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Liam's Secret Son
When Liam O'Reilly insisted on being a part ofLaura's world again, her first instinct was to turnhim down. It wasn't that she didn't find himattractive. But in the time they'd been apart, Laurahad married, had a baby and been widowed. Shewas older and wiser now.What really bothered her was that if Liam hadstayed all those years ago, he would have foundout something Laura now felt compelled to keepa secret from him—he had a son….
185 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
15 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Carole Mortimer
1,297 books908 followersI have written almost 250 romance novels in contemporary and Regency.
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 29, 2012
I did not care for the flip-flopping--projecting wanna be hero, Liam. It seemed that everything he accused her of could be pointed right back at him. He claimed she wasn’t mature 8 years previous – but of course he was so mature that he got splendid advice from his mother, and walked away from a girl ten years younger w/ no explanations or thoughts about consequences to their one night of “passion”. Laura gets to discover that Liam marries OW pretty quickly after deserting her – although he doesn’t call it desertion – um I would! Splendid Liam always planned on coming back and seemed to believe the Laura of 8 years ago would remain that way as though frozen in time – note he thought she wasn’t mature enough yet then. Yep and she would be waiting for him to come back to her too! How stupid is he? Liam claimed he only ever wanted her happiness and yet he is peeved that she was happy w/ her hubby!
He remembers 8 year old r/s as something beautiful and sweet – yet he had walked away w/ no words of warning or checking up on her either. Oh and he was so amazingly mature that he had the gall to ask what her hubby was like in bed!! I think she should have said perhaps he should give it a go!!
He seems a bit annoyed that she had married so soon after he had left – yet he had married sooner than she did! But of course he doesn’t acknowledge that at all. Liam is like an overgrown spoiled child that thinks he should have his way in any and all things and if he doesn’t get his way he manipulates things and plays games until he does. He is blatantly selfish and shows a lack of maturity as well. I’m thinking his family spoiled him terribly! I’m wondering exactly what it is he told his mother as well, given he likes to play so many games. I think Liam was thoroughly jealous of her “uncle” Rob and perhaps rather than coloring himself that way he made her look immature to his mother. This way he can blame mommy dearest for the rotten advice that he went with eight years previously.
Liam tells Laura that she would have kept him grounded all those years ago – yes the immature Laura – and his marriage mistake wouldn’t have happened if he and Laura had been married. Dim wit, how could it cause you would’ve already been married!!
He tells her why he left her all those years ago, but he never answers her question about letting her decide if she were mature enough to know her own heart and mind. It would have been better if Laura just walked away from Liam!
He remembers 8 year old r/s as something beautiful and sweet – yet he had walked away w/ no words of warning or checking up on her either. Oh and he was so amazingly mature that he had the gall to ask what her hubby was like in bed!! I think she should have said perhaps he should give it a go!!
He seems a bit annoyed that she had married so soon after he had left – yet he had married sooner than she did! But of course he doesn’t acknowledge that at all. Liam is like an overgrown spoiled child that thinks he should have his way in any and all things and if he doesn’t get his way he manipulates things and plays games until he does. He is blatantly selfish and shows a lack of maturity as well. I’m thinking his family spoiled him terribly! I’m wondering exactly what it is he told his mother as well, given he likes to play so many games. I think Liam was thoroughly jealous of her “uncle” Rob and perhaps rather than coloring himself that way he made her look immature to his mother. This way he can blame mommy dearest for the rotten advice that he went with eight years previously.
Liam tells Laura that she would have kept him grounded all those years ago – yes the immature Laura – and his marriage mistake wouldn’t have happened if he and Laura had been married. Dim wit, how could it cause you would’ve already been married!!
He tells her why he left her all those years ago, but he never answers her question about letting her decide if she were mature enough to know her own heart and mind. It would have been better if Laura just walked away from Liam!
June 2, 2014
Immature, selfish, "lets blame everyone else for my mistake" main male character. He wasn't written as a disgusting character and I think the author tried to make him likable but I couldn't buy it. I did not want to kill him so that is why the book gets 2 star instead of one, but the words or should I say the garbage coming out of his mouth were just that... garbage... too bad Laura bought it. What really bugged me about this story was when he was told he got the actress preggo, he didn't even stop and think.. oh shoot, maybe I should check on the virgin " supposedly the love of my life who should wait and grow up while I stick my private in every willing woman" I had a one night stand with and left her with no forwarding information...since I don't care to practice safe sex.
January 28, 2015
I'm left scratching my head...
This just didn't make any sense! The reason for Liam's abandonment was silly and since the whole story rested on believing the big Why, the whole thing just fell apart.
This just didn't make any sense! The reason for Liam's abandonment was silly and since the whole story rested on believing the big Why, the whole thing just fell apart.
May 26, 2019
yeah no real reason for him to have left her. His explanations were specious at best. Really they were downright stupid.
September 30, 2016
Boring
I was bored out my mind, I have read better FanFiction than this book. I got a chapter in. I wasted money on this.
I was bored out my mind, I have read better FanFiction than this book. I got a chapter in. I wasted money on this.
June 27, 2018
The hero is totally immature, blatantly selfish and utterly manipulative. Its good that the heroine gave him a hard time though ultimately she capitulated. It would have been nice if she had walked away from him without a backward glance like he did years ago.
November 5, 2015
Totally cannot make it. Waste my time reading this book.
June 6, 2024
I abandoned this novel . I want to give it negative stars . How could these writers think this is a romantic novel when the main male character has sex with other women in his full sense after meeting heroine . The male character is saying he was in love but she was young so he left her to have sexual relationship with other women as he couldn't wait till she grows up wow what a great love . I could have liked the novel if he had remained celibate and come back or if he had sex under the influence of alcohol but here there was no excuse. If the author thinks this is romantic let her exp
December 18, 2021
The pacing was slow but I liked the book. I suppose many scorned women fantasize about meeting their ex after years to show them how successful they became and him showing his regrets. It was a stretch for me with a platonic marriage to her late husband. It would serve the H right if the heroine found solace in the arms of another if only for a time.
May 6, 2017
Leído el 15/11/2011
February 26, 2019
My one complaint is how selfish Laura was. She dragged out telling Liam about Bobby. I know she was hurt when he went to America but she should've listened to Robert.
December 24, 2019
Very beautiful. Loved it so much.
April 6, 2020
Not a bad read.
December 13, 2021
Very boring.
Liam's reason for leaving her is ridiculous and his sudden appearance in her life is just....
The ending is another deal breaker..
Liam's reason for leaving her is ridiculous and his sudden appearance in her life is just....
The ending is another deal breaker..
September 12, 2025
Zero drama or chemistry. Tepid plot
March 9, 2017
2.5 stars.
September 7, 2016
Liam and laura met 8 years ago and dated for 6 months and had sex once. Liam then told her it was a mistake and moved to usa were a few weeks later he marries someone else. Laure got pregnant in the uk and married someone else to give her baby a family and name. 8 years go by and they meet again, liam is trying everything to get laura back and laura hates him so she pushes him away. Loved that she wasnt a doormat and he didnt give up.
Later liam finds out that laura had his baby. He understood why she didnt tell him. And she didnt want him to know because her som already had a great dad in her late husband and she didnt want to share him. Liam then finds out who her husband was and is jealous and mad and he walks away. She goes to him, loved that she was the bigger person and didnt waste time like he did, so they talk.
Liam left her 8 years ago because he felt that she mas too immature. She needed time to grow up. And i felt that he was right. Be was 30 and she 21 and he could do no wrong in her eyes. He did not feel at home on that pedestal. And also he felt jealous of the relationship she had with her guardian, the older man that could do no wrong. He had every intention of coming back but he drank too much and had sex with other people. One of them told him they were pregnant( a lie) and he got married. After that he could not come back, that would have been shameless of him. So when he found her 8 years later he tried really hard to get her back.
I understood and agreed with his choices. She was 21 and saw him as her hero and did everything just like he wantedm addapted to be the typecof women he kept around. Sure she loved him then but 5 or 10 years down the road that love would turn to resentment because she doesnt recognize herself anymore in his perfect woman. Now shes more mature and knows and stands up for what she wants.
