The Virgin's Choice (Mills & Boon Modern) [Paperback]

The Bride Thief was a powerfully written and extremely emotional romance. Their journey was a difficult one but in the end so worth all of the pain they went through to get their happy ending.

In Sensible Housekeeper, Scandalously Pregnant one was introduced to another ruthless billionaire from Argentina, Rafael Cruz and he went after what he wanted and that was his virgin housekeeper. At Rafael's birthday party, another ruthless billionaire was in attendance, Greek billionaire Xerxes Novros who also owned many properties and several private islands. In fact, he let Rafael and his mistress stay on one of them for awhile.

The Bride Thief was Xerxes and Rose's story and oh what a ruthless and determined man this Greek alpha was and a man with a plan and agenda. He was determined to rescue a young, Laetitia, a woman from his past who was believed to be in a coma and she was married to Baron Lars Vaxborg from Sweden who actually wanted her dead so he could have Rose. Lars met Rose Linden in San Francisco and was determined to marry her; so much so, he rushed her to make a decision to marry and flew her entire family, siblings and all to his castle for the wedding. Now Rose was married and scared because she wondered if she'd made a mistake. She wandered outside, was kidnapped by the Greek billionaire Xerxes and taken to his private island in Greece.

Talk about being scared because Rose didn't understand the situation and Xerxes believed her to be in on the fake marriage to Lars. It took a few days to determine that she had no idea about Laetitia. On top of that he was angry with himself because after touching her, kissing her, trying to torment her, he was angry with himself. Why? Because she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, he wanted and desired her. On top of that, he had made the call to Lars to make a trade.....Rose for Laetitia. He was a man of his word and he would definitely not go back on his word. However, they moved from the private island to three other destinations because his security team had sightings of Laetitia. Rose thought they were moving due to Xerxes business but that was not the truth. It all became so complicated for both of them.....the attraction, the emotions and being a man of his word, Rose would have to ask him to kiss her because he promised her back in Greece he would only do so if she asked. However, there was one thing for sure, Rose knew from what he told her, he needed no one, didn't do relationships and would never love nor marry.

Xerxes knew one thing for sure.......she made him feel at home and she was such a generous person, always doing things for others, especially her family. As she once told him "a life without faith, , without being brave enough to risk loving someone and be loved in return, was no life at all." While reading this incredible love story I could feel Xerxes soften, knew he had a past and secrets because he would not tell Rose whom or why Laetitia was important to him. Quite honestly, his secrets were shocking and I wondered and then understood why this proud Greek shielded his heart.

The ending of The Bridal Thief was quite shocking; from the trading of Rose for Laetitia due to the fact Lars divorced his first wife so he could have her back in his life. Then the brutal kidnapping of Rose by Lars, to Xerxes revealing his and Laetitia's past......it was quite moving. This stubborn and honorable man had a lot of things to overcome before he could give them their happy ever after but he did so with such flourish and style giving this couple hope, love and making their dreams come true.

I love connected stories and Sensible Housekeeper, Scandalously Pregnant and The Bride Thief were such amazing and sensual reads. I just knew Xerxes had to have a story like his ruthless billionaire rival and it was so worth waiting for and then some. Plus the fact that both of the heroines were such accepting, understanding and patient women.

Xerxes kidnaps Rose from her wedding reception so he can trade her groom for a loved one. (I don't want to give away who that is). Also suffice it to say that her groom Lars is not all he's cracked up to be, but Xerxes certainly is. I think I fell in love with him before Rose did. *swoon*

We first met Xerxes in 'Sensible Housekeeper, Scandalously Pregnant', and we get to read more about him here. I was capitivated from page one and didn't want it to end. Jennie has outdone herself.

I hated this book so much that I have to make a conscious effort not to rant about how awful it was. And I may just fail at that! Please be aware this review has spoilers. The heroine, Rose, is a 29-year old virgin which is strange enough as it is, but coupled with the facts that she had never even been kissed and was the most beautiful woman the H had ever seen, it just became completely unbelievable. Had she been living under a rock for the last 29 years?
Then the scene after Xerxes kidnaps her from the wedding, on the plane where he rips her wedding dress off her. That sounded like assault to me and too much like a bodice ripper from the 80s. This is supposed to be a modern romance, I thought such aggressive acts against women were no longer considered as romantic.
And the dialogue was contrived and just lame. At one point he enters her bedroom with a breakfast tray and what does he say to her? "I have what you need". Really? You offer someone breakfast and that's how you do it? If that was supposed to be sexy it just made him seem like some bad actor out of a porno. It's possible there were other examples but I'd started to skim the book by around page 60 so I'm grateful that I missed them.
Finally the end, when Xerxes tells her why he's taken her to a various countries during her "captivity", to find Laetitia, and Rose accuses him of doing it behind her back. Huh? At what point did he promise her or tell her that he'd not been looking for Laetitia all along. In fact, hadn't he told her that he was looking for her? And why should he tell her anything? She was his hostage after all. Then he clearly states that he's completing the trade to give her the choice as to who she would be with and she says she never wants to see him again. Why? What has he done to her since they started sleeping together that was worse than him kidnapping her in the first place? If she didn't want to see him again because of what he'd done at the beginning of the book, then fine. I'd say, bully for you, girl. But that's not why she decided to suddenly act like the wronged party. Again this was so contrived.
Are characters in M&B land supposed to be stupider than the general population? Or are we supposed to excuse these irrational conclusions so that there is 1 more "conflict" to fill the last 20 pages? Just ridiculous, wish I could give it 0 stars