REVIEW: The Playboy of Puerto Banus by Carol Marinelli

The Playboy of Puerto Banus by Carol Marinelli: Estelle Connolly owes a lot to her brother. When here parents died, it was her brother who took care of her and made sure she could go to college. Life was finally looking up for the both of them–she was doing well in school and her brother had gotten married with a child on the way–when tragedy struck…twice. Her brother is severely injured on his honeymoon, and their baby is born with significant health problems. The young family has rising debt, and Estelle is considering leaving school to work full time to help support them. After all, her brother helped take care of her. Filling in with the escort service for her roommate one time will at least pay her brother’s mortgage this month, but she’s going to have to find a more long term solution.

Raul Sanchez Fuentes’ father is dying, but this isn’t the biggest shock in store for the notorious playboy. He is summoned from his yacht to meet with his father and learn the secret his father has been keeping all this time, one that causes him to question the very people he loves and may cost him his mother’s family’s business if he doesn’t clean up his partying ways. He returns to Scotland to reunite with an ex in an effort to prove he’s a changed man to his father, but the ex is a little…unhinged for his plans. Yet, the beauty there with another guest seems perfect: beautiful, nice, and a professional escort–not someone likely to develop feelings that he isn’t able to return. He makes her a deal: a few months spent as his wife in exchange for the money to help her family.

Estelle knows she’s no “pro,” and normally would laugh in Raul’s arrogant face. But the money to help her family is almost as attractive as the man himself. She just has to keep a tiny secret to seal the deal, but it’s nothing compared to the skeletons in Raul’s closet. But neither is prepared for a convenient temporary arrangement to turn into a permanent love.

I really liked The Playboy of Puerto Banus. Raul Sanchez Fuentes is so much more than just a playboy. Between the horrific tragedy of his past and the present threat to his business, it’s any wonder that he doesn’t trust feelings and love. His playboy lifestyle is really an attempt to run away from some painful events of the past. I couldn’t help but want someone to come along and heal him. Estelle was the perfect heroine for him: he sweetness, openness, and giving nature worked perfectly to smooth Raul’s rough edges. Having experienced her share of heartache, she was able to relate to Raul on a level that took their chemistry into the stratosphere. There are too many twists and turns for a reader to get bored.

But that’s the thing; maybe there are a couple too many plots in this pot to enjoy this story to the full? At the end, I felt there were so many plot points to wrap up that the ending felt a little rushed. I love Carol Marinelli, and marriage of convenience is one of my all time favorite tropes, but there were a few too many balls in the air for my tastes in a Harlequin Presents. This could have easily been a Special Edition, if not a Super Romance. The rushed ending is the only dark spot to The Playboy of Puerto Banus, however.

The Playboy of Puerto Banus by Carol Marinelli combines three dimensional characters, significant impetus to be together, major obstacles to staying together (mostly self-inflicted), and one of my favorite tropes, the marriage of convenience. On the negative side, I felt like the ending was a little rushed because there were so many loose ends to tie up in the last chapter or two. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romances with a marriage of convenience, a hero with a tragic past, a heroine who puts her family above her good judgment, and a happily ever after that has to be earned and is well deserved.

Book Info:

HJ Recommends

Published September 17th 2013 by Harlequin Presents (Book 3179)

“Rich, famous and notorious. Raúl Sanchez Fuente scores three out of three.”

When she agreed to help out a friend, Estelle Connolly didn’t expect to end up as an escort to a society wedding, or to catch the eye of the most powerful man in the room.

Innocent Estelle struggles to retain her sophisticated cover especially when Raúl makes her an outrageous offer—the money to settle her family problems in exchange for a few months of her time…as Mrs. Sanchez!

The contract has been signed, the Spanish honeymoon arranged, but there isn’t a clause to cover all consequences of the wedding night….(less)