Published: October 1, 2015
Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon Australia
Pages: 192
Format: Paperback purchased
RRP: $7.99
4.5/5 Stars 
Mills & Boon Sexy series delivers what you love in contemporary romance – glamour and scandal in exotic locations…
Just a pawn in Salazar’s game?
Donato Salazar can’t forget his tragic past and he has no intention of forgiving the man responsible. Jilting his enemy’s daughter will be the icing on the cake of his revenge, and beautiful Ella Sanderson is certainly sweet enough.
Except Ella isn’t the vacuous socialite he expected, and she refuses to marry him! Her rebelliousness only makes Donato want her more, so he’ll have to persuade her…touch by breathtaking touch. But soon Donato finds himself enthralled by their magnetic connection…
As their fake wedding day approaches one question weighs heavily on Donato’s mind: will he love, honour…and betray?
I really truly don’t know where to start with this novel. It completely floored me, holding me captive from the very first page to the very last, with the closing of the book forcing me back into reality once again – one I should add that I didn’t even realise I was missing from.
Seducing His Enemy’s Daughter is Annie West’s 25th novel. As you’d expect from such a prolific writer it reads effortlessly and is superbly written, with well rounded characters and a fantastic plot. But it’s also a whole lot more than that. Seducing His Enemy’s Daughter is an emotional roller-coaster ride that I really really desperately want to line back up for and jump back in. It’s simply that good. The characters, their conflicts and their emotions are not only tangible, but they are larger than life and I dare anyone not to be upset for these two characters at THAT instance in the book (no I’m not going to tell you which particular instance it is, but you’ll know when you read it).
Seducing His Enemy’s Daughter is a marriage of convenience story, which is perhaps not surprisingly one of my all time favourite romance tropes. It’s the store of Ella Sanderson, the daughter of a well known Sydney socialite who is offered by her father (Reg Sanderson) to marry Donato Salazar in exchange for a business deal and money. Ella has fought to live a life she made for herself away from her father’s shallow eyes and disinterest, and naturally is less then impressed when she is called in as a stand-in for her sister at the 11th hour. Even more so when it appears that her less than impressed attitude has Donato chasing the impending marriage more than running from the hills like she’d planned. But Donato has his own secrets, and he has to make this deal with Reg Sanderson to ensure his own end goals are meet, and while he might feel guilty for ensnaring the beautiful and wholly unexpected Ella Sanderson in his net, is her gentle and kind nature enough to overthrow his own business needs? What ensures is a poignant reminder of family and love, as the two opposites fight for what they each believe in and whether love can really transcend all boundaries.
I finished this book a couple of weeks ago, and despite reading it one sitting, I still find myself at a loss of words to express just how magical and romantic it really is. This book is nothing short of inspiring; packing a pretty brutal emotional punch of both the fiery demand of the Sexy line but also a the soft and gentle caress of a sweet romance that blossoms into something more worldly and all encompassing than one could every imagine. I’m just still in awe of it in many ways. The emotion and conflict (both internal and external) floored me with this narrative. Not only was I there vividly with these characters, but I was feeling every ounce of emotion they were: guilt, shame, anger, elation, passion, desperation, pain, gut wrenching sorrow and lastly love.
As one might expect from the likes of Annie West, this narrative has some amazing imagery and fresh and vivid descriptions that see you tumbling head first into the characters world, and frankly, their lives. There wasn’t a second of this story that I wasn’t there in the moment with the characters, feeling their every emotion, their every desire and secret. But more than that, I felt like I knew them, that I could picture exactly the type of people they were and the places they visited. In particular there is one scene that stands out so strongly even now for me, and that’s the heart shattering moment when Ella is in the dress. My hands were physically shaking with emotion as I raced through the scene desperate for my fears to be unfounded and the moment to be delayed. I just… it still gives me chills. The sheer power that Annie West has over the written word (particularly in this instance) is nothing short of astounding… it also wants me to track down the rest of her back list (that I don’t already own) ASAP so that I can bear witness to more of this empowering natural born storyteller and her wonderful imagination.
Seducing His Enemy’s Daughter is a sizzling quick read that packs a heavy emotional punch. While my emotions are still reeling from the 192 paged roller-coaster, I am forever glad that I picked this book up on a whim, because it was so so worth every word written on the page. In fact, it’s worth more.
To learn more about Annie West, visit the following social media sites:
Annie’s website | Facebook | Goodreads
To purchase a copy of the book, visit the following online retailers:
Australia: Booktopia | Mills & Boon Australia | Amazon | iBooks | Google
America: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo
UK: Amazon | Book Depository |
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