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The Twelve Month Marriage Deal
lena returns to her hometown of Seville to attend her older sister Reina’s engagement party. Her sister has been promised to Vidal Marquez, who is both an old childhood friends as well as Spain's foremost authority in banking. However, Reina has broken off her engagement and disappeared! Theirs wouldn’t have been a marriage of love; the purpose of the marriage was to get Vidal to give his assistance to the bank her parents own. Now that Reina has vanished, Elena gets offered up as a sacrifice after being in the wrong place at the wrong time! Elena has been aware of Vidal’s arrogance and coldheartedness ever since they were children. How can she ever marry a man like him?
Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
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About the author
Margaret Mayo
348 books46 followersThere is more than one author with this name
For Children's writer see Margaret Mayo
Jessica R. Mayo was born on February 7, 1936 in Staffordshire, England, and has remained within the county all of her life. It was never her ambition to become a writer, although she always loved reading, even to the extent of reading comics out loud to her twin brother when she was eight years old. In fact her only writing experience was in letters to various pen pals around the world. She unfortunately lost touch with them now and often wonders whether any of them have ever discovered that her chatty letters were the forerunner to her writing career.
She left school to become a secretary, taking a break to have her two children, Adrian and Tina. Once they were at school she started back to work and planned to further her career by becoming a bi-lingual secretary. Unfortunately she couldn't speak any languages other than her native English, so she began evening classes. It was at this time that she got the idea for a romantic short story - to this day she doesn't know where the idea came from or why, but she thanks her lucky stars because it kick-started her career. Margaret, and her mother before her, had always read Mills & Boon romances, and to actually be writing one excited her beyond measure.
'My life began at forty' is another one of her favourite sayings - because that is when her first book was published - two and a half years after she first set pen to paper (that first book was written long before she felt confident enough to send it off).Having those books accepted was the happiest and most exciting day of her life. She waltzed her husband around the room and their two children thought they'd gone mad, until they were told the good news.
Her first two submitted novels were accepted simultaneously, and now she has over sixty-five to her credit. When she looks at them lined up on her bookshelf she wonders how she has managed to write all those millions of words. She is a hopeless romantic who loves writing. She falls in love with every one of her heroes and likes to boast about how many 'love affairs' she's had.
Margaret gets so immersed in her writing that one day - before she made writing her full-time career and did most of her writing at the office (!!) - her daughter phoned to ask whether she could come and meet her out of work. Margaret told her not to be silly because it was foggy. Her daughter said 'But it's sunny here.' And when Margaret looked out of the window the sun was shining. Her hero and heroine were lost out in a sea of fog!
Before she became a successful author Margaret was extremely shy and found it difficult to talk to strangers. For research purposes she forced herself to speak to people from all walks of life and now says her shyness has gone forever - to a certain degree. She is still happier pouring her thoughts out on paper.
Copied from Fantastic Fiction
For Children's writer see Margaret Mayo
Jessica R. Mayo was born on February 7, 1936 in Staffordshire, England, and has remained within the county all of her life. It was never her ambition to become a writer, although she always loved reading, even to the extent of reading comics out loud to her twin brother when she was eight years old. In fact her only writing experience was in letters to various pen pals around the world. She unfortunately lost touch with them now and often wonders whether any of them have ever discovered that her chatty letters were the forerunner to her writing career.
She left school to become a secretary, taking a break to have her two children, Adrian and Tina. Once they were at school she started back to work and planned to further her career by becoming a bi-lingual secretary. Unfortunately she couldn't speak any languages other than her native English, so she began evening classes. It was at this time that she got the idea for a romantic short story - to this day she doesn't know where the idea came from or why, but she thanks her lucky stars because it kick-started her career. Margaret, and her mother before her, had always read Mills & Boon romances, and to actually be writing one excited her beyond measure.
'My life began at forty' is another one of her favourite sayings - because that is when her first book was published - two and a half years after she first set pen to paper (that first book was written long before she felt confident enough to send it off).Having those books accepted was the happiest and most exciting day of her life. She waltzed her husband around the room and their two children thought they'd gone mad, until they were told the good news.
Her first two submitted novels were accepted simultaneously, and now she has over sixty-five to her credit. When she looks at them lined up on her bookshelf she wonders how she has managed to write all those millions of words. She is a hopeless romantic who loves writing. She falls in love with every one of her heroes and likes to boast about how many 'love affairs' she's had.
Margaret gets so immersed in her writing that one day - before she made writing her full-time career and did most of her writing at the office (!!) - her daughter phoned to ask whether she could come and meet her out of work. Margaret told her not to be silly because it was foggy. Her daughter said 'But it's sunny here.' And when Margaret looked out of the window the sun was shining. Her hero and heroine were lost out in a sea of fog!
