The Marriage Conspiracy

I been looking forward to reading this book. I enjoy this series of The Bravo family. I enjoy the characters and their story they are telling me too.

From the back cover: A hasty wedding Hardworking detective Dekker Smith had always been beautician Joleen Tilly's best buddy. But when Joleen fell for a rich boy's honeyed lies--producing precious but fatherless little Sam--and Sam's powerful grandparents demanded custody, Dekker proposed an astonishing solution: a most convenient marriage! For Dekker had discovered he was the missing Bravo billionare, wealthy enough to fend off any claims on Joleen's toddler. But could Joleen fend off her sudden, searing desire for her in-name-only husband? Would that unexpected heat burn the bonds between best friends? Or forge a family that was meant to be? And my review: This was a better than average read. I had never read anything by this author before, and I was quite impressed. I love marriage of convenience stories, and this one was very well done. Christine Rimmer does a masterful job of writing sexual tension without having it overtake the romance of the story. And the struggle of falling in love with your best friend and not wanting to ruin the friendship was also very keenly felt. This was good, but wasn't quite outstanding enough to make the cut for my keeper shelf. Still, it was very enjoyable, and I would recommend it.

I have just discovered Christine Rimmer and the Bravo Family books. I was more than pleasantly surprised and have really enjoyed all of the books I have read so far. This one, however, was not up to the same quality of all of the others. I found that it was a little bit silly at times and that I really didn't connect with the characters as I have in her other books. I certainly enjoyed it and if I had not been reading her other books, I don't know that I would be as unhappy with this one. I think I just noticed this one is not up to par because I'm reading them close together. Hence a four rather than a five or a lower score. This is about a girl who has a baby by a man who didn't want it. Soon after the man dies and the parents of this man want the baby for themselves. In order to fight the attorneys and have a good argument for keeping the baby, she marries her best friend. Her best friend Dekker. He was the missing Bravo Baby read about in other books. And guess what? HE's not just the missing baby and the best friend to her, but he's rich. So he can help her. A marriage of convenience quickly turns to love. A very nice ending with everyone happy. It was nice reading about the other Bravo's in this book. I like how Ms. Rimmer so carefully entertwines characters from her other books into this book. Enjoy.

The Atwoods have too much money and too much power, which corrupted their only son. Joleen believed Bobby's silken lies until he'd wanted nothing to do with his child, abandoning Joleen when she learned of her pregnancy. Now her son Sam is eighteen months old. Six weeks ago Bobby died in a power skiing accident. In spite of the past, she'd contacted his parents to tell them that they have a grandson. Their response is to offer her money for custody. When Joleen refuses, they threaten court, counting on political favors to win them the child.Dekker recently learned that he's the Bravo's missing heir. Now a millionaire, he immediately steps in to help Joleen when he learns of the Atwood's threats. The stability of marriage and the money to hire the best lawyers should protect the child. He warns Joleen, however, that he's emotionally dead when it "comes to man-woman love." A bitter marriage with a woman who couldn't be satisfied and eventually left him widowed resulted in becoming absolutely numb. The only woman Dekker lets close to him is his beloved childhood friend Joleen. She's always touched the parts of him he keeps silent, hearing the things he can't always articulate.Joleen's feelings move from tender goodwill to defensiveness when their act of their marriage, and a couple of kisses, awaken a powerful yearning. In her mother's words, she wants magic, passion, and excitement. And she wants it with Dekker. When he said that neither of them were in the market for a grand passion, or possibly ever would be, she didn't want to confess that she wants the passion he believes impossible. Christine Rimmer's special talent for creating emotional vulnerable characters once again sparkles in THE MARRIAGE CONSPIRACY. These are imperfect, believable people struggling with their feelings and the past. Secondary characters, even those only sketched at the wedding, for example, also shimmer with plausibility and humor. With a heart stopping threat regarding custody, as well as healing old wounds, THE MARRIAGE CONSPIRACY results in intensive read that comes highly recommended.