Fate Accompli (Aegean Lovers, #1)

by M.M. Jaye

[Lynn]

Nowadays I'm so used to reading books set in North America, that when one comes along offering a dazzling Mediterranean back-drop, I know I must read it.

Fate Accompli is a well executed debut novel by MM Jaye set in her home country of Greece. The author does an extremely good job of highlighting Athens and Greek Islands, leaving you with a longing to hop on a plane to sample the highlights of Greece in person.

Monica aka Nikki grew up in her step-father's household from the age of two. A ruthless man in business with very little care or empathy for his trophy wife or her daughter, it is little wonder that Monica wanted nothing to do with Stavros Chrissos as an adult. After her mothers death, her step-father agrees to pay for her education, however Monica prefers to earn her own way in life; with scholarships covering her education and a determination to succeed, spawned all those years ago in Greece. Now sixteen years later, using her American birth name rather than her know Greek name, Monica is in Athens to attend an interview for the man that turned her eye as an eight year old child, when he was the teenage best friend of her step-brother, Stefanos. Only Alex Argiros, now CEO of Arger Enterprises can't know that she is the step-daughter of the man that nearly destroyed the business his father set up many years ago.

When Alex and Monica meet, sparks fly! The spiciness of the writing is hot enough to generate a believable chemistry between the two protagonists without it being overly explicit. As the plot unfolds we are introduced to a number of supporting characters, notably Beth; Monica's best friend and Stefanos. Additional sub-plots and characters are included which I didn't think necessary. Whilst I understand the author's need to set a pictural scene when describing notable areas of Athens and The Aegean Coast, at other times is wasn't necessary. I'd have much preferred more dialogue and development between the characters instead, as some some of the scenes dragged on due to it being over descriptive.

Considering English isn't the author's mother tongue, she has done a fantastic job of writing a beautiful love story. Mixing English and American words and spellings is the only giveaway, which wasn't distracting to myself. I'm surprised by the choice of couple chosen for the writer's next book, but my interest is piqued enough to read it as I patiently wait for Beth and Stefanos story.

3½ Stars

***arc received in return for an honest review***