Kat Cantrell

Loved this book. There's an arranged marriage in the works, a case of mistaken identity, a princess with a mind of her own, and some smoking hot chemistry to stir it all up. Bella's family recently became next in line to rule the tiny country of Alma. This is putting a bit of a crimp in her life, as Bella has been pretty much of a party girl and something of a magnet for scandal. With her brother soon to be king, she has to mend her ways, and her father has the perfect solution. He plans to show more marry her off to the son of a prominent businessman in an arranged marriage.

Bella isn't too happy with the idea, but for the sake of the family she's willing to meet the man and see if there's a chance of it working. But before she can meet Will Rowling, she literally lands in the lap of his twin brother, James. She doesn't know Will has a twin, and this encounter with James is pretty funny. The attraction between them is immediate and hot, even after they discover their mistake.

I have to admit that the initial impression of James isn't the best. He's the wild one of the two brothers, known as being very much of a player (and not just of soccer). Even after he finds out that she may be marrying his brother, he's still intent on getting her into his bed. I gained some respect for him after he talked to his brother, but even that conversation was a bit inappropriate. I loved Will's side of it, as he could see that James is already in pretty deep with Bella.

Bella was reluctant to go out with Will after meeting James, but for her family's sake she gave him a chance. It was obvious from the beginning that there was no spark between them, as Will was pretty uptight. I loved seeing that she still had the independence to stand up for herself and let Will know that there was no chance of anything between them.

The relationship between James and Bella happened very quickly. They are very much alike in their views of life. When they first got together, neither had anything permanent in mind. Bella's view of marriage has been affected by her parents' marriage, which was not a happy one. James is also not ready to give up his bachelor ways, so they agree that neither is looking for forever. In search of someplace where they can be together, they find an old house that had been in her family for years. For the next several days and nights, they spend their time cleaning it up and getting to know each other. I loved seeing how they bring out the best in each other. James discovers that he has a romantic side, and it comes out in some really sweet ways. It's wonderful to see how well he understands her. I loved the way that Bella sees the good in James, and is able to get him to see that he is better than his father believes him to be. I really loved the way that they committed to being honest with each other about their feelings and their fears. When they finally leave their haven, there are things that they have to face right away, especially Bella's father. I don't like him any more in this book than I did in the previous ones. He is selfish and manipulative and I didn't like the way he treated Bella.

But there is a twist coming to James's life that is going to put a strain on their relationship, thanks to interference from James's father. I didn't like him at all, and what he did was really low. I was a bit upset with Bella for listening to him but James comes through with flying colors. There is another surprise for Bella and her family thanks to some letters that she found. I am looking forward to seeing how that works out. show less

Good story with a complicated and unconventional relationship between Desmond and McKenna. Desmond desperately wants a child. His one attempt at a relationship didn't go well, so he opts for hiring a surrogate mother. He wants no issues with legalities, so he insists on a proxy marriage first. McKenna is a medical student who is willing to meet his demands for the chance to have her education paid for.

The book opens immediately after the baby's birth. Desmond is ecstatic and instantly show more besotted with little Conner. But his joy turns to dismay when the baby turns out to be allergic to formula. The only solution is to ask McKenna to nurse him for a few months until an alternative can be found. McKenna is initially horrified by the idea. She has put her schooling on hold for a year already, this would only delay it further. Plus, she had worked hard to avoid forming an attachment to the baby, knowing she would have no contact, and she has no confidence that she could continue to do so. But for the baby's sake, she agrees to move in with Desmond for the allotted time.

I really liked Desmond. He is scary smart, but also without much of a filter on his mouth. He says what he thinks which can be uncomfortable for those around him. As a result, he has trouble connecting with people. The one thing he wants is a family of his own, and he sees the baby as the way to get that. Though he is determined to remain in control at all times, McKenna's arrival makes that impossible when he realizes that he is intensely attracted to her.

I had a little more trouble warming up to McKenna. Her childhood in a commune, with parents who only believed in natural remedies, not medical science, frustrated her. Watching her grandfather die of cancer cemented her desire to become a doctor, and she was intensely focused on that goal. She sees having a family of her own as incompatible with her desire to be a doctor and is adamant that she will never have children of her own. Giving birth to Conner is a way for her to know what pregnancy and childbirth are like so that she can relate to her patients. She is utterly convinced that she cannot be both a mother and a doctor.

I enjoyed the development of their relationship. It starts with them inhabiting the same house, but rarely seeing each other. Desmond tries to ignore the attraction he feels for McKenna, but it is a losing battle, especially when caring for Conner brings him into her presence more often. He is awkward in his attempts to talk to her at first, though McKenna is able to see past it and understand what he wants. She appreciates his honesty in the things he tells her, which adds to the attraction she feels for him. I loved seeing her pull Desmond out of his way of hiding when he is uncomfortable and staying to talk things out. There are some pretty amusing scenes where something that McKenna says will strike him as being completely different than he expected, and we see his mental gyrations as he readjusts his thinking. Desmond is amazingly thoughtful for someone who claims to be so bad at relationships. His efforts at giving her the means to continue her studies while taking care of Conner were so sweet. At the same time, spending so much time with Conner and Desmond has McKenna wishing that there was a way to be both a doctor and a mother. She realizes that she is falling for him which is tearing her up. The passion that erupts between them adds more complications. Desmond starts thinking about making their marriage permanent, but when he says something to her she freaks out at the idea, pushing him away. I ached for Desmond as she insists on adhering to their contract, and leaves them both behind to follow her plan. It was so satisfying to see her encounter with another student who was balancing it all and the lightbulb that finally went off in her head. Her big moment with Desmond, as they both open up about their feelings, was awesome. I loved seeing both of them discover that, with a bit of compromise and sharing of control, they were able to have it all. The epilogue was terrific. show less

This was a really fun series. There's something really satisfying about seeing a fairy godmother come through for some deserving Cinderellas. And it's even more fun when the fairy godmother gets a happy ending of her own, though she certainly didn't have an easy time of it.

Elise was doing an television interview about her business when it was hijacked by Dax Wakefield. He has had it in for her ever since he accused his friend Leo (Matched to a Billionaire) of falling for one of Elise's show more trained golddiggers and lost their friendship because of it. She refuses to accept his maligning of her business and challenges him to become one of her clients. If she finds him a soulmate, he will advertise her business, if she fails he can attempt to ruin her business.

The sparks between Dax and Elise were incredible from the very beginning. Both of them were absolutely confident in their own positions, and their ability to prove it. Dax is a man who doesn't believe that love exists, and that any relationship based on emotion is doomed to crash and burn. Elise knows that there is a soulmate out there for everyone, even Dax. She just has to get him to cooperate in answering the profile questions, which is an experience in itself. I loved seeing just how much alike the two of them were, in spite of their differing views. Both have psychology degrees and are adept at reading each other and pushing their buttons. When Elise finally gets all of the questions answered and entered into her program, she is stunned to find that it selects her as Dax's perfect match. She refuses to believe it and selects someone else to match him up with. That doesn't go so well, largely because Dax can't get Elise off his mind. Because of it, Dax starts pursuing Elise with more intent, and taking advantage of the attraction he knows she feels too. I loved the give and take between them, and seeing Elise try to resist him. I liked the fact that she actually succeeded for longer than Dax expected.

Both of them discover, to their surprise, that they actually like each other and want to spend time together. By doing so, they learn more about each other and themselves, including their biggest fears. It turns out that each have some serious self-esteem and trust issues. Elise has never really gotten over her body issues from when she was heavy, and doesn't trust that anyone can see the person she really is under the figure she works so hard to maintain. Dax worries that he's like his mother, who deserted him when he was young, and is afraid to trust that he has anything substantial to offer a woman. Just as he's beginning to believe that he and Elise could have something together he learns of her lie about who he was matched with, destroying the fragile trust he had started to feel.

I felt so terrible for both of them, as each of them had really fallen for the other, but neither could let go of their fears. It isn't until they face their own demons that they can allow themselves to trust the other one. For a change it's the woman who has the biggest screwup to fix and Elise does so in a spectacular way.

I liked seeing Leo, Danni and Juliet have parts to play. Leo showed a lot of class in not saying "I told you so" to Dax. And I loved the way that Danni and Juliet showed up to give Elise moral support when she was so unhappy. show less

In the previous book (Undercover Cowboy Protector), stolen artifacts were found on ranch property. Now, the place is crawling with archaeologists and their staff, interfering with the sisters' plans for the ranch. Although an attempt to steal the items failed in the first book, and the culprit was captured, security is still tight for the sisters.

Heath is the bodyguard assigned to watch over Charli. A former SEAL, he was known as "The Enforcer" on his team. Unfortunately for him, Charli show more doesn't want a bodyguard and delights in giving him the slip. That ends when she attempts to fight off a handsy archaeologist and Heath steps in, and then Heath discovers an unknown someone watching the activities on the ranch. The situation becomes more complicated when a gold jaguar figure is found.

The tension between Charli and Heath leaps off the page. The sparks of attraction between them are unexpected and unwelcome. Charli recently left a bad relationship, and Heath is in love with another woman. However, Heath bets Charli that he can change her mind about men's trustworthiness in three weeks, while she maintains that he can't.

I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. Whenever Charli is near him, she scrambles Heath's mind, which he finds incredibly frustrating when trying to keep her safe. The more time they spend together, the closer they grow. I liked how they shared their past relationship problems and loved the reactions to the so-called issues. Neither one wants to admit to their growing feelings for each other, preferring to call it "practice" for Heath to regain his old girlfriend. But when the ex-girlfriend, Margot, shows up, Charli's old insecurities flare up, and she pulls away. Meanwhile, Heath must decide if he still loves Margot or if his heart has discovered a better home. I loved Heath's "aha" moment; his bet pay-off scene at the end was fantastic.

The suspense of the story kept me turning the pages. The discovery of a second jaguar figure ramped up the danger as it became evident that someone wanted them. When someone succeeded in stealing the statues, Heath immediately set out to find them. It didn't take long for him to figure out the culprit. The final confrontation was intense, but I did not doubt how it would turn out.

I liked the epilogue and look forward to Veronica's story. show less