Black Widow Bride by Tessa Radley ... QC #90

4 ½ Stars! ~~~ This is an intense love story that will take you on a sizzling roller-coaster ride!

Black Widow Bride by Tessa Radley
Silhouette Desire # 1794 - April 2007

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Fearing for his mother's health, Damon Asteriades must convince the one woman he despises above all others, Rebecca Grainger to return to Auckland and plan his brother's society wedding. Years before Rebecca had planned Damon’s wedding to her best friend, and on the eve of the wedding she had tried to seduce him, and then she'd encouraged his new bride to leave him. Damon was certain that Rebecca was a gold digger, a black widow; having lead her much older husband to commit suicide after she ruined him financially. Meeting her again only renews his disdain not only for her but also in himself for the fiery attraction that still exists between them. Rebecca is flattered that Damon’s mother remembers her so fondly but the last thing she wants is to put herself and her young son anywhere near the man who had so brutally rejected her. She can’t deny that their attraction still exists and Rebecca fears that she’ll fall for Damon all over again. Yet her generous heart can’t ignore Damon’s ill mother, or the worry he feels for her.

This is Ms Radley’s debut and I’m really surprised I haven’t read this one earlier. I loved the emotional intensity of this story. Damon is a strong character and is brutal at times with Rebecca, though he feels he’s justified. He battles with himself; finding that all of the things he’d once believed of Rebecca may be false and this makes him very uncomfortable. Rebecca is a tremendously strong character, and with all her losses she’s not self-pitying or whiney. Her only weakness is Damon. I like that we get insights to both these characters slowly, just as they too are discovering each other. Particularly well done is Damon’s own realization of just how wrong he’s been and how this forces him to reevaluate all that he is as a man. There are quite a few twists and turns in this story and we find conclusions we as readers have made are false, just as Damon and Rebecca too are learning their conclusions have been false. Ms. Radley has a fresh pleasing voice. This is an intense love story that will take you on a sizzling roller-coaster ride!

Excellence: Great! ~ Steaminess: Yummy

My Totals = 33 ~ Harlequin Imprint = 33 ~ Other Publisher = 0

March Mini-Challenge ~~ “New-to-Me” ~ #5

• Tessa Radley --- The raving reviews for Ms. Radley’s debut had prompted me to purchase this book and it’s sort of been waiting for the right moment to be read in my TBR pile. This is one of those BISHRS (books I should have read sooner) that we all have languishing for one reason or other. A testament to her talent is the publishing of five books in her debut year. I’m looking forward to reading her second release, “Rich Man’s Revenge”. I suspect that Ms. Radley will be making herself a cozy spot on my “autobuy keeper shelf”.

~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog