To kick off this Twelve Days of Romance blog tour series, we’re looking at a shorter tale that wasn’t quite what I expected – but was a solidly fun tale for what it actually was. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Stranded With Her Greek Husband by Michelle Smart.
Not What I Was Expecting, Still Good In Its Way. With the title and the description here, I was expecting some kind of boat emergency that left our leading lady stranded on an island where her husband happened to be. Instead, we get the husband essentially imprisoning the wife against her will – and openly bragging about it. I normally try to go wherever for whatever with a book, but this one was pushing even my (more tolerant than many) limits. That noted, if the reader is willing to simply go with this set up… the book is a fairly standard second chance romance in an exotic location, pretty well perfectly on brand. And yes, not exactly for the clean/ sweet crowd either – this one has some fairly significant steam, though at least here the husband is much more careful about forcing himself. The epilogue is fairly standard stuff for a romance, and mostly expected given the exact nature of this particular tale – but I personally was hoping for something a bit more courageous and genre bending. Which was probably setting my own expectations a bit too high, given how safely within genre most of the rest of the tale is. 🙂 Still, this is on the shorter side (under 200 pages) and perfectly timed in that week between Christmas and New Year’s when no one really knows what they want to do, but everyone knows they should be relaxing and having fun in whatever way they deem. This tale definitely fits that general mood, and is very much recommended.
After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the various “publisher details” including book description, author bio, and buy links.
Would it help if I apologised?
She couldn’t stop her stare darting to him. ‘I’m staying for three days not three weeks, Yannis.’
To her surprise, a grin spread over his face. It was a heartbreaker of a smile, all lopsided and…sexy.
She quickly looked away.
Keren didn’t want to see his smile and remember how it had once been part of the Yannis Filipidis package that had seduced and charmed her from the moment she set eyes on him.
Their first meeting had been at the opening of a new contemporary art gallery at Agon’s palace that Yannis and his brother had helped curate as a favour to the King. The palace had artwork and antiquities dating back millennia, but the modern King wanted to bring it more fully into the twenty-first century. Knowing their King wanted to attract a younger, hipper clientele, the PR people behind the launch reached out to Keren and invited her to attend and review. That she was no art critic and had only visited and reviewed two art galleries in all her travels—reviewing offbeat bars and restaurants and activities like elephant trekking were more her thing—didn’t matter to them. It was her audience they wanted to connect with. They’d offered to pay for her flights and accommodation and promised no interference with what she published on her blog. As Agon had been on her wish list of countries to visit, she’d been thrilled to accept.
She remembered the funky feel of the gallery. The creative and delicious cocktails and canapés she’d been plied with by the eager PR team. The buzz that had permeated the air.
But mostly she remembered the incredibly tall, incredibly gorgeous man dressed in a dapper pinstriped suit propped against the wall with a bottle of lager in his hand, oblivious to the lusty stares being thrown his way because his entire focus had been on her. Keren had come to Agon intending to stay for a long weekend. It had ended up being her home for two years.
The man whose attention she’d caught that night and married six months later was still grinning. ‘But you are staying,’ he pointed out smugly.
‘Under duress. And only for three days.’
‘Three days is long enough to convince you to stay.’ Then the smile fell. He tilted his head. ‘Would you believe any apology?’
‘No.’
‘Then I shall save my breath for when you do believe it.’
‘Save it but don’t hold it,’ she advised.
The smile returned. ‘You would give me the kiss of life, surely?’
Before she could respond, he swept past her, his arm brushing hers, and engulfed her in a cloud of the cologne she hadn’t even realised she’d been avoiding inhaling until it was too late.
Grinding her toes into her sandals, Keren closed her eyes and tried her hardest to ride out the wave of longing ripping through her.
They were just echoes of the past. Memories.
Memories she’d locked away on her flight out of Agon.
STRANDED WITH HER GREEK BILLIONAIRE by Michelle Smart
(on-sale Dec.28, Harlequin Presents)
Book Description:
Michelle Smart unravels the mysteries of a Greek marriage in this emotional reunion romance. Keren fled the island of Agon heartbroken, convinced her marriage was over. Now she must return to face her gloriously handsome estranged husband, Yannis, and end things for good. Instead, she finds herself marooned on Agon, and Yannis insists she spends three final days with him first! With nowhere to run from the fierce longing he reawakens, Keren must open her eyes to the whole truth. Not just the tragedy that broke them, but the joy and passion she’s tried—and failed—to forget…
About Michelle Smart:
Michelle Smart is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author with a slight-to-severe coffee addiction. A book worm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback. Michelle lives in rural Northamptonshire in England with her husband and two young Smarties. When not reading or pretending to do the housework she loves nothing more than creating worlds of her own. Preferably with lots of coffee on tap.
Connect With Michelle:
Author Website: http://www.michellesmart.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chellebellwrite
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellesmartauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelle_smart_writes/?hl=en
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6941538.Michelle_Smart
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stranded-Her-Greek-Husband-International-ebook/dp/B093T68PBF/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=STRANDED+WITH+HER+GREEK+BILLIONAIRE+by+Michelle+Smart&qid=1637071507&qsid=133-7575147-1798556&sr=8-1&sres=B093T68PBF%2C133556828X&srpt=ABIS_EBOOKS
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unwrapped-by-her-italian-boss-michelle-smart/1138902772?ean=9781335568168
Harlequin.com: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335568281_stranded-with-her-greek-husband.html
