This unusual story tells about a mix-up at a fertility clinic where Claire wasn't impregnated by her husband's sperm but by a complete stranger's. Claire's husband died when she's 5 months pregnant, not knowing that the baby isn't his. Once Luca finds out that he has a child he wants to be involved in her life. Claire knows he is a wealthy CEO and is worried that he would get his lawyers involved and she might lose her daughter.

Luca had cancer as a young teen so his mother suggested he donate sperm so it could be used when he got married since the treatments he was about to go through would leave him sterile. He actually thought he would never marry or have children so when he learned he had a daughter he'll stop at nothing to be part of her life.

The characters in this story were well developed and very likable. Claire was a strong, protective mother (understandably) who cared deeply for her child. Luca was used to getting his own way in business but not so much in his personal life. He came from a large Italian family who didn't think about him as a CEO - just part of the family. Everybody stuck their nose into everybody else's business so he couldn't say anything to them about his daughter until he had everything straightened out. Turned out because of his big family he was very comfortable with babies and small children. Claire was surprised with this, expecting him to hire a nanny and not have much actual contact with the baby.

Andrea's polished writing really shines through in this unique tale. She took a difficult subject and made a wonderful story out of it without confusing the reader along the way.

I really liked this book and glad I won it from Andrea Laurence in a giveaway hosted by HarlequinJunkie.

Madelyn/Maddie owned the Rosewood Bakery. Maddie’s dad had helped her put together a business plan. She renamed it to Madelyn’s Bakery And tea House. She decided to offer a regular set of baked goods and each day add one item like lemon tarts. Maddie’s best friend was Lydia. Emmett owned Woody’s a bar that was across the street from Maddie’s house she had recently bought. Maddie is getting up very early to make her bake goods for her business . Maddy  needs to go to bed very early at night but she isn’t getting much sleep as the noise from the bar keeps her awake. Maddy asked Emmett to tone down his bar but she was told he would try but but he wasn’t breaking any laws and maybe she should move. Maddie and Emmett get in a shouting match and have to do community service together. Then they start to really get to know each other.

I really like this story it was really good and at times I laughed out loud.  I didn’t really like Maddie as a character as Emmett was right why buy at house when you literally do have bakers hours. but I do like the ins and outs that Maddie and Emmett go through. I recommend.

I received an ARC of this story for an honest review.

Series: Brides and Belles (Book 4)

Reunited at a Christmas wedding…

I do -- two words wedding planner Natalie Sharpe will never utter. The cynic in her doesn't believe in love…but the woman in her believes in lust! When a last-minute Christmas wedding reunites her with the bride's hunky brother -- Natalie's teenage crush and star of all her fantasies -- Natalie wants a second chance for their first time…

But Colin Russell isn't a teen anymore. He's all man. And his every touch has her thinking about the F word -- forever. Working with him on the wedding is more temptation than she can take. Will one long, hot kiss lead this reluctant bride down her own wedding aisle?

Very good book with some fun parts and some deeply emotional ones. Natalie is a wedding planner who is excellent at her job, but doesn't believe that love really exists. She has seen too many marriages fail, including those of her own parents. In her opinion it is all hormones and doesn't last. Lust is fine - indulge and move on. When she sees Colin again she would love a chance to fulfill her teenage fantasies with him.

Colin is just as attracted to her. The problem for him is that he isn't into casual flings any longer. He is looking for the woman that he can build a future with, and he can see Natalie in that role. He can't believe that she is so anti-marriage. He had been married once before, to another woman who hadn't wanted marriage, but he had convinced her. He didn't intend to do that again. 

So, though the attraction is there, they agree to be just friends as they work together to give Colin's sister the best wedding possible. The whole wedding planning was very strange. Colin was determined to give his sister Lily a dream wedding, and didn't understand why she was so uninterested in being part of the planning, leaving it all in Colin's hands. It was very interesting to see the way that he ended up just going with so many of Natalie's recommendations.

Another thing that surprises Colin about Natalie is her anti-Christmas attitude. Once he finds out why, he understands, but he's determined to change that. He bets her that she will like Christmas by his sister's wedding or he will buy her tickets for a trip to South America. I loved the way he started out slow, but began to up his game bit by bit. It was fun to see her build new and better Christmas memories thanks to Colin.

Spending as much time together as they do, their attraction soon overwhelms their vow to stick to friendship. Both of them discover that their connection is deeper than just the physical, but what they do with that knowledge is an indication of their own personalities. Colin wants to believe that now that love has entered the picture, Natalie's opinion of marriage will change. Meanwhile, Natalie is afraid of the feelings Colin has raised in her, and that like the others she has seen, won't last, leaving her heartbroken in the end. 

Colin made big plans to show Natalie how he felt, and they went quite well until that moment at the Grand Old Opry. Then he went too far, and I hurt for both him and Natalie. Natalie was too afraid to trust her feelings and his, and the only thing she could do was run. 

They still had to face each other for the rehearsal and wedding for Colin's sister. While standing in for the bride at the rehearsal, Natalie finally begins to face her fears and realize what she really wants, but getting Colin to listen is a whole different problem. When it came time for the wedding, I wasn't at all surprised by what Lily did. I loved Natalie's big moment, and how she dealt with the wedding crisis. I saw it coming, but that didn't make it any less romantic. 

I loved the epilogue and seeing where all four couples are a year later. It was an excellent wrap up to the series.

Series: Brides and Belles (Book 3)

What happens when a fake wedding date gets all too real?

Pretend to be famous bachelor Julian Cooper's girlfriend? Some women might be thrilled with the request -- not Gretchen McAlister. Her job is planning weddings, not being the best man's date. But after Julian's latest celebrity breakup, "ordinary" Gretchen is the perfect PR ploy.

Julian is against the whole plan…until he meets Gretchen. Honest and beautiful -- even beneath her fancy makeover -- his new "girlfriend" makes him want something more, something real…

Fun book. The wedding planning service that Gretchen and her friends own is hosting the wedding of a music superstar. The groom's best friend, Hollywood star Julian Cooper, just broke up with his girlfriend, so his agent hires Gretchen to be Julian's "girlfriend" during the wedding events. Gretchen is wary, but the money offered will allow her to fulfill her dream of visiting Italy, so she says yes.

Gretchen is not very comfortable around men. She has spent her life feeling unattractive just because she is short and curvy instead of tall and thin. She doesn't think Julian will be at all interested in her as his date, but she goes through the planned makeover anyway. I loved the way that it gave her a new view of herself, even though she didn't think it would make her any more appealing to Julian.

The first meeting between them is a bit awkward, as Julian isn't sure it's necessary and Gretchen is sure that he won't be interested. But there's something about Gretchen that draws Julian in, and he's suddenly more than willing to give the scheme a chance. I liked how he tried to put her at ease and his insistence on "practicing" so that their relationship looks real. Julian realized how much he liked being with a woman who seemed to be unaffected by his stardom and he really started to enjoy their time together. I loved the way that he told Gretchen about how fake Hollywood women are in order to help her see that she has nothing to be afraid of.

I really liked seeing the way that Julian's attention helps Gretchen gain confidence in herself. The attraction between them is there from the beginning, though it takes a little while for her to accept that he just as attracted to her. There's a little hiccup in their growing relationship when Gretchen reveals the basis for her discomfort, but once Julian recovers he is everything she could hope for. Gretchen also has an effect on Julian. Her joy in her work is a positive influence on him, as he struggles with his need to continue filming hits and his desire to portray something with more substance. As they grow closer he opens up about the secret he has kept from the rest of the world, happy to have her support during a crisis. 

When that secret is revealed, he reacts badly. He's hurt to think that she's like all the rest and says some terrible things to her. Gretchen is devastated to think that he believes she would do such a thing. When the true culprit is revealed (and I didn't see that one coming) he realizes just how stupid he was. I liked that he knew he had some serious grovelling to do, and how he went about doing it. I did feel that Gretchen could have made him work just a little bit harder before she forgave him. Overall, the ending was very satisfying.

Reclaimed  by the Rancher by Janice Maynard 

Series: Texas Cattleman's Club: Lies and Lullabies (Book .5)

Only the fiancé she left in the dust can help her!

To fend off a mysterious oil company's aggressive buyout offer and save her family land, Lucy Peyton can only turn to one man for help. Yes, she'd practically left Jeff Hartley at the altar, but she'd had her reasons. Such as catching the rich rancher kissing her best friend before the wedding! But now, face-to-face with Jeff on his doorstep, she realizes the chemistry between them is as strong as ever and panics.

If Lucy wants his help, she'll have it—on his terms. She'll also receive a lesson in what she missed when she ran. Because in the end, Jeff Hartley always gets what he wants…no matter how long he has to wait.

Short story/prequel to the series, found on the Harlequin website and in the back of the November Desire books. It begins with Lucy showing up at Jeff's for the first time in two years, ever since she cancelled their wedding the day before it was to happen. Jeff is stunned, and none too happy to see her, remembering what her desertion felt like. 

Lucy is desperate to keep her cousin from selling their family land to an oil company, she goes to Jeff for help. She's still hurt by the way he betrayed her, but believes that he'll be willing to do what's needed to protect the land. She doesn't think that the man she's worked so hard to forget can still attract her but he does.

Jeff can't believe that Lucy had the guts to come to him for help, but has to admit she knows which buttons to push to get him to agree. He's not going to make it easy for her, though, and lays down some conditions. He's determined to either get her out of his heart forever, or take the future they should have had from the start.

I liked the way that Lucy wanted to protect the family land. She seemed to have a realistic view of her cousin, though he insists that this time will be different. I'll be interested to see if there's any followup in future books. When she confronts Jeff about what happened at the rehearsal dinner, I could see the problem from both sides. Lucy felt betrayed that Jeff was kissing her maid of honor, and Jeff was furious that she never gave him a chance to tell her what happened. She simply reacted, without showing enough faith in him to want the truth. Jeff made his own mistakes by giving in to wounded pride and not insisting.

The heat between them when they met for dinner to discuss the deal was intense. Jeff was determined to show her what she had missed. Though his method was a bit underhanded, if she hadn't been willing I'm sure he wouldn't have done it.

The confrontation with Kristin went just the way I expected to and I didn't feel badly for her at all. I did feel for Lucy, whose feelings of betrayal were brought back to the surface, but with a different focus. The ending was good, especially with Jeff insisting on not waiting to get on with their future.