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Secretly Pregnant…Conveniently Wed #3
Jess's Promise
Cesario di Silvestri isn't just fast with women, he's supersonic. After mere minutes spent in his charismatic presence, many of Europe's most glamorous women tumble into his bed…
With the exception of one—shy vet Jessica Martin, who refuses to become his weekend plaything. But when Jess's flaky relatives steal from Halston Hall, Cesario's country retreat, he has all the ammunition he needs! For now he'll enjoy her creamy-skinned beauty, but in the future he'll need an heir….
With the exception of one—shy vet Jessica Martin, who refuses to become his weekend plaything. But when Jess's flaky relatives steal from Halston Hall, Cesario's country retreat, he has all the ammunition he needs! For now he'll enjoy her creamy-skinned beauty, but in the future he'll need an heir….
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2011
94 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Graham
1,763 books1,448 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
March 18, 2018
Sweet, educated, hardworking virgin heroine. Sweet, "ruthless" businessman Italian hero who sees a chance to have a child with the veterinarian heroine when her father is inadvertently swept up in a theft at the hero's English estate.
There are also twists and turns that I did not see coming. Those twists alone would usually add a star to my rating, so what went wrong? LG threw so much into this story that she didn't adequately develop the angsty plot points. For example:
So a nice story, but not a *great* emotive story. Not that I'm complaining. It was fun to spend time with this H/h and the six rescue dogs - all named with distinct personalities.
There are also twists and turns that I did not see coming. Those twists alone would usually add a star to my rating, so what went wrong? LG threw so much into this story that she didn't adequately develop the angsty plot points. For example:
So a nice story, but not a *great* emotive story. Not that I'm complaining. It was fun to spend time with this H/h and the six rescue dogs - all named with distinct personalities.
December 5, 2019
I liked it.
It was different but sweet and passionate.
Epilogue was so cute.
Safe and recommended.
It was different but sweet and passionate.
Epilogue was so cute.
Safe and recommended.
August 24, 2012
2.5 Stars
This really did have the potential to be a really good read but it fell short in quite a few areas. There were lots of potential plot lines that was included in the book, things that had happened or were happening to both the H & h which had obviously had a huge impact for them and in the h's case had shaped most of her adult life, and then all of a sudden they were quickly skirted over and made to be inconsequential and forgotten about.
It was obvious that this should have been a longer/full size book but lots had to be omitted due to word count and page constraints. If the author could not explore these plot lines further then they shouldn’t have ever been mentioned and completely left out!
This really did have the potential to be a really good read but it fell short in quite a few areas. There were lots of potential plot lines that was included in the book, things that had happened or were happening to both the H & h which had obviously had a huge impact for them and in the h's case had shaped most of her adult life, and then all of a sudden they were quickly skirted over and made to be inconsequential and forgotten about.
It was obvious that this should have been a longer/full size book but lots had to be omitted due to word count and page constraints. If the author could not explore these plot lines further then they shouldn’t have ever been mentioned and completely left out!
January 5, 2019
"Jess's Promise" is the story of Jessica and Cesario.
A hidden gem of love and angst by LG, this book had a scarred couple, who embark on a marriage of convenience due to personal vendettas- the heroine wants to save her beloved stepfather, the hero wants an heir.
However, sizzling chemistry and passion are just one aspect of their relationship,until both start falling for each other..
The heroine is a shy, but independent veterinary surgeon who takes in all strays and adores her family- however a traumatic experience in the past makes her shy away from men; something that does not deter her maternal longings.
The hero is an ex playboy, who is hiding a secret and yearns for a baby.
Both start a mutually beneficial contract, but as their wishes come true faster than expected, they are made to face unexpected truths..
Angst filled yet a super intense story with likable characters, hot sex and an ADORABLE epilogue.
Really enjoyed it.
Safe/SWE
4.25/5
A hidden gem of love and angst by LG, this book had a scarred couple, who embark on a marriage of convenience due to personal vendettas- the heroine wants to save her beloved stepfather, the hero wants an heir.
However, sizzling chemistry and passion are just one aspect of their relationship,until both start falling for each other..
The heroine is a shy, but independent veterinary surgeon who takes in all strays and adores her family- however a traumatic experience in the past makes her shy away from men; something that does not deter her maternal longings.
The hero is an ex playboy, who is hiding a secret and yearns for a baby.
Both start a mutually beneficial contract, but as their wishes come true faster than expected, they are made to face unexpected truths..
Angst filled yet a super intense story with likable characters, hot sex and an ADORABLE epilogue.
Really enjoyed it.
