Affairs of State - Jennifer Lewis (HD #2234 - June 2013)

Series: Daughters of Power: The Capital (Book 6)

American Royalty

First she discovers she's the secret daughter of the American president, then she falls for a British prince. Ariella Winthrop's life can't get much more complicated. Or can it?

Having fun with Simon Worth-passionate meetings, hiding their attraction from the public-is one thing. But getting serious? The British monarchy certainly doesn't want their beloved prince dating an American, much less one with her fair share of scandals. But when Ariella discovers she's pregnant with a royal baby, all bets are off. This woman is fighting for what is hers.

Good book and nice conclusion to the series.  As of the last book (A Very Exclusive Engagement - Andrea Laurence) the mystery of how the secret of Ariella's birth was discovered has been solved and the perpetrators have been caught.  Now it is time for Ariella to meet her father and come to terms with her new life.  She has been trying to keep things as normal as possible, continuing her work as an event planner and being with her friends.  At one of her events she meets Simon Worth, British prince, and one of the sexiest men she's ever met.  She assumes he wants to use their company to plan an event and treats him as a client.  She is attracted to him but is well aware that, as a prince, he is far out of her reach for anything permanent.  She finds herself quite comfortable with him, enjoying his sense of humor, his outlook on life, and the way that he understands what she is going through.  When she visits him in England some of his family members make her feel less than welcome.  She realizes that she's fallen in love with him and that it is an impossible situation.  When she discovers that she is pregnant she decides that she isn't going to follow in her parents' footsteps and that she will fight for what she wants.  I also really enjoyed her developing relationship with her parents and seeing the difference they make in her life.

Simon first notices Ariella at an event he is attending and makes sure to meet her.  He is interested from the first in pursuing a relationship with her, but realizes that she is very skittish.  He uses the planning of a charity event to get close to her first then makes it clear to her that he is interested in her on a personal level.  He knows that his family has been pushing for him to settle down with an "appropriate" bride, but he has always been the independent sort who does things his own way.  It doesn't take long for him to realize that what he wants with Ariella is more than just a fling.  All he has to do is convince her.  I thought that Simon was a bit on the clueless side when he failed to consider that his family would not be thrilled with his pursuit of Ariella.  I did like the fact that he did not give up on getting what he wanted and was willing to do whatever he had to do.  I really enjoyed the way that he truly listened to Ariella and was able to help her deal with her notoriety.  I really loved the ending.

A Very Exclusive Engagement - Andrea Laurence (HD #2228 - May 2013)

Series: Daughters of Power: The Capital (Book 5)

"What happens in the elevator, stays in the elevator, right?"

Trapped between floors with his spitfire employee, media mogul Liam Crowe can't control the chemistry. First, Francesca Orr is calling her new boss names in the boardroom; next, she's kissing him! Now Liam has some choice names for Francesca: fiancée, maybe even wife. Because the only way to keep control of the scandal-plagued news network he's just acquired is if he settles down, and Francesca is perfect fake-fiancée material. But when she goes along with the plan, things get real-really fast-because there's nothing fake about Francesca....

Good book.  Liam has purchased the network after the previous owner was arrested in a phone hacking scandal (No Stranger to Scandal).  Francesca is giving him problems because she is advocating for her projects and not backing down.  She has called him some uncomplimentary names, in Italian which he doesn't speak.  There is something about her which has really gotten his attention and when they get trapped in an elevator together things get pretty heated.  When his aunt, who owns a good chunk of the network's stock, threatens to sell those shares unless he settles down, he approaches Francesca to help him out.

I really liked both Liam and Francesca.  Liam has good ideas for bringing the network back from its scandalous past but he is being pressured by his aunt.  His attraction to Francesca has him thinking that maybe he can kill two birds with one stone - save the network and get closer to Francesca.  He figures that if they pretend to be engaged he can eventually convince his aunt to back down.  When he makes a bargain with Francesca he also manages to show her how good they can be together.  It was fun seeing him work so hard to remind himself that this was a fake engagement and that it would end while at the same time immersing himself in the pleasure of Francesca's presence in his life.  When they end up having to marry he's still fighting his feelings.  I liked the way he ended up saving his relationship with Francesca.

Francesca was a very interesting heroine.  Her mother is Italian and her father is Irish.  There is a lot of passion in her personality.  I loved the way she stands up for her projects in the board meeting.  When she and Liam get trapped in the elevator she has no problem giving into her passions but her mind takes control when they are rescued and she has to face what happened.  When Liam comes to her with his proposition she really isn't sure until she sees something she considers a good omen for the idea.  I liked the way that she and Liam worked together to make things better at the network.  She found herself liking him more and more and those feeling quickly grew into love.  She wanted to think that things could work out but she kept seeing signs that things were going to go wrong.  I have to admit that her superstitiousness kind of irritated me.  Her mother made a comment that I really liked "If you believe in your heart that you are doomed before you start, you will be right."   She allowed those superstitions to cause her to lose faith in the possibilities.  She very nearly threw it all away because of them.

There were some really good scenes that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.  The elevator scene was definitely hot and showed their chemistry to perfection.  The wedding planning sessions with Ariella and Scarlet were fantastic.  The wedding cake confrontation was a real page turner to see what Angelica would do.  I absolutely loved Liam's conversation with Francesca's father and his aunt.  Of course, the final resolution with Liam and Francesca was the perfect coming together of the two of them.

No Stranger to Scandal - Rachel Bailey (HD #2222 - Apr 2013)

Series: Daughters of Power: The Capital (Book 4)

Decorum Vs. Destiny

She might be the stepdaughter of one of the most powerful media moguls in Washington, but Lucy Randall is no pampered princess-she's making her own way as a junior reporter. But when congressional investigator Hayden Black accuses her stepfather of criminal wrongdoing, she shows her family loyalty and takes Hayden on. Then, as things heat up, the sexy single dad takes her to bed! Talk about a conflict of interest. Will their illicit passion turn into something more lasting, even in the face of controversy so huge it rocks a nation? 

Good book.  I liked Lucy and the fact that she was trying to make it on her own.  Her stepfather owns the news station and offered her a job as a full reporter or anchor, but she wants to earn those positions.  She is also sure that he is innocent of being involved in the illegal phone hacking that led to the scandal of the president's daughter.  When she is called to be interviewed by Hayden she doesn't expect the overwhelming attraction that she felt.  Nor does she expect him to be just as attracted as she was.  Both of them feel that there are too many reasons that a relationship between them would be a bad idea.  Lucy is set on proving Graham is innocent while Hayden is sure he's guilty.  Lucy is ten years younger than Hayden and doesn't want another older man running her life.  I liked her loyalty to her stepfather.  I also liked the way that she decided to work with Hayden to find out the truth even though each believed the truth to be something different.  She wasn't happy when Graham wanted her to dig up dirt on Hayden especially as she got to know him better.  Both agreed that a relationship wasn't what they wanted, but they had no problems entering into a fling as long as they stuck to the ground rules they set.  It didn't take long for Lucy to realize that Hayden was more important to her than just a fling.  

I liked Hayden also.  After the death of his wife he realized that he didn't like the way she had shut him out of his son's life.  He was now going to make Josh the center of his life and not risk giving someone else the same power over Josh's life.  His attraction to Lucy is very unwelcome and distracting.  His main focus has to be on finding the truth behind the phone hacking and being with Lucy is definitely a conflict of interest.  I really loved the way that he was so intent on being a good father and how much he obviously loved Josh.  I also liked the way that he included Lucy in some of the things he did with Josh even though he was insisting that a relationship was impossible.  He was fighting his feelings hard but it became obvious to Hayden that he cared more than he should.  I also really liked the way all of his investigating was done within the law, unlike what the news station did.  

There was a really interesting twist in the investigation that I didn't see coming.  I'm also looking forward to the next book to see what happens with the news station and the continuing investigation.

A Wedding She'll Never Forget - Robyn Grady (HD #2216 - Mar 2013)

Series: Daughters of Power: The Capital (Book 3)

Remembrance of Things Passionate

She's been making the "right" decisions all her life. But after elite D.C. event planner Scarlet Anders meets self-made billionaire Daniel McNeal-a rowdy, sexy male who laughs in the face of society-she wishes she could make different choices.

Then she trips over a tangled wedding veil and everything changes. Because the resulting memory loss turns prim-and-proper Scarlet into carefree Scarlet. She jumps at Daniel's offer of a wild affair. Yet when her memory returns, she realizes she's in love with this man-but is he willing to give her a wedding of her own?

Very good book.  I really liked both Daniel and Scarlet.  Scarlet has been brought up to be very proper and attentive to the way her actions can affect other people.  As a result, she's pretty uptight.  When she meets Daniel she immediately notices the attraction between them.  She is also very aware of his reputation and does not approve of his playboy ways.  I loved the way that her memory loss allowed her to let go of her hangups and just go with her instincts.  I loved her ability to have fun and loved her enthusiasm about all the things she was doing.  I also loved the way that she was eventually able to confront her memories and make peace with some of the things she remembered.  Daniel was a great foil for her.  As uptight as she was, he was laid back and happy.  I loved the way that he kept trying to do fun things for and with Scarlet.  He was obviously very successful but had also discovered how to have some balance in his life.  He also had his own issues with the past and dealt with them pretty much by ignoring them.  His attitude was that the past was past and had no bearing on the present.  He really liked Scarlet and kept picturing her being with him for a long time.  But his way of dealing with the past and her way clashed and created its own set of problems.  I loved the way that Daniel finally confronted his demons and the ending was terrific.  I also enjoyed the parts dealing with the ongoing story of the leaks and hacking, and the relationship between Ariella and her friends.  I'm looking forward to seeing more of this story come out and how it finally gets resolved.

Bedroom Diplomacy - Michelle Celmer (HD #2210 - Feb 2013)

Series: Daughters of Power: The Capital (Book 2)

A Scandal Waiting to Happen

After her last politically minded suitor left her heartbroken and pregnant, Rowena has sworn off the Capitol Hill dating pool. But even she isn't immune to Colin Middlebury's British charms, and his skills extend beyond the political arena.

As a diplomat, Colin has dealt with a lot of demands, but none like Senator Tate's warning to stay away from his beautiful daughter. Colin needs the senator's support, but resistance is futile where Rowena is concerned. What harm could there be in getting to know her a little better? International relations are about to become quite...intimate. 

Good book.  Rowena has gotten her life together after being something of a wild child.  She is running a child care center on her father's estate and caring for her special needs son.  I liked the way she was so intent on the care of her son.  I also liked the fact that she had a troubled past and had overcome her addictions to become a better person.  She had long since tired of the way men tried to use her to get to her father so she doesn't date any more.  When she is introduced to Colin there is an immediate attraction between them but she knows better than to give in to it.  Colin is in the US to work on a treaty regarding internet security.  He is immediately drawn to Rowena but is warned off by her father.  He finds, however, that he just can't stay away from her.  I really liked the way he continued his pursuit of Rowena even though they had to be careful.  I also loved how good he was with her son.  There was an immediate connection there, even though Colin had no idea if he would be any good with children. He hadn't had a good relationship with his mother so he is very impressed by Rowena's love for her son.  I liked the way that Colin's attentions gave Rowena the courage to finally stand up to her father and take her life back. I didn't like the Senator at all.  I also liked the way that Rowena is going to take their relationship slowly to make sure that everything goes smoothly.  There wasn't much about the continuing mystery of the president's daughter, but there were a few hints dropped on the progress.  I'm looking forward to the next book.