LynneC’s review of  Walk on the Wild Side by Natalie Anderson
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents 5 Apr 11

This book is a Harlequin Presents Extra in the US and a Riva in the UK. I read the Harlequin version.

The Extra or Riva line still carries the millionaire hero and the weaker heroine so beloved of the mainstream, but the books tend to be longer, and the protagonists are less conventional. At least that’s what I’ve observed from reading a few.

So, Kelsi is on her way to a spa appointment she doesn’t really want to go to, but it’s a present from her colleagues at work for good performance, and she feels obliged to go. On her way, trying to get a comb through her tangled hair while driving, she hits Jack. Who is gorgeous and walks with a limp. But the limp isn’t from the prang. She hardly hits him. It’s from an operation on his knee, on an injury sustained through snowboarding. Jack’s a champion snowboarder. In fact, he’s THE champion snowboarder.

In real life, that would be Shaun White, who is a rampant ginger and proud of it. In this book, the ginger gift is transferred to the heroine, Kelsi, except that she doesn’t see it as a source of pride. She sees her ginger coloring as a curse, and she dyes her hair and wears crazy contacts to cover up her eye color.

Jack takes Kelsi for a coffee to calm her nerves, and then, instead of the spa, they go to the beach and make mad, crazy love all afternoon. But Jack is due to fly out the next day, so they leave it at that. The lovemaking scene is great, and so far the story has me. I’m loving it, despite the threat of sand in the most sensitive parts of the body. But later, not so much.

Kelsi lives in an old Victorian house. She’s the only person left in the four apartments the house has been split into. When Jack returns, he visits her, and together, they realize she’s pregnant. Jack takes control, Kelsi fights him, rinse and repeat.

After this, the story more or less meanders into standard Harlequin Presents territory. Don’t get me wrong, I like a millionaire in a tux, at least in the books I read. But Kelsi’s doubts about her appearance make her into a mouse-like, fearful heroine, and my interest starts to wane. Jack becomes the typical no-commitment hero, with the addition of caring about his baby and of Kelsi.

By the end of the story, the unconventionality of the hero and heroine has slid into a veneer. There are some nice touches, like the reaction of Jack’s friends to Kelsi, but they meet at an awards dinner, a typical sitch for a Presents story. The slang is imposed on normal, everyday conversation, and I know that snowboarders are like other sk8ers and indeed surfers, in that they have a language of their own. Sure, that would make the book hard to understand, but perhaps if Jack had been something a tad more conventional, like, say, a skier, it might have melded better with the millionaire trope.

At the end, I wasn’t entirely convinced that they would make a success of their life together. They wanted such different things, and they were so different in character, I could see divorce ten years down the line. Perhaps if I’d believed that their love was the deep, enduring kind, I’d have left the book more satisfied, but I didn’t see the journey into love, and it wasn’t quite there for me. It might be for you. And a child would only add to their problems and make it harder for them to get together. However, with a little bit of effort and understanding on both sides, they could get there.

Kelsi and Jack are interesting characters, and I’d love to see Anderson write more in this vein, perhaps going deeper into the worlds of the characters. It was a fun read, and I enjoyed the Antipodean setting.

But a good attempt and a nice read, although the constant introspective passages from both protagonists made it a slower read than usual.

Grade: C

Summary:

One crazy afternoon on the beach…

A fling with sinfully hot champion snowboarder Jack Greene isn’t Kelsi Reid’s normal behaviour… but one glimpse of his wicked blue eyes has Kelsi throwing caution to the deep blue sea (along with her clothes!). After all, who better to go crazy with than a man who deserves a gold medal for his prowess on the slopes and in the bedroom…?

Then Kelsi crashes down with a terrifying bump – of the baby kind. They couldn’t be worse matched – Jack is Mr Right-Now, while Kelsi craves stability. But it’s hard to keep your feet on the ground once you’ve met the man who turns your world upside down…

Read an excerpt.

Lynne Connolly‘s review of Pleasured In the Playboy’s Penthouse by Natalie Anderson
Contemporary Romance from Mills & Boon Modern Heat 01 Feb 09

This is a Modern Heat story, and I really like most of those. This is no exception.

Bella is different to the rest of her successful family. She wants to go in a different direction, and although they don’t object, they’re not particularly supportive either. She’s on her own. They meet at a resort, where Bella’s sister is getting married, and hit it off from the start, sharing an almost night together until Owen is drawn away by his work. Then Bella gives him a fake phone number, because she doesn’t want to hang around waiting for a call that she believes he’ll never make. Best to get it over with quickly, she thinks.

