Despite all it's flaws - and this book has several, it's a decent enough read. For some reason it's hard to put down and the main character is basically likeable. The hero is not. He's boring, there's little appeal, and he's plain infuriating. The heroine is sweet so I like that about her but her backbone is so hidden it may as well not be there at all.Erin's tips of not taking part in a marriage when you refuse to be married but the hero insists you will be:1. Say no at the altar.2. Don't leave the room to go downstairs for the wedding.3. Tell everyone you're held against your wishes and want to be away from the man.4. Tell the minister and whoever speaks English you will not be married.5. Just refuse in any common sense scenario you can think of.There wasn't blackmail involved, I don't why the heroine couldn't get it through her head that just because he insisted, didn't mean it had to be so.And also I would personally have been much more enraged about the kidnapping, even if one didn't actually take place and it was a misunderstanding. She dropped it so easily.It was also ridiculous how she ended up knowing she was pregnant. Trust me, I've been pregnant, you can't sense it with a hidden sense when touching another baby. And how depressing is that anyway? I know romance writers for some reason think it's heavenly bliss to end these with a bun in the oven, but I would be super depressed if the man I had slept with once, knew for weeks, and wanted to spend the rest of my life with knocked me up so soon. Whatever happened to the old fashioned notion of spending some time alone together bonding, getting to know each other, having a honeymoon without morning sickness? To me THAT's romantic.
3.5 stars.Reading this book made me want to slap somebody, but also made me smile, rolled my eyes, wrinkled my forehead and cheered the heroine when she used that sharp tongue of hers. So much fun! Just a word of warning, girls. When you in a foreign country you barely speak the language, if some strange men forced you to go with them, do not follow them meekly, fight them all you might. Because in the real world you won't end up marrying a hot millionaire who fell in love with you in a short amount of time, instead you may became a victim of human trafficking.
What do You think about Dark Ransom (1993)?
Just couldn't get past the H's initial contempt/impression of the plain Jane heroine and him using her as a prostitute. I've seen that trope in plenty of historicals and it doesn't bother me, but don't like it in a contemporary. Perhaps I'm wrong and he'll magically find her irresistible, but that kind of took the bloom off the rose for me. The h doesn't have to be the most beautiful girl in the world, but I want the H to feel an attraction to her - feel there's just something about her that draws him. Guess I'm a big believer in chemistry.
—KatieV
