Fantasy Girl by Carole Mortimer

Synopisis

"I always get what I want."

Adam Thornton's words struck fear into Natalie's heart. For the survival of her modeling agency depended on keeping him and his company happy. Her own sister--Thornton's Cosmetics' Dream Girl--had put her firm in jeopardy.

And Adam Thornton, her irate client, was not a man to be trifled with.

Ruthless in business, he was also dangerous to love, as Natalie discovered. For what he wanted most of all was Natalie--as his mistress!

Review

Rating: 2.5-3 stars

And I get duped by goodreads ratings - AGAIN!. I'll list things I learnt from this book:

1. BEWARE of this in the synopsis: "I always get what I want."

2. Two sisters may have the same upbringing and still have completely different morals (TRUE).

3. Apparently the culture in London is like Asia where elder sister takes care of the younger one, no matter what...It wouldn't have grated on me if I hadn't watched a Tabatha takes over episode where  sisters operated Mia Bella salon. Talk about dysfunctional.

4. Women dig passive aggressive men (apparently true in lala land).

5. A man can "brutally kiss" a woman for having a genuine friendship with another guy but never tell her clearly that he's not sleeping with his 'mistress' anymore while getting it on with her.

6. Outbursts like "You sold yourself to me", "I don't trust love", " I never want to see your beautiful face AGAIN" and "I don't trust you" from a man may be totally forgotten when he says he does love you (without trusting that feeling) and wants to marry you.

7. After reading Walk by my side by Sandra Field (Review Pending), I have a need to read about unconventional heroines. who're not all gorgeous and dependent on the hero to give them an identity.

(Sigh).

If you want to add this book on goodreads: Click: HERE . You can rate my review there as well!]

Sweet Vixen by Susan Napier

Synopsis:

Life without him had been dull--but safe. Max Wilde had taken over as executive editor of New Zealand's leading fashion magazine just to create havoc, Sarah thought bitterly.

He wasn't content with changing the magazine's format, however. Now he was focusing his attention on Sarah herself, taunting and challenging, forcing her to admit that her desires as a woman hadn't died with her husband. She hadn't felt so alive in years--and she resented it!

Review:

Rating: Initially 4 stars, 3.5 stars on reread

I don't know why I liked this book so much a long time ago. Is it glamorous? Yes. Does it have awakening-of-heroine's-senses? Yes. Is the hero equal-opportunity employer? Yes. The problem, I think, is the fact that I saw him forcing the heroine needlessly and yes, I know most hqns have that but in most of them you expect the hero to be macho and an ass-hat. In this one, the hero was comfortable with women and judged them on their own merit and so it's a surprise that he let himself fall so low. Some might say it's a sign of his passion that he was able to forget himself when he dealt with the heroine but I think it's a sign that the author wanted the passion but couldn't connect his two side properly. Another thing which I found during the reread is that the H/h didn't spend too much time together getting to know each other. The H's mommy issues were never fully discussed and the way he called the h 'a dumb cow' felt like a personal attack on me.

Overall, it's a good book; you might want to read it and compare notes with me :)

If you want to add this book to your goodreads feed, here's the link: SWEET VIXEN

Taken on Trust (Paperback) by Sally Wentworth - Harlequin Presents

Synopsis:

Lyn couldn't tell what he was thinking

That was the trouble. Despite their initial conflict, it hadn't taken Lyn long to realize that Morgan French was the only man in the world for her.
What Lyn wanted she usually got and this time was no exception. But Morgan was infuriatingly enigmatic about his feelings for her. And his question--"We'd better get married then, hadn't we?"--was disappointingly casual.
Was he only marrying her because of her wealthy background, Lyn wondered. Or did he really love her?

Review:
Rating: 4.75
 Well...any book of HQN that I've read with a groom and a bride on the cover has been a high-drama one and as far as I remember , they've all been very good. This one was no exception. 

When I started reading it, I was like "Oh, no! not another crappy book about a hero collecting the heroine and all that" but I actually felt exactly like the heroine in her reaction to her parents' marriage breakup. I know she acted like a spoiled brat and she lashed out but I loved that because it's human to react badly to a bad situation. I hate it when most authors make the heroines out to be a martyr and self-sacrificing type. I'd want blood as did the heroine. She finds out the H was somehow involved in the scheme and turns on him and I love her sharp retorts. Plus you can feel her pain quite visually so that was great

I usually don't like melo-dramatic books cuz it's easy to go OTT (this one did, too, slightly and I started thinking she was acting badly [which was the whole point of the story...she was!]) but this one worked quite well and I'll defo be reading it again..

The Brazilian's Blackmail Bargain by Abby Green

Synopsis:
Six months ago Brazilian tycoon Caleb Cameron thought he'd uncovered Maggie Holland's plot to ruin him--using seduction But Maggie was being manipulated by her stepfather. She'd fallen in love with Caleb--but he vowed never to see her again. After her stepfather dies, Maggie is left with nothing. Now, to complete his revenge, Caleb makes an offer Maggie can't refuse: but she must become his mistress for two months

Review: 
Rating 1 star
Totally hated it.
1) blackmail ain't my cuppa AT ALL cuz they're just not real - or not all that real...
2)No humor - whatsoever
3)Usually no compatibility between the H/h (although at least here the author tried -unsuccessfully...)
4)Plus, like I said in another review: I hate martyr heroines and here's the reason why:
I'm intrigued every time I read a book like this - Do people in the west want the women to be quiet, accommodating and self-sacrifising? Cuz they keep wanting to read about it....and if, God forbid, an Asian woman actually puts her family first, they literally question her to death about how she could let herself get used that way - totally confusing!

I know I'm gonna get shot down for saying this but why doesn't HQN move on?!?! There are so many wonderful ways people meet and end up together - please leave Blackmailed/compromised heroines where they belong-  in the past!!!!!!

Secret Admirer by Susan Napier

Synopsis:
Grace under pressureRunning into a potential business partner late at night in a broken elevator - when one was wearing a glamorous fur with nothing on underneath - was awkward, but Grace Blair was cool enough to handle a hot situation.

Her poised, controlled demeanor belied the insecurity she felt taking over her late husband's business empire, but Scott Gregory was able with one caressing glance to strip away all her pretenses. Especially since the handsome New Zealander had made it clear from their first inauspicious meeting that in business, knowledge was power - and that he knew exactly what he wanted.

A YEAR DOWN UNDER

Review:

Rating: 5 stars
This is another master piece from Susan Napier. Personally, after having read 1000s of HQN books, I've started feeling they all read the same way. Not this one. 
1- It has humor
2- It has a surprising connection between the hero and heroine
3- Although the hero pursues the heroine, its a gentle flirtatious form and not forced seduction one (that really irritates me)
4- The hero has a secret too
Highly recommended!
Link to the Goodreads page for the book: Secret Admirer

Impulsive Gamble by Lynn Turner

Synopsis:
Abbie knew that she was taking a risk, but it seemed to be a gamble that might pay off. Malachi Garrett, brilliant engineer-inventor, was so reclusive that hardly anything was known about him. Now here he was, in a bar in Oklahoma, looking for someone to drive his Shelby Cobra car in a race to Washington DC. As a freelance journalist, Abbie couldn't pass up the chance.

Pretending to be a medical secretary urgently needing to read Washington, Abbie talked her way into being the driver. She found out too late that living a lie made her feel very uncomfortable and that she and Malachi Garrett made an explosive combination...


Rating: 5+ stars!!!
[Genre: Sweet/Fun/Old-B&W-Movie-Like]
A)Better than One More Time by Karen Van Der Zee...
B)Hero on par with Peter (Unpred Man, Emma Darcy) and Nick( Pulse of the Heartland, Melinda Cross)I mean, really!!!! AMAZING book. Here's how it starts:

[The heroine overhears two guys talking in a bar - one of them's the hero]

1st guy: 'You know what I'm wonderin'?'
2nd guy: 'No, and to tell the truth, I don't care'
1st guy: 'I'm wonderin' how you've managed to live to the ripe old age of 36, when it's a known fact that you've been brain-dead since birth'
'Strength of will', was the flat reply

a) try guessing which of them's our hero?
b)This is just the BEGINNING. It gets SO much better than this!!!!!
c)If you dig beta heroes who are super smexy (ala Peter in an Unpredictable Man - Emma Darcy...you'll LOVE Malachi - The guy cooks for cryin' out loud!)
d) The more I think about this book,, the more convinced I am that if a person were to read just one HQN, this is it.

SONG FOR THE STORY: HERE

Dark Fire (Too Hot to Handle, #4) (Harlequin Presents, #1735) by Robyn Donald

Synopsis:

Dancing with the devil...

"You're certainly not in love with Paul. Because you want to go to bed with me." Devilish words indeed. But what made Flint Jansen so arrogantly assume that Aura would choose him over Paul--his friend and Aura's warm and loyal fiance? From the moment they met, he had shattered Aura's world. It was true, she found him undeniably attractive, overwhelmingly charismatic. So much so that she now faced a battle with her conscience and with Flint; both demanded that she abandon security and her fiance. She had to cancel the wedding--but could she entrust herself to Flint's dark seduction...?

Rating: 3 stars
First things first: Please keep in mind that I’m a lil dazed and confused from reading too many HQNs (either that or I’m high on tea/caffeine which is plausible) and that my review is totally biased. Ready? Here we go:
1-"You're certainly not in love with Paul. Because you want to go to bed with me." Okay Mr. Wise-guy: I got three words for ya: WHAT THE F***???? HOW DARE YOU? (ok, so that’s 6 words, I don’t care!)
2- Ohlala the heroine is so beautiful, birds chirp when they see her, people tumble over when they gaze at her, yadda yadda…um, cliché much?
3- H is a jack-ass (also known as an alpha-male in some circles).
4- ‘Oh, you feel that? Feel how you burn for me…you biotch, you who**, you…..!’ Um…dude’s got serious anger management/control issues.
5…..you know what? I’m exhausted (both by reading this book and writing these angest filled-thoughts) – Add to that the fact that the temperature was 45+ degrees today so my brain’s just about fried and I’m about ready to charge at someone (preferably the h)[ Edit: The Ending chapter is quite off-the-charts (in a good way) and the ending was mature but I hate it that the authors have to conform to the typical, blackmail/pregnancy/martyr guidelines  to make the stories work :(]
Can’t believe 2 of my fave HQNs (a willing surrender and I-can’t-remember-the-name-of-the-other-one-for-the-life-of-me-right-now) were written by RD

What's Right (Harlequin Presents) by Melinda Cross

Rating: 5 stars
This review contains spoilers

It starts off slow and a little confusing - but when it hits you its with a kaboom! -

The heroine falls in love with the hero after reading his handwriting (that's right!) and he feels the same for her although he gives her mixed signals. Turns out he's engaged to another ( a disabled lady) and can not break it up cuz he'd been in an accident from which he came out unscathed but her legs were crushed ( although he admits he doesn't love her). There's a side story about a mutual friend who's the sane one(or insane one, however u look at it) in the bunch and keeps telling them that there's something fishy about the disabled lady loving the hero when its obvious he ruined her life and that she's extracting revenge by making him miserable for the rest of life by shackling him in a marriage he doesn't want. The problem is: Both the  hero and heroine are do-gooders to the extreme and would rather sacrifice themselves...

Separate Lives (Harlequin Romance No. 2793) by Caroline Jantz

Gwen and Bradley are forced to marry - sounds familiar? Well, it's not - For one thing, Gwen is no shrinking flower and knows it's a marriage for money arranged by her God-father ( who is incidentally Brad's uncle)...She's strong and can hold her own unlike Harlequin's other somewhat questionable heroines.

She's going to university for a business degree and she and Brad have a verbal match going on ( which Brad didn't expect) right from the start. After she adopts two kittens....well, let's just say things get interesting...


I love this book - it's funny and it makes you think that for this couple, it's a permanent match ( which is important) because they have a beautiful friendship which will sustain even when they're 80 and ugly as sin ( I know...too much imagination on my part but still.....)

=)