EXQUISITE ACQUISITIONS - Charlene Sands
The Highest Bidder , Book 2
Harlequin Desire #2174
ISBN: 978-0-373-73187-9
August 2012
Series Romance

New York City and Texas – Present Day

Macy Tarlington, the only child of a legendary actress, has been dealing with her mother's death and the resulting sale of many of her mother's jewelry pieces at an auction. When the press start closing in on her looking for juicy gossip, cowboy billionaire Carter McCay, who happens to be nearby, rescues her and whisks her off to his ranch in Texas. They had never met before the auction, but Carter and Macy hit it off, even as the sizzling chemistry between them hints at there being more than friendship between them. Macy's plans are to relax and enjoy some downtime on the ranch. Having an affair isn't on her agenda.

Carter was at the auction to purchase a ring for his girlfriend, but when she turned him down and made it clear she was only using him to make his cousin jealous, he swore off getting involved with another woman. But something about Macy brings out his protective instincts. As the days pass, the more he finds himself lusting after her. But Macy is only in Texas temporarily as Hollywood is her home, and this cowboy wouldn't feel comfortable under the bright lights of tinsel town. However, Carter and Macy give in to the temptation of heated desire and both know once her time is up, their fling will be over.

Readers should know right off that while EXQUISITE ACQUISITIONS is part of The Highest Bidder series, very little time is spent at the Waverly auction house. Our story mostly takes place on Carter's ranch in Texas, where horses and cowboys rule. Carter may be filthy rich, but he doesn't mind getting down into the trenches and getting dirty on his ranch. Macy is Hollywood's Golden Princess who now feels lost without her beloved mother. After Carter's rejection from his intended fiancée, he's not looking for love anytime soon. A no commitment affair is in order for Carter and Macy. They draw closer each day, and their emotions go on a wild roller coaster ride, making it harder to face the end of their relationship.

Carter's mother died while he was young, leaving him to be raised by his drunken father, who is no good and clearly someone Carter doesn't wish to associate with. But his father seems bent on wiggling himself back into Carter's life, with a bit of help from Macy. Carter became a self-made millionaire on his own, and the last person he wants to see is the bastard who raised him. Macy, on the other hand, has her own issues with a father who died in a drunken crash and a mother she adored. Yet she sometimes felt like a wallflower standing next to her beautiful mother. And she has found life as an actress requires that she give control to others.

Carter is like a knight in shining armor who is instead outfitted in cowboy attire astride a horse. Macy is the princess he rescues from the big bad press and brings her to his enclave. Charlene Sands knows how to write sexy cowboys, and in EXQUISITE ACQUISITIONS readers are in for a treat. Carter can come rescue me any day! See for yourself what I mean by grabbing this terrific tale off the shelves before it disappears.

Patti Fischer