Bella Andre – From this moment on

The second book in the Sullivans series, published August 30, 2011, but in paperback June 25, 2013.
Genre: contemporary romance
Cover: meh



Marcus Sullivan has always been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings when their father died. But when the perfectly ordered future he’s planned turns out to be a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.
Known throughout the world by only one name – Nico – pop songstress Nicola Harding is seen as the ultimate sex kitten. But it’s all a lie. After a terrible betrayal she refuses to let anyone else close enough to find out who she really is … or to hurt her again. Especially the gorgeous stranger at the bar.
One night is all Nicola and Marcus agree to share with each other. But instead, a deeper connection than either of them could have anticipated begins …


Marcus is ready for marriage and a family of his own, but his girlfriend/fiancée of two years apparently is not, when he finds her in bed with another (younger) man. She demands that he puts her on the first place in his heart, instead of his family, something he is not inclined to do. He has been helping his mother taking care of his siblings since he was twelve, and his father died. And even though they are all grown up now, with lives and careers of their own, he will never stop looking out for them, and helping where he is needed.

But it still hurts that Jill thought it necessary to force his hand like this, apparently she is not the woman he wanted her to be. And so, to fight the pain, Marcus decides a hot night with a stranger is in order, something he has never done before, and he visits a popular dance club in town. Marcus is not the only one lonely in San Francisco, and there are plenty of women interested in him, but so far, he is not interested in any of them. Until she walks into the doors…

Nico is a famous popstar, with the reputation of a wild party girl. A totally undeserved reputation though, but as it is good for her image, her recordcompany and manager want to let it stand. Her ex-boyfriend hurt her and exploited her in the tabloids, and now every man she is seen with, is her newest conquest according to the press. So spending a Friday evening alone at the hotelroom in San Francisco might be what she wants at first, but when an unpleasant roomservice waiter wants to spend the night with her, she decides she wants to go out after all and perhaps finally earn her reputation by going for that wild night.

And when Nicola walks into the night club, she only has eyes for that strong man at the bar, Marcus. They lock eyes, and that is it. She walks over to him and they both agree to leave right away. But outside, her fans recognize her, and she really does not want Marcus to appear in the tabloids with her tomorrow. He does not know who she is, and that is very rare as she is really famous. But the moment they are inside the taxi, Nicola gets second doubts. She can’t take him to her hotel, and he wants to take her to the same one. And how does she know he is not a crazy ax murderer? To set her mind at peace, Marcus offers her his phone, and tells her to just call anyone from his contacts and ask for a reference.
This strange offer amazes her, but she goes for it, and calls … his mother.
Marcus has another address to take her to, instead of a hotel, but during the long drive, Nicola falls asleep on him. And so he carries her into his famous brother Smith’s house, which is empty at the moment, and lays her on one of the couches in the livingroom. She never wakes up, so she sure must be exhausted.

Marcus enjoys her trust in him, and doesn’t mind being her pillow. But the next morning is a bit awkward. Nicola hates having to wear the revealing leather dress again, and is happily surprised when Marcus offers her one of his brother’s sweatshirts to keep warm. And he feels his heart move when he spots her, standing there without her shoes or makeup, in that enormous sweater. Still one night was all they wanted, and they don’t exchange full names or phone numbers.

But fait interferes, when Marcus visits his sister Lori who is a choreographer and working with some popstar at the moment. Lori has invited him to come watch the recordings, and have dinner with her afterwards. So when he sees Nico, at first he thinks she is just one of his sisters’ dancers. When Lori is called away during dinner and they are left alone together, they do decide to spend that night together after all. Neither of them has been able to stop thinking about the other and last Friday.

But after that night, they both want more. Still, Marcus doesn’t want to sneak around avoiding the press, and he hates that it is necessary. A relationship between them will never work out though, he loves his vineyard too much, and Nico is travelling the world…


I loved Marcus’ character in the first book in the series, and was looking forward to reading his own book. And I was not disappointed, I loved him. He is honourable, cares for his siblings and his mother, and is really appreciative of Nicola.
Nicola is a sweetheart, she really loves her fans and it shows. She is a great songwriter and singer, but she hates the image the press has given her. When she sees how caring Marcus is, she falls for him hard. But she also knows there can never be more between them than a stolen night here and there when she is in town.

I loved the solution in this book, as I really did not see it happen. Bella Andre writes such real lifelike characters, you have to love them, and the secondary characters as well. I am happy that the third book is on my shelves already, and the fourth is on its way.

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian