365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #54

After Their Vows - Michelle Reid
Mills and Boon Modern
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2011
ISBN: 9780263886467



My rating




From the back cover:

"Broken vows don’t necessarily mean a broken marriage…
Angie de Calvhos meant every word of the vows she shared with husband Roque at the altar. Pity he didn’t return her sincerity… Expecting happy-ever-after, instead Angie found herself going through a mortifyingly public separation!
Now, divorce papers in hand, Angie has finally built up the courage to put an end to her time as a de Calvhos wife once and for all. But she’s forgotten the magnetic pull that devilish Roque possesses. And that broken vows don’t necessarily mean a broken marriage…"

So I am back in my comfort zone of good ol' Moderns! I have to say that Michelle Reid is probably one of the authors I have read the most of, which isn't surprising considering she has been writing romance for the last 20 years. She usually writes intense, passionate and edgy books that are enjoyable, unfortunately this book did not live up to expectation.

This is the story of Angie and Roque, they have been separated for a year after it was reported in the press that Roque had slept with another woman. Angie, a former model, has spent most off her adult life raising her younger brother and fighting to keep them out of debt. After she had married Roque she constantly felt torn between her troublesome brother, her career and Roque. Deeply heartbroken by Roque's betrayal she had retreated for a while then quit modelling to take up a regular job with her former agent. She was unaware that her brother had been stealing from Roque using one of her credit cards. When Roque finds out about this he uses it as blackmail in order to have Angie come back to him.

If you read my reviews regularly you will probably know two things about me by now. The first is that I'm pretty easy to please, most of the time a book just needs pages and I'll like it (!). The second thing is that I don't like being overly negative, so I will try and contain my frustrations about certain elements of this book. So, lets start on a positive note; as is expected of Michelle Reid's books the writing is really good, especially when it comes to describing and setting the scene.
OK so here is the stuff I didn't like. The premise of the story is samey, it's something that has been done many, many times before, and this has all the typical elements - playboy husband, false accusations of infidelity, blackmail to make the woman fall in line etc, etc. It's been done and it has been done much better than this. The next thing I'm going to talk about is what really killed my enjoyment. It raises the question of 'what constitutes as an act of infidelity?' To me any act of intimacy with someone other than your spouse/partner is infidelity, that includes kissing, embracing, sex etc. In this book the hero was caught passionately kissing another woman yet thinks he has been wrongfully accused of being a cheater because he didn't sleep with the other woman. He punishes the heroine for believing he cheated, but to my mind HE DID CHEAT! Infidelity, to me, is a no-no in books unless it had solid reasons and written with sensitivity, this is not the case with this book. If you take these things and add a rather cruel hero, a doormat heroine, a crow bared in miscarriage mentioned once, then a pregnancy that happens despite a condom and the pill (super sperm!) and you are left with a book that, unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy.

At this stage I just wanted to say that these are my opinions and I fully respect that this may be an enjoyable book for others!

Xx

Another year goes by ...

I apologise in advance for the shortness of this post, I have a meeting to go to in an hour and wanted to do a quick post.

So what's up? You may ask...

Well today is my birthday, I am 27 years old (please ignore that very loud ticking, that's just my biological clock!).

I'm not really one to celebrate my birthday so I don't have any amazing plans or anything just a nice relaxing evening with my husband after my meeting.

My husband got me some great presents, including 4 Mills and Boon books, the new Jilly Cooper book and the Sweet Valley High Confidential book (although those two are probably going to sit on the shelf for a year since my challenge TBR pile is huge!), he also got me some jewellery. I came down stairs this morning to find them all on the floor by the front door as though they were posted, he knows how much I love getting post, haha! It was very sweet of him.

Anyway since it's my birthday I'm feeling all happy so best wishes to everyone out there!

Xx

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #53

The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst - Louise Allen
Mills and Boon Historical
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2009
ISBN: 9780263867978


My rating



From the back cover:

"We’ve heard tell of the shocking high seas adventures of a certain high-society lady – Miss R–!
Alone and in danger, Clemence Ravenhurst is forced to flee her beloved Jamaica. Disguised as a boy, she falls straight into the clutches of one of the most dangerous pirates in the Caribbean!
Nathan Stanier, disgraced undercover naval officer and navigator, protects Clemence on their perilous journey. The heat between them sizzles. But honour – and his guarded heart – dictate that Nathan resist Clemence. Though it seems she’s determined to make their adventure as outrageous – and passionate – as possible!
Those Scandalous Ravenhursts"


This is the first ever Historical romance I have read. Part of this challenge was to try and be as varied as possible, so I knew it was only a matter of time before I picked up a Historical. This book was recommended to me by Heidi Rice, who also informed me that it won Love Story of the Year at this years RNA Pure Passion awards. Let me say a huge congratulations to Louise Allen.

After her fathers death the heroine Clemance is being looked after by her uncle. Only he's not so much looking after her more trying to force her to marry his son in order to get his nasty hands on her inheritance. Knowing she is in a desperate situation Clemance decides to escape hoping to stow away on a ship scheduled to sail to England the next day. However this doesn't go to plan when, disguised as a boy, she arrives at the dock to find the ship has left early and is then kidnapped by an infamous pirate. Clemance is put to work as the cabin boy for the pirate ship's new navigator, the hero Nathan. Nathan is actually an undercover Navy officer in charge of, hopefully, leading the pirates into a trap.
When Nathan finds out Clemance is a girl he vows to protect her, but they both find they are attracted to one another. Clemance knows that her reputation will be ruined due to the time she has spent in the company of pirates but takes comfort in knowing that her powerful family will be able to shelter her, something she keeps a secret from Nathan.

So, if we take everything but the relationship between Nathan and Clemance away then I will say I really enjoyed the book. Unfortunately the rest of it was not so enjoyable for me. As a person I'm not really 'into' history as a form of entertainment; I don't like period dramas, films, TV shows, books like Pride and Prejudice etc. That's just they way I'm drawn, I live very much in the now and like to read about it too. However if we ignore me and my likes for a moment, I can unequivocally say that if you do like these things then you will absolutely love this book.
The characters were both good, although Nathan was a bit frustrating with his issues regarding their relationship. I liked Clemance, she was quite fun, if a bit naive but managed to mature as the story progressed. The surroundings and situations were fantastically written, even if I was having to look up certain things on the Internet every through sentences to find out what they are (my husband seemed to know most of these already, which I have concluded means he was a pirate in a past life and that I really should have paid more attention in history lessons at school!).

While the theme/genre is not my thing this is a wonderful love story, and definitely a must read for all the Historical fans out there. As for me I will go back to being infuriatingly modern, yet not to be deterred I do have another Historical on my bookshelf so watch this space!

XX

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #52

The Devil's Heart - Lynn Raye Harris
Harlequin Presents
Harlequin, 2011
ISBN: 9780373129867


N.B. The above details relate to the North American release of this book.


My rating



From the back cover:

"A diamond, and a devilish deal…
Francesca D’Oro was just eighteen when darkly sexy Marcos Navarre swept her up the aisle – then fled before the ink on the marriage licence had dried. Marcos might have given Francesca a jewel for her finger, but he stole another: the Devil’s Heart – a dazzling yellow diamond he believed belonged to his family…
Years later Francesca, no longer so youthfully naïve, is determined to reclaim the precious gem! But she’s forgotten that Marcos lives up to the treasure’s name – and dealing with the devil is always dangerous!"

I'll admit that while I am easily pleased (I have not given many books under 3 stars in this challenge) I'm also a bit stingy when it comes to giving away full marks! So far in this challenge I have only given two books a 5 star rating, well this fabulous book by Lynn Raye Harris has become the third! I was absolutely blown away by it.

The story begins, rather violently, with the hero Marcos being held at gunpoint in his hotel room by a thief attempting to steal his family heirloom El Corazón del Diablo, a necklace with a large and valuable yellow diamond pendant. The situation causes painful memories of Marcos's past experiences of brutal warfare. What Marcos doesn't realise is that the thief is Francesca, the heroine and the girl he married eight years previously in order to reclaim the diamond, which had fallen into her fathers hands by deceit. Marcos had left as soon as Francesca had given him the diamond.
Francesca has stolen the diamond back in order to be able to sell it and pay for medical treatment for a dear friend and for revenge against Marcos. Francesca has lived a difficult life in the eight years since she married including being disowned by her family and a brutal attack and miscarriage. When Marcos tracks her and the diamond down there is a fierce confrontation between them. Marcos insists on them re-marrying in order to stop any further claims over ownership to the diamond. He is also determined to seduce Francesca, something he never got to do before, and make her want him back.

Well, what a story! I have tried to keep the description above as brief as possible as I really don't want to spoil it too much! Throughout this book there are so many secrets and revelations that I couldn't wait to turn each page. It was a real roller coaster of emotions, I kept going from being on the edge of my seat to feeling heartbroken! This book was dark with a capital D!
The characters were really well developed, both held scars from the past and were each struggling to live their lives and deal with these at the same time. Marcos was so complex, I didn't like him at first, in fact I'm still not sure if I liked him but he was a true Alpha-male; deliciously tortured yet incredibly caring and dedicated to making the world a better place.
The Journey the characters went on was amazing, they had both been to hell and back and you know what, reading this I felt like I had been right there with them, and this made the HEA extremely satisfying. The writing is flawless, how Lynn Raye Harris managed to contain this to 185 pages I'll never know.

I cannot praise this book enough, I just don't have the words! Lynn, thank you for writing this book.

A must read.

Xx

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #51

Deserted Island, Dreamy Ex - Nicola Marsh
Mills and Boon RIVA
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2011
ISBN: 9780263883640




My rating




From the back cover:

"Kristi’s Stranded Diary: Day 1
Being shipwrecked on an idyllic deserted island for reality TV show Stranded sounded blissful. Until I discovered my Man Friday for the week was Jared Malone (aka he-who-broke-my heart!). I mean, of course I’ll be fine. I don’t feel anything for him any more. Female viewers might swoon over Jared’s tanned gorgeousness, but I know he’s just an arrogant, over-muscled heartbreaker! The cameras are rolling, so I’m off to the beach to face Jared. I just hope I look OK in this bikini!"

Another RIVA I know, but they are so good. None of them have scored under 4 stars yet, which is a good thing for me!

The story begins with the the heroine PR whiz Kristi being told by her boss that she will be staring in a documentary based on reality TV, where she will be stranded on a deserted island with a male contestant for a week. Kristi reluctantly agrees knowing it will give her career a boost and the potential prize money will enable her to help out her sister and niece. Then she finds out the male contestant will be ex tennis pro Jared, the hero, whom she had a relationship with many years back that ended with Kristi broken hearted after Jared left. Jared is equally as reluctant to be part of the show but agrees in order to gain publicity for his charity rec centre for inner city kids.
When Kristi and Jared meet again they both act polite towards each other and agree to try and be friends. However once they are left on the deserted island with only each other for company issues relating to their past relationship and break up begin to arise, as well as the fact that they are still very much attracted to one another.

This was a really fun book to read and it had some great elements to it. I really liked the character of Kristi she had real moxy with her snappy dialogue, ambition and style, yet she also had a caring side with a deep desire to love and be loved in return (I didn't like Jared as much). I really loved the inclusion of the characters blog posts and twitter updates while they were on the island. This was interesting as is gave insight into the two characters thoughts and experiences in a more conversational way then the usual internal monologue type narrative allows, it was also very 'now'!
I would have liked to have had more of the actual events on the island included, I was imagining a Lost-meets-The-Apprentice-meets-romcom style story (somebody has to make that show!). I did enjoy the focus on the two characters relationship and their attempt to work through the issues that drove them apart previously and also to work through their own internal issues. Both characters were able to grow and move on, which is something I always like to see in a good romance novel.

Xx

Going to the chapel ... (well not really a chapel)

One year ago today my husband and I were married. It seems like the year has flown by and sometimes I find it hard to believe that I am actually married, especially those times I accidentally use my maiden name!
I thought I would write out our relationship and our wedding. I use the term wedding loosely as you will find out. In short we eloped and it was the perfect way for us to get married.

We first met 6 years ago when I started my first job after university; he was one of my bosses while I was training (naughty!). After I had moved on to my role we remained close friends, and ‘just friends’ by the way ;-). I have always had a lot of male friends, I’m one of those easy going and non-game playing girls, and a total flirt of course! I’ll admit that I had no interest in a relationship at that point, I was 21 (he is 7 years older btw), earning good money for the first time, and truly believed in being “single and fabulous!”.
And then one hot July evening at a summer barbecue work event we ended up spending the night together (yes, for that reason!). Me being a bit of a commitment phobe at the time (thanks to two broken hearts at uni) thought it would just be a onetime thing. He had a different idea! The next week he waited for me to finish work and asked me out on a date, I reluctantly agreed (wasn’t I awful!). We went on the date where we had planned to go to the cinema but we never actually saw the film, instead we spent all evening talking and that’s where our relationship began. About 6 months after that we went on holiday to New York and that is where I realise I loved him, I actually cried when my parents picked me up from his after we got back as I didn’t want to be apart from him (yuk, it’s getting sappy now!). Anyway, we had moved in together within another 2 months and apart from one very rough patch 3 years ago (which we worked through) we have been together ever since.

Fast forward five years later and we had decided to get married, yes I mean ‘decided’, there wasn’t any big proposal or romantic gesture, apart from him buying me a ring when we were in Las Vegas! I never thought I would get married, I’m one of those thoroughly modern girls (not Millie!) who believes that marriage isn’t necessary these days, and it should be something to be done only if you truly want it. I had a rare romantic moment when I realised I wanted to marry him and be his wife. We are both quite private people so a big wedding was never on the cards, much to my mother’s disgust. We always knew that we would get married abroad and I could not think of any place other that New York since it is the place that really made our relationship. We decided to do it completely on our own as we couldn’t be doing with pressures and demands from others, especially after I had a huge fight with my mother (whom I have never really been close to) as she didn’t approve. This fight ended with me telling her in a much more colourful way to stuff it, you know life is too short for that kind of aggravation!
So on 10th May 2010 we flew out to New York and applied for our marriage licence. Then on 12th May we got up early, I teased my long blonde hair into a huge bun (think Carrie when Charlotte gets married in ‘Sex and the City’), put on a scarlet red dress (yes that’s right SCARLET RED! Convention, I defy you!), got on the subway down to the City Clerk’s Office and got married in what can only be described as the shortest ceremony in history. Seriously, it didn’t last longer than 2 minutes, it was great! This was followed by going back to our hotel to get changed, the hotel toilet overflowing (yes really), and then going out for pizza. Yup, you read it right; our wedding day consisted of a red dress, the subway, 90 second ceremony, overflowing toilet, and pizza! It was a fabulous day, which I wouldn’t change for the world.

A year later and our relationship is stronger than ever. A lot has changed over the year, including promotions for him and me giving up work. We hope to have a family as soon as fate and nature lets us and live long and happy lives together, urgh I need to stop this sentimental stuff!

I would love to hear your own stories of how you met your significant other, or fell in love etc, please comment or email and I’ll post them.
I need to go and find my cynicism now as I seem to have misplaced it!

Xx

P.s. in case you were wondering, my mother still hasn’t forgiven me!!

The tale of too many books ...

Any of you who reads this blog regularly and/or follows me on twitter(not including you darling [husband] since you must read this by law!) may be aware that I have recently been on holiday to New York City! I have only mentioned it, like, a couple of thousand times! I will get round to posting some of my photos very soon.
I love going on holiday in the US and New York in particular as it is one of the coolest cities in the world. I had already decided that while in the US I would indulge myself by purchasing a couple of books from the many Harlequin lines available over there.
Well, a couple turned into a few, a few turned into a bunch, and not long after a bunch turned into LOADS! There was just so much choice that I actually got way too excited and ended up buying so many books that it became a bit of an obsession, "how many" I hear you ask, well you'll find out soon!

I was a bit naughty and took some photo's of the selections on offer in a couple of the bookstores I went in (they always tell me off when I try to take photos so I had to do it stealthily!)



These ones are from Barnes and Noble Union Square, quite a big selection!





Barnes and Noble Fifth Avenue




Half of the selection in Borders Madison Square Garden (an assistant was lurking so I couldn't take a photo of the other half!)


I bought the books in bunches, we went to some of the same areas more than once and I somehow ended back in the bookstores, and by the end of the week those bunches had, er, bred!

I can't be bothered to type the title of every single one I bought so I'll just post the photos I took of each bunch! (If the title is unclear and you want to know what it is just email me!)


1st bunch




2nd bunch, my husband bought these for me from a bookstore he found in Grand Central Terminal called Posmanbooks. Sorry for the blurry photo here!




3rd bunch




4th bunch (can you tell the quantity is starting to grow!)




5th bunch




6th bunch




7th bunch. We found this pre-owned book shop near Times Square called Book Off that had loads of Harlequin books for 1$ each! A DOLLAR EACH! As chief shopping bag carrier I think my husband breathed a sigh of relief when I managed to restrain myself to 12!




8th. Another one bought by my husband, he found it in a random convenience store, CVS I think.




9th bunch




10th bunch. These were bought on our last day, Borders had a 'buy 4 and get 5th free' offer so, of course, I had to make the most of it!!



And that's it. Have you been keeping count? No? I didn't think so, the total is 72!
It's official, I'm both a book and shopping addict!