Before she became a successful author Margaret was extremely shy and found it difficult to talk to strangers. For research purposes she forced herself to speak to people from all walks of life and now says her shyness has gone forever - to a certain degree. She is still happier pouring her thoughts out on paper.
Copied from Fantastic Fiction
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 31, 2018
A soft porn on slowburn!
Add a silly sister swap reasoning and you get this Mayo.
Background - two banking families trying to merge on more than one level. Older sister/fiancee of our Spanish H gets some pre wedding jitters and runs away. The younger sis/h is called back to Spain (from LA) to take her place. The h’s family has more to lose in case the merger doesn’t come about. The h/H have known each other since childhood bur haven’t met in years. The H was ready to let go of the marriage clause but one look at the h and he falls in Insta-lust. He has to have her and he lets her know it.
So they marry and get down to business in the spirit of “two horny and energetic Spaniards” (as my GR friend Seton puts it).
Then for conflict, the sister reappears. And tells her that the H was ready to forego the marriage clause in her case and still save their family bank. ( Do you think she was jealous?) The sisters collectively hiss and spit at the H. He married the h to get his dirty hands on her body. The Villain!
My little brain could not wrap itself around this purported insult. He lusted after her and used her? As the marriage had a decided shelf life anyways with claims of zero emotional involvement from either side- So where's the problem/insult?
If the h had ranted about being trapped unnecessarily, I’d have understood but she went on after the ‘lusting’. But wasn’t that mutual? And her unending snit can only be termed bitchy and immature. Cancelling her birthday party and sending back guests just as they arrive? Taking a horse out for a ride when the groom implores her not to as he might lose his job? Thoroughly bratty behaviour.
So we learn how a whole book can be conjured around sex and a very shaky premise.
Add a silly sister swap reasoning and you get this Mayo.
Background - two banking families trying to merge on more than one level. Older sister/fiancee of our Spanish H gets some pre wedding jitters and runs away. The younger sis/h is called back to Spain (from LA) to take her place. The h’s family has more to lose in case the merger doesn’t come about. The h/H have known each other since childhood bur haven’t met in years. The H was ready to let go of the marriage clause but one look at the h and he falls in Insta-lust. He has to have her and he lets her know it.
So they marry and get down to business in the spirit of “two horny and energetic Spaniards” (as my GR friend Seton puts it).
Then for conflict, the sister reappears. And tells her that the H was ready to forego the marriage clause in her case and still save their family bank. ( Do you think she was jealous?) The sisters collectively hiss and spit at the H. He married the h to get his dirty hands on her body. The Villain!
My little brain could not wrap itself around this purported insult. He lusted after her and used her? As the marriage had a decided shelf life anyways with claims of zero emotional involvement from either side- So where's the problem/insult?
If the h had ranted about being trapped unnecessarily, I’d have understood but she went on after the ‘lusting’. But wasn’t that mutual? And her unending snit can only be termed bitchy and immature. Cancelling her birthday party and sending back guests just as they arrive? Taking a horse out for a ride when the groom implores her not to as he might lose his job? Thoroughly bratty behaviour.
So we learn how a whole book can be conjured around sex and a very shaky premise.
July 24, 2010
Classic/cliched (depending on your viewpoint) story of the hero blackmailing the heroine into marriage to save her unworthy family. Done modern style, which means with hero POV and no marital rape as I might find in an old Presents from the 1970s/80s like in Loser Take All.
Normally, I am all for hero POV but in this case, it meant twice the internal musings and indecision than normal which got a bit repetitive and boring. It also lead to head-hopping from paragraph to paragraph which I found a bit amateurish.
On the plus side, lots of sex and mental lusting. These were two horny, energetic Spainards. I'm easily pleased that way.
Grade: B-
Normally, I am all for hero POV but in this case, it meant twice the internal musings and indecision than normal which got a bit repetitive and boring. It also lead to head-hopping from paragraph to paragraph which I found a bit amateurish.
On the plus side, lots of sex and mental lusting. These were two horny, energetic Spainards. I'm easily pleased that way.
Grade: B-
December 31, 2018
There's really not much to the story and I honestly did not understand the reason behind their eventual fight. But hey, it was short and helped me up my book count for this year.
March 24, 2023
He blackmailed her into marrying him, but so did her parents. Her parents were making her mother’s health dependent on her decision to marry him for the sake of her father’s business.
This h was angry so often. She kept referring to the temporary aspect of their marriage, just to spite him, while she was happy sleeping with him and happy shopping with his creditcard.
I hated the scene in which the h insisted on taking the H’s stallion out for a ride. The groom begged her not to because he would then lose his job, but she does it anyway. And if that isn’t enough, she takes the horse to a dangerous place to run.
