Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia -- The Present

A barrage of camera flashes from news organizations greets Kim Blackstone when she arrives at Auckland’s international airport. Coming home from vacation, she can’t understand why they are there; it’s been ten years since she has been of interest to the gossip columnists. She is rescued by, of all people, Ric Perrini, her ex husband and chairman of her father’s company, Blackstone Diamonds. Ten years ago they were married for ten days. Kim left Ric, left her father and his demands she work for the company, when she found they had manipulated her into marriage to further their goals for the company. Partially in revenge, she went to work for her cousin, Max Hammond, of the House of Hammond, diamond dealers, owned by her uncle. A family feud divided the two branches of the family and the two businesses a generation ago. Kim’s father claims he has disinherited her for turning her back on the family business.

Ric Perrini is known as an eligible bachelor in the Sydney gossip columns, but the only woman he wants right now is Kim, which is why he is at the airport in New Zealand. First he wants to protect her before the media leaks the information to her that her father is missing. The jet he had been flying in has disappeared, and the only body found with some partial wreckage is that of Marise Hammond, Max’s wife. The search for possible survivors continues. Ric’s second purpose is to lure Kim back to Blackstone Diamonds, back into his arms, and back into his bed.

This is the first of a six volume series set in New Zealand and Australia by Down-Under authors. The stories will revolve around the family feud, the Australian diamond business, and the grandchildren of Jebediah Hammond, who discovered the diamond mine that started the original company. Author Bronwyn Jameson introduces interesting characters in the first volume, VOWS & A VENGEFUL GROOM. This story sets the situation with which the future stories have to deal. Both Ric and Kim are privileged rich, but they are presented as hard-working people with unique vulnerabilities. And despite the ten-year hiatus in their marriage, both are still in love with each other, but whether they can work out their issues appears doubtful. Their lack of privacy under the media’s scrutiny and exploitation is one the whole family shares. VOWS & A VENGEFUL GROOM is a well-written story that makes me anticipate the rest of the series.

Robin Lee