The Kanellis Scandal

by Michelle Reid

‘It is not always wise tomake him angry . . .’ but Anton Pallis is livid! As the adopted son of the Kanellis patriarch, he’s set to inherit the vast family fortune. Until it’s revealed there’s a true heir – in the rather appealing shape of Zoe Ellis. Zoe’s Greek heritage means nothing to her – and to be involved with the Kanellis dynasty is to be cursed with scandal! Except now it’s pounding on her front door – or rather Anton is, in all his dark, chiselled glory. And she has no idea what he’s going to do next . . . .

Genres: Harlequin, Romance, Harlequin Presents, Contemporary Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Hi, my name is Michelle Reid and I’ve been writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon for the last twenty years, and the crazy part about it is that I only realised it had been twenty years while updating this page!

So, hang on for a minute while I take this huge milestone in....

Twenty years with almost forty books published or in the pipeline ... I know it isn’t a great average when compared with some authors but it sounds pretty good to me!

So what was I doing twenty years ago before I wrote books? Well, I did the all of the usual things, like growing up and attending school, finishing at secretarial college, which I hated, then spent the next several years wandering aimlessly from job to job. Eventually I met my husband, we married and produced two daughters who then grew up and between them presented us with two gorgeous grandsons and one beautiful granddaughter. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Somewhere in between my girls growing up and the grandchildren arriving on the scene, I started writing. To this day I don’t know why, unless it was a natural progression from my never being without a book close by—often several—because books have always been an important part of my life for as far back as I can recall.

So, I started to write, by hand at first, scribbling short stories in notebooks which never saw the light of day. At some point I discovered Mills & Boon Romance books and that was pretty much it for me. I’d found my new love, as in reading romantic fiction and inevitably writing it too.

So twenty years on and almost forty books on, here I am still writing and still loving it!

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heroine is grieving the loss of her parents and taking care of her 3 week-old infant brother when the news explodes that the infant is the heir to her estranged grandfather’s Greek business empire. The grandfather sends his “adopted” son (hero) to bring them back to Greece. The heroine hates/lusts after the hero on sight.

This scenario reminded me a bit of Bond of Hatred by Lynne Graham, but without the intensity.

Hero is a good guy – we get his thoughts from time to time. Heroine is in a fraught state and that gets a bit tiresome – especially when were are treated to page after page of how she packed and washed her hair and walked to the limo and then rode in the car and then walked up the steps to the plane and gave the baby a bottle and . . . Yes, it dragged.

The time line seemed really messed up – they were having sex within a day of meeting each other – and she was a sleep-deprived, jet-lagged, grieving virgin to boot.

There wasn’t a lot of conflict in this one. The family secrets were revealed in a matter-of-fact way, so that drama was muted as was meeting the despotic grandfather.

The HEA felt right for these two because they really were attracted to each other from the get-go. There just wasn’t a lot of conflict or drama to keep it interesting.

[Penny Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just re-read it and I would give this a five. I forgot how good it is. I love the scene where they profess their love for each other. Swoony!

5 stars

I liked this one a lot, especially the astronomy part with the heroine. Hee hee! I know I sound like a broken-record, but I wish the ending/HEA/resolution had been drawn out. In fact, I wish Harlequin would ask their authors to add an epilogue or expand the final chapter. It would really enhance the story. It seems a shame to spend so much time setting up the angst and conflict and then to rush through the ending.

I would like a piece of cheese with my whine! :^)

I will definitely be re-reading this one.

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Kanellis Scandal" is the story of Zoe and Anton.

A heartwarming story of trust and powerplay between a hero who deserves the Kanellis empire but is adopted, the heroine who wants nothing to do with it and is still grieving the loss of her beloved parents and taking care of her newborn brother, a battle of wills, a manipulative patriarch, loads of angst, passion, a wedding and a HEA.

I adore books which can make me weep, and Zoe's heartbreak over her loss and when she thinks Anton might take Toby away made me tear up. Anton wasn't as conniving as the h thought he would be, and did not let her leave him for even a second. There is some family drama, and some possible betrayal, but the hero was fully committed, the h had a strong backbone, and the ending was uber satisfying.

Really enjoyed it!

Safe
4.5/5

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as juicy as I'd hoped especially with the word "scandal" in its title, but this still managed to satisfy. Anton was the best part of the book. He could be kind and honorable but always stayed sexy and alpha, just how I like my heroes! Even though he could hold his own, I felt bad for Anton during the times Zoe treated him as her personal punching bag.

