Alyse is being harassed by Marcus who is trying to get her to marry him. Even her father has started to put pressure on her to marry him. So Alyse thinks the only way to turn him off is to let him see her with someone else. So at a party she happens to see Dario Olivero who she does not know but think he would be perfect for what she needs. Dario also is at the party to find the woman that his half-brother is after to put a dent into that relationship.Dario is the bastard child of their fathers and Dario does not get along or have any good relationship with them. So Dario.finds Alyse and doesn't tell her either what he wants with her. They do get caught as they wanted but they find that both were taken back that they were using each other. Now Daio tries to save Alyse from his brothers revenge and also Dario thinks at the same time get revenge to his brother.

I was disappointed with this book. I guess it's my own fault. This cover was so gorgeous, it made me excited to read the book. However, the story is pretty ho-hum. It lacks passion, and I don't just mean sexual passion. I thought it would be pretty vibrant because of how they first meet and their instant chemistry, but this foundation isn't built on in a satisfactory way for me. Fundamentally, I didn't get excited about reading this, but I just wanted to get it read.

One thing that was pretty interesting was how malignant Dario's brother was. He was basically stalking Elyse because his father wanted him to marry her, and her father pretty much dangles her like bait in front of him. I think Dario's father was a big, fat jerk, and it bothers me that Dario was so stuck on getting his approval. I know his mother made him promise to reconnect with the guy, but Dario was too emotionally fixated on his father's approval. Poor Elyse comes off as a pawn for most of this book. I love revenge stories, but I prefer when the heroine retains some power over herself, even if it's mentally or emotionally. Elyse seems to fold in on herself. I can see how things were with her. Her parents are so fixated on each other, she is emotionally neglected. That's why I wanted her to have a hero who was crazy about her. I don't think Dario was really. Of course, at the end, they make up and love is declared, but it wasn't fully convincing to me.

I gave this three stars more because I liked the heroine and I do give the cover props. It's probably nothing special to some readers, but I think it's kind of a unique look for this series.This book had some potential, but it wasn't anything particularly memorable. I think I just have such high expectations for Harlequin Presents because I love them so much, and I'm disappointed when they don't live up to those expectations.

Title: Impersonation

Author: Tamsin Kate Walker

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 2 Stars

Description/Synopsis: “I caught a glimpse of myself today...I saw my description in the pages of a book, in the words of a man I have never met.”

 

When Ruth receives a new novel from her book club, she is immediately intrigued. ‘The Ruthlessness of One Man’ claims to be about a real-life London commuter and, as Ruth delves further into the dark tale, she makes a sinister discovery.

 

She is that commuter.

 

As Ruth reads on and becomes convinced that the author, Mr Walden, intends her to be more than just his muse, she must unravel the story to uncover just what he has in store for her, both on paper and in reality. Ultimately, she only has the book itself to piece together Mr Walden's identity and motive. But can she do it in time to stop herself from becoming the victim of a twisted literary plot?

 

WARNING - SPOILERS MAY ENSUE BEYOND THIS POINT - REVIEW BELOW

 

I had a very difficult time getting through this book - but perhaps I should explain first. Impersonation is a story about a woman, Ruth Morton (who oddly enough shares my last name!), who one day receives a copy of a book in her mail from a book club and upon reading it, discovers that she is the protagonist. Somewhere in the world a man she doesn't know saw her on a London commuter train and decided to write a book based on her appearance. The problem is, the image he paints of Ruth isn't flattering, and worse still, as she continues to read the story, it starts to take a dark turn. Through the course of the book, we learn that Ruth is being stalked by parties unknown, and this stalker is hell-bent on inserting himself into her life.

 

Now, understand that I am not a great lover of first-person present tense, so getting into this book was already quite difficult for me. I'm a strong advocate for 1st or 3rd person past tense and felt it difficult to connect to the characters through the impersonality of the format. That being said, as I read on, I found it nearly impossible to like or even feel particular sympathy for any of the characters. Their personalities were flat, their actions wholly unbelievable, and there was an almost overwhelming and tragic sense of desperation for each of the characters portrayed.

 

There were a few instances in this book where I literally paused and wrote myself a note about the ridiculousness of the character's actions. For example, at one point Ruth meets a man by the name of James. The portrait we're painted of this man is that he's an older, divorced man working in a dilapidated building that smells of urine. At the time of their meeting, Ruth believes he may actually be her stalker, and even runs away from him. Despite this, by the end of the day she's willing to sleep with him, and ends up pining for him for the rest of the book (despite the fact that he showed little more than superficial interest in her). I couldn't find the appeal or even the attraction in their relationship, and it seemed absurd at the time that she would throw herself into a relationship with this stranger (when she already had a boyfriend at home I might add) amidst her obvious paranoia.

 

At another point, her mother hires a private investigator to follow her own daughter around. Why? Because she doesn't speak to her often enough for her own liking and wants to contrive a way to insert herself into her daughter's life (A theme that continues until the very end of the book). Quite frankly, her mother came off nearly as creepy and disturbing as the stalker. By the end of the story, I was utterly disgusted at this woman's meddling.

 

Another part of this book I had trouble with was the random dropping of crossword puzzle questions all throughout the narrative. The first time I came across it I had no idea what it meant - it was a jumble of words that didn't seem to make any good English sense, followed by a series of numbers. It was not explained and was simply dropped into bits and pieces of the narrative. I was so put off by these odd little additions that I actually deleted and re-downloaded my copy of the book to make sure it wasn't some sort of strange publishing error. Upon finding that it was indeed, intended to be in the book (and it was later hinted that these were crossword references) I simply chose to ignore every instance of italicized text after that point to avoid confusion. Though the back of the book had the answers to the crossword questions and it became obvious (after I'd read the book) that the answers pertained to the story itself, I found their use distracting and needless. The story read fine without the insertions, and there didn't seem to be any clear reason why they were added in the first place. Crosswords were only mentioned twice in the entire book, and only in fleeting mention.

 

All of that aside, the story was interesting, and after attempting to ignore the actions of the main characters and the crossword bits, I was able to appreciate the mystery of the storyline. Watching Ruth being stalked by the mysterious book writer was very much like watching a train wreck in that it held a macabre interest. I wanted to see how the story played out, and quite frankly, I was hoping to see the main character get killed. Not only that, but the characters themselves were so... at odds with the world around them - so muddled in their thoughts and actions that I could only sit back and watch them fall apart from the sidelines.

 

I don't know that I would recommend this book to anyone but the very clever, and the very disturbed (which I'll admit I am) who think it fascinating to watch a series of characters fall apart. I didn't walk away from this book with a positive feeling of where the plot ended, nor towards any of the characters themselves. It's like driving by a car crash.. you just want to peek at the misery and drive away with as little guilt as possible. I left this book with an impression of uneasiness that was not easily shook at the time of this review, nearly 2 hours later.

I know I have a day dream or a dozen about winning the lottery. How would that play out in your love life?

 

These Romance Novels explore that question. Enjoy!

 

1. Billion Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

 

Colton Nelson was twenty-eight years old when he won the Texas Lottery and went from ranch hand to ranch owner overnight. Now he's desperate to keep the gold diggers away. It shouldn't be too hard to find a pretty girl and hire her to pretend to be his one-and-only. 

Laura Baker's got mixed feelings about this-she's on the ranch to work, not to be arm candy. On the other hand, being stuck for a while in the boondocks with a gorgeous cowboy isn't half-bad.

What neither Colton nor Laura expects are the intensely hard lessons they have to learn about the real cost of love...

 

2. Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich

 

For months he'd thought of her as the Mystery Woman, draped in a black velvet cloak, with outrageous red curls, flawless skin, and carrying a large, odd case--but the night David Dodd saw a helicopter drop a chunk of metal through the roof of his lovely neighbor's bedroom, he got to meet the formidable and delightful Katherine Finn at last! Rescuing damsels and fixing roofs was dangerous work, he told her, and at the very least he deserved a kiss--didn't he? Kate couldn't argue with Dave's logic, but how could she, the driven concert musician with more commitments than hours in the day, be falling head over heels for a likable cuddler who seemed to be drifting through life? No one had ever made her feel as cherished or desirable, and she'd never had so much fun, but even though her eccentric boarder, Elsie, assured her that where Kate was concerned Dave had plenty of ambition, could she really love a guy who was just smart, sexy and rich?

 

3. Fifty Million Reasons by Heather Wardell

 

Angela has typical lottery-player plans: help friends and family, give more to charity, and escape her rut. But when she wins big, she faces angry relatives, her own unexpected greed, and a lawsuit from the person who put her in that rut. Almost nobody treats her normally, and they've got fifty million reasons not to. 

She can buy anything she wants now, but can she buy the life she needs? 

 

4. Burn by Linda Howard

 

When Jenner Redwine wins a lottery jackpot, she can’t imagine ever finding a place in the world of the wealthy. Seven years later, though, she finds an ally—and a guide to the rarefied realm of privilege—in the kind-hearted heiress Sydney Hazlett, who invites Jenner on a charity cruise aboard a luxury liner. But what Jenner gets is more like a Hitchcock movie than a Love Boat episode. Taken hostage by a menacing stranger, with nowhere to run, Jenner is drawn into a game of dizzying intrigue and harrowing danger. But as fear of her captor turns to fascination, Jenner rediscovers feelings she hasn’t had in years—and realizes she’s found a life worth living. If she survives.

 

5. The Devil and Miss Jones by Kate Walker

 

THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES (3) by Kate Walker: Lottery winner Martha Jones narrowly escapes marrying a con artist, but when she runs out on her wedding she runs straight into a storm. Carlos Ortega swoops in to rescue her, and Martha is shocked by her immediate attraction to her Argentinian motorcycle-driving savior. A single night of uncomplicated, anonymous passion was what they both wanted. So how will they handle the unexpected consequences of their single night together?

 

6. Winning Amelia by Ingrid Weaver

 

Can fate really be this cruel?

Amelia Goodfellow can't escape her bad luck. After her ex-husband's embezzlement conviction cost her everything, winning the lottery seemed like fate's way of paying her back. But to then lose the painting she hid the winning ticket in? Amelia is done with luck. She's going to get that painting and her life back. Even if it means hiring her old flame, private investigator Hank Jones.

 

Trust isn't easy for Amelia, so keeping Hank in the dark about the ticket just makes sense. Tracking the yard-sale purchaser of the painting should be simple, but then an auction of stolen art complicates the search, and Amelia suddenly has more to lose than money. A second chance with Hank might be priceless.

 

7. Cherry On Top by Kathleen Long

 

Life... When Cherry Harte wins the lottery, she sets out to reinvent her life. New villa. New wardrobe. New personal history. The only thing that can stop her now is her wacky family and the hunky mechanic who kicks her libido from zero to sixty in no time flat.

Luck... Luke Chance has had it with women, especially women with new money, yet Cherry Harte seems to be far more than a pretty package. But is she on the lam? The woman's hiding something, and Luke intends to find out what. He's a man on mission. Call it...

Love.

 

8. Kiss Me Deadly by Susan Kearney

 

Her luck may have just run out . . . 

Dedicated family attorney Amanda "Mandy" Newman may have survived an attempted drowning and, along with co-workers, just won the biggest lottery in history, but before she can collect, the ticket is stolen. Now, her co-workers are being murdered one by one.  

She needs help, and that puts her between a rock and a hard man—the brother of a co-worker.

DEA officer Zack Taylor was a one-night stand who'd turned into so much more. Now that his family and Mandy are in danger, he is back in the picture. The attraction between them still simmers; Zack can feel it. But can he resist his desire for her long enough to discover her secret? 

With her life on the line, the attraction between them should be kept on ice. After all, under the circumstances, a kiss could be deadly.

 

9. Frisky Business by Tawna Fenske

 

There he is again

No more rich men for Marley Cartman. Absolutely not. Thanks to her dad, her ex-fiancé, and the overbearing donors she schmoozes for a living, she's had more than her fill. From now on, she wants blue-collar men with dirt under their fingernails. But when Marley makes a break to handle donor relations for a wildlife sanctuary, she finds herself drawn to the annoyingly charming—and disturbingly wealthy—chairman of the board.

The kind of man she doesn't want

Judging by his hipster T-shirts, motley assortment of canine companions, and penchant for shaking up stuffy board meetings, you'd never guess that William Barclay the Fifth is a brilliantly successful businessman. Will has good reason to be leery of scheming women, and as he and Marley butt heads over the wisdom of bringing grumpy badgers to charity events, he can't help but wonder if his new donor relations coordinator is hiding something other than a perfect figure beneath that designer suit...

 

10. Million Dollar Dilemma by Judy Baer

 

So when over $20 million falls into her lap, Cassia Carr views her Midas touch as a cross, not a blessing—and certainly doesn't anticipate the difficulty of giving it all away!

And it's hard enough to gauge romantic feelings without the chaos of a major windfall. Her globetrotting neighbor, Adam Cavanaugh, seems interested—but in Cassia or her fortune? When Adam abruptly disappears, should Cassia forget him or follow her heart to an unknown, life-changing destination?

 

Do you have a favorite? Let me know! Vote on my Goodreads list:  Windfall: Lottery Winners in Romance 

3.5