365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #25

Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge - Lynn Raye Harris
Mills and Boon Modern
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2009
ISBN: 9780263874198




My rating




From the back cover:

"Nobody messes with Alejandro de Ramirez. He doesn't suffer fools, and certainly has no time for manipulative wantons. Rebecca Layton was both. Five years later, Alejandro's life is still in turmoil--and he's more merciless than ever. The Spanish magnate wants retribution....
Unusually, and frustratingly for Alejandro, his plan doesn't go smoothly. Surely Rebecca wasn't this alluring before. And did his body always respond in this way--with such passionate fury? This is no longer just revenge...this is red-hot and dangerous!"

I have read a couple of Lynn Raye Harris's books and enjoyed them, however I had never got round to reading this book so I picked it up from the library when I saw it sitting there just waiting for me! This is Lynn's debut book and reading it, it is hard to believe, her voice and writing is as well developed as any seasoned pro!

This is the story of Rebecca and Alejandro. Five years ago they had a passionate affair that ended badly after Rebecca found out that Alejandro had an arranged marriage planned and Alejandro thought that Rebecca was the cause of him loosing out on an important business deal. Now Alejandro has the chance to take his revenge on Rebecca for what she did to him, he manages to take over her company and orders her to Madrid in order to let her see him destroy her company piece by piece. Only he didn't bank on the deep desire they still hold for one another, and when a surprise pregnancy happens Alejandro demands marriage.

This is a very emotional book, its full of ups and downs, and heartbreak and loss. The two characters are fantastic; Alejandro is man plagued by his past and acts completely ruthlessly towards Rebecca, yet it is obvious that even he can't control his feelings for her. Rebecca is a strong independent career woman, however she carries a lot of inner hurt over a difficult relationship with her parents and two doomed love affairs. The interaction between the two characters was always intense, going from passion to them hurling insults and accusations at each other, it's a wonder they didn't rip each other apart but it is clear that underneath everything they still have feelings for each other. The story was fast paced and exciting and really well executed.

Also, this is another example of a new writer taking traditional elements of the Modern line and breathing new life into it making it more relatable and up-to-date (eg. a strong career minded female character). I really recommend this book and others of Lynn Raye Harris. FYI, her most recent book 'Strangers in the Desert' is out this month in the UK, I will be reading it as soon as I can get my eager little hands on it!

Oh, and extra kudos to Lynn for naming her heroine Rebecca, its a great name! (It's my name in case you were wondering!)

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