Carol MarinelliCritiques

Good book about two people whose pasts have caused them to put up walls around their hearts. The book opens with a prologue in which Pippa seeks peace from her family circumstances in the school library. Her older sister is dying of cystic fibrosis, and her parents spend all of their time and emotional energy on Julia, all but ignoring Pippa. She felt overlooked, unloved, and like an outsider, causing her to erect walls and depend only on herself. When she was sixteen, she had a brief respite from those feelings during a one-hour conversation with Luke Harris, the school's head boy. Handsome, charming, and the subject of many crushes, Luke listened to Pippa and shared some of his own trials, making a lasting impression on her.

Fourteen years later, Pippa works as a pediatric nurse and is stunned to find that Luke is the new temporary trauma surgeon. He is the subject of a lot of gossip surrounding his time at another London hospital where he is believed to have had an affair with a married nurse. Luke is drawn to Pippa from the moment he meets her. She seems familiar, but he can't figure out why. I ached for Pippa and how it made her feel overlooked again.

Luke has a reputation for having frequent, short-term affairs. Because of his father's infidelities, Luke doesn't believe that love lasts. At the same time, Pippa has never had a successful, long-term relationship. Unable to deny their attraction, Luke and Pippa agree to a month-long fling. Neither expects the closeness that grows between them as their walls slowly begin to crumble. I liked how Luke started understanding what makes Pippa tick and is there for her during tough times. He is also surprised to find himself telling her things he's never shared with anyone else. But can either of them let down their walls far enough to believe they have a chance together? Luke's big moment at the end was terrific.

One of the medical cases that Luke and Pippa are involved with goes a long way to helping Luke and Pippa see their lives from a different perspective. I ached for this family and what they went through. I also loved the example they set, especially for Pippa. She has a brief confrontation with her mother, but we never see anything come of it. I'm still pretty disgusted with Luke's father, too.

#netgalley

Western

Despite the horrible title, this book was a great example of why the Harlequin Presents line is so popular. The story is over-the-top, yes, but it features an alpha hero who straddles the line between bully and arrogant male. He's the kind of guy you want to punch in the nose... and then take to bed. (Or do things in the reverse order; that works, too.) The heroine falls for him much too quickly, and his behavior borders on irrational at times, but the writing is good, the emotional connection between these two is intense, and it kept my attention throughout.

A good read. That's all I will say...a good read.

Molto piacevole, una vicenda ben costruita, che segue una sua progressione logica, con personaggi sufficientemente caratterizzati compatibilmente con il tipo di storia.
Bastiano Conti, dopo un inizio di vita difficile, riesce a riscattarsi e a crearsi un nome e un patrimonio. Sofia, bellissima cameriera in un prestigioso hotel, resterà colpita dalla sua bellezza e gentilezza tanto da cedere al fascino di Bastiano. Perso il posto per l’invidia di una collega, vedrà il suo futuro complicarsi terribilmente sotto tutti i punti di vista.
Di sola distrazione, si legge velocemente e gradevolmente.

Zavier Chambers era uno de los playboys más admirados y poderosos de Australia, y veía a Tabitha como la peor clase de mujer: una cazafortunas dispuesta a casarse para conseguir poder y posición social. Entonces, ¿por qué no podía separarse de ella?

El príncipe Rakhal Alzirz tenía tiempo para una nueva aventura en Londres antes de regresar a su reino del desierto y Natasha Winters había llamado su atención... Decidió aprovechar la oportunidad para descubrir si Natasha era tan salvaje en la cama como dejaba intuir el desafiante brillo de sus hipnóticos ojos. Sin embargo, su descuido podría tener consecuencias. Natasha podría haber quedado embarazada del heredero de Alzirz. Rakhal se la llevó a su reino del desierto para esperar a que se revelara la verdad. Si estaba embarazada, tendría que casarse. Sino, tal vez podría hacerle sitio en su harén.

Apta como niñera… ¡pero no como esposa! Amy Bannester era una niñera sin pelos en la lengua, a la que parecía olvidársele que la servidumbre y el silencio debían ir de la mano, pero al jeque Emir se le ocurrían alternativas mucho más placenteras para sus seductores labios… A pesar de la arrebatadora pasión que ambos sentían, las leyes de aquel reino del desierto llamado Alzan hacían imposible que Amy se convirtiese en reina. Emir había perdido a su primera esposa poco después del nacimiento de sus dos preciosas hijas gemelas, pero necesitaba un heredero varón para continuar con su linaje, y aquello era lo único que Amy no podía darle…

Finally read the second half of this duology. I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. The hero was complex. So often the heroes of novels are supposedly tortured by a bad upbringing but the author doesn't really sell it and you just don't care. Here though CM does a good job of making the hero's backstory compelling without being maudlin. The heroine is a good match for him. And the writing quality is beyond the ordinary for this type of book.