Safe/SWE
4.25/5
September 29, 2025
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February 8, 2015
This book just missed all around for me. There were lots of elements that should have contributed to a nice angsty read but they were not really explored or utilized fully. She had been attacked by a stalker years ago and had some bad scars. That was only a blip. She was only a little worried about showing him her scars and he didn't really care when he saw them. Non issue. He is dying of a brain tumor (which the author mistakenly calls benign instead of malignant). He had evidently married her to have a child to leave his stuff to. That came out of left field at the end with extrememly little foreshadowing. It would have been much more effective if we'd seen his angst about it throughout the book. We were in his POV sometimes so hiding his thoughts from the reader is cheating. There's sort of a lame attempt at the mistaken other woman story line. But no real follow through there either. There was some lame stuff about him not telling her about the illness and pushing her away for her own good. But none of it was really explored in depth and it all kind of lacked cohesion. There was also a lovely honeymoon that they went on which while I would have loved that honeymoon, was really just a strange interlude in what should have been an angsty read.
I did like that the heroine was a veterinarian and evidently good at her job and dedicated.
All in all it just missed the mark. Too much stuff thrown in and inadequately utilized.
I did like that the heroine was a veterinarian and evidently good at her job and dedicated.
All in all it just missed the mark. Too much stuff thrown in and inadequately utilized.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2016
First of all there wasn't much of relation between this book and the two prior ones but the fact that Jess lived in the same small town and had met Flora from book two.
Cesario... What an awful name.
Anyways, Cesario and Jessica met before and went on a date (a date from hell according to Jess), and he never understood why she didn't jump immediately to bed with him or why there was never a second date. So she's the one that got away.
I LOLed imagining the Hero's face when he saw the animal hairs on the heroine's clothes.
Cesario... What an awful name.
Anyways, Cesario and Jessica met before and went on a date (a date from hell according to Jess), and he never understood why she didn't jump immediately to bed with him or why there was never a second date. So she's the one that got away.
I LOLed imagining the Hero's face when he saw the animal hairs on the heroine's clothes.
September 23, 2013
Wow! That was so different from other LG books. I enjoyed reading about an intelligent hardworking mature woman and a hero who was a true gentleman, a loving father and a doting husband! Sweet marriage of convenience story! And LG is the queen of adorable epilogues.
July 4, 2011
This read was a bit different from the norm in Lynne Graham books. The hero wasn't a jerk at all and he and the heroine were not at odds through the entire book. It was a sweet love story and the big secret was the heroes and a bit of a surprise. The heroine's reaction to the secret was a bit selfish, thinking only of herself but snapped out of it when her mom let her know what a mistake she was making.
A pretty decent read with a lovely ending.
A pretty decent read with a lovely ending.
March 5, 2011
Wow! I loved a LG after a long time. The heroine was perfect and man she could reply back. Typical HP premise heroine has to sacrifice for the sake of her family but done well. The hero Cesario is great as well and the book's got a twist in the end. Hopefully LG will bring out more books like this and not like the first book in the trilogy(Jemmima's Secret something..uggh..it was disgusting)
April 14, 2011
liked this book,departure from other books as the heroine is older than her usual.not as lighter read as some of the others, but still I enjoyed it.
April 14, 2015
Jess is a country vet. She loves dogs (she has six) and runs her own animal sanctuary, and hopes one day to have it recognised as a charity. Cesario is super rich and he and Jess once went out, and she didn’t sleep with him after dinner and wouldn’t accept any further dates, so he’s completely into her as the one that got away.
Cesario owns a country house in England, and he’s hanging out in Italy when he gets news that thieves have broken in and stolen a painting worth half a million dollars. Cesario heads over to England to find out what’s going on.
Jess’s step-dad comes over to visit her. He works for Cesario and he’s done something stupid – borrowed money from the family loan sharks, who then pressured him into giving them access to Cesario’s house because they wanted to ‘take some photographs’ and coincidentally now that painting has gone missing. He knows he’s in trouble.
‘Wow it’s so awful that you’re going to jail, but don’t worry I’ll do whatever I can to get you the best legal defence we can afford, and of course I’ll support mum, as I’m sure my brothers will,’ Jess does not say. Instead, she decides she’ll go see Cesario about whether he can do something.
Jess describes that date from hell with Cesario and it’s fantastic. He took her to a pretentious restaurant where she wasn’t dressed right, couldn’t read the menu and couldn’t work out what cutlery to use. She ate her desert with a spoon and noticed Cesario used a fork, and I am one hundred per cent on board with why this is completely outrageous, because how dare expensive service be so confusing? You are paying this huge mark up at this place, and they’re too cheap to bring out different cutlery for each course? Probably, it��s deeply unhygienic to have so much cutlery on the table at once. And dangerous. And crowded. And what is with giving you a spoon and a fork with your desert, I mean either it’s to give you options, or you’re supposed to use them both together (and does the fork deliver to the spoon or the spoon to the fork?) or for some reason, some of the desert is forked and some is spooned, and you’re just supposed to know which is which.
So, even though I thought Jess was being completely HP heroine about trying to persuade Cesario to not involve her step-father into any investigation into his stolen painting, I completely bonded with her over fancy schmancy restaurant crap and she could do no further wrong in my eyes.
Cesario is reluctant to not pursue his stolen painting but honestly: he’s failed to be imaginative enough about his super rich status. If you’re a billionaire and someone steals your painting, why do you need the police? In fact, you’re being cheap and rather awful to expect them to do anything for you, given I bet Jess and everyone in her family, even the criminals, pay considerably more tax than Cesario does. He could hire a whole army of investigators. He could create his own organised crime syndicate and terrorise Jess’s small-time and probably not that bright criminal relations until they give the painting back and donate all their money to Jess’s animal sanctuary and then go into exile forever. Sure, setting up your own organised crime syndicate to terrorise a couple of guys is illegal and will cost more than half a million dollars if you’re doing it right, but the point is: no one steals from a billionaire and gets away with it.
Probably, I shouldn’t have read this immediately after reading Kresley Cole’s ‘The Professional’ and ‘The Master.’ Those books may have slightly influenced my attitudes towards how billionaires roll.
Cesario comes up with a typical hero plan. If Jess will marry him and have his baby and then once they have the baby they’ll divorce and he’ll support her and the child, he’ll agree to not pursue the stolen painting through police etc. He also has some inheritance thing, where there’s this beautiful house in Italy that’s not his until he has a kid. This is his plan after he’s told Jess that he won’t sleep with her in exchange for forgetting the painting, and Jess has indignantly told him that she’s a 30 year old virgin. I’m sure this new plan has nothing to do with how hot he thinks that is.
Jess agrees this deal because she still thinks Cesario is hot in spite of that stupid dinner, and she’d also like to have a baby. So they do the marriage thing and go to Italy and get naked and Cesario is introduced to Jess’s scars.
At this point, I should mention that Lynne Graham appears to have declared war on ‘said.’ It’s very noticeable in her writing style, people opine, and frame and do all sorts of things to avoid having to have something they said described as, simply, said. From my count ‘said’ is used as a dialogue tag less than ten times, and rarely without an adverb. I’ve read enough ‘how to write’ stuff to know that this is considered faux pas, but Graham’s on a word budget and has a lot of plot to get across, and I’m not going to quibble about shortcuts to let me know how people are saying stuff with their emotions. What struck me was that Jess tells her scary origin story and Cesario’s response is wry. Then Jess says something and she’s rueful, and what is wrong with you two? This is serious emotionally fraught and you think there’s something funny in it?
That getting it on scene turns out to be a revelation to them both. ‘Don’t fall in love with me because I’m so great inside your body,’ Cesario warns. Jess is all ‘pfft, as if,’ but she’s hooked, and he’s hooked too. They are completely into being in bed with each other as frequently as possible. While sex isn’t a contest and both partners win when they are open and generous and etc, Jess has the moves and is totally the boss of sex. You go, you awesome thing.
There’s a lot more plot going on than I’ve described, and the last quarter packs a sudden and wonderful emotional punch. I didn’t adore Cesario as much as I did Jess, but I liked him. He had this whole wistfulness about him, and a desire to change. There’s not as much of him on the page as there is of Jess, but from what I got there was a truth to the way he struggled with being a better person than he had been, and how he sometimes failed, and I’m prepared to forgive a hero a lot if I can see what he can be, even if he can’t.
Cesario owns a country house in England, and he’s hanging out in Italy when he gets news that thieves have broken in and stolen a painting worth half a million dollars. Cesario heads over to England to find out what’s going on.
Jess’s step-dad comes over to visit her. He works for Cesario and he’s done something stupid – borrowed money from the family loan sharks, who then pressured him into giving them access to Cesario’s house because they wanted to ‘take some photographs’ and coincidentally now that painting has gone missing. He knows he’s in trouble.
‘Wow it’s so awful that you’re going to jail, but don’t worry I’ll do whatever I can to get you the best legal defence we can afford, and of course I’ll support mum, as I’m sure my brothers will,’ Jess does not say. Instead, she decides she’ll go see Cesario about whether he can do something.
Jess describes that date from hell with Cesario and it’s fantastic. He took her to a pretentious restaurant where she wasn’t dressed right, couldn’t read the menu and couldn’t work out what cutlery to use. She ate her desert with a spoon and noticed Cesario used a fork, and I am one hundred per cent on board with why this is completely outrageous, because how dare expensive service be so confusing? You are paying this huge mark up at this place, and they’re too cheap to bring out different cutlery for each course? Probably, it��s deeply unhygienic to have so much cutlery on the table at once. And dangerous. And crowded. And what is with giving you a spoon and a fork with your desert, I mean either it’s to give you options, or you’re supposed to use them both together (and does the fork deliver to the spoon or the spoon to the fork?) or for some reason, some of the desert is forked and some is spooned, and you’re just supposed to know which is which.
So, even though I thought Jess was being completely HP heroine about trying to persuade Cesario to not involve her step-father into any investigation into his stolen painting, I completely bonded with her over fancy schmancy restaurant crap and she could do no further wrong in my eyes.
Cesario is reluctant to not pursue his stolen painting but honestly: he’s failed to be imaginative enough about his super rich status. If you’re a billionaire and someone steals your painting, why do you need the police? In fact, you’re being cheap and rather awful to expect them to do anything for you, given I bet Jess and everyone in her family, even the criminals, pay considerably more tax than Cesario does. He could hire a whole army of investigators. He could create his own organised crime syndicate and terrorise Jess’s small-time and probably not that bright criminal relations until they give the painting back and donate all their money to Jess’s animal sanctuary and then go into exile forever. Sure, setting up your own organised crime syndicate to terrorise a couple of guys is illegal and will cost more than half a million dollars if you’re doing it right, but the point is: no one steals from a billionaire and gets away with it.
Probably, I shouldn’t have read this immediately after reading Kresley Cole’s ‘The Professional’ and ‘The Master.’ Those books may have slightly influenced my attitudes towards how billionaires roll.
Cesario comes up with a typical hero plan. If Jess will marry him and have his baby and then once they have the baby they’ll divorce and he’ll support her and the child, he’ll agree to not pursue the stolen painting through police etc. He also has some inheritance thing, where there’s this beautiful house in Italy that’s not his until he has a kid. This is his plan after he’s told Jess that he won’t sleep with her in exchange for forgetting the painting, and Jess has indignantly told him that she’s a 30 year old virgin. I’m sure this new plan has nothing to do with how hot he thinks that is.
Jess agrees this deal because she still thinks Cesario is hot in spite of that stupid dinner, and she’d also like to have a baby. So they do the marriage thing and go to Italy and get naked and Cesario is introduced to Jess’s scars.
At this point, I should mention that Lynne Graham appears to have declared war on ‘said.’ It’s very noticeable in her writing style, people opine, and frame and do all sorts of things to avoid having to have something they said described as, simply, said. From my count ‘said’ is used as a dialogue tag less than ten times, and rarely without an adverb. I’ve read enough ‘how to write’ stuff to know that this is considered faux pas, but Graham’s on a word budget and has a lot of plot to get across, and I’m not going to quibble about shortcuts to let me know how people are saying stuff with their emotions. What struck me was that Jess tells her scary origin story and Cesario’s response is wry. Then Jess says something and she’s rueful, and what is wrong with you two? This is serious emotionally fraught and you think there’s something funny in it?
That getting it on scene turns out to be a revelation to them both. ‘Don’t fall in love with me because I’m so great inside your body,’ Cesario warns. Jess is all ‘pfft, as if,’ but she’s hooked, and he’s hooked too. They are completely into being in bed with each other as frequently as possible. While sex isn’t a contest and both partners win when they are open and generous and etc, Jess has the moves and is totally the boss of sex. You go, you awesome thing.
There’s a lot more plot going on than I’ve described, and the last quarter packs a sudden and wonderful emotional punch. I didn’t adore Cesario as much as I did Jess, but I liked him. He had this whole wistfulness about him, and a desire to change. There’s not as much of him on the page as there is of Jess, but from what I got there was a truth to the way he struggled with being a better person than he had been, and how he sometimes failed, and I’m prepared to forgive a hero a lot if I can see what he can be, even if he can’t.
June 18, 2018
This is the best book in the series!
Jess was blackmailed into marriage by Cesario. Her father was complicit in the theft of a piece of art from Cesario valued at over half a mil.
Jess begged for leniency for her father and got a proposition to marry Cesario and give him a child. She very reluctantly agreed. She had her own fears and trauma to overcome but she stuck to the agreement and got married and began a life of sorts with Cesario.
Jess had her moments of insecurity regarding her marriage and found herself falling for her husband. He made it easy. The MOC took on a much more intimate feel during their honeymoon and he made it easy to fall for him.
Upon their return from their honeymoon, Jess learned she was pregnant and then the world as she knew it fell apart. Cesario was keeping a secret from her. One that would almost shatter her.
I loved Jess. She’s tiny, compassionate, loyal, loved her family, and adores her rescue animals. Cesario realized how much she loved them and they loved her so he had them shipped to Italy so they could be together during their honeymoon. I fell heads over heels for Cesario then and there.