Loved the book and the characters
Later liam finds out that laura had his baby. He understood why she didnt tell him. And she didnt want him to know because her som already had a great dad in her late husband and she didnt want to share him. Liam then finds out who her husband was and is jealous and mad and he walks away. She goes to him, loved that she was the bigger person and didnt waste time like he did, so they talk.
Liam left her 8 years ago because he felt that she mas too immature. She needed time to grow up. And i felt that he was right. Be was 30 and she 21 and he could do no wrong in her eyes. He did not feel at home on that pedestal. And also he felt jealous of the relationship she had with her guardian, the older man that could do no wrong. He had every intention of coming back but he drank too much and had sex with other people. One of them told him they were pregnant( a lie) and he got married. After that he could not come back, that would have been shameless of him. So when he found her 8 years later he tried really hard to get her back.
I understood and agreed with his choices. She was 21 and saw him as her hero and did everything just like he wantedm addapted to be the typecof women he kept around. Sure she loved him then but 5 or 10 years down the road that love would turn to resentment because she doesnt recognize herself anymore in his perfect woman. Now shes more mature and knows and stands up for what she wants.
Loved the book and the characters
August 26, 2023
Don't bother reading this book. Liam is awful from beginning to end. I only read this book because I wanted to see how the Author would spin/explain the 8 year gap between the first time they met and the present. There needed to be a big misunderstanding because If Liam had really loved her, he wouldn't have waited that long to see her again. But there was no deception, or interfering OW or MIL, just Liam blaming the age-gap between them. Not good enough.
For me, a hero can be a jerk in the first couple of chapters but then i need to see his likeable side and the only things going for Liam was that he was good looking and had a lot of money and wrote bestselling novels. He needed a robot for a partner.
Instead of dumping the "immature" heroine without saying goodbye, if he had loved her, they could have had a long distance relationship which would have given her space to finish her studies and start her career. This was written in 2001. By that time, most normal people were living with each other. Marriage wasn't a big deal.
For me, a hero can be a jerk in the first couple of chapters but then i need to see his likeable side and the only things going for Liam was that he was good looking and had a lot of money and wrote bestselling novels. He needed a robot for a partner.
Instead of dumping the "immature" heroine without saying goodbye, if he had loved her, they could have had a long distance relationship which would have given her space to finish her studies and start her career. This was written in 2001. By that time, most normal people were living with each other. Marriage wasn't a big deal.
April 21, 2023
Since being abandoned and finding out she was pregnant, Laura has been married, widowed and become a successful businesswoman. The last thing she needs is for Liam, her son’s father, to reappear in her life and act as if the last eight years had never happened. Laura however has grown in self-confidence over the years and is determined not to be a pushover and return to the girl who made Liam the centre of her life, trying to be whatever he wanted her to be and almost losing herself in the process.
Found Liam arrogant and manipulative and I was totally on Laura’s side. It wasn’t until the end of the book that Liam became more appealing.
Found Liam arrogant and manipulative and I was totally on Laura’s side. It wasn’t until the end of the book that Liam became more appealing.
August 13, 2016
This wasn't a relaxing read. At all. Thorough the book I was trying to make sense of it but I couldn't. The behavior of hero was just too contradictory and on top of all that, the heroine was wishy-washy.
And why, why, why did the press have to be in front of Laura's house? I seriously hate those plot twists in which an unknown and unsubstantial person (to the world, I mean) is the centre of the press attention...
And why, why, why did the press have to be in front of Laura's house? I seriously hate those plot twists in which an unknown and unsubstantial person (to the world, I mean) is the centre of the press attention...
April 16, 2021
When Liam O'Reilly insisted on being a part of Laura's world again, her first instinct was to turn him down. It wasn't that she didn't find him attractive. But in the time they'd been apart, Laura had married, had a baby and been widowed. She was older and wiser now. What really bothered her was that if Liam had stayed all those years ago, he would have found out something Laura now felt compelled to keep a secret from him--he had a son....
November 10, 2015
Awful. 
I totally agree with Vanessa's review.
I totally agree with Vanessa's review.
April 17, 2016
Meh...Not as wonderful as I hoped it would be.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews