Miami Beach, Florida - Present Day

Adam Garrison is sick and tired of being ignored and not respected by anyone. His two older brothers won't give him a bigger say in the operations of Garrison Inc., and the business community discounts him because they all consider him a playboy. But Adam's goal is to be taken seriously, not considered insignificant, and that starts with becoming president of the Miami Business Council. All he needs to become a sober member of society is a wife...but not just any wife. Not his usual flashy fashion models or celebrities, but a smart, stable, serious-minded woman -- like the accountant at his nightclub. Surely five hundred thousand dollars a year for two years and then a quiet divorce would be well worth helping him rise in the ranks of the Miami business community. What???

WHAT!!! Is right. One million dollars to do nothing for two years? What is the matter with Adam Garrison, Lauryn Lowes wants to know. She has worked as accountant for Estate, his nightclub, for only seven months, but she has secrets she is keeping, too. Lauryn found out after her father died that her mother isn't her real mother. Lauryn's birth mother was a Miami socialite named Adrianna Laurence. In her father's papers she found out her real mother was dead, but there were love letters explaining all the facts of her birth hidden under the floorboards in a closet in her house. Only thing is, yup, you guessed it, Adam owns the Laurence family's former mansion. When Adam promises to move into the mansion, Lauryn...whoops, can't ruin the story for you now, can I?

I am afraid I am showing my age, but Emilie Rose has a vast backlog of romance novels that hit the mark every time. She is a consistent, entertaining author who can create characters and romantic situations that are always different, yet she invariably delivers the emotional goods in each one. Lauryn has one thing on her mind, but she's still open to the attraction between herself and Adam. Adam is the quintessential playboy who can't believe he's drawn to a woman so unlike what he's used to. Coming to terms with themselves takes all the skills of Ms. Rose as she carefully plots all the action in this captivating tale.

From a previous Garrisons title, STRANDED WITH THE TEMPTING STRANGER, Brandon Washington, Adam's attorney, tries to guide Adam in his quest for respect. Adam's two brothers and two sisters and their mother also make appearances, along with Cassie, Adam's newly discovered half sister. But with Adam and Lauryn, the story is complete without any secondary characters.

SECRETS OF THE TYCOON'S BRIDE is a delightful sequel in The Garrisons series this month. Although there are four previous books, this is a stand alone story that will delight you all the way through.

Carolyn Crisher