Judith’s review of A Madaris Bride for Christmas by Brenda Jackson
One by one, Madaris men have surrendered to the matchmaking schemes of Felicia Laverne Madaris, matriarch of the family. But Lee Madaris isn’t letting anyone else control his destiny. He’ll bring a bride of his own choosing to the family’s holiday gathering if his hotel’s gorgeous new chef will agree to a marriage of convenience.
It’s not just the chance to work at the Strip’s hottest hotel that brought Carly Briggs to Vegas. Witnessing a crime in Miami may have made her a mob target. Though she’s reluctant to complicate their working relationship, Lee’ s tempting offer is so hard to resist. And soon, desire is clouding their no-strings arrangement.
The danger that made Carly flee Miami is about to land at their door. So Carly and Lee must decide who to trust, when to let go and whether a love they never anticipated is strong enough to pass the ultimate test.
I discovered Brenda Jackson’s books several years ago and she immediately became one of my favorite authors. Having read a ton of the Westmoreland series, I was delighted to find this new Madaris series novel on Net Galley. It’s a family I have not really encountered too often having been fascinated with some of her other books. But this holiday novel is a delight and well worth reading.
As is so often the case, especially in families where the adult males are determined to hang on to their fun-loving bachelor status for extended years, the matriarch of the Madaris Clan has decided that Lee Madaris, a wealthy and incredibly successful international hotel magnate, will be married by Christmas and on his way to giving her added members of her family to preserve their legacy. In this fun tale of passion seasons with a fair amount of mystery, Lee Madaris has as his goal to present his great grandmother with a bride of his choosing and not hers. This is made even more intentional when one of his cousins relays the information that Mama Laverne, as she is called, is planning Lee’s wedding to occur at Christmas when the family gathers in Houston.
For Carly Briggs, Las Vegas and the Grand MD Hotel represent a new start, opportunities to further her own professional dreams and to pursue a life that is essentially scrubbed clean of men who are not who they appear to be. Meeting Lee Madaris is upending emotionally and turns out will place some choices before Carly that could well change the direction of her life.
As always, a Brenda Jackson novel is filled with people of vast life experience mixed in with the kind of characters who are real, gritty, full of the struggles with which most people must contend. It’s what makes a Jackson novel resonate so well with so many readers. She has also used her considerable writing talents to bring people of color into the reading experience of romance fiction lovers and she never backs away from writing clearly about the cultural traditions that people of all races possess and which set the boundaries, both good and bad. She has been determined to write about successful African-American males and lifts them up as role models. It makes no difference that this is fiction. Men like Lee Madaris and his family members speak clearly that life can bring great success into reality for all people regardless of race or color.
Readers will also find out that Ms Jackson writes realistically about the love relationships between her characters and also romantic interactions can bring both joy and pain into the hearts of her characters. This story is spicy and sexy, filled with passion and the sparks that will continue to ignite the relationship between Carly and Lee. Yet both of these people are afraid of the hurt that genuine love can engender, the damage that deep disappointment can do and the ways that fears from the past can hinder true happiness in the future. Yes, there’s a HEA but the reader will encounter a fair share of ups and downs, surprises, encounters with the crime syndicate and so forth. So there’s lots going on even as Lee and Carly will finally have to make a choice about the future.
Ms Jackson continues to gift her readers with stories that are well told, characters that speak to us on a visceral level and a satisfying reading experience that makes us happy to pick up the next Brenda Jackson novel. But don’t be fooled–that is not all about Christmas presents and lights, Santa Claus and Silent Night. It all comes together around the family gathering but lots happens before the stockings are hung by the fireplace.
If you are a Brenda Jackson fan or really like the Kimani Romance books from Harlequin, you will really like this book. It is not an massive or epic novel by any means. But there’s enough substance to make a good sized novel. I know I found it to be a terrific read.
I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This title is available from Harlequin Kimani. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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