Limecello’s review of Money Man’s Fiancée Negotiation by Michelle Celmer
Contemporary romance released by Silhouette Desire 13 Apr 10
I generally enjoy Michelle Celmer’s books a lot. I liked Money Man’s Fiancée Negotiation as well, but I kept thinking “is this a mislabeled Harlequin Presents?” I don’t think I’ve ever felt the two lines were so similar as when I was reading this book. There’s so much going on. Secret Pregnancy. Amnesia. Runaway Mistress. Fake Fiancée. Revenge. Who could resist? This is part of the Kings of the Boardroom miniseries, and I’m definitely going to read all of the books in it.
As I said, this book is packed with what seems like every Harlequin trope there ever was. While it could easily be too much, generally it works. However, there is a glaring “can he or can’t he” issue that I feel should have been dealt with differently -and is the premise of the entire book. So, we can’t have logic winning over plot, right?
I want to say that Melody Trent is your typical Harlequin heroine, but she’s not. She is after her accident (once she has amnesia) – and you find out that’s how she always was secretly… but with Ash, she’s this vixen, exhibitionist almost pushy sexual being. It’s… interesting to say the least. Odd, but necessary to justify Ash’s immediate conclusions about her. I feel that Melody’s character is incomplete, and possibly contradictory. It didn’t seem sufficiently explained why Melody is so not herself when she is with Ash, pre-amnesia.
Ash Williams is a jerk, really. And most, if not all, of the problems that occur are his fault. I suppose I didn’t like how easily everything worked out for him. It seems like he got a free pass for being an incredible asshole. Aside from that, Ash is nice… it seems he actually does want a relationship and a ‘softer’ woman. He’s likable, but not. However, he does begin to change – slowly, and I feel an entirely new facet to her person is revealed when he met with his ex-wife. (Oh yeah, there’s one of those too. She’s not evil -anymore- though.)
I think it’s also because I never like the revenge story line of “well I hate her and think she’s horrible, so I’m going to make her fall in love with me then dump her ass so she suffers.” That concept creates no end of cognitive dissonance for me. I just… don’t understand it. The fact that Ash does feel guilty and knows he’s wrong does help redeem him a bit.
Although I have a number of issues with the book, everything did fall into place nicely. And Ms. Celmer writes a strong romance. I’m definitely looking forward to what she’ll write next, as well as the next installment to this miniseries.
Grade: C-
Summary:
Finally, after an intensive search Ash Williams had found his runaway mistress. Melody Trent couldn’t even remember him, but Ash was determined to discover the truth. Had he fathered her child? And the only way to bring her to his home was to claim her as his fiancée—even if she had no memory of him whatsoever. At Maddox Communications he could handle any crisis with icy calm. Even so, having Melody back in his life—amnesia or no—would mean using all his resolve to keep his heart from ruling his head.
Read an excerpt.