I can't wait to start reading them all, they look beautiful on my bookshelf. Some of the lines we don't get here in the UK so I really wanted to try and be diverse as possible. I was really pleased with the American Romance titles and the one from the Love Inspired line, which I have been dying to get hold off!

Now, if you excuse me I have some research to do on shopping addiction...

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #50

Tempted by Trouble - Liz Fielding
Mills and Boon RIVA
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2011
ISBN: 9780263883848




My rating




From the back cover:

"T is for… Trouble?
Elle Amery knows her late mother’s bad-boy-loving reputation was not the best inheritance…
Tempted?
So when smooth-talking Sean McElroy turns up with a pink and white ice cream van called Rosie – that’s apparently hers – Elle’s ‘playboy’ radar flashes red, and she tries to ignore the traitorous flicker of attraction!
Or the Time of their lives?
Family-orientated Elle is the last girl Sean should ever want – he’s not a fan of responsibility in any form! Yet as they embark on a journey filled with ice cream, these two misfits find that life comes in many flavours – and that they’re better all mixed up than apart…"

First of all I would like to say a massive thank you to Liz Fielding for sending me this as an advanced copy, and also apologies for the lateness of this review! Secondly, even though this has nothing to do with my enjoyment of the book, I just wanted to say how much I love this cover! It's gorgeous, so bold and colourful, I really think that Mills and Boon have got it bang on with the RIVA covers! Anyway, moving on...!

This is the story of Sean and Elle. Elle has spent most of her adulthood looking after her younger sisters and her slightly unhinged grandmother. Her carefully ordered world is thrown into disarray one day when handsome Sean turns up at her doorstep with a vintage ice cream van "Rosie" that has been given to Elle by her great uncle, whom she didn't know existed. Elle is forced to take on the responsibility of bookings for Rosie, and Sean, feeling guilty for unwittingly piling this extra pressure on her, agrees to help Elle. As they spend time together Sean and Elle's feelings for one another begin to grow, yet neither of them are willing to open their hearts to the possibility of a relationship.

I really enjoyed this book, it's a very sweet (no ice cream pun intended!) yet witty romance that really left me with a warm feeling inside. I loved both of the characters; Sean was such a charmer and the typical committed bachelor, yet he also had such a caring and protective side. Elle was dedicated and caring but quite guarded and a bit of a control freak! In my opinion Liz Fielding has written a female character that is more complex than the male character, which in the romance genre is actually quite rare, I found this a really interesting and enjoyable element of the book. Bravo Liz!
The relationship and story are relatively simple, it doesn't have that one massive explosive conflict situation that ruins everything. Instead it uses the insecurities and issues of the characters as a running conflict throughout the book, it's more of a simmer than a boil, and I think the mood is created better by this. The surroundings are wonderfully described, the characters are able to have that all important growth and the entire book is beautifully written, I particularly liked the little anecdotal excerpts from Rosie's diary at the beginning of each chapter, each one made me smile! In short, I loved this book!

The book is available to purchase now on the Mills and Boon UK website and will be available for general sale in the UK in June. You can read an excerpt on Liz's website (link), and while your there check out Liz's other books, I recommend them (her book 'The Bride's Baby' is currently available for free from the Amazon Kindle store, bargain! I have it on my kindle but I haven't read it yet, shh, don't tell Liz!). Liz Fielding is a fantastic writer, I have enjoyed the books of hers that I have read. Her books are warm, emotional, full of wit and very relatable. This book is simply wonderful as it's true to Liz's style with a modern feel that fits perfectly with the RIVA line.

Xx

P.s. This was another book I read on holiday so here's a photo of my copy of the book sitting on the door handle of my hotel room in the Grand Hyatt NYC!

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #49

Three Weddings and a Baby - Fiona Harper
Mills and Boon RIVA
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2011
ISBN: 9780263883671



My rating




From the back cover:

"When three is most definitely a crowd…
Do you believe in love at first sight? Jennie Hunter and Alex Dangerfield did, and they married just a few weeks after they met! But when Alex disappeared on their wedding night Jennie was left alone – and angry – in her honeymoon suite. A month later, and Jennie has given up hope of ever seeing her runaway husband again.
Then Alex returns – with his toddler in tow! Shocked to learn Alex has been married before, her first instinct is to run. Her second instinct – well, even a hard-headed businesswoman can’t turn away a tiny girl who needs a nappy-change and a husband with sheer panic in his eyes… Compared to umpteen clients, one small kid will be a doddle…right?"