Zoe's near-constant "I love you/I hate you" shtick slowed the pacing down especially in the beginning. However, I'm still giving her a big pass because she was grieving and stressed out when Anton first swooped down on her. Some of Zoe's antagonism did stem from a desire to resist Anton's hotness, but she failed miserably because she fell into bed and in love with Anton just 24 hours after meeting him, a person whom she suspected of having less than honorable intentions.

I believed Zoe and Anton liked and lusted after each other—the moderate doses of sexual chemistry testifies to that—but I'm only half convinced they fell in love. I wanted more insight into their developing feelings for each other, plus an epilogue showing us what Zoe decided regarding her career and if they had a cute baby or two.

[JennyG · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many inner thoughts and not enough dialogue.
Michelle Reid is usually an expert in angsty books. Unfortunatelly this one didn't deliver for me, because the only source of angstyness were the heroine's grief over her parent's death and her fear of losing her brother. In MR's previous books the source of angstyness was mostly the conflict between the hero and heroine which made the books more exciting to read.
I hope her next book is much better.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 187 page book and 143 pages take place in over a 24 hour period. From one morning to the next morning. Weird but oddly not too draggy. This author can write some pretty intense angsty books. This one wasn't one of those. These two people had the hots for each other from the get go. There was a serious amount of angry snipping, angry kissing, angry accusations ending in a passionate hookup and agreement to marry in that 24 hours. Still this author is good so you totally bought into what was essentially a love at first sight story. Interesting reading but maybe not a reread.

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good Reid, not her best but very enjoyable though the heroine had a tendency to argue a lot and not let the hero speak. 22 year old Zoe is left orphaned, in-charge of her new-born brother and facing the media deluge due to the leak of the fact that her father was a Kanellis and now she and her brother seem to be the heirs to the vast empire.

Anton Pallis who the media thinks was the Kanellis heir is left to deal with everything since Zoe's grandfather is too sick. He goes to Zoe, takes her away from the media with a lot of melodrama involved.
Zoe hits out at him often saying he's a kidnapper, selfish and more and Anton is usually left amused.

The book was short and good, I did enjoy the gold-digger tag attached to Anton even though he was wealthy in his own right and knew from the start that he was not the heir.

[Emona · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book begins with seven – eight characters that surge in like a torrent in the first 5 pages!
When I first began, I was so confused with the different characters, that I felt like giving up, but thanks to a friend of mine who elaborated, I continued.
Just so you don't go through the same, I'll simplify it by giving what I understood.
Theo Kanellis is the grandfather.
Anton Pallis' father died and his mother was promised to Zoe's father (when Zoe wasn't born as yet), however, Zoe's father didn't marry Anton's mother and fled.
So Zoe's grandfather, Theo, kind of adopted Anton (but Anton kept his father's last name, Pallis).
Years later, Zoe's parents die and she's left with a baby brother, Toby, who is by the way the only Kanellis male heir.

I found the story line somewhat awkward, Anton is more or less Zoe's half-brother, and they get married?
Well, at least the title was right: The Kanellis Scandal
The book starts off somewhere when Zoe's father is dead, and Theo sends Anton to collect Toby from Zoe, because Toby is the true Kanellis heir.
The whole thing was very flat, even worse, it was not at all believable that Anton & Zoe had formed a deep, loving bond.
Apart from the strong physical attraction, you don't feel anything, and poor Toby is completely left aside, I had no idea as to what happened to him in the end!
Some things are really hard to grasp, for example:
How can a woman who lived all her life in England, in three weeks decide to make Greece her home without any question?
Or how about the so-called kidnapping, as she put it, when Anton took her to Greece by her own choice?
Wasn't she supposed to be highly intelligent and full of hate for anything 'Greece related'?
The end of the book is so abrupt and sudden that I had to double check if my Kindle double-flipped a page!
There was too much of argument and anger between both the protagonists, and this made it vitriolic for my liking, not to mention that the story drags in a few places, like it took the first 3 chapters for Zoe to decide whether she should go with Anton or not.
I liked Anton, but Zoe? - She was the worst HP heroine I think I ever came across, she was bitter towards Anton till the end, so dumb, irritating, annoying, quarrelsome, bickering every now and then whenever Anton did something for her and always misunderstanding everything said!

