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The Coltons of Texas #8
The Pregnant Colton Bride
In the latest electrifying tale from USA TODAY bestselling author Marie Ferrarella, a pregnancy scandal rocks the Colton clan!
Mirabella Freeman, secretary to security expert Zane Colton, thought being pregnant and alone were her biggest problems… That is, until police discover a bank account in her name, complete with mysterious payments supposedly by Zane's missing stepfather! Now not only is Mirabella a suspect in Eldridge Colton's disappearance, but she's bombarded by rumors about the identity of her child's father. So when her gorgeous Colton cowboy boss proposes a marriage of convenience to save face—and her reputation—Mirabella is stunned, yet ready to say, "I do!". As the pregnant bride and her rancher husband fall in love, their hearts won't be all that's in danger…
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2016
47 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Marie Ferrarella
1,230 books276 followersMarie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
aka Marie Charles, Marie Michael, Marie Nicole, Marie Ferrarella
Marie Rydzynski was born on March 28 in West Germany to Polish parents. She moved to America at the age of four. For an entire year, Marie and her family explored the eastern half of the country before finally settling in New York.
Marie swears she was born writing, "which must have made the delivery especially hard for my mother." From an early age, Marie's parents would find her watching television or tucked away in some private place, writing at a furious pace. "Initially, I began writing myself into my favourite shows. I was a detective on '77 Sunset Strip,' the missing Cartwright sibling they never talked about on 'Bonanza' and the 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' before there was a 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,' not to mention an active participant in the serialized stories of 'The Mickey Mouse Club.'" Marie began to write her first romance novel when she was 11 years old, although she claims that, at the time, she didn't even realize it was a romance! She scribbled off and on, while dreaming of a career as an actress.
Marie was only 14 when she first laid eyes on the man she would marry, truly her first love, Charles Ferrarella. During her days at Queens College, New York, acting started to lose its glamour as Marie spent more and more time writing. After receiving her English degree, specialising in Shakespearean comedy, Marie and her family moved to Southern California, where she still resides today.
After an interminable seven weeks apart, Charles decided he couldn't live without her and came out to California to marry his childhood sweetheart. Ever practical, Marie was married in a wash-and-wear wedding dress that she sewed herself, appliqués and all. "'Be prepared' has always been my motto,"the author jokes. This motto has been stretched considerably by her two children, Nikky and Jessi, "but basically, it still applies," she says.
In November of 1981, she sold her first novel for Harlequin. Marie, who now has written over 150 novels, has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. "That's what makes me happy," she confesses. "That, and a really good romantic evening with my husband." She's keeping her fingers crossed that her reader's enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.
aka Marie Charles, Marie Michael, Marie Nicole, Marie Ferrarella
Marie Rydzynski was born on March 28 in West Germany to Polish parents. She moved to America at the age of four. For an entire year, Marie and her family explored the eastern half of the country before finally settling in New York.
Marie swears she was born writing, "which must have made the delivery especially hard for my mother." From an early age, Marie's parents would find her watching television or tucked away in some private place, writing at a furious pace. "Initially, I began writing myself into my favourite shows. I was a detective on '77 Sunset Strip,' the missing Cartwright sibling they never talked about on 'Bonanza' and the 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' before there was a 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,' not to mention an active participant in the serialized stories of 'The Mickey Mouse Club.'" Marie began to write her first romance novel when she was 11 years old, although she claims that, at the time, she didn't even realize it was a romance! She scribbled off and on, while dreaming of a career as an actress.
Marie was only 14 when she first laid eyes on the man she would marry, truly her first love, Charles Ferrarella. During her days at Queens College, New York, acting started to lose its glamour as Marie spent more and more time writing. After receiving her English degree, specialising in Shakespearean comedy, Marie and her family moved to Southern California, where she still resides today.
After an interminable seven weeks apart, Charles decided he couldn't live without her and came out to California to marry his childhood sweetheart. Ever practical, Marie was married in a wash-and-wear wedding dress that she sewed herself, appliqués and all. "'Be prepared' has always been my motto,"the author jokes. This motto has been stretched considerably by her two children, Nikky and Jessi, "but basically, it still applies," she says.
In November of 1981, she sold her first novel for Harlequin. Marie, who now has written over 150 novels, has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. "That's what makes me happy," she confesses. "That, and a really good romantic evening with my husband." She's keeping her fingers crossed that her reader's enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 4, 2016
Another terrific entry into the Coltons series. Zane is the head of security for the Colton businesses, and is determined to find out what has happened to his stepfather. It's been a month since his disappearance and there has been no progress made. Then the sheriff makes two discoveries. First is one of Zane's cufflinks outside his stepfather's window, putting Zane more firmly on the sheriff's radar. Second is that his stepfather has been making large withdrawals from one of his accounts, up until his disappearance. To Zane, it sounds as though Eldridge was being blackmailed, and he sets his IT person on the trail of finding out where the money was going.
Mirabella is Zane's personal assistant. She loves her job and is currently worried about keeping it. She is pregnant and suffering from all day sickness. It is affecting the way she does her job, but she's hesitant about telling Zane. She doesn't think he'll fire her over it, but she doesn't want to take the chance. Besides, he's got enough on his mind with everything else that's going on. Then things take a really weird turn when tracing the payments shows them being deposited to an account in her name!
Suddenly rumors are swirling through the company that her baby is Eldridge's, or maybe Zane's, and that she's sleeping her way to the top. Belle is horrified, furious, and embarrassed. After a very brief period of being suspicious himself, Zane realizes that there is no way that she could be involved. His protective instincts roused, he suggests that he and Belle marry to save her reputation.
I liked Zane when I met him in the previous book. He's got a level head and didn't seem to be interested in the back-stabbing and drama of some of the other members of the family. In this one, his strengths really become obvious. He is determined, he is methodical, and he is actually quite nice when he wants to be. I loved how observant he was about Bella's illness, and how cautious he was about saying anything. I was a little ticked at how quickly he jumped to conclusions about her, but he recovered quite quickly.
I liked Belle too. She is a nice person who is having a rough go of it, thanks to her pregnancy. I loved her confidence in Zane and his ability to find his stepfather, and her emotional support of him and his fears. She has also had a crush on him since she started working for him, but knows that he's out of her league. She's stunned by his offer of marriage, but marriage without love isn't what she wants. But she gives in when it becomes most practical.
I loved the development of their relationship. There had always been some attraction there, but neither would go there in the workplace. But their wedding kiss fanned the sparks into an inferno, and soon they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Because they went into the marriage as a temporary measure, neither believed that the other was interested in making it permanent. Belle was the first to realize that she was in love with Zane, and wished for more. Zane realized his emotions were getting involved, but did his best to shut them down. It wasn't until she was in danger that he allowed himself to admit how he felt. I loved that hint of vulnerability as he let go of his pride and told her how he felt. And in the end, I loved the surprise that he had for her - a really sweet moment for them both.
The mystery of the emails and the money was really well done. I could easily feel Zane's frustration at how long it was taking to find who was behind the emails. There was also the puzzling question of why Belle was being framed for the blackmail attempt. I liked seeing how he and Belle brainstormed to see if they could figure out who might have a grudge against either of them. I really liked the IT guy and his determination to figure it all out. Once he did, I really enjoyed Zane's reaction and what he did about it. That mystery had a very satisfying ending.
There wasn't a whole lot of movement on finding Eldridge. The sheriff is suspicious of all the Coltons, though in this book he seems to have his eye focused on Zane. I was very suspicious about the discovery of the cufflink after a month, especially as nothing was said about its condition. I got the feeling that it was in good shape, which it shouldn't be after a month outdoors. It became even more questionable when Zane caught Fowler doing something suspicious too. While several of the Coltons are pretty obviously innocent, there are others that certainly seem to have the motivation and the temperament. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress of this one.
Mirabella is Zane's personal assistant. She loves her job and is currently worried about keeping it. She is pregnant and suffering from all day sickness. It is affecting the way she does her job, but she's hesitant about telling Zane. She doesn't think he'll fire her over it, but she doesn't want to take the chance. Besides, he's got enough on his mind with everything else that's going on. Then things take a really weird turn when tracing the payments shows them being deposited to an account in her name!
Suddenly rumors are swirling through the company that her baby is Eldridge's, or maybe Zane's, and that she's sleeping her way to the top. Belle is horrified, furious, and embarrassed. After a very brief period of being suspicious himself, Zane realizes that there is no way that she could be involved. His protective instincts roused, he suggests that he and Belle marry to save her reputation.
I liked Zane when I met him in the previous book. He's got a level head and didn't seem to be interested in the back-stabbing and drama of some of the other members of the family. In this one, his strengths really become obvious. He is determined, he is methodical, and he is actually quite nice when he wants to be. I loved how observant he was about Bella's illness, and how cautious he was about saying anything. I was a little ticked at how quickly he jumped to conclusions about her, but he recovered quite quickly.
I liked Belle too. She is a nice person who is having a rough go of it, thanks to her pregnancy. I loved her confidence in Zane and his ability to find his stepfather, and her emotional support of him and his fears. She has also had a crush on him since she started working for him, but knows that he's out of her league. She's stunned by his offer of marriage, but marriage without love isn't what she wants. But she gives in when it becomes most practical.
I loved the development of their relationship. There had always been some attraction there, but neither would go there in the workplace. But their wedding kiss fanned the sparks into an inferno, and soon they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Because they went into the marriage as a temporary measure, neither believed that the other was interested in making it permanent. Belle was the first to realize that she was in love with Zane, and wished for more. Zane realized his emotions were getting involved, but did his best to shut them down. It wasn't until she was in danger that he allowed himself to admit how he felt. I loved that hint of vulnerability as he let go of his pride and told her how he felt. And in the end, I loved the surprise that he had for her - a really sweet moment for them both.
The mystery of the emails and the money was really well done. I could easily feel Zane's frustration at how long it was taking to find who was behind the emails. There was also the puzzling question of why Belle was being framed for the blackmail attempt. I liked seeing how he and Belle brainstormed to see if they could figure out who might have a grudge against either of them. I really liked the IT guy and his determination to figure it all out. Once he did, I really enjoyed Zane's reaction and what he did about it. That mystery had a very satisfying ending.
There wasn't a whole lot of movement on finding Eldridge. The sheriff is suspicious of all the Coltons, though in this book he seems to have his eye focused on Zane. I was very suspicious about the discovery of the cufflink after a month, especially as nothing was said about its condition. I got the feeling that it was in good shape, which it shouldn't be after a month outdoors. It became even more questionable when Zane caught Fowler doing something suspicious too. While several of the Coltons are pretty obviously innocent, there are others that certainly seem to have the motivation and the temperament. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress of this one.
August 6, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. The suspense was really good, and kept you guessing. Eldridge Colton has disappeared from his bed room. There was blood found, but no body. Everyone is a suspect.
Mirabella has worked for Zane for a long time. The two has been attracted to one another but has never acted on that attraction. Mirabella has a one night stand, and ends up pregnant. She is trying to hide the pregnancy. Hard to do when she has all day sickness. Someone finds out and sends out a hateful email to her, and "All Colton Incorporated employees," saying she was pregnant with Zane's baby. Zane asked his IT department to find out who was behind the email. They also found a bank account in Mirabella's name that had large sums of money being deposited monthly.
After Zane no longer thinks Mirabella could do such a thing, he ask to marry her. He didn't want all the rumors to hurt her. They ended up at a small chapel both agreeing that it would be in name only. Well this was a romance, and you can only guess, that agreement didn't last too long.
I loved the friendship, and bond that built between Zane, and Mirabella throughout the story. Zane's family on the other hand were all characters to be taking in small doses.
This book is part of a series. The story did end with the cliffhanger of Zane's step father still being missing. It was a good book, and worth the read. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
February 28, 2020
Romance plus mystery plus love found plus dysfunctional family....what is not to love. So glad that mother is NOT my Mom! So glad this dysfunctional family is not mine. Hmmm, it almost makes you wonder if the elder Colton did not stage his own disappearing act just to watch the comedy of his family.
February 23, 2017
Mystery and Romance. The Colton Family makes good reads, and this one sure did.
One you want to finish, to see how the story turns out. Kinda a surprise the ending, but
don't want to tell too much to spoil for others.
One you want to finish, to see how the story turns out. Kinda a surprise the ending, but
don't want to tell too much to spoil for others.
Read
August 1, 2016Miniseries: The Coltons of Texas
August 3, 2016
Nice Read
A smooth moving mystery,thriller with just enough romance to satisfy.This one keeps you guessing from the very beginning to the end.
A smooth moving mystery,thriller with just enough romance to satisfy.This one keeps you guessing from the very beginning to the end.
September 6, 2016
A quick & fun romance. Not much happens in the "where is Eldridge" plot line.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews