ULTIMATUM: MARRIAGE - Ann Major
Man of the Month
Silhouette Desire #2041
ISBN: 978-0-373-73054-4
October 2010
Series Romance

New Orleans, Louisiana - Present Day

Six weeks ago, Jake Claiborne spent an amazing night with Alicia Butler only to be instrumental in having her father arrested the next morning.  Public perception has painted Jake with the same brush as Mitchell Butler, causing set-backs to his own business, and he's also been plagued by doubts about Alicia's involvement in her father's crimes.  Did she seduce him that night, hoping to save her father, or is she an innocent victim who is also now paying thanks to her father's arrest?  Considering the fact that he keeps reliving their night together, Jake needs to know, but is reluctant to face her again.

Alicia has stayed away from Jake since her father's arrest, believing that Jake used her vulnerability to gather information.  Now though, she has no choice but to speak with him, since she's carrying his baby.  Alicia has longed for a family since the loss of her mother and is not about to deprive her child of his/her father—or its father's name.  She agrees to a sexless and temporary marriage of convenience, hoping to protect her heart from further hurt.  Yet, with the lust that still burns strongly between them and the occasional glimpses of Jake's tender side, is protecting her heart a possibility?

In ULTIMATUM: MARRIAGE, two people with very much in common find themselves enemies, yet reluctantly tied together.  Jake is somewhat estranged from his family; he's only recently returned home and still feeling a little bit on the outs with his twin brother and his grandfather.  As for Alicia, after her mother's death, her father lost all interest in her, and she misses being part of a family.  The first night Alicia and Jake spent together started with dancing, moved on to talking over coffee, and eventually to the bedroom.  For both, it seemed like a perfect match, until the morning brought about the revelation that Alicia's father was responsible for embezzling a huge sum of money.  Now, a couple that was seemingly made for each other share distrust and a desire that each wants to deny.  Their relationship is a rocky one in spite of the chemistry between them.

An interesting marriage-of-convenience novel, look for ULTIMATUM: MARRIAGE.

Jennifer Bishop