Book Review: Get Lucky by Suzzane Brockmann

Title : Get Lucky

Author : Suzanne Brockmann

Series : Tall, Dark & Dangerous #9

Genre : Romantic Suspense/ Military Romance

Published : March 2000

Rating : 5 of 5 stars

THE HERO. . .

Lt. Luke ‘Lucky’ O’Donlon, the playboy of Alpha Squad of SEAL Team Ten. Actually this is the first book of the series that I read, so I don’t know his attitude in the previous books. I fell in love with Luke after reading this book. He’s just so charming and so cute. Brockmann can always make her characters so special, every character so different with each other, and so appealing. Like this playboy. After I read the previous books, I can see that Luke is rather annoying, actually. His goal is always woman and woman and woman. Doesn’t mean that he’s not good at his job, SEALs are always good at their job, high skill and all, and I won’t go there because it’d take all day to list their impressive skill.

Book Review: Taken by the Highest Bidder by Jane Porter

Title : Taken by the Highest Bidder

Author : Jane Porter

Series : -

Genre : Romance/ Harlequin Presents

Published : December 2005

Rating : 3 of 5 stars

THE HERO. . .

Cristiano Bartolo, a Formula 1 driver. Not many Presents’s hero with this occupation. I seem to remember one, but he already retired. But Cristiano, despite he had an accident before, and seems to retired after that, but actually not. He is still active in racing, which become a problem between him and Sam, the heroine. At first, at his first appearance, he seems like an asshat. Forcing to separate Sam with her stepdaughter, when actually the stepdaughter was his aim.

Book Review: The Bridesmaid's Best Man by Susanna Carr

Title : The Bridesmaid’s Best Man

Author : Susanna Carr

Series : -

Genre : Romance/ Harlequin Blaze

Published : January 1st 2013

Rating : 3 of 5 stars

THE HERO. . .

Cole Foster, ex-cop-going-private-now. A year ago, he broke up with the heroine, Angie, because he thought that Angie could do better than him. I know, stupid reason, but a sweet one, nevertheless. This hero is kinda broke my heart. Because his mother left him to start another life with her new husband, he thought that there’s something wrong about him, that he is unloved. And that happened when he was fifteen. What a tough life, to support himself from that age. And the reaction from people around him is so annoying. Why were that automatically had to be his fault? Why were they don’t think that maybe his parents was the one in the fault? And even if Cole is a problem, his parent can’t just leave him like that. But despite that whole episode, he turns out okay. He even joins the police force because he wants to help people like him, people that separated from theit families. Sweet, right?

Book Review: Unspeakable by Sandra Brown

Title : Unspeakable

Author : Sandra Brown

Series : -

Genre : Romantic Suspense

Published : January 1st 1998

Rating : 3 of 5 stars

THE HERO. . .

Jack Sawyer, a drifter. He came to Blewer after hearing that Carl Herbold escape from prison. Until about ten pages before the end of the book, we don’t know who he really is, what’s his reason coming to Blewer, what’s his connection to Herbold Brothers and Delray Corbett (heroine’s father-in-law), and why he felt responsible to help Delray. My curiosity was piled so high and I had so much expectancy that I felt being let down by how the story turn out. Well, at least by the Jack’s reason and connection to this Herbolds hullabaloo. For Jack’s character, I like him enough. Kinda cute, because he’s not really confident about himself, about his charm, about his charisma. He felt that he doesn’t deserve the heroine’s affection and love. And I always love when a man interact with a child, maybe because that could emphasize his soft side.

Book Review: The Konstantos Marriage Demand by Kate Walker

Title: The Konstantos Marriage Demand

Author: Kate Walker

Series: -

Genre: Romance/ Harlequin Presents

Year Published: 2010

Rating: 2 of 5 stars

THE HERO. . .

Nikos Konstantos, greek billionaire. Five years age he was engaged to be married to the heroine. But there was a feud between their family. Her father really hate Nikos’s family, so he destroy Nikos’s family and business. Of course that angered Nikos so he vow to ruin her family. He suceeded, of course. But when Sadie came to him to seek help, he wants to take his revenge to another level. Not just about business anymore, but to get back at her for hurting him by claiming her as her bride. He won’t satisfied until personally punish her. Well, that, and because he still desire her.

Book Review: The Virgin's Wedding Night by Sara Craven

Title : The Virgin's Wedding Night

Author : Sara Craven
Series : -
Genre : Romance/ Harlequin Presents
Publication Year : 2008
Rating : 3 of 5 stars

THE HERO. . .

Roan Zandros. At first he was portrayed as a struggling artist. Not that he wasn’t really an artist. He is an artist, yes, but not just that, he is also a Greek Billionaire. His mother was an English and a painter, too. But his father doesn’t approve him to be a painter. So he came to England to prove to his father that he could be succesful as a painter, so that his father would let him to keep painting. I like him enough. Yes, he has that arrogant and take-charge trait that every Presents’s heroes have, but not overly so. He is actually fell in love with the heroine from the beginning, no denial from his part. He even willing to beg to heroine’s grandfather to give him a chance to win her over. And after all that attitude the heroine dump on him. Sweet, right? But like all the other heroes, he is also stubborn he won’t just said it outright that he loves her.

Book Review: Exposed: The Sheikh's Mistress by Sharon Kendrick

Title : Exposed: The Sheikh’s Mistress

Author : Sharon Kendrick

Series : -

Genre : Romance/ Harlequin Presents

Publication Year : 2005

Rating : 2 of 5 stars

THE HERO. . .

Sheikh Hashim Al Aswad. Cold, ruthless, annoying, asshat, and arrogant. Usually a hero has one or two of those trait. But this time the hero has it all. He acted so superior because he is a sheikh, thinking that other people are below him. He treat the heroine like a slut just because one mistake (which from my point of view is not really a mistake). Well, he doesn’t know her reason at first, but he should hear her explanation instead of jumping to conclusion. I really hate that attitude, the jumping to conclusion bit,  make a smart person look so stupid. And then when they met again, which a deliberate move from him, he blackmailed her to do the ‘job’ in order to get a revenge and to bed her. I couldn’t imagine a man more ruthless than him. I really feel like punching him when I read the story. Apparently, he doesn’t know the word ‘let go’, because in the course of five years he still nurture his hatred for her. Granted, maybe that’s because he really love her and couldn’t forget her. And he kind of doing it right in the end.

Book Review: In The Rich Man's World by Carol Marinelli

Title: In The Rich Man’s World

Author: Carol Marinelli

Series: -

Genre: Romance/ Harlequin Presents

Publication Year: 2005

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

THE HERO. . .

Vaughan Mason, Australian  businessman. Favourite target of Australian journalists, but he is very private about his private life. He tried to protect his family from the spotlight. The scene where the hero first met the heroine, it’s rather cute for me. I can’t believe he fell asleep then. He must be feeling very tired, because we know our Presents’s hero is always so full of energy, doesn’t need much sleep. He was still awake when Amelia arrived. So if he can asleep even when he knows he’d have a meeting in a moment, then he really really is tired. He’s also a bit different from other heros I guess. Well, maybe before the story take place he was like other heros, but then he changed. He even can be embarrassed about his action. It’s a rare occasion for a Presents’ hero. He’s also willing to take the heroine back even when he still think she had betrayed him. It’s a testament of his love for Amelia.

Book Review: The Spaniard's Blackmailed Bride by Trish Morey

Title: The Spaniard’s Blackmailed Bride

Author: Trish Morey

Series: -

Genre: Romance/ Harlequin Presents

Year Published: 2007

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

THE HERO. . .

Diablo Barrentes, spanish bussinessman. Arrogant spanish import—that’s the way the heroine describe him. Make me laugh really loud. But though he is a spaniard, he didn’t grow up there, so maybe his characteristic isn’t really spanish. His parents’ marriage didn’t approved by their family. When his father died when worked in Chile, his mother couldn’t go back to Spain. So she move to Autralia and raise Diablo there. They live in poverty and determined to change that. He doesn’t believe in happy ending, and never expected one. How sad is that? My heart just went to him because of that.

Book Review: Untameable Rogue by Kelly Hunter

Title: Untameable Rogue
Author: Kelly Hunter
Series: Bennett Family #4
Genre: Romance/ Harlequin Presents
Year Published: 2010
Rating: 3 of 5 stars 

THE HERO. . .

Luke Bennett, former Navy, now a freelance bomb consultant. He has an easy-going manner. He was referenced as ‘tiger’ and ‘warrior’. The warrior bit fit with his job, and the tiger bit fit with his character, though I guess all of Bennet clan referenced as tiger, too. His sense of rightness in so strong hence he struggling to accept Maddy’s reason to marry her late husband. And he’s so alpha-male that it’s hard to come to term that Maddy has more money than him.