The Argentinian's Solace

Band of Brothers #2

by Susan Stephens

Diego Acosta's polo-playing days are over. Living in self-imposed exile on his idyllic island, he finds his nights are now filled with tormenting memories rather than the beautiful women who once graced his king-size bed.When Maxie Parrish crashes into his solitude, radiating exuberance and a love of life, she burns so brightly he can't take his eyes off her! He'll seduce her and conquer her with the same single-minded determination that saw him rise to the top of the world polo circuit.

This time he wants to walk away unharmed, because the scars that can't be seen take longer to heal….

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Mills and Boon

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

USA TODAY best-selling author Susan Stephens' books have captivated readers worldwide with over 11 million copies sold. Her work crosses cultures and continents, having been translated into 26 languages and reaching readers in 109 countries. This year marks a milestone as Susan's 100th book is slated for publication.

NEW SERIES!

ACOSTAS RAW Ranchers, rodeo and passion

1. BEAU
2. COLT
3. BLAKE
4. CHRISTMAS WITH ANGEL


BLOOD AND THUNDER

1. ALEXEI
2. DANTE
3. DIEGO
4. CESAR
5. CONNOR .

- BOX SET books. 1-4

6. ELIJAH Coming soon

Reviews

[Analia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ⭐

Tercer libro de la serie “Juego Argentino” ubicado en “Isla de Fuego” que NO ES Tierra del Fuego porque por las descripciones que hace del lugar, entre ellas que tiene un volcán, NO ES nuestra provincia Argentina.
No fue una mala lectura, pero mi puntuación es un regalo solo porque los protagonistas pisan suelo argentino; Debo decir que el título en inglés es "The Argentinian's Solace (algo así como el consuelo del argentino ) y deberían haberlo dejado así.
Pero bueno, éste es el más flojo de los que vengo leyendo de la serie y si bien, con los dos anteriores, me divertí en su momento, con éste fue poca la gracia, solamente me divirtió cómo la autora ve a nuestros hombres argentinos: salvajes🤣. Lo demás, sin ton ni son; si bien se plantea cierto conflicto en la trama, no hay grandes momentos y en los últimos capítulos todo se resuelve muy rápido.
Diego Acosta se encuentra recluido en su isla familiar “Isla de Fuego” desde que su caballo lo pisoteara durante un encuentro de polo, partiéndole la pierna. Ha vuelto a montar y a entrenar, pero ya ha pasado más de un año del accidente y todavía no se ha recuperado del todo para jugar al mejor nivel. De modo que pasa sus noches a solas con sus pesadillas y acompañado de su fiel bastón, en lugar de estar rodeado de bonitas mujeres que antes lo acechaban como jugador estrella del polo que era.
Diego Acosta no es un hombre sofisticado y, mucho menos encantador. A ojos de Maxie, es el hombre más arrogante del mundo, aunque sea muy guapo, “demasiado guapo” pero se niega a aceptar que Maxie Parrish, la organizadora de bodas de la prometida de su hermano, le ponga un espejo en la cara diciéndole todas las verdades: Que él ha decidido aislarse del mundo y vivir casi exiliado, incapaz de soportar las miradas de hombres y mujeres que una vez lo elogiaron.
Maxie solo desea cumplir con el encargo de su mejor amiga Holly: organizar su boda y está decidida a hacer el mejor trabajo posible para llevar su negocio al siguiente nivel y convertirse así en uno de los nombres más importantes de la industria. De modo que no puede permitirse el lujo de cometer ningún error y, mucho menos distraerse con el poco hospitalario Diego Acosta, pero los momentos compartidos, los recorridos por la isla, harán más difícil la lucha por no enamorarse de él.
En fin, hasta aquí las sensaciones que me dejó ésta lectura. Espero que la historia de Nacho Acosta me atrape mucho más que éste.
¡Ah! Tiene escenas 🌶️muy detallistas.

[Daisy Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Are there any Argentinian H's that don't play polo?
This book totally ripped of Pretty Woman full review to follow after Santa has visited...

The h in this book has magic hands that can cure all ill's including HPlandia broken bones when horses land on you! So she is losing at least a star for that nonsense I don't care how many parents shes massaged!

H is nursing his wounds and sulking on the family private island when the h shows up piloting a boat because the captain is drunk. The h is the wedding planner the interfering busybody h from book 1 has sent over to scout for a wedding location. She is also the daughter of the man that ripped off the H and his bezzie when they were young men out to make a fast buck that resulted in the bezzie killing himself.

He sets detectives on her, she rides his motorbike, her magic stupid hands do magical things to his never gonna ride again legs, they have sexy times, he can ride and play polo at international level. Her con man dad who isn't a bad man really but still did criminal things dies and they all live happily ever after.

The h is described and looks nothing like my cover girl so this book annoys me and the total rip off of pretty woman really wound me up!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Untamed Argentinian is the second installment in USA Today best-selling author Susan Stephens’ captivating family saga about the Acosta family – and it’s an absolute keeper! Tender, touching, affecting and riveting from start to finish, The Untamed Argentinian is the latest riveting page-turner from this talented storyteller!

Maxie Parrish has just got the commission of a lifetime: she’s been hired by her friend Holly to organize her wedding to polo playing superstar Ruiz Acosta on the breathtakingly beautiful island of Isla Del Fuego. Maxie is determined to do the best job she possibly can in order to take her business to the next level and become one of the leading names in the industry. She cannot afford to make a single mistake or to allow anything – or anyone –to distract her. However, what Holly had forgotten to tell her wedding planner was that Ruiz’s devastatingly handsome brother Diego was living on the Isla Del Fuego – and Diego isn’t feeling particularly hospitable at the moment!

Charismatic, talented and as sexy as sin, Diego Acosta had once had the world at his feet. He was one of the most lauded polo players in the world whose exceptional prowess on the field was more than adequately matched by his success with the ladies. Diego Acosta had been living the dream – until a debilitating accident had left him with a permanent limp that had soon put paid to the career which he loved more than anything else in the world. Unable to bear the pitying glances of the men who once feared him and the compassionate murmurings of the women who desired him, Diego had decided to cut himself off from the world and to exile himself on the Isla Del Fuego. Diego was perfectly happy keeping the world at bay. But when Maxie Parrish arrived on the island, Diego was dismayed by the barrage of long-buried emotions which her presence awakened deep within him…

Unable to resist the attraction that sizzles between them, Diego and Maxie quickly find themselves succumbing to temptation and giving into their feelings. Theirs was meant to be a purely casual arrangement, but the more time Diego and Maxie spend together, the more they realize that they’ve fallen madly in love with one another. But when a secret from the past threatens to wreck everything, will Diego and Maxie find the courage to fight for their second chance at happiness? Or will they allow pride, fear and remorse to defeat their love?

Heartwarming, dramatic and wonderfully romantic, The Argentinian’s Solace is a top-notch romantic tale that exquisitely captures the subtle depths of the human heart and vividly recreates the magic of falling in love. Susan Stephens is a wonderfully visual writer who never fails to bring the setting she writes about brilliantly to life and Isla Del Fuego was so terrifically described that I could almost taste the salt on my lips and feel the wind in my hair.

With its wonderful cast of characters and its winning blend of drama, passion and emotion, The Argentinian’s Solace is a beguiling romantic read you will not easily forget!

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Susan Stephens is one of my favorite Mills & Boon authors and I have read quite a few that are set in Argentina…I love Argentinean heroes…….they are so interesting, dark, handsome, sexy and they play POLO!!!! Diego Acosta, who reminds me of Nacho Figueras….that body, silky, long dark hair….was it any wonder that

Maxie Parrish, his brother’s wedding-planner, was dazzled!!!!
From the first page I knew I was going to love Maxie! What a fab heroine….independent, talented, lovable that everyone cannot help but just fall in love with her exuberance and her charm – oh yes, she also happens to be gorgeous and beautiful…..no way could Diego not be enchanted by this fabulous and interesting woman, who didn’t swoon at his feet but rather stood up to his initial bad-mannered behavior. She brings light into his life, helping him overcome his injuries, both physical and emotional.

The interaction between the two is sweet, romantic, filled with moments of fun, warmth and some really hot hot sex.
The secret that binds them together is handled in such a good way…usually there is so much angst and blame between two people, when things are revealed but here…I loved that Diego showed such love, compassion and understanding to Maxie when she went through a very painful and sad time in her life. Such selfless love shown by Diego. A truly admirable and amazing man.

I loved the way the Acosta family was built into this story, reading more about the polo world they inhabit; I am really looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

This is such a romantic love story filled with passion, drama, fabulous characters and incredible settings that leave you with lovely memories of these two people, who have the HEA they both deserve.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book on the I Heart Presents blog. This is the second book about the Acosta brothers that I've read, and it's definitely my favorite. I'll certainly be reading more of Ms. Stephens' books.

Diego is a tortured hero - he's suffered an injury that prevents him from playing polo and is on the family owned island to recuperate. Maxie is the wedding planner for Diego's future sister-in-law and is on the island to plan Holly's wedding there. Naturally sparks fly between the determinedly cheerful Maxie and grumpy Diego.

I was much more sold on the HEA between this couple than in the earlier book in the series (The Shameless Life of Ruiz Acosta). Definitely recommend this one to fans of the Presents line.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read. I found it a little boring half way through. He just didn't seem right for her or her for him. Bit of an odd match.

[Clint Griffon · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways, this is a very good book. I like the characters, and the story moves along well. There is, arguably, quite a large flaw.

If you read many of these, you probably are used to thinking, “What idiots these characters are. If they took two minutes to actually stop and think and say what they are concerned about, instead of jumping to a paranoid conclusion and haring off insanely, all this aggravation and drama could be completely avoided!”

Well, Diego and Maxie are not idiots, and they completely skip the whole tearing-themselves-apart-hating-each-other stage that they are blatantly heading for, by being calm and reasonable at the vital moment. Which makes the last part of the book a bit anticlimactic.

When I finished the book, I was disappointed by the weakness. It actually grew on my slowly afterwards—the effect is that the drama is implied as a possibility, in negative space, by what doesn’t happen, and the characters’ good sense is a twist. Postmodern. But most people finish reading and that’s that, I would think.

[Jennifer Newell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book clunky from beginning to end. There wasn't enough interesting conflict between the hero and heroine. I didn't find the hero sexy or interesting as a character. Instead, the reader had to be told (over and over again) how sexy and interesting he was. The heroine was boring and meek -- I didn't see any real spunk in her personality. The whole subplot with the heroine's father seemed silly and too easily resolved. Toward the end, an entire cast of characters were introduced as obvious future books, but most of them didn't contribute anything to the story (which just annoyed me). I hope other books by this author have a better story line and character development.

[Tali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly nice, quick read, but where it starts off promisingly, it then sort of loses momentum towards the end. I liked the characters of Diego and Maxie, but I felt that the conflict created between them because of Maxie's father's actions was resolved far too easily and far too early in the book. The last 30 pages of the plot felt like they were just there to help the story reached its required word limit.
Stretches credulity a little too much and rushes the ending through too early, but a fairly decent read if you're bored. 3 stars.

[RomLibrary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Diego Acosta's polo-playing days are over. Living in self-imposed exile on his idyllic island, he finds his nights are now filled with tormenting memories rather than the beautiful women who once graced his king-size bed.When Maxie Parrish crashes into his solitude, radiating exuberance and a love of life, she burns so brightly he can't take his eyes off her! He'll seduce her and conquer her with the same single-minded determination that saw him rise to the top of the world polo circuit.

This time he wants to walk away unharmed, because the scars that can't be seen take longer to heal

[Tonya Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much to say about this one. Probably closer to 2.5 stars than 3. Has an Ok story line, but no big grab me moments. All the emotion seems purely surface level.

Diego is a wounded warrior who has secluded himself on the family island. He has spent a year trying to recover from his polo riding injury to his leg. Maxie is the wedding planner for his brother's fiancee.

[Modesty_b · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was the first harlequin romance I ever picked up.. after which I became addicted to them.

[Akansha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review soon to come !

[**Sognatrice di libri** · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un altro capitolo davvero divertente e accattivante. Mi è piaciuto davvero tanto.