The Fabrizio Bride (Sizzling Sexy Santa Barbara Book 1)

Sarika and Rafe have been friends all of their lives. After years of friendship, they become romantically involved, but Rafe wants to keep it secret. Unexpectedly, Rafe walks out of Sarika’s life and has no contact with her for ten months. She has moved on to a new life and next thing she knows, Rafe is back on the scene, insisting she come home to her ailing godmother, Ana Lisa. He at first has no plans to resurrect their relationship, but finds he cannot bear the thought of Sarika in the arms of another man, so he proposes. She turns him down, because she feels he cannot satisfy her needs. Now Rafe must convince Sarika he is the very man for her.

The backdrop for this story is beautifully written. One can see the homes and the wondrous highways taken to get back to Ana Lisa’s magnificent manse. Sarika comes off at first as being a strong female character. As the story progresses, one sees her as a weaker heroine since she allows Rafe to bend her to his will. Rafe is a shallow, almost cruel character, whose driving force is that he does not want to be like his father. After too many episodes of pulling Sarika to him, then pushing her away, he finally resolves his feelings. One can feel the sexual tension between Rafe and Sarika, which keeps the reader involved in the story.  The various plot twists give sparks of intrigue to this excellent tale. 

Belinda Wilson