New Book Review: A Vow to Secure His Legacy by Annie West
Annie West writes wonderful heart-warming and sexy romances so I was delighted to
hear she has a new book out this month from Harlequin Presents. A Vow to Secure His Legacy is the story of shy, conservative account Imogen Holgate and sexy Parisian Thierry Girard.Sensible Imogen has always been a long-term planner, saving for a home in the hope of building a family. During the past year, she has lost her flamboyant twin sister in a road accident and her mother to a terminal illness. Now she believes she is living on borrowed time with the same illness that claimed her mother. Isabelle’s words keep echoing in her head: ‘You need to get out and live, Imogen. Try something new, take a risk, enjoy yourself. Life is for living!’ On impulse, she drops everything and spends her life savings on a once-in-a-lifetime around-the-world trip. In Paris, Isabelle’s favourite city, she meets Thierry Girard.Playboy Thierry loves high adrenalin sports, fast cars and beautiful. Since his first love refused to marry him he has resolutely refused to love again. When the family business that has made the Girard’s a household name amongst the French elite is in trouble, he is obliged to step in to save it. Looking for a distraction from city streets, cocktail parties and business commitments, he finds Imogen fresh, alluring and irresistible. A holiday romance fits the script for Imogen; after all, it is her year for doing what she never 
would otherwise. However, after she leaves Paris, she finds herself pregnant, and with no one else for support and worried about her child’s future, she turns to Thierry for help. To Imogen’s surprise, Thierry asks – practically demands – that she marry him. As they work through the early days of a marriage fuelled by passion but complicated by her illness and cross-cultural differences, Imogen realises how big the gulf is between her world and his. She isn’t sure she will ever fit in. And how does Thierry really feel about her?I fell in love with both the characters in this romance. Imogen is far braver and more beautiful, inside and out, than she ever gives herself credit for. While Thierry is a typical playboy on the outside, he has far more substance than that: intelligence, a quiet strength, compassion, generosity and humour – and I haven’t even mentioned he looks fabulous in everything from a dinner suit to a pair of jeans. To make their marriage work and achieve their happily ever after, Thierry needs to open his heart and Imogen needs to trust hers.A Vow to Secure His Legacy is a superb read. Annie West uses the attraction of opposites to explore issues of risk and trust and how every couple must overcome these hurdles if they are to find love and happiness.Available from 11 February. To read an extract and for buy links, visit Annie’s book page.
Annie West is the USA Today bestselling author over 30 books for Harlequin Mills & Boon. In her teens, she got hooked on romance and never looked back. The boys at school couldn’t compare with all those strong silent flashing-eyed Italians, haughty Spanish aristocrats and the rest. Fortunately, she found her own tall, dark romantic hero while at university, where despite the distraction she completed an honours degree in Classics. She lives with him and her family north of Sydney, Australia.Postscript: I reviewed A Vow to Secure His Legacy before I signed up to review 12 books for the 2016 Australian Women Writers challenge. However, it obviously belongs in the challenge, so I am making it my lucky 13th review.