Reviewed by Maria
Two great reads in one. The stories of two couples, Conner and Daisy and Mac and Juno. The Brody brothers, Conner and Mac are the creation of Heidi Rice and they are two memorable Irish heroes. What is more, Heidi has succeeded in putting the Irish hero right up there with the Greeks and the Sheikhs - they are every bit as fanciable. The wonderful thing about both Conner and Liam is that although they come from a background of abuse, they have not become abusive themselves - simply reserved and guarded about giving their hearts away. As Conner very movingly tells Daisy in the first volume, "I don't hurt women." That got to me. These two brothers don't buy into the myth of happy families and it takes two very special women to make them think otherwise.
Daisy Dean is a memorable heroine. A feisty redhead who can run up a designer ballgown on a secondhand sewing machine and fiercely protective of those she loves, she is the moving force behind 'The Funky Fashionista", a successful clothing business. The daughter of a mother who spent her life looking for love in all the wrong places, Daisy knows just what she wants. A simple man with whom she can raise a loving family. So what the heck is she doing with the playboy Conner Brody? The contstruction magnate who is also a babe magnet? Why is she heading to the Waldorf to pose as Conner's fiancee for a brief fortnight? Will she be able to walk away with her heart intact when it's all over?
Juno, who in Daisy's story, comes across as an unromantic cynic in the extreme, turns out to be, in fact, another damaged and abused soul. When she meets Mac, as a natural consequence of being Daisy's friend, the two of them find themselves drawn together and the inevitable happens. As Mac is a movie star, no sooner do their photos appear in the tabloids when the paparazzi zone in on Juno. Can her relationship with Mac survive the pressure? You'll have to read the book to find out. You will enjoy it, I promise. There is also a lovely vein of humour running through both stories in spite of the somewhat grim and tragic background.
One word of warning - the love scenes are sizzling hot. So don't say you weren't warned. And, BTW, Heidi Rice is British, but these two men were Irish to the core, as an Irish woman I can definitely vouch for that. I just had to contact Heidi Rice to find out how she did it and I wasn't at all surprised to learn that she's half Irish. You can always tell!
4.5 stars