In the HEA he says to her she is the kindest person he has ever known, lol.
This h was angry so often. She kept referring to the temporary aspect of their marriage, just to spite him, while she was happy sleeping with him and happy shopping with his creditcard.
I hated the scene in which the h insisted on taking the H’s stallion out for a ride. The groom begged her not to because he would then lose his job, but she does it anyway. And if that isn’t enough, she takes the horse to a dangerous place to run.
In the HEA he says to her she is the kindest person he has ever known, lol.
January 5, 2014
3.5 STARS
Elena is forced to wed with Vidal instead of her sister, who choose to run away from this arranged wedding . If she don't, her family's business will be bankrupt without help from Vidal. and Their sweet romance begin :)
Well.... I love Vidal. He is change a lot from the beginning to the end of this novel.
He is Romantic, caring and most of all He is absolutely in love with our heroine, Elena
this book is romantic :) and sweet .. ,
Elena is forced to wed with Vidal instead of her sister, who choose to run away from this arranged wedding . If she don't, her family's business will be bankrupt without help from Vidal. and Their sweet romance begin :)
Well.... I love Vidal. He is change a lot from the beginning to the end of this novel.
He is Romantic, caring and most of all He is absolutely in love with our heroine, Elena
this book is romantic :) and sweet .. ,
September 25, 2017
A little predictable and boring at parts. The plot should have carried through the whole year so the characters could feel the pressure of the deadline. Not very sexy, everything seemed to happen quick or off the page. Hero didn't have a chance to shine but he did have the chance to be a jerk a lot. Too many different plot devices tossed in near the end.
November 11, 2019
A short read. Talk about blackmailed bride, marriage of convenience, Enemies to lover and parents to twins. Yup definitely a classic cliché.
Want to Read
September 21, 2023DNF
January 28, 2017
Can we not talk about how Elena forgave him way too easily? I mean he continuously introspects that he acted beyond reason, that he doesn´t understand how he could have thought it would work. Yet we see him, on several occasions reminding her that they had a deal and that if she backed out the deal was off. Off the top of my head, I remember him doing this three times in the reading, with no remorse whatsoever. He took advantage when her mother was sick in the hospital, even though it was Elena´s decision to get married, and forced her when he could have at that moment felt remorseful and take back his words. That would have been a perfect moment to retract his proposition, not to mention that it was an extremely stressful and emotional moment for both her and her family, which is why she felt backed up against a corner, the gentlemanly thing to do was to stop. The fact that he used her at her lowest speaks volumes about his personality. He even had the nerve to get angry whenever she reminded him that theirs wasn´t a real marriage when he himself had made it so.
Personally, I think he is a sick character who would do the same given the chance in the future, although to each their own. I liked Elena as a whole until the end when not only she forgave him without some build up to it but decided to abandon her business altogether. The only reason I picked up the story is because she seemed like a great main female character with her business-oriented mind and sharp tongue, never backing out. But only some three pages away from the ending I was disappointed
Personally, I think he is a sick character who would do the same given the chance in the future, although to each their own. I liked Elena as a whole until the end when not only she forgave him without some build up to it but decided to abandon her business altogether. The only reason I picked up the story is because she seemed like a great main female character with her business-oriented mind and sharp tongue, never backing out. But only some three pages away from the ending I was disappointed
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to Read
October 2, 2016blurb:
Forced bride…
Called home unexpectedly, Elena not only finds her sister has fled her own wedding, but that she must take her place as the bride if the family business is to be saved from ruin! Willing on her wedding night!
Arrogant billionaire Vidal Marquez is shocked – the ugly duckling has become a swan! Elena is furious about the marriage, so he makes a deal: twelve months in his bed as his wife, and then she can simply walk away… But Vidal’s bed is not a place any woman chooses to leave!
Forced bride…
Called home unexpectedly, Elena not only finds her sister has fled her own wedding, but that she must take her place as the bride if the family business is to be saved from ruin! Willing on her wedding night!
Arrogant billionaire Vidal Marquez is shocked – the ugly duckling has become a swan! Elena is furious about the marriage, so he makes a deal: twelve months in his bed as his wife, and then she can simply walk away… But Vidal’s bed is not a place any woman chooses to leave!
April 8, 2013
awesome read !!i absolutely loved it:-) though vidal was quite the rogue marrying her only to use her, to satiate his lust. my my my lol!!it was obvious that he was insanely in love with her from the first. he did not think at all just went ahead with his crazy plan and thought this would pass after one year haha xd great read !a keeper definitely
March 11, 2014
For some reason I thought this one was great. The hero was pretty honest by the end and totally humbled himself in my opinion. I adored how strong the heroine was despite everything.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews