This one had a few twists and turns I didn't see coming, and it was more believable. The background of the leading characters unfolds throughout the book, and some of it you don't find out until mid-point.
Samantha van Bergen is in a disastrous marriage, mothering a step-daughter that she dearly loves. This little girl is bright and precocious, and knows more than anyone realizes she does. Her mother died, and Samantha had been her nanny.
The book begins with a bang. Samantha's husband, Johann, is a compulsive gambler, who has gambled away a family fortune. He loses it all to Cristiano. And come to find out, he has tossed in Samantha to sweeten the pot, but only after he offers his daughter first (nice guy, right?!) but Cristiano rejects this.
Of course, Cristiano has fallen in love with Samantha at first sight. He knows that the little girl will come with her stepmother.
The question is why is he going to this trouble? And what other unfoldments might we find along the way that unlock the puzzle?
Sam takes Gabriella and goes to England from Monte Carlo. When she is there, we learn more about her early life. She is definitely worthy of the best.
Lucky for her, Cristiano agrees with this. He wants to settle a fortune on her in a pre-nup, but she isn't interested in his money. They marry without a pre-nup, and when a divorce seems imminent, he wants her to use an attorney to guarantee her rights.
Instead, she decides to fight her fears, and she is successful.
She is a plucky heroine and you root for her when she comes out on top. There's very little fighting or whining; there is a strong, wealthy and scarred hero.
There is a lot going on in this story and it all wraps up neatly but it makes you wonder how on earth Victoria Alexander managed to cram it all in. There are four couples, 2 older and 2 younger, that are navigating their way through love. One is between the hero and heroine, one is between the younger sister of the heroine and the hero’s partner, one is the heroine’s parents (her mother is involved in a love triangle between the father and an old flame), and the last is the old flame and the hero’s widowed mother. It was general craziness all around. I would have been happier with a more condensed romance and less with all the shenanigans.
Quite a few good lines are scattered throughout the pages and the hero's mother's tests for the heroine were pretty good if a little batty. I was disconnected for most of the second half of the novel from the events as they all came to a head. It took me a few days to read through it. The last 30-50 pages was devoted to a weak misunderstanding between the hero and heroine. Where the story should have resolved in drama on a high note with the fire, Alexander continued it far out past it’s expiration date until it dwindled into nothingness as the story exhausted itself.
Cecily White, Cece to friends and family, believes a man should work to make his money not simply marry into wealth. She despises fortune hunters, and no fortune hunter more so than the Earl of Graystone who broke her friend’s heart. Tricking him into falling in love with her and then breaking his heart should be easy and was a perfect excuse to escape a normal life of marriage and kids into one of adventure and freelance writing.
Jared Grayson is a wonderful diversion. Cece meets him and the penniless automobile inventor sweeps her away with his enthusiasm. Changing her plans to follow the unexpected patterings of her heart, Cece follows him to France where he dumps her by the Eiffel Tower. Little does she know that Jared Grayon is really the Earl of Graystone and that when he left her in Paris to return to his search for an heiress that he was leaving his heart in her hands.
My only complaint is that this novel isn’t longer! I feel like this was a good start and now the author should flush it out with more details, more scenes, more, more, more. The ending was much too rushed to wrap everything up to my satisfaction. I felt like I read half a book only to get about four paragraphs of the ending. I feel very deprived. Pout.
This story is very chaste, no sex and only a few passionate kisses. The build up was there and could have developed further. I did enjoy the line about her response to him making a mockery of her modesty.
Pollyanna (Polly) has devoted her energies into Shelton, the historic seat and castle of the ducal Missenden family. Polly’s mother, had been the family’s housekeeper for years and married into the Missendens, but Richard’s offspring do not approve. Anthony the heir puts up the most fight and subsequently Polly has never felt she belonged. She does not have any rights on the castle that has always been her home and Anthony would just as soon be rid of her and the castle. (He gambles and the money would help him pay his debts.)
It’s time for a change. Joining her friend Minty’s documentary production crew Polly is off to Amrah, the Arbian kingdom her great-grandmother fell in love with (at a price.) Polly is also instantly drawn to Amrah’s playboy sheik, Rashid.
For his part, Rashid wants to keep a close eye on Polly. He’s determined to find out if she knew and was behind her stepbrother’s plot to swindle him on a thoroughbred horse. Of course his intentions and attentions get muddled as his motivation changes from revenge to lust.
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally posted 2009-01-20 05:21:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The following video is the ultimate expression of love not only in gaming but from one geek to another. Not only is the song cute, so is our singer BlinkTwice4Y. He's 26 years old and lives in the Bay Area of California. One day he'd like to be a professional singer, but even if he never aspires to that dream, BlinkTwice4Y has entered pop culture with his lyrics and music, especially with Mario Kart: Love Song. This video was featured December 2008 on YouTube. Unfortunately for gamer chicks everywhere he's in a relationship and therefore unavailable to be our Toad.
Verse One:
You be my princess
I'll be your toad
I'll follow behind you
on rainbow road
Protect you from red shells
wherever we go
I promise.
Verse Two:
Noone will touch us
if we pick up a star
If you spin out
you can ride in my car
When we slide together
we generate sparks
in our wheels and our hearts
Chorus:
The finish line
is just around the bend
I'll pause this game
so our love will never end
Let's go again
Verse Three:
The blue shell is coming
so I'll go ahead
If you hang behind
it'll hit me instead
but never look back
cause I'm down but not dead
I'll catch up to you
Bridge:
Don't worry about
Bowser or DK
Eat this glowing mushroom
and they'll all fade away
Chorusx2
to the mushroom cup
and the flower cup
and the star cup
and the reverse cup
That's right cash! You could win $100 Amazon prize money and one of 10 copies of Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy. The loot as they say is up for grabs. This contest is sponsored by Sarah from Smart Bitches, Jane from Dear Author, Berkeley, and Erin McCarthy.
So how do you enter?
Sarah and Jane have posts up about their contest simply comment in their posts and you'll be entered. Make sure to comment in both for two chances to win.
To win the $100 Amazon Gift certificate you will have to spread the word and post the widget or banner somewhere.
That said I'm all up for the prize money and the book have commented and now spread the word on contemporary romance! Think of all the books one could buy with the gift card! Swoon.
Why contemporary?
Contemporary romance is a tough genre right now. It's become diluted with paranormal to keep it afloat as more and more readers want something else. Partly I think this is because readers want escape from their daily stresses and problems and contemporary has a hard time doing this as it is all about the current daily stresses, situations, and problems of life. That isn't to say reading historical or some other romantic sub-genre won't cause you to relive situations that parallel normal life. Historical romance is known to support female characters that act remarkably like contemporary women.
Why Flat Out Sexy?
Because Jane and Sarah both love it! It's a NASCAR novel, which might be a deterrent for some, but with the double promotion and sponsorship I can pretty much guarantee this is a book worth reading. Briefly summarized, Flat Out Sexy involves a single widowed mother and a younger man. There's also a bit of a Romeo and Juliet blood feud in the background that started with their fathers. Sarah has a bit to say on this so check our her review.
What are you waiting for? Go out and get your racing stripes! Good luck!
The following video is the ultimate expression of love not only in gaming but from one geek to another. Not only is the song cute, so is our singer BlinkTwice4Y. He's 26 years old and lives in the Bay Area of California. One day he'd like to be a professional singer, but even if he never aspires to that dream, BlinkTwice4Y has entered pop culture with his lyrics and music, especially with Mario Kart: Love Song. This video was featured December 2008 on YouTube. Unfortunately for gamer chicks everywhere he's in a relationship and therefore unavailable to be our Toad. 