I'm really into the RIVA line at the moment, so expect more of these to come! This was another book I read whilst on holiday, usually in the mornings while waiting for my husband to return bearing much needed coffee! Once again another really enjoyable book from this line.

The story beings with the heroine Jennie and the hero Alex meeting at the wedding of Jennie's step brother. We discover that Jennie and Alex have been married for a little over a month, after a whirlwind romance, however they have not seen each other since early in their honeymoon after Alex was called back on a family emergency. Jennie was angry with Alex for leaving her on her own, especially as the emergency was due to his ex-wife being injured in an accident. Angry and annoyed Jennie had left and gone back to her previous life. Alex has been through a lot since marrying Jennie, including having to deal with the death of his ex-wife and finding out that she had not told him about their daughter. Alex has tracked down Jennie, angry with her for leaving, determined to try and sort through their issues together so they can both decide if their relationship can survive.

I really enjoyed this book, it was entertaining, romantic and emotional all at the same time. I really liked the mix of past and present settings to emphasise the story, and I felt that this helped it flow really well. The female character of Jennie was fantastic, she was the perfect mix of feisty and deep as well as being a true 21st century girl. Alex, as a character, was a little harder to grasp. If I only had one word to describe him it would be dark. Both characters had the chance to grow as the story progressed, perhaps Jennie more than Alex. I found it really interesting that when I started reading the book I preferred Alex to Jennie but towards the end it was the other way round.
If your looking for a book with an explosive conflict then this is not it, instead this book has an almost constant conflict running through it, that being how destructive the lack of communication can be in relationships, and this works perfectly with the pace of the story.

This is the first book I have read by Fiona Harper and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Xx

P.s. In my continuing series of photos of the books I read on holiday, here is my copy of the book lounging back on my hotel bed!

365 books in 365 days Challenge ... book #48

Walk on the Wild Side - Natalie Anderson
Mills and Boon RIVA
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2011
ISBN: 9780263883657




My rating



From the back cover:

"One crazy afternoon on the beach…
A fling with sinfully hot champion snowboarder Jack Greene isn’t Kelsi Reid’s normal behaviour…but one glimpse of his wicked eyes has Kelsi throwing caution to the deep blue sea (along with her clothes!). After all, who better to go crazy with than a man who deserves a gold medal for his prowess on the slopes and in the bedroom…? Then Kelsi crashes down with a terrifying bump – of the baby kind.
They couldn’t be worse matched – Jack is Mr Right-Now, while Kelsi craves stability. But it’s hard to keep your feet on the ground once you’ve met the man who turns your world upside down…"

So, a little while ago I went a bit crazy and bought a big bunch of the new Mills and Boon RIVA line. Here's the pictorial evidence on my book shelf!

I read this book in one sitting, literally, since this was also read while I was on the flight to New York! It helped of course that I loved this book!

The story begins with the heroine Kelsi hitting the hero Pro-Snowboarder Jack with her car, by accident of course! Kelsi is distraught and the extremely charismatic Jack talks her into spending the afternoon with him. The sparks that fly between these two are instant and, wow, the resulting events are passionate! The afternoon they spend together is just that, an afternoon, after which Jack goes into training and Kelsi goes back to her hardworking life. However a month later Jack is still thinking about Kelsi and their explosive chemistry. He goes to visit her, where they are both shocked to discover she is pregnant. Jack immediately feels obligated to provide for Kelsi, not to mention terrified. He takes over Kelsi's life almost completely in an attempt to keep in control of his fears. Kelsi feels trapped and helpless against Jack's take over, however they both still want each other like crazy.

This is the third book from the RIVA line i have read, and if they are all as fantastic as this book then I can see RIVA becoming my new favourite!
I adored both of the characters; Jack was so unashamedly cool yet still very complex, and bravo to Natalie Anderson for creating such a bold female character, Kelsi was so gloriously normal yet also not afraid to be different and with a deep side that still has issues from childhood. I found all the technical snowboarding info a little confusing, but lucky for me I have a husband who is into snowboarding and skateboarding and helped explain things to me! Confusion aside, it's great to read a book that includes different jobs and alternative lifestyles, after all how many corporate banker types can you read before it gets tired!
Natalie's dialogue between the characters sparkles and the rest of the writing is flawless. Be prepared for some steamy scenes, let me tell you, the sex on the beach scene, whew!!

This is a fantastic book and just perfect for this new live of contemporary romances, I definitely recommend reading this book!

Xx

P.s. Here is a photo of my book on my flight, note the Virgin Atlantic coffee cup!