FROM ENEMY'S DAUGHTER TO EXPECTANT BRIDE – Olivia Gates
The Billionaires of Black Castle , Book 1
Harlequin Desire #2337
ISBN: 978-0-373-73350-7
November 2014
Contemporary Series Romance

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – Present Day

Rafael Salazar was eight years old when he was kidnapped and brutally imprisoned in a place called Black Castle. He eventually escaped several years later, but he never reunited with his parents. As he parlayed his ability for financial matters into success, he has become a billionaire. But Rafael has never forgotten his plan to punish the man he believes responsible for his kidnapping. He's about to set his plan into motion one night at a party in Rio when a tingling sensation has him checking the source. He turns and spots a beautiful woman, and though he shouldn't be distracted, he can't help himself as he seeks her out. Soon, she's in his arms as they kiss passionately. Rafael decides he needs to get back to the matter at hand—destroying the man he hates—but he's stunned to learn that the woman he's fallen for is his enemy's daughter.

Eliana “Ellie” Ferreira adores her father and will do anything to protect him. But meeting Rafael Salazar tilts her world. He's intensely attractive and powerfully rich, and he wants her. While there is a bit of a miscommunication that night, they're soon back together. The passion between them is strong, and their relationship is almost obsessive. When she finally gives him her virginity, it is taken with a promise of a future together. But just as Ellie's marriage to Rafael draws closer, the truth of why he was there at the party that night comes to light. Is he still bent on destroying her father by using her?

Olivia Gates has penned a powerful tale of a man out for revenge in FROM ENEMY'S DAUGHTER TO EXPECTANT BRIDE. The brutal kidnapping of Rafael ended up shaping him into a harsh, emotionless man, but one look at Ellie and he's ready to claim her as his. Readers will no doubt feel the intense attraction between them when their eyes meet at the party. And Rafael literally grabs Ellie and carries her off to a secluded area where he begins the act of claiming, though they don't actually “do the deed.” Rafael is an alpha male to the max, but sometimes his heavy-handedness makes him an unlikable hero. He didn't ask Ellie what she wanted; he told her. She was so infatuated with him that she didn't protest much, though she did run away when she thought he had dumped her. Yet, it didn't take much to win her back, especially when he forces her to listen to him. Readers who don't care for ultra strong heroes might find FROM ENEMY'S DAUGHTER TO EXPECTANT BRIDE a difficult book to read, but Rafael's intentions are good. He's just comes on strong after the atrocities he's experienced.

Ellie's love for her father is evident to Rafael, and he has to change the course of his plans for revenge if he wants to win her affections. However, he still believes the other man is responsible, and he mulls his future options with the other guys he met in the “Black Castle,” as all the men have remained friends. While we get a few scenes with these men, FROM ENEMY'S DAUGHTER TO EXPECTANT BRIDE is Rafael and Ellie's tale from start to finish. Revenge might be sweet, but finding love is even sweeter. See how this happens in FROM ENEMY'S DAUGHTER TO EXPECTANT BRIDE.

Patti Fischer