Monday Book Reviews: A Model Engagement, by Charlotte O'Shay

A Model Engagement, by Charlotte O'Shay
Published September 2017 by The Wild Rose Press

About the Book:

Lacey Reed jumps at the chance for independence with a career in the big city. But her naivety and ambition blind her to the lure of a blackmailer. With her savings gone, she has nowhere to turn when she literally runs into financier Connor Devlin.

Though dazzled by Lacey, Connor sees the desperation she tries to hide. His gut tells him to help, and he hires her as his fake fiancée. Now Lacey has a job, and Connor has put a bandage on a family crisis.

When the blackmailer ups the ante, Lacey resolves to face him down—no matter what the consequences. Does that mean Lacey will lose the only man who’s ever seen who she truly is?

My Take:

Charlotte O'Shay gives us a heartwarming story of two very different people who aren't looking for love, but end up being the perfect fit. This is a slightly different take on the fake fiancé story line, and the he said/she said alternating third person narrative makes for a fun, fast read.

Lacey Lee Reed was a minor character in O'Shay's debut novel, The Marriage Ultimatum. Here we get to look inside the facade she presents to the world, and discover that the former model is not as carefree as she would lead everyone to believe. In the very first chapter, we find out she's being blackmailed and practically broke because of it. And getting desperate.

When Connor Devlin sees Lacey at his friend's wedding, he's more than a little intrigued by the voluptuous maid of honor. He's not a "relationship" kind of guy, but there's something about Lacey that makes him want to know more. He's sitting next to her when she gets the news that she didn't get the job she was counting on, and ends up impulsively offering her a position as a caretaker for his aging mother. The catch being that his mother is proud and stubborn and won't allow a nurse in the house, so Lacey will have to pretend she's Connor's fiancé, a fact Connor neglects to share until it's too late for her to back out of the deal.

I'll stop there because I don't want to give away any of the twists this story takes. Suffice it to say the story keeps the pages turning, and the reader routing for both of the main characters to swallow their stubborn pride and figure out just how well they fit together in so many ways.

In terms of star ratings, this gets 4.5 stars for an engaging story and characters, and 4 out of 5 for readability. I think the editor should have wielded a firmer hand in several instances and taken out a few repetitive phrases, but otherwise this is a charming story and well worth the read.

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Monday Book Review: The Marriage Ultimatum, by Charlotte O'Shay

The Marriage Ultimatum, by Charlotte O'Shay
Published June 2016 by The Wild Rose Press

About the Book:

Dead-end job? Dreary apartment? Disastrous love life? Check, check, and check. Toddler who makes it all worthwhile? Absolutely. Juggling work, college, and the care of young Alex was never Sabrina's plan.
But Sabrina's dreams are bigger than any curve ball life can throw at her. Her top priority is keeping her small family together, no matter what the cost.

Vladimir Grigory doesn't believe in dreams. He earned his position at the top of New York's corporate ladder with his own sweat. His empire is his baby, and he'll destroy anyone who threatens it. Even the sexy employee who challenges him on every level. When the New York tabloids and the world call him the baby daddy of Sabrina's son, Vlad believes Sabrina is part of a plot to expose the secrets of his past. He threatens to destroy her future. But since Sabrina has secrets of her own, she has no choice but to agree to Vlad's marriage ultimatum.

My Take

I absolutely love the cover of this author's debut romance! And the story, while it has a few quirks, is sassy, fast-paced and truly fun to read. 

The tag line on the cover reads "is love worth the risk of telling your secrets," and these main characters have a few whopper secrets they're not only keeping from each other, but trying to hide from the world. The story may be flawed in places, like its characters, but the first thing I wanted to do when I finished was to start over again from the beginning and live through it all a second time.

Life has not been easy for Sabrina Boyd. Her dad took off when she was small, leaving her single mom to struggle in poverty and through a series of failed relationships. When it seemed her mother had finally turned the corner, with a steady job and steady guy, she got pregnant. After the baby was born, a tragic accident left Sabrina alone with an infant to care for.  Not wanting to lose her only remaining family to DSS, Sabrina dropped out of college to raise her baby brother as if he were her own.

Vladimir Grigory might be a billionaire, but he started life as an orphan on the docks of St. Petersburg, his younger brother clinging to him. He escaped that fate by going to sea on a merchant ship, and later made his fortune in the U.S. shipping industry. In all that time, he never forgot his lonely origins and vowed to make life better for Russia's other abandoned children.

So when tabloid stories and photos surface accusing Vlad of fathering - and abandoning - Sabrina's child, he understandably goes a bit ballistic and overreacts. Sabrina is caught up in the whirlwind, and even though she is a strong, independent woman, she gets totally sucked along in Vlad's plan, his seduction, and his marriage ultimatum. But what happens when her secret gets out? And how will Vlad keep his own childhood secret as Sabrina grows closer to his heart?

As I said, the story has a few quirks, but all in all was well written, well told, and  thoroughly enjoyable. Totally recommend for a fast paced, absorbing beach read, filled with both heart and sizzle. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

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