Jess and Cesario were perfect for each other. LG worked her magic with this book. It’s worth the read.
Jess was blackmailed into marriage by Cesario. Her father was complicit in the theft of a piece of art from Cesario valued at over half a mil.
Jess begged for leniency for her father and got a proposition to marry Cesario and give him a child. She very reluctantly agreed. She had her own fears and trauma to overcome but she stuck to the agreement and got married and began a life of sorts with Cesario.
Jess had her moments of insecurity regarding her marriage and found herself falling for her husband. He made it easy. The MOC took on a much more intimate feel during their honeymoon and he made it easy to fall for him.
Upon their return from their honeymoon, Jess learned she was pregnant and then the world as she knew it fell apart. Cesario was keeping a secret from her. One that would almost shatter her.
I loved Jess. She’s tiny, compassionate, loyal, loved her family, and adores her rescue animals. Cesario realized how much she loved them and they loved her so he had them shipped to Italy so they could be together during their honeymoon. I fell heads over heels for Cesario then and there.
Jess and Cesario were perfect for each other. LG worked her magic with this book. It’s worth the read.
May 28, 2020
This one left me cold. I never felt a strong connection between the two despite the dramatic circumstances. The h somehow managed to be self-absorbed and self-sacrificing. The H also came across as a cold fish.
September 16, 2011
Absolutely enjoyed it,a classic LG book,Cesario is so attracted towards Jess and she is the only woman he has met who has said "NO"to him which he takes it as a challenge,Jess works at Cesario's stable and is somewhat attracted towards Cesario but she has heard about his reputation with woman,Casario asks her out for dinner she says yes they go out and share a explosive kiss but Jess says no cause she wants to protect herself
Jess's father is involved with a robbery of a painting from Cesario's home,Jess goes and confides in him but he takes the opportunity and blackmails Jess and lays out a preposition and asks Jess to marry him and give him a child,the marriage will be purely a deal no love flowers or expectations,Jess says yes cause she wants to protect Robert
They get married but both Cesario and Jess hides some important facts of their life from each other which leads to misunderstandings between them,also Cesario makes it completely clear that he does'nt wants Jess's love only a child which hurts her even more and she hears a convo between Cesario and Alice,jumps to conclusion which further brings on more misunderstandings
Cesario gets the paintings back,Jess gets pregnant which chocks him but for his reserved reaction we get to know the reason later and then everything comes out, all misunderstandings are cleared and we have the HEA
Absolutely enjoyed this one,after Naive Bride-Defiant Wife,Bride for real which were total disappointing book i was hesitant to read this one but thanks to Saly-Mia , i picked up and i am glad i read this one
Overall a very good read
Jess's father is involved with a robbery of a painting from Cesario's home,Jess goes and confides in him but he takes the opportunity and blackmails Jess and lays out a preposition and asks Jess to marry him and give him a child,the marriage will be purely a deal no love flowers or expectations,Jess says yes cause she wants to protect Robert
They get married but both Cesario and Jess hides some important facts of their life from each other which leads to misunderstandings between them,also Cesario makes it completely clear that he does'nt wants Jess's love only a child which hurts her even more and she hears a convo between Cesario and Alice,jumps to conclusion which further brings on more misunderstandings
Cesario gets the paintings back,Jess gets pregnant which chocks him but for his reserved reaction we get to know the reason later and then everything comes out, all misunderstandings are cleared and we have the HEA
Absolutely enjoyed this one,after Naive Bride-Defiant Wife,Bride for real which were total disappointing book i was hesitant to read this one but thanks to Saly-Mia , i picked up and i am glad i read this one
Overall a very good read
August 17, 2012
Me pareció que el personaje de Jess fue bastante exagerado a la hora de quererla representar como una veterinaria pobre y mas que a los 30 anos aun es virgen.Y no que sea virgen o no si no la manera en que se lo hace saber a Cesario.Pero sin dudas es muy conmovedora.me encanto como les surgió el amor porque aunque la atracción sexual fuera notable en si se recalca bien que no fue amor a primera vista si no que el amor fue naciendo y creciendo hasta que Jess queda embarazada...ahí nos enteramos el porque Cesáreo "decidió" por así decirlo tener un heredero,que no fue precisamente por lo que le había dicho a Jess que era para recibir una herencia.
Para mi fue muy conmovedor el hecho que aunque Cesáreo es un hombre fuerte ,varonil tenga sus problemas y en este caso de salud .Muy diferente a casi todos los machos alfas que Graham nos tiene acostumbrados a leer.Sin dudas la mejor parte de la novela su final.
Para mi fue muy conmovedor el hecho que aunque Cesáreo es un hombre fuerte ,varonil tenga sus problemas y en este caso de salud .Muy diferente a casi todos los machos alfas que Graham nos tiene acostumbrados a leer.Sin dudas la mejor parte de la novela su final.
September 5, 2016
One of my fav worth the time as they actually develop a relationship!
Loved it
Read and reread worthy.
Loved it
Read and reread worthy.
June 11, 2023
This is a short but fun marriage of convenience. Because it's so short it touches upon serious topics but doesn't really go into depth. There are mentions of stalking, difficult family relationships, adoption, past violence, cancer, etc.
Their relationship starts with physical attraction. And you don't really see them fall in love. You just know that they are in love.
The guy has a players past. There is some suspicion that he might be cheating but he is not. He does have a secret. And that's the climax of the book so I won't spoil it for you.
I enjoyed it.
Their relationship starts with physical attraction. And you don't really see them fall in love. You just know that they are in love.
The guy has a players past. There is some suspicion that he might be cheating but he is not. He does have a secret. And that's the climax of the book so I won't spoil it for you.
I enjoyed it.
June 10, 2023
30-year-old veterinarian heroine
Beautiful, British Jess and gorgeous, Italian billionaire Cesario embark on a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience in order to provide them both with a much wanted child.
Jess is an extremely unusual LG protagonist in the following ways:
1. She is 30 years old rather than in her early 20s.
2. She is a well educated, highly competent veterinarian, rather than someone who barely graduated from secondary school.
3. She has a close relationship with a loving and supportive mother, who offers a great deal of useful, practical advice to Jess, rather than dragging her down, as is the case with the typical LG mother, who is an incompetent, narcissistic user.
4. There is no evil other woman or vicious female relatives of any kind to act as antagonists in this story, because Jess is not a wimpy, soft-hearted pushover who would fall for that kind of dynamic. As is the case with virtually every LG heroine, Jess is full of compassion, just not the codependent kind of compassion, that eternally excuses the unapologetically selfish, bullying behavior of family and friends. She runs a sanctuary for wounded animals, is a loving daughter and sister, and gets on well with her boss, who treats her with respect. No one in her life, before she encounters Cesario, takes advantage of her kindness and generosity.
5. She has black hair. Only one or two of LG's heroines has anything other than blonde or red hair.
Jess is a classic LG heroine in the following ways:
1. She is short and slender. And, of course, like all romance heroines almost without exception, she is beautiful.
2. She is from a working class family.
3. She is from a rural background.
4. She is completely honest, trustworthy, and without an ounce of greed in her entire makeup.
5. She does little or nothing to enhance her natural beauty, although as someone with a dirty job, she is on the farthest reaches of caring absolutely nothing about her appearance.
6. She has not one but four rescue dogs, each with a very memorable, lovable personality.
Cesario is a very unique LG hero in the following manner:
The central romantic conflict is due to a personal circumstance that has never occurred in any other novel by LG, and it would be a major spoiler to state openly what it is. But suffice it to say, it adds great depth and intensity to the story.
Overall, this is my favorite book of this trilogy, and one of my all-time favorite LG novels.
Please note: This is *not* a secret-baby plot, so I'm not sure why HP put it in this particular secret-baby trilogy. It has nothing in common with the other two books in this series, and the three heroines don't even know each other.
Beautiful, British Jess and gorgeous, Italian billionaire Cesario embark on a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience in order to provide them both with a much wanted child.
Jess is an extremely unusual LG protagonist in the following ways:
1. She is 30 years old rather than in her early 20s.
2. She is a well educated, highly competent veterinarian, rather than someone who barely graduated from secondary school.
3. She has a close relationship with a loving and supportive mother, who offers a great deal of useful, practical advice to Jess, rather than dragging her down, as is the case with the typical LG mother, who is an incompetent, narcissistic user.
4. There is no evil other woman or vicious female relatives of any kind to act as antagonists in this story, because Jess is not a wimpy, soft-hearted pushover who would fall for that kind of dynamic. As is the case with virtually every LG heroine, Jess is full of compassion, just not the codependent kind of compassion, that eternally excuses the unapologetically selfish, bullying behavior of family and friends. She runs a sanctuary for wounded animals, is a loving daughter and sister, and gets on well with her boss, who treats her with respect. No one in her life, before she encounters Cesario, takes advantage of her kindness and generosity.
5. She has black hair. Only one or two of LG's heroines has anything other than blonde or red hair.
Jess is a classic LG heroine in the following ways:
1. She is short and slender. And, of course, like all romance heroines almost without exception, she is beautiful.
2. She is from a working class family.
3. She is from a rural background.
4. She is completely honest, trustworthy, and without an ounce of greed in her entire makeup.
5. She does little or nothing to enhance her natural beauty, although as someone with a dirty job, she is on the farthest reaches of caring absolutely nothing about her appearance.
6. She has not one but four rescue dogs, each with a very memorable, lovable personality.
Cesario is a very unique LG hero in the following manner:
The central romantic conflict is due to a personal circumstance that has never occurred in any other novel by LG, and it would be a major spoiler to state openly what it is. But suffice it to say, it adds great depth and intensity to the story.
Overall, this is my favorite book of this trilogy, and one of my all-time favorite LG novels.
Please note: This is *not* a secret-baby plot, so I'm not sure why HP put it in this particular secret-baby trilogy. It has nothing in common with the other two books in this series, and the three heroines don't even know each other.
June 17, 2024
I am reading this again as I had forgot it and now I think I know why I forgot it. Not liking the main male lead at all. I hate man whores. Okay he says it was exaggerated but I don't know. It was weird. I'd like to think all sparkly happy details were involved but I have read too many HPs. Also they went out on one date, it was awkward and she totally rejected him. So that was the extent but he still wanted her. And slept with other women to take the edge of his frustration out. Gag me! But I just needed to.point that out. Its not cheating but its still not safe for me. I want them to be wrecked for other women but its not to be. I overlooked it though by the end of the book.
Actually it ended up very nicely. There was a health scare but the epilogue had lots of babies and an HEA. The first part had made me think he was not a good hero but Lynne Graham.pulled out her magical pen and turned him into a wonderful hero. She has the touch for sure.
Actually it ended up very nicely. There was a health scare but the epilogue had lots of babies and an HEA. The first part had made me think he was not a good hero but Lynne Graham.pulled out her magical pen and turned him into a wonderful hero. She has the touch for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2015
Harusnya baca buku ini cepet beres karna buku ini tipis tapi waktu itu saya baca ketiduran jadi besoknya baru melanjutkan lagi.
Ceritanya gak terlalu berbelit, Cesario agak menyebalkan *err tipe yang buat saya suka jengkel kalau nemu karakter cowok macam gini*
Jess sendiri menjadi sosok yang lembut tapi tegas.
Mereka menikah untung keuntungan masing-masing, disatu sisi Jess merasa ia sudah jatuh cinta pada Cesario tapi disisi lain Cesario mempunyai rahasia.
Saya kasih 3.5 bintang untuk cerita yang sebenernya kalau ceritnya diperpanjang mungkin akan lebih asik, apalagi karna novelnya tipis endingnya sangat cepat :)
Betewe cover terbitan GM warnanya biru *aaakk saya suka. Thanks Kiko buat bukunya :) *pasti orangnya comment, soalnya ini review request nya doi, hihihi..
Ceritanya gak terlalu berbelit, Cesario agak menyebalkan *err tipe yang buat saya suka jengkel kalau nemu karakter cowok macam gini*
Jess sendiri menjadi sosok yang lembut tapi tegas.
Mereka menikah untung keuntungan masing-masing, disatu sisi Jess merasa ia sudah jatuh cinta pada Cesario tapi disisi lain Cesario mempunyai rahasia.
Saya kasih 3.5 bintang untuk cerita yang sebenernya kalau ceritnya diperpanjang mungkin akan lebih asik, apalagi karna novelnya tipis endingnya sangat cepat :)
Betewe cover terbitan GM warnanya biru *aaakk saya suka. Thanks Kiko buat bukunya :) *pasti orangnya comment, soalnya ini review request nya doi, hihihi..
July 9, 2017
an epilogue with a bunch of kids! ! God I love this .
February 16, 2025
H was not mean enough but loved the blackmailing part. (Deranged)
June 20, 2011
The story is of Jessica, a shy and quiet country vet who, after some trauma in early adulthood, is content to live her life alone. However relatives on her mother's side of the family steal a valuable painting from the local manor house, which is owned by gorgeous Italian billionaire Cesario. Cesario is very attracted to Jess, however she turned him down on a past date. Both Cesario and Jess are at an age where they want to have children, so Cesario proposes a marriage of convenience for the purpose of conceiving, after which they will both be free. Jess agrees both in order to save her family from the fallout of the theft and to fulfil her desire to have a baby.
This book was just, wow! It was full of surprises, and the development of Jess and Cesario's relationship was written beautifully, it really gave the story great depth. I liked how both the hero and heroine were a little older than usual (for this type of book). The heroine was a fantastic character, although she was shy and quiet she was by no means a doormat, as well as a very hard working woman, I love reading books where the female character is strong and embodies 21st century values! Cesario was also a great character, Lynne managed to make him a true Alpha-male, yet he wasn't cruel or unnecessarily arrogant. Also the settings and surroundings were described in fantastic detail. Another aspect I particularly liked was the inclusion of the 'other woman/former lover' character, but instead of being the typical jealous, bitchy woman out to destroy their relationship, she was a nice person and actually happy for the couple.
I really enjoy reading Lynne Graham's books, in my opinion she manages to write stories with a fantastic pace that really allows the characters and relationships to grow, and this book certainly has that! Also Lynne writes the best endings in the business!
Oh, the names of Jess's posse of disabled dogs were great; Hugs, Magic and many more!
Definitely recommend this book!
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
This book was just, wow! It was full of surprises, and the development of Jess and Cesario's relationship was written beautifully, it really gave the story great depth. I liked how both the hero and heroine were a little older than usual (for this type of book). The heroine was a fantastic character, although she was shy and quiet she was by no means a doormat, as well as a very hard working woman, I love reading books where the female character is strong and embodies 21st century values! Cesario was also a great character, Lynne managed to make him a true Alpha-male, yet he wasn't cruel or unnecessarily arrogant. Also the settings and surroundings were described in fantastic detail. Another aspect I particularly liked was the inclusion of the 'other woman/former lover' character, but instead of being the typical jealous, bitchy woman out to destroy their relationship, she was a nice person and actually happy for the couple.
I really enjoy reading Lynne Graham's books, in my opinion she manages to write stories with a fantastic pace that really allows the characters and relationships to grow, and this book certainly has that! Also Lynne writes the best endings in the business!
Oh, the names of Jess's posse of disabled dogs were great; Hugs, Magic and many more!
Definitely recommend this book!
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
July 5, 2016
The animal lover in me gives this book 3 1/2 stars. It fell short for four due to the ending, which had a neat twist but felt a bit forced for angst. Jess and Cesario are likeable, hard-headed and hardworking characters who compliment one another. Cesario was a secret romantic, with an altruistic side that was the missing piece Jess needed in her life. Jess was his last chance to find happiness in creating a family. And this timid vet with her strong will and integrity, got more than she bargained for in a man who was willing to compromise anything to have her, while healing her damaged spirit.
This book was the finale to the trilogy of three friends marrying billionaires, and finding their place in a baby filled HEA. I may backtrack to read the first book that precedes Flora's Defiance. All in all, Ms. Graham always reminds me why I enjoy reading her work still and will continue to champion her for as long as she continues to write.
This book was the finale to the trilogy of three friends marrying billionaires, and finding their place in a baby filled HEA. I may backtrack to read the first book that precedes Flora's Defiance. All in all, Ms. Graham always reminds me why I enjoy reading her work still and will continue to champion her for as long as she continues to write.
June 12, 2011
3.5 ค่ะ เรื่องนี้ก็สนุกดี แต่ชักเบื่อสำนวนของลินน์แล้วล่ะ โดยเฉพาะการบรรยายความหล่อของพระเอกด้วยคำพูดซ้ำๆ แบบว่าสามารถเอาพระเอกทุกเรื่องแทนกันได้เพราะรูปร่างหน้าตา บรรยายเหมือนกันหมด เลยรู้สึกเลี่ยนหน่อยๆ อะ
แต่เนื้อเรื่องก็ดีค่ะ เล่มนี้ อ่านเพลินๆ (เว้นไม่อ่านของลินน์ที่ออกใหม่มาสองสามเล่มเพราะอ่านรีวิวตามที่ต่างๆ แล้วกลัวผิดหวัง) เล่มนี้เสียงรีวิวดีหน่อยก็เลยลองอ่านดู โอเคนะ อยู่ในระดับไม่เสียดายเงินค่ะ
แต่เนื้อเรื่องก็ดีค่ะ เล่มนี้ อ่านเพลินๆ (เว้นไม่อ่านของลินน์ที่ออกใหม่มาสองสามเล่มเพราะอ่านรีวิวตามที่ต่างๆ แล้วกลัวผิดหวัง) เล่มนี้เสียงรีวิวดีหน่อยก็เลยลองอ่านดู โอเคนะ อยู่ในระดับไม่เสียดายเงินค่ะ
April 30, 2017
Bagian awal sampai pertengahan bikin bosan tapi setelah misteri yang ditutupi Caesario terungkap mood baca saya jadi naik lagi. Saya menduga yang tidak-tidak dengan akhir ceritanya. Dugaan saya semakin kuat karena ketika bagian akhir Caesario tidak (lebih tepatnya belum) dimunculkan, tapi akhirnya muncul juga menjelang halaman terakhir :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2014
I really enjoyed this book .The plot had some shocking twist that I was not expecting. The hero was only mean once as I recall, and I understood why he was mean later on in the story. The heroine had an emotional past that tugged at my heart. This was a sweet book.
May 27, 2013
I just appreciate the fact that the hero is not as egoistical as most of M&B heroes. As far as story goes, it was alright. I've read worst.
November 16, 2013
Liked the older heroine but this not one of my favorite LGs
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