365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #143

About Last Night... - Stephanie Bond
Harlequin Temptation
Harlequin, 1999
ISBN: 9780373258512





My rating





From the back cover:

"Bride-to-be Janine Murphy is experiencing more than a few jitters when she thinks about her upcoming nuptials. After all, she and her fiancé haven't even, well...you know. So, dressed for success, she lets herself into her fiancé's hotel room for a wedding night preview. Only, the irresistibly sexy man she ends up in bed with isn't her fiancé!
Best man Derek Stillman might be exhausted, but he's not complaining. The sultry siren who'd slipped under the sheets with him is definitely someone he'd like to know a lot better...until he discovers she's the bride! But when an unexpected quarantine closes the hotel--and confines them to the same room--Derek can't help showing Janine that he's the better man..."


Continuing my current run of older books (although this one is newer that the last few), and this is one I found in the Kindle store.

The heroine Janine is two days away from her wedding to her fiance Steve, a well known plastic surgeon. After her bachelorette party she confides to her sister that she has never slept with Steve and she is having doubts about their compatibility as Steve doesn't seem to desire her. Her brash sister persuades Janine to sneak into his hotel room and seduce him. When she gets there though it's not Steve in the bed, instead it is Steve's best man Derek, the hero. Derek is very disgruntled, he is feeling very ill and had to drop his work in order to stand in for his disappearing brother as Steve's best man. After sorting out the misunderstanding between them Derek tries to leave but he and Janine end up being contained to the same room when an illness breaks out in the hotel and the whole resort is put under quarantine. Their time spent together is rather awkward, but there is also a fierce attraction between them. Although he finds her a little annoying Derek realises Janine is a nice person and can't help but this that Steve is using her. As they get to know one another they help each other through their problems and begin to fall in love.

I really liked this story, and I was pleasantly surprised as it was different to what I was expecting from the blurb. At first I thought it would be really intense and passionate right from the start, instead it is a more gentle and warm romance and when the passion does occur it is much more intense. There are some great humorous moments that really added to my enjoyment. Both characters are very real, I love that Janine is a bit of a klutz but genuinely nice and Derek, instead of being all smooth and suave, is a bit of a grump yet very honest, he felt like the 'Everyman'. Even though the story only takes place over a couple of days I think the development of the relationship is written beautifully.

A great mix of fun and emotion that is really satisfying to read.

Xx

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #128

Aftershock - Jill Shalvis
Harlequin Temptation
Harlequin, 2001
ISBN: 9780373259458





My rating






From the back cover:

"THE EARTH MOVED...LITERALLY!
If it hadn't been for the earthquake, Amber Riggs would never have made love to a perfect stranger. And no doubt about it, fire inspector Dax McCall was perfect! Who else could have taught her the meaning of passion at a time like that?
AND NOW THE AFTERSHOCK...
Still, when Amber ran into him a year later she wasn't sure how he'd react. She hadn't meant to keep the news from Dax.... But he'd been out of town, and she'd been sort of relieved. After all, how do you tell the perfect man he has a perfect baby girl with a woman he doesn't know from Eve?"


I have been attempting recently to include some older books in this challenge, this is a book form 2001, which is available as an ebook from the kindle store.

The heroine Amber is looking around a property she is trying to sell when an earthquake hits, lucky for her Fire Inspector Dax, the hero, is also in the building. When the building starts to fall down around them he helps keep her safe and calm while they are trapped. Both of them believe there is no chance of them getting out alive, one thing leads to another and they end up making love. They do manage to get out when they are rescued, Dax tries to see Amber again but Amber, embarrassed by her actions, flees. A year later and a chance encounter brings them face to face again, Dax's initial pleasure in seeing Amber again is crushed when he realises she gave birth to his daughter and never told him. Dax makes it clear that he will be a part of his daughters life and they agree to a shared custody schedule. Dax realises this isn't enough and that he also wants to be with Amber but she is hesitant to get involved with him for fear of losing control and getting hurt.

I really, really enjoyed this book. The plot is actually quite original, to have two virtual strangers that haven't even seen each other in the light become intimate is, perhaps, a risky subject but it makes you think about just what you would do in a life or death situation. Both character are well developed and complex enough to keep you interested. I particularly liked that the heroine was more complex that the hero, and how the hero really wanted to help her open up. The writing is wonderful and really draws you into the book, I read this in one sitting!

Recommended.

Xx

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #16

Fantasy - Lori Foster
Mills and Boon Temptation

Original issue-
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 1998
ISBN: 9780263814071

Re issue-
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2005
ISBN: 9780373836406

My rating



From the back cover:

"SOLD! Sexy security consultant Sebastian Sinclair brought a princely sum at auction. And for the next five days he was going to be a boy toy for some rich woman. At least it was going for a worthy cause...and the woman WAS intriguing... SOLD OUT! The LAST thing Brandi Sommers wanted was to fly off to a lover's retreat with some gorgeous mountain of a man. But Sebastian was an outrageously expensive birthday present from her dear, meddling sister, and she couldn't very well return him. Besides, SHE would be in control at all times...she thought."

I read this book in ebook form on iBooks for the iPad, and the version was the re issue one. I couldn't find a cover for the original Mills and Boon Temptation release so I have used the re issue cover instead! Considering this book was written over 12 years ago, it doesn't seem dated at all.

The story begins with the female character, Brandi, attending a charity bachelor auction arranged by her sister. She feels an immediate attraction to Sebastian upon seeing him on stage up for grabs. Her sister notices this and bids on him with the explanation that he is a 'birthday present' for Brandi! The bachelor auction includes a five day luxury country retreat for the bidders and their bachelors. Brandi is nervous about going, she suffered rape when she was 18 and hasn't been intimate with a man since, and still has nightmares from that time. Sebastian is protector with a chip on his shoulder from growing up poor, he feels the need to protect Brandi and help her move past her difficult past and learn to open up to him.

There is no doubt that this book is very sweet and romantic, Sebastian is a really caring guy who treated Brandi with great sensitivity. The issue of rape and Brandi's coping with it was handled well. However I feel that the fact that Brandi went away to a (secluded) country resort with someone who was essentially a stranger and then became intimate with him after only two days was a little unbelievable after what she had suffered.

Despite this the conflict with the two characters admitting their feelings for one another was really well written and in the end this was a really romantic book to read.

Xx