Molly Cooper has travelled all the way to London to find her dream man! The trouble is, the sexy emails with hot millionaire Patrick Knight – the man she swapped houses with – are strangely addictive. But what do you do when you realise the one you really want is a world away…sleeping in your bed?
Shipwrecked with Mr Wrong
Conservationist Honor Brier loves working in her island paradise. It’s the perfect place to lick her wounds in peace…until arrogant playboy Rob Dalton is shipwrecked on its shores. Yet Rob’s passion for life is impossible to resist – and he’s infuriatingly attractive! Could Mr Wrong actually be oh-so-right?
Publisher Mills & Boon organised a Man of the Year competition a few months ago, with the winner appearing on the cover of a special Valentine's book with two short stories, titled 'It Had to Be You.' The winner of the competition was Courtney Hayles, a drama teacher from London, and you can see the final book cover on the left! I unexpectedly found a review copy of the book in my mailbox a few weeks ago (with a special thanks to the publisher!) and was really excited to check out the two romance stories inside, written by authors Barbara Hannay and Nikki Logan (both unfamiliar to me up until now)!
‘It Had to Be You’ consists of two separate romantic short stories, written by authors Barbara Hannay and Nikki Logan. ‘Molly Cooper’s Dream Date’ tells the story of Molly, who dreams of one day finding her own English gentleman like Hugh Grant. In order to get at least that bit closer to her dream, she decides to do a house swap, trading her home on Magnetic Island for a London-based house for a few months. Will Molly be able to find the love she’s been looking for by travelling to the other side of the world? ‘Shipwrecked with Mr. Wrong’ focuses on Honor Brier who has been through a lot in her life. She loves the solitariness her research on the island of Pulu Keeling brings her, so when this is suddenly disturbed by shipwrecked Rob Dalton, Honor isn’t pleased. Rob needs Honor’s help to be able to get back, but Honor just wants to be left alone...
Sometimes it’s great to sit down with a novella/short story, especially when you don’t have a lot of time or are just looking for a quick read. If this is the case, and you happen to be a fan of romance reads, don’t look further and be sure to pick up ‘It Had to Be You’. The book consists of two separate romantic stories with contrasting settings and captivating storylines. The first story, written by Barbara Hannay, focuses on Molly Cooper who travels to London, the other side of the world for her, for a house swap. I loved this story, which was mainly told in the form of e-mails and diary entries, and the characters at the core of it.
The second story, written by Nikki Logan, is set on an almost deserted island where researcher Honor Brier spends her days. She enjoys the solitariness the island gives her, until she is joined by the handsome Rob Dalton, who ends up shipwrecked close to the island. I really enjoyed being introduced to these authors, who were both new to me, and thought both their stories were entertaining reads. If I have to pick one, I’d have to go with ‘Molly Cooper’s Dream Date’; I just loved this story from start to finish and would actually love it if this had been a full-length novel. However, both stories are great romance reads with lovely characters at their core and together they make a short story collection that’s definitely worth picking up!
Rating:
8,5/10
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
