Marry Me, Mendoza!

By Judy Duarte

Second-chance sweethearts?

Nicole Castleton was a shrewd businesswoman with a Texas-sized stubborn streak. She needed a husband in a hurry, and no one but her ex, Miguel Mendoza, would do! Yet she had her doubtssweet, sexy Miguel still shook her to the core of her expensive Castleton boots. And when it came right down to it, she still desired the man beyond words.

Was it a ghost standing on his doorstep? Or could this really be his Nicole? The girl who broke Miguel's heart ten years ago was backwith a crazy proposal for a strictly business marriage! A desire for paybackand one last round of romance with the one who'd gotten awaytempted Miguel beyond any dollar amount. But this time, he wasn't so sure he'd be able to walk away from the woman of his dreams .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin
• Release date: Apr 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781460310113

Judy Duarte

Twenty-four years ago, USA Today bestselling author Judy Duarte couldn’t shake the dream of creating a story of her own. That dream became a reality in 2002, when Harlequin released the first of more than sixty books. Judy's stories have touched the hearts of readers around the world. A two-time Rita finalist, Judy's books won two Maggies and a National Reader’s Choice Award. You can contact her at www.judyduarte.com

Reviews for Marry Me, Mendoza!

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book. Nicole and Miguel had been high school sweethearts, broken up by her parents' disapproval. Now she is vice president of the family business and has learned that her father won't turn the leadership of the company over to her unless she is married. Unfortunately she isn't currently dating anyone, and is at a loss about what to do until she remembers her long ago romance with Miguel. She decides to head off to New York and see if Miguel would be interested in a temporary marriage of convenience. I thought it was pretty obvious from the beginning that she still had feelings for Miguel, though she tried to convince herself otherwise. She certainly still felt a strong attraction to him. Though I certainly understood her reaction to her father's ultimatum, I didn't feel like she had really argued very hard against him. When Miguel agreed to the proposition she was very relieved, but soon realized that she hadn't really thought about all the problems that could crop up. Having him live with her just made fighting the attraction that much harder. She also began to feel very guilty about deceiving his family, especially since they had been so welcoming to her. Once the wedding took place and they went on their honeymoon she realized that she still loved him and wanted the marriage to be a real one. I loved the way that he confronted her that first morning they were back and made her realize she was still letting her parents control her life. I liked her actions at the end and how she finally took control.Miguel hadn't seen Nicole since their breakup and was stunned to see her show up in New York and more so at her proposal. He had never forgotten her and saw this as a chance to get her out of his system. Her offer of payment would also allow him to finally realize his dream of owning his own nightclub, so he accepted. The more time he spent with her the more he realized that his old feelings weren't fading, they were growing stronger. I did like the way that he seemed to know her well even after all those years and was able to do some really sweet things for her. He also started to feel guilty about his intentions because he realized that he was also using their marriage as a bit of revenge against her and her parents for their breakup. He made the decision that any steps to make their relationship physical were going to have to come from her, and it was killing him because he wanted her so badly. When he confronted her the morning after they made love he was frustrated by the continuing deception and his wish to make their marriage a real one. I was glad to see that he did a little growing also.