The Princess and the Player - Kat Cantrell (HD #2391 - Aug 2015)

Series: Dynasties: The Montoros (Book 4)

In this arranged marriage, falling for the wrong brother leads to a royal romance!

Now that her family will rule Alma, Bella Montoro is a candidate for a royal wedding. But the Miami-born free spirit won't be a pawn in her father's power plays. Though he matches her with an oil baron's son, the princess has a preference for his twin brother, James Rowling.

Long the Rowling black sheep, James is notorious for his way with the ladies. Could it be that the soccer star has met his match in Bella? Or will his reputation -- and a little surprise -- stand in the way of a happy future together?

Loved this book. There's an arranged marriage in the works, a case of mistaken identity, a princess with a mind of her own, and some smoking hot chemistry to stir it all up. Bella's family recently became next in line to rule the tiny country of Alma. This is putting a bit of a crimp in her life, as Bella has been pretty much of a party girl and something of a magnet for scandal. With her brother soon to be king, she has to mend her ways, and her father has the perfect solution. He plans to marry her off to the son of a prominent businessman in an arranged marriage.

Bella isn't too happy with the idea, but for the sake of the family she's willing to meet the man and see if there's a chance of it working. But before she can meet Will Rowling, she literally lands in the lap of his twin brother, James. She doesn't know Will has a twin, and this encounter with James is pretty funny. The attraction between them is immediate and hot, even after they discover their mistake. 

I have to admit that the initial impression of James isn't the best. He's the wild one of the two brothers, known as being very much of a player (and not just of soccer). Even after he finds out that she may be marrying his brother, he's still intent on getting her into his bed. I gained some respect for him after he talked to his brother, but even that conversation was a bit inappropriate. I loved Will's side of it, as he could see that James is already in pretty deep with Bella.

Bella was reluctant to go out with Will after meeting James, but for her family's sake she gave him a chance. It was obvious from the beginning that there was no spark between them, as Will was pretty uptight. I loved seeing that she still had the independence to stand up for herself and let Will know that there was no chance of anything between them.

The relationship between James and Bella happened very quickly. They are very much alike in their views of life. When they first got together, neither had anything permanent in mind. Bella's view of marriage has been affected by her parents' marriage, which was not a happy one. James is also not ready to give up his bachelor ways, so they agree that neither is looking for forever. In search of someplace where they can be together, they find an old house that had been in her family for years. For the next several days and nights, they spend their time cleaning it up and getting to know each other. I loved seeing how they bring out the best in each other. James discovers that he has a romantic side, and it comes out in some really sweet ways. It's wonderful to see how well he understands her. I loved the way that Bella sees the good in James, and is able to get him to see that he is better than his father believes him to be. I really loved the way that they committed to being honest with each other about their feelings and their fears. When they finally leave their haven, there are things that they have to face right away, especially Bella's father. I don't like him any more in this book than I did in the previous ones. He is selfish and manipulative and I didn't like the way he treated Bella.

But there is a twist coming to James's life that is going to put a strain on their relationship, thanks to interference from James's father. I didn't like him at all, and what he did was really low. I was a bit upset with Bella for listening to him but James comes through with flying colors. There is another surprise for Bella and her family thanks to some letters that she found. I am looking forward to seeing how that works out.  

Carrying a King's Child - Katherine Garbera (HD #2378 - June 2015)

Series: Dynasties: The Montoros (Book 2)

Tapped to become king of his family's ancestral homeland, hotshot Miami businessman Rafe Montoro needs a break from the pressure. A night with Key West bartender Emily Fielding is just the ticket -- until weeks later, when she shows up pregnant!

Emily wants her child to know its father, though as an "unsuitable commoner," she doesn't want to block Rafe's ascent to the throne. Still, there's that unrelenting chemistry between them that won't be denied. Will Rafe have to choose between love and country after all?

Very good book. When Rafe found out that his family is being asked to resume the throne of their homeland he is put under a lot of pressure. Needing to get away for awhile, he heads to Key West, where he has a smoking hot weekend with Emily. Both are aware that's all they'll have, until Emily discovers she's pregnant.

The daughter of a single mother herself, Emily is determined that her child will know who its father is. She doesn't expect anything from Rafe, she just wants him to be aware. She has her own life and dreams and is quite used to taking care of herself.

Rafe is still reeling from the news that he's expected to give up his business and become king of a country he's never been to before. There are expectations about his behavior and his future, and a great deal of pressure from his family and others. He's not so sure that he's up to the challenge, or even that he wants it. When Emily shows up and tells him about the baby, it's one more thing that he has to make a decision about. 

I loved seeing the relationship that built between Rafe and Emily. Emily knows that there is no way she can be a permanent part of Rafe's life, but they will be connected through their child forever. She's surprised when Rafe insists on getting to know her better. The chemistry between them is as hot as ever, and she's afraid that she's losing her heart to him. She's not surprised by his offer of marriage, but she's certain that it isn't truly the right thing to do. She would never be the right person to be a queen, and she doesn't want to stand in his way of being king. Rafe wants Emily and his baby in his life, and marriage is the best way to do that. He also knows that Emily isn't going to be easy to convince to take that step. I liked how well he understood her, and how he used his knowledge to try to court her. I really liked seeing how protective he was, especially when he realized that she wasn't used to anyone taking care of her.

Rafe had a lot going on as he tried to sort everything out. I was really hoping that his family would be more supportive, but they really frustrated me. His father, since he couldn't be king himself, seemed to be intent on living it through Rafe. I didn't like the way he treated Emily when he met her. Gabe seemed to be the most understanding of his dilemma, but had an agenda of his own. Rafe's sister Bella was the nicest to Emily, and the most supportive of the idea of Rafe marrying Emily. The one that really bugged me was his cousin Juan Carlos. He was constantly nagging Rafe about the things he should be doing and telling him that he wasn't doing things right. I thought he was really obnoxious, and that maybe it was jealousy that had him being such a jerk. Rafe really hated that his life seemed destined to be run by committee.

When things finally came to a head, both Rafe and Emily had to face up to their fears and feelings. There were some things said that hurt, but in the long run brought them back together. The scene in the boardroom with his family and the "committee" made my heart ache for Rafe, but also made me want to cheer for what he did. I loved the ending and look forward to seeing what the future holds for them.

Minding Her Boss's Business - Janice Maynard (HD #2372 - May 2015)

Series: Dynasties: The Montoros (Book 1)

Can a boss on a royal mission mix business with pleasure?

Diplomat Alex Ramon's Miami mission is on the rocks. Convincing the exiled Montoros to give up their American life and return to Alma's throne has become personal. Not only is his trusted aide Maria Ferro flirting with a potential prince, but Alex is actually jealous! So jealous, he might sabotage his goals so he can take Maria to his bed…a prize more tempting than any commission from the crown.

But Alex doesn't know that Maria has a longtime crush of her own -- and it isn't on the playboy prince…

Very good book, intense on a couple levels. First is the mission to convince the Montoros family to return to Alma as its royal family. Second is the relationship that develops between Alex and Maria. Both are full of emotional turmoil.

Alex and his delegation have been working for weeks to draft the documents that would convince the family that their place is in Alma. One member of the delegation is Maria, who used to work for him before she got promoted to another department. When they worked together they had an excellent working relationship, even a friendship of sorts. Being thrown together as much as they have on this trip, the attraction that simmered between them before has begun to boil over. Both try to resist because mixing business with pleasure is never a good idea.

It was interesting to see this relationship develop. Maria and Alex had known each other for a long time, and unknown to Alex she had had a crush on him for just as long. But besides the problem of having a relationship with your boss, Maria's upbringing was far different than his. Maria never knew her father and her mother had had to work multiple jobs to support them. She has worked hard to get where she is, but she has no illusions about the differences between her and Alex. Alex had also been aware of Maria as more than a coworker, but has been able to keep himself under control. That is, until one of the Montoro princes seems to be paying an inordinate amount of attention to her. Suddenly he finds himself unexpectedly and almost uncontrollably jealous. 

When the attraction between them gets to the point where they can no longer resist, each of them seems to have a different outlook on it. Maria is of the opinion that it can only last while they are in Miami. Their country's old fashioned attitudes make it impossible for her to believe they can have anything once they are home. Alex is far more open minded and interested in pursuing more. But things get complicated when Alex misreads the growing friendship between Maria and Gabriel and says some very hurtful things to her. Maria is devastated by what he says, because she had fallen in love with him. I loved her response and her actions in the days afterward. She had tremendous inner strength and I loved seeing her stand up to him. It was especially great as Alex soon realized that he was in love with her and it was jealousy that had made him act so stupidly. I enjoyed watching him try to figure out how he was going to win her back. I liked the ending and seeing that Maria isn't too quick to give in to him.

The other part of the story is the mission to convince the Montoros family to return to Alma to rule. It isn't an easy decision and a good portion of the book is devoted to the task. I liked getting to know each of the members of the family and seeing their reactions to the request. They are very happy with their lives in America and not sure they want to leave it behind. I am really looking forward to their stories.