Heroine Vanessa Dupree gets a job in Hawaii working for hero, Brock Taylor, who is the owner of the Tempest Maui Hotel. Vanessa wants revenge on BrockHeroine Vanessa Dupree gets a job in Hawaii working for hero, Brock Taylor, who is the owner of the Tempest Maui Hotel. Vanessa wants revenge on Brock for dumping and hurting her younger sister (Melody) and she plans to sabotage his hotel. But things don’t end up being as easy as it would seem when Vanessa begins to fall for Brock.
This was a fun read, I loved the Hawaii location, and it was funny seeing what Vanessa would come up with next to destroy Brock’s precious hotel. Vanessa was quite spirited and she really did look out for her younger sister, even though everything isn’t what it appeared to be with Melody. Brock was a good hero. He had a feeling there was something off about Vanessa, but he was so attracted to her. I liked Vanessa’s co-workers at the hotel, Lucy and Akamu.
A lively and romantic read by Charlene Sands....more
Hero Talos Xenakis (who is 38) believes his ex-mistress (heroine Eve Craig, 25) betrayed him eleven weeks ago when she gave a business rival of Talos'Hero Talos Xenakis (who is 38) believes his ex-mistress (heroine Eve Craig, 25) betrayed him eleven weeks ago when she gave a business rival of Talos's damaging financial information which almost made Talos lose his company. She vanished from Athens and resurfaced in London for her stepfather's funeral. Then she had a car accident. Now Eve has amnesia, and she's pregnant with Talos's baby...
I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining story. I liked Eve, who seemed to have gone through a personality change with her amnesia. And Talos was really falling for her against his will. He didn't want to because he knew she would revert into the cold person she was originally, when she got her memory back. But she seemed so sweet and innocent now. There were a lot of surprises revealed as the story progressed. Talos was angry and vengeful at first, but he eventually became a swoon-worthy hero.
I liked his friends Roark and Lia and how kind they were to create such a beautiful, fairytale wedding at their Tuscan castle for Talos and Eve on such short notice. I loved the settings in this book... Venice, Greece, Tuscany.
Princess Samarah Al-Azem is waiting to assassinate Sheikh Ferran Bashar inside his palace bedchamber. She has a cloth soaked in chloroform in her handPrincess Samarah Al-Azem is waiting to assassinate Sheikh Ferran Bashar inside his palace bedchamber. She has a cloth soaked in chloroform in her hand and a knife in her robe. When Ferran, ruler of Khadra appears, Samarah looks in his eyes and hesitates, and then they fight. Ferran wins. He wants to know who sent her to kill him and why. He discovers that she is Princess Samarah, who is believed to be dead for the past sixteen years. Ferran last saw Samarah when he was in his teens and she was a child of six. Their two families were friends of neighboring countries but after Samarah’s father discovered that his wife (Samarah’s mother) was having an affair with Ferran’s father he killed him (Ferran witnessed this), which then caused discord between the two countries. Samarah believes Ferran gave the orders for her father’s execution and she blames him for ruining her and her mother’s lives. (They had to leave their country, her mother eventually died, Samarah had to live on the streets.) He gives Samarah a choice, imprisonment for attempting to assassinate him, or marriage. He realizes he should marry and produce heirs. And marrying Samarah would be good for both of their countries and heal the rift between them. After a night in the palace dungeon Samarah agrees to the marriage. Maybe she can still carry out her plans. But as she gets to know Ferran she sees that they were both hurt by their tragic pasts.
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Samarah was a good heroine. She was sweet, strong, and spirited. She was a good fighter and she trained in a martial arts studio in the past. Ferran had some tough competition when they did get into fights! I felt bad for her. She had a hard life, sleeping in doorways, living on the streets, poor and hungry, while her mother went slowly mad.
Ferran was a strong and compassionate hero. He understood what Samarah went through. The past has been haunting him his whole life. He was also celibate for sixteen years---ever since he witnessed firsthand, at the palace, what sex and passion could do to their parents, and what followed, he avoided getting involved with anyone from that point on. He wanted to be a good ruler.
