Bachelor Undone - Brenda Jackson (HK #261 - Dec 2011)

Series: Bachelors in Demand (Book 3)

Every woman wants him. But he only wants her.

When Darcy Owens leaves snowy New York for some Jamaican fun in the sun, the city planner isn't expecting to meet the hero of her fantasies. But the sexy, sun-kissed man she sees her first day on the beach comes pretty close. Until he turns out to be York Ellis, the drop-dead-gorgeous but supremely arrogant ex-cop who thinks she needs his protection...and his passion.

When York looks at Darcy, he knows she's the woman he'd give his life for. So when Darcy finds herself in peril, the security expert vows to safeguard her. Now it's not only his body at risk. It's his heart he's in danger of losing when she tempts him with the one thing the sworn bachelor never dreamed he'd find: passionate, glorious love.

Another Bachelor in Demand bites the dust. York and Darcy have known each other for a couple of years since her best friend, Ellie, is married to his godbrother, Uriel (Bachelor Untamed). However, they don't get along and avoid each other during gatherings they both attend. York hit on Darcy at Ellie's wedding and got shot down in no uncertain terms. This put a dent in York's pride and colored the way he looked at her. What he didn't know was that Darcy had just ended a terrible marriage and was cynical about all men, and he got hit with the results.

Neither one expected to run into each other in Jamaica. Darcy was there on vacation and looking for a vacation playmate. York was there on business, investigating a movie piracy scheme. I had to laugh when Darcy first saw York because she didn't recognize him, and her dismay was hilarious when she did. It only got worse when he later confronted her about a man she talked to a hotel party. He had excellent reasons to warn her against Damien, but she didn't want to hear it. At the same time, the attraction that bubbled beneath their antagonism finally boiled over.

I enjoyed watching the development of Darcy and York's relationship. It started as purely physical, with Darcy intending that it end when she leaves Jamaica. York, on the other hand, sees no reason that they shouldn't continue. He doesn't expect to find that he wants more than just an affair. This quickly becomes evident to him when he hates to see her with someone else, and when his protective instincts are thoroughly aroused by the time she spends with Damien. I was a bit frustrated with Darcy's refusal to listen to York's warnings. I somewhat understood her reasons, but his experience should have made her more receptive.

I liked watching them grow closer the more time that they spent together. Darcy began to suspect that her heart was in trouble, but did not want to admit it. When the issue with Damien grew more intense, York made a boneheaded move that protected Darcy but made her feel betrayed and used. I hurt for her, but I also wanted to shake her for being so stubborn. I liked Ellie's conversation with Darcy and her attempt to talk sense into Darcy. The ending was good, as York showed up on Darcy's doorstep. I enjoyed how he took the wind out of the sails of her anger with a few words. The epilogue was fun, especially York's conversation with the three remaining bachelors' club members.

Bachelor Untamed - Brenda Jackson (HK #157 - Oct 2009)

Series: Bachelors in Demand (Book 1)

One mind-blowing kiss. That was all Ellie Weston shared with her neighbor and crush one summer, before he angrily discovered she'd approached him on a dare. Ten years later, Ellie is back at her great-aunt's lake house, and so is Uriel Lassiter -- still wildly sexy, single and happy to stay that way. When Ellie finds her great-aunt's never-completed romance novel, she decides to finish the manuscript -- but first she needs some real-life inspiration: a sultry summer fling.

Uriel hasn't forgotten Ellie, and their sizzling chemistry is starting to make him reconsider his tried-and-true bachelor status. But when the truth about her motive emerges, can Ellie convince him that make-believe has turned into sweet reality?

Good book. The story opens when Ellie is sixteen, and Uriel is twenty-one. Their families own neighboring lake houses, and they have known each other for years. Ellie has a huge crush on Uriel, who is about to graduate from college. Afraid she'll never see him again after this summer, Ellie accepts her friend Darcy's dare to walk up and kiss him for at least a minute. Uriel has just started noticing that Ellie is growing up, and when she plants one on him, he can't help but respond. But when Darcy interrupts, yelling about the dare, he gets mad and stalks off.

Fast forward ten years. Ellie's beloved Aunt Mabel, the lake house owner, has died and left it all to Ellie. She arrives at the lake house to settle her aunt's affairs and clean out her aunt's things. She is shocked when she finds a partially written romance novel and is fascinated by what she read. While still processing that information, she sees Uriel arrive at his parents' place. Ten years on, he has grown into a handsome man.

Uriel arrives at the lake, looking for some peace and quiet while also doing a little work. He knows Mabel has died, but not that Ellie is staying in the house. Otherwise, he would never have started his morning with a skinny-dip in the lake. Feeling a bit guilty about that, Uriel went to apologize to her and was floored by what a beautiful woman she'd grown up to be.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Ellie and Uriel. The sparks between them are intense from the moment they saw each other again. Uriel proposes a month-long fling between them, making it clear that's all it could be. He has been burned on the idea of marriage by the disintegration of his parents' marriage and has no intention of taking that risk himself. Ellie is wary of the proposal. She remembers her crush very well and sees the potential for heartbreak. But she also needs inspiration if she is going to finish her aunt's book, and knows that he would provide it. Once again, her friend Darcy pushes her into it, telling her Uriel need never know.

It was fun to see Ellie and Uriel together. There are some great scenes of them together, sharing everything from fish frys to movie nights. Uriel is the one who continually insists that it is just a fling, but he sure does get bent out of shape when his godbrothers show up and take notice of her. I had to laugh because they all knew her from when they were kids and look on her as a sister. They all get a little protective of her and give Uriel a hard time. Uriel refuses to admit that what he's feeling is more than a fling.

Meanwhile, Ellie knows her instincts were right and that she is falling for him all over again. She also feels guilty about not telling him about the book. When he overhears part of Ellie and Darcy's conversation, history repeats itself, and he goes away mad. I thought he deserved his misery for not letting Ellie explain. I hurt for Ellie because she was right about the heartbreak. I loved the ending, though, as Ellie took matters into her own hands and forced a confrontation with him. I loved watching her get his attention and keep it while she made him listen to her explanation.

 

Bachelor Unleashed - Brenda Jackson (HK #213 - Dec 2010)

Series: Bachelors in Demand (Book 2)

From playing the field to playing ... for keeps?

They had a hot, fleeting affair Farrah Langley has never forgotten. Attorney-to-the-rich-and-famous Xavier Kane was tender, sexy, attentive -- and ravished her body. Everything she ever wanted in a lover. Getting together with him again in New York is a fantasy come true. She certainly doesn't expect the footloose bachelor to change his ways. And the burned-by-love mediator isn't looking for forever.

But Xavier is.

There's something about Farrah...something that touches him deep in his soul...something that keeps him coming back. So when fate brings them together again, Xavier's ready to pick up where they left off. But this time around, he wants more. Can he convince the lean, leggy beauty that he's finished playing the field? That he wants only one woman in his bed, in his arms -- in his heart?

Good book about two people who, burned by love in the past, resist risking their hearts. Xavier is the founder and card-carrying member of his god-brothers' "Bachelors in Demand" club. They are six men who enjoy their bachelor lifestyles and have no intention of giving them up. Xavier's heart was broken in college by a woman who used him then dumped him. Since that time, he indulges in physical affairs only, avoiding any emotional entanglements. Farrah's pain over her ex-husband's betrayal made her equally determined to avoid emotional relationships.

As the story opens, Farrah and Xavier have been involved in an affair for almost a year. This is far longer than either has spent with anyone else. Farrah suddenly ends their liaison because she has become far too comfortable with their arrangement and is afraid that her heart would get involved. Six months later, neither has moved on to other people nor have they forgotten what they had. When they run into each other in New York, Xavier wants to pick up where they left off, but Farrah isn't sure.

I enjoyed the development of Xavier and Farrah's relationship. Though they looked at their initial relationship as merely physical, neither realized how close they had gotten until Farrah broke it off. Farrah saw the signs in herself, which is why she ended it but hadn't noticed how deep she already was. When Xavier made his proposal, Farrah could see the potential for trouble. She missed him, but nothing about her fears had changed. Xavier wants Farrah back in his bed, and he pulls out all the stops to convince her. It wasn't long before Xavier admitted to himself that he wanted more than just an affair.

I loved seeing the change in Xavier from the playboy to the man determined to win his woman. He knew Farrah well enough that telling her his feelings straight off would drive her away. Instead, he plotted and planned ways to show her that they belonged together. His actions slowly chipped away at the wall around her heart, but Farrah was reluctant to trust again. The ending was intense as Farrah allowed her fears to try to push Xavier away. But this time he wouldn't give in, and I loved how he stood his ground. His declaration of his feelings and understanding of her fears were great. The effect on Farrah was eye-opening, and I loved seeing what she did with it.