3-1/2 stars

I enjoyed this book. I've read some of the other reviews and I think even the negative reviews had some valid points. But on the whole it was winner for me. This author is one who I've found doesn't have one set writing style with one sort of hero, heroine and plot so you never know what you're going to get. I've loved some and dnfed others.

So on to this one. I did enjoy that the hero could love a chubby woman and I appreciated that the author didn't change her size or style during the course of the book. I do believe though that it was odd that the hero who had always liked slim women suddenly liked curves. My husband assures me that men's tastes stay pretty much the same all the time.

There was just something I liked about the whole thing. I liked that he was so upset about his relationship with his son and how he was realistically afraid to find out if he was really the father. I liked that he defended the heroine against the slurs of both his son and his exwife. I liked how he wouldn't fire the heroine even though she was incompetent.

The heroine was okay. She was sweet and charming and all mixed up about her life choices. I didn't find her too modern as some other reviewers did. The sex scenes were certainly different. I didn't find them too out there. But they were certainly different enough to be memorable.

Sometimes Carol Marinelli works in a big way for me and this was one. You all know I like HPs and I don't feel the need to pretend that they always or even often have great redeeming qualities. I can get behind some tiaras and tycoons, secret babies and blackmail just for the fun of it. Still as a 70 year microcosm of women's fiction you can follow current sentiment on important issues through the stories of some of the greater efforts. This one is a clear example of that. If romances in general serve to show and validate that all women are worthy of love then this story is a focus on yes, even a girl who had been sexually abused as a teenager was worthy of love. Romances at their best also show that a woman can overcome difficulties and move on through her own power and self motivation. Sure this hero helped the heroine forgive herself for the past but she had already done most of the work herself. He just gave her a final safe resting place. He was able to do that because he was a sexual abuse survivor himself. If that is not a clear example of romances in general and Harlequins in particular reflecting back social mores I don't know what is. Can you imagine this issue being raised so blatantly in an HP of 30 years ago? These books as I have said before keep a finger on the pulse of important social issues. Abuse is an important topic that is getting more and more exposure and here it is in HP world. If there is some woman somewhere feeling bad about her past or even present and she can glean a little comfort from reading about another woman who made it through this book will have served a greater purpose than an hour's entertainment.

As entertainment though, for me, it succeeded quite well. I loved the quirky heroine who had no filter on her mouth. She just said what she thought, but not in a hurtful way. She just wouldn't let the hero hide in his comfort zone. Here again he needed her just as much as she needed him. There's another good message. The hero was a thoughtful man who grew to realize that he himself had more to offer than he had ever considered. All around well written, well plotted with lovely use of the English language.

I am enjoying this author's work. I really liked this one. I felt the hero was different enough while still being the same alpha HP hero I like. He really earned his playboy label. He hid behind the playboy thing. She was sweet and caring and just what he needed.

Fairly decent book. A different take on the whole royal thing. A couple of things writing wise held it back for me. The sense of time was vague. I think a lot of time passed in the book but the author did not account for it well. There was a dirth of words like "three weeks later" etc. Also at the end suddenly she was using poetic phrasing like "Gone were the days in which..." "Soft was the hand that..." You either need to write the whole book like that, in which case it really doesn't fit the HP line stylistically or just don't. I vote for just don't.

The story was pretty fun. I liked that the heroine was having trouble adjusting to royal life. It seemed pretty realistic. I didn't like that it took the hero quite so long to realise he loved her. He was an ass in places and stood up for her in other places. I just wish I had gotten the feeling that he was standing up for her because he loved her. It was fun to see her shut him down sexually though. He was pretty frustrated by her.

My second book by this author. Not as strong as [b:A Shameful Consequence|12512441|A Shameful Consequence|Carol Marinelli|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341965560s/12512441.jpg|17498239], but I am totally up for more by this author.