The story goes somewhat like this:
Zoe Kanellis is struggling with her grief over the recent sudden death of her beloved parents, having to care for her newborn baby brother, Toby, and the truth of her father's influential family becoming known causing unwanted media attention.

Anton Pallis has always been like a son to Theo, especially after Zoe's father was cast out of the family over twenty years ago, because he refused the marriage with the Pallis family.
When news about Zoe and Toby reaches Theo – family members whom Theo was not familiar with until media flashed it all over, he forces Anton into approaching her.
When Anto arrives he is surprised by how fiercely attracted he is attracted to her.
He offers Zoe sanctuary from the unwanted attention, which she agrees to, and he takes her to his home in Greece.
Zoe is aware that Anton appears to have ulterior motives and tries desperately to ignore the desire between them.
Eventually though, they both lose control and when word gets out they find themselves being forced together and Zoe can't help but think that Anton is only using her.

[Tmstprc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heroine has just lost both her parents in a car accident, her mother was pregnant and gave birth to a son before passing. Her father was the disowned son of a Greek tycoon... millionaire... billionaire and grandpa wants the baby.

Enter the hero, the unofficial adopted son of the grandfather. He shows up with a media circus to discuss the “situation” and basically, for her own good, kidnaps her and the baby to his (not the grandfather’s) Greek island.

Obviously, there is very little trust on her part. She doesn’t trust him, she definitely doesn’t trust her grandfather. But there’s an attraction between them that starts immediately.

Her grief and anger casts a pall over the story. The story starts 3 weeks after she lost her parents and moves forward quickly, probably too quickly. There’s a scene where she thinks he’s taking her brother away and it’s rather heart breaking. He’s not the devil and they get their HEA.

On a lighter note, the baby’s name is Tobias, Toby for short. Is this and Jamie the only names HP authors can come up with for younger brothers or babies? Honestly, shame on me, but I can’t stand either... exception Jamie Fraser for obvious reasons 😁

[iamGamz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely and enjoyable read.
The story takes the reader from London, where the h has lost both parents and is caring for her infant brother, to Greece, where her estranged grandfather lives.

The H was sent to London to find the h at the request of the man who raised him after the death of both his parents. The old man is dying and the death of his estranged son was a shock. He wants the H to bring his infant grandson to him. With or without the h, his granddaughter.

The h has no love for anyone associated with her grandfather. So when the H shows up, he finds a woman who thinks the worst of him. He doesn’t make the situation any better when he kidnaps her and her baby brother and takes them to Greece.

The h and H spark off of each other from the first moment they met. They try to convince themselves that it’s because they dislike each other, but the sexual tension is strong.

The h, still grieving the death of her parents, had the most painful meltdown on the H’s plane when she though he stole her baby brother. I shed a tear or fifty. It was intense.

I also loved her love of the stars. As a star gazer living in NYC, I was jealous of her Greek island, no light pollution sky. That’s the one thing I want most in this book. A perfectly clear night sky and her telescope! :))

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit intense and made me sob a little, but the chemistry between the H and h and their wonderful verbal sparring made it a fun read.

Worth the read.

[atomickitten · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

I love Michelle Reid but this one was a miss.

With the hysterically crying heroine in every chapter and the lack of conflict I was lulled to sleep right in the middle.
Literally.
And if the steam was somehow good, I'd give it more.
But it wasn't.
Hence the rating.

[Raffaella · Rating 3 out of 5]

2, 5 stars because it was quite boring.
It's all about the heroine who thinks the hero wants her for her inheritance and the hero being in love with her but since he's a hard and tough macho man, he can't let her see it and acts like a jerk for most of the book, so the very suspicious and wary heroine scratches an hisses all the time while having wonderful bed time with him.
Another quite boring reading, but since it's MR and she's such a good writer even with poor material and the hero really is besotted and faithful to the heroine from their first meeting, I will be good and give 3 stars.
Some macho man moments, where the hero actually kidnaps her and her lil brother but with the best intentions because she was stalked by the journalists, and where he goes nuts after finding out she was a virgin, and a strange situation since the hero is the adopted son of the heroine's grandfather so what that makes him? Her husband/ uncle???

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book didn't work for me because heroine was bitter and angry until the last page.

