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His Innocent for One Spanish Night
Will she say “yes” to being awakened by the Spanish billionaire? Find out in this boss romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Carol Marinelli !
The virgin, the playboy…
And their surrender to temptation!
Determined to be bolder, photographer Emily Jacobs has left behind her unexciting life to work in stunning Spain. The sights and the music all ignite a fire in her—a fire that one sinful smile from her boss, Alejandro Romero, whips into an inferno!
Alej’s desire for Emily is held at bay solely by his belief she’s too naive for someone so cynical. Yet the innocent challenges his assumption at every turn…until one passionate encounter is irresistible. The trouble is, now Alej knows exactly how electric they are together…
From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
Read all the Heirs to the Romero Empire
Book 1: His Innocent for One Spanish Night
Book 2: Midnight Surrender to the Spaniard
The virgin, the playboy…
And their surrender to temptation!
Determined to be bolder, photographer Emily Jacobs has left behind her unexciting life to work in stunning Spain. The sights and the music all ignite a fire in her—a fire that one sinful smile from her boss, Alejandro Romero, whips into an inferno!
Alej’s desire for Emily is held at bay solely by his belief she’s too naive for someone so cynical. Yet the innocent challenges his assumption at every turn…until one passionate encounter is irresistible. The trouble is, now Alej knows exactly how electric they are together…
From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
Read all the Heirs to the Romero Empire
Book 1: His Innocent for One Spanish Night
Book 2: Midnight Surrender to the Spaniard
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published March 28, 2023
57 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Carol Marinelli
1,402 books450 followersCarol Marinelli was born in England to Scottish parents, then emigrated to Australia, where there are loads of Scottish and English people who did exactly the same, so she’s very at home there.
She lives in the outer suburbs of Melbourne—pretty much in her car, driving her three children to their various commitments.
Carol writes for the Harlequin Presents and Medical lines and she also writes contemporary women's fiction (with a dark twist).
When she's not writing she's reading, when she's not reading she's writing.
She lives in the outer suburbs of Melbourne—pretty much in her car, driving her three children to their various commitments.
Carol writes for the Harlequin Presents and Medical lines and she also writes contemporary women's fiction (with a dark twist).
When she's not writing she's reading, when she's not reading she's writing.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 23, 2025
I love this cover image. I love romances set in Spain. I love Spanish heroes. But this one…bleh. 🫣🤢😑
The heroine is a placeholder at best—a frumpy dishrag with no self-respect, very little spine** & even less intelligence. I hated her. The hero is a complete cypher, a cardboard manwhore with no personality—there’s absolutely nothing memorable about him, so much so that I kept forgetting his name. He checks the surface-level HP boxes (billionaire; playboy; hot; siblings for series) but that’s all there is to him. At least an angry HP asshole has page presence, even if you want to wring his neck; this guy was so closed off from ~HaViNg eMoTiOnS~ that he was a ghost. All feels of any kind are bad, to the point where he’s shocked that the heroine buys souvenir gifts for her goddaughter while she’s also doing her photography AND sleeping with him every night. Say whaaat?! 😱 But then he suddenly decides he loves the dishrag & will be faithful to her forever, zomg!!! (Sure thing, champ. They’ll be filing for uber-polite divorce in 5 years. Mark it down. 🔮 Not even his own siblings believe he’s in love, & his brother is still questioning their suitability in the wedding day epilogue. *fail horn*)
The lack of significant plot did nothing to bolster this weak pair, with the ‘climactic’ flamenco dance taking place about halfway through, thereby leaving the rest to be filled by her timid cringe, his robotic standing around, & some tepid family melodrama about a sherry label + the forced-upon-him fiancée he keeps breaking up with. Yawn. 🥱
This was my first Marinelli HP. Sadly, it was lackluster—but I’ve got a couple others unread, so I’ll give her another try because I’ve heard good things about her work. Hopefully this was just a misfire.
**At one point she lambastes him for second-guessing whether she really thinks he’s the right guy to lose her virginity to—this after she states outright that she wants him to be her first lover—but she (rightly) puts him in his place for presuming to know her mind & desires better than she does. It was the only scene where she showed any real spark beyond telling him “more, more!” in bed.
The heroine is a placeholder at best—a frumpy dishrag with no self-respect, very little spine** & even less intelligence. I hated her. The hero is a complete cypher, a cardboard manwhore with no personality—there’s absolutely nothing memorable about him, so much so that I kept forgetting his name. He checks the surface-level HP boxes (billionaire; playboy; hot; siblings for series) but that’s all there is to him. At least an angry HP asshole has page presence, even if you want to wring his neck; this guy was so closed off from ~HaViNg eMoTiOnS~ that he was a ghost. All feels of any kind are bad, to the point where he’s shocked that the heroine buys souvenir gifts for her goddaughter while she’s also doing her photography AND sleeping with him every night. Say whaaat?! 😱 But then he suddenly decides he loves the dishrag & will be faithful to her forever, zomg!!! (Sure thing, champ. They’ll be filing for uber-polite divorce in 5 years. Mark it down. 🔮 Not even his own siblings believe he’s in love, & his brother is still questioning their suitability in the wedding day epilogue. *fail horn*)
The lack of significant plot did nothing to bolster this weak pair, with the ‘climactic’ flamenco dance taking place about halfway through, thereby leaving the rest to be filled by her timid cringe, his robotic standing around, & some tepid family melodrama about a sherry label + the forced-upon-him fiancée he keeps breaking up with. Yawn. 🥱
This was my first Marinelli HP. Sadly, it was lackluster—but I’ve got a couple others unread, so I’ll give her another try because I’ve heard good things about her work. Hopefully this was just a misfire.
**At one point she lambastes him for second-guessing whether she really thinks he’s the right guy to lose her virginity to—this after she states outright that she wants him to be her first lover—but she (rightly) puts him in his place for presuming to know her mind & desires better than she does. It was the only scene where she showed any real spark beyond telling him “more, more!” in bed.
July 24, 2023
His innocent for one Spanish night.
Emily Jacobs has spent five years with a fiancé working at his mother’s bed and breakfast. She was the only child of an older couple who adored her and embarrassed her with their old fashioned ways. They died. She was left alone.
She has a friend Anna who is an unwed mother.
And then there’s her fiancé Gordon who never seems to want to get intimate with her. He is satisfied with pecks on her cheek. She is too timid to leave the village she grew up in.
She has a hobby. She takes wonderful pictures. She also knows how to develop websites. She left college to take care of her ailing father so she is not better qualified.
Anyway, Gordon’s mother dies.
Gordon instantly puts the b&b on the market and dumps Emily.
Encouraged by her friend Anna she decides to take up a job in Spain through a girl she met at Spanish class and knows through the internet.
It’s a vineyard and a whole tourist establishment.. restaurants and so on. Owned by the Romero brothers.
The younger, Alejandro, is sweet and was his mama’s favourite. He loved her enough not to blame her for leaving unlike his brother and sister. His father lies very sick in hospital.
He is sitting in his taverna one evening and sees Emily who has just arrived to set up the website.
They are instantly in lust for each other.
By slow degrees the affair develops.
Emily is sweet, naive, clueless about fashion, slightly plump. But he wants her.
She is floored by him at sight.
The whole way the affair develops is so beautifully done. Very believable.
Both the characters are very likeable. You instantly want them to be happy.
Other characters mentioned are all fleshed out very well.
I just loved how the story was written.
There was no flaw till the end. Not one.
Carol Marinelli got her groove back with this one.
She has always been one of my favourites. And she proved why with this book.
Not one mis-step in plot development and conclusion.
Well done!
Emily Jacobs has spent five years with a fiancé working at his mother’s bed and breakfast. She was the only child of an older couple who adored her and embarrassed her with their old fashioned ways. They died. She was left alone.
She has a friend Anna who is an unwed mother.
And then there’s her fiancé Gordon who never seems to want to get intimate with her. He is satisfied with pecks on her cheek. She is too timid to leave the village she grew up in.
She has a hobby. She takes wonderful pictures. She also knows how to develop websites. She left college to take care of her ailing father so she is not better qualified.
Anyway, Gordon’s mother dies.
