Vows They Can't Escape

by Heidi Rice

Still legally wedded

Xanthe Carmichael has just discovered two things:

1. Her ex-husband could take half of her business.

2. She's actually still married to him!

When she jets off to New York, divorce papers in hand, Xanthe is prepared for the billionaire bad boy's slick officebut not for the spear of lust that hits her the moment she sees Dane Redmond again! Has her body no shame, no recollection of the pain he caused? But Dane is stalling Is he really checking the fine print or planning to stir the smoldering embers of their passion and tempt her back into the marriage bed?

"

Genres: Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, Second Chance

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

My name's Heidi Rice, I'm a USA Today Bestselling author. I'm married with two sons (which gives me rather too much of an insight into the male psyche!).

I love my job because it involves sitting down at my computer and getting swept up in a world of high emotions, sensual excitement, funny feisty women, sexy tortured men and glamourous locations where laundry doesn't exist ...

I also tutor a 14-week in-depth online Write a Romance Novel course. So, if you have ever wanted to learn how to write romance from a bestselling author, check it out here: www.profwritingacademy.com/course/wri...

Now I believe wholeheartedly that readers should give honest and open reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and elsewhere. If you didn't like a book you are entitled to say so (even if it's mine! ouch). But you may notice that none of my book reviews are less than four-stars. That's simply because as an author myself I know how pathetically sensitive I am about bad reviews and with that in mind I prefer to spread the love among other authors — and don't do public reviews of books I didn't like. Just thought I'd clarify that!

You can find out about my latest releases and all my other books at www.heidi-rice.com

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

You don't see a lot of young marriage stories these days, so it was a novelty to read about an H/h who were 19 and 17 and pregnant. The heroine's rich father broke them up after the heroine had a miscarriage while the hero was out working on a fishing boat. The father told him the heroine had an abortion and wanted a divorce. Then he had the hero beaten by his bodyguards. Heroine thought hero had abandoned her after she saw his signature on the divorce papers.

Fast forward ten years. Hero is wealthy, running his own boat-building business. Heroine has worked non-stop to take over the family's business after her father's death. She thinks she has the CEO position in the bag and then finds out the divorce never went through, and according to her father's will (written before heroine was ever married) that her husband would have half share in the company.

Heroine decides to bring the divorce papers to Hero in NYC in person and sparks fly.

The author does a great job of showing their mutual attraction and hurt and mistrust as their backstory slowly comes to light. The author puts them on a sailing ship for a trip to Nassau to give them something to do while they work through their issues.

I think this story worked for me because the H/h were so young when they met and parted and she manages to convey the intensity of that time without lapsing into cliches. They were both scared kids with bullying parents. The heroine had a traumatic miscarriage and then an infection afterward that she was told rendered her infertile. They never had a chance for closure. I wasn't surprised the heroine was celibate since the separation and the hero said there wasn't anyone important in all of that time.

Once the H/h got everything out in the open, it took the hero a couple of weeks to muster up the courage to say "ILY and I want to stay married no matter what." Heroine finally knew him well enough to understand where that was coming from. They are finally mature enough to be married.

There's an epilogue with an adopted toddler, an IVF baby, and another on the way.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had all the tropes I like. Virginal heroine, celibate for ten years heroine, steamy love scenes and angst. I thought I would give this 5 stars. Sadly I hated the end. Barren heroine and adoption is one of my biggest pet peeves when I read a Harlequin Presents.

[Maria Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heidi Rice’s new romance sets sail on the high seas in this story of second chances. Xanthe Carmichael and Dane Redmond were the proverbial rich girl/poor guy pairing, when Dane came to work for Xanthe’s wealthy father as a 19 year old. Drawn to one another, they solidified their relationship when Xanthe turned out to be pregnant, getting married and moving off of her dad’s property into a shoddy motel. Worried about providing for his new wife, Dane was off on a fishing trawler when bad luck struck and Xanthe miscarried the baby.

Shuttled back to her father’s estate to recover, Dane returned to discover himself served with divorce papers and told by his father-in-law that Xanthe had aborted the child. Hurt and betrayed, Dane vowed never to risk himself emotionally again. At the same time Xanthe believed that it was Dane who abandoned her never to return, not knowing that her father had kept him away from her. Hardened against each other, both turned to their own resilience and inner strength to pull themselves back up and move forward with their lives.

Ten years later, Xanthe’s father has since passed away and Xanthe has taken over his company. But there is a catch- when her father wrote his will, he left a majority portion of the shares of the company in the name of Xanthe’s yet unnamed husband. And to her shock and dismay, her lawyer finds that her divorce from Dane never went through, and they are still legally married! Xanthe needs Dane to sign those papers and turns up at the ship design firm that he built from scratch after leaving Xanthe. She can’t risk him finding out the truth about her inheritance. But when they are back under the same roof again, will they be able to say goodbye a second time?

I really enjoyed this story! The beginning takes place in Manhattan, with Xanthe and Dane finally discovering the truth of what broke them apart all those years ago. I was glad to see that the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death were not kept as a thorn in their sides for too long. But there are still secrets between them that drive the second half of the story. The setting for that was definitely of interest to me, with Dane and Xanthe finding themselves on his yacht together cruising to the Bahamas and forced to deal with each other.

I also found the heat level of this story to be somewhat higher than previous Harlequin Presents that I’ve read, with Dane and Xanthe unable to resist each other right from when Xanthe shows up to serve him the divorce papers. They have a hot and cold relationship, but eventually come to the rightful conclusion that they belong together. Learning to trust each other again is the hardest part, but worth the effort. We get a lovely happy ending for this couple (and a sweet and sexy epilogue) and I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author!

Note: A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.

This review appears at Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-vow...

[Abby Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!! This is Heidi Rice's first classic Presents and all I want is the next one! I love her voice - sexy, sassy, irreverent and yet so passionate that she effortlessly delivers that Presents promise we all love.
This is a classic second chance at love story - Dane and Xanthe meet again after ten years when she comes to deliver the shocking news that contrary to what he believed, they're actually still married...
The problem is that neither one of them can let go that easily. There's too much in their past that's unresolved and apart from all the Elephants in the room, there's the minor fact of their explosive chemistry which comes back to roaring life...these two fairly burn up the pages...
The action goes from a very hot encounter in a luxurious suite at the Standard hotel to a luxury yacht and a Caribbean island. The perfect antidote for a cold frosty winter day.
I absolutely adore Heidi Rice's characters - every one of her heroes is quite simply to die for and Dane is no exception...
Read it and melt...:)

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/נדרי...

[Emona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly, this was not my type!
Although the romance and chemistry was intensely passionate, and the storyline enjoyable, the writing style was too contemporary and modern.

The repetitive prosaic line: The hell he/she was…. annoyed me!
It seems both characters loved swearing at each other, fortunately, the HP line restricts cuss words.
I understand when it is used when the characters are making love, but in the heat of an argument or just in any situation, it is awkward.

I took Dane's side, even though I'm one who takes neither side when I read a Romance book.
However, the epilogue was cute, one child through IVF, second - adopted, and third on its way as Xanthe was pregnant!

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Rating.

Not much of a review here, just points of irritation.

It was a little above average. I liked the MC, pacing was steady but the betrayal of the heroines father and their conflict could have been resolved sooner.

[Rgreader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Vows They Can't Escape- it went downhill from the first page.

The problems-

Annoying heroine. She was introduced as this dominating type. It was grating. No warmth. Just coldness & venom. And her lust thinking was cold as well.
Annoying hero. He let the heroine go. What a pansy.
Hero & heroine romance. Didn't feel it. They bickered a lot & that didn't create chemistry since they kept rejecting each other. In second chance romance the hero should ruthlessly pursue the heroine and because that didn't happen here the romance was underdeveloped.

On page 68 I gave up. The bickering, the heroine & hero were too annoying & I lost interest

[Liba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten years ago Xanthe ,a rich English girl ,married an American, Dane.It was against her father's wish.Now her father is dead for several years and Xanthe is acting CEO of the company...but she holds only 46% of it.The controlling 5% are waiting for Dane,who is now a successful businessman in his own right..Oh, and they never divorced, so Dane could claim her company !
So Xanthe (how did she land a Greek name?) gathers the divorce papers and goes to see Dane in New York.
Dane is sure that Xanthe aborted their child soon after the marriage.he refuses to sign the papers.At the same time,he is still attracted to his wife.
Both realize that they were used by Charles Carmichael, her father, who lied to both of them.Charles treated his daughter as another object, a piece of property.
Now Dane realizes that there was no abortion- Xanthe had a miscarriage, the child (a boy) died.And there is a possibility of her becoming barren as a result.
A star-crossed lovers type of story.The unusual side is that both are CEOs now.
I liked the story.

[Biggaletta Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving it five stars because I read it in one sitting. It was edgy, and good writing so I read it to end.
Great tension, chemistry and conflict. Overall a decent Harlequin read. I'm okay with the ending because I realise even though it's escapism, it's inclusive of all readers - some of us are fortunate to have babies naturally, some of us need a little help and some of us decide to adopt, and once in a while it's nice for book to validate a reader's choice or path in life as escapism.

[Xai Xai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore second chance in marriages. This was a moving and emotional story. The chemistry between our couple was firey and hawt! Awesome read ! Started off with a bang and I had to reach then end. The epilogue was fitting for the story.

[Geraldine Sadiku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful well written romance that was a pleasure to read.

[Karim Lalani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This MODERN was simply superb. Heidi Rice is an experienced and accomplished author and that shone through in the handling of this romance which showed an incredible 'deftness' of touch. Xanthe was a heroine the reader could empathize with from the beginning, while the hero Dane
had a personal issues to deal with as well. Writing such a complex tension filled story so tightly
was further proof where it needed that this book is an example of an author at the very top of her game!! I recommend this to anyone who loves the romance genre as a fine example of how it's done at it's very best!!

[Vee]

they were still married, both separated for 10 years... too long for me so yeah no, thank you

[Kim Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for a holiday read. Good story easy to read.

[RomLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Xanthe Carmichael has just discovered two things:

1. Her ex-husband could take half of her business.

2. She's actually still married to him!

When she jets off to New York, divorce papers in hand, Xanthe is prepared for the billionaire bad boy's slick office...but not for the spear of lust that hits her the moment she sees Dane Redmond again! Has her body no shame, no recollection of the pain he caused? But Dane is stalling... Is he really checking the fine print or planning to stir the smoldering embers of their passion and tempt her back into the marriage bed? (less)

[suman · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars

[Meetu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It had so much pain but such beautiful love. Great story. I could read this book again and again and be happy !

[Thyana · Rating 2 out of 5]

:::sigh::: I picked this up at the library for a quick read while my children were playing in the children's area. I don't know what I expected. I guess something that would just let me get through it quickly because I didn't want to read anything really substantial for the next few weeks.

This book. 224 pages of back and forth about nothing.

I hate you... you hate me... we're holding back secrets from each other... miscommunication... i want you... i want you, too... wait now i hate you again... no, I hate you more... more half-truths... miscommunication... let's have sex... i hate you the most!

I hated this the most.

I understand that they needed some type of ploy to keep it going for 224 pages but going round and round in circles over something that could've been simplified and explained in the first 3-5 chapters is ridiculous. Give me real drama, not some convoluted dreck. Give real obstacles, not two immature adults who just won't freakin' talk to each other. Which was another thing, there's barely dialogue. Everything takes place in their inward thoughts with few dialogue scattered here and there.

So would I recommend this? Not unless you just want to sit in the library while your kids raise hell in the children's section.

[Amanda Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delivered exactly what I need from a M&B - escapism set in fabulous places with scorching romance. Xanthe and Dane have history and a marriage certificate. Ten years after the misery of separation Xanthe finds he is still her husband, with a claim to her father's business she fought hard to take over. She flies to the States but he is as shocked as her when she produces divorce papers. Hurt festers, but so does the desire which drew then together in the first place. Rollercoaster works as a description as they battle with bad memories and hidden truths. Both grow up as they recognise the mistakes made when they were too young to handle the world. Their individual success leads to mutual respect and understanding. Very enjoyable read. (Library book.)

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

2½ Stars

While I liked both the hero and heroine and could feel a connection, there was very little story to this romance beyond their combustible chemistry. This is a reunion of a marriage that had been torn apart both by Xanthe's controlling father and by tragic circumstances. Misconceptions over their split, led them to compulsively build separate lives and their own individual successes. Beginning ten years after the split with a reunion; plotted by Xanthe and a shock to Dane; the overwhelming element is that combustible chemistry. Great sexual tension is an important element to a great romance, yet sometimes too much can just over shadow instead of nurture the growing love. For me, the epilogue was the most satisfying storytelling of this romance.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

How's They Can't Escape

They married young. But due to her father's interface they parted. She was the rich 'prince's and he couldn't compete with her father. Now she found out after her father's death that her husband owns fifty five percent of her company. She wants him to sign over his shares and the divorce papers. But things between them are not over. Even though he feels that she is too good for him. He still feels the sparks. Will they get closure or will they get back together?

[Sandra R · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Well written romance - a nice way to spend an afternoon.

[Hager Moharram · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only finished it in a day because I wanted to know but I didn't feel the notion of any newness

[Jo]

Sin Olvido (Spanish Version)