365 books in 365 days Challenge ... Book #273

The Greek Tycoon's Unexpected Wife - Annie West
Mills & Boon Modern
Harlequin Mills & Boon, 2008
ISBN: 9780263863987












My rating

From the back cover:

"Stavros Denakis is furious when Tessa Marlowe turns up without warning. Weary and cynical through his experience with women, Stavros suspects the wife he hardly knows is a gold digger—surely she's here to claim her share of the Denakis millions. But Tessa is a temptation that he can't resist…. 
Bedded by her gorgeous Greek husband, Tessa realizes she has fallen in love with him, and longs for their marriage to become real. Only, Stavros, though he may be passionate in private, remains cold in public, and is determined they stay wedded only in name…"


Another kindle book.

The hero Stavros is about to attend a party at his home where his engagement will be officially announced. Not that he is looking forward to it, after all it is simply a marriage for business purposes. However, he is shocked when he is informed that a woman called Tessa, the heroine, has turned up at his home. Four years ago Stavros had been doing aid work in a civil war torn country when he had heard about an Australian woman who had been imprisoned. In order to have her freed, he had pretended to be her fiancé and they married, however before they had a chance to leave a bomb had devastated the area and he believed Tessa had died. Stavros listens in horror as Tessa tells him about the last four years where she had been sheltered at a convent and has only now been able to escape. Tessa had been on her way back to Australia when she had seen an article in a magazine about the man whom saved her life whom she thought was dead. Stavros is stressed with the situation; he has a wife and a fiancée and no idea how to extract himself for either one. His frustration initially causes him to think that Tessa wants money and he makes it clear to her that she will get nothing from him. All Tessa had wanted was to thank him for saving her life and return a family heirloom of his she had kept with her all these years. Now she finds herself virtually trapped in his home while he tries to work out a way to divorce her. Neither of them are expecting the desire of want that flares up between them, nor are they expecting how much they would begin to care for one another.

Whew, this is a rollercoaster of a book. The premise is very original and quite brave of the author. In my opinion everything was very well executed; the writing is evocative and full of tension, plus there is plenty of compassion for both characters. The sexual chemistry between the hero and heroine virtually bounces off the pages. And the love story between them is believable.
The heroine Tessa is simply brilliant; she is so strong and positive even after all she has been through. I liked the hero, but I really wish that he didn't constantly think that the heroine is a gold digger. There was no reason for this to be included and it just seemed like the author used this as a way of getting even more conflict in the book.

Overall, this is a beautiful, intense and emotional book.

Recommended.

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