Can one week in paradiseā¦
ā¦heal ten years of heartache?
When the elite M dating agency sends wealthy Freddie Highgrove to the Seychelles for a weeklong ādate,ā the last person heās expecting to be matched with is Jasmine Walker, his first love and ex-fiancĆ©e!
Ten years ago, his familyās expectations for a high-society marriage sent housekeeperās daughter Jasmine running.
Can one week in paradise bring them back together?
Title: | Surprise Reunion with His Cinderella |
Author: | Rachael Stewart |
Series: | Billion Dollar Matches (Book 2) |
Pages: | 256 |
Category / Genre(s): | Harlequin / Mills & Boon |
Trope(s): | Second Chance Romance |
Point of View: | Third Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h) |
Location: | Seychelles & Edinburgh, UK |
HEA: | āļø |
Release Date: | 8th July, 2021 |
Second chances in the sultry sun
I adore a second chance romance and what could be better than one written by the brilliant Rachael Stewart? Turns out, not a lot!
We start off with a prologue set 10 years past, witnessing the beginning of the end of Freddie and Jasmineās young love. With him being aristocracy and her the daughter of the hired help, the pair are worldās apart.
10 years later, Jasmine and Freddie are worldās apart again – but a week long date in paradise set up by a matchmaker brings our two lovers back together once again. But are they doomed to repeat the past or is this the start of a new beginning?
Jasmine is an extremely likeable heroine both when we glimpse her as a shy teen and as a more confident, assured adult. Sheās got guts and smarts and is no longer afraid to ask for what she wants – and go after it. But thatās not to say sheās not as normal as you or me. She blushes easily, worries often and is still conflicted over the feelings that the past has brought up. I loved her for all her strength as well as all her relatable insecurities.
Now Freddieā¦ Freddie was a hero I can 100% get behind – and not just because he was a hot Scot! Young Freddie was playful and sweet while older Freddie more mature, more stoic and a little cold. Or at least he was before Jasmine comes back in his life. I love, love, love it when a man canāt help but show his feelings. Even if heās learned to master his emotions and is now something of a ruthless businessman, Freddie is overcome by Jasmine and he is almost tortured by his feelings for her. And I do so love it when an author tortures a hero in the quest for true love.
And I guess thatās one of the reasons why I adore a second chance romance – thereās always that underlying chemistry, passion and love all just waiting to burst through once again, and Jasmine and Freddie are the perfect example of this. They re-click almost immediately and you feel every moment. Thereās an underlying simmering of emotion throughout the whole book which is subtle but packs a huge punch. Itās not too much that youāll be a blubbering mess, but it touches you and makes you feel for these characters and will them to get it right this time.
Rachael Stewart was one of the stand out stars of Mills & Boonās now defunct Dare line and she brings her passion and storytelling perfectly to the Romance line. Thereās still sex in this tale and it is perfection – probably in part due to the emotions between our couple. Maybe not as spicy as in a Dare, but still wholly satisfying.
In terms of the writing – as per usual – Ms Stewart is on point. Itās not often I actually stop reading a book simply to exclaim to myself over the wonderful intricacy of the writing. And the author herself will probably belie this fact – but itās just so effortlessly done. Itās so smooth and readable and Iām a little (okay a lot) in awe.
Wherever you are, this story will transport you to an island paradise and give you that satisfaction of true love winning over all. You will devour this book and – I warn you now – youāll want to buy up everything Rachael Stewart has written once youāre done. 5 stars.
Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heartwarmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.
She’s been writing since she could put pen to paper as the stacks of scrawled on A4 sheets in her loft will attest to, and the lovingly bound short stories that her father would run off at work and proudly share out with his colleagues. Thinking it was a pipe dream to be published one day, she pursued a sensible career in business but she was really play-acting, achieving the appropriate degree and spending many years in the corporate world where she never truly belonged. Always happiest when she was sat at her laptop in the quiet hours tapping out a story or two. And so here she is, a published author, her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.
A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she’s not glued to her laptop, she’s wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.
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