Date published: November 6th, 2012
Publisher: Gallery Books
Synopsis: Carina Conte has had a crush on her brother Michael’s best friend, Max Gray, since she was a teenager. Now she’s earned her MBA and come to work at Michael’s new venture, America’s fastest-growing bakery empire. But some things never change: her family still treats her like a child. With three drop-dead gorgeous siblings, she’s still the ugly duckling of the bunch. And Max, the company’s new CEO, still barely notices her.
Max knows Carina Conte is strictly off limits. But hot-blooded lust wins out at a conference when the two share a scorching one-night stand—and are busted by her mother! Now, forced by old-world Italian tradition into a marriage he’s not ready for, Max is miserable—and Carina is furious. Her new husband is about to realize that hell hath no fury like a woman transformed…
What I Thought:
I love the "I'm in love with my older brother's best friend" stories. Of course I didn't have an older brother, but I did have crushes on just about every single older brother of my friends growing up. Lol. Anyhow, there was no way I wasn't going to read this book. Besides the older brother's best friend, it had one more thing going for it; It was written by Jennifer Probst.
I loved the book. The story is fast paced. I was sweating from the heat Carina and Max gave off. I understood Max's hesitation in pursuing Carina but still wanted to shake him silly. His issues were totally unwarranted, which of course he learned on his own with time. I really enjoyed seeing Carina come into her own in this book. Granted she's older and more mature than the child we saw her as in the previous two books, but I admired her this time around. I like that how she made Max work for her.
One of my favorite characters in this series is Mama Conte. She's a total hoot and that hasn't changed at all. Even though I can find her meddling infuriating just as her children do, her heart is in the right place and thankfully she's always right. This series has since ended although many of my favorite characters have cameos in her current series. Jennifer Probst has written another great book full of love, laughter, and happiness.
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About the Author
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. At twelve, I took a pen in hand and wrote my first love story. I haven’t stopped since. Those heroines taught me valuable lessons that served me well. I learned to keep my head up high and surge forward when I was afraid; I learned to demand respect in a relationship; I learned about compromise and dreams and independence. Those are the stories I want to write, and I can only hope I give back some of the joy I received over the years.
I live in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. I’ve traveled to many places but always seem to be drawn back to the mountains. I graduated with a business degree, worked for Mercy College, and now spend most days dedicated to my family and my characters. I’ve pursued many career paths such as travel agent, yoga teacher and insurance salesperson. I’ve wanted to be an airline pilot, a dancer, an archaeologist, and a vineyard owner. I have been all of the above through romance novels, and intend to explore many more.
One of my turning points in my career was when I joined Romance Writers of America and met the wonderful people in my local chapter, The Hudson Valley RWA. Through supportive critique sessions, I learned how to develop my raw skills to get a publishable manuscript. I discovered my tendency for wordy prologues and passive phrases that all new writers work through, and now try to help others on their journey.
*A copy of the book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any manner.*
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