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This was a very enjoyable read. It was sometimes sad, but uplifting by the end. After all the pain they both went through it was nice seeing Samarah and Ferran finally getting their “happy ever after”.
Carly North, a beautiful up-and-coming model, is eager to go to a reception party for "Flawless". ("Flawless" is looking for a new face to launch it'sCarly North, a beautiful up-and-coming model, is eager to go to a reception party for "Flawless". ("Flawless" is looking for a new face to launch it's make-up campaign.) But Carly has different reasons for wanting to attend. She wants to meet up with Saul Kingsland (a photographer) who hurt her five years ago, and she is planning her revenge.
(view spoiler)[Five years ago Carly was going to be in her cousin Louise's wedding, which was to be photographed and made into a book by a popular, new photographer Saul Kingsland. All the bridesmaids were crazy about him, especially young and gawky Carly. (Carly was seventeen, was too tall, skinny, wore glasses, and had a long nose.) After following him around like a lost puppy while he took pictures of the bridesmaids Carly developed a huge crush on him. But one day, while looking for Saul, Carly eventually found him and another girl (Katie) he was photographing outside (the girl Katie was topless and sort of a floozy) and Carly ended up eavesdropping. Katie was making snide comments to Saul about how Carly didn't fit in with the other, prettier, smaller bridesmaids because Carly was so ugly and grotesque and Katie thought Carly was going to ruin the "bridesmaid's book"/photos with her bad looks. Then Saul replied to Katie that "she's (Carly) practically an object lesson in how not to look". After overhearing this (without Saul and Katie knowing it) a hurt and upset Carly tells everyone she's too ill to be in the wedding and leaves. Then she decides to have cosmetic surgery and plans her revenge against Saul.
I liked Saul, he was a good hero. At first I didn't like how Saul talked badly about Carly with the cheap girl (Katie) he was photographing, he should've had more class. But later in the book he explained why he said what he said. Carly went a little overboard with her revenge, but alot of people (family, bridesmaids) really put her down and she truly believed she looked like a freak (even though she didn't sound that bad.) After hearing Saul's comments about her, I guess she finally snapped. (hide spoiler)]
I can't resist a vengeful heroine so I enjoyed this story. It was a captivating and crazy read. (Even though it wasn't as crazy as Sally Wentworth's plastic surgery/heroine-revenge story "The Judas Kiss". The heroine in that story was even crazier and more ruthless.)...more
Sweet and innocent stewardess Lyn Maxwell is dating handsome pilot Beric Dane. They are falling in love and everything is wonderful until one day, aftSweet and innocent stewardess Lyn Maxwell is dating handsome pilot Beric Dane. They are falling in love and everything is wonderful until one day, after a flight, there is a customs check at the airport and heroin is found in Lyn's bag. After Lyn is questioned by the police, and put in jail, she eventually goes on trial and is found guilty of smuggling narcotics into the country. She is then sent to prison for three years. During this time, Lyn, who is innocent, is trying to find out who planted the drugs on her. The only person who had access to her bag at that time, and could have done it, is her boyfriend Beric! Angry and hurt, Lyn spends years in prison, planning her revenge against (innocent) Beric. When she finally gets out of prison, three years later, she gets plastic surgery, dyes her brown hair blonde, changes her name, and goes looking for Beric---I don't want to give any more of the plot away.
This was a really over-the-top read! It wasn't a very romantic story, since the heroine was so consumed with revenge, but I still had a hard time putting this book down. I was always curious to see what was going to happen next. Lyn wasn't a very likable heroine. I felt sorry for poor Beric! (Even though it's fun sometimes when the heroine gives the hero a hard time, it's usually the other way around in "Presents"!) It was interesting seeing how innocent Lyn became so cold, hard, and determined after prison. This was a very enjoyable vintage "Harlequin Presents". A captivating and crazy read!...more
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