twin

Dante's Contract Marriage by Day LeClaire, Desire, #1899, October 2008 (book 4- The Dante Legacy)

Excellence Rating- Very Good

Steaminess Rating- Yummy (*)

Lazzaro Dante is the logical one of the family. Lazz's father struck a bargain with Ariana Vittorio's father when she was 5 because he believed that the shocks that Ariana experienced when touching Lazz were the beginning of The Inferno. Ariana and Lazz are now grown up and have agreed to marry for business. They will not let the diamond be destroyed. Lazz doesn't believe in the Inferno. But is there another explanation for the shock they feel when they touch? One of the rules they make beforehand is not to have secrets between them. But there are things she holds back in order to protect her family. Will these secrets destroy the marriage? Is not telling her about the Inferno before they were married keeping a secret?

Tex Times Ten by Tina Leonard, A. Romance, #989, October 2003 (book 4- Cowboys by the Dozen)

The Never-Lonely Cut-N- Gurls Salon doesn't play fair and it was Cissy Kisserton's job to seduce bull riding cowboy for The Lonely Heart Salon across the street. Only she seduced the wrong Jefferson twin. She seduced Tex instead of Laredo. Tex's brothers tease about his roses that won't bloom and about his unmarried status. Maybe his brothers are right and he has intimacy issues. But Tex has promised his sister-in-law that he would help Cissy break her contract. She went to work for Marvella because she was taking care of her nine nieces and nephews and grandmother. A loophole is found right on page 1. If she was to marry, get pregnant or physically challenged her contract can be terminated. First Tex gives her the last two options, which she vetoes right away and then suggests she marry him.

Favourite scene (they are discussing the marriage option)

Tex took a deep breath "I'm suggesting you marry me."

The look on Cissy's face was priceless. Thank God he didn't have to much invested in the offer, or he'd be devastated. She looked like she'd just as soon become high priestess of the snake species.

"Okay," she said brightly "So we're back to me losing my toothbrush. Maybe I can go retro punk rock instead of totally bald. That might even be more effective__"

Laredo's Sassy Sweetheart by Tina Leonard, A. Romance, #981, August 2003 (book 2- Cowboys by the Dozen)

There are 12 Jefferson brothers. They live on a ranch in Union Junction dubbed Malfunction Junction. Their mother died and their father left. The oldest raised them and made sure they weren't separated and sent to foster homes. (there are 3 sets of twins so she wasn't pregnant 12 times)

Copied Back Blurb

Laredo Jefferson was eight seconds from shaking the dust of Union Junction, Texas, from his boots. Eight seconds from discovering the Something Big he was destined to do. He couldn't reckon how he'd promised those eight seconds to sweet filly Katy Goodnight, but he sure as shootin' knew why. He wanted to be her hero. And that meant riding the beast Bloodthirsty Black.

Laredo was a lover, not a bull rider. Still, he craved a challenge - and so, it seemed, did Katy. For this gun-shy Lonely Hearts gal handpicked him to unsaddle her of her virginity. Suddenly, where Katy was concerned, eight seconds could never be enough....

Favourite Scene (Laredo and his brother Ranger are talking about that if the family is above average intellectually)

"I don't know." Laredo scratched at his neck "I just had the idea that our family was smart. Above average intellectually."

Ranger put down his fork. "We work, and we do all right. We've all got some talent at something. We drink too much beer, and sometimes we let women chase us around town. That's above average I'd say."

Spoiler Warning: All my reviews contain spoilers to some degree  

Favourite Scene:

‘No talking,’ he insisted. ‘I have changed my mind. I am taking you to bed, in my room.’ He kept his finger on her lips as he continued, ‘Not to have sex with you; that can wait. I just want to hold you.’
‘W-why?’ she asked as soon as his finger moved away from her mouth.
His eyes held hers for seemingly endless seconds before he answered. ‘Because when I hold you I forget about my brother. I forget about my grief. I think of nothing except how you feel in my arms.’   

My Review:

Wow, this was a hugely passionate read.  I liked the conflict in it.  The heroine is a virgin impersonating her twin, who had a child by a rich man and wants to get paid off in return for giving up custody (the twins are quite different).  The heroine is appalled and doesn't want to let go of her neice.  She gets railroaded into marrying the hero, who is the uncle. 

Back Cover:

Scandals, lies, and vengeance. 

How dare the womane he'd thrown out of his bed show her face to him again? Her memory gone, Gemma Allen was seaking answers to her past.  And so Greek tycoon Angelo Apollonides delighted in reminding his former mistress of their love affair's every moment. 

But in his quest to avenge Gemma's betrayal, Angelo discovered more than just a startling new passion.  The woman in his arms wasn't his former mistress.  She was her revenge-seeking twin!