[Aou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time I have listenned and the narrator Jilly Bond made me feel the angst.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heroine Zoe is struggling with her grief over the recent sudden death of her beloved parents, having to care for her newborn baby brother, and the truth of her fathers influential family becoming known causing unwanted media attention. The hero Anton has always been like a son to Zoe's grandfather, especially after Zoe's father was cast out of the family over twenty years ago. When news about Zoe and her baby brother reaches her grandfather, Anton is forces into approaching her. When he arrives he is surprised by how determined Zoe is, as well as being fiercely attracted to her. He offers Zoe sanctuary from the unwanted attention, which she agrees to, and he takes her to his home in Greece. Zoe is aware that Anton appears to have ulterior motives and tries desperately to ignore the desire between them. Eventually though, they both lose control and when word gets out they find themselves being forced together and Zoe can't help but think that Anton is only using her.

This is a well written and very enjoyable book. It is very typical of Michelle Reid's style, and that is not a bad thing! There are moments in the book that I found a little difficult to read; there is quite a lot of anger and fighting between the hero and heroine at the beginning. And, while this initially helped to emphasise the sexual tension, after a while it got a little too vitriolic for my liking. I also found some of the actions of the hero a little questionable, his 'alphaness' was taken a little bit too far in my opinion. However, this a very gripping book and I read it quickly.

Not one of Michelle Reid's best, but enjoyable and worth a read.

Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....

[SheReadsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michelle Reid is one of the all time Harlequin greats. Her books can be a mixed bag - some take the jerk alpha H too far, without enough (any) grovel. Some can be a bit weak on the love outside of sex. And there are definitely some dated ideas in romance novels written decades ago. But end of the day, many of her books remain the absolute best, full of fire and devotion and angst, making Reid a worthy Hall of Famer.

This was one of Reid's last books, written well into the 21st century, so I had high hopes it would land on the side of "not too jerky/unremorseful an H." And it did. Buttt..... it also didn't read like a Reid book at all. To the point I genuinely wonder if this book may have been ghost written. All writers change their style with time. But this is like the plot is there for a classic Reid, and that's where the similarities end.

Like I said, I am happy to see some modern changes to these old school romances. The H whisks off the h to his palatial home, and hires a nanny to take care of the baby. Typically, this would mean the h would now see her beloved baby (in this case, her brother) once a day, for a kiss on the forehead and then back to her exciting life of...waiting for more sex. Now, the h AND the H remain hands on caregivers. The H even changes a diaper! And - wait for it - the h has genuine career aspirations. A bit crushed, due to the unexpected baby-raising, but she was studying to be an astrophysicist. She is smart, educated, driven! She gets a full time job! Hallelujah!

These are changes I embrace. What I don't embrace is the shift from a writer who didn't feel the need to explain everything to the reader to one who now needs to have their characters describe their personalities and emotions to us. Instead of just letting the actions on the page often speak for themselves. For instance, when the H is holding the baby, and proving most adept and parental, he tells the h how he likes caring for such a helpless baby, as it appeals to his strength. Or when the h throws shade at him for loving her virginity while having had many sexual partners himself (pretty much standard for most MR books), he lays out an explanation for her about how he is a skilled, experienced lover, who can devote his knowledge to pleasing her. Um, gross? Previous Reid Heroes can be a little too obsessed with their partner's virginity. But for the most part, the "good book" Reid Heroes are more just paranoid and jealous. Not so much obsessed with getting the V card as they are the thought of the h liking anyone else. They don't proudly tout their own experience. Once they meet the h, they are all about her, and obsessed with her being all about them. This audible description of how the H is a better lover because of his experience is so very unlike Reid.

It's hard to really put this into words. This is not a bad book. It is fine. But it doesn't feel like a Reid. And in that, it is like many other Harlequin books - quick and easy reads, but nothing worth revisiting.

[Bukola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not understand why I put off reading this book for so long!! Ms Michelle Reid! May you live long!! Such a heart warming read.
Zoe was determined to hate the man who took her father's place after he left home and rejected his inheritance. After the death of her parents, leaving her custody of her baby brother, her grandfather whom she's never met before sent his lawyer, Anton Pallis whom she had every intention of hating as he was the adopted son of her grandfather after her father left home. But from the moment their eyes met, the attraction between these two was super electric. Anton was such an arrogant gentleman at the same time. Loved him

This is a must read! I tell you. Loved how Anthony was willing to stand by Zoe against her grandfather even though he's only known her a week!!

