Rate this book

Million Dollar Christmas Proposal (2013)

by Lucy Monroe(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0373239556 (ISBN13: 9780373239559)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Harlequin

review 1: I'm not doing a full review on this one. It doesn't deserve that much time. I started to put this on my Why Didn't I Like This More? bookshelf and then realized, I know why I didn't: There was almost no conflict in this book. Heroine needs money to pay for her brother's very expensive college. She talks to Hero who needs a mother for his recently inherited niece and nephew. He tells her she's up for the position and the two proceed to date. Heroine meets children. Heroine adores children. Heroine meets hero's father who is an asshat and there is the potential for a conflict... but no. No conflict there either. Hero and Heroine get smexy. Heroine admits she loves Hero. Hero takes a bit longer but eventually admits he loves her back. The end. So... freaking... boring.I'm not... more sure this deserved two stars because Lucy Monroe is a great author (also, I adore her vocabulary. I have a pretty extensive vocabulary and yet I always find at least one word in her books that I have to look up and add to my mental dictionary - which I kind of love) and usually is one of my go-tos. But according to Goodreads, two stars means "It was ok". That's what it was - okay. Not anything I'd want to read again, but not necessarily something I'm sorry I read. Just ultimately forgettable. But I do have to admit, I'm sort of an angst-whore. If you are interested in a well-written story with good communication between the characters and no big drama, this is a good pick for you.
review 2: Another winner by Lucy Monroe who delivers a passionate yet sweet romance along the way. I really did enjoy this book and both of the main characters as I followed their journey to falling in love with the love story developing at a nice steady, easy pace. Their attraction was almost immediate between the two of them at the very first meeting when Audrey dropped in his office to inquire about the job of being a loving mother for his nephew and niece, needing the money that he would provide her from doing said job since she needed it to send her kid brother off to MIT, an expensive school. And I could feel the immediate tension between them as soon as she walked into the room with her feeling it right back even though she was a tad scared of it in the beginning. And this tension and passion just built and built over the coarse of the book, chugging along like a steamy engine with hot scenes thrown in here and there, peppering the book with passion along the way. From that first kiss in his office, it just took off from there. And was just a passionate hot relationship from the get go. Loved the pool scene and the bedroom scene, which was hot. Just the scene he set for her that was with seduction in mind, but also romance to make it special for her first time, which was nice to see. And he was very considerate and caring during those scenes to show that it was more about caring than just the physical for him. Plus it touched something deep inside of him as well because he felt these deep emotions for her and saw that she brought out the best side of him, and helping him create the family that he always wanted that was filled with love. So I enjoyed those scenes.Vincenzo and Audrey both wanted a loving family, which they didn't get as children with each of their parents not really showing that they cared or loved them unconditional like they should have. Audrey's parents basically wrote her off because she supported her gay brother, who came to live with her when they kicked him out and denounced as their son as did so with their daughter as well. It was a heartbreaking scene in the prologue where Toby (her brother) attempted to kill himself after he found out that his parents not only would never accept for who he was, but also the they cut his sister off, leaving her almost penniless and changing her life forever and he felt very guilty about that so he slashed his wrists, and all she wanted was for him to live because to her that was her family it didn't matter that her life had to change and she had to support him and sacrifice for him, but she didn't care because loved her brother. So that was a very impactful scene and really tore at the gut and really gave the picture of what bigot her parents were and how easily they could write off their children like that and just how awful they were. While Vincenzo's parents were just immature and wanted no responsibilities and all the cared about was spending money and not letting their children cramp their lifestyle and were really never parent to Vincenzo or his brother with Vincenzo having to act as a parent to him. Again no love between parent and child in this situation just like in Audrey's which was something they had in common and something that they both understood and what really made them want to create this family and just work as a couple. So that was another way they connected.And their relationship was nice and simple without really any significant conflicts to get in their way. There was no real angst or anything like that. The book was really just the development of their relationship and having him admit that he loved her, which took a while even though he kind of knew from the beginning that she was special, and treated her special the entire book, never treating her badly. He was kind and gentle and just everything a good man should be with the woman that he wanted to be with and spend a life with. He never got cross with her and was very understanding, and even though he had all of those traits unlike some heroes in Presents, who were mean and hard on the heroine creating all this conflict and angst along the way, he was still very much an Alpha male who was rich and valued his control of his surroundings and situations, needing that in his life. And though he did control things here and there when concerning Audrey, he wasn't really controlling her like Alphas usually do in these