Lynne Connolly‘s review of Millionaire In Command by Catherine Mann
Contemporary romance released by Silhouette Desire 13 Oct 09
This is obviously part of a series, but I haven’t read the others. I don’t think it’s necessary, apart from a revisit to what must be one of the earlier stories. I don’t think Mann overwhelmed the story with that part, and their fate actually provided a nice contrast with the one I was reading.
Phoebe has been left with the baby, literally. Her friend Bianca had a one-night stand with Kyle Landis, which had resulted in the baby. She hadn’t bothered to tell Kyle, so when Phoebe arrives on his doorstep, claiming she wanted to marry him so she could have a claim on the baby, he’s hit with a double whammy.
The plot is just daft, but it held together long enough for me to enjoy the story. Mann is an accomplished writer, and she creates likeable, believable characters. While I did have some reservations, I did enjoy the book.
But if I’d been picking a book on its cove, it wouldn’t have been this one. Pure cheese. I never take that into account when setting a grade, though, any more than I do the title, because both of them are out of the author’s control.
It’s a tad misleading, because Kyle isn’t a career air force man, and he has left the forces behind to take over part of the family business. I liked Kyle, he never abused the heroine, as so many of the “alpha”’s do (in inverted commas because however alpha a man is, he shouldn’t deliberately hurt a woman) and he was fair minded, did his best to do what was right.
Phoebe was a little more problematic for me, because she wants someone else’s baby and is willing to do anything to have it. She could have left the baby with her loving father and his family, and been reasonably confident that they would win custody of the child in any court battle, so marriage was all for her.
Spoiler – I also hated the end, because I wanted more for Phoebe gives everything up to become the baby machine and a support for her hubby. I want more for my heroines, I want them to have it all.
So this one gets a C+
Grade: C+
Summary:
Mr. October: Kyle Landis, Air Force commander, millionaire.daddy?
Motto: Family first, last, always.
Marriage?: Not until now!
He’d worked the most dangerous missions, but nothing had prepared Kyle Landis for the surprise of becoming a dad. When Phoebe Slater suddenly announced the child she was caring for was his baby, he had no reason to doubt her. And since a Landis did not sway in his duty, marriage was the only course of action. But once “I do” was said, would Phoebe be up for enlisting as his wife – in every way Kyle had been imagining?
Read an excerpt here (scroll down).