I loved this very romantic book. The overall tone of the book is very lyrical without being over the top or maudlin. The first love scene between the hero and the heroine was sweet, moving, romantic, and wonderfully written. So out of the ordinary that a one night stand in a Greek billionaire romance is so moving. I think any woman in the world would have fallen in love with the hero. Even better the scenes created in that imaginative scene are alluded to throughout the book especially by the hero and have a part to play at the end of the book.

The characterization is very well done. The hero is shown to be an unapologetic product of his upbringing. For example, he refuses to lift a finger to pick up or clean anything but in a charmingly arrogant way of course. He never treats the heroine poorly.

The heroine has been brought up in an extremely sheltered manner. She put up with it out of a Greek girl's duty to her family even as she wished to be more modern and free. She learns to stand on her own feet with just a little help from the grace that the hero gifts her with on their night together. She has some problems but does have a backbone. At one point when he is doing a bit of arrogant game playing with her she breaks her date with him and tells him she will go alone.

What you think I need you to go out with? that I need an escort? I'm very happy with my own company. I know she won't sulk, I know she'll enjoy the evening.

Then he's scrambling to get back in her good graces.

Not your typical HP. Read it if you're looking for something a little different.

Hope the brother's book is just as good.

When this author is good I really like her stories. This one was lovely. There was your usual OTT HP melodrama and misunderstandings and such. But for me it had a little something different. The way the hero responded to the heroine's pregnancy was different. He didn't immediately jump to the "whelp you'll have to marry me" stance that is common for this trope. I liked the heroine. She was a poor little rich (or ex rich) girl who was way more naïve than she should have been. All in all I liked it and will continue to search out this author's gems.

I am on a roll with good HP reads. Liked this one. While still being a Harly, it had a modern contemporary romance feel. Enjoyed the heroine. She was pretty strong and pretty much held the hero's feet to the fire. He was also well written as a closed off emotion denying hero. But he wasn't particularly an ass. He had some bad stuff in his history but wasn't too introspective about it. He wasn't even really aware of how it was affecting him.

This was middle of the road for HPs. Nothing toodisjointed and unbelievable as some can be. The hero was Russian which is a bit different although he lives in Australia. We are never told how old the heroine is but she is basically just out of college. It was interesting the way that he would think something and then act in a totally different way. At first I thought Huh? then I began to see that he would act mean to protect himself and his feelings which he had never been able to understand given his upbringing.

I would have liked to see the autistic boy Austin play a bigger part. Here in this book for those who care, she goes back to Australia to tell him he is going to be a father rather than hiding the child from him as happens in so many Harlequins.

To my utter surprise, this is a sweet little story. I have never read a Harlequin romance before, but am finding them to be quite entertaining. They are utterly formulaic, but that is part of their charm. You know what will happen, so you can relax and just go with the flow. And they all have happy endings. In this fraught time, with tragedy, stress and loss all around us, there is something to be said for simple and familiar. And, also to my surprise, the writing is not bad. I mean that as it says : it is not bad writing. It's perfectly serviceable, and sometimes quite descriptive. I am only reading the "Harlequin Presents" Harlequin novels which always involve European protagonists. Montana cowboys may be equally entertaining, but so far at least, they don't interest me.

Good book. Lina is a paramedic and a nurse. She occasionally pulls a nursing shift at a local hospital. As the book opens, Lina starts one of those shifts and is nearly late for the staff meeting. One of the first people she sees is Garth, an ER doctor she's never worked with before. There's something about him that immediately draws her and also flusters her. Garth is new at the hospital. After working several years in temporary positions, he feels ready to put down some roots. He notices Lina right away and feels an unexpected attraction to her.

I liked watching the relationship between Lina and Garth develop. They clashed a little that first night they worked together, but it opened up the opportunity for Garth to take Lina to breakfast to apologize. I loved how they connected so quickly and how easy they found it to talk to each other. Not only that, the sparks between them led to some intense kisses and the promise of a date before they parted ways. I laughed at their date, as Garth is a jazz fan, and Lina is not, but she handled it well. Getting caught in a downpour led to a stop at Garth's apartment and sparks that no amount of rain could douse.

Since she met him, Lina felt she'd met Garth before, but she couldn't figure out where. Laying in bed beside him that night and catching his profile lit by moonlight, she finally remembered. Horrified by the memory and feeling guilty about the things she knows because of it, Lina pulls away. She's not sure how to tell him or what his reaction will be. I ached for them both when she 'fessed up. The memories stirred up old pain for Garth, and he needed time to deal with it. Lina ached at what she saw as the end of a promising relationship.

Both Garth and Lina had to face their pasts before they could hope to have a future together. Garth had been running from his by taking temporary positions and keeping people at a distance. Lina was the first person to break through those walls in six years, and the feelings she stirred up scared him a bit. But the thought of losing her in his life made him want to change. Lina's past unsuccessful relationships made it hard for her to believe that this would be any different. She also had some trust issues because of her father's actions and needed to let go of that past before she could trust in the future.

I loved the ending. Garth unexpectedly showing up on Lina's vacation was a terrific idea. I love how he opened up about what happened, the effect on him, and how he's changed. Likewise, Lina shared her past. I loved their honesty and determination that no more secrets would come between them. I loved their big moment and the surprise that waited for them afterward. The epilogue was also terrific, with a peek into their lives a year down the road.

#netgalley

I enjoyed this book. One definitely has to let go of reality with this one - the hero being a wayward Crown Prince who falls for a flight attendant. The story is done well, though, and meets my expectations for one of the International Bad Boys series.

Allegra agrees to a sham engagement to Alex, a Crown Prince, who is expected to marry— duty—not love dictates his actions. Neither of them planned on falling in love. So—it’s a Harlequin—it has all the trappings of what I read when I was younger. Sweet virgin girl falls for a man who shows his second face after he’s trapped her into complying w/his plan to accomplish his goal. He takes the whole book to realize she’s exactly what he really needs. HEA ensues. And yet, for some reason, Allegra drew me in and I felt for her. I must have been in the right mood for a tearjerker, because it got to me, and I read the whole thing in an evening.

NetGalley ARC, Harlequin romance, prince, fake engagement.

It's okay.
Second chance romance can be really good or just not depending on the reasons for the initial breakup.
I think it worked for this book, they had a vacation romance, it was limited by the amount of time of the holiday, after it ended they would be separated by distance and both at a point where they were trying to decide on careers and pursue them. They were also young.
I wasn't keen on Loans attitude to relationships in the present, granted he was divorced but he no longer believed in anything long term.
The heroine is recovering from a cheating fiance.
I felt it lacked confrontation with the ex, that might have added a bit of angst.
I was a bit bored at the start, I think the author was setting up the family, particularly the sisters for future books but I felt the main couple took some time to meet up and the reader get to know the Hero.
It is dual POV but not set out by each chapter.
No cheating.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
Both with other people during separation, the Hero differently to the heroine as she feels she's not build for flings.
HEA.



ARC.

"3.5 out of 5 stars!! This novel follows the same plot that Ms. Marinelli’s “The Innocent’s Secret Baby” did. Only this time the main male lead is Raul’s nemesis Bastiano. We follow how Bastiano has dealt with his past experiences and we FINALLY learn the truth about EVERYTHING. And within the midst of all of that, we watch as he starts a partial relationship with Sophie and how everything enfolds between them. Do they have the beginnings of something wonderful together or will it end in shambles too?

Okay I can truthfully say I enjoyed Bastiano and his novel a WHOLE lot more than I did “The Innocent’s Secret Baby.” Mostly because I felt Bastiano had more..."

Read more of this review and a TEASER here: https://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2019/10/made-grade-billionaires-one-n...½

I didn't think the title really fit the story well, but it was a very HQN romance. Hot Italian lawyer/hot garden designer

Sheikh Prince Khalid of Al-Zahan (who is 30) meets Aubrey Johnson (22) at Jobe Devereux's funeral. Later that night they become lovers. Khalid tells Aubrey that there can be no future for them because, as the future king, Khalid must wed a bride of his father's choosing. They go their separate ways, but when they meet a year later what will Khalid do when Aubrey tells him that he has a son...

I thoroughly enjoyed this romantic story. I think Aubrey and Khalid made a wonderful couple. I really liked Aubrey. She was sweet and caring. She worked in Vegas as a dancer and trapeze artist, which was different and interesting. She lived in a trailer park with her mother who was disfigured in a fire and afraid to go out, so Aubrey looked out for her.

I also liked Khalid. He was a very reserved, unemotional hero at first who knew what his duties as a Prince to his kingdom were, thanks to his father who drummed it into him from an early age. But he finds that Aubrey is somehow getting under his skin. She seems different from the other women he knows. He wanted to do his duty for his country, but he was also falling for Aubrey and wanted her as his wife. I found Khalid to be a classy hero.

Another great read by Carol Marinelli with terrific locations, steamy love scenes, and extremely likable characters that you want to see get their happy-ever-after!