I'm sorry but I really felt like LG was phoning it in on this one. Lynne Graham is my favorite HP author but that doesn't mean that every one is a gem. This one had no spark, no meat. It was very ordinary. Along the lines of "some stuff happened." Characterizations were not solid. How for example did Cesare think that Lizzie was a gold digger? He went to her and asked her to marry him to accommodate something that he needed. She was extremely poor and overworked and had a sick father and a younger sister to keep in college. It's not gold digging to take the security freely offered in such a case. So that was just added to give him a reason not to like her at first. And then he proceeded to blow hot and cold. Lizzie had moments I enjoyed. She was sensible and I am glad to see LG recently making her virgin heroines not so doormattish in bed the first time. The last several books, this one included, the heroine had given the hero what for verbally on that occasion. And then there was the end bit. The obligatory breakup before the makeup. It was one of those where stated motivations didn't add up to what actually happened. The author is cheating there. Kudos to the hero's father telling him to grovel though. Although it wasn't all that great of a grovel.

So going back to the no spark thing. Authors should have a great idea and a real conflict to build a story around. I think LG, as much as I love her, writes too many books a year. I'd rather have a couple of great ones rather than four mediocre ones. ( )

Lynne Graham is a compelling storyteller. She always writes stories about people faced with unfortunate circumstances. How they tackle these unforeseen occurrences is what makes them stronger. The Billionaire's Bridal Bargain is one such story. Billionaire, Cesare is used to everything going his way. When his grandmother shows interest in an island that is meant to be poor girl Lizzy's inheritance-he is determined to do whatever it takes to gain access. Lizzy may be poor with the weight of the world on her shoulders but she is no pushover. Although she is in dire need of money, she is determined to do the right thing. What ensues is a battle of wills between two strong people. I have to say that although this was a good story, I expected more. I did not like the character of Cesare. There were times he came across deliberately cruel. Although this story does not live up to the caliber of her earlier work, The Billionaire's Bridal Bargain is worth a look. Received an ARC of this story for an honest review. ( )