The Tycoon's Secret Daughter

First Time Dads! #1

by Susan Meier

Max Montgomery had it charm, good looks and a career as CEO of the family business. Marriage to Kate Hunter was the icing on the cake. Until a devastating family secret sent his world—and then his marriage—crashing down around him.

Years later, Max is accidentally reunited with Kate, who also has a secret—the daughter he's never met! Bonding with adorable Trisha may come naturally, but with the shadows of the past still haunting him, recapturing the heart of the woman he's never stopped loving is quite a different matter….

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Contemporary, Adult, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Ebooks

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

Good morning! It's a beautiful sunny beginning to the day here in Western, Pennsylvania. I'm working on my 75th book. 75th! I'm very excited about that.

I've written some fun things ... those are the Silhouette Romance titles. I especially liked SNOWBOUND BABY which was book 3 of the Bryant Baby Bonanza series which also included BABY BEFORE BUSINESS and PRINCE BABY. But my favorites for Silhouette where the books of the Brewster Baby Boom series THE BABY BEQUEST, BRINGING UP BABIES and OH, BABIES! Where three bachelors inherit triplets. Those were fun to write. I go back every now and again and read them myself for a laugh!

My Harlequins are a little (sometimes a lot) more serious than my Silhouettes, but I always deliver a heart warming story that reminds readers that family and love go hand in hand.

You'll especially see that in FALLING FOR THE PREGNANT HEIRESS where Trent Sigmund decides to help his best friend Seth's baby sister Sabrina McCallan hunt down her on-again/off-again boyfriend, Pierre, to tell him he's about to be a father. Trent tries not to fall. So does Sabrina. Who knew real love had been in their backyard all along.

Sexy or sweet, funny or sad, my characters make some serious lemonade out of their lemons! :)

Because that's how I see life. I have three kids...one of whom has epilepsy. Raising him taught me (and my husband and our other two kids) that sometimes a situation that seems bad can have its blessings.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Max and Kate were married but she left him because he was an alcoholic. She was pregnant when she left.

Now, Kate is back in town because her dad had a stroke. She meets Max at the hospital, with her daughter beside her. He immediately realizes Trisha is his.
Max has been sober for years. When Kate left, he realized just how much he had hurt her. He never tried to find her because he thought it was too late. When he sees Kate and Trisha, he knows it is his last chance to get Kate back.

[Dinjolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, sappy, perfect for the mood I was in. Was it a literary masterpiece? No. It definitely was not.
Still, the light romance kept me reading and the characters were pretty likable on their own.
An added bonus was the fact that the setting was rather inventive. I was not 100% happy over the way alcoholism was inserted, but at least it was not glossed over or forgotten in the end.
All in all, the read intrigued me enough to keep a look out for the next book in these series.

And I am very glad NetGalley provided me with this ARC.

[Fiona Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This week I've read two books on topics that can press emotional hot buttons. The first is The Tycoon Millionaire's Secret Daughter. It deals with alcoholism, a subject I had considerable experience of as a child. What are the chances of picking up a romance novel, a reunion story of course, because I love reunions, and finding the hero not only has the same addiction as my father, but shares the same surname. That was bound to press a few buttons.

Max Montgomery reacted badly ten years ago when a family secret exploded in his face and he turned to alcohol to help him through. His marriage to Kate suffered as for three years he became more and more violent and out of control. While he never actually hit Kate, her fears multiplied when she realised she was carrying a child. Afraid of the power wielded by the Montgomery clan she fled.

Seven years later she is back in town for a family crisis and meets Max accidentally. The existence of his daughter is revealed immediately and both Kate and Max have to deal with it. Max has been sober since not long after Kate's leaving gave him a wake up call. Will the stress of finding himself a father, and the emotional issues involved in meeting his ex-wife, the anger at finding she hid his child from him, send him back into the spiral?

For Kate, it is all about trust and guilt. She doesn't feel she can trust the man who let her down so badly but she feels a sense of guilt about keeping her daughter away from the little girls father. She wants to be fair, but it becomes even harder when she realises her feelings for Max may just still be lurking.

