Category / Marriage of convenience

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Man Trouble by Sabine Ferruci

Format: E-bookmantrouble
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Hero: Jack O’Brien
Heroine: Elizabeth Nash-Swenson
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: March 1, 2009
Started On: July 3, 2011
Finished On: July 4, 2011

Man Trouble by Sabine Ferucci has certainly delivered me from the funk I was in after my last two reads which turned out to be disappointing. I am so very glad that I took the chance and obtained myself a copy of this delectable read which turned out to be fun, entertaining and sexy as hell!

The hero Jack O’Brien who is about to turn 40 is a man who has had more than his fair share of disappointments in life. A single dad with his 6 year old daughter Laurie, Jack is a man who is leery of commitment, marriage and the whole lot that goes along with it, not surprising given his past encounter with marriage and the ugly divorce that had followed.

33 year old Elizabeth Nash-Swenson is a single mother with two boys and had lost her husband almost two years back. Beth is a woman stuck in her past refusing to let go of the memories of her precious husband Tim until Jack invades her life, a man as different from Tim as night is to day.

When Jack approaches the woman least likely to turn stalkerish in a bar, he has no idea that Beth is the woman who has been refusing to pay his construction company for services rendered. Before he knows it, he has kissed her senseless and promised her that he would come around her place to find out what the problem was all about.

When Jack strikes a bargain with Beth that he would finish up whatever repairs at her place personally, this paves the path in which their repressed feelings of red-hot desire for one another fosters and starts to grow amidst all the misgivings each has against the other. When a marriage of convenience comes into the picture, all bets are off when the headstrong and stubborn Jack meets more than his match in Beth.

There were so many things that I loved about Man Trouble and Jack tops the list without any competition. He is broody, uber-alpha, a man who works with his hands and someone who definitely knows the finer points of keeping a woman satisfied on all counts in bed. He is stubborn to the point of being a pain in the ass but I couldn’t help but fall in love with him as he was and subject myself to the continuous streaks of hot flashes which was a constant when Jack was around.

Beth is someone who finds it hard to let go of the memories of her dead husband and Jack certainly gives her a hard time in acting out whenever any semblance of closeness begins to develop between them. I loved Beth because she gave as good as she got from Jack and finally managed to convince him that with her lies his future steeped in love and warmth, something that has been missing from Jack’s life since childhood.

A very satisfying contemporary romance recommended for EVERYONE who loves books of the genre. I read this in one sitting, acquiring myself hours of lost sleep which was all worth it because of the very sigh and drool worthy Jack O’Brien.

Favorite Quotes

Jack muttered a few choice words and stood. “So. You still need a hug?”
She nodded. Desperately.
He walked over with his hands in his pockets and a look in his eyes that could only be called tenderness. “I got to tell you. It’s going to be tough to keep it brotherly. I was never anyone’s brother.”
“I’ll risk it.” She lifted her arms to him.
He reached down and swooped her up, afghan and all, then sat down in the rocker with her in his lap. He pulled her close, pressed her head to his shoulder, and steadily rocked the chair.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | New Concepts Publishing

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Outlaw Bride by Jenna Kernan

Format: E-bookoutlawbride
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Harlequin Historical Series
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Cole Ellis
Heroine: Bridget Rose Callahan
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 1, 2008
Started On: June 23, 2011
Finished On: June 23, 2011

This book caught my eye whilst searching for another book with the same title. The blurb sounded promising enough and within minutes I was engrossed in this tale that tells the story of how 2 people survive against all odds until rescue comes calling.22 year old Bridget Rose Callahan is a woman who is determined that she would brave the harsh conditions of the brutal winter weather up in the Cascades mountain to save the last of her family members, no matter what it is that she has to do to achieve it. At her wits end, Bridget seeks the help of 26 year old Cole Ellis who is on death row, awaiting the hangman’s noose almost as if in anticipation.

What Cole wants more than anything else is to forget his past, his failures and to say goodbye to a world that has dealt him nothing but one blow after the other until he is ready to kneel down and admit defeat. When Bridget seeks him out, Cole doesn’t have a clue as to just to what lenghs Bridget is ready to go through to rescue her family.

Breaking Cole out of prison seems to be the easy part of the rescue attempt as the authorities turn out a full fledged search for the only man who is capable helping Bridget out. There are a lot of hardships that these two go through and added to the story are the accounts of how those that are left behind in the mountains barely make it through. Added to this potent mix is the heady desire that both Cole and Bridget start to feel for each other, Cole a man who has sworn off women and Bridget a woman who swears that no man would get the better of her ever again.

The culmination of the horrific journey towards safety doesn’t mean a victory for everyone as Cole who suddenly very much wants to live again finds himself back in custody and it is Bridget’s bravery that yet again serves as the catalyst that brings them all the happily ever after which they so rightfully deserve.

For me, the best thing about this novel was Bridget whose unwavering faith and courage were what pulled everyone through the tight spots within the story. This is not your average boy meets girl and falls in love Harlequin but rather a story that tells the tale of immense courage with a mix of pretty emotion wrangling material that makes for a good read.

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Indecent Deception by Lynne Graham

Format: E-bookindecentdeception
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #1740
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Blaze Kenyon
Heroine: Christabel Hamilton
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 1, 1995
Started On: June 14, 2011
Finished On: June 14, 2011

This I think must be the third time that I am reading Indecent Deception by Lynne Graham. And that alone should be enough to tell everyone who wants to know that this is a favorite re-read of mine from the Harlequin line.

Christable (Chrissy) Hamilton is just twenty years of age and shoulders the responsibility of caring singlelhandedly for her half sister Rosie who is about two and a half years old. Barely making ends meet, Chrissy is fired from her only job that is responsible for keeping a roof over her and Rosie’s head; all because she lets her pride and anger at Blaze Kenyon’s sheer arrogance take the best of her.

Blaze is a man who has no intention of ever settling down and one whose sensational life as the rich playboy keeps the tabloids in a tailspin. Surprisingly it is Blaze who offers Chrissy a job which she grabs with both hands never knowing the twisted web she would weave in the coming days.

When her sister Elaine turns up claiming that she wants to get back together with Blaze, Chrissy does the stupidest thing she has ever done in her life which ends up with Blaze and herself walking down the aisle. However, once the truth comes out, Chrissy has hell to pay, making her fear that her burgoening love for a man who has become so vibrantly important in her life would never be reciprocated by the man in question, who only feels loathing for her misleading lies.

I just flat-out adore this story which is proven by the number of times I have read it to-date. And I love Blaze Kenyon for everything he is from his sardonic humor to the blazingly sexual side of him that just makes my heart go predictably aflutter each and every single time. Chrissy was a tough one to like because of the deceiving role that she plays in the novel, no matter how martyr-like she wanted her actions to be. For me, its Blaze who makes this novel come alive, who makes this book worth a revisit time and time again.

Recommended for fans of Lynne Graham and fans of Harlequin romances.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble 

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Best Man to Wed? by Penny Jordan

Format: E-bookbestmantowed
Read with: Kindle for iPad
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: The Bride’s Bouquet, Book 2
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: James Carlton
Heroine: Poppy Carlton
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: May 1, 1997
Started On: June 13, 2011
Finished On: June 13, 2011

I can almost always count on a good old Harlequin novel to take me on an emotional roller coaster ride from which I wouldn’t want to get off. Penny Jordan is a favorite Harlequin author of mine and I am sure many fans of the Harlequin line are bound to feel the same. Though I have done most of my Harlequin crazed phase of reading prior to the start of my review site, this is one novel by Penny Jordan that I seemed to have missed, a fact I am glad that I have rectified when I started on this one on a whim today.

22 year old Poppy Carlton has had her dreams crushed when her cousin Chris Carlton who has been the man of her dreams since she had turned 12 years of age marries another. Forced to grow up and get her head out of the clouds, Poppy is horrified when her virginal body responds in an appalling manner to James Carlton’s caresses. James is her beloved Chris’s elder brother, the forbidding and formidable version to the sunny and easy going nature of Chris who occupies her thoughts night and day – or so Poppy tries telling herself.

8 years older than Poppy, James is a man who keeps his emotions close to himself apart from tearing into Poppy’s infatuation when it comes to his younger brother. When consequences of their nights of passion together forces Poppy to acknowledge her feelings towards the brother who is a match for her in every way, Poppy fears that she might be just a little bit too late in accepting that James is the one and only for her.

I love stories where the hero has always being in love with the heroine but somehow was overshadowed by the heroine’s infatuation with another man presumably a relative of the hero’s. James is a mouthwateringly alluring hero and Poppy though at first grated on my nerves with her self pitying nature made up for it beautifully when she freely expresses her need for James bringing the poor guy to his knees.

And this one certainly managed to be an emotion wrenching read and I loved the effect the story had on my emotions as I read along. Though this might not be a feminist’s idea of how a romance should be, this is romance in its most old-fashioned form, the reason why I fell in love with the world of romance in the first place. Recommended for fans of the Harlequin genre and fans of Penny Jordan.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Substitute Wife by Dallas Schulze

Format: Paperbackthesubstitutewife
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: MIRA
Hero: Luke Quintain
Heroine: Catherine Willow Rain Skywalker Lang
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 1, 2003
Started On: May 6, 2011
Finished On: May 7, 2011

I have been wanting to read The Substitute Wife by Dallas Schulze for a long time. And whilst I enjoyed this book immensely, I had to bring down the rating from 5-stars because I felt that the hero did not really grovel enough to win back the affections of the heroine.

