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The Marriage Bargain #4
His Bid for a Bride
From a USA Today–bestselling author, a businessman offers a convenient marriage to his business associate’s daughter, a woman he has loved from afar.When Skye O’Hara’s life is rocked by tragedy, she’s reunited with Falkner Harrington—her father’s enigmatic business partner. Needing some time to consider her future, Skye has no other option but to accept when Falkner offers her the sanctuary of his home.But as the tension and chemistry sizzle between them, living with the dark-hearted tycoon becomes a real challenge! Especially when Falkner makes a demand in return for his hospitality—his new housemate must become his very convenient wife!
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 12, 2004
29 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Carole Mortimer
1,302 books911 followersI have written almost 250 romance novels in contemporary and Regency.
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 13, 2009
Carole Mortimer was one of my favorite authors when I was a teenager but, as I grew up, I got tired of her "formula" and stopped reading her books. So this book was like a reunion with her, and I was curious to see how I'd rate it...
When I started reading this book, I had a strong feeling of "déjà vu" and I could swear I had read it before. But this was a very recent release, so that couldn't be right... As I hadn't read Ms. Mortimer's books in a long time and didn't know how much her writing had changed since I last read her, I couldn't tell if my impression was due to my previous familiarity with her "formula" or if this book was simply a rehashed version of an old story. The thing is, the "déjà vu" vibe stayed with me the whole time I was reading the book and, in the end, I think it helped me appreciate it better. I mean, I was filled with nostalgia, remembering how much I loved Ms. Mortimer's books when I was younger. I couldn't find myself hating something I used to love!
Falkner was the typical older hero who fell in love with the much younger heroine, Skye, when he was 32 years old and she wasn't even 18. I should have balked right there because I'm not fond of an age difference between the H/h that's that big - especially considering she was still a minor! - but I went along with it. The "love at 1st sight" angle wasn't quite believable considering how less-than-charming they behaved with each other on their 1st - and only! - meeting, so the setup was doomed from the start. After a 6.5-year separation, during which they stayed "in love with each other" for reasons I'll never understand, Falkner and Skye were thrown together again when her father died, and that was when the bickering, oops, the relationship between them started to make its way toward their HEA. I like love/hate stories because I enjoy the clever and funny banter between the H/h that comes with it, but Falkner's and Skye's lines were anything but clever or funny. They were sometimes teen-ish, not what I expected from a man who was almost 40 years old.
All that may make one think I had a hard time reading this book, which would be untrue. I read it very quickly in two seatings - I had to pause for lunch - and it wasn't bad. The ending and the epilogue was very nice, actually. :) I guess it all comes down to the fact that I knew Ms. Mortimer's "formula" beforehand and it was kind of nice to see that some things never - or hardly - change.
When I started reading this book, I had a strong feeling of "déjà vu" and I could swear I had read it before. But this was a very recent release, so that couldn't be right... As I hadn't read Ms. Mortimer's books in a long time and didn't know how much her writing had changed since I last read her, I couldn't tell if my impression was due to my previous familiarity with her "formula" or if this book was simply a rehashed version of an old story. The thing is, the "déjà vu" vibe stayed with me the whole time I was reading the book and, in the end, I think it helped me appreciate it better. I mean, I was filled with nostalgia, remembering how much I loved Ms. Mortimer's books when I was younger. I couldn't find myself hating something I used to love!
Falkner was the typical older hero who fell in love with the much younger heroine, Skye, when he was 32 years old and she wasn't even 18. I should have balked right there because I'm not fond of an age difference between the H/h that's that big - especially considering she was still a minor! - but I went along with it. The "love at 1st sight" angle wasn't quite believable considering how less-than-charming they behaved with each other on their 1st - and only! - meeting, so the setup was doomed from the start. After a 6.5-year separation, during which they stayed "in love with each other" for reasons I'll never understand, Falkner and Skye were thrown together again when her father died, and that was when the bickering, oops, the relationship between them started to make its way toward their HEA. I like love/hate stories because I enjoy the clever and funny banter between the H/h that comes with it, but Falkner's and Skye's lines were anything but clever or funny. They were sometimes teen-ish, not what I expected from a man who was almost 40 years old.
