destined

Back Cover:

She was bewildered by her own reaction!

Clary couldn't deny the attraction that flamed between herself and Morgan Caird when they met in England. But she didn't believe in love at first sight.

Neither did she believe that a powerful, experienced man like Morgan would be permanently affected in the same way. So she refused to have anything to do with him and hurried home to New Zealand.

Morgan proved her wrong. His pursuit was relentless, unavoidable, seductive - though she kept on fighting him. It took a long time for Clary to realize it was herself she was fighting-and that their love was real. 

Icky Scenes: (the heroine's sister-in-law was sleeping with the hero when he met his heroine! Ew! The SIL tells the heroine how sex was between the SIL and the hero) 

He laughed and teased and made love like a god.

I went to bed with him that first night—it was like a bushfire out of control.

'He damned near ate you with his eyes, and he hated me for being your sister-in-law because it meant that you'd have nothing to do with him.'   

Description:

Lily Wharton and Declan Gates were friends when they were young, despite the cruelty their town directed at Declan's family. Or rather, they were, until they shared a mind blowing kiss that scared Lily so badly she turned her back on him.

Now Declan is back, ten years later, an extremely successful business man determined to get his revenge on Lily and the entire town. What better way than to fight her for her family's old homestead and accompanying mill, and tossing a little seduction into the mix?

Lily and Declan have both changed in the ensuing years but one thing remains the same... Declan's kiss still has the power to enflame Lily's passion and make her throw sensibility out the window. But is that enough to forgive the heart breaks of the past and Declan's current schemes?  

Favourite Scene: (god the way he stares so intently at her!  Can't take his eyes off her!) 

Declan kept his eyes fixed on Lily. “Don’t worry, she already knows to be en garde. Lily and I go all the way back.” Tempered steel shimmered in his voice.

There was a pleasantly awkward pause.

“Well, I’m off to change. See you next week, Declan.” Charles headed for the elevator. Declan murmured his assent but didn’t take his eyes off Lily.

After the elevator doors closed, she ran a hand through her hair as if to shake him out of it. “Why do you stare at me like that?”

“I went years without seeing you. Just catching up.”

Back Cover:

Jump into the fire

Severo Dante and his brothers had always dismissed rumors of the Inferno—an explosive desire that overtakes Dante men when they first see their soul mates. Then Severo met jewelry designer Francesca Sommers and was astonished by their raw, urgent, mutual attraction. A rising star at a rival company, Francesca has crafted a dazzling new collection that could ruin Severo's plans to rebuild the Dante empire. His solution: blackmail her into becoming his employee—and his fiancée—until their smoldering affair runs its course. But some fires, once lit, can never be extinguished.…
  

My Review:

Mmm!  This story is about a destined passion: the Dante men fall into an electric lust/love with one woman, which is like an instant lightning bolt.  The whole family knows the signs, knows the "myth" about "the Inferno" and it's only the men who haven't experienced it yet who doubt it's power!  Severo feels it, and knows it's different from anything he's felt before, but hopes it will die after slaking his lust a bit!  Alas, it only gets more intense and the hero is out of control. 

Warm story with a deep history between the hero and heroine.  An almost destined love, they were the only ones for each other, no one else compared.  Very believable feelings, it was believable that they kept single all those ten years apart.  The heroine ten years ago lied and told her grandfather she'd been sleeping with the hero, because she wanted to keep the hero from marrying someone else (she was jealous).  The hero got angry with her for lying and told her to tell the truth, in anger he said he hoped he'd never see her again.  She left town for ten years not coming back, she was feeling such guilt over destroying his engagement with her lies.  She comes back because her small cousins (being raised by the hero) are upset the hero got engaged to a bitchy woman who wants to send them to boarding school.  With Maggie back in the house, things come to a head! 

Rating: 4/5 stars, a little dated, and it was sad that they spent so many years separated, with her punishing herself, but it was a really emotional read!