Gordon instantly puts the b&b on the market and dumps Emily.
Encouraged by her friend Anna she decides to take up a job in Spain through a girl she met at Spanish class and knows through the internet.
It’s a vineyard and a whole tourist establishment.. restaurants and so on. Owned by the Romero brothers.
The younger, Alejandro, is sweet and was his mama’s favourite. He loved her enough not to blame her for leaving unlike his brother and sister. His father lies very sick in hospital.
He is sitting in his taverna one evening and sees Emily who has just arrived to set up the website.
They are instantly in lust for each other.
By slow degrees the affair develops.
Emily is sweet, naive, clueless about fashion, slightly plump. But he wants her.
She is floored by him at sight.
The whole way the affair develops is so beautifully done. Very believable.
Both the characters are very likeable. You instantly want them to be happy.
Other characters mentioned are all fleshed out very well.
I just loved how the story was written.
There was no flaw till the end. Not one.
Carol Marinelli got her groove back with this one.
She has always been one of my favourites. And she proved why with this book.
Not one mis-step in plot development and conclusion.
Well done!
March 11, 2023
This is CM at her best. Credible plotting, excellent character development and a lovely romance.
I loved this and really enjoyed Alejandro and Emily’s journey to a happy ever after. I particularly loved Emily’s growth into a strong, powerful woman and Alejandro’s transformation into a man who could love and be loved. I love how CM shows the love developing from the beginning - so emotionally satisfying.
I was a little unsure at the beginning thinking Emily was going to be a wimp, but I should have known better. In the author’s hands this was an adult, emotionally satisfying story. I loved it.
I wanted Marianna, Carmen and Sebastian to get their comeuppance and I didn’t think the epilogue did the job it should have, so it lost a star - but I hope we’ll get more of Alejandro and Emily in Sebastian’s story.
I loved this and really enjoyed Alejandro and Emily’s journey to a happy ever after. I particularly loved Emily’s growth into a strong, powerful woman and Alejandro’s transformation into a man who could love and be loved. I love how CM shows the love developing from the beginning - so emotionally satisfying.
I was a little unsure at the beginning thinking Emily was going to be a wimp, but I should have known better. In the author’s hands this was an adult, emotionally satisfying story. I loved it.
I wanted Marianna, Carmen and Sebastian to get their comeuppance and I didn’t think the epilogue did the job it should have, so it lost a star - but I hope we’ll get more of Alejandro and Emily in Sebastian’s story.
March 2, 2023
Yeah, NO! Second HP book today I had to DNF because of slutty Hero. This one has one ex after another coming out of the woodwork to the point that he said he has f***d almost all of them in his town or business. Ewe!
Not interested in reading about an STD slutty Hero who spreads himself around and a heroine who only wants to join his bedpost......
What the heck has happened to HP????
Not interested in reading about an STD slutty Hero who spreads himself around and a heroine who only wants to join his bedpost......
What the heck has happened to HP????
Read
March 1, 2023Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Heirs to the Romero Empire (Book #1)
Miniseries
Heirs to the Romero Empire (Book #1)
October 2, 2024
4.5 stars
I just loved this, it was like watching two people fall in love in real time.
Emily is shy and plump, an orphan who has been used and discarded by her horrible fiance, who needed a beard while his mum was alive. Now she is dead and Emily needs a new job and a new place to live.
But she pushes herself and takes a job as a web designer in Spain, and the shy caterpillar becomes a butterfly, in large part thanks to Alejandro. He is one of the siblings who runs the sherry company in Jerez and Emily is designing their new website. She learns flamenco, and becomes more confident in herself and the attraction they have, pushing herself and asking for more. Wearing colours and sexy clothes, flirting and taking chances even though she is so nervous.
What I liked about the H, Alej was that he is self-aware, knew he was a manwhore and he knew why he didn't want commitment and connection - thanks to his parents, natch. But he is drawn to Emily and is kind to her and spends time with her and he too comes out of his shell, making jokes but also being comfortable in silence together. They absolutely acknowledge almost from the start that there is something between them, which is refreshing in HPLandia when so many chapters are wasted in doubts and self-deception. This felt very modern but still very romantic. Loved it, looking forward to the next in the trilogy.
I just loved this, it was like watching two people fall in love in real time.
Emily is shy and plump, an orphan who has been used and discarded by her horrible fiance, who needed a beard while his mum was alive. Now she is dead and Emily needs a new job and a new place to live.
But she pushes herself and takes a job as a web designer in Spain, and the shy caterpillar becomes a butterfly, in large part thanks to Alejandro. He is one of the siblings who runs the sherry company in Jerez and Emily is designing their new website. She learns flamenco, and becomes more confident in herself and the attraction they have, pushing herself and asking for more. Wearing colours and sexy clothes, flirting and taking chances even though she is so nervous.
What I liked about the H, Alej was that he is self-aware, knew he was a manwhore and he knew why he didn't want commitment and connection - thanks to his parents, natch. But he is drawn to Emily and is kind to her and spends time with her and he too comes out of his shell, making jokes but also being comfortable in silence together. They absolutely acknowledge almost from the start that there is something between them, which is refreshing in HPLandia when so many chapters are wasted in doubts and self-deception. This felt very modern but still very romantic. Loved it, looking forward to the next in the trilogy.
hq-to-read
March 17, 2024Determined to be bolder, photographer Emily Jacobs has left behind her unexciting life to work in stunning Spain. The sights and the music all ignite a fire in her—a fire that one sinful smile from her boss, Alejandro Romero, whips into an inferno!
Alej’s desire for Emily is held at bay solely by his belief she’s too naive for someone so cynical. Yet the innocent challenges his assumption at every turn…until one passionate encounter is irresistible. The trouble is, now Alej knows exactly how electric they are together…
Alej’s desire for Emily is held at bay solely by his belief she’s too naive for someone so cynical. Yet the innocent challenges his assumption at every turn…until one passionate encounter is irresistible. The trouble is, now Alej knows exactly how electric they are together…
September 23, 2023
A decent book
The h in the beginning was so pathetic, very weak, shy, shy was scared of her own shadow. She had been hired by the H’s family to redesign their business website. The H is a playboy and doesn’t do long term relationships or believe in love because of his parents marriage. They started a secret relationship and of course she fell in love with him. I wished she had more backbone and stood up for herself. She lacked a lot of confidence. The ending was good.
The h in the beginning was so pathetic, very weak, shy, shy was scared of her own shadow. She had been hired by the H’s family to redesign their business website. The H is a playboy and doesn’t do long term relationships or believe in love because of his parents marriage. They started a secret relationship and of course she fell in love with him. I wished she had more backbone and stood up for herself. She lacked a lot of confidence. The ending was good.
August 7, 2024
It was ok, but not sure I would want to re-read.
Hero was nice enough, but I didn't really like how many of his exes kept popping up throughout the book. He seemed to date/sleep with all available women around him, it made me feel like heroine wasn't special.
Heroine was ok, I didn't adore her but she wasn't annoying or bitchy. P.
Hero was nice enough, but I didn't really like how many of his exes kept popping up throughout the book. He seemed to date/sleep with all available women around him, it made me feel like heroine wasn't special.
Heroine was ok, I didn't adore her but she wasn't annoying or bitchy. P.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2024
Alejandro and Emily
They are quite a pair. He is bold, dark of hair and thinks he is immune to love and relationships. Emily is quite , shy and blonde having no confidence in herself. They make each other laugh and be honest. The exciting background of music and dance add another layer to this romance. Very good read.
They are quite a pair. He is bold, dark of hair and thinks he is immune to love and relationships. Emily is quite , shy and blonde having no confidence in herself. They make each other laugh and be honest. The exciting background of music and dance add another layer to this romance. Very good read.
Read
March 1, 2023Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Heirs to the Romero Empire (Book #1)
Miniseries
Heirs to the Romero Empire (Book #1)
March 3, 2023
Insipite of manwhore H, it was nice!
May 17, 2023
Love it
December 27, 2023
I really don’t know if I like this book or not. The H had all (ok three) past lovers around. One he worked with, one he was suppose to marry and one he was still friends with and wanted his new girlfriend to take her dancing class with her, WTH!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews