Yvonne Lindsay

Good book. Rosalind flew from Australia to Royal to see if she could win back the man she broke up with six months earlier. To her dismay, she discovered that Drake had moved on and was engaged to someone else (An Heir of His Own). So when the sparks flew between her and TCC member Gabe, she had no problem giving in to them. One unforgettable night together and Ros flew on to New York to find buyers for her clothing line. A few weeks later, she's on the way back to Texas to tell Gabe he's show more going to be a father.

Gabe wants a wife and child but doesn't want the messy emotions of marrying for love. He even went so far as to hire a matchmaker to find him a woman who would accept his conditions: a marriage of convenience; she gets a settlement when they marry and complete access to his money for as long as they are married. If the woman leaves the marriage, Gabe receives full custody of the child. So far, he has no takers on his proposition.

When Ros tells Gabe her news, he immediately proposes they get married, using his contract. Ros will get the cash infusion she needs for her business, and Gabe will get the child he wants. Though the plan is for a paper marriage, the chemistry between them is too strong, and they give in immediately. Gabe freaks out at the depth of the connection he feels with Ros and suddenly pulls away, going from hot and heavy to cold and aloof overnight. Ros knew quickly that she would have trouble with an emotionless marriage.

I liked watching their relationship develop. These two people are opposites in so many ways. Gabe doesn't believe in love; Ros does. Gabe is a country boy, and Ros is definitely a city girl. Gabe is super-protective, and Ros is very independent. Gabe's childhood with a father that cheated on Gabe's mother and paid little attention to Gabe added to a relationship where his ex also cheated on him, leaving him determined to protect his heart. He'll save all his love and care for his child; after all, he knows very well what not to do. But Gabe has difficulty keeping his mind from thinking about what it would be like to have a real marriage which only makes him more determined to fight his feelings.

Meanwhile, Ros is determined to show Gabe what he's missing. But no matter what she does, he keeps pushing her away. The one time she managed to break through his barriers, she made the mistake of whispering her feelings when she thought he was asleep. He wasn't, and the next morning's fallout was devastating for her. I cheered when she stood up for her own needs and flew back to New York.

I felt Gabe earned every bit of his misery, especially when he kept fighting his feelings. It wasn't until an unexpected conversation with his father that he realized what an idiot he was. I cheered when he went after Ros. His emotional confession at the end warmed my heart and gave me hope for their future. I especially liked seeing him admit what a selfish jerk he'd been. I hope to see them reappear in future books so I can see how they are doing. show less

Good conclusion to the series. Raif attends Shanal's wedding to his nemesis, Burton, under duress as a favor to his cousin Ethan. Raif has cared for Shanal since he was a teenager, but she didn't feel the same. So when Shanal bolts from the wedding before the vows, Raif is only too happy to help her escape. He sees two benefits: helping the woman he loves and exacting revenge on a man he despises.

Shanal is caught between a rock and a hard place. Desperate to help her parents, she agreed to show more marry a man she doesn't love. If she marries Burton, she will be tied for life to a man she doesn't love. But if she doesn't marry him, her parents would lose everything, and she would lose her job and possibly her professional reputation. At the last minute, she decides she can't do it and runs, with no idea what to do next.

Raif and Shanal have a complicated history. She is three years older than he is and was aware of his crush when they were teens and did everything possible to discourage it. For years she continued to see him as that youth. She and Raif frequently clashed at gatherings they both attended, but she was grateful for his help in this situation. I loved seeing Raif's care and support as he whisked her away to a friend's riverboat. Stuck together 24/7, Shanal quickly realized that there was more to the man Raif had become and that their sparks of antagonism hid sparks of another kind. I liked seeing Raif open up about his problems with Burton and why he worried about Shanal. When those sparks turned into action, I had high hopes for their relationship. Then Burton showed up and, with a few words, pulled Shanal back to his side.

I ached for Raif, who not only felt betrayed but also extremely worried about Shanal. He knows what Burton is capable of and fears for her safety. He also suspects that Burton has some hold over her. Shanal frustrated me with her willingness to give in to Burton's demands. Things became even more complicated when Shanal realized she was pregnant with Raif's baby. That's when Burton's true nature came out. Burton's creep factor was high from the start, but his words and actions at this point terrified Shanal.

A confrontation with Burton, then with Shanal, reinforced Raif's need to save her. Once Raif has the whole story, he puts his plans into action. I loved his determination and refusal to give up. Shanal worked hard to believe that her trust in Raif was not misplaced as her rescheduled wedding fast approached. I loved the ending and the perfect way it all came together. show less

Good marriage of convenience story with some twists. Galen wants to give his ward, a little girl named Ellie, a stable home after the trauma of losing her parents. He uses his grandmother's matchmaking program to find a suitable wife. He's not looking for a grand passion, only someone compatible with whom he can make a life.

