Pregnancy of Passion by Lucy Monroe ... QC #141

4 Stars! ~~~ A hard journey to HEA but one I’m very glad I had the opportunity to share.

Pregnancy of Passion by Lucy Monroe

Harlequin Presents #2590 ~ December 2006

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Salvatore diVitale is determined to make amends for his cruel behaviour towards his ex-lover; only Elisa refuses to have anything to do with him. So he jumps at her father’s request to see to her safety while the jewelry store that she manages houses crown jewels awaiting auction. Salvatore is a world renowned securities expert with huge resources and expertise equal to the secret service. He insists that he will be her bodyguard until the auction, and Elisa tries to fight him with cold contempt. Her heart wants to hate him for his brutal abandonment but her body still recognizes him and betrays her. Salvatore will use any means to have Elisa back in his life, if that means he will have to seduce her to get her to marry him, he will. But her grief over her miscarriage for the child he had refused to believe was his, is still very fresh for Elisa, and Salvatore finds himself in the dangerous realm of emotions. Earning Elisa’s trust and forgiveness will not be easy, especially when he discovers that all his past beliefs of her character had been built on his own selfish desires.

Ms. Monroe’s heroes are always forced to look deep into their own behaviour and motivation and the discoveries they make are sobering. Salvatore didn’t really believe in love but he knew that the passion that Elisa evoked in him was too strong for him to let go. Elisa is a strong heroine who realizes her heart is still at risk and tries everything to protect herself from Salvatore’s magnetism. The tension emotionally and sexually become too much for her and the inevitable emotional breakdown is so heart wrenching. Ms. Monroe writes these scenes with such passion, and not only do you feel the intensity of the heroine’s pain and her feelings of hopelessness, you feel how much this effects the hero and his sense of helplessness, he doesn’t know how to fix this. Elisa and Salvatore are matched perfectly. Their journey to HEA is a hard one, but one I’m very glad I had the opportunity to share.

Excellence: Very Good ~ Steaminess: Heat Wave

My Totals = 53 ~ Harlequin Imprint = 53 ~ Other Publisher = 0

April Mini-Challenge ~~ “It’s Raining Men” ~ #8

• Salvatore diVitale – he’s determined to make amends and no matter what she will marry him … Elisa describes him as utterly macho, not only is he physically intimidating, he has a aura of virility …. but he wants more than anything to be a man of honour … and he fears his lack of control with Elisa …. He’s a keeper! …. The cover is a typical Presents cover and sort of suits the characters … to cast Salvatore, need someone large and Sicilian …. I’ll have to ponder this one too as I’m not up on the international actors.

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