I admit I found the first chapters worrying as Max struggled with his anger at his wife's betrayal. Then the lessons he learned over the years with AA started to kick in. Lessons about responsibility and about asking forgiveness.

The challenges this couple face are heartwrenching at times when you realise how much everyone has missed out on over the years because of Max's weakness. They have both changed and grown stronger because of the circumstances they've had to deal with. By the end I had a very positive feeling about the future of this little family. Susan Meier has done a wonderful job bringing these very real but wounded characters to life. ****

[Lia Christo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olá pessoas!
#minhasimpressões sobre o livro Enlace do Destino da autora Susan Meier, que terminei de ler hoje.

Gostei da maneira como a autora abordou o problema do alcoolismo dentro da trama, de forma séria e realista.

Gostei muito dos personagens e de ver a maneira como eles conseguiram crescer emocionalmente e amadurecer no decorrer da história.

Max e Kate, tiveram seus problemas, lutas e doses de sofrimento no tempo em que foram casados. Tiveram que aprender com seus erros e tiveram a oportunidade de ter uma segunda chance já que uma terceira pessoa, Trisha, passou a fazer parte de suas vidas.

Não foi fácil para Kate entender e se ajustar ao novo Max, mais maduro, mais determinado e com muito mais garra de vencer o passado.

Max enfrentou o inferno em vida, mas com muita determinação e força de vontade, conseguiu dar a volta por cima e ser realmente o homem que ele queria ser para Kate e Trisha.

Duas almas feridas, mas que juntas conseguem encontrar o equilíbrio e deixam que a nova chance que recebem, seja bem aproveitada.

Meu único adendo quanto a história foi a forma como a autora se tornou repetitiva em alguns trechos e até mesmo em alguns diálogos do casal. Mesmo assim é uma boa leitura e consegue cumprir o seu papel de nos distrair por algumas horas.

[Syahira · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Tycoon's Secret Daughter is a simple novel about Max, an ex-alcoholic man who found his ex-wife, Kate, in a hospital with Trisha, a daughter he had never known. Apparently Kate left Max after witnessing his drunken rage and was pregnant the whole time and Max didn't know about it for years. The majority of the plot is about Max wanting to know his daughter and subsequent asking for Kate's forgiveness and reconcile their relationship.

The plot (the girl have a baby and later the guy find out) have been overused in so many Harlequin books and in its entirety, it was disappointing for something that was just written and published recently. But eventually I finished the book yesterday in its predictable glory. Some reviewers have low threshold on the predictability range, me on the other hand need to read hundred books with the same plot to endure the unexciting nature of it. Its very sad since I really like the plot with the main male character having a drinking problem and struggling to undo his past but the way the author try to play it up weakened the entire storyline. Since its a average romance, we all know they'll be together, but the problem is, Kate gave up to him so easily and Max remained unconvincing in his emotive state. I do read books with characters with serious addiction problems but the author decided to focus the romance aspect of the book instead of Max's problem on psychological level. Besides, he was an ex-drunkard who is destructive, that can be enhanced into a better character progression instead of mellowing the matter. Harlequin authors need to be decisive and creative with their plots when they have a good start to begin with.

I never intended to review this book because I read through it and only notice several parts until I finish with it. But if you wanted the "secret child" storyline in Harlequin, this book is not for you even if you wanted some light readings.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in the mood for a sappy love story and when I saw this one on Netgalley I had a feeling it would fulfill my need. And it did, it was a really cute story that kept me interested throughout and ended up being really cute.

The main character Max is a recovering alcoholic. He made a mess of his life with his drinking and finally began to clean up his life after his wife Kate left him. When Max sees Kate again he is surprised by how quickly she tries to get away from him. He thinks it's because she dislikes him so much but really it's the fact that she was trying to avoid him seeing the little girl with her. The little girl (Trisha) that has eyes exactly like his. Kate realizes that it's time to fess up and let Max know that he has a daughter, and she knows she can't avoid it any longer when Max gets a good look at Trisha. Kate and Max meet and discuss visitation while Kate is back in town. What she doesn't intend to happen is for her feelings for Max to come rising back to the surface. Determined to ignore her desires, she keeps reminding herself of the man Max was and how miserable she was while married to him. Max on the other hand is determined to win back Kate's trust and show her the man that he's become.

This was definitely a sweet story that had me smiling throughout. There were times when I had to suspend reality to fully enjoy the story. Sometimes some of the reactions that Kate had in regards to Max and vice versa were a little hard to believe. While I did enjoy the book I probably wouldn't explore any sequels or prequels.

[Melinda Dozier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet romance that kept me reading all night long!

Second-chance romances always go straight to my heart. This one is sweet. I can totally understand how Kate feels. She doesn't want to get involved with her alcoholic ex-husband. Yet, she finds that in the seven years, he's a new man.

Max is an alpha hero who makes my heart pitter pat. He knows he messed up in his past and lost the one thing that made him happy - Kate. Little did he know he lost a daughter too. Once he finds out, he spends time with his little girl and his ex-wife and finds that his heart never gave up on the love he had for Kate and opens up even more with a love for his daughter.

Although, I usually prefer more steamy romances, this story had it's sensual moments with a closed-door policy common for Harlequin Romance. So, I knew what I was getting into.

What I love even more are series books and was pleasantly surprised that Max has a brother, Chase, with a book of his own. It's already sitting on my nightstand and I cannot wait to crack it open.

[Fernanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

apesar de tudo gostei!
uma historia tranquila, sem grandes pretensões e diálogos intensos.

a trama gira á volta de um grave problema que afecta transversalmente a sociedade, o alcoolismo, e de como ele pode destruir familias e relacionamentos.
mas fala tambem da coragem de assumir o problema e de o controlar, de uma forma eficaz de modo a garantir estabilidade nas relações familiares.

Max Montegomery apesar de ser oriundo de uma familia abastada, nao consegue superar determinados acontecimentos e acaba por achar que o alcool o ajuda a esquecer...

Kate ainda muito jovem nao consegue chama-lo á razao e por receio acaba por fugir da vida que Max lhe estava a dar.
Ao fim de 8 anos, o reencontro ocasional vai despelotar uma nova aproximação e o reacender da chama do amor que afinal nunca se apagou!

:)
uma leitura doce com um final feliz!

[Kelly_Instalove · Rating 2 out of 5]

His attraction to her sprang up like a lion that had been lying in wait in the African bush, confusing him.

The happy couple....

Kate is a construction project manager who left her alcoholic and increasingly violent husband without telling him she was pregnant. Max is a newly-sober real estate mogul who is stunned – STUNNED, I TELL YOU – to find out he’s the father of a predictably adorable six-year-old daughter.

The setting....

The predictable small-town-with-all-the-amenities-of-a-metropolis.

The storytelling....

Bland and predictable.

The romance....

Boring and predictable.

The recommendation....

Another cookie-cutter rich-guy-with-secret-baby. Don’t bother.

[Erica Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

See my review at Smart Bitches Trashy Books here : smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/rita...

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book handled a really tough plot like alcoholism but not so much about the fact it is a disability, an addiction and more importantly a mental illness. (4-1 star) The H is a recovering alcoholic and the h left to protect herself and her baby from his lies, manipulation. They fall in love all over again and the new found confidence in themselves and each other is very well written.

[Yessenia Andaverde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so weird. The protagonists were mature, man. They communicated. They expressed their feelings. They confronted their problems in a constructive way. They avoided drama. Hear this: they were logical.

I've never read a romance before like this. The change was unexpected but positive. Great book, really.

[Mattie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like it, not a fan of the 8 year separation and that hero had other relationships in that separation (nothing serious but he wanted to fall in love with someone else but couldn't). P.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fairly mediocre book. Although there was nothing horribly offensive about it, there wasn't really anything great about it either. I give it about 2.5 stars. The main problem with this book is that nothing happens. And while that nothing is happening, the characters have very, very repetitive inner monologue talks with themselves. The book could easily have been half as long without losing anything important.

The premise is that Kate and Max were once married and very much in love. But then Max became an alcoholic and their lives took a turn. Kate spent years trying to cover Max's inebriated state and worrying that he'd gotten in an accident whenever he didn't come home. Then she realized she was pregnant. On the night she would have told Max about the baby, he was so drunk and violent that he smashed some windows and it made Kate realize that his dangerous behavior was escalating. Instead of telling him about the baby, she packed her bags and left. She divorced him via lawyers so he wouldn't see her growing belly, and kept their daughter, Tricia, a secret for the next 8 years.

That was a decent-enough backstory for the book, but unfortunately nothing half so interesting actually happens in the present day. When Kate's father has a mild stroke, she comes back to town with Tricia to help and inevitably runs into Max. He takes one look at Tricia and realizes he's a father. And that's basically the whole book, barring about 250 more pages of filler. Max is sober and uses the 12 steps to stay on an even keel. So even though he's got a right to be upset that Kate kept his daughter from him, he's super-understanding about the whole thing. Kate had a legitimate reason for running away from him and taking the baby with her, and she's mistrustful of Max when they first reconnect, but she's fair about letting him see Tricia now that he knows about her.

The rest of the book is spent on Max visiting with and getting to know his daughter while he and Kate have extremely repetitive inner monologue thoughts. Kate goes on and on in her mind about how even though she's very attracted to him, they can't go back. They just can't! She remembers how he broke that vase. She remembers the smashed windows! They just can't go back there!!! Max meanwhile thinks over and over about how great things were when he was married to Kate but how he knows they can't go back, (they just can't!) and he has to accept that. Over and over and over they go through these thoughts but it just didn't hold any weight. All of this was told rather than shown. Kate didn't seem the least bit traumatized by the marriage. She talks/thinks a lot about how rough it was but she doesn't ACT like someone who'd been through a rough time. She's not flinching away from Max out of fear or doing anything that a true survivor of this situation would do. I just didn't buy it. And since those allegedly traumatizing memories were the only reason she wouldn't get back together with Max, it just didn't work.

I also have to wonder just where the heck the editor was on this book. The wording was so, so, SO repetitive! I lost track of how many times the author discussed Max or Kate's heart. "His heart stopped." "Her heart exploded." "His heart swelled." "Her heart squeezed." Over and over and over. There are other ways to convey a character's emotions without using the word heart! Seriously, if you made a drinking game out of taking a shot every time their hearts did something, you'd have alcohol poisoning before the 1/3 mark.

On the whole it was just a boring book. There was no real conflict. Both Kate and Max were reasonable, good people and they got along fine right from the start. The climax at the end was barely a blip since nothing actually happened. They just kept right on being reasonable and good. The end. Truth be told, I was a lot more interested in the tidbits we got on Max's brother, Chase, than I was in Kate and Max's story.

[Anncleire · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Tycoon’s secret daughter” è finito nelle cose da leggere perché come al solito non riesco a dire di no ad una romance non quando mi si presenta con una copertina che non lascia nulla all’immaginazione, non quando ho voglia di una romantica storia d’amore che mi riempia il cuore di passione. Ecco perché pur ignorando bellamente la trama della storia mi sono ritrovata a leggerla con animo leggero.

Max Montgomery vive da sempre a Pine Ward ed è un super milionario che manda avanti l’azienda di famiglia. A causa del suo passato da alcolista sua moglie, Kate Hunters, lo ha lasciato scomparendo dalla città e dalla sua famiglia. Immaginatevi la sua sorpresa quando la incontra per caso di nuovo in città con una bambina di circa sette anni Trisha. Max intuisce subito che quella è sua figlia e vuole conoscerla. Kate e Max inizieranno a frequentarsi nuovamente rendendosi conto che entrambi sono cambiati totalmente. Riusciranno ad accettarlo ed a essere felici?Tennessee

La storia è narrata da entrambi i punti di vista, esattamente come piace a me e questo immediatamente aggiunge fascino ad una situazione che virtualmente non ne avrebbe. Siamo seri, di storia del genere ce ne sono due milioni, perché scegliere di leggere questa? Beh forse perché io ho il cuore tenero quando ci sono bambini di mezzo e Trisha è una bambolina bionda, iper tenera che si affeziona subito al suo papà. Quando le fa il primo regalo sembra totalmente indifferente ma la prima volta che lo chiama “Dad” ci si commuove immensamente, perché sappiamo quanto sia difficile per lui scoprire di aver una figlia di cui non aveva mai saputo nulla e aver perso tantissimo della sua vita. Max è il classico redento, ha iniziato a bere per un motivo che per me è ridicolo, serio ma assolutamente incomprensibile sulle prime e che in qualche modo si rende conto di aver toccato il fondo e fa di tutto per uscire dal buco nero in cui è caduto. Max è un uomo d’onore, tenero, generoso e assolutamente delizioso, in un modo che dovrebbe essere vietato. Quando gira in costume intorno alla piscina crea un ingorgo mai visto.
Ma non è così facile per Kate tornare a fidarsi di lui, non dopo aver visto dove può arrivare con il suo alcolismo, non dopo aver subito le conseguenze sulla sua pelle. Ma è cambiato, non è più il ragazzino impulsivo che la blocca con la seduzione, è un uomo intenzionato a prendersi le sue responsabilità e le dimostra che con lui ci si può parlare, che tiene in considerazione la sua opinione ed è pronto a farsi indietro.
Entrambi sono bloccati dal loro passato e non riescono a vedere il loro futuro, ma sarà proprio Trisha ad avere un ruolo fondamentale per i due.

Il particolare da non dimenticare? Un vaso di cristallo.

Uscito a giugno 2012, la scrittrice ha già in serbo un sequel basato sulla storia di Chance, il fratello di Max, in uscita proprio ad agosto 2012 “Nanny for the milionaire’s twins”.
Vi consiglio la lettura di questo libro tenero, romantico e irresistibile, come possono esserlo solo le storie d’amore strappalacrime che inducono alla lettura e al perdersi nelle pagine di una storia emozionante. Io non riesco mai a dire di no ad una romance e voi?
Buona lettura guys!


Ringrazio Netgalley e Harlequin per avermi concesso l’opportunità di leggere questo libro in cambio della mia opinione.



Recensione anche sul mio blog:
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[Janna ♥ I'm A Sweet And Sassy Book Whore ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was reviewed for Net Galley and will also be posted at www.mysecretromancebookreviews.com

4 Stars

Max Montgomery is a recovering alcoholic who lost his wife 8 years ago because his drinking drove her to leave. He scared her so bad when he was in a drunken rage that she knew she needed to leave. Max doesn't know the real reason why she left. Kate is back in town because her father has had some health issues. While at the hospital she run into Max, she really just wants to avoid him because she doesn't think that he could ever stay sober or change who he was, but when their daughter Trisha comes looking for her mom she has no choice but to tell Max that he has a daughter. Kate is bitter and definitely doesn't trust Max at all, Max is upset that he was kept in the dark about his daughter at first but then realizes that his drinking is what drove Kate away and its his goal to make amends with her and be in his daughter's life.

This book is a good example of how people's previous opinions of who a person is can truely change when you open your eyes and your heart and take a good look at the present and not always dwell on the past. People can change for the good or people can change for the bad, but if you stay close minded that a person will never change then you can lose on on knowing or loving a great person. It is also a good example that an addict, whether it be alcohol, drugs, cigarettes or gambling, has to want to get clean for himself, no one else. Max may have gotten sober originally for Kate, thinking that she would come back, but it was him wanting to be a better person that kept him sober. Max earned my respect by not giving up in proving himself and having a real relationship with Trisha. Kate's bitterness, while understandable, did start to wear on me and at times made me almost want to say, open your eyes and give Max a real chance to not only show you that he is sober and will try everything in his power to stay sober, but he will be a great dad to his daughter if just given the chance. It's all about giving second chances, and having faith in the other person.

Two of my favorite quotes from this books are: "I still can't promise you forever. At least not in the conventional sense. But as Annette pointed out, some people will be hit by a bus or in a traffic accident this year. Some of them might have promised forever and they'll be reneging on the deal through no fault of their own." "I might have quit for you, but I stayed sober for myself"

[Joyfully Reviewed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight years ago, Max Montgomery broke his wife’s heart. After five years of marriage of which three were volatile because Max discovered a family secret and had to deal with, the marriage fell apart. Kate couldn’t take Max’s choice of coping anymore, and she left him. She had to get out and not just for herself, but for the little secret that she refused to share with Max. Now Kate has inadvertently returned to Max’s turf, and he soon discovers her secret as well as feelings that they share that never really died all those years apart. Can Max promise his ex-wife, Kate, forever as they embark on a second chance or will she never be able to trust him again? Has Max really changed or is it all an act to get what he wants, and can he truly forgive her?

The Tycoon’s Secret Daughter is an emotionally evocative story that draws you in and makes you believe in these characters. I found myself completely understanding both Max and Kate’s points of view and reasons for their choices throughout The Tycoon’s Secret Daughter. Max’s reaction to the secret that Kate kept from him for eight long years was realistic as well as logical while Kate’s case for keeping her secret were thoroughly appreciated in The Tycoon’s Secret Daughter as well.

Max and Kate’s emotions and their fluctuations with them as they learned to deal with one another, came across as authentic in The Tycoon’s Secret Daughter. There were still lingering emotions from the past that crept up for both protagonists as they learned to accept the choices that each had made back then. Kate and Max’s decisions had consequences that had long reaching repercussions that just wouldn’t go away, and they couldn’t just ignore them either in The Tycoon’s Secret Daughter. Both characters had to learn to deal with them to adjust to the new realities in order to move on with their lives either together or separately.

I joyfully recommend The Tycoon’s Secret Daughter as Kate truly portrayed the once bitten twice shy adage, and Max had to learn to own his mistakes for his actions from the past and how they affected their present/future.

Reviewed by Vanessa for Joyfully Reviewed

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tycoons Secret Daughter by Susan Meier
4 STARS I like how the characters are trying to deal with thier past troubles. They are trying to do whats best for thier daughter, not what they want. Thier are no warnings about the content of this book. I look forward to reading about Max's brother story that is coming soon but not as fast as I want. Max Montgomery had it all but then through his drinking he lost a lot of the good things in his life that he had. Max has been sober for seven years. He has tried to make up for all his past offenses when he was a drunk, except his ex-wife. Max was coming out of the elevator at the hospital and ran into his ex-wife he has not seen for 8 years. Kate Hunter was planning on telling her husband but the night she was going to he came home in a drunken rage. He broke a lot of things, even the front room window. Kate knew she had to protect her baby from Max and his family, so she ran that night. Max went up to Kate and was telling her that he was sorry he ruined thier marriage when another elevator opened up. Trisha came out and called her mom. One look and Max knew she was his daughter. Kate knew she could not afford to fight Max's family,money and all the judges that they helped get into office. Now seeing Max was sober and wanting to be a father Kate agreed he could see her but not alone for now. Kate was not ready to believe him that he was not a drunk any more and so angry. Max wanted to blame her for keeping his daughter a secret for so long but he knew it was him that made those troubles for his marriage. Kate planned to stay with her parents for 3 months and help while her dad was recovering from a stroke. Max had lots of money but knew he could not buy his daughter with expensive presents. I enjoyed reading this book. Seeing where Kate and Max dealing with the past and learning about who they were now. I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley. 06/05/2012 Pub Harlequin imprint Harlequin Romance

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I added this book I was in the mood of reading stories of first time daddies. After a while I started to read this book.

What shall I say?

As we know from the blurb, that Max had everything in his life, but his love due to his stupid mistake. The stupid mistake was that Max staring drinking after a family secret was revealed this part was confusing, as I believe that something small was made something very big. WHY???


