Author:
Rachel Bailey
Line:
Silhouette Desire
Release month: UK: / North America:
February 2011
AU/NZ: March 2011
The S-Factor:
Sizzling
Back Blurb:
An accident left April Fairchild with no memory, ownership of a multimillion-dollar hotel and the nagging sense something wasn't quite right in her life. It also brought her intensely sexy businessman Seth Kentrell, whose late brother had left her the property. Seth believed her a gold digger—and how could April deny it, when she couldn't even remember her name? Now Seth was ready to play hardball to get the hotel back.
But April knew enough to refuse to sign over the property until her memory returned. And if that meant Seth needed to persuade her…well, that was something she could enjoy! At least until the whole truth came out….
Review:
♥♥♥♥♥
Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal was an incredible blend of passion and gripping emotions. Seth Kentrell was the “total package” He was a ruthless and sexy billionaire and was determined to get his Lighthouse Hotel back!
One met his half brother Ryder Bramson in The Billionaire’s Beck and Call so I couldn’t wait to read Seth’s story. Truth, lies and seduction all rolled into one! There was one thing for sure, Seth had lost his brother Jesse who died in a car accident. But he also had a problem, the woman April Fairchild travelling with Jesse somehow got her hands on one of his hotels and he wanted it back but she couldn’t remember their deal because she was suffering amnesia from the accident.
There was only one way he could get his hands on the Lighthouse Hotel and that was to keep the beautiful April close, so when she was released from the hospital he picked her up and drove them both to the property. She felt safe with Seth and she knew he would do the right thing but she wanted her memory to return, she wanted to remember why this hotel meant so much to her. April also knew Seth was dangerous because there was a mutual attraction between them and would he use this against her?
April couldn’t even remember her own mother who was also her agent. She was told she owned Fairchild Creative which was her own label and recording studio. From the age of 13 she had launched a career as a very successful jazz singer and piano player. However, she signed over her home and studio to Jesse Kentrell in exchange for one of the hotels owned by Bramson Holdings.
Seth couldn’t loose the Lighthouse Hotel, it would mean he could loose his inheritance. Seth and his brother Jesse were the illegitimate sons of Warner Bramson and now that Jesse was gone that meant that he and his half brother Ryder owned the shares but would they be enough for Seth to gain control of the board? He wasn’t going to let Ryder Bramson get control nor JT Hartley, the other man claiming he was also an illegitimate son of Warner’s. This hotel meant the world to him, it reminded him of the family vacations they took to the hotel. Even though he felt the attraction to April, he was not going to let her win but he couldn’t deny that he wanted her in his bed. Of course, all of this passion between them, in the end I wondered who would suffer, Seth or April or possibly both of them? Would getting his hotel back be more important than having April in his life?
Seth didn’t want to want her but he did. However, he wasn’t going to be weak like his brother Jesse who had in the past tried to impress the opposite sex and was always trying to be the big man around women. Nor was he going to be foolish like his mother who had been the public mistress for 32 years to his father. He wanted his relationships simple, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he wanted April and that made him angry with himself. As for April, she wondered if he was trying to seduce her to get his hotel back. Talk about a mess. Add to the mix because she didn’t have her memory back, had she slept with his brother Jesse? She honestly didn’t know so that put them at odds. Even with those obstacles, I wanted this couple together not only because of their hot passion, I just knew they would be perfect together.
Seth Kentrell actually believed that “nothing good ever came from love and commitment.” His father had taught him that every time he left his mother crying because he was going to visit his “other” family. I remember from reading Ryder’s story, that he felt the very same. It caused me to wonder how they would work out their respective ownership in their father’s company and would this supposed new brother appear on the scene? Talk about a bizarre family plus the fact that Seth desperately needed the Lighthouse Hotel back in his portfolio.
Seth and his brother Ryder had a short meeting and decided to unite due to the fact that JT Hartley was claiming to be the son of Warner Bramson. They included April and Ryder’s fiance Macy in their meeting. It gave me hope for Seth and April’s relationship because he thought enough of her and trusted her to invite her to brunch. However, she also feared Seth because he and his brother were so ruthless.
April knew she needed to walk away and go home. If Seth could be this ruthless about his brother and business, what would he do to her? Everyone wanted something from her, her mother and Seth and she needed peace and to get her memory back. Walking away would hurt them both. Would he ever put her first instead of Bramson Holdings I wondered? Would he and his brother Ryder ever come to terms with their past family hurts? Plus, what would happen when her memory returned? Would she be hurt by what she found out about her life?
Rachel Bailey has written a real “winner”, a beautiful love story one of hope with Millionaire-Dollar Amnesia Scandal. The way the author dealt with Seth and April’s emotions, the return of her memory, the revelations about her mother, his brother. Talk about a roller coaster romance! Plus there was the most magnificent love scene on a grand pianoI promise you this book and The Billionaire’s Beck and Call are both must reads. Talk about sexy billionaires, scandal, mistrust, lies, sexual tension they both have it all. However, Seth’s and Ryder’s story doesn’t seem to be over because out there lurking is a possible half brother wanting his piece of the pie!
Hero Hotness Factor
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Heroine Lovability Factor
♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor
♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor
♥♥♥♥♥
Weepy Factor
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Reviewed by: Marilyn
Behind the Book:
"I've always wanted to be able to play the piano well. I had lessons as a child, I even made half-hearted attempts to practice, but I'm still not that much chop. So I did the natural thing - I created a heroine, April Fairchild, who could play (and sing!) so well that she's become world famous. (And her hero, Seth Kentrell, finds her playing very attractive. :))
The next question was what type of singer / pianist she was. I don't know about you, but I think some slower jazz numbers can be very sensual and just seemed to fit perfectly for a romance. I listened to a lot of Diana Krall, in particular, while writing this book. Side note: I listened to Ravel's Bollero over and over while writing At The Billionaire's Beck and Call - the slow, controlled build to the explosive end really worked for Ryder and Macy's journey.
The heroine in Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal, April Fairchild, is a jazz singer and pianist. As a failed pianist myself, I have to tell you, I really enjoyed writing the scenes where she's playing. But more than April's playing - when I was writing this book I knew I wanted to write about her being kissed on her piano. Perhaps it was memories of watching The Fabulous Baker Boys and seeing how sexy the piano could be. Perhaps it was having stared with awe at gorgeous men while they tinkled the ivories, but I knew this book wouldn't be complete without that kiss.
April's hero, Seth Kentrell, also thinks the piano is kinda sexy after he hears her play. Naturally. I've always been fascinated by star gazing. I love sitting under the stars and night and seeing if I can recognize any shapes - both the official constellations and ones I make up myself.
When I was a child, my family spent our school holidays at Byron Bay. For those who don't know the spot, it's Australia's most easterly point, with stunning beaches, and, when we used to go it was a relatively unknown piece of paradise. It's become much more popular in recent years, but the beaches are as gorgeous, and the whole bay is still presided over by a grand old lighthouse. The Cape Byron Lighthouse is not only Australia's most easterly lighthouse, but it's also the country's most powerful. At night we would watch the light go round and round from the sand dunes, and during the day, we could see the tall white tower from the beach. So, is it just me and the effect of my childhood memories, or do lighthouses hold a special fascination for others too? Perhaps the appeal is symbolic - a guiding light for those in troubled waters.
Since I've laid bare my love for all things lighthouse, you probably won't be surprised to learn I managed to sneak a lighthouse into a book. In fact, I set an entire book at a fictitious luxury hotel: The Lighthouse Hotel in Connecticut, New England. In Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal, one of the first things April wants to do when she arrives at the hotel, is climb the steps of the lighthouse. April has many traits that have nothing to do with me - eg., she can sing and play the piano beautifully - but that need to climb to the top of the lighthouse is all me. :)
One of the most fun aspects to research for Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal was which constellations would be visible to the naked eye in Connecticut at that time of year. You see, April is a bit of an amateur astronomer. It's not something that has a lot of page space devoted to it in the book, but I loved having that small thread there for April. So, it turns out that in my ficticious town of Queensport, with the naked eye, you can see the stars Vega, Altair and Deneb, and together they form a triangle. You can also easily see Venus, which is a planet, but often called the Evening Star or the Morning Star." R. Bailey
