LynneC’s review of One-Night Love Child by Anne McAllister
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents 1 Mar 08

I usually enjoy McAllister’s books enormously, but this one dragged a little for me. The conflicts weren’t strong enough and one part of the resolution seemed a little lame and the story didn’t have enough of a focus.

The hero, Flynn, was probably loosely based on the son of Erroll Flynn, who was a war correspondent/photojournalist killed in action. Fortunately, this Flynn wasn’t killed in action. Instead, he inherited his father’s Irish title, the Earl of Dunmore, and a run-down castle, fortunately with a broken entail, so the castle could be sold.

Flynn didn’t know about his child, sired six years before the story starts, because he is busy working as a journalist in war zones. When the letter telling him of the event finally arrives, he is earl and trying to restore the family fortunes. As soon as he discovers he has a son, Flynn arrives at Sara’s home. By the way, whoever edited this book got titles wrong. When you’re referring to a specific title, it’s the Earl of Dunmore (with capital letters). When you refer to a non specific one, it’s earl, as in “The earl will see you now,” as opposed to “The Earl of Dunmore will see you now.” It works the same way as any other title, like doctor or professor does. And that’s the American usage. In British usage, Earl is always capitalised.

Sara has issues. She and Flynn fell in love over the course of three days and he left her. So my problems begin here. However busy he is, these days he could have kept in touch. The complex equipment available on the battlefield would definitely give him the chance to send a note to the woman he loves, and surely his email address would remain constant? So – five years? No way.

Flynn’s journalist background is barely sketched in, and apart from vague references to “Africa” and so on, there’s no real details. He’s been shot, and one shooting has given him a limp, but it’s far more likely that he’d be blown up, these days. And he doesn’t seem scarred by what he’s seen, or the people he’s known and lost. He just takes up the earldom instead, as an unwelcome responsibility. Flynn has no centre, he doesn’t really know what he wants, apart from Sara and his son.

And Flynn has inherited an earldom and a run down castle. It takes Sara to tell him how to turn it around and make a profit from it. These days, it’s not a matter of going to a bank with a business plan. Banks will provide financial advisors, and stately homes are good sources of income. The old-fashioned concept of debt and how to escape it didn’t win true, especially when they got to see a local bank manager – in the UK and Ireland, they don’t exist any more. Not in the old sense of the word. It’s all corporate. Despite the token presence of laptops, nobody seemed to use them properly, least of all Flynn.

And the earldom. There is one improbability towards the end, which I’ll put in white type, for those of you who don’t like any kind of spoiler. Mouse over the following to see it.

Flynn “resigns” the earldom, or says he will in order to keep Sara. It’s possible under United Kingdom law, but it’s an extremely complicated and drawn-out process. You can’t just say it and until 1961, a peer was a peer for life. Plus, this is United Kingdom law, and Ireland isn’t part of the United Kingdom.

Because, I think, of the lack of focus, the story dragged in the middle, and had I not decided to review this book, I might have put it down. The characters didn’t hold me enough, and the simplicity of the Irish earldom, when in fact there is officially no such thing and the whole idea of Irish peerage is immensely complex and vitriolic, distracted me. I’d rather have left the peerage out of this, and just had Flynn inherit the castle, which was the point of the whole exercise. So a disappointing grade from me for this one. However, as always, YMMV.

Grade: C

Summary:

It was one night as hot and passionate as only young love can be. But they left it at that. Flynn had the world to conquer–alone. Only three months later, Sara’s life changed: she discovered she was expecting Flynn’s baby. Now Flynn has taken his rightful place as the Irish Earl of Dunmorey. But once he discovers that he also has an heir, his strategy is simple: claim his love child. He wants his son, and he wants Sara, too…as his bride.

Read an excerpt.

Limecello’s review of One Night Mistress… Convenient Wife by Anne McAllister
Contemporary romance published by Harlequin Presents on 1 Nov 2009

One Night Mistress… Convenient Wife is one of those books you want to read, but don’t because you’re embarrassed of the title. That’s why you can order harlequin books online… or get them electronically. Anyway, Harlequin Presents titles seem to all be like this, and I didn’t care, because Anne McAllister wrote it, and I knew I wanted to read it.

Natalie Ross seems at first glance to dangerously skate the edge of a too stupid to live heroine. It might be my personal feelings, but I felt she left herself open emotionally one too many times. Although – in a way she didn’t, because Natalie knew she’d be hurt. She just didn’t care, because she wanted everything she could get before the not-relationship was over. In a way, I admire that. I also admire the fact that she dropped out of law school. (I know, I’m twisted right? That and jealous.)

Christo Savas is… I feel like “jackass” is too strong a word but… he really is a jerk throughout most the book. Yes, he’s super sweet- is an incredibly caring and empathetic lawyer and friend, but as a boyfriend, he stinks. He doesn’t consider himself a boyfriend, but as a lover. Maybe not even that. A booty call- but … classier. That makes for a difficult romance – or lack of one. However, Christos has a number of redeeming qualities- he’s just not willing to be involved emotionally in a romantic relationship. Or… have romantic relationships. Friends are fine, sex is great, but no mixing of the two.

I thought it was nice that Natalie and Christo had a history, paltry though it was. Natalie had a mad crush on Christo, but nothing ever came of it. Christo was also attracted to Natalie, but couldn’t act on those feelings. A lot had to do with their career paths. Perhaps I feel it more strongly that others might, but I was very impressed with how Ms. McAllister got the mundane details right. She doesn’t leave loose ends. Natalie was in law school, and a summer associate, but then dropped out. Christo, however, continues to work as a lawyer. The firm is where the two first meet, and what they decide to do with their lives I think shows a lot of Natalie and Christo’s character.

I enjoyed the secondary characters as well, and all the secondary stories. Christo and Natalie both have a close relationship with certain members of their family, and it was nice to see them as “real” people- and how they acted with others. Natalie and Christo were both very human, and well rounded.

What I didn’t like about this story was… basically the lack of romance. Natalie and Christo essentially are fuck buddies. Natalie is way more in than Christo is – and that’s because he’s an idiotic emotionally stunted male… but I don’t find that to be a valid excuse. Then Christo essentially coerces Natalie into going to a wedding with him… which is South America… (I want to say Brazil). It makes Natalie appear to be something of a push over.

Nevertheless, there is the happy ending, which is a major point both in Ms. McAllister, and this book’s favor.  I normally love Ms. McAllister’s stories, but found this one was essentially average. I am, however, looking forward to her next book, whenever that may be.

Grade: C+

Three years ago Natalie was utterly humiliated when handsome, debonair Christo Savas rejected her clumsy advances. Now, suddenly, unexpectedly she finds herself at Christo’s beck and call.

Natalie is older now, wiser by far. She won’t fall for him again — she hopes.

But Christo has other ideas now that the little firecracker has grown up. Now he is more than ready to take what she once offered. He wants just one night to satisfy his desire — But one night is never enough!

Read an excerpt here.

Limecello’s review of The Santorini Bride by Anne McAllister
Contemporary romance published by Harlequin Presents on 1 Feb 2007

The Santorini Bride is an older book, but definitely worth reading. I think it’s one of the best Harlequin Presents books I’ve read, and I can’t really think of cliches it truly falls into. Anne McAllister is a great author, and this story is very unique. While it has a number of the comfortable and expected occurrences from a Harlequin Presents story, there are a number of differences, and it’s very believable.

Martha Antonides is a great character. She’s spunky, fun, smart, and your typical Presents heroine, but not. She’s not very experienced, but for a good reason – she doesn’t want to live the same mistakes she’s seen her sister make. She then falls for a playboy tycoon sailor [yes truly - and they do exist!]… but when things go south, she picks herself up and moves on.

Theo Savas is an idiot, but a delightful one. He’s a jerk, but doesn’t mean to be. He’s rather charming, old school, and courteous. He’s also emotionally stunted, because what Presents hero isn’t? But he happens to come to his senses much earlier than most HP heroes do. Unlucky for him, he’s found a lady with a spine, and has to go chasing after her. Theo’s determination, and interaction with Martha is really sweet, and helps develop his character a lot.

The Santorini Bride starts out as a number of Harlequin Presents do, but continues on where a number of them would have ended. That’s what makes it so satisfying. This is almost a story of “what happens after the ‘happily ever after’.” The character don’t fall in love the first time they have sex. Or the second. Or the first week. In fact, they hurt each other deeply. (Or, Martha is hurt.)

I loved that Theo was an idiot, but much more invested than he thought. While he’s denying the connection to himself, the fact that he reacts so strongly to “Bloody Julian” is quite entertaining, and rather sweet.

The fact that the Santorini Bride takes place in three vastly different settings I think gives it a depth and allows the reader to see aspects of Martha and Theo’s character that wouldn’t otherwise have been as apparent. The idyllic vacation on Santorini where they were playing a part… the happy wedding both have to attend because of relatives… and then in the middle of nowhere Montana, where Theo finally tracks Martha down.

I thought there was some poetic justice that Martha chooses a land locked state to get over Theo, and that he uses art to finally get to Martha. (She’s a muralist.) I also love Ted the dog, and I love how Theo interacts with him, the ending, the students… I’ve already re-read this story a number of times and know it’ll be one of my comfort reads in the future. [And totally unrelated, but Ms. McAllister gets a giant shiny gold star for having excerpts of her books available!]

Grade: A-

Billionaire Theo Savas didn’t need marriage. He’d been there, done that and he wasn’t doing it again. Not that it stopped nearly every single woman on the planet trying. Theo wanted space, maybe even a bit of celibacy. So he was furious when he’d just got himself settled in an isolated house on a Greek island-and came downstairs to discover Martha Antonides letting herself in! But forced together, passion overcame them. Eventually, of course, Theo went back to his bachelor lifestyle-and Martha discovered she was pregnant. She knew she couldn’t turn to Theo-he was strictly a no-strings man.

Read an excerpt here.

Lynne Connolly‘s review of Savas’ Defiant Mistress by Anne McAllister
Contemporary romance released by Harlequin Presents 1 Apr 09

I was beginning to despair. The Harlequins I’ve read of the recent months weren’t up to the new standard set by earlier releases. I prefer Presents/Modern or Silhouette Desire, so I pick most of my books from those lists, with the occasional Blaze. These books had been showing a refreshingly different take on the mistress/billionaire/tycoon/prince tropes that the lines are stuck with. But the last couple of months had some truly depressing entries where the hero and heroine had Big Misunderstandings, Secret Babies, and the hero showed bullying tactics which, in my world, is never a reason to fall in love with someone. I kept wanting the heroines to run. Perhaps I made the wrong choices (I don’t read them all) but I was beginning to think that the lines were regressing to the old days. 

But I can really say I enjoyed Savas’ Defiant Mistress, despite the title and blurb. This is one of the new ones and I had fun with this book.

The blurb is both inaccurate and misleading. Neely isn’t Sebastian’s employee, they are both employees of another character, Max, architects working for a big company. So those of you worrying about employer/employee love affairs, you can relax – there aren’t any. Sebastian is Neely’s landlord, in that she was a sitting tenant in the houseboat he bought to get away from his many stepsisters, who have moved into his penthouse for the wedding of another sister. It’s made clear that Sebastian is wealthy, but it’s not an ostentatious wealth. So not a portfolio, more somewhere to live. And although the exclamation marks are thankfully nearly absent from the manuscript, they aren’t from the blurb, which is a shame. (or maybe A Shame!)

I liked the characters’ internal conflicts, and the way they meshed and differed, and I loved that they are the experiences of many people today. Sebastian’s father is a serial monogamist – he marries and divorces regularly, never sticking with one woman for long. As a result, Sebastian has an extended family. He gets on with them all – except for his father. Neely’s mother was a free spirit, but she found someone and stayed married to him until his relatively recent death, so Neely was spared the kind of rootlessness that Sebastian experienced.

Consequently, Sebastian is an iceman, because he’s found it safer to withhold easy emotion. I liked that he was quite capable of showing it if he wanted to, but was careful and restricted, rather than the exaggerated alpha response that can be so tiring sometimes and leads to all those Big Misunderstandings.

Neely was a bit on the sweet side for me. She keeps lots of pets and although she is a competent architect, she tends toward the small intimate spaces, houses and apartments. I would have loved to have seen those roles reversed – Sebastian designing the small, and Neely doing the big and sweeping. That would have been fun, but McAllister chose to go with type.

And the “mistress” of the title is no such thing. She’s not a kept woman, she even pays her share of the rent and she works hard for a living. Moreover, they don’t sleep together until relatively late on in the novel, when they know they are headed for something more serious than an affair.

They don’t get to go to bed until they know each other quite well, which I also liked because it went with their characters. Both are cautious of getting involved and although Sebastian tries an “it’s only the sex, it means nothing” approach, Neely is having none of that and makes it clear to him. I enjoyed that, too.

McAllister has a charming, light style that was very easy to read, with no jarring moments like strange dialog tags or the overuse of that exclamation mark. The story flows really well and is a pleasure to read.

The story starts with Sebastian’s sister calling him about the little gift boxes for her wedding, and worrying about the color, something that is a recurring and amusing motif through the story.

This book is better than either its title or its blurb, so don’t let them put you off. I enjoyed the morning I spent with Neely and Sebastian, and I think you will enjoy spending time with them, too.

I’m taking a mark off because the author did slip into cliché a couple of times, and you could still see the bones of the tropes, and because Neely was a bit too sweet, but I’m adding a plus because I enjoyed it so much, and because Sebastian, while an alpha, was refreshingly normal. The man actually worried and – gasp – sometimes he shared the way he was thinking.

Grade: B+

Here’s the official blurb, for what it’s worth (not much):
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The friction between Sebastian Savas and his new employee is instant. But unfortunately, the lusciously curvy Neely Robson is also the tenant in the property he just added to his portfolio.
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Neely cannot share her home with iceman Savas: the tension is palpable! On the surface she can take it, but underneath, Sebastian is making her quiver!
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Living and working with Neely, Seb realizes he’s made an error. But the benefits of discovering Neely’s inexperience in the bedroom far outweigh the annoyance of being wrong!
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Read an excerpt here.