"The Santana Heir", from author Elizabeth Lane, is a compelling, passionate romance with an intriguing and exotic setting. Grace Chandler lost her chance to ever give birth due to injuries she received in a traumatic horseback-riding accident. Her step-sister, Cassidy, had been a beautiful free spirit with a successful modeling career. When Cassidy became pregnant as the result of a brief relationship, doctors also discovered that she was terminally ill with a brain tumor. Cassidy lived long enough to see her son, Zac, brought into the world. Before she died, Cassidy made sure that Grace would raise baby Zac and become his adoptive mother. Almost a year later, Grace and little Zac are happily living in Tucson, AZ when they receive a surprise visitor. Emilio Santana, younger brother of Zac's father, Arturo, has just discovered Zac's existence, and he wants to bring the boy home to the Santana estate in Peru. Grace had been very close to finalizing Zac's adoption, and now her world is thrown into turmoil. Emilio makes it clear that with Grace, or without her, Zac will be raised as a Santana in the home of his ancestors. Grace cannot give up her precious son, and she agrees to the journey so far from all she has known. Emilio had been considered a playboy for most of his life, and his new responsibilities were sadly inherited upon Arturo's unexpected death in an automobile accident. Grace is a natural mother as well as a natural beauty. She is unpretentious and unspoiled. Emilio wants her to stay and help to raise Zac, but will she be the boy's mother or his caretaker? Grace and Emilio are both at a turning point in their lives, and the companionship between them turns to undeniable passion. But is passion enough? Grace can't help but be swayed by Emilio's sensual wooing. He in turn sees that Grace is unlike any other woman he has ever known, and his thoughts turn to a permanent relationship. Could the three of them become a real family? Not everyone is happy that the young Santana heir has come home, and there are powerful secrets looming over the future of the Santana legacy. Author Elizabeth Lane has created a heroine and hero that you will root for, and an adorable little boy whom you will not be able to resist. An adventurous world-traveler herself, Ms. Lane offers vivid imagery of rugged and beautiful Peru, an ancient land rich in history.

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Good book. After the death of his brother Emilio discovers that he had a son living in Arizona with his aunt. Emilio felt it was important that the little boy be raised as a Santana so he went to Arizona to take custody of the little boy. When he arrived there he realized that he couldn't just take Zac away from Grace and offered her the opportunity to come with him and be part of Zac's life. The attraction he feels for her adds to his desire to have her there.

I liked Emilio. He came across at first as not so nice, telling Grace she couldn't win in a custody battle. It soon became obvious that he really wanted her to come along and not just because of his attraction to her. He realized that he had no idea how to be a father and didn't want to mess things up the way that his parents had. I found his nervousness around Zac to be pretty sweet. It took him awhile but I loved seeing the way he really wanted to be a better father. His attraction to Grace was something he really wanted to pursue, but he was also a little worried about what would happen when it ended. He had never had a relationship last so didn't have any expectation that this one would. He didn't expect to find himself wanting more than just sex, but soon realized that his feelings for Grace were different than anything he'd had before. I also liked the way that he showed some real growth going from "The Peruvian Playboy" to a man who was comfortable as the head of his businesses and a husband and father.

Grace had started taking care of Zac from the moment he was born and her stepsister had died. She was fully invested in being the best mother she could and had already started adoption proceedings when Emilio showed up. She knew she couldn't win against him but wasn't going to give up on being part of Zac's life. She wasn't happy about the attraction between her and Emilio and made it clear that she didn't want that to affect her stay there. It quickly became obvious that she wasn't going to be able to resist him. Grace had some serious issues with being able to trust Emilio having been burned once in a relationship. I liked the way that she was determined to teach him how to be a real father to Zac, not just one who was there occasionally. She soon saw that his issues were more about not having confidence in what he was doing rather than not wanting to do it. It wasn't long before she realized that she had fallen in love with him. There was an interesting twist at the end that separated them for awhile, but Emilio came through in the end. ( )