Dante's Stolen Wife by Day LeClaire

Likeable, readable romance

3 Stars

The Inferno, if you believe in it, is the all-consuming desire that touches the members of the Dante family just once in a lifetime. Millionaire Marco Dante feels its effect the moment he sets eyes on Caitlyn Vaughn. Nothing will stop him making her his own - not even her engagement to his twin brother.

Posing as his twin and sneaking Caitlyn away for a quickie wedding and luxurious honeymoon is bliss for Marco, but he still has to deal with his bride when she discovers his masquerade and hope to turn her blazing fury into a love that can last a lifetime.

From what I can tell, this is the second book in the Dante Legacy series following Dante’s Blackmailed Bride and followed by Dante’s Wedding Deception, Dante’s Contract Marriage, Dante’s Ultimate Gamble, Dante’s Temporary Fiancee and Dante’s Marriage Pact. Although it was fairly easy to read this as a standalone, the author clearly wants you to have read the first in the series and presumably read the rest.

The characters are likeable but fairly bland and the emotion was talked about and demonstrated but I didn’t really feel it. There was a very little sensuality but the focus was more on the romance than the sex.

The storyline was also likeable enough and while I could get behind the concept of ‘the inferno’, I couldn’t really understand the conflict as it seemed so flimsy and, if I’m honest, a little ridiculous.

Having said all that, this was a likeable enough read and I had no problems finishing the book. If you enjoy Day Leclaire’s writing, are following the Dante’s or just want to read a pleasant romance then I would recommend this book to you. 3 stars.

For Blackmail... or Pleasure by Robyn Grady

Unlikeable characters ruin romance
2 stars

Multimillionaire Tate Bridges isn't about to let his younger brother go to jail for a crime he's convinced he didn't commit. So he does the only thing he can think of to stop that happening - blackmail psychologist Donna Wilks into giving his brother a good court psychology assessment.

As it happens, Donna is his ex-fiance and the only woman Tate has ever loved and he's desperate to rekindle the passion that still simmers between them. But have things changed since they broke up or are they destined to keep repeating their previous mistakes?


I really enjoy second-time-round love stories so I was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, despite the good premise, the characters really let the book down. Tate was controlling, arrogant and his domination of the heroine and everyone else in his life made for some quite uncomfortable reading at times. Donna was the complete opposite and despite being packaged as a strong, successful business-woman she was pathetically wimpy and never once stood up to Tate or said no to his demands and manipulations.

All in all, this is a simple story that would do if it's the only thing you have to read but other than that I really can't recommend this book. 2 stars.

The Spanish Aristocrat's Woman by Katherine Garbera

Light yet enjoyable romance

3 stars

Heiress Kara deMontaine has always been self-conscious about her weight and body image – so she is the most stunned when delicious international playboy, Count Guillermo de la Cruz, announces their engagement just moments after the pair first meet. Unfortunately the man of her dreams has only offered marriage as an act of revenge against his former lover.

Kara should have stopped the charade before it began, but the way that Gui looked at her made her believe she was a beautiful woman. But could she really manage to tame the playboy and convince him they could have a happily ever after together?

This was a light, quick read with enjoyable characters and a very readable storyline. Kara’s insecurities made her a character that you could identify with and root for while Gui was definitely someone to fall in love with as he genuinely couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t find Kara attractive.

However, there were some negative points of the book and these reason that I only gave it 3 stars. The first, and biggest was that I couldn’t understand the motivations of the characters, particularly Gui. We also very rarely scratched the surface of the emotions of the characters and it just wasn’t deep enough for my liking. The story was also wrapped up too neatly for me to really believe in it.

It was still a light, interesting read but not one of the best stories I have read. However, if you like a sexy Spanish hero and a shy heroine then you still might really enjoy this book. 3 stars.