They hook up again in Wellington, where they both live. He’s just bought a building and he lives on the top floor. She moves in with him. I enjoyed the way they were slowly drawn together, despite their intentions to make it temporary. And that nothing dramatic and artificial forces them apart. When the event that does separate them (there has to be a Black Moment, right?) it works well, doesn’t come as an intrusion.

Bella’s constant denigration of herself might not work for some, but in this story she learns to look at herself another way. Because of her affair with Owen, she reassesses and by the end of the story she’s a stronger person.

I loved that. Owen made Bella feel better about herself, not just by wanting her in bed, but by his encouragement and his interest in her. Owen is a hero you could like in real life, and he would do anything not to hurt her. And yet there aren’t any nasssty villains here.

Owen is confident, alpha and with a sense of humour I really enjoyed. Non-snarky, but when he and Bella share jokes, you can see some of the things they have in common.

But as usual, a godawful title. Not one that draws me in.

Loved this story, it flowed really well and it was a pleasure to read.

Grade: A

At the red-hot millionaire’s mercy!

Bella has always felt like the ugly duckling in her family, but after one night with super-sexy Owen Hughes she feels like a beautiful swan. Until she realises Owen isn’t the ordinary guy she thought… This struggling waitress is daunted by his multi-millionaire status – he is exactly the kind of man she avoids!

But Owen won’t let Bella shrink back into her shell. Two weeks of pleasure in his penthouse and he’ll have her begging for more…

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Pleasured By The Secret Millionaire by Natalie Anderson
Contemporary romance released by Harlequin Presents 1 Jun 09

I tend to be a bit impulsive when selecting Harlequins to read, mostly going by back cover descriptions and authors who, over time, have proven to be consistent for me. I’ll be honest, the back cover copy on most Harlequin Presents leaves me fairly cold. But Natalie Anderson’s latest was different. When I was purchasing June titles, the back cover description for this book actually sounded interesting to me. Also, I’ll admit, I was intrigued by the “millionaire” hero. Only a millionaire? Not a billionaire or a tycoon? Wow. The current state of the economy is even worse that I thought.

Sienna had a childhood filled with doctors, hospitals and constant health issues. She was always told what she could and could not do by her overprotective mother and brother. Well, now she’s in reasonable health and she’s going to have herself a holiday. She’s going to travel, see the sights, have adventures, and leave the “old” Sienna in the dust. While in Sydney, she innocently walks into a bar when she hears a band warming up. It’s there that she locks eyes with drop dead gorgeous Rhys. Sparks fly. Can she do it? Can she really leave the “old” Sienna behind by having a fling with a breathtakingly handsome stranger?

Dr. Rhys Maitland is not only a well-respected doctor, he’s also a millionaire thanks to a successful family business. He’s not as notorious as Paris Hilton, but he’s well-known enough in Sydney that he often finds his personal life splashed across the society pages. He’s taking some time off of work, lying low, and drawing zero attention to himself when he meets Sienna. He’s immediately floored. Whether it’s lust or love at first sight, he doesn’t much care. However he’s determined to keep this fling strictly anonymous. The prospect of a woman being attracted to him, the real him, not his bank account and minor celebrity status is very appealing indeed.

There was quite a bit about this story that I found innovative, refreshing and utterly charming – most of it thanks to Sienna. This is a girl who wants to let go of her baggage and grab life with both hands. She’s also, blessedly, not a virgin and is an active participant in seducing Rhys. Our girl isn’t about to let the guy make all the first moves.

The stumbling block comes in the form of Rhys, who just isn’t as interesting and “fresh” as Sienna. He’s standard HP Alpha Hero. He’s happy to have an affair, until a misunderstanding crops up, and then he’s rather quick to think that Sienna is a gold-digging, lying whore out to sell her story of their affair to the highest bidder. Sigh. Then there are moments where he morphs into HP Protector Hero. Just put yourself in this fluffy little box darling, we want you to stay away from any sharp edges. Sigh.

While Rhys was a bit too stereotypical HP hero for my tastes, I’m thinking hard core HP readers won’t have the same issues with him that I did. And I really enjoyed the author giving readers a heroine like Sienna, who was young, vibrant, and full of life. This story wasn’t enough for me to rush out and buy every single HP title next month, but for fans of the line, it’s probably worth a look.

Grade: C+

Summary:
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Gorgeous millionaire Rhys Maitland is tired of women throwing themselves at him just because his name denotes success. On meeting Sienna, Rhys hides the truth and insists they share one night only….
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But Sienna’s got her own secrets. Dressing carefully to conceal the scar that plagues her life, she doesn’t know she’s been exquisitely pleasured—by a secret millionaire! But when one night isn’t enough, Rhys and Sienna will have to strip themselves bare—in every sense!
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Read an excerpt.