stories, and when he did try to control the situation she put him in his place immediately, which was nice to see that she wasn't a pushover yet at the same time was this shy and vulnerable character who I enjoyed watching. In fact I enjoyed watching both these characters and I really liked them, and was glad that they got their happy ending that they deserved. She had sacrificed so much for her brother, working hard so they could survive and live day to day while giving up her own dreams and needs and wants over the last six years. She gave up finding love for herself and really made it all about Toby. While Vincenzo took care of his own family in his own way and became a successful billionaire by working hard to create his company and keep the banks running that his family owned and wanted to create this loving environment for his brother's children, which was the reason he was "hiring" a loving mother for them in the first place and gave up his bachelorhood to marry this woman so she would become his wife. He really did have a heart of gold even though he might have seen himself as this hard ass, ruthless businessman and nothing more. (Though she saw right through it and seeing him very much as a hero).Also I liked some of the other scenes in the book that were with Toby, showing the level of caring and protectiveness that he felt over his sister and he wanted her to have a life that wasn't all about him. He even was willing to give up his dream school of MIT (who his parents wouldn't help pay for when Audrey asked them for help in the first place, which was why she went to Vincenzo in the first place to apply for the job)to stay with her because he didn't want her to be alone. I love Toby as much as I loved Vincenzo and Aubrey, and I wouldn't mind seeing him find love and have a book of his own, (I don't think that Presents will do that or is ready to that: a gay love story) but I would kind of like to see it because he deserves his own love story too. But regardless he had a happy ending in the end because not only was he happy to see Vincenzo and Audrey happy and in love and together, but because he had been officially adopted into the Tomasi family when Vincenzo put all the legal paperwork through to make it so, making me love Vincenzo even more with that sweet Christmas present that he gave the siblings, a meaningful gesture that touched both Toby and Aubrey's hearts and truly creating the sense of family. That really touched me and it showed me how really great of a guy he was because he didn't have to do that especially since Toby was eighteen and technically didn't need parents or guardians at the time. Though Vincenzo stated that he wouldn't be Toby's father, but more like a brother to him that was welcomed into the family. So that was a really great moment with Toby knowing he had an extending family and would have all the support that he needed from his family: financially, emotionally, etc. Because of coarse Vincenzo was going to pay for his college and any other schooling that Toby chose to do and would have that money to do so and even had his living expenses paid for while he was in school as well. And not only that Vincenzo set up a scholarship at MIT so that Toby's friend could go there too as well without having to worry about the money. Showing how big Vincenzo's heart really was.The only thing I was a tiny bit, but not a big deal, disappointed with was the fact that this book wasn't more Christmassy. Though the last chapter took place at Christmas with presents being given like the ones I mentioned above, the rest of the book took place about a month before as they were trying to figure out if Aubrey was the best candidate to be the mother that he wanted and his wife. From reading the title you would think "okay this is a Christmas book" and that was what I was expecting, and it wasn't. I was kind of thinking that it might have be like a Scrooge type of book or something where she had to set up this memorable Christmas for the kids, but it wasn't that at all with the holiday spirit not really being there until at the end like I said, which was fine, but from the title I would have expected it to be, which was why I wanted to read it now to get me in the Christmas spirit, but really this book could be read at any time of year with just the little scene at the end being Christmassy. Though I will say that though the title does seem deceiving, the title is correct in what happened on Christmas which gave it away in the title right away. That was what happened so that title was being truthful, even if the expectation there was that the whole book was set during the holidays when it wasn't. But that was just a minor complaint I had and nothing earth shattering or broke the book for me to the point I didn't enjoy it. I was just stating a fact and what my expectations were.But I really did like and enjoy this book very much as well as did I enjoy the journey I took along with these characters. This book had loveable characters from the main two to the nanny to Toby, etc, which made the story even more delightful to read. This was a great Lucy Monroe read with her creating this love story with passionate love scenes that I come to expect from her, taking me back to some of her previous book that I really through enjoyed from her, which are some of my favorite Presents book. And this one will definitely be a new favorite, and though I love a good angst filled love story and tense conflict, I really didn't miss it here and just enjoyed the sweet love story that played out before my eyes (though you can never go wrong with angst in these book, which I love to witness and why I love these books in the first place) with the tension coming from the fact that they wanted each other than so much outside circumstances and misunderstands along the way. It was still fine and an enjoyable read. Can't wait to read the next book by Lucy, and hopefully enjoy it like I did this one (though maybe a bit more angst and misunderstandings and tension thrown in, which never hurts). less

Download links for: Million Dollar Christmas Proposal

Advertising