His Island Bride

by Marion Lennox

Sam has traveled to make amends for his twin brother - who abandoned a woman pregnant with his babies. But Sam is struck by Susie, single mother of twins. Susie is equally struck by Sam - but, while he's nothing like Grant, he is his twin brother. How can she trust him not to break their hearts?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

284 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Writing romance sounds fascinating. Huh?

I'm a writer. I'm boring. Day after day I sit behind a word processor making up people in my head. Why do I do it? I love it. My husband, Dave, gets up in the morning, puts on a suit and heads out into the ice and cold of Ballarat's winter. (Sadly I live in one of the tiny parts of Australia that qualifies as cold.) I make myself another cup of coffee, head up to my study, choose what music I want and sit and daydream. And I get paid for doing it. Hooray!

My first attempt at writing romance, 'Dare To Love Again', a Medical Romance, was published by Harlequin Mills and Boon in 1990. It still stands today as a monument to my family's ability to survive on cheese sandwiches and spaghetti.

Since then I've written over 80 Romances for Harlequin Mills and Boon, with more on the drawing board. (I used a pseudonym - Trisha David - for the first few Romances but suffered with a split personality and have since reverted to being Marion Lennox all the time.) In between romances, I've co-authored a non-fiction history, (I love local history) done the odd (very odd) spot of housework and done a heap of travelling - research :-)

I come from a farming community. You can probably tell this from my books. There's not a skyscraper in sight. I'm very much a pets person. Chloe and Harry were my constant canine companions for many years as I wrote, demanding walks and air freshener at frequent intervals. Sadly I lost them, and for a while I vowed not to get another. My heart was broken and my study smelled so clean! But.. The cat and I missed them so badly we weakened and bought Mitzi. Mitzi's a black and silver mini-schnauzer who makes me and the cat laugh. Expect to find her in future stories.

If you're interested in formalities, I hold a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a teaching diploma. I have a couple of kids and a huge extended family who look on me with affectionate tolerance. Marion? The crazy one who talks to people in her head... I've had nine nominations for the Rita, winning twice, and fourteen for the Australian Book of the Year. After years of thinking of my writing as a hobby I guess I finally now qualify as a `real' writer.

Thank your for taking the trouble to check out my web page. Now try my books. We might even end up having fun together. And write to me. I show my family - `See? Real people do like the things that go in in my head.'

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars ~ Sam is devastated when his twin brother dies of leukemia. All of their lives, Sam had been the responsible one and Grant was the charming life of the party. Though both became doctors, Grant had to use connections to get through, while Sam was brilliant and became an orthopedic surgeon. Grant took advantage of everyone and Sam was always left to clean up his messes. But even though Grant seemed to hate Sam, Sam loved his brother and his death sent him spiraling into depression. Much to his surprise, Grant named a woman in Australia as his life insurance beneficiary. Intrigued, Sam decides to deliver the very large bequest in person. His first meeting of beautiful Susie is at an accident site where the two of them use their medical experience to save a man. Susie immediately recognizes Sam as his brother Grant, and is shocked to learn that one, Grant had a twin and two, that Grant is now dead. Susie's also the rock of her community. As a nurse and rehab physiologist, Susie's often the frontline medical assistance to the people on the island. And now with the only bridge collapsed from the accident, the islanders are cut off from mainland medical care. Unable to say no, when Sam wants to get to know Susie's twin boys, Grant's sons, Susie insists that he earns his keep and takes over as the island's doctor for the duration of his stay. The more time Sam spends with Susie, the more he comes to respect her, not only for her outstanding skills as a medic, but for her compassion and dedication to the islanders and her boys. Sam envy's the twins their bond, a bond he lost with his brother when they were five and they were separated. Now Sam has a chance to make up for the all the pain Grant had caused Susie and a chance to see that his nephews' futures are secure.

While it takes Susie some time to see Sam as someone very different from his identical twin, it doesn't take long for Sam to recognize that Susie is a remarkable woman. Sam discovers he enjoys the quiet life and his role in taking care of the islanders. Making Susie smile becomes his only goal, and when she does she knocks his socks off. I loved the ending, and how hard Sam had to work to earn Susie's love. Ms. Lennox creates characters with wonderful depth, that are thoroughly likable and you can't help but cheer on.

[Hannah Fielding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I requested this book on NetGalley because the cover is beautiful and the blurb intrigued me. I confess I’ve a soft spot for ‘forced to marry for convenience, not love’ storylines; you just know somewhere along the line business will dissolve into pleasure!

The book did not disappoint: so much emotion shines through in the storyline, and I found myself so gripped that I read the story in two sittings. I love the island setting (I found myself rather wistful and wishing I could live somewhere so idyllic and away from the hustle and bustle), and I love the idea of a wedding-destination hotel. What a wonderful establishment to set up and run – the very epitome of romantic; but of course how credible it is that a run of divorces could be bad for business!

For me, this book is character led, and both Jace and Brooke are the kind of characters that make you just have to read on to discover their pasts, presents and futures. I love the fact that both characters have a good deal of honour and loyalty to family and the local community – both will enter into a sham marriage just to protect those they love and ensure the hotel, the main source of income for the people, is secure.

There’s such an honesty to writing that it is impossible not to believe in these characters. For example, Jace and Brooke were together years ago, but Jace left Brooke without much of a thought, focusing instead on his own future, which is saddening but realistic. The realism extends into the character’s chemistry – such passion between them!

But above all the element of the book that really affected me was Brooke’s secret (I won’t spoil the plot by explaining that here). It’s heart-rending and terrible and so powerfully affects who she is and how she relates to Jace – poor, oblivious Jace. When a storm strikes and the characters are plunged into danger, will the truth out – and when it does, will Jace stand by Brooke?

You see why I stayed up late to read to the end: I just had to find out!

Compelling, moving, passionate – I heartily recommend this book.

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, it reminded me of why I love categories. Unfortunately, I did not appreciate the twist/Big Mis near the end, so my grade dropped. 2.5 stars

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not awful. Felt a little rushed at the ending but there is a pretty good romance between them. I believe they are in love.

[Eileen M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mass Market Paperback!