succumbing to the raw sexuality that Jack effortlessly wields around her.

Before the story is through, Jack and Clara are captured once again, Clara tortured and Jack shot in the chest during their last escape from the Russian goons. My heart was pounding through most of the novel and I couldn’t for the world of me put it down and go to sleep without finding out how the story ends. And like Wild Orchids, I found myself unhappy with the way things ended, as Clara was the one who goes after Jack and yes, Jack welcomes her with open arms but doesn’t Clara deserve a bit of wooing other than a rough trek through the jungles dodging bullets and running for her life just because she unknowingly used Jack’s undercover code name as a dedication in her book? But then again, the story has me sighing all over the rough and tough Jack and wistfully yearning for a Jack of my own.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: After the Night by Linda Howard

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Hero: Gray Rouillard
Heroine: Faith Devlin
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: December 1995
Started On: July 3, 2010
Finished On: July 5, 2010

Linda Howard takes us on one wicked sensual ride in this novel where the wealthy Gray Rouillard clashes with the poor town outcast Faith Devlin. Everyone in the small town of Prescott, Louisiana knew that Faith’s mother Renee the town whore, a sensational beauty who with a glance can leave men wanting is Guy Rouillard’s mistress. From a very young age, Faith had been addled with taking care of her mishap family with a drunken lout of a father and two elder brothers who were well on their way on continuing their father’s legacy and an elder sister who was quickly following in the wake of their mother. And then there was the youngest in the family, a child addled with Down’s syndrome who needed continuous care and attention.

The Devlins live on the outskirts of Rouillard’s property and regardless of the fact that they never paid their rent the Devlins were tolerated because of the relationship between Guy and Renee. Faith has always worshiped the town’s golden boy from afar. Faith’s childhood was a mix of spending endless hours just watching Guy and his friends while away their time and taking care of the endless chores that await her at home. Faith has never had illusions that a Devlin would ever be deemed good enough for a Rouillard but she yearns to shout out to the world that she is different from the rest of her family.

And one fateful night, life as the Devlins and Rouillards know it come to an end when Renee and Guy run away together leaving their families to pick up the pieces. Gray cannot fathom the reason why Guy had to abandon everything and run away with the town whore and overnight Gray grows up and is left to bear the emotional and financial upheaval that his father has left in his wake. Gray is furious with the trashy Devlins and orders them to evacuate the Rouillard’s property, an order  to which Faith’s family doesn’t pay a heed. However the full extent of the impact of Guy’s abandonment together with the fact that the Devlins were just continuing life as they know it drives Gray into a mass of seething rage which sees him ridding the town of the Devlins once and for all.

Faith would never forget the night that her mama never came home and how she and the rest of her family were driven out of their only home like a bunch of outlaws in the middle of the night. And twelve years later, Faith returns to Prescott, Louisiana to find the truth about what actually took place the night Renee and Guy left in the middle of the night forever changing the lives of both families. Faith’s return to town stirs up the gossip and the anger within the Rouillard’s family and Gray feels sucker punched by the intense need to get horizontal with Faith as soon as he lays eyes on her.

Faith knows that she would never be able to deny Gray but she would rather die than be labeled as the mistress of Gray Rouillard. Gray is torn between his family and the white hot desire that runs through his veins whenever he and Faith come across one another and of course it doesn’t help one bit when he realizes that Faith turns putty in his arms. The coming together of Faith and Gray is so explosive that you would feel the scorch of the heat generated as you read through. And whilst the relationship between Gray and Faith continues to unfold till its inevitable conclusion, someone in Prescott doesn’t like the questions that Faith keeps on asking in order to piece together what actually happened that fateful night.

Packed with explosive sexual tension between two strong characters that reminded me of Aqua Man with his long hair, wide shoulders and the oh so sexy diamond stud in his ear and Faith with her cat like green eyes and red hair with the effortless sensuality that drives Gray out of his mind that bore a strong resemblance with Aqua Man’s wife in the Justice League cartoon series, this book is one that each contemporary romance lover must read!

