Unlocking Her Innocence: Mills & Boon comics

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For this initiative, The Bicester Collection has partnered with Ashoka Arab World. Founded in 2003, the platform has pioneered social entrepreneurship, contributing to the flourishing sector across the Arab region, and is also the Academic Partner of the world-renowned New York University Abu Dhabi. I love revenge stories, (I think this might be one of my favourite tropes, second only to secret babies!) and this on has the added surprise of a heroine whom has been in prison. Whilst reading I actually found that it isn't actually very revengey, but still an enjoyable book. Heroine is devastated that her mother let her go to jail rather than tell the truth. Hero is sorry he caused her pain. He asks her to marry him with the ring wrapped in many boxes. Heroine isn't sure but he shows her the receipt, he bought the ring before he knew she was innocent. HEA with the dog living with them and in the epilogue, acquiring another. Also in the epilogue, H/h have a daughter, heroine went to medical school and they are expecting another child. Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.

Firstly, I would have loved to know Olly. Such a fabulous human being- precious and loving to everyone around him, especially our h and H- all his references made me tear up. Within a week or two she was living with him...so she could prepare the company and neighborhood Christmas party...but he also joined her in bed most nights. The man made sure every female within shouting distance knew he never wanted to marry or have a family. He told her many times and she acted as though she didn't want it either. But fell hard he did! Three years ago, Ava was imprisoned, when a drunk driving incident followed by amnesia left her best friend Olly dead, and soon the world around her collapsed. Her family abandoned her, and the man she had loved forever, Vito Barbieri and Olly's older brother resented her. She then suffered.

Her sisters eventually visit her after they see her name linked with the hero's in the tabloids. Hero invites them to his party so heroine can get to know them better. Heroine thinks their affair will only lasts to the Christmas party, but hero has other ideas. Hero is still angry with her, but is just as attracted to her as he was the night of the crash when she was just 18. They cross swords at the office a few times and the hero creates jobs for her, until he decides that both he and the heroine need to get over his brother's death. To do this he will hold his annual Christmas party at his house and the heroine will plan it just as she and his brother had done in the past.

It is an incredible coincidence that I read two Lynne Graham books within days of each other, and each has a hero named Vito and a heroine who is a redhead and who has a strangely similar family history (with a few differences). Honest to goodness, I didn't do that deliberately. It was just one of those serendipity things. Also, Vito didn't seem to want to believe the best of Ava. All along, he was willing to think she was everything that the past seemed to dictate, but he didn't consider how much his brother Olly loved and respected Ava and take that seriously enough. Let me put it this way, if my sister has a high opinion of someone, I take it very seriously. I guess that's why I was not 100% satisfied with this book. When it is revealed how badly Ava was wronged, I wanted to feel more remorse and regret for what she went through from Vito.Given the nature of the original premise, that the h was responsible for the H's younger brother's death due to a drunk driving accident, this had surprising little angst and arm twisting. As in none. The H is a veritable saint, a lust-filled, arrogant, 6' something H with commitment issues, but a saint nonetheless in regard to forgiving the girl responsible for his half-brother's death. Where the last few Lynne Graham books have suffered from heroes that take the Alpha-Male idea a step too far, this book has a much gentler, more accepting hero whom is still as Alpha as you need and this certainly benefits the story.

Then a party guest from the night of the crash recognizes the heroine in the tabloid photo. He witnessed her mother driving the car and not the heroine. Both the h and the H's brother were trying to stop her, but to no avail. The party guest never realized there was a crash or a trial because he was out of the country. Now the lawyers will work to clear her name. The heroine, Ava, was constantly grieved over the loss of her best friend, Olly, whom she met at boarding school. It was difficult for her to reconcile that she was the cause of his death since she had no memory. She would sometimes travel home with him for holiday visits and she was just WOW over his older brother, Vito who was ten years their senior. Vito was oftentimes cruel to her. He had the hots for her (but certainly didn't want to.) He'd maybe steal a kiss, then treat her like she was a leper or whore blaming her when he kissed her. She was a sexy young woman and he always assumed she was trying to tempt him with her great body. She was not...yes, she tempted him, but she was not really a seductress. She was too young and innocent to know how but that didn't stop him from treating her poorly, breaking her young heart. She fell for him when she was only sixteen but the man wouldn't have anything to do with her. Sadly, he didn't take the time to get to know her and was way too far into his man-whore lifestyle. He had no clue whatsoever that she was virginal. She knew for sure that she would never have a chance with Vito since she was the one who caused his brother's death. She was going into a work program who hired ex-cons for three months to help prep them for entering the workforce. She had no clue she was going to work for him and his new company. He finagles a way for her to work at his home to put in the annual Christmas party he's neglected since Ollie's death. Saucy banter and lost virginity make for an uneasy relationship. The h knows her shelf life is short for a variety of reasons: the H's relationship mileage, and, oh yeah, the fact she's responsible for the brother's death.Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide. Reading the blurb made me feel excited about reading this one, and I needed that excitement to actually make me want to read this latest offering from Lynne Graham. There is a lot of shared emotion between the hero and heroine, and lots of well thought out conflict. The heroine is particularly well written; she had a lot to deal with but never caved under everything and didn't come across as a martyr. The h and H's chemistry has simmered since they first met when she was Ollie's, his younger half-brother, best friend. Spending time in jail for drunk driving and what I assume was some kind of manslaughter charge put a wrench in that. They meet up again when she gets a first job at a company he's just taken on. From left: Her Excellency, Gloria Guevara Manzo, Chantal Khoueiry, Dr Iman Bibars and Desiree Bollier. Photo: Courtesy of The Bicester Collection