Driven to succeed, Alex's only desire is to win, win, win—at all costs! A champion race-car driver, he lives like he drives—fast, reckless and always number one. But after a huge crash, with his racing career facing ruin, Alex must confront his biggest fear: failure.

Physio Libby Henderson is there to help him get back to fitness, and all Alex wants to do is get physical! Libby's dealt with more challenging things in life, but it's taking all of her professionalism to keep this stubborn playboy at bay!

Title: THE FEARLESS MAVERICK
Author: Robyn Grady
Series: The Notorious Wolfes, book 4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Books, Harlequin Presents
Year of release: 2011, September 27
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Bought via The BookDepository

First line:
The moment Alex Wolfe’s car went airborne, he knew the situation was bad.

Memorable Scenes:
- their weekend on the Gold Coast > highlight: dancing on the beach, loved that scene!


QuickScore-Verdict:
Alex Wolfe and Libby Anderson are the main couple of this fourth installment in the Notorious Wolfes series. They are a race car diver and the physiotherapist who has to nurse him back into his race car after a shoulder injury during second race of the season.

Alex is disarmingly charming beneath a veneer of steel determination. His rough past made him the man he is now. Libby is as tenacious as Alex is. She carries the consequences of her surfing accident with poise and grace but there are times insecurity creeps up on her. I loved the chemistry between Alex and Libby. It was completely in line with the rest of the series with Libby as the feisty young woman falling under the magical thrall of yet another enigmatic and seductive Wolfe sibling.

As a Formula 1 fan I was delighted with the setting. I loved reading the racing stuff and through Libby's character it was also shown that the author knew a lot and or did her research on physical therapy as well.

I also really liked Robyn Grady's writing style. It was fluent, fast-paced and engaging. Combined with the characters' chemistry, snappy dialogues and the themes that were much to my liking I utterly enjoyed this 4th installment in The Notorious Wolfes series.

Favorite Quotes:
This man’s power to captivate with a single look, the slightest touch, was palpable. She’d like to meet the woman who was immune to the magic of that smile. Charm was as instinctive to this man as taking a corner at death-defying speeds.

Giddy. He whipped up a hurricane inside of her, a dark powerful storm that tossed her off course and hurled her places that promised such blissful satisfaction.

Sebastian…Sharp. Cool. Controlled.

Ruthless in business, Sebastian is at the top of his game professionally. Emotionally he keeps himself alone, aloof and almost untouchable.

Escaping her wedding, it takes one look at ice-cool Sebastian for Bollywood star Aneesa Adani to be hooked! Letting Aneesa in could ignite the fire that melts even the hardest of hearts…

Title: THE STOLEN BRIDE
Author: Abby Green
Series: The Notorious Wolfes, book 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Harlequin Presents Line
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Year of release: 2011, August 23
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: won an ARC on the author’s website

First line:
Aneesa Adani was stuck in a waking nightmare.

Memorable Scenes:
- Sebastian undressing Aneesa > the buildup of that scene was excellently done
- The scene after Nathaniel's wedding ceremony > very emotional, lump-in-throat moment when Sebastian finally opens up
- The end > the authors of this series have the uncanny ability to write some powerful and beautiful endings to the books


Aneesa Adani is a popular Bollywood star about to get married to a man she doesn’t want or love but at the last minute pulls the runaway bride act. She’s pragmatic, caring, sweet and open. I really liked how throughout the book Aneesa grew from a sheltered naïve young woman to a woman strong enough to defend her views and needs.

Sebastian Wolfe is the owner of a chain of hotels, son of a mentally unstable mother and an abusive father he has always been one to withdraw from others and depend solely on himself. He’s guarded, cerebral and a loner. I loved that Sebastian would apologize immediately to Aneesa when he said hurtful things and not stubbornly hold on to his own opinion.

What I liked most about the romance was how both Sebastian and Aneesa were equally affected by each other and the chemistry between them, even if Aneesa is quite innocent and inexperienced and Sebastian is this smooth, cool-headed man of the world. Watching them fall in love and grow close despite their individual reasons for not wanting it was a joy to read.

Abby Green's writing is enthralling in its simplicity and has a very pleasant pace thanks to the way she applies the main characters POVs. There's a very good balance between action, emotions and characterization and for me, once I started reading I just couldn't stop. She gave me some very pleasurable reading hours with her contribution to the Notorious Wolfes series.

THE STOLEN BRIDE is another wonderful installment in this series. Not only does it fit in perfectly and add more insight the Wolfe-family puzzle, it also offers a unique couple, a refreshing twist on an age-old trope in category romance, a small look into Indian wedding ceremony habits and the right balance between conflict and romance. I now have my eye on Robyn Grady who will be providing the next book in this series and I can’t wait to read that one!

Favorite Quotes:
Coming from a large family of mainly half-siblings, having been born to a man who’d married three times, had numerous affairs and begat eight children, to say that Sebastian had a jaundiced view of the holy sanctity of marriage was a huge understatement.

Sebastian was grateful for Daniel’s solid presence when Aneesa had appeared in the dining room. Or else he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to restrain himself from smashing the heavy oak table aside and picking her up like some kind of caveman to bring back to his bedroom, to ravish her.

“You may or may not have meant what you said last night, but all day I’ve been praying that you did. Aneesa…I’m in love with you. I’m so fathoms-deep in love with you that I’m drowning. I’ve been falling for you since the moment our eyes met that evening, when you looked at me and made my world go spinning in the other direction. But I had no idea what was happening. Not until we came back here…and I saw what love is, and recognized it for the first time in my life.

Lucas…Playboy. Rebel. Rogue.

No one denies Lucas anything. Women fall at his feet and into his bed at the click of his fingers. His life is charmed, reckless and carefree. He is definitely a bad boy.

Grace Carter knows uncontrollable Lucas could ruin her career, and she won’t tolerate his wayward behavior, despite their chemistry. But working with Lucas is thrilling, and after just a small dose of his magic, even Grace’s prim and proper shell begins to splinter.

Title: THE DISGRACED PLAYBOY (In the UK it was released under the title SHAMELESS PLAYBOY)
Author: Caitlin Crews
Series: The Notorious Wolfes, book 2 (In the UK the series name is Bad Blood Collection)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Publishing, Harlequin Presents line (In UK published by Mills And Boon, Modern line)
Year of release: 2011 July, 19 (UK: May 2011)
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Received an ARC from author for review

First line:
Grace Carter glanced up from her computer, frowning at the figure that sauntered so confidently into her office high above the cold, wet February streets of London, without so much as a knock on her door as warning.

Memorable Scenes:
- Lucas and Grace's first kiss > explosive culmination of the built-up sexual tension between them
- the last chapter > an awesome ending and one of the best I've read in the Harlequin Presents line to-date


Grace Carter is an events manager at department store Hartington who has left her troublesome past behind and is determined not to let any man turn her head anymore. She’s polite and levelheaded but underneath that unflappable and seemingly rigid exterior is a passionate woman waiting to be let loose.

Lucas Wolfe is a shameless flirt and playboy. He’s quick-witted and wears sarcasm like a well-fitted coat. Lucas is a hero you would love to dislike because he’s just that tad bit too cocky and self-assured but you can’t because you see where his attitude comes from and you feel his pain and his need to act like he does. However there were moments where I wanted him to lower his guard and trust Grace a little more.

The build-up of the sexual tension between Lucas and Carter is subtle and excellently done. I was eagerly waiting for that tension to break and the chemistry between them to come to combustion. I loved the verbal banter and battle of wits between Lucas and Grace.

What I also liked was that both of them are complex characters that are so much more than meets the eye. Lucas isn't the useless, devil-may-care playboy persona he shows the world and Grace is not the starchy, proper, all-work-no-play ice queen she wants the world to see her as. Caitlin Crews had this uncanny way to show the reader her characters in a certain way and by making you privy to their thoughts and inner turmoil you see so much more of them than the story tells you.

There aren’t many secondary characters but Jacob, the eldest Wolfe sibling, makes another crucial appearance. Other than him and some co-workers at Hartington, who are more walk-ons than true secondary characters, the book is primarily focused on Grace and Lucas.

The first installment of The Notorious Wolfes had me hooked already and THE DISGRACED PLAYBOY drove that hook a little bit further in. With a complex couple whose characterization was sublimely done, a sizzling romance and an ending that made me tear up I find it hard to be patient for the next book in this multi-authored series. Beware, Abby Green I'm coming for you next!

Favorite Quotes:
“Lucas Wolfe,” she said, as a gesture toward good manners, though her voice was flat.
(…)
“All six resplendent feet and then some,” he drawled, his dark brows arching high above his wicked green eyes. “At your service.”

Lucas realized, belatedly, what a powerful asset she had in that voice of hers, so soft and sugary and deadly all at once. A rapier-sharp blade sheathed in honey and cream. It was impressive.

“You can look at me directly,” he said in that low, insinuating, endlessly amused voice, far too close to her ear. “I can’t imagine why you would fight the urge. I am , after all, quite marvelously handsome.”
“I believe the word you’re looking for is conceited,” Grace replied (…)
He laughed, completely unfazed, as ever. “Conceit cannot possibly be the right word, (…) I’ve had independent confirmation in the press for years. I am a glorious male animal. You may as well simply admit the truth.”

“I don’t know who I am!” The words seemed almost torn from him. He pulled back and stared down at her. “Don’t you understand? I want to give you the world, Grace, but I have no idea how to do it.”
“I do not want the world,” she simply said, sliding her hands up to hold his beautiful face between them. “I can get that for myself, if I wish it. I only want you.”
“I am yours,” he said, his words ringing through her, around her, with the force of a vow. “In every way.”

Underneath the movie star’s good looks is a man battling with the demons of his past. No one knows the real Nathaniel, they only see the pin-up, the man he pretends to be.

Until one night he is forced to rely on Katie Field, an ordinary young woman from a very different world to Nathaniel’s. She may be starstruck but she isn’t blinded by the bright lights of fame. Can Nathaniel trust her enough to reveal the man behind the mask?

Let the seduction begin…

Title: A NIGHT OF SCANDAL
Author: Sarah Morgan
Series: The Notorious Wolfes, book 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Publishing, Harlequin Presents line
Year of release: 2011, June 21
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Received an advanced copy for review from author

First line:
They were waiting for him to fail.

Memorable Scenes:
- Nathaniel opening up to Katie about his family > throat lump moment
- The days in Rio > with its high point: the sexy scene in the lift *fans self*

Nathaniel Wolfe is a big Hollywood actor. He’s broody, sarcastic and guarded, hiding a vulnerable man beneath his outward bluster. He also lives up to his bad boy reputation with his naughty, bold remarks towards Katie.

Katie Field is a costume designer. She’s down-to-earth, realistic and says what she thinks. She’s a real chatterbox, especially when nerves hit her and I really liked her self-deprecating sense of humor.

A NIGHT OF SCANDAL is the first in a multi-authored series brought by HP: The Notorious Wolfes. The series covers the stories of the 8 siblings born from different mothers and all fathered by the horrible William Wolfe. This first book tells the story of Hollywood star Nathaniel Wolfe and costume designer Katie Field. Circumstances force them to spend the night together, in a very platonic way, but once the press gets wind of it, they’re forced to flee to a private island resort and there the platonic side of their relationship is soon forgotten.

The opening paragraphs hooked me like no book has hooked me in a while. The chemistry, banter and the battle of wits between Nathaniel and Katie were a joy to read. The attraction is undeniably there but both try to not give into it. However when they do give in, the sparks fly off the pages. Ms Morgan definitely delivers on the sensual tension she creates.

I really like Sarah Morgan's voice. Her characters have depth to them and she incorporates humor in her writing, always a plus with me. In less than 200 pages she took me on an entertaining, thrilling and emotional rollercoaster ride. From amusement to anger to tears to sizzling sensuality...they all claimed my state of mind at one moment or another while reading. My first encounter with Ms. Morgan's writing has been an awesome reading experience and an unexpected pleasure.

This first installment has most definitely whetted my appetite for all other 7 stories in this series. I need the to read the other Wolfe siblings' stories and if they're half as good as ANOS was I'll be in romance reading heaven. (Meanwhile I’ve read the second book and it was just as good as this one!)

Favorite Quotes:
It was immediately obvious that she’d renewed her make-up and then scrubbed it off, afraid it would look as if she were trying too hard. Nathaniel gave a humourless laugh. She didn’t need to try. Make-up or no make-up, her mouth was still the same full tempting curve that made a man want to dive straight in and sample the flavour.

“If I leave you here they’ll feed on you like sharks attacking raw meat.”
“If I’m the raw meat in that analogy, then it isn’t a very flattering description. No woman wants to think her thighs would provide sufficient food for one shark, let alone sharks in the plural.

“Where are you planning to go?”
“A journalist-free zone. I need to lie low until the Sapphire ceremony. A deserted island. Sun, sea and se–“
“I am not having sex with you.”
A ghost of a smile touched his mouth. “I was going to say seclusion, but sex sounds good to me. You talk when you’re awake and you talk in your sleep. It remains to be seen whether you talk during sex.”

Katie hurried down the steps. Like Cinderella, she thought, running from the ball. Except that she hadn’t lost a shoe. Both shoes were on her feet, but her heart was in pieces.