My favorite scene in the book would have to be the one where Gray corners Faith in the ladies room in the courthouse, and man do the pages sizzle then! I would love one wicked Gray Rouillard served on a plate please!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Bedroom Business by Sandra Marton

Format: E-book
Read with: Microsoft Word
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #2159
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Jake McBride
Heroine: Emily Taylor
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 1, 2001
Started On: July 4, 2010
Finished On: July 4, 2010

I have been hankering to re-read this novel lately because I kept remembering just how I much I enjoyed the sparring verbal matches that take place between Jake and Emily. Jack is a self-made millionaire who is enjoying life as he always wanted to. The one thing that hampers his lifestyle are the women who inhabit his bed fully knowing that he is not the forever kind of guy and still going ahead and demanding something more from him. Thank God he could always rely on his straight-laced assistant Emily who has smoothed over his life many a time since she started working for him.

Growing up with two beautiful sisters and feeling like the odd one out because she had always been shy and more interested in books and studying than the opposite sex, Emily thinks of herself as the average brown mousy type of woman. No wonder she has been feeling restless and lonely of late because it had been ages since she had tried going out on a date. But the one thing Emily knows with gut wrenching certainty is the disdain she feels for men like her boss Jake who thinks they are the next best thing since sliced bread for women.

However from the minute one of Jake’s acquaintances turn up to see him and declare that he found his secretary who always dressed in brown tweed suites alluring and sexy, Jake can’t help the protective and possessive instincts that rise up deep within him. For Emily hearing Jake confirm what she sees herself as is the last straw for her and she decides to accept the impromptu offer to have dinner with Jake’s friend.

Jake doesn’t understand how he has turned into this seething mass of green-eyed jealousy overnight and fights the caveman instincts that arise in him whenever other men except him notice Emily. And it doesn’t help matters when Emily practically melts whenever Jake takes her in his arms which in turn creates havoc with Jake’s emotions. The continuous arguments that crop up between the two as they fight not to succumb to the alluring attraction between them is one to be savored. I found myself laughing out loud several times and whilst Jake is the type of hero who can melt you on the insides, Emily is a heroine you can relate to and root for.

What starts out as lessons in seduction for Emily certainly backfires on Jake and it is one enjoyable ride that Ms. Marton takes us on till Jake and Emily ultimately find happiness with one another. I guarantee there is never a dull moment within the pages of this book. Highly recommended for those who love Harlequin romances.

My favorite scene of the book would have to be when Jake traps Emily inside the elevator and what takes place next is just steamy hot!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Diamond Bay by Linda Howard

Format: E-bookdiamondbay
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Kell Sabin, Book 2
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Hero: Kell Sabin
Heroine: Rachel Jones
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 1987
Started On: July 3, 2010
Finished On: July 3, 2010

This is the second book in the Rescues series by Linda Howard. We get introduced to Kell Sabin in the first book as this frighteningly controlled agent in the highest ranks of intelligence gathering. Continuously putting himself on the line for his country is the only way of life that Kell knows and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

While Kell is on vacation aboard his cruiser Wanda, Kell gets attacked and nearly loses his life with two bullets driven into him, one into his shoulder and the other into his thigh. Being the highly trained and disciplined agent he is saves him when he summons all the reserves of strength he has to swim to shore and find help.

Rachel Jones is a widower living on a quiet private property near the beach with her less than friendly guard dog Joe and her geese to keep her company. Well educated and an investigative reporter before she had quit her old life, Rachel lets the peace that surrounds her present way of life heal her.

Rachel comes across a wounded and unconscious Kell on her beach and her old instincts kick in warning her not to report the man who was in dire need of medical attention to the local authorities. Her friend Honey, a veterinarian does all she can for Kell and it is Rachel who painstakingly take care of the enigmatic man who lies on her bed day in and day out. Though Rachel knows that the furthest thing she should be feeling for the man she rescued is white hot lust, she can’t deny her feelings anymore than she can deny herself the oxygen she needed to live.

Though Kell knows he owes his life to Rachel, habits ingrained in him for far too long prevents him from confiding in Rachel apart from telling her that he had been double crossed by his own agents and superiors. And danger comes calling when agents start coming around to Rachel’s place long before Kell regains consciousness in the hopes of confirming that Kell had indeed being killed from their efforts.

Grant and Jane from the book Midnight Rainbow comes to Kell’s rescue and although Kell professes that he loves Rachel, he doesn’t want to give them the chance to be together because of the dangers his way of life constantly puts  himself and his loved ones in.

I love novels where the hero and heroine getting together is not a forgone conclusion by the middle of the book and the ending is drawn out a bit to make the reader feel the pain both the hero and heroine undergoes during their separation from one another which makes their happily ever after more meaningful. Its rare to come across stories such as this one nowadays and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this marvellous story the second time round starring two characters you would root for right from the very beginning.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Midnight Rainbow by Linda Howard

Format: E-bookmidnightrainbow
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Kell Sabin, Book 1
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Hero: Grant Sullivan
Heroine: Priscilla Jane Hamilton Greer
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 1986
Started On: July 2, 2010
Finished On: July 3, 2010

Like the author Catherine Coulter says on the book cover “You can’t just read one Linda Howard”, I find myself returning to her books time & time again and they never fail to entertain me. Though I still haven’t given her latest works “Ice” and “Burn” a try, mainly because of the weak reviews both the books received, maybe I should rectify it asap and see whether I like them.

This book is one the earliest books by the author, and I should say one that I enjoyed immensely even reading the second time round. Linda Howard writes the best alpha heroes out there and Grant Sullivan is no exception to the rule. In his late thirties and burned out from a career of serving on covert missions for his country, Grant retires from his career, buys a farm in a deeply isolated area and tries to heal himself from what he has become.

But people seldom forget a man of his talents and caliber and one year on, Grant finds himself deep in the jungles of Costa Rica to rescue the pretty bum of socialite Priscilla Jane Hamilton Greer. Grant can’t believe how a social butterfly like Jane could end up in the middle of a conspiracy of international proportions, and it is up to Grant to rescue her from the clutches of the bad guys who have imprisoned her in the middle of nowhere.

Jane is not what she portrays herself to be. Though she is a beauty, she is far from being helpless and has been planning her own escape ever since she has been imprisoned and acting as dumb as she could to lull her captors into a false sense of security. Grant finds his rescue attempts thwarted not by her captors but by the enchanting captive herself. A mission Grant thought would be over before the next sunrise takes an unexpected turn and Grant finds himself trekking through the rough terrain to bring Jane to safety and on the way finds himself interested to know about Jane who is a mass of contradictions.

Before long, the attraction that Grant tries to hide from Jane becomes an impossibility when the feeling is mutual and though Jane knows that the strong warrior who stands beside her has captured her heart and spoiled her for any other man, nothing of permanence could come out of their relationship.

I always love an adventure where the hero and heroine are one with the nature and danger lurks with every step they take heightening the tension in the novel and the ultimate culmination of events seem all that much better. This book has got everything a gal could ask for in a romance. And in the end Jane’s plans to make Grant realize that he too cannot live without her seemed to make a satisfying ending for this great story.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Spanish Groom by Lynne Graham

Format: E-book
Read with: Mobipocket Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #2037
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Cesar Valverde
Heroine: Dixie Robinson
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: March 5, 1999
Started On: June 30, 2010
Finished On: June 30, 2010

This book is a testament to why Lynne Graham remains a favorite Harlequin romance author of mine though her recent works leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. After starting off with the book I realized that I had actually read this book sometime back and reading it the second time round didn’t diminish the effects of the roller coaster ride this book seemed to take me on.

My interest was piqued enough to read this book while I was browsing through a discussion thread on Amazon about Harlequin romances that readers actually liked. One reader had pretty much summed up the story which portrays Cesar, a man who keeps a tight rein on his emotions, but who dotes on his god father Jasper, the only person in his life who had ever shown him unconditional love. Dixie is the total opposite of Cesar in every way. Emotional where he is not, talkative and friendly to a fault, Dixie doesn’t know why the Jasper’s godson had taken such an intense dislike to her and seemed to be finding fault in everything she did around the office. It certainly doesn’t help matters when the routine financial checks done on employees turn up the information that Dixie is knee deep in debt, a condition her step sister Petra has left her in and run off to New York to find work as an actress.

Cesar doesn’t want to believe a word that comes out of Dixie’s mouth. Forever suspicious of people and their intentions, Cesar can’t fathom why Jasper seemed to like Dixie so intensely. The financial check that reveals Dixie’s spending habits give Cesar the chance he has been waiting for. But because of the news that his godfather has not been feeling well because of problems with his heart, Cesar decides that the one thing he could do for the single ray of sunshine in his life was to make his last days on Earth happy ones and decides to do that by entering into a charade where he would present Dixie as his fiance’ to Jasper.

It is Cesar’s intention to transform Dixie into a woman of polished veneer. It was quite amusing to see Dixie forced into a diet and rigorous workout sessions because Cesar thinks Dixie is overweight from over indulgence in food. It was riveting to read how Cesar realizes that beneath all the frumpy layer of clothes Dixie hides a body to die for, and unwillingly Cesar becomes slave to the undeniable fizz between the two.

Before long, Cesar and Dixie are on their way to Spain, and Jasper walks in on them in moments of heated passion which turns the tables around so fast that it leaves Dixie’s head whirling. Dixie finds herself married to Cesar in just a week’s time and finally admits to herself that she has fallen in love with the cold and aloof man that her husband portrays himself to be. It was heartwarming, endearing and at moments heart thumping when Cesar and Dixie try to make a relationship out of their circumstances and in the end find true love with one another.

I loved every bit of this novel and would highly recommend this to lovers of Harlequin romances and fans of Lynne Graham.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Soldier by Rhonda Nelson

Format: E-book
Read with:  Amazon Kindle & Mobipocket Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Uniformly Hot!, Book 7
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Adam McPherson
Heroine: Winnie Cuthbert
Sensuality: 2.5
Date of Publication: June 27, 2009
Started On: June 29, 2010
Finished On: June 29, 2010

Adam and Winnie’s story actually starts in the novel Letters from Home which I reviewed earlier. Adam is the younger brother of Levi, the hero from Letters from Home and best friend of Natalie, now Levi’s husband. Winnie stars as the other best friend of Natalie and the she is one in whom Natalie confided all her deepest and darkest desires about Levi when she thought Levi was well beyond her reach.

As usual with small towns, Adam and Winnie too had grown up together. Winnie is quite athletic, a bit on the tomboyish side but the pastries and cakes that she makes seem to be little pieces of heaven. Adam was serving a tour in Iraq when a roadside bomb had torn apart his leg. Now back home recuperating from his injury and wanting nothing more than getting well enough to return back to life the only way he knew it, Winnie is a temptation that Adam thought he could resist.

Though Adam had never been interested in Winnie though it was a public secret in their hometown that Winnie had carried a torch for him like since forever, Adam is hit hard by the intense feelings Winnie ignites in him right before he was to leave for his tour. But knowing that Winnie was someone who was grounded in her hometown and happy there and himself, a man who would always belong to the military makes him shy away from taking things any further.

However, once Winnie realizes that Adam is not as immune to her as he would like to be, she takes matters into her own hands so to speak and before long, even with all the reservations Adam has, he and Winnie are heating up the sheets. However duty comes calling and though Adam knows that he would now never be the same after getting a glimpse of how fulfilling life would be with Winnie makes him have second thoughts.

This time round, maybe cos I didn’t have such high expectations, this story I guess made for a pretty okay read, but considering it is from the Blaze line which is all about the sizzle and smoking hot passion, this novel too fell short. And I just can’t get over how the book cover doesn’t depict the smoking hot hero as described in the book which is a total letdown in itself. Yes, I do place importance on book covers as well.

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