A Beautiful read.. Not the best of Michelle Reid.. But definitely one of the best! Loved it! :-)

[Daisy Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really liked this one it was good fun despite the sad start. Our H is basically a nice guy trying to do the right thing although people think the worst of him and our h is sassy, beautiful, kind hearted and super smart - I love her!
She's just lost her parents in a car accident and is taking care of her newborn baby bro her dad was cut off from his uber rich family for running off to marry he loved rather than an older widow his dad wanted him to tie knot with for business purposes. Anyway these 2 pretty much fall in lust/love at first sight once she's had a wash and dried her eyes. He feel all kind of guilt over her from the get go and even his bodyguard piles the guilt on its awesome. Of course there is a twist in the tale but these 2 genuinely care about each other - I wanted more I'd have loved to see them with more kids and all loved up in the future

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

The h comes more across as a spineless, hysterical woman in the first few chapters. The H on the other hand comes across as a heartless, bully and a liar as he keeps thinking of himself as a 'shark scenting a blood' and there is the imagery of taking care of h's baby brother who is a few weeks old as a punishment for having hurt h. The H is an orphan who doesn't like h's grandfather himself but was brought up by him who protects his wealth and doesn't think of him greatly but is very willing to go and snatch off h's baby brother to bring it to the old man whom he personally hates in Chapter 1 but talks in terms of not being cruel in a subsequent chapter. Not cruel is not kind either. Seriously messed up characters, motivations and sheer idiocy of the characters is disappointing that I gave up on this book by Chapter 4.

[sbf20112011 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 stars, because Michelle Reid usually promises a baseline decent story. I just didn't find this one all that exciting. It did get a little better in the middle, but still, nothing amazing.

[Shirl Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This book was so super great, I liked the fact That The characters didn't play games with each, very much that is...also they are very passionate &quite honest about there sexual feelings for each other...I lovvvvvved it!!!!!

[Bridie Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab read! Had me hooked from the 1st page. Didn't put it down once. The characters of Anton and Zoe just sizzle. More please!

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed Anton and Zoe...I know they both had their faults, but they both seemed to at least acknowledge them here and there.

[Leona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, but not one of her better books.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Zoe Ellis' parents are killed in a tragic accident Anton Pallis is sent by her estranged grandfather she didn't know about to act as an intermediary.

[Jasbell76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Updated
March/28/2015

I have too re-read/skimming this one too!

[Classy Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh god I really love this novel
Just finished it and I want to read it again

[Ayu Wirdha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awal-awal sih sepertinya Zoe bakal "kill the messenger" ke Anton. Tetapi sekali melihat dan mendapat tatapan ala Yunani yang katanya so gorgeous langsung meleleh. Dan si kakek yang menjadi sumber masalah, sampai 2/3 novel tidak pernah muncul hanya namanya saja sering disebut. Padahal jika hal itu dimasukkan ke cerita dan bagaimana Zoe menghadapi si kakek yang memutuskan hubungan keluarga dengan anak lelaki satu-satunya, apalagi si kakek menderita penyakit kronis, apakah mereka bisa berdamai dengan ego masing-masing. Mungkin lebih seru jika Anton menjadi penengah di antara keduanya dan terbelah kepentingan antara bisnis jutaan dolar serta rasa tertarik ke Zoe. Faktanya, Anton ini anak dari wanita yang akan dijodohkan dengan ayah Zoe. Ketika ayah Zoe kabur dari upacara pernikahannya, kakek Anton meninggal karena syok, kakek Zoe mendapat serangan jantung, nenek Zoe tewas di helikopter ketika akan menemui dan membujuk ayah Zoe ditambah beberapa bulan kemudian ibu Anton meninggal karena depresi. Hal inilah yang membuat hubungan anak dan bapak tidak pernah membaik. Ayah Zoe didera rasa bersalah dan kakek Zoe berduka dengan kematian istrinya.

2🌟

[Debby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually like Michelle Reid’s books, but this one I did not.

The h is a virgin, but she doesn’t tell the H. They have sex (both willing and able) and when he is inside her, when they have intercourse, she tells him she hates him, and again she hates him, oh no she wants him. That is just stupid.

Imagine a man telling you he hates you when he has intercourse with you, lol.

That whole ‘I hate you’ sounds so childish when he is not forcing himself on her. She wanted it too.

[AlisonRStanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not up to standards

I usually love Michelle Reid books. The Kanellis Scandal felt like she wrote it using a fill in the blanks program for writing a book. No real heart and no heat. The characters are rote and placid. To quote another author, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."