All that may make one think I had a hard time reading this book, which would be untrue. I read it very quickly in two seatings - I had to pause for lunch - and it wasn't bad. The ending and the epilogue was very nice, actually. :) I guess it all comes down to the fact that I knew Ms. Mortimer's "formula" beforehand and it was kind of nice to see that some things never - or hardly - change.
dnf
March 27, 2017If I remember it correctly, which I'm not going to verify by re-reading, the hero fell in lust with the heroine when he first saw her (he CLAIMS love). She was too young. So he does the most logical thing in this case. If you're thinking he waited for her to grow up and stayed celibate then you are dead wrong. Because that is not HP logic. If you think he decided to stay away and move on, you are wrong again.
He decided to stay away and marry her doppelgänger. Because that is the most logical thing to do when you love someone. You have sex with their lookalike.
How the heroine felt that was an ultimate declaration of undying love is way beyond me.
He decided to stay away and marry her doppelgänger. Because that is the most logical thing to do when you love someone. You have sex with their lookalike.
How the heroine felt that was an ultimate declaration of undying love is way beyond me.
July 12, 2009
I couldn’t warm up to H/H @ all. For 2 people who’ve pined for each other for 6.5 long years, they don’t have endearing qualities to me, ‘cuz they’re snippy, constantly @ each other’s throats & their antagonistic attitude was such a turn-off. There’s not much luv / affection between ‘em, let alone longing. The lovebirds taunt each other & bicker endlessly, it’s like a dysfunctional, nitemare-ish hate / hate relationship. They get on each other’s (not to mention reader’s) nerve whenever they open their mouth, pushing each other to a breaking point. The 2 meager stars are for the heart-to-heart revelation @ the end & the epilogue. The iceberg heroine acts like a petty, ungrateful, resentful, over-defensive beyotch. The hero shows flashes of kindness, sensitivity & tenderness @ times, but they’re too far & few between. From the get-go (she’s almost-18 y/o, he’s 32 y/o), he’s a cold, blunt, rude, sour, sarcastic, condescending, insulting, dismissive, domineering jack@$$. Fast forward 6 yrs later, when he barges in to the hospital room after the fatal accident, he doesn’t improve much either. There are only vague hints of his feelings for the orphaned heroine, thru’ his rare gestures (e.g., bringing Storm – heroine’s much-loved horse – from Ireland to his home, even tho' detrimental to his health ; consoling heroine whenever she has meltdowns) & his disastrous 2-year marriage to 1st wife (who’s a dead ringer for the real luv of his life). He gets extra brownie points for his closeness to his younger sis & her 6 y/o twins & his final confession ‘bout his doomed 1st marriage. Overall, the H/H seem to be in a pissy mood throughout the book. Granted, dealing w/ her overwhelming grief, a bleak prospect, facing the vultures (press) over a fraudulent family member, is not a walk in the park. Sadly, I tried, really tried, but just didn’t think they really redeemed themselves to warrant a higher rating. Angsty, heart-warming, lovey-dovey romance ? Nuh-uh. I wanted to bang their thick heads together in frustration =)~
August 15, 2013
they were always bantering like 2 sick little teenagers. it did not make sense especially for a hero approaching his forties lol:p n why marry her look alike !? why not marry the heroine herself !? she was not a kid, almost 18 at the time. the story was unbelievable
August 17, 2012
El libro es muy sencillo y la historia también,pero lo mas que me gusto es el hecho que aunque Falkner era mayor que Skye,pasaran 6 años y en el transcurso de estos el se haya casado,tenido un accidente que lo dejo un poco cojo y posteriormente divorciado Skye nunca dejo de estar profundamente enamorada de Falkner el gran amigo de su padre.
Cuando el padre de ella muere,Falkner es quien se hace cargo de Skye y la ayuda en lo que se recupera de su accidente.Pero luego decide pedirle matrimonio de conveniencia,ella lo rechaza ya que no cree que con el amor tan grande que ella siente por el pueda vivir su vida sin ser correspondido.
Bueno la cuestión es que si Falkner esta enamorado de Skye ,fue un amor a primera vista pero el hecho que ella es la hija de su amigo y la diferencia de edad entre ambos hicieron que ocultara y negara su amor ,casándose con una mujer de su edad pero parecida físicamente a Skye y como no había amor y luego de su accidente termino en divorcio.