Catherine Willow Rain Skywalker Lang (I know, its a mouthful but it suites her well and good) grows up with a hippie for a mother whose wanderlust nature provided Cat with a very unique sort of childhood. Thus Cat had learnt at a very young age to become an “adult” and a responsible child with her unconventional education that nevertheless grows up to be a beautiful woman inside and out. It had been a gangly 13 year old Cat that had met her beautiful 20 year old sort of step-sister Devon whose father Larry had been the only family that Cat had known through her transformation from a teenager into womanhood.

When Cat finds out that Devon is running away with her first love and breaking off her engagement to Luke Quintain with whom Cat had fallen in love at first sight, Cat’s tender hearted nature refuses to let Luke hear about the broken engagement just mere weeks before the wedding via the post. So it is because Cat wants to deliver the news of the broken engagement in person that she finds herself on the doorstep of the ultra rich real estate tycoon for whom her heart clamors for something fierce.

Somehow Luke finds himself at the receiving end of the news of a broken engagement and Cat somehow leaves with a ring on her finger after proposing that she take Devon’s place instead. Luke agrees because he can’t help his reaction to the tall and red-haired beauty with the green eyes who calls to his baser instincts in a way that has never happened before. Though its a marriage of convenience to which Luke agrees to with a tight prenuptial to neatly tie things up, their marriage from the first moment itself becomes something much more than Luke bargained for.

Though Cat enters a marriage that has its divorce date already decided upon, her heart cannot help but yearn for Luke and his love to be hers till death does them apart. Trouble comes calling when Devon returns and Cat finds herself carrying Luke’s baby, something that wasn’t included in Luke’s agreement with his delectable wife whom he can’t seem to get enough of.

Luke who is definitely scarred on the inside from the trauma of witnessing the roller coaster of a marriage between his parents is a man who knows he is not the right material for a happily ever after. And with the earth shattering news about his imminent fatherhood, Luke does the unforgivable and finally manages to drive Cat and her love out of his life, taking him back to the bleak existence his life was before Cat lit it up with her love and her giving nature.

I loved so many things about this book right from the very first page itself. There is so much humor packed into this story that I swear that I couldn’t help but laugh out loud several times. Luke’s grouchy grandfather Nick who forces Luke’s hand in getting married is an interesting character who lends the story a charm of its own kind. Cat is such a wonderful, wonderful heroine that I absolutely fell head over heels in love with. I know, weird right? But you would have to read this one to understand what I am talking about. Cat has so many endearing qualities that you can’t help but be drawn towards her character. She is so comfortable with who she is that she continues to astound Luke, Nick and everyone who doesn’t know her that well and continually surprised me with her quirky comebacks and teasing nature. She is so very vulnerable when it comes to Luke who hurts her in the worst way possible, but still she manages to stand up for herself and work things out. And let me not forget Cat’s best friend Jack whose relationship with Luke’s best friend was an interesting facet of the novel as well.

And alas, I come to the part where my rating for this novel had to be brought down from a solid 5-stars to the 4-star rating it received. Mainly because I don’t think Luke really did enough towards the end to make up for what he did to Cat. I wanted him to grovel a bit more, and with more sincerity than that he showed. And Cat being the wonderful woman she is and because she loves Luke to distraction, she takes him back upon his one attempt at groveling and apologizing to her for what he did. Totally didn’t sit well with me. But, nevertheless Luke still makes for a sexy hero whose reluctant reactions towards Cat was one that I savored to the max.

Recommended for fans of contemporary romances with the marriage of convenience setting.

Favorite Quotes

“So, give it to me straight.” Luke turned to look at her, long fingers cradling the snifter. “I take it Devon’s absence is permanent?”
Cat nodded reluctantly. He didn’t look like a man whose heart was breaking. He looked irritated and maybe a little relieved. Or was that just wishful thinking on her part?
“She’s decided to become a nun? Having a sex change operation? Run off to join the circus?”
“A dairy farm,” Cat said, and Luke’s brows rose.
“She’s joined a diary farm? I didn’t know you could do that.”
“Not joined one so much as …well, actually she’s sort of marrying one.”
“Marrying a diary farm?” One corner of his mouth curved up. “She’s going to need a pretty big church, isn’t she?” (Totally had me cracking up!)

Cat tilted her head back, looking up at him. The rest lamp leeched the color from everything it touched, painting her in shades of dark and light. Dark hair, pale skin, her eyes deep mysterious pools, the almost-bruised darkness of her mouth. She didn’t say anything, didn’t pull back as he lifted his free hand and slid his fingers into the soft knot of her hair, searching out the pins that held it and pulling them loose, letting them scatter on the pavement. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders, and Luke curled his hand into it, letting it slide through his fingers. He felt a nearly painful surge of need. Hunger. Anger that he wanted her so much, that he had so little control where she was concerned.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Abe Books

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Price of a Bride by Michelle Reid

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #2033
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Alexander Doumas
Heroine: Mia Frazier
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: May 1, 1999
Started On: April 11, 2011
Finished On: April 13, 2011

Its being so long since I have been able to put up a review that I am afraid I may have forgotten how to write one. Stuff at work is seriously cutting into my reading time which in turn brings down my reviewing time – which is all a vicious cycle I tell you. Since I have been so very busy, I decided to go with a lighter read, a Harlequin romance that has been in my to-be-read pile for quite sometime now and see whether I would be able to finish it up before the turn of the next century.

Michelle Reid being one of my favorite Harlequin authors, at least of her older books, I had high expectations when I started out with The Price of a Bride. The one thing that older titles of Harlequin have going for them is the fact that the good books tend to deliver a lot on the emotional wrangling content which makes them very memorable reads in the end.

The story starts out when Jack Frazier, 25 year old Mia Frazier’s father forces 34 year old wealthy and ultra rich Greek tycoon Alexander Doumas into agreeing to marry his daughter. For reasons that Mia refuses to reveal, she hides behind the lie that the reason that she is agreeing to the unholy alliance is only because she has a lot to gain on the monetary side from her father.

Though Alex has been after Mia ever since he had laid eyes upon her and though Mia had tried her damnedest to thwart his attempts at wooing her into his bed, it is a very angry and resentful Alex that agrees to the marriage that takes place between them. Since neither is able to deny or walk away from the combustive passion that lights up the pages from the beginning, their relationship begins as a purely sexual one from which Mia is supposed to provide her father with a heir to his vast business empire, which then only would ensure that Mia gets what she wants out of the deal.

The feelings that crop up in Mia’s heart for her husband though unwanted foster into love and wanting before she knows it and is in danger for the first time in her life of being vulnerable towards a man that has a strong hold on her emotions. Mia’s father Jack is a piece of work that deserves nothing better than being fed to the dogs and though certain aspects of the story were predictable from the beginning, I loved the emotional wallop that this one packed which touched all the right places in the end.

I loved the fact that this story was told from only Mia’s point of view which gave me the chance to gauge Alex’s burgeoning feelings towards his wife from his reactions that were described throughout the story. It always tends to get on my nerves in any type of romance when the heroine tends to play hard to get and tends to blame the hero because she becomes dynamite in his arms. It was good to see that Mia was no such heroine and that she embraced her sensual nature when it comes to Alex and plays no coy games to get on the nerves of the reader. The only aspect of the novel that didn’t feel right for me was the ending from which I expected just a tad more though I am hard put to say what it is exactly that I am looking for. All in all, a very enjoyable Harlequin romance that is highly recommended for fans of Harlequin romances, forced marriages of convenience and fans of Michelle Reid.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Comanche Eagle by Sara Orwig

Format: Paperbackcomancheeagle
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Comanche, Book 2
Publisher: Zebra
Hero: John Dancer Black Eagle / Travis Black Eagle
Heroine: Crystal Spencer
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 1, 1998
Started On: March 25, 2011
Finished On: March 26, 2011

I had a hard time obtaining a copy of this romance, a recommendation I got off of an Amazon discussion thread. Although my copy arrived and has been in my possession since sometime late last year, I have refrained from taking the plunge because there aren’t that many raving reviews about this book. However with the current list of lackluster reads that have been my picks for the last couple of days, I decided what the heck and took the plunge. To my delightful surprise Comanche Eagle turned out to be really good making this a memorable read of the theme of marriages of convenience.

Set in Cheyenne, Wyoming territory in 1871, Comanche Eagle tells the story of Crystal Spencer, the first woman to ever hold the position of the Justice of the Peace in Cheyenne. 26 year old Crystal is known amongst citizens of the county as Judge Spinster and has a prim and proper outlook on life and upholding the law where no shades of gray are ever allowed  to cloud her judgement. Crystal has been rejected by a man once before and she has no intention of ever letting a man close enough to hurt her like that ever again and is quite content with her spinsterish existence with her brother and town doctor Ellery Spencer whose vices include drinking and gambling. Crystal yearns to leave the volatile Cheyenne territory where upholding law and order is a challenge day in and day out and wants nothing more than to leave to California to start life over and live in peace.

Travis Black Eagle, farrier and owner of Cheyenne’s livery stables and a successful rancher in his own right is two years older than Crystal and a half-breed that earns his his share of black looks throughout Cheyenne. Happily married to his very pregnant and beautiful wife Elizabeth, Travis is devastated when Ellery attends her birthing with his senses clouted with drink and Ellery’s incompetence lands Travis a widow and a single parent in one night. Grief, anger and deep abiding sorrow are Travis’s companions until he realizes that his son needs a mother, a female presence in his life for him to grow up.

Crystal is left completely alone as her only living relative in the world is shot dead, leaving her with a mount of debt from Ellery’s gambling ways with nowhere to turn to. Travis storms into her life, demanding that she marry him and help him look after his son for which in return Travis would give her a home and security, something which has been sorely lacking in her life the past couple of months. Though Travis’s promise that he has no interest in her as a woman whatsoever drives away Crystal’s feelings of unease which always leaves her with a prickling sensation in Travis’s vicinity, it also leaves her with a vague sense of discontentment that she would never know a man’s warmth and his loving embrace even in marriage.

The marriage of convenience that Travis and Crystal embark upon with their mutual need of providing Jacob, their son with a loving home becomes a journey of discovery for both of them. For Crystal, Travis presents everything that has been missing from her life until now. Tall, broad shouldered and handsome as sin, Travis makes her senses clamor to reach out and touch him and makes her quiver with longing to be possessed by her fierce warrior of a husband in whose eyes she could be just a sack of potatoes for all the interest he shows in her.

For Travis the journey of discovering Crystal is a slow moving one. With grief and love for his dead wife clouding his sense and judgement, Travis barely recognizes Crystal beyond what she provides for his son and it is a deep abiding respect for the woman who loves Jacob like her own that takes a hold of Travis at first. Awareness about his wife whose beauty she tries so hard to keep hidden comes as a shock to someone who has sworn off caring for any woman and giving up his heart for fear that he would once again be subjected to that gut wrenching grief that had taken him over upon Elizabeth’s death.

Want and need which grows deeper by day war with Travis’s need to keep his hands off Crystal who proves to become more alluring as days pass by until finally Travis concedes and gives into the raging inferno that has kept him hot enough to burn a hole through his bedding for the past couple of months. Crystal who is so much in love with her strong and handsome husband who shows his kindness and gentleness in so many little ways couldn’t be happier when Travis finally succumbs and shows her the wonders of giving herself completely to the man she loves.

But Crystal and Travis’s idyllic existence comes to an abrupt halt when Travis’s past catches up with him, creating a chasm between husband and wife that continues to grow by  the minute as both Crystal and Travis choose the opposite sides on a matter of upholding the law that shatters Crystal apart at the mere thought of being true to what she believes in and losing her Travis in the process. In the end, Travis and Crystal’s happily ever after when it comes is a more rewarding one because of their struggles and I loved each and every moment of the sensual and emotional discovery that took them to their final destination in the end.

I think Travis Black Eagle is the closest I would come to in terms of getting a six foot plus hero who makes my heart go aflutter with his utter masculinity and strong character for my birthday. Travis was worth each emotional upheaval I went through in the story, his strength, kindness and loyalty which just adds  to his already strong appeal. I loved him for the way he couldn’t help but be drawn to the honest beauty that is Crystal and the way he seems to have a fascination for stroking Crystal’s neck just makes shivers of the right kind run up and down my spine. And lordy, did I love those hot kisses exchanged on their rides to and from their ranch into town, where every noble intention Travis has of staying away from Crystal seems to evaporate right in front of him.

Crystal’s character is an endearing one in itself because she stays true to who she is regardless of how torn apart she is when it comes to her views on upholding the law and the shades of grey that her husband tries to make her see that is the inevitable reality of life. Her love for Jacob and her intense responsiveness towards Travis together with her fierce love for the both of them made her a heroine who earned all my earnest approval throughout the story.

Comanche Eagle has whetted my appetite to read the other 2 books in the series, both of which promise to be excellent romances if the blurbs are anything to go by.

Highly recommended for fans of historical romances with an American Indian setting, a brooding hero who just about takes your breath away and a love when it comes sweeps you away on a journey that will hold you enthralled till the very last page.

I finish off my review with the scene from the story where Travis’s hold on his tightly reined in control breaks when Crystal declares that it is because Travis finds her odious that he doesn’t want anything to do with her need to have a baby of her own.

Crossing the room to her with a determined gleam in his eye, he ducked a flying tin cup that struck behind him. As she picked up a plate, his hand banded her wrist tightly. His arm swept around her waist.
“The last thing I find you is odious.” He ground out the words in a husky tone. “My God, Crystal!” His dark eyes held fires as he looked into her eyes. He lowered his head, his mouth coming down over hers as his arm tightened and he pulled her against him.
Stunned, Crystal had one moment of shock before a flooding wave of hot desire burst inside her with the press of his mouth on hers. His lips were warm, tender, yet insistent. His tongue was hot and wet against her mouth. Her anger and argument went up in flames of passion.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Abe Books

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Loving Luke by Jenny Andersen

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Hero: Luke Stone
Heroine: Hannah Bluefield
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 17, 2009
Started On: March 23, 2011
Finished On: March 25, 2011

Romances featuring ex-convict heroes are one of my favorite types to read. I got this title off a discussion thread on Amazon and the promising blurb had me acquiring this book into my to-be-read pile. Eons later I suppose, I finally took the plunge and read Loving Luke, and while there were things that could have made this book a better read all around, I still enjoyed reading about Luke’s journey to happily ever after with Hannah.

The story kicks off with Hannah Bluefield going to visit Luke Stone at Deep Mountain Prison to offer the man she has loved all her life who is up for parole a job at her ranch. Hannah dreads finding a miserable and hopeless Luke and instead finds a bleak and hard version of the Luke who had taken over the reins of his family ranch to skyrocket it from thriving to mega successful in a few years. Sentenced to prison for the murder of his wife Chrissy, Luke had been one of the most successful horse trainers in the country before his arrest.

Luke grabs the lifeline that his childhood friend Hannah throws at him though marriage to any woman or giving up his heart once again to be trampled all over is not on his agenda. Luke is determined to remain celibate throughout their marriage, until he can prove his innocence and walk out of Stone Crossing for good, forever. Hannah dreams of finally achieving her dreams of having Luke in her arms and her life for good when Luke doesn’t even remember what took place between them 12 years back, the night she had given up her virginity to the only man she has ever loved.

Life is far from idyllic when the one man who pursued the avenue of Luke doing time for murder is now the new mayor of Stone Crossing and is determined to send Luke back to where he rightfully belongs. However in Hannah he finds a worthy opponent, who would do anything to keep the man who is her only from going back to prison, even if it means that he would walk out on her once his name is cleared.

A fresh murder in Stone Crossing, similar in M.O. to Chrissy’s have the local police hounding on Hannah’s doorstep making Luke fear that his freedom is going to be a short lived one. Though Luke starts depending on Hannah and considers her his lifeline, Luke has trouble letting go of his past, how he was duped before into loving a woman more than his last breath and continues to reject all his emotions where Hannah is concerned until the very last minute when the turn of events towards the end makes him realize that what he has yearned for since his prison cell door slammed on him 10 years back is right in front of him.

I liked the premise of the story well enough and Luke is a yummy hero to dream about. The horse training business that serves as the backdrop was an interesting one and proves to be something that both Hannah and Luke have an immense talent for. I liked Hannah well enough and considered her mother-tiger-protecting-the-cub routine when it comes Luke an endearing one. Though she wears her heart on the sleeve and would love nothing more than for Luke to return her feelings, that doesn’t stop her from trying to ease Luke’s pain and make him see that if he wants, they could have a wonderful life together. And I reveled in the simmering tension between Hannah and Luke which was of the toe-curling variety and lent the story the spice it so rightfully deserves.

However, even with all those things that I liked, there were a certain things that didn’t work for me in the story. I wanted glimpses of Hannah and Luke’s past which Hannah seems to think about a lot. I wanted to know how she fell in love with him, and I wanted Luke’s fascination with Hannah which had started when he was 20 years old to come to the spotlight as well. These issues were just skimmed over, the momentous night in which Hannah gave herself up to Luke all but forgotten and his proposal to Chrissy the very next day just mentioned. The emotions both Hannah and Luke had felt would have made this story a much better read with insights into their shared past lending the story what it needs to make this a 5-star read.  But nevertheless, Loving Luke is a good read, recommended for fans of western romances in a contemporary setting.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo | Wild Rose Press

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Billy Bob Walker Got Married by Lisa G. Brown

Format: Paperback
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: HarperPrism
Hero: William Robert Walker
Heroine: Shiloh Pennington
Sensuality: 2.9
Date of Publication: April 28, 1993
Started On: January 4, 2011
Finished On: January 14, 2011

My first Lisa G. Brown was picked up because of the various recommendations of the title on the Amazon romance discussion forum. This title kept cropping up on various threads on the forum which led me to obtain a copy of this title, which I had a real hard time getting shipped to Maldives since its out-of-print now. It might be because I had such high expectations because of the rave reviews this story has received that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought that I would. However that doesn’t mean that this is a bad read by any means but rather it didn’t live up to all my high expectations which I believe tends to happen to us readers now and again.

27 year old William Robert Walker aka Billy Bob Walker comes from the wrong side of the town of Sweetwater. The illegitimate son of the honorable Judge Robert Sewell who has ignored his very existence by forgetting his affair with the innocent country girl Ellen Walker, Billy’s mother, Billy has a chip a mile wild on his shoulders that lands him in spots of trouble now and then. With a reputation for being wild, no one really sees the ambitious heart that beats within Billy and his aspirations to become someone who would one day show his good for nothing father that the son he had ignored for all his life in favor of his legitimate son Michael could make something out of himself. 6 ft 3 inches tall, long-limbed and lanky with broad square shoulders, Billy sets many a heart aflutter with his easy charm and masculinity. Billy’s passion lies in becoming a veterinarian but life and its ultimate choices had inevitably ended him a little further away from attaining his dream.

22 year old Shiloh Pennington is the cossetted and protected daughter of Sam Pennington, the banker of the town of Sweetwater. A man who had risen from a low wage job at a tiny mill to become what he is today, Sam wants nothing but the best for his only daughter whom he had raised single-handedly ever since Shiloh’s mother Caroline had walked out on them when Shiloh had just been 5 years old. A woman known for her beauty and loose morales when it comes to men, Sam had always kept a tight leash on Shiloh wanting to protect her from every evil in the world and tries his damnedest to shape Shiloh to follow his dreams and ambitions for her rather than her own. Shiloh is a woman trapped in a world created for her by her father and she tries her hardest to please Sam in every way possible until she breaks off her engagement to Michael Sewell, an act that infuriates Sam to no end.

The overly protected Shiloh who had always stayed away from men had her world turned upside down the summer she had turned 18, when she had run into Billy Bob Walker when he had been sent by his grandfather to landscape Pennington’s yard. Their affair had started out innocently enough and had been brought to a cruel halt by Sam who had presumed to know that Billy Bob Walker wasn’t what his Shiloh deserved or needed in life. Now 4 years later, these two cross paths again when Billy who is in jail serving time for riling up his father in court finds himself in the company of Shiloh who is brought in for totaling her car by speeding, trying in reality to get away from the stifling presence of the Sewells who her father tries to force her to accept. And when Shiloh sees her way out of getting married to Michael and getting back at Sam for trying to force her affections on a man who frightens her to no end by proposing marriage to Billy in exchange for his freedom from jail, a shaky relationship of sorts develops between two people who are wary of trusting the other as past hurts and Shiloh’s father tries his best to drive these two apart.

I liked:

1- The premise of this story. I found myself intrigued with the concept of the heroine offering money to the hero to marry her just for convenience’s sake. And with such vast differences in their upbringings there was bound to be a lot of problems which Ms. Brown tackled with throughout the story.

2- The vivid descriptions of the small town life that brought this book to life and gave it an added lustre. It is always heartening to see a story bring to life what goes on in small towns such as the one in this story.

3- As I read through this story, I was at first really frustrated with Shiloh’s character as she kept swaying back and forth between her feelings for Billy, which always pisses me off when it comes to heroines. But in the end, Shiloh proves that she loves Billy for who he is and does some growing up of her own and stands up for herself in front of her controlling father which earned her my approval in the end.

I disliked:

1- The way Shiloh couldn’t make up her mind till around more than half way through the book. It kept my head spinning in circles whilst Shiloh tried to divide her loyalties between the father who had raised her with love although Sam controls her life and she lets it happen; and her husband whom she has a hard time accepting at first.

2- Billy’s doggone pride that kept interfering with what was taking place between Shiloh and himself. As feelings continued to intensify between the two, Billy has a hard time accepting the fact that Shiloh’s upbringing had provided her with the best of things in life which Billy is unable to provide her with. Sam’s interference certainly didn’t help matters but I wished at times I could slap Billy on the face to make him sit up and see what he was doing to their relationship with his beloved pride to keep him company by his side.

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: A Baby for Emily by Ginna Gray

Format: E-bookababyforemily
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Silhouette Special Edition #1466
Publisher: Silhouette
Hero: Dillon Maguire
Heroine: Emily Collins Maguire
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: May 1, 2002
Started On: November 26, 2010
Finished On: November 26, 2010

I know not the reason why, but when I woke up this morning all of a sudden I started recalling this story that I had read a couple of years back. All I remembered was the fact that I had loved the hero in the book and that the book had been an emotional wrangler and that the heroine’s name was some Emily. Since I couldn’t recall the title or author properly I spent a couple of minutes searching for the book and thank god for the fact that I keep my e-book collection on my hard disk drive I was armed with this book in a couple of minutes, ready to sink myself into the heady world of romance that Ginna Gray has so beautifully created with this novel.

29 year old Emily Collins Maguire is shocked senseless when just hours after she and her husband Dr. Keith Wesley Maguire had learned that the in vitro treatment had been successful and that finally Emily was pregnant after going through every conceivable test on Earth for the past couple of years of their 7 year marriage to learn that her husband had died of smoke asphyxiation wrapped in the arms of his current mistress at their townhouse. Devastation doesn’t begin to cover it when the destitution with which Keith had left her in becomes clear as Keith’s countless affairs, the depth of his lies and betrayal in every aspect of their marriage comes to light. Pregnant, alone, broke and unemployed, Emily has no choice but to trust Dillon in the salvation that he offers her, not that she would take his pity or charity any day.

Dillon Maguire has loved Emily since that fateful day 7 years back when he had met Emily at the hospital where Keith worked as an oncologist. Emily who had grown up with a mother who had rarely been present with her wanderlust nature had showed up, deathly sick and diagnosed with breast cancer. The 21 year old Emily had taken a shine to Keith once he determinedly started his wooing process and before she knew it Emily had been married to a handsome and suave doctor who it seems wanted nothing more than for her to be his dutiful wife.

Dillon had grown up with a mother who fiercely resented his presence in her life, the truth of which comes to light much later in the novel. Keith had always been her favorite and Dillon had received whatever mothering and tender care from his neighbor and friend Jeremy’s mother Gert Shneider. And when Jeremy had been killed serving in the army when he had been nineteen, all of Gert’s mothering had solely become focused on Dillon. Dillon had always known that Keith viewed everything as a competition when it came to him and that he had been a little too late in masking his interest in Emily when he had first met her. All throughout their marriage Dillon had  tried his best to act cold and aloof towards the woman who undoubtedly had his love, an act which he pulls off too well when Emily at first tries to refuse his much needed help and care during the first couple of days after Keith’s death. But the secret that Dillon hides within himself is the one that could destroy everything he works so hard throughout the story to build between himself and Emily.

Likes:

  1. Dillon Maguire. If there is anyone who has read this story and not fallen for him then obviously there is something wrong with them! Dillon is manhood personified not just because of his intense and broody good looks and his multi-millionaire status or because of his tortured soul, those things do help, but it is because of how well he takes care of Emily regardless of the fact whether his love and feelings are welcomed by her or not that clinches the deal with Dillon. He puts each and every need of Emily above his, and I do not say this lightly and because of that very fact, my heart ached each and every time for the position Keith had put him in, even in death trying to cheat him from getting what he wants more than anything else in life.
  2. I loved the roller coaster of emotions that coursed through me when I lost myself in this story. Love and an overwhelming feeling of protectiveness towards Dillon, the need to slap Dillon’s mother senseless a time or two and then some, dislike towards Dillon’s elder sister Charlotte for her holier-than-thou attitude at times and a deep respect for Gert, the only woman in my opinion who truly deserves Dillon’s love and affection in this novel.
  3. The intense sexual tension in the story. Though this book doesn’t contain much of scenes of the bedroom variety, the slow awakening of senses that take place continuously in Emily was in fact much better than any hard and fast sex session could have been, though that wouldn’t have been unwelcome either! ^_^ But this drawn out tension between Dillon and Emily made me dizzy a couple of times and everything in me clamored for them to find joy in each other soon or I would have been the first to undergo self combustion in the Maldives! ^_~
  4. For some reason or the other, I can’t help but love the cover of this one. Just the scene of love, warmth and affection it represents touches something deep inside of me. ^_^

Dislikes:

  1. I don’t know why, maybe certain feminist readers may disagree with this but I thoroughly disliked Emily because of how she treated Dillon at the very end. I understand that what he did was not of the norm but Emily never even stopped to think for a second that it was Dillon, the Dillon who had been taking care of her, bestowing upon her his love for the past year or so and that she had never ever felt happier in her life and never more cherished than the time she had spent with Dillon, but the minute she learns of the dreaded truth regarding the paternity of her child, she is all fire and intense anger and goes as far to leave Dillon without even giving him the time to explain. My heart literally broke in two for the hurt that Emily puts Dillon through and in the end it is Gert who has to step in and knock some sense into Emily to make her suddenly realize that Dillon is not Keith and that he would never hurt her and that he had ACTUALLY been in love with her for the past 7 years. *rolls eyes in frustration* That’s why for me, Emily doesn’t really deserve Dillon’s love and unwavering loyalty and affection, because for me, a man like Dillon deserves more, much more than someone like Emily who can just walk away leaving a devastated man behind.
  2. I have to agree with the other readers who have taken the time to review this book. The ending was a bit abrupt and sort of leaves the reader hanging. I would have loved to see Emily do a bit of groveling on this one for a change!

Recommended for:

  1. Fans of Ginna Gray. Her writing style is addictive. You just want to keep on reading and subject yourself to the emotional intensity packed into this story.
  2. Those who loves their romance to play havoc with their emotions. This one certainly does that – in spades!

Favorite Quotes

Dillon’s gaze zeroed in on the distended mound beneath Emily’s blue maternity top.
His nostrils flared slightly as he drew in a bracing breath. He rubbed his palms on the legs of his jeans, then slowly reached out with his right hand. It hovered, not quite steady, the long callused fingers spread. Then, as gentle as thistledown, his hand settled onto Emily’s tummy.
She caught her breath. Tanned by hours in the sun, his skin was a deep bronze against the powder-blue maternity top and so large it practically covered her abdomen. Dillon’s gaze met hers for a second, but as though unable to resist, he looked back at the mound beneath his hand.
Emily closed her eyes and lay rigid as stone. She could barely breathe. Even though her maternity top the imprint of his hand seared her flesh like a branding iron. She could feel each individual finger, the broad palm, the incredible warmth.

Lazily his gaze trailed down her face. For the space of several heartbeats he stared at her lips, parted in surprise, and slowly, as though weighted with lead, his eyelids began to droop and his head tipped to one side.
Emily felt his breath feather across her face and excitement pounded though her. She could barely draw breath. Unconsciously, the tip of her tongue peeked out and swept over her suddenly dry lips. Through slitted lids fringed with sweeping black lashes, Dillon’s eyes glittered like blue diamonds.
Then he pulled her close, gathered her against his chest with both arms and pressed his lips  to hers.

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