Fiona Brand

Good book. It's been six years, but Nick still wants Elena. After leaving her the last time he's dated a lot of women, but never quite forgotten that night. Now he has another chance as he needs her help. Elena had been hurt when Nick never even called after that night. She's not inclined to give him the time of day now, but she wants the mystery solved also. She's going to do her best to resist him.

I mostly liked Elena. She is an intelligent woman who has made a place for herself as show more personal assistant to a powerful man. She has great confidence in herself on the job. She doesn't have the same confidence in her personal life. She considers herself to be somewhat overweight and not particularly attractive. After a contentious meeting with Nick where he made a couple unkind comments, she decided it was time for a change. I loved that she made that decision, I just wish it had been less motivated by him. I loved the confidence in herself the changes gave her. I enjoyed seeing the way that she was cool to him the weekend of the wedding, when he saw the new her for the first time. The coolness is just a front because she still wants him just as much as ever and convinces herself that they have a chance. For such an intelligent, talented woman she has a real blind spot when it comes to Nick. It opens her up to even more misery later on, when she realizes that he has a real fear of intimacy that will never allow him to commit to her.

Nick was pretty much a jerk throughout the book. He may have had smooth manners and charm, but his actions were pretty bad. It was his guilty feelings and family scandal that fueled his actions six years earlier, but he still should have at least talked to Elena. Now he just seems to use women for his pleasure, never even attempting a relationship, as he said to Elena "They end, just like they always do." For a guy who is supposed to be so good with women, I thought his remarks to Elena about her style were just plain mean. I liked his surprise at her transformation and the effect it had on him. His inability to forget her should have given him a clue that she actually means something to him. After their second night together he starts to realize that there's something different going on, but he doesn't cope with it well. He is frustrated by her refusal to talk to him later. When he finds out about the conference she's doing, he uses that as a way to see her again, but the way he does it is so wrong. How he didn't see that it could blow up in his face I don't know. He completely deserved to have her walk out on him the way she did. It did finally bring him to his senses and make him realize "the urge to protect himself had become so ingrained that he'd closed down even when he'd wanted to open up." I loved the ending and seeing him properly grovel. I would like to have seen at least part of what was in the note he wrote her.

I'm looking forward to more stories in The Pearl House series. I'm thinking that Kyle might be next, perhaps matched up with Eva. There certainly seemed to be some sparks between them. show less

Good book. Sarah is a twenty-eight year old history teacher who hasn't had good luck with men. She's had two engagements not work out. Now she has taken a good look at her life and doesn't like what she sees, so she is determined to make a change. She gives herself a makeover and heads off to the Zahir consulate for a reception. There she meets a good looking man named Gabe, who really gets her motor going. When she has car trouble later that evening, he offers to drive her home.

Gabe is the show more heir to the Zahir throne, and as such is expected to marry. He had been married young to his childhood sweetheart, but the marriage hadn't been a happy one. His wife had been even younger than him and hadn't been mature enough to handle the life they had to lead. She was clingy and selfish and gave him no peace. She died tragically when she ran off in a fit of temper. Since then, Gabe has sworn that he would never allow his emotions that much control over him again. He is currently being pressured to marry again, and as he really doesn't care who, he accepts suggestions from his father. The night before his engagement is due to be announced he spots Sarah from across the room and is intrigued. One thing leads to another, and they share a passion filled night together. He can make no promises to her and leaves without telling her who he is, and doesn't contact her again.

Four months later he hasn't been able to forget her. When he finds out she's pregnant he knows that he must be a part of her life. He is willing to do whatever is necessary to get her to marry him, except to give her his heart.

I really liked Sarah. She is independent and self reliant. I loved seeing her step out of her comfort zone that night and go after what she wanted - Gabe. Though she tries to tell herself that she not going to hold out for love, there is an instant connection with him and she can't help picturing a real relationship with him. When he disappears the next day, she forces herself to move on without him. When she discovers she's pregnant, she attempts to find out who he is and contact him, but is unable to do so. When he shows up unexpectedly, she is furious that it only appears to be because of the baby. She has to decide if she can marry him knowing that he doesn't love her. I really loved seeing her try to hold strong against his intentions while he tries to convince her that what they have is enough.

I liked Gabe's protectiveness, which was evident even when he was trying to stay away from her. He also couldn't get her off his mind, much to his dismay. Even so, when he found out about her pregnancy, he was quite happy for the excuse to break his engagement and plan to marry Sarah instead. It was equally amusing and frustrating to see him try to convince himself that all he felt for her was lust. I loved the way that he finally saw the truth, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing him in action as he tried to win her back. show less

Good book. Gemma has temporarily lost custody of her daughter due to lies told by a former nanny. In order to get her daughter back she needs to show that she has steady employment - a stable relationship wouldn't hurt either. Gabriel needs a fiancee to get control of the family bank so that business can get back to normal. Seeing Gemma again makes him realize how much he still wants her.

I liked both Gemma and Gabriel. Both certainly had issues that made a relationship between them difficult show more until those could be overcome. Gemma had worked for Gabriel's family when she was a teenager. She had quite a crush on him and at one point they began a romance. They kept it secret because of their differences. When Gabriel's father is killed and he has to take over the business they part ways. When Gemma discovers she is pregnant she doesn't tell Gabriel because there is no way that they can be together because of the potential scandal. She feels badly about keeping the secret but sees no other way. She goes to work for Gabriel's cousin Zane (A Perfect Husband) and is accused of carrying on an affair with him, causing her to lose custody of her daughter. She is stunned when Gabriel comes to her with his proposition. It will solve her problem so she accepts. She fights her attraction to him unsuccessfully and also realizes her love for him had never died. She is fighting a battle within her heart. She wants to marry him because she loves him and wants her daughter to have her father in her life. But she is also afraid of being caught in a marriage where he has only married her because of their daughter, that he doesn't actually love her the way she needs his love.

Gabriel has never forgotten Gemma. When his father died the family was embroiled in scandal because his father had been having an affair with one of his employees. Gabriel saw his father's actions as a sign of a loss of control and vowed he wouldn't succumb himself. He left Gemma behind because, beside the fact that she too was an employee, he could see himself becoming just as obsessed as his father had been. He kept tabs on Gemma through the years, believing the stories he read about her and his cousin Zane. Finally he decided that he wanted her back and used his need and hers to engineer their engagement. His attraction to her had never stopped and he took advantage of it now to get her back in his bed. He felt that she was trying to keep a distance between them and he didn't understand why. He was still trying to maintain control over his feelings until he realized that he loved her too but she didn't know it. I really liked the conclusion - very romantic! I also liked the way that he understood her reasons for not telling him about the baby and that he didn't get angry. show less

Someone wants her dead and she can't remember why....

As a child, Jane Gale witnessed her mother's murder and was nearly killed trying to escape. Left for dead, she has suffered complete memory loss, unable to recall who she was before the "accident" or the events that caused her mother's death. Twenty-five years later, Jane has a new life and a blossoming career as a novelist - until the killer picks up her book and discovers that the only eye witness to his secrets has survived. And told...