Peyton is out for revenge against the Horvath family, especially the matriarch Alice, whom she blames for the devastation her family experienced. She manipulates the show more matchmaking program to ensure that she is matched with Galen. She expects the marriage to get her close enough to the family that she can get the information she needs for her exposé.

I liked Galen. He is intelligent, kind, and protective of those he loves. I loved seeing him with Ellie, who adores him. His sympathy and understanding of her loss is heartwarming.

I had a harder time liking Peyton. Her focus on revenge prevented her from seeing the possible collateral damage. She also allowed her personal bias to influence her research instead of the balanced writing she is known for.

Having never met before the wedding day, neither Galen nor Peyton knew what to expect from each other. The sparks of attraction are undeniable, but Peyton resists as long as she can. She has no intention of remaining in the marriage, and intimacy will complicate matters. However, during their "honeymoon," Peyton tries to guard her heart from more pain but discovers that Ellie and Galen have wiggled past her walls.

Galen quickly realizes that he has fallen hard for Peyton but can sense that she is hiding something. I liked his patient hope that she'll open up to him. I liked how he made Peyton part of parenting Ellie, even though she initially tried to hold back.

When the truth comes out, Peyton and Galen must decide if their marriage is worth saving. Grandmother Alice plays a big part in the ending as she reminds Peyton that every story has two sides. I ached for Peyton as she looked at her past from a new perspective. There's a twist that surprises Peyton, though I had my suspicions. I also hurt for Galen and his feelings of betrayal when he learned the truth. It takes a little time for each to realize that they belong together. I liked Galen's determination to convince Peyton of his love.

The ending was good, as Alice's matchmaking program and her instincts proved right again. show less

I loved this book. An arranged marriage between royals is nothing new, but one in which both the heroine and hero are virgins is definitely different. Thierry had grown up experiencing the worst kind of examples of marriage. All the male members of his family, and many of the females, were known for their profligate ways. He was determined to break that cycle by honoring his wife in the most basic of ways. He has been engaged to Princess Mila for seven years, since she was eighteen. Their show more wedding is scheduled to take place in a month. He wants to make sure that he is able to make her happy, both physically and emotionally, so he hires a courtesan to give him instruction (without any touching) on how to win Mila's heart.

Mila's engagement to Thierry is a way for their two kingdoms to bury decades of antagonism. At the time their engagement was announced, Mila was eighteen, slightly overweight, wore braces, and had no confidence in her ability to be the kind of wife he needed. She successfully convinced her brother, the king, to allow her to go to America for her education. She spent the next seven years pursuing her studies in environmental issues because she knew that it was a cause important to Thierry. She also developed her own requirements for a healthy marriage.

A month before her wedding she seized an opportunity to see Thierry outside of any official event. She hadn't seen or heard from him since their engagement, and she wanted a chance to see the real man behind the royal facade. During their brief encounter in New York, he had no idea who she was, but the few hours they spent talking made an impression on both of them. He returned home, never expecting to see her again, but unable to forget her. On her return home, Mila heard that he had hired a courtesan before the wedding, and determined that he would not be with any woman but her, took the woman's place.

Right there you see where things can go so terribly wrong. Thierry is a man to whom the worst kind of sin is that of dishonesty, and Mila's deception is bound to come back against her. Of course, I thought that Thierry was a bit naive himself, to think that he could spend time with a courtesan and not be tempted into a physical relationship. It was great fun to see Mila's surprise when she discovered that Thierry had not hired the courtesan to sleep with, but to learn how to treat his future wife. I loved the way that she was able to use that desire to show him her own views. It was really sweet to see how eager he was to learn. There were some times when his own issues caused missteps, but he was very good at seeing where he went wrong and fixing it. As they got to know each other, their feelings for each other grew and their chemistry was hot. Not a problem for Mila, because she knew the truth, but for Thierry, it was tearing him apart. He felt that he was betraying his own values and his fiancee by falling for this other woman.

When the truth finally came out, Thierry was furious. He felt that he had been betrayed by Mila in the worst possible way. No matter what his true feelings for her were, his trust had been destroyed. It was so painful to see how unhappy they both were because of it. I liked seeing that Mila realized just how badly she had messed up and that she wanted to fix it, not just on a personal level but also because of what it would mean for their countries. I got a little frustrated with Thierry's refusal to really listen to what she had to say. Unexpected danger sends him flying to her rescue, as he realizes how much he needs her in his life. I loved that they both made mistakes and learned from them before embarking on their promising future together.

I'm really looking forward to Mila's brother's story. There is trouble afoot in his kingdom and I can't wait to see how he deals with it. There is also his need to marry soon in order to keep his throne, and the apparent twist in his plans. show less