For anyone who has ever heard the words " Never underestimate the power of love" and thought the words are hollow and meaningless for love can surely never bring someone back from the deepest darkest depths of despair and depression, have never experienced it for themselves or they would know that not only can it free you from depression but it can give you more hope, strength and courage for life than you ever imagined.
Every-time it happens the world gains a little more insight into the meaning of the words, and in the new Melanie Milburne read the author clearly showed just how much brighter the world is when the power of love takes over.
The read is about Lily, physical therapist use to working with some of the toughest clients to ensure they find their feet again. So when asked to pull the notorious badboy Raoul Caffarelli out from his slump and help him to stand his ground again she sees no problem, his arrogance will be dealt with and his delicious touch-me-everywhere-I-know-you-want-to body won't be a temptation at all.
But when getting up close and personal to the once bedded-everything-wearing-a-skirt badboy she finds a man with scars running just as deep as her own and soon she finds herself trapped in a world of love and passion she simply does not want to let go of, only Raoul looks at himself and only sees the wheelchair he is now confined to and not the man he truly can be for Lily, and he hardens himself against feelings he does not need nor want, but once Lily is in his arms all his arguments seem invalid.
The character of Lily was strong and defensive to protect her wounds from the past, making her very realistic as she blames herself for what happened to her, yet also brings up the walls of defense to ensure it does not happen again. This showed her as we all are, we get past the moment by building walls and staying strong but we never really get over the moment instead we hold onto the past and that is what leads to our actions in life.
The character of Raoul was really neat he was a badboy but the not the biker driving getting drunk taking whatever he wants kind more the I get what I want simply because of my name and the power it holds. The author knocking him off his feet and effectively from his high and mighty pedestal linked back to real life and the very real truth that no matter who you are or how powerful you may be, tragedy can happen at any minute and no amount of money will be able to buy your way out of it.
The backdrop settings and dialogue was perfect for this read, it all blended beautifully with the characters and their emotional upset's. It was a heartfelt, passionate and sensual read with a message of the past is the past do not let it control your future and when tragedy comes your way it is life's way of telling you to come back down to earth so that you can see what you have been missing.
I highly recommend this read for all fans of Melanie Milburne books,with characters that are so strong and real that it feels as if the author truly delves into their souls to get behind the masks of pain.
In book one of this series it felt as if the author had lost her charm and heat always found in her books, but I am very happy to report the author is back and with a true emotional bang!
This read had me in tears both of joy and sorrow, the emotions of the characters were so powerful it felt as if I could touch Lily's pain, feel her scars and experience the turmoil Raoul goes through. A truly delicious, compassionate, heartwarming story of just how strong love can be. Truly excellent work Melanie keep it coming!
5/5 star review
" Never underestimate what lies beneath the layers of hurt and anger"
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Review by TashNz
Melanie Milburne's Never Underestimate a Caffarelli is the eagerly awaited Book 2 of the Caffarelli Brothers series.
We start where Book 1 leaves off... Raoul, badly damaged and confined to a wheelchair absolutely refusing the therapy his brother has arranged for him. Lily Archer has been called a miracle worker by her previous clients and Rafe has gone to the ends of the world to convince her to come and try to restore Raoul. Rafe has paid Lily handsomely and there's a no refund clause so no matter how much of a bear Raoul is or how much Lily doesn't want to be there, neither are prepared to throw Rafe's money to the wind.
Raoul is as dark and brooding as his huge old chateau. The chateau is the perfect location for the majority of the book. Tempers flare and personalities clash big time as Raoul struggles to come to grips with his situation and his surroundings and the inner anger he feels at the loss of control. He cant sleep, he's turning to alcohol and worst of all he feels he cant visit his beloved horses which he can see from his window. Horses are his passion in life and without them he feels invaluable and useless. Raoul is basically hiding form the world, disgusted in himself for looking as he does in his chair. Having Lily invade his life is an unwanted complication which turns into quite a delightful battle of wills.
Lily has her own scars and issues with the past to deal with. She's a hard worker, an expert in her field and while it would be so easy to goad Raoul into making her leave, the integrity in her wont allow it and she battles on with starting Raoul's therapy. I liked the realism of Raoul's treatment and I loved Lily's spirit.
It's not long before Lily becomes the light in Raoul's day. He starts to let her in to his dark world inch by inch and slowly he realises just how valuable Lily is. It also doesn't take him long to realise how beautiful Lily is in both mind and body.
Never Underestimate a Caffarelli goes where no Mills and Boon has gone before. I think Melanie Milburne has touched on such personal topics with care and respect mixed with an honest approach. I was entirely transfixed with the questions like will Raoul be healed? If not, will he and Lily have a happy ever after? What is making Lily so against working with male patients? Can she fix Raoul? I literally couldn't put NUaC down and was so moved when I closed the last page, it's an emotional story, quite a deep story and touches on current day issues with a frank and realistic way.
Never Underestimate a Mills and Boon I say!
4stars
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Reviewed by Nancy Crocker
In Melanie Milburne’s latest book Never Underestimate a
Caffarelli: Rafe Caffarelli has hired
physical therapist Lily Archer to help his brother Raoul, who was hurt in a jet
ski accident. He has pretty much become a recluse. The accident has left him in
a wheelchair with a “mad at the world” attitude.
I thought Melanie did an amazing job with Raoul’s
character. He was so angry and frustrated and he took it out on everyone. She
was so convincing in her writing skills with this character I wanted to reach
through the pages of my book and smack him one. Readers be patient with this
Hero, he is suffering so. Oh but he is still so very sexy.
My heart just went out for Lily’s character. Lily might
be feisty and strong now, but that was not always the case. Lily’s back story
was a very emotional read for me. I don’t want to give too much away and ruin
it for readers. She has suffered for years and what happens because of her past
…wow. I will say I have never read in
any book yet the extent of what that Lily went through. Especially not in a
Harlequin Presents book. So hats off for addressing this issue.
I loved both main characters in this book and thought
Melanie did a great job of bringing these two tortured souls together. The
romance aspect was very believable. And it showed two people helping each other
with the past and with their current issues. There were a couple of really
special moments near the end of this book. But I am afraid if I say more it
will take away from the story.
I highly recommend this
book to fans of Melanie Milburne’s writing style. This is the second book in
the series. The books are in the following order;
Never Say No To A
Caffarelli: Rafe’s story was released Sept. 2013
Never Underestimate a
Caffarelli: Raoul’s story release is Oct. 2013
Never Gamble with a
Caffarelli: Remy’s story due out Nov. 2013 – I can’t wait for this one.
I had a number of lines
that I enjoyed from this book but I choose the following because I didn’t want
to give the story away with the other one I wanted to use:
‘Scars are a way of reminding ourselves of what
we’ve learned in life. We all have them, Lily, it’s just that some are more
visible than others.’
5/5 stars
I received an Autographed Copy of this
book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Nas
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A CAFFARELLI by USA Today Bestselling
Author Melanie Milburne is a Harlequin Presents release for October 2013.
Raoul Caffarelli had everything money could buy. But after
an accident he was now confined to a wheelchair and none too happy about it.
Then he is forced to meet Lily Archer, the physical
therapist his brother hired. He doesn’t want her there. But would his arrogant behavior
send this strong Lily running for cover? No way. Then he discovers the secrets
Lily is hiding behind her tough exterior and now he understands her better. For
though arrogant, he is a very honourable man. And Lily is drawn toward him.
Their physical attraction explodes but would they be able to connect on the emotional
level?
Read this mesmerizing romance to see how to never underestimate
a Caffarelli!
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A CAFFARELLI is a romance packed with
sizzle and sexual tension amid the deep emotional drama, adding to the page
turning quality of the book. I don’t believe I had come across such an
emotionally charged story in recent times. Author Melanie Milburne did a great
job showing how peoples’ behavior and guilt force them to self-harm and then
later regret their action. And how it changes a person.
Highly recommended for all lovers of romance.
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Reviewed by Maria
It sucks to be Raoul Caffarelli. One accident and he lost the use of his lower limbs,not to mention his fiance. Not only is he physically upset, but mentally too.
His brother Rafe is getting married in a month's time and wants his brother to be his best man. He wants him back on his feet. Rafe has paid physical therapist Lily Archer an obscene amount of money to just try and make it happen. Although Raoul resists initially, he becomes intrigued by Lily and her 'touch-me-not' attitude. They start working together and he comes to know about Lily's issues. Why, for example, she's so scared of men and relationships. In trying to help each other, the two main characters help each other and then the healing power of love works its magic.
It can't be easy to get inside the skin of someone who is so active one day and immobilized the next. Kudos to Melanie Milburne for a brave piece of writing.
It's pretty hot too, for those who are interested.
Recommended for readers and lovers of romance fiction.
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Reviewed by Maria
It sucks to be Raoul Caffarelli. One accident and he lost the use of his lower limbs,not to mention his fiance. Not only is he physically upset, but mentally too.
His brother Rafe is getting married in a month's time and wants his brother to be his best man. He wants him back on his feet. Rafe has paid physical therapist Lily Archer an obscene amount of money to just try and make it happen. Although Raoul resists initially, he becomes intrigued by Lily and her 'touch-me-not' attitude. They start working together and he comes to know about Lily's issues. Why, for example, she's so scared of men and relationships. In trying to help each other, the two main characters help each other and then the healing power of love works its magic.
It can't be easy to get inside the skin of someone who is so active one day and immobilized the next. Kudos to Melanie Milburne for a brave piece of writing.
It's pretty hot too, for those who are interested.
Recommended for readers and lovers of romance fiction.
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Reviewed by Shirley Buchanan
When you have the world in the palm of
your hand, you don't think much about anything that could go wrong.
Excitement, adventure, unlimited female companionship, and endless
partying made the women envious if they weren't the current flavor
and the men wanting to emulate the latest adventure. Such was the
life of Raoul Caffarelli until a jet ski accident left him with a
broken arm and spinal injury, and to add insult to injury, his fiance
had broken their engagement. Now he spends his days in a wheelchair
growing more angry and frustrated with each passing day. Fearing his
life is completely over, he has become a recluse in his chateau and
drinks himself into oblivion every night, alternately ignoring and
berating his therapist and staff unmercifully. Even his brother's
desire to have him stand up at his upcoming wedding is no incentive
to at least try. As far as he was concerned his life was over. No
more excitement and adventure ready to be done. No more beautiful
women wanting to be in his bed. No more riding his beloved horses.
The Caffarelli mantra of ...Goal...Focus...Win... seems to have been
banished from his mind.
When money is desperately needed, a
person will do almost anything to get it. Sometimes even breaking
your own rules and doing your best to overcome your most terrifying
fear. This was the situation that Lily Archer found herself in. Her
mother needed money and the clinic needed the exposure for their
holistic approach to healing. Only the promise of money up front in
order to help her mother could have possibly changed her mind about
coming to this dark, drafty and cold chateau to help a man she had
never even met. Difficult patients were her specialty, but only of
the female variety. For more reasons than just one, men were taboo
and she would not to be cowed or owned by a single one of them, but
so the American saying went “if life gives you lemons, you make
lemonade”. Or so they say. Above all else she would stick to her
own mantra: pride...safety....security. And she intend to use all
three.
With such insurmountable odds against
them, future successes looked very slim, but with adversity comes
respect. Both Raoul and Lily had it in spades. And simmering in the
background was the growing desire between them that she wanted to
ignore and he wanted to explore. Once Raoul began to set the goal of
seduction, he finally found a stride to use his mantra again:
Goal...Focus...Win.
The background story was superbly
written to show why Lily had such a hangup about men. I wanted to
cheer that Raoul was able to find the buttons he needed to push to
bring her out of her shell. Lily found buttons of her own to push to
make him desire to get better for himself and his brothers. Only was
there any room in their lives for each other? Could they have the
happily ever after? Or would her pride and his ruthlessness always
keep them apart?
Excellent book! Smooth writing of well
developed characters interwoven into a well rounded and thought out
plot. The descriptions of the scenery and the chateau made you feel
you were there. Enjoyed this book tremendously. From the first page
to the last, the story was completely engaging.
I would recommend to all romance
readers.
I received an autographed copy from the
author for an honest review.
5/5 stars Could they
work through their scars, both visible and invisible?
