Mergers & Matrimony

Mergers & Matrimony by Allison Leigh Silhouette Special Edition # 1761 - June 2006 Family Business - Book # 6 Helen's not a stupid woman but she can't help feeling that way when she finds out that her deceased husband had viewed her as a trophy wife. This certainly explained the dismissive attitude of her stepsons. At the reading of the will, Helen is given controlling interest in Hanson Media, and she's determined to return the company back to its glory. The merger with Japanese media giant TAKA Corp. is the perfect solution. But when Mori Taka begins to take interest in Helen as a woman, the TAKA executives and Helen's stepsons wonder if Helen is on the make for another very rich husband. I found this to be very well written. I loved learning a bit about Japanese culture. Ms. Leigh gave great depth to Helen's character. Helen grows stronger as the story enfolds. At first she's disillusioned and hurt, but then she picks herself up and moves on, proving to all around her that she's not just a beautiful blond. Mori, though a man of the world, holds close to traditional Japanese culture. Helen is at first a curiosity and then she becomes a compulsion. He admires her courage and finds her intellect a challenge. Ms. Leigh has written a very touching love story. Prodigal Son by Susan Mallery - SSE-1729 - February 2006 The Boss and Miss Baxter by Wendy Warren - SSE-1737- March 2006 The Baby Deal by Victoria Pade - SSE-1742 - April 2006 Falling for the Boss by Elizabeth Harbison - SSE-1747 - May 2006 Her Best Kept Secret by Brenda Harlen - SSE-1756 - June 2006 Mergers and Matrimony by Allison Leigh - SSE-1761 - July 2006

I loved this book. Nice contrast between the East and West but also respected the hopes and dreams of an "older" woman and man. Appreciated the fact that, in the end, Helen was loved not just for her beauty but for her mind.

I adored this book! The Japanese hero was beautifully done, the heroine and supporting characters excellent as well, and the setting and story quite wonderful. Of course it did happen to feed into my personal fantasies, but isn't that what romance is all about? Well written, sweetly sexy, and charming.

Back Cover: To: Helen Hanson From: Richard Warren RE: Almost through! It's been an exhausting battle, but we're almost done with the merger between Hanson Media and the Japanese powerhouse TAKA Corporation. And we couldn't have done it without your business savvy, Helen. Your late husband, George, would be proud of all you've done to salvage the business for his kids. I hear that you and the fierce head negotiator, Morito Taka, are getting on famously. I'm surprised that he'd even talk to someone from the other side of the negotiating table, but your all-American beauty and sparkling blue eyes seem to have captivated him! Just be careful, Helen: mixing work with pleasure can be a risky business. I like this book. While it may not be my absolute favorite, I did like the enduring promise of love and of a future. Helen Hanson was the young "trophy" wife who finds herself having to deal with three obstinate stepsons whom she loves as if they were her home, and at the helm of her husband's company that is not doing so well. Morito Taka is a moral and upright man who has been putting up roadblocks on the merger between his company and Hanson's. Widowed with no desire to marry or fall in love, he has a enough on his plate between work and raising his teenage daughter. Neither Helen nor Morito expect to fall in love but they do. Different as day and night, many obstacles are thrown in front of them and they find themselves divided with familial obligations and their own desires. What I liked about this book was that there was no one who really got hurt nor was there any real villain. It had this family, home and hearth feel to it. I like reading romantic suspenseful mystery books but I also like to sit on a nice comfy chair with a good book that has neither violence or deceit in it. It kind of brings you back to earth. This book may not win any literary prizes but that doesn't matter as long as the plot is quick and to the point, and there is a down-to-earth quality to it.