Customer Reviews

The Valentine Affair! (Presents)

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Tumultuous would be the word that best describes this love affair. Alex Pemberton, a junior reporter for the newspaper is assigned to do a Valentine's special feature article on 3 couples. The top story is to be on well-known wealthy Leo Hamilton and his rumoured fiance, whom she has past connections from her childhood. She had a tremendous crush on him in her wild child days (she was a rebellious teenager, misunderstood etc.) Alas, the budding relationship was nipped in the bud, before it could bloom by both sets of parents. Alex tricks her way into Leo's bank, to request an interview with him and preceeds to blackmail him with an accounting of the mistreatment she received from Leo's family. As sparks between reignite and they restart their relationship, Alex struggles with trust issues while she fights her fierce sexual attraction to Leo. Unable to take a leap of faith she bungles her story and ruins her relationship with Leo. Furiously angry with her lack of trust in him and how she badly treated his ex-fiance/girlfriend, Leo deeply humiliates her publicly in a dance where he purposely dances her so that her strapless dress gets turned around (back to front) and her breasts are exposed to all at the highly publicised event (media is present). Sobbing and deeply upset, Alex flees the scene. This particular scene was just a touch too cruel for my personal liking and the fact that the story jumps to happily ever after within a few pages is just too unbelievable. The emotional wrangling between the two protanginists is too messy (fights between hopping into bed) and should have been resolved. Alex should have been portrayed as a more likeable figure who confronts her jealousy issues and Leo could have been more understanding. I think the final act of humiliation is just over-the-top in emotional scarring and certainly the heroine would have found it difficult to forgive. It was inappropriate. A scene where he reprimanded her and broke it off with her would have been sufficient.

Young Alex Permberton, junior reporter for the London Chronicle, fears the worst when the paper's new editor Mike Tanner invites her to a staff meeting. She'd never been to one before and Tanner had recently cleaned house. Alex was surprised she still had a job. However at the staff meeting, Tanner wants her to beef up her Valentine's Day story and she promises to get the lowdown on wealthy bachelor Leo Hamilton's engagement to Fiona Bliss. Nobody on the staff believes she can get Leo to sit for an interview, but Alex has an ace up her sleeve. Leo is her stepbrother. Well, kind of, her mother was married to his father for a few months ages ago.

Alex tricks her way into Leo's office at the powerful bank he runs by pretending to be his fiancèe. However, Leo is not impressed and refuses the interview. Then Alex sort of blackmails him by threatening to do a story about how his mother had accused her of stealing a diamond broach when she was a little girl and had her throw in jail, only to find the broach later, so not wanting his well known mother dragged through the mud, Leo agrees to the interview. But that's not the only reason he agrees. There is something about Alex that makes his blood race. And Alex finds her emotions raging out of control around Leo as well.

Will Alex get her story or will she get her man instead? Will she get both or will she be the story? Ms. Lyons keeps you wondering right up to the end in this excellent romance that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.