Customer Reviews

The Magnate's Indecent Proposal (Harlequin Presents)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the past 3 months I've read over a hundred Harlequin romances and Ally Blake, along with Natalie Anderson, are my stand out favorite Harlequin writers. I wish they'd both expand their writing horizons to main stream publishers.
In this book, Blake's female protaganist, Chelsea London, is smart, fast on the draw with sassy comments, and completely believable; her love interest, Damien Halliburton, is everygirl's fantasy and the sparks really fly everywhichway in the course of their connecting. I laughed-out-loud throughout the book and smiled for hours after closing its covers. Now I await more of Blake's books! I'm amazed that such a denigrated genre as romance has writing talent of this caliber in its writing pool.

I chose to read this novel because I wondered what Harlequin Mills & Boon were publishing in 2011. I haven't read a novel from these publishers for many years, but was aware that they now encourage raunchy sex between characters. Apart from that, I get the impression the formula hasn't changed in any meaningful way.

The plot of this novel is so straightforward to be almost non-existent. Gorgeous, bouncy, quite likeable animal-loving girl who owns small animal grooming parlour bumps into gorgeous, rich financial trader (stereotyped) magnate in restaurant(as you do!). They lock eyes and part, but when each leaves the restaurant, they get each others mobile phones! A good ploy for them to get together again but that is about it. Girl is negotiating bank loan to open another parlour, but this has no discernable connection with the story.

Over the course of about three days (with raunchy sex included) she falls in love with him, he doesn't want to commit - but at the last minutes of course he does. That's virtually the plot folks!

For what it is, Ally Blake has turned out a quite well-written pot-boiler, with characters of little substance. The imagery is good and the story is set in Melbourne, Australia.

I must admit I had to just speed-read this book; it was far too uninteresting. I think the setting is Melbourne, Australia, but seems more like New York. (I kept picturing it as an episode of Felicity.) The back cover is pretty accurate.

From the back: "A millionaire magnate had her phone! When Chelsea realized she'd accidentally swapped cell phones with someone, she knew how this would play out: she'd trek back into town, swap phones with some middle-aged man with a paunch and be on her way. ...now he wanted her body! Only, seriously sexy Damien "Rich-list" Halliburton was way out of her league. She'd sworn off men long ago, but with a guy this gorgeous, how could she refuse his wicked, seductive and very indecent proposal?"

It's a quick-witted romantic comedy, with emphasis on the comedy. It's clearly intended to be funny. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I prefer some substance to my romance novels. This book just seemed highly modern-day/casual with the "hero" not interested in being in an exclusive relationship until the last few pages. The heroine was a bit different than usual Harlequin heroines, too, desiring to keep her distance from all men and also not taking anything too seriously. It lacked warmth.

I now have a new favourite author! Thanks Ally Blake for this HP, funny, light hearted and sweet, with an incredibly dreamy hero...