Pero a pesar de ser una historia corta y ciertamente predecible Mortimer dejo en suspenso tanto el amor de Falkner por Skye como el resultado de la historia al final.Muy agradable de leer como la mayoría de las historias de Carole Mortimer.
Cuando el padre de ella muere,Falkner es quien se hace cargo de Skye y la ayuda en lo que se recupera de su accidente.Pero luego decide pedirle matrimonio de conveniencia,ella lo rechaza ya que no cree que con el amor tan grande que ella siente por el pueda vivir su vida sin ser correspondido.
Bueno la cuestión es que si Falkner esta enamorado de Skye ,fue un amor a primera vista pero el hecho que ella es la hija de su amigo y la diferencia de edad entre ambos hicieron que ocultara y negara su amor ,casándose con una mujer de su edad pero parecida físicamente a Skye y como no había amor y luego de su accidente termino en divorcio.
Pero a pesar de ser una historia corta y ciertamente predecible Mortimer dejo en suspenso tanto el amor de Falkner por Skye como el resultado de la historia al final.Muy agradable de leer como la mayoría de las historias de Carole Mortimer.
March 16, 2023
Less than a 3. Bit of a nothing story. He's a former professional rider, now injured and divorced. His name is Falkner and he's now late 30s and he fell in love with Skye when she was almost 18 🙄 and came with her Irish father (Falkner's sponsor) to view a stallion. They are reunited when he comes to her in hospital, just after the RTC in which her father died.
Like I said, it was lacking in lots of ways.
Like I said, it was lacking in lots of ways.
June 5, 2019
managed five chapters before DNFing out. the dialog was, I assume, meant to be clever banter but it was not and the behavior of the characters (particularly the man) was completely nonsensical. from one sentence to the next he would flip from nice to nasty and then back. perhaps it was meant to be provocative, lure me into trying to figure out the mystery? but he just came across as a controlling asshole with no manners so
January 9, 2018
461 ـ ذات مساء عاد الحب :
كارول مورتيمر
روايات احلام
عندما هزت المأساة حياة سكاي أوهارا اجتمعت ثانية بفوكنر هارينغتون الشريك الغامض لوالدها . وبما أنها بحاجة إلى للتخطيط لمستقبلها . اضطرت سكاي إلى قبول عرض فوكنر الذي أمن لها ملاذا في بيته .إلا أن ذات الشعر الأحمر شكت بوجود خطط سرية لدى فوكنر لاسيما حين عرض عليها الزواج . إنه عرض لا يصدق بالنسبة إلى سكاي لكنها تتوق لمعرفة الدوافع الخفية لفوكنر وراء عرضه هذا .
كارول مورتيمر
روايات احلام
عندما هزت المأساة حياة سكاي أوهارا اجتمعت ثانية بفوكنر هارينغتون الشريك الغامض لوالدها . وبما أنها بحاجة إلى للتخطيط لمستقبلها . اضطرت سكاي إلى قبول عرض فوكنر الذي أمن لها ملاذا في بيته .إلا أن ذات الشعر الأحمر شكت بوجود خطط سرية لدى فوكنر لاسيما حين عرض عليها الزواج . إنه عرض لا يصدق بالنسبة إلى سكاي لكنها تتوق لمعرفة الدوافع الخفية لفوكنر وراء عرضه هذا .
April 9, 2019
2.5 stars
May 20, 2019
dnf. i dont mind the age gap between the hero-heroine. but i do mind another constantly screeching heroine
May 8, 2020
Not great
June 15, 2020
Not as good as some of Carole Mortimer's.
August 6, 2023
Badly written tripe.
Read
October 25, 2017short; quick sentimental ending but until the ending good chemistry and build. modern time, but not intrusively so. heroine is gratifyingly capable as a groom.
October 14, 2012
Loved it!!
February 18, 2013
Meh - Unbelievable, and not in a good way...
November 7, 2014
A-okay. Maybe too un-erotic for harlequin standart, hmm? But it's the best part in my opinion.
January 11, 2015
Nice one
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews