365 books in 365 days Challenge ... Book #309

Back in her Husband's Bed - Melanie Milburne
Mills & Boon Modern
In 'Reclaiming His Wife' Mills & Boon By Request
Harlequin Mills & Boon, 2009
ISBN: 9780263871296

My rating

From the back cover:

"He wants her back - but on his terms! 
By agreeing to a meeting with Xavier Knightly, her handsome ex-husband, Carli realizes that the passion is still there. Three months later, she has some shocking news for him! 
But Xavier isn't considered one of the best lawyers in Sydney for nothing: here's a golden opportunity to blackmail his wife back into his bed. However, he also wants her to love him again like she used to, and that's where he'll face the biggest trial of his life..."


This is the second book in the By Request Omnibus, as above.

The heroine Carli and the hero Xavier end up spending a very passionate night together, after being stuck in a broken down elevator for some time. Although that night should never have happened, as all the issues around their divorce five years ago are stirred up. Carli has changed significantly from the shy, weak girl she was when married to Xavier and she is now a strong and successful lawyer. But that doesn't make her any less nervous about having to tell Xavier that she is pregnant. Xavier recognises the changes in Carli, and finds them very appealing, but he also realises that Carli is still very drawn to him even though she tries to hide it, and uses their shared desire for one another to convince her to come back into his life. Xavier knows that first time around he didn't treat Carli right and he tries to make it up to her, but they are both determined not to back down and this causes friction, as well as desire, in their very tentative reconciliation.

I'm a big fan of Melanie Milburne's book, but this is not one of her best. In my opinion, anyway. I enjoyed the sort-of battle of wills surrounding the hero and heroine's reconciliation, and I think that the journey of the two of them learning to compromise and work as a couple, rather than as obstinate individuals, was written really well. There is plenty of chemistry between the hero and heroine, this really moves the story along.
The hero is a bit of a jerk at times, and I really hate that in so many reconciliation stories authors use the 'hero-has-spent-the-whole-time-apart-sleeping-with-as-many-women-as-possible-and-then-brags-to-the-heroine-about-it' trope, it is a little off putting. Also, the almost constant arguing between the hero and heroine became a little grating after a while.

Overall though, I did enjoy reading this one.

Xx