Sydney, Australia - Present Day

They say trouble comes in threes. For Tamara, that old axiom is true. She lost her new business when a client refused to pay, her treasured home burnt to the ground, and finally, her best friend, Marc Earle, died in a tragic accident, leaving behind their unborn child. Marc was not the love of her life, but when Tamara needed him in her moment of crisis, he was there for her. Understanding turned into passion, and the night they spent in each other’s arms resulted in her pregnancy. Marc’s life ended suddenly, and now at his funeral, Tamara finds herself confronted by his brother, multimillionaire and business magnate Armand De Luca.

Armand wants to marry Tamara. A marriage of convenience he says. He wants her child, Marc’s child, to legally bear the de Luca name and have a secure home and future. But Armand has a more sinister motive. In order to gain controlling interest in his company, his father's will stipulates that Armand must have married and produced an heir before his thirty-third birthday -- in seven months. Right from the beginning, Tamara and Armand are at odds. Tamara does not want to marry just to provide a convenient solution to their problems. She wasn’t even sure that she would marry Marc when he asked after learning she was pregnant. But she didn’t love him. Marc was her friend, never a lover, except for that one night they spent commiserating in each other's arms. And Armand? She doesn’t even know the man. How can she marry a stranger?

Armand will go so far as to fake his feelings of love, while Tamara stubbornly refuses his proposal in THE MAGNATE’S MARRIAGE DEMAND. Armand wants total control over his company, De Luca Enterprises. Tamara wants to finish her business degree, re-establish her own company, and provide a secure future for her child. When and if she marries, it will be for love. But she's on the verge of losing her tiny apartment and facing bills she can’t pay, so she has no other choice but to accept Armand’s invitation and move into his opulent home. Whether or not she will accept his marriage proposal is something she plans to think over very carefully. But the sand is slipping through the hourglass as Armand’s birthday looms in the very near future.

There are multiple secondary characters, but all are mostly background, except for Armand’s trusted friend and legal advisor, Matthew, and his housekeeper, Ruth. The story focuses on the struggle between Tamara and Armand as they circle each other with indecision. Armand wants total commitment. Tamara wants love and devotion before she'll commit. Tamara chooses to finish school and have a career, Armand wants her to marry him, stay home, and mind their future children. Tamara isn't sure she even wants those, ahem, future children.

Author Robyn Grady makes a fine showing with THE MAGNATE’S MARRIAGE DEMAND in her debut for the Silhouette Desire imprint. Emotion runs high in the standoff between Armand and Tamara, and their story is a great choice this month!

Diana Risso