Okay that paragraph sounds confusing even to me, let me break it down: Max was married to Kate whom he loved. Then one mysterious day Max finds out that his “adopted” brother is in reality his half-brother, because his father could not help but spread his sperm with his mistress, who had his brother; Chance. Now Chance founds out the secret so he runs away, now Max does not tell his mother who loved Chance, but was a shit*y mother in law. But because the secret was too big for him to handle he started to drink. When max drinks he becomes violent.

The thing that kind of annoyed me is that, I personally believed that Max was not mature enough to be married, but that’s my personal view.

Okay now that the bad points are over and done with, the good points are:
The way that Kate and Max meet, which was in a hospital of all places, and the way that Max meets his daughter was cool. The thing that I enjoyed with this book was that Max did not have to wait till the middle of the book to know that he has a daughter, he found out at the start.

Also I was very, very happy that max handled the situation in a very mature way, compared to how he would have screamed and shouted before he was sober.

[Autumn Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book a while back and figured it was high time it moved up on my review schedule. It was a fast, easy, yet emotional read and I found myself rooting for this family to have a second chance.

Max has been living sober for the last several years. His alcoholism ruined his marriage and he's never gotten over his love for his ex-wife. As fates would have it, he runs into his ex, Kate, and those old sparks are still there. For him at least. Then, he's hit with a huge shock. Not only did Kate leave him, but she was pregnant when she left. She's never told him about the pregnancy, because she didn't know he was sober. So, the couple tries to figure out the best way to ease Max into their lives.

Max and Trisha (his daughter) develop an easy relationship. Max truly loves being her father. The more time he spends with his daughter, the more he sees Kate as well. Their old feelings for each other never went away and they soon find they are trying to figure out what to do about it. Then, old skeletons come out complicating matters further.

With a cast of truly likable characters, I found myself rooting for them to have a second chance. I do believe that they had a deep love for each other. I loved seeing their love being rediscovered. After all, they both had made life changes, but it was sweet to see that they loved each other even more.

This book was a true romance story that was filled with hope, love, and second chances. If you are a romance fan and love a happy ending, this is a great easy read that will capture your heartstrings.

[Pauline Destinugrainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max terkejut saat bertemu dengan mantan istrinya, Kate. Terlebih lagi ketika dia mengetahui bahwa dia memiliki seorang putri berusia 7 tahun bernama Trisha. Hampir 8 tahun yang lalu Max tenggelam dalam kebiasaannya meminum alkohol. Setiap hari Kate mendapati Max dalam keadaan mabuk. Meski tidak menyakiti Kate secara fisik, keadaan Max membuat Kate berpikir untuk melindungi anak dalam kandungannya. Kate pergi meninggalkan Max dan bersembunyi dar Max selama 8 tahun.

Untunglah Max menyadari kesalahannya dan memutuskan untuk mengikuti program rehabilitasi. Saat ini Max sadar sepenuhnya akan setiap konskuensi dari perbuatannya di masa lalu. Ketika dia mengetahuinKate menyembunyikan keberadaan anaknya darinya, Max tahu itu bentuk perlindungan Kate bagi putri mereka. Max merasa beruntung Kate memberikan kesempatan baginya untuk dekat dengan anaknya kali ini.

Kesempatan kedua adalah topik yang umum di novel romance. Tapi yang saya lihat di sini bukan sekedar kesempatan kedua, tetapi memulai semuanya dari awal kembali. Baik Max dan Kate sudah berubah menjadi personal yang baru dan belajar dari kesalahan mereka. Ceritanya memang agak lambat di pertengahan, dimana Kate berungkali mencoba memahami bahwa Max sudah berubah. Ketika Kate mulai membuka diri, giliran Max yang memilih langkah mundur. Bikin gregetan sama kedua tokoh ini.

[Sara HarlequinJunkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Blog: HarlequinJunkie Romance Reviews

The Tycoon's Secret Daughter is a great story about second chances and starting over.

Max and Kate were in love and had it all until Max’s drinking problems drove Kate away in fear of her safety and safety of her unborn child. Eight years on Max is sober and regrets the break up of his marriage. Max doesn't know he is a father so when he runs into Kate now his ex wife and learns he is a father he is shocked and devastated.

I think Susan Meier did a fantastic job writing about a sensitive issue such as alcoholism and the effects it has on families.

I liked how the story flowed through the book; it was an emotional read to watch Max connect with his daughter. Max and Kate’s relationship wasn’t rushed, it was great to see them grow into it and fall in love again and realize that they are different people now who needed to live in the now rather than in the past if they were to have a HEA.

This is a solid read that stresses the fact that life does not come with any kind of guarantees…and that you have to take it one day at a time!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. I thought the whole marriage breakup was handled very well. Kate had fled their marriage after Max's drinking got out of hand and she feared for the safety of the baby she carried. When they met again years later, Max had been sober for seven years. He found out about his daughter and wanted to be part of her life. Kate had been badly hurt by Max's actions during their marriage and was afraid to trust him again, but couldn't deny him the chance to know his daughter. So she agreed that he could see Trisha, but only if she was there too. As the weeks passed, both Kate and Max started to get to know the people they are now, though Kate still had problems separating Old Max from New Max. I really liked the way Max's alcoholism was portrayed, and the battle both he and Kate had to let go of the past.

[Hsiau Wei · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story started with Max found Kate again after 8 years with Trisha, who turned out to be his daughter. Kate dissappear 8 years ago after a major tirade from drunken Max. Kate who have not tell him about her pregnancy then,decided to walk out of their marriage as she doesnt want to subject her unborn child to his alcoholism. Max, upon
finding out, wanted time to be with his child, and kate realising that it is important to both Trisha, and Max to discover each other, comply with the request. However, time spent between them reignite old memories and feelings for each other. But the past memories between them has make the second chance between them near impossible.

I like story about second chance in a book because not many especially in a relationship will have that in reality
where most cases may end up ugly. ;)

[Englishrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet and good story of romance, second chances and starting over. Focused on the emotions and the struggle to forgive and forget there wasn't a lot of action while still keeping a pretty good pace. Kate lives with fear and an almost false sense of bravado, constantly afraid of the past repeating itself. Max is a very repentant once-alcoholic and is almost too compliant at times, though he's always sweet. I often found myself more in charity with him than her, but as the story progressed the one-sidedness faded and I was just rooting for second chances all around. Their romance was fun and pulls you in. Light side characters left me anxious to read the next book in the series.

www.cleanromancereviews.com

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 4 out of 5]

*My reviews are personal reflections of what I read and take notes of. I do not get paid for my reviews however, this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher through Netgalley. *

Full review can be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

This completely grabbed me from the start! Max and Kate meeting in the lobby of the hospital, and just the few moments they spend there, where Kate realizes Max has stopped drinking, and Max realizes that he has a daughter – WOW!

[Vickie Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this is my second time reading The Tycoon's Secret Daughter, I couldn't put it down. Susan Meier once again has written a story so compelling, you forget you are reading and not living it. Kate and Max's problem has never been that they didn't love each other. The problem was alcohol, and the angry man it turned Max into proving that sometimes love is not enough. If you are looking for a feel good second chance romance you will not be disappointed in this one.

[Donna Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genuine love story about an alcoholic that has a happy ending? Hard to believe, but Susan Meier's "Tycoon's Secret Daughter" does just that.

More importantly, she doesn't white-wash the issue. Susan fearlessly shows us the wholesale destruction of Max and Kate's relationship and the intensely difficult task of learning to trust again as they face their own personal demons with honesty and integrity.

Susan's sensitive treatment of addiction in a relationship is well worth reading.

[Paula Bothwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

PG13 - descriptive kissing, adult subject matter (alcoholism, adultery)
Super fast read; under 200 pages.
I think I'm over the "surprise! we have a baby" genre.
There was an abundance of re-hashing going on at each chapter, as if I couldn't remember what I just read.
There are better books.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: First Time Dads!
Category: Classic Romance