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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Romance Junkies:, August 7, 2005
This review is from: Blackmailed Into Marriage (Harlequin Presents) (Mass Market Paperback)
Nothing is more important to Lia Kennedy than her daughter, Kaylee. She is devastated when she learns that Kaylee has a hole in her heart. A widow with few resources of her own, Lia can't possibly afford the expensive surgery. Her in-laws are willing to help but even if they sold everything they own, it wouldn't be enough. Lia is forced to turn to her rich grandfather in Spain for help. But his help comes at a steep price.
Damian Marquez is a savvy businessman who has amassed a great deal of wealth, but what he truly desires is recognition. Because of his illegitimate birth, his noble Spanish family refuses to acknowledge him. Benedicto Chavez-Torres can give Damian the title he desires. Although he has managed to hide it from most people, Benedicto is no longer a wealthy man. Damian is one of the few who know about his troubles and he's been helping the man deal with his financial difficulties. What better way to cement a partnership than marriage to Benedicto's granddaughter? Damian would finally have the legitimacy he desires, and Benedicto would have the funds he needs.
When Damian meets Rosalia Chavez-Torres Kennedy, he immediately likes what he sees. He assumes that Lia knows of her grandfather's plans. Damian never suspects that Benedicto is using his great-granddaughter as a pawn to force Lia into a marriage she doesn't want. He quickly begins to care for Lia and he adores Kaylee. Lia feels the physical attraction as well but she doesn't want marriage. And she certainly has no interest in a man who would go along with a blackmail scheme that could mean life or death for a little girl. Even if they somehow find a way to overcome their initial misconceptions, there's still another problem. It doesn't matter how strong the attraction between them becomes - Lia is physically incapable of intimacy in bed and she's convinced nothing can change that. Why would Damian want to marry her once he learns of her defect? He needs heirs and Lia won't be able to provide them. And if she doesn't marry Damian, how will Lia save her daughter's life?
Lucy Monroe always creates beautiful surroundings and intriguing characters, and she continues this tradition in BLACKMAILED INTO MARRIAGE. I admire Lia's strength and her devotion to her daughter and the way Damian responds to her difficulties with compassion and understanding, and not a trace of contempt. I hoped they would find a way to overcome the challenges in their path, find happiness and become a family. BLACKMAILED INTO MARRIAGE is passionate, thoroughly engaging and a wonderful story from beginning to end.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This special story will stay with you..., July 25, 2005
This review is from: Blackmailed Into Marriage (Harlequin Presents) (Mass Market Paperback)
Lia is desperate. Her young daughter needs an expensive operation, one she cannot afford on her own, and the only way her wealthy grandfather will help her is if she marries Damian Marquez, a man of his choosing this time around. Lia resents the power her grandfather wields over her, but she is willing to do anything to save her daughter's life, even if it means marriage to a man who sees her as his ticket to the title that was denied him from birth. He wants a child, and believes Lia will provide him with his heir. However Lia is convinced once Damian learns her secret, he will no longer wish to stay married to her, and she can go back to living the modest existence she once knew. It was just a matter of time...
Damian has always felt an attraction to Lia, from the moment he saw her years ago, only she doesn't remember ever having met him. Now an opportunity to claim her as his wife has presented itself, and he is not about to let it slip away. Lia is even more beautiful and desirable now, and her daughter is a precious child who touches his heart. He senses that there is more to Lia's lack of resistance to their marriage than greed, and is surprised to discover that she believes he will divorce her when he finds out she cannot truly be his. But Damian is not willing to let go of his wife that easily, and instead uses patience and respect for her to bring them closer together and strengthen their marriage.
In Damian she has created a strong yet patient hero, one who is mature enough not to let lust control him yet just as determined not to let his wife push him away. In Lia, she has created an equally strong heroine, one who has been living with the belief that she is to blame for her intimacy problems, yet brave enough to face them for the chance at a happy and fulfilling marriage with the help of her caring husband. This is truly a love story.
I love Lucy Monroe's writing, and I'm even more impressed by her decision to bring to light a rather sensitive topic regarding a woman's sexuality and the effects it can have on her intimate relationships. Ms. Monroe's willingness to throw open the doors and bring up this subject in a positive and healthy way has the potential to help thousands of women going through similar circumstances, and hopefully will seek medical treatment rather than suffer in silence. The author's sensitivity throughout this story shines through, and guarantees the story will linger in your mind for some time to come. I was very moved by it.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dashnee's Review - South Africa, May 31, 2006
This review is from: Blackmailed Into Marriage (Harlequin Presents) (Mass Market Paperback)
This book was one of the greatest that I have ever read. Lucy Monroe had done a magnificent job with this one as she had done with others. I really had a great time reading it.I loved the hero's character alot. At first he was ruthless and wanted everything to go his way, but when he discovered the heroine's fear and unhappiness, he did everything to lessen her fear and make her comfortable with him. It shows what type of person he was. It showed his gentle nature, when it came to the woman he loved, as well as her child. It was by far one terrific piece of writing
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