Harlequin Presents Readers discussion

The Secrets She Carried by Lynne Graham (M&B Modern July 2012)
Erin Turner and Cristophe Donakis set the bedsheets alight during their scorching affair. But Erin's hopes of a diamond ring turned to ash when he unceremoniously kicked her out of his bed and onto the cold London streets.

Years later, Erin's world is rocked again when she meets her newest business client. She knows it's him the moment his designer aftershave hits her senses.…

Cristophe is going to make Erin pay back what he believes she stole—in whatever way he demands.… But little does he know that Erin's about to drop two very important bombshells!

The Man Behind the Scars by Caitlin Crews (Fourth book in The Santina Crown series) (M&B Modern June 2012)
Rafe McFarland, eighth Earl of Pembroke—and twenty-first-century heartthrob—has secretly wed former model and tabloid darling Angel Tilson! Angel has long been believed to be in financial difficulty, prompting feverish speculation that her marriage to the tortured billionaire is one of the strictest convenience.…

Bearing terrible scars from his time in the military, Rafe rarely leaves his remote Scottish estate. And with the terms of this deal negotiated, possibly behind tightly closed bedroom doors, is Rafe demanding repayment—in kind—from his new wife…?

His Reputation Precedes Him by Carole Mortimer (Second book in the Lyonedes Legacy) (M&B Modern September 2012)
He's one of the most talked about men in New York—and interior designer Eva Grey has heard all the stories. Yes, Markos is powerful, wealthy and unbearably good-looking, but Eva knows that while he might make a girl feel special for one searingly hot night, that's all he's good for.… After her disastrous marriage, he's just the type of man she should avoid.

But when Markos hires Eva to decorate his penthouse, it's too lucrative an opportunity to turn down…and one that shatters Eva's resolve to stay firmly out of Markos's bedroom!

Deserving of His Diamonds? by Melanie Milburne (First in the Outrageous Sisters series) (M&B Modern April 2012)
Emilio Andreoni's goal is perfection. A corporate king and Italy's most eligible bachelor, he craves only one more thing to complete his phenomenally successful life—the perfect woman!

Once he thought that woman was shy Gisele Carter, until her scandalous goings-on became headline news and he called off their seemingly perfect engagement.

But now Emilio is faced with proof of Gisele's innocence. He's determined to win back the only woman who ever truly satisfied him, but first he must persuade Gisele she's worthy of wearing his diamonds again.…

The Man She Shouldn't Crave by Lucy Ellis (M&B Modern August 2012)
When dating-agency owner Rose Harkness approaches a world-renowned ice hockey team with a daring PR proposal, it puts her manhandling skills to the ultimate test…especially when she realizes that the best of the bunch, enigmatic owner Plato Kuragin, isn't a man she can handle. At all.

Wealth and sinful good looks have given Plato rock-star privileges when it comes to women, but Rose refuses to become another groupie—no matter how her body burns for his expert touch. But after an outrageously sexy taste of the forbidden, Rose is hooked—and her heart is in serious trouble.…

Playing the Greek's Game by Sharon Kendrick (First in the What His Money Can't Buy series) (M&B Modern May 2012)
Few dare to defy global hotel magnate Zak Constantinides—he's the boss and everyone knows it! So when his London interior designer turns out to have dug her gold-digging claws into his brother, Zak's solution is to transfer her…to New York!

Emma may have more skeletons in her closet than most, but Zak's brother isn't one of them. The temptation to take her impossibly arrogant boss down a peg or three is too much to resist. So while with him in New York, she'll play the role he's given her and be every bit as bad as he thinks she is….

Hajar's Hidden Legacy by Maisey Yates (M&B Modern January 2012)
Princess Katherine has always been destined for a political marriage. Her heart heavy, she prepares to meet her future husband—the man whisperers in his royal kingdom call the Beast of Hajar.…

Concealing his disfigurement from public scrutiny, Sheikh Zahir rules his country from within the castle walls, allowing no one in. Until duty demands he carry on the Hajar family dynasty, and allow his new bride to cross the threshold.

Zahir expects Katherine to flee at first sight. Yet her unflinching gaze fires Zahir's blood, their attraction burning hotter than the scorching desert sands.…

The Tarnished Jewel of Jazaar by Susanna Carr (M&B Modern July 2012)
Jeweled veil weighing heavily on her head, Zoe Martin waits for her sheikh husband-to-be. The shame of her adoptive family, orphan Zoe has endured six years of being kept as a slave—now she's been sold into marriage…to a man known as The Beast!

Being discarded to the sheikh has one bonus—this could mean freedom! Zoe must play along with the three-day—and three-night—ceremony, but she isn't expecting the blazing attraction from just one stolen glance at playboy sheikh Nadir.…

Never Stay Past Midnight by Mira Lyn Kelly (M&B Riva April 2012)
"You are so wrong for me."

Levi had to agree—he was. He was leaving Chicago in a few short weeks. He didn't do commitment—ever. But everything about this night, this girl, was so good. So right. Until at 11:59 p.m. she got out of his bed, got dressed and left!

What had he done? Things had hardly started and she was off! Yet he was bored with simpering women he couldn't get rid of. Elise was a breath of fresh air. How was he going to find her…and get her back in his bed—for the whole night this time? It seemed Mr. Levi-and-Leave-Them might have found the one woman to leave him begging for more.…

Waking Up in the Wrong Bed by Natalie Anderson (M&B Riva June 2012)
When film location scout Ellie Summers sneaks into a colleague's hotel room with seduction in mind, she's thrilled by her own daring!

But the smug morning-after glow morphs into red-faced mortification when she wakes in the arms of a total stranger! Ruben Theroux might be fine with the situation, but a flustered Ellie most definitely is not.

Ellie's only defence against this very attractive guy is to insist they're friends only—strictly no benefits! But Ruben isn't a successful businessman for nothing—they'll be good together, and he's happy to play dirty to get what he wants.…

In The Secrets She Carried the heroine was caught "between a rock and a hard place" when the hero decided he would use her body again even though he had kicked her out a few years before. He felt that she had another man in her bed and he would not tolerate that from any woman. After she left he found that she was stealing from the spas of which she was in charge. He knows that she is bedding the boss of the company he is thinking of buying so he has her where he wants her - in his bed. The hero was arrogant and seemed to only want her in his bed when they were involved for almost a year. He thinks he has all of the answers but she does not comply as he would like her to. She does give in to his blackmail but he did not run over her without her letting him know she was her own person and that she had learned the lesson very well. This is not the read of some of Lynne Graham's earlier books but it kept me reading book until I finished it. I was a satisfied reader and felt satisfied. Her mother left a lot to be desired as she was difficult at times but she did love her daughter and the grands. I give it four stars.

I am in the middle of the Carole Mortimer book and so far I continue to turn the pages. I do not think I read the Drakon one so I will do so when I finish this one.

Ginny, I read The Secrets She Carried and was really disappointed. I usually love this story line but found the H just too arrogant for me to tolerate. He just did not grovel enough for me!

I enjoyed this book too.

I'm just getting around to the August reads (of course, now it's already September). I readNever Stay Past Midnight this weekend and really loved it. It's not really a typical HP (it was a M&B Riva, not Modern), but that's probably why I liked it.