The Greek Tycoon's Defiant Bride

Maribel and Leonidas Pallis shared a night of passion but the following morning Maribel disappeared from Leonidas's life. He was far more hurt than he thought possible and he strove to erase her from his mind, but when he sees her again at a memorial service for her cousin he can't help but remember that night. Then someone at the service mentions that Maribel has a child and he's angry that she's been with some other man. He goes to see her, not knowing exactly what he wants from her but then he's stunned to realize that Maribel's child is his son. He's equally stunned by Maribel's passionate vow that she will never let him near her child. Leonidas is determined to use all his considerable resources to gain his rights as the father and at first Maribel fights him. She wants nothing to do with him and doesn't want her son emulating his father's careless, playboy ways. She thinks to drive him away by saying the only way that Leonidas will be allowed into their lives is if he marries her. Well, Leonidas accepts her offer and they marry. For better or worse these two tempestuous lovers need to find a compromise that will enable them to have a happily ever after.

My favorite in the Rich, Ruthless and Really Handsome series. I liked Maribel and I enjoyed her evading maneuvers. At first her insistence on cutting Leonidas out of his sons life seems cold but when we learn more about that fateful morning after they had sex it becomes more apparent that she has valid reasons in protecting herself and her son. I completely sympathize with her hurt and cheered when she brought Leonidas to his knees. Who was an arrogant jerk. When they finally do have sex as man and wife and then he rolls off her and agrees to meet his ex girlfriend at her apartment my jaw just dropped. Grrrr. Someone get me a blowtorch and a butcher's knife! That it was completely innocent doesn't matter. He frequently tells her that she doesn't own him and that their marriage will not change him. Grrrr. I definitely enjoyed reading about Maribel bringing him down a peg or three. Normally I don't like angsty books but all these out of control emotions was a fun ride. Also it's a good thing I read this book before the first one in this series because I would have really disliked Leonidas alot more. He has an obvious disdain for women in the first book and it's still not beaten out of him by his own book but Maribel soons straightens him out and makes him into a better father and a far better husband.

I've always enjoyed Ms. Graham's writing...witty, good emotional roller-coaster ride and her characters are engaging and likable. But this book is not one of my favorites. Though the heroine is honest and sincere and the hero deep inside is caring but doesn't know how to express affection, there are instances when they were simply annoying. Without giving away the story, I think it was rude for the hero to mention how the heroine reminds him of her deceased cousin (whom she believes he was in love with) after they just made love. And despite the heroine's stubborn maternal streak, she still comes across as someone with no self-esteem and accepting the scraps the hero offers her (he outright tells her he will give in to marrying her so he can see his son and she was ok with that!). Although towards the end, their differences and misunderstandings were resolved, I still find the hero to be insensitive (which I am sure cannot change overnight) and unlike some of Ms. Graham's other books, am not convinced that he actually cares about the heroine. I came away from the story not caring about either of them. For fun read, I'd recommend `The Italian's Inexperienced Mistress'.

I'm a fan of Ms.Graham's books, especially her early books. But lately, she seems to lose all her ability to work with touching-words, well-describing the roles or situation. I don't really like both hero/heroine from this, they don't seem match for each other, and aren't a perfect couple I use to imagine.

I used to collect the hardcopy of her books, but now I will just buy one if I consider the story is good after reading the e-Books, can save my money a bit. And I won't buy the hardcopy for this one, for sure.

I really like strong, alpha heros and this one fit the bill. However, this book didn't quite hit the full 5 stars for me because I wasn't totally convinced that his selfish nature wasn't going to destroy things for them down the road. I really liked the heroine and thought it was great to see an educated woman in one of Lynne Graham's novels.

Maribel is a strong heroine. She doesn't just let Leonidas walk all over her to get what he wants. He seems to come across as a bit childish. Doing and wanting what he wants without even thinking. He lets the story leak to the press and subjects Maribel and their little boy to that fiasco. Then when she finds out he is behind it and she basically tells him what harm he has caused the little boy he starts to grow up. That was so nice to see. The growth and change in his character.