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The Winter Bride
From mistress...
Angie Brown loved Leo Demetrios but his desire for her was brief and meaningless. After all, he was heir to a Greek shipping fortune and she was just the butler's daughter.
And mother...
For over two years Angie has kept secret the legacy of her stolen weekend of passion with Leo. But then she and her small son are forced to spend Christmas with him. How can Angie not tell Leo that Jake is his child?
To wife?
Maybe Leo won't guess he's really Jake's daddy... If he does, one things for certain - he'll insist that Angie become his winter bride!
Angie Brown loved Leo Demetrios but his desire for her was brief and meaningless. After all, he was heir to a Greek shipping fortune and she was just the butler's daughter.
And mother...
For over two years Angie has kept secret the legacy of her stolen weekend of passion with Leo. But then she and her small son are forced to spend Christmas with him. How can Angie not tell Leo that Jake is his child?
To wife?
Maybe Leo won't guess he's really Jake's daddy... If he does, one things for certain - he'll insist that Angie become his winter bride!
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1997
39 people are currently reading
284 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 55 reviews
June 15, 2025
3 1/2 stars rounded up. A secret baby story with enough twists and complications to make this an above average read. The heroine was very young when she comforted the hero after his wife and baby died in a car accident. The hero was appalled at himself for taking advantage of the butler's daughter so he was cold the next morning. The hero's grandfather also thought she was stealing from him, so she fled before her stepmother was implicated in the thefts.
Now, two years later, the hero finds her working as aslave au pair in London. He thinks the child is his cousin's - even though he looks exactly like him. Once home, the heroine shows her true colors by lying and then lying some more and then trying to weasel out of her lies.
The truth sets everyone free - eventually. I really enjoyed the opening of this and the Remains of the Day old skool butler that was the heroine's father. That the hero thought the virgin h would just jump into his cousin's bed a week after being with him was ridiculous, but this is an HP hero we're talking about.
Now, two years later, the hero finds her working as a
The truth sets everyone free - eventually. I really enjoyed the opening of this and the Remains of the Day old skool butler that was the heroine's father. That the hero thought the virgin h would just jump into his cousin's bed a week after being with him was ridiculous, but this is an HP hero we're talking about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2018
Aahhhh! What a waste of kindle space.
December 24, 2017
Thanks to uploady and its opportunity to read The Winter Bride for free, I have a few less brain cells now which is counter-balanced nicely by the number of two by fours or cat iron skillets required to straighten out this bunch of idiots.
And I'm still giving it three stars as of now.
Emotional update 1:
I just had to add the "silk shirt" tag. Who the he!! chops down a tree in a silk shirt? Let's face it, what real men wear silk shirts? Cruel, ass-hat alpha heroes that's who. H's that should be shoveled into a shallow grave as I had to add the "made me cry" tag as well.
The plot:
I am not going to rehash. It's a melting pot of Harley tropes. I'm dropping my three to two stars because of the hero. He's not much of one.
The hero is pretty tops in hatefulness. Usually when we get a Harley-land hero that serves up such vitriol to our little doormat, they have a revenge agenda or major misunderstanding of some kind which manifests in cruel slanging matches thrown at the h. Even once the H finds out that the secret baby is his and not his stupid cousin, and that the h is not a thief but like the martyr she is took the wrap for someone, he still dishes out the insulst. One of my fave rantsnot really is when the H finds out about the secret baby who is now more like a secret toddler and still accuses the h of getting pregnant for gold-digging purposes, also known as the long con. Yes, downtrodden h's across the Harlequin universe get pregnant and struggle in poverty or close to it for years because they are greedy sluts.
The MC's register somewhere in the autistic spectrum as they do not have the ability to approach rational behavior like the rest of us.
Re-read
I still hate him for all the slut-shaming and unbiased accusations, and her for lapping it up with a spoon. Thank you sir, may I have another. What do you expect from a heroine who not only and whose father who marginalized her into servant class.
And I'm still giving it three stars as of now.
Emotional update 1:
I just had to add the "silk shirt" tag. Who the he!! chops down a tree in a silk shirt? Let's face it, what real men wear silk shirts? Cruel, ass-hat alpha heroes that's who. H's that should be shoveled into a shallow grave as I had to add the "made me cry" tag as well.
The plot:
I am not going to rehash. It's a melting pot of Harley tropes. I'm dropping my three to two stars because of the hero. He's not much of one.
The hero is pretty tops in hatefulness. Usually when we get a Harley-land hero that serves up such vitriol to our little doormat, they have a revenge agenda or major misunderstanding of some kind which manifests in cruel slanging matches thrown at the h. Even once the H finds out that the secret baby is his and not his stupid cousin, and that the h is not a thief but like the martyr she is took the wrap for someone, he still dishes out the insulst. One of my fave rants
The MC's register somewhere in the autistic spectrum as they do not have the ability to approach rational behavior like the rest of us.
Re-read
I still hate him for all the slut-shaming and unbiased accusations, and her for lapping it up with a spoon. Thank you sir, may I have another. What do you expect from a heroine who not only and whose father who marginalized her into servant class.
July 31, 2021
Another re-read but this time on purpose. This book is one of my best friends for some reason and I just felt I needed it. Good call. Made me all warm and fuzzy on a rainy day.
2017
I read this book a long time ago but I really enjoyed reading it again. The H was an idiot but I did like that he never stopped looking for her no matter what the reason. I also liked how he manipulated the situation and got her home to the Court. That was funny when he admitted it at the end. I didn't like how he treated her though at the beginning and treating her like a piece of meat only good enough for sex. That was distressing to me.
The cousin Drew was a POS and I hated his lies. There was no OW but it doesn't say if he had relationships while apart. I think he loved her and in my sweet little fantasy world, he was true to her. He really did love her and she loved him.
The h was very sweet but if she would have just told him the truth this never would have happened. I know she was 19 but you can tell the truth at any age. Immaturity my tush. Just be honest.
I will put this on my favorite shelfs for sure and it will be good to read when I need a friend. When Lynn Graham does it right, she does it right. And this is just right.
2017
I read this book a long time ago but I really enjoyed reading it again. The H was an idiot but I did like that he never stopped looking for her no matter what the reason. I also liked how he manipulated the situation and got her home to the Court. That was funny when he admitted it at the end. I didn't like how he treated her though at the beginning and treating her like a piece of meat only good enough for sex. That was distressing to me.
The cousin Drew was a POS and I hated his lies. There was no OW but it doesn't say if he had relationships while apart. I think he loved her and in my sweet little fantasy world, he was true to her. He really did love her and she loved him.
The h was very sweet but if she would have just told him the truth this never would have happened. I know she was 19 but you can tell the truth at any age. Immaturity my tush. Just be honest.
I will put this on my favorite shelfs for sure and it will be good to read when I need a friend. When Lynn Graham does it right, she does it right. And this is just right.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2019
Re The Winter Bride - Lynne Graham does what will become a go-to trope for her HP line-up, the h who has the H's seekrit baby.
LG is also perfecting her snarky, sarcastic H in this one too. Her ideal HP Alpha H prototype isn't perfect yet, but he is growing by leaps and bounds into what any modern HP reader can instantly recognize as the LG HP Hero.
He is Greek or Italian, large, handsome and has a repertoire of witty one liners and come backs that Will Ferrell only wishes he could pull off with such élan. This type of H is very clueless about his feelings until the very end, when he is forced to confess all.
Instead he will hide his growing love behind some very funny and dry sarcastic utterances. Which can be a bit disconcerting for the newbie LG HP Voyager. However with time and additional LG reading, it is soon easy to discern the real man behind the pert playboy LG loves to gift us with.
This one starts with the H showing up at the h's live inslave nanny job. He is there to take the h back to his family manse to face her illegitimate son's formidable grandfather - who also employs the h's father as his butler.
The h was 19 and had been infatuated with the half Greek Tycoon H for yonks. When his first wife and daughter died in an accident and the H showed up at the estate where her father works, (the father married the housekeeper, the h's stepmother) to receive solace from his remaining family, the h made an all out bid to win the H's company.
For a whole weekend the h did. She kinda fibbed about her age and implied that she was older than what she actually was. She also lied about being on birth control. As this is HPlandia, while unicorn's were flying away and leaving their brushes behind, the H's motilators were honing in on the h's receptive target.
After a big weekend of bliss, the H realized he had just evoked some droit du seigneur in a pretty basic way. So in what will become a pattern of behavior with this h, the H uses snarky words and appearance of sarcastically snide indifference to drive the h away.
The H takes off himself and the h is left at the family manse with a disapproving butler father, a disapproving H grandfather and the evil OM cousin. The h is hurt at being dumped and at the rejection of her One True Love. In typical teen aged fashion, she takes up with the cousin and goes around with him to try and hide her broken heart behind the facade of being in a relationship with another man.
The relationship is totally platonic between the h and the cousin, tho the cousin is frustrated because he is in love with the h. When the h turns up preggers and then gets accused of theft by the H's grandfather the h gathers up her wounded heart and leaves to find work as an underpaid nanny.
The h never stole anything, she was covering for her step mother and trying to save her father's job. In the interim of the h's absence, it is assumed that the cousin got the h up the duff and the h never bothers to clarify the situation, the cousin milks it for all he worth to get one over on the H.
Two to three years later is when the story starts and the H has come to offer financial support to our downtrodden h. There is some very funny drama with the lady the h is employed by.
The woman doesn't like the h trying to escape and in a fit of spite, she takes the h's son's little wubby away, claiming that since it was her children's discarded toy, the little boy wasn't allowed to take it when the H collected them.
The H is soon using his awesome powers of Greek Tycooness to get the little boy's wubby back and threaten death and economic destruction to such bourgeois interlopers for their heinous threats. This is the first hint that the H might not be the nematode slime gulper his initial presentation suggests.
The h is a bit gobsmacked that the H doesn't seem to recognize his own son and when the H starts on the usual HP H standard 'the h is a horrible person' beratements, the h doesn't bother to correct the H when he names the cousin as the boy's father.
After we return to the manor house scene of the h's supposed crime, the H also has a go at her for theft, then we learn that the evil OM cousin is also going to show up. The H's grandfather is well aware of who the boy's father is and he connives to put the h's mettle to the test.
We get the mandatory shopping spree and the big cousin confrontation, the H has a freak out moment when he realizes that he is the one who abdicated his duty to the h and his son. The H's words get increasingly sarcastic as he accuses the h of becoming pregnant to get the lucrative lifestyle option he can provide.
The h decides to play the H at his own game and agrees that yes, she has been living in virtual slavery for three years because she mainly wants the H to pay her a ton of money and that is why she hasn't made any claims or any attempt to seek the H out.
The H decrees that they will marry and the h isn't too sure about that, the evil OM cousin was quick to inform the h about the H's highly attractive interior designer that the evil OM is sure the H was about to propose to.
We then get the big reveal that the h was not the thief that she was made out to be, since the H owns the family manse now - he bought it from the grandfather- the h's father belatedly wanted to put things right, seeing as how the H is marrying into the family and the stepmother has learnt her lesson.
We get a little H and son bonding time and whole lot of sneaking into the h's room for boudoir bouncing moments. The H finally deigns to explain that he lashed out at the h after their weekend as a by product of his own guilt and we learn that his first marriage wasn't a happy one, the H was targeted by a woman who really did not like him all that much, but she really loved the H's money.
As the wedding draws closer, the h becomes suspicious when she overhears the H seemingly making plans for a liaison with his interior designer former lover.
The H had demanded a prenup be signed before there is any wedding and the h now responds with the remark that she will be a most vindictive and spiteful ex wife if there is any type of cheating going on. Also, the h decides after this little showdown that she will not be signing any prenup.
The H tells the h that she will have to trust him, as he now has to trust her and the h starts to rethink her situation in the classic LG h sees life from the H's perspective subtrope. The h thinks that maybe she was a bit at fault too, mainly for lying a LOT to the H.
The H and h finally get to the altar, after the evil OM cousin admits that he lied about the h to the H three years earlier and the H confesses that his interior designer has never been his lover, she is in love with someone else.
After the wedding ceremony and the standard LG send off in horse-drawn carriage, the H and h have a lovely wedding night in their original assignation location - a folly on the estate that the H got the interior designer to do up for the night.
The h and H finally both confess their love for each other and the H does a pretty good job of explaining his earlier abandonment of the h and explains that he searched for a long time to find her.
The h is ready to shout her love from the rooftops too, so we leave the happy newlyweds celebrating Christmas with the rest of the family and the H's grandfather shows that he isn't the cad he seemed to be, by telling the h's father to pull up a chair and sit as their mutual grandson opens his Christmas gifts.
This one is a pretty average HP seekrit baby outing, but it does do some nice development of LG's type of H. He starts off terrible and then snarkily redeems himself by the end.
The h is a bit more generic and not as developed as the LG h will eventually be, but she still gets some nice zingers in and overall this isn't one to run away from if you run into it.
LG is also perfecting her snarky, sarcastic H in this one too. Her ideal HP Alpha H prototype isn't perfect yet, but he is growing by leaps and bounds into what any modern HP reader can instantly recognize as the LG HP Hero.
He is Greek or Italian, large, handsome and has a repertoire of witty one liners and come backs that Will Ferrell only wishes he could pull off with such élan. This type of H is very clueless about his feelings until the very end, when he is forced to confess all.
Instead he will hide his growing love behind some very funny and dry sarcastic utterances. Which can be a bit disconcerting for the newbie LG HP Voyager. However with time and additional LG reading, it is soon easy to discern the real man behind the pert playboy LG loves to gift us with.
This one starts with the H showing up at the h's live in
The h was 19 and had been infatuated with the half Greek Tycoon H for yonks. When his first wife and daughter died in an accident and the H showed up at the estate where her father works, (the father married the housekeeper, the h's stepmother) to receive solace from his remaining family, the h made an all out bid to win the H's company.
For a whole weekend the h did. She kinda fibbed about her age and implied that she was older than what she actually was. She also lied about being on birth control. As this is HPlandia, while unicorn's were flying away and leaving their brushes behind, the H's motilators were honing in on the h's receptive target.
After a big weekend of bliss, the H realized he had just evoked some droit du seigneur in a pretty basic way. So in what will become a pattern of behavior with this h, the H uses snarky words and appearance of sarcastically snide indifference to drive the h away.
The H takes off himself and the h is left at the family manse with a disapproving butler father, a disapproving H grandfather and the evil OM cousin. The h is hurt at being dumped and at the rejection of her One True Love. In typical teen aged fashion, she takes up with the cousin and goes around with him to try and hide her broken heart behind the facade of being in a relationship with another man.
The relationship is totally platonic between the h and the cousin, tho the cousin is frustrated because he is in love with the h. When the h turns up preggers and then gets accused of theft by the H's grandfather the h gathers up her wounded heart and leaves to find work as an underpaid nanny.
The h never stole anything, she was covering for her step mother and trying to save her father's job. In the interim of the h's absence, it is assumed that the cousin got the h up the duff and the h never bothers to clarify the situation, the cousin milks it for all he worth to get one over on the H.
Two to three years later is when the story starts and the H has come to offer financial support to our downtrodden h. There is some very funny drama with the lady the h is employed by.
The woman doesn't like the h trying to escape and in a fit of spite, she takes the h's son's little wubby away, claiming that since it was her children's discarded toy, the little boy wasn't allowed to take it when the H collected them.
The H is soon using his awesome powers of Greek Tycooness to get the little boy's wubby back and threaten death and economic destruction to such bourgeois interlopers for their heinous threats. This is the first hint that the H might not be the nematode slime gulper his initial presentation suggests.
The h is a bit gobsmacked that the H doesn't seem to recognize his own son and when the H starts on the usual HP H standard 'the h is a horrible person' beratements, the h doesn't bother to correct the H when he names the cousin as the boy's father.
After we return to the manor house scene of the h's supposed crime, the H also has a go at her for theft, then we learn that the evil OM cousin is also going to show up. The H's grandfather is well aware of who the boy's father is and he connives to put the h's mettle to the test.
We get the mandatory shopping spree and the big cousin confrontation, the H has a freak out moment when he realizes that he is the one who abdicated his duty to the h and his son. The H's words get increasingly sarcastic as he accuses the h of becoming pregnant to get the lucrative lifestyle option he can provide.
The h decides to play the H at his own game and agrees that yes, she has been living in virtual slavery for three years because she mainly wants the H to pay her a ton of money and that is why she hasn't made any claims or any attempt to seek the H out.
The H decrees that they will marry and the h isn't too sure about that, the evil OM cousin was quick to inform the h about the H's highly attractive interior designer that the evil OM is sure the H was about to propose to.
We then get the big reveal that the h was not the thief that she was made out to be, since the H owns the family manse now - he bought it from the grandfather- the h's father belatedly wanted to put things right, seeing as how the H is marrying into the family and the stepmother has learnt her lesson.
We get a little H and son bonding time and whole lot of sneaking into the h's room for boudoir bouncing moments. The H finally deigns to explain that he lashed out at the h after their weekend as a by product of his own guilt and we learn that his first marriage wasn't a happy one, the H was targeted by a woman who really did not like him all that much, but she really loved the H's money.
As the wedding draws closer, the h becomes suspicious when she overhears the H seemingly making plans for a liaison with his interior designer former lover.
The H had demanded a prenup be signed before there is any wedding and the h now responds with the remark that she will be a most vindictive and spiteful ex wife if there is any type of cheating going on. Also, the h decides after this little showdown that she will not be signing any prenup.
The H tells the h that she will have to trust him, as he now has to trust her and the h starts to rethink her situation in the classic LG h sees life from the H's perspective subtrope. The h thinks that maybe she was a bit at fault too, mainly for lying a LOT to the H.
The H and h finally get to the altar, after the evil OM cousin admits that he lied about the h to the H three years earlier and the H confesses that his interior designer has never been his lover, she is in love with someone else.
After the wedding ceremony and the standard LG send off in horse-drawn carriage, the H and h have a lovely wedding night in their original assignation location - a folly on the estate that the H got the interior designer to do up for the night.
The h and H finally both confess their love for each other and the H does a pretty good job of explaining his earlier abandonment of the h and explains that he searched for a long time to find her.
The h is ready to shout her love from the rooftops too, so we leave the happy newlyweds celebrating Christmas with the rest of the family and the H's grandfather shows that he isn't the cad he seemed to be, by telling the h's father to pull up a chair and sit as their mutual grandson opens his Christmas gifts.
This one is a pretty average HP seekrit baby outing, but it does do some nice development of LG's type of H. He starts off terrible and then snarkily redeems himself by the end.
The h is a bit more generic and not as developed as the LG h will eventually be, but she still gets some nice zingers in and overall this isn't one to run away from if you run into it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2014
This is classic Lynne Graham. The heroine is sweet and downtrodden, desperately in love with the hero. The hero had some unexpected depth. He's a tycoon, but has angst from the loss of his wife. It seems like Leo used and dumped her, but he was actually in love with her as well, although he felt guilty that she was barely of age. When they meet again, Angie doesn't want to be bothered with this man who dumped her so callously. She doesn't think he would care that she had his child, especially when she was told he didn't care about her back in the day. Leo actually thinks she had his cousin's child instead, which is ridiculous, considering that she's blond and so is the cousin. But his jealousy clouds his mind. Their reunion is complicated by the fact that his grandfather and her father's employer wants to see her, and her troubled relationship with her estranged father.
This one has a lot of family drama and the angst level is good. As always, the heroine is likable, and the hero seems jerky at first, but turns out to be a good guy, so you root for their happy ending together.
No reason at all to give this less than four stars.
This one has a lot of family drama and the angst level is good. As always, the heroine is likable, and the hero seems jerky at first, but turns out to be a good guy, so you root for their happy ending together.
No reason at all to give this less than four stars.
December 29, 2013
Butler's daughter Angie and widower tycoon Leo had one night together but Leo's evil cousin makes Leo believe he and Angie slept together and the child she is waiting is his. Angie is accused of theft, flees the house, has her baby and 3 years later Leo is back to support her and Jake even though he has no idea he is his son.
Leo and Angie were a great couple and I have a soft spot for a secret child plot so I enjoyed this very much. Angie was immature but a sweetheart, Leo alpha but also vulnerable and their baby boy adorable!
Leo and Angie were a great couple and I have a soft spot for a secret child plot so I enjoyed this very much. Angie was immature but a sweetheart, Leo alpha but also vulnerable and their baby boy adorable!
November 11, 2019
"The Winter Bride" is the story of Angie and Leo.
WOW. 192 pages of the hero slut shaming, abusing, relentlessly seducing a tstl heroine who not only takes all the shit that the world bestows upon her, but also the lies and blame every single male character humiliates her with in the book. The cherry on the top is NOT ONCE does she defend herself or her child, because love is not just blind, but also stupid dumb. I mean, what was this great horny love you had for the pathetic, abusive asshole? YOU MORON!
I wish I could stab everyone barring the son in this book.
Unsafe
1/5
WOW. 192 pages of the hero slut shaming, abusing, relentlessly seducing a tstl heroine who not only takes all the shit that the world bestows upon her, but also the lies and blame every single male character humiliates her with in the book. The cherry on the top is NOT ONCE does she defend herself or her child, because love is not just blind, but also stupid dumb. I mean, what was this great horny love you had for the pathetic, abusive asshole? YOU MORON!
I wish I could stab everyone barring the son in this book.
Unsafe
1/5
October 7, 2015
Nice read. Not particularly memorable, but a good way to pass an afternoon.
February 22, 2024
For all the (usual) gaps in logic that this plot requires, this is avowedly LG at the top of her game. Enough chemistry, characterization and twists and turns to make for a very entertaining and passionate read. There's a sugariness to the ending (weddings and Christmas, two of my least favourite things) that is pretty requisite but getting there was tremendous fun. Angie had a lot of spark about her and Leo had some very delicious moments. The child, Jake, as ever in these, was extremely obliging wallpaper until required. I always cherish the hope that no impressionable teenage girl is reading these and thinking that undiscussed pregnancy on purpose is the key to a man's heart and that single motherhood is a gateway to a life of ease and romance. A bit of escape and if only however, doesn't do any harm. Mostly.
Cover male looks less half Greek billionaire, more car salesman from Essex. Stick with the mental image LGs skilful words create instead.
Cover male looks less half Greek billionaire, more car salesman from Essex. Stick with the mental image LGs skilful words create instead.
January 26, 2015
The Harlequin Secret Baby trope at it's worst (or best? Guess it depends on your tastes). Full of artificial drama and stupid misunderstandings and very little else.
The "heroine" is a doormat with apparently no pride, willing to lie down and get kicked repeatedly "for the good of her son". No, what's good for your son would be to sit up and not be treated like crap by absolutely everyone because it sets a truly horrible precedent for him to emulate. She stayed as an au pair/ housekeeper on basically no wages rather than say "screw you!" to her evil psycho boss and temporarily go on welfare. I should point out this is set in England, so she'd get housing benefit to cover her rent and money to clothe her little boy in something other than threadbare cast-offs whilst she looked for another job. Then when Leo (the "hero") reappears, gets her sacked and treats her like crap at every opportunity she again takes it "for the good of her son" and doesn't even consider leaving. This is someone who would clearly rather play the victim than take charge of her own life and so I had zero sympathy for her.
As for the "hero", he was an aggressive, antagonistic arse for the entire story and then at the end he turns around and basically says, to paraphrase, "all that stuff I was torturing you over? I totally knew about it all anyway! I just wanted you to tell me you still loved me. Merry Christmas!" W.T.F? So you made life hell for the woman you love and treated her like crap for weeks for absolutely no reason? Uh, right... I don't get what she sees in him, but given they're both morons I guess they suit each other perfectly.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, but I know this kind of trash must be the guilty pleasure for someone otherwise they'd stop publishing this horrible Greek zillionaire BS. I have no idea why I read it, I must hate myself.
The "heroine" is a doormat with apparently no pride, willing to lie down and get kicked repeatedly "for the good of her son". No, what's good for your son would be to sit up and not be treated like crap by absolutely everyone because it sets a truly horrible precedent for him to emulate. She stayed as an au pair/ housekeeper on basically no wages rather than say "screw you!" to her evil psycho boss and temporarily go on welfare. I should point out this is set in England, so she'd get housing benefit to cover her rent and money to clothe her little boy in something other than threadbare cast-offs whilst she looked for another job. Then when Leo (the "hero") reappears, gets her sacked and treats her like crap at every opportunity she again takes it "for the good of her son" and doesn't even consider leaving. This is someone who would clearly rather play the victim than take charge of her own life and so I had zero sympathy for her.
As for the "hero", he was an aggressive, antagonistic arse for the entire story and then at the end he turns around and basically says, to paraphrase, "all that stuff I was torturing you over? I totally knew about it all anyway! I just wanted you to tell me you still loved me. Merry Christmas!" W.T.F? So you made life hell for the woman you love and treated her like crap for weeks for absolutely no reason? Uh, right... I don't get what she sees in him, but given they're both morons I guess they suit each other perfectly.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, but I know this kind of trash must be the guilty pleasure for someone otherwise they'd stop publishing this horrible Greek zillionaire BS. I have no idea why I read it, I must hate myself.
October 1, 2016
Fun Lynne Graham. I enjoyed the different set up for the secret child. This is the first one I remember where she set out to get pregnant. She was 19 and starry eyed and stupid the way most young teenage girls are. She chased him relentlessly and lived to be humiliated and to regret it. She also thought that having a baby with him would keep them together. Super realistic I thought. She did grow up and learn to be ashamed of herself though. I liked how he tried to woo her as she specified. I also enjoyed that it turned out that he hadn't spent the years from when she was 13 to where they hooked up at 19 secretly lusting after her. Seemed realistic to me. All in all another satisfying LG.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2025
Not me ever rating an LG a 1 ⭐️ but this was a shockingly dumb waste of time. There is no romance in this book anywhere. The h is angry and screams out her anger but could never offer the truth as it was, to clear out this mother of a lie involving her child. There are days and days of confrontations with the H, his father, OM even the h’s own father who is employed by the H’s family, but not once does the h tell the truth about who she slept with and who was baby daddy.
I got exhausted waiting on the h to SPEAK THE TRUTH OR HOLD YOUR PEACE but she ran hot and cold, hot when accused of being a slut and cold, when it came the time to freaking CONFESS. Waste of precious time and their chemistry got no where cuz it wasn’t even there!
I got exhausted waiting on the h to SPEAK THE TRUTH OR HOLD YOUR PEACE but she ran hot and cold, hot when accused of being a slut and cold, when it came the time to freaking CONFESS. Waste of precious time and their chemistry got no where cuz it wasn’t even there!
February 27, 2025
3,5 stars due to no clue about H’s celibacy. 🤷🏻♀️
May 17, 2015
From 1 to 10: 7.0 (My personal rating scale) I can't remember the story in detail
July 30, 2025
When Leo wanted something, he wanted it yesterday. And, just below that sophisticated and cool cosmopolitan surface, Leo was as shockingly domineering and unashamedly primal in his appetites as a sixteenth-century pirate marauding the seven seas.
Lynne Graham’s The Winter Bride takes readers through her signature world of intense emotions, complicated family ties, and the kind of passionate entanglements that keeps the reader hooked till the very last page. This story blends all the classic Graham elements—misunderstandings, possessiveness, jealousy, and a love that refuses to be denied—wrapped in a Christmas setting that heightens both the drama and the intimacy.
Leo Demetrios is every inch the larger-than-life hero, a Greek billionaire with the commanding presence that Graham’s readers like myself expect. Beneath that ruthlessness lies a man who finds himself completely undone by Angie Brown, a heroine who has quietly lived in his world’s periphery as the butler’s daughter.
Angie is far younger than Leo, just nineteen when their paths first intertwine, and the years and circumstances between them only serve to heighten the storm brewing when they come together again. As a single mother, Angie has built a life for herself, but her lingering vulnerability and the secret she carries makes her relationship with Leo combustible from the very start.
The story brims with conflicts born out of pride, jealousy, and half-truths. Leo’s cousin Drew plays a pivotal role in fanning those flames, his own feelings for Angie creating rifts that push Leo into all the wrong conclusions. Watching Leo wrestle with his possessiveness and helpless jealousy, so convinced she loves another, makes for high-octane angst, the kind that only Graham seems to deliver so well. Dialogue dominates the novel, and it works in untangling the mess of misunderstandings that pile up between Leo and Angie.
A departure from the classic Garaham style, especially for a story published in the 90’s, what stood out to me is how talk-heavy the book was. While it gave space to develop the tangled family dynamics, it did feel at times like it robbed readers of the kind of exquisite passion that the tension between the main couple so richly promised. That said, when Graham does deliver, the connection between Leo and Angie is scorching and deeply emotional. Leo is magnificent in his intensity, and Angie, despite her youth and moments of insecurity, proves to be his equal in every sense, meeting his fire with her own strength.
For me, this story captured everything I love about Lynne Graham’s older romances: the larger-than-life hero, the vulnerable heroine who has an inner backbone of steel, the messy entanglements of pride and love, and the undeniable heat between them.
Recommended for: Fans of Lynne Graham’s vintage style who enjoy jealousy-fueled angst, powerful alpha heroes, and heroines who give as good as they get.
Final Verdict: An angst-filled romance brimming with family drama and fiery passion, The Winter Bride delivers the kind of emotional ride that reminds me why Lynne Graham remains a timeless favorite in the genre.
Rating = 4.5/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
June 21, 2015
So much misunderstanding thanks to a scheming cousin...but Angie and Leo had to protect their vulnerable hearts and the misunderstanding just piled up from there. I'm hlad Leo overcame the obstacles and all ends well.
November 18, 2013
Can't believe I found an LG I hadn't read.
August 22, 2015
Jealous possessive H with a naive h. HEA.
March 10, 2016
Al parecer la terquedad es un rasgo en la mayoría de libros que he leído y por supuesto la falta de comunicación que los lleva a una infinidad de malos ententidos.
July 3, 2023
Les costó un mundo ser sinceros el uno con el otro pero, me gustó
August 31, 2020
Abusive and thick headed male character
Stupid and shallow female character
Repetitive and getting nowhere storyline
What a waste of time..
Stupid and shallow female character
Repetitive and getting nowhere storyline
What a waste of time..
October 19, 2025
Ya voy recordando porque, cuando era más joven, Lynne Graham era una de mis autoras favoritas, comprando todos los libros de ella que me cruzara. ¡Y lo sigue siendo! Sus historia, y esta no es la excepción, tienen todo lo que me encanta: celos, una prota con muy baja autoestima, celos, un niño que su padre no sabía que era hijo suyo, celos, feminas reales que sospechamos pueden ser amantes, celos, un chico muy muy rico y una chica muy muy pobre, y muchos muchos celos... les dije? A todos estos condimentos que me encantan se suma que Angie a estado enamorada de Leo desde siempre, y lo ha visto tener novias, casarse, tener una hija y quedar viudo durante todo ese tiempo. La historia se completa en que ella es hija del mayordomo de la casa y luego de unos robos descubrieron que era ella, quien es tan tan buena que se incriminó para que no se descubra la ladrona real. Así que agreguemos otro condimento: ella es muy muy buena.
La cosa que todo eso hace el combo para que ella se vaya y desaparezca. Dos años después Leo la encuentra, tiene la certeza que el niño es hijo de su primo pero no puede resistirse y la relación comienza nuevamente.
Me encantó. Me tuvo atrapada hasta el final. Me gusta porque la autora parece como un buen libro de Agatha Christie: hasta la última hoja los personajes siguen sacando trapitos al sol y dudando del amor del otro.
No le doy 5 estrellas porque la historia tiene algunos agregados que me parecen era para cumplir tanta cantidad de palabras (¡las cosas que me imagino!)... pero sino era una historia excelente!
HEA para ambos.
Leído de carne y hueso
La cosa que todo eso hace el combo para que ella se vaya y desaparezca. Dos años después Leo la encuentra, tiene la certeza que el niño es hijo de su primo pero no puede resistirse y la relación comienza nuevamente.
Me encantó. Me tuvo atrapada hasta el final. Me gusta porque la autora parece como un buen libro de Agatha Christie: hasta la última hoja los personajes siguen sacando trapitos al sol y dudando del amor del otro.
No le doy 5 estrellas porque la historia tiene algunos agregados que me parecen era para cumplir tanta cantidad de palabras (¡las cosas que me imagino!)... pero sino era una historia excelente!
HEA para ambos.
Leído de carne y hueso
May 9, 2018
Angie is the winter bride, but Leo and Angie's story is more Christmas-sy. Little Jake is a delight to read! Moreover, I also want a Waff now, can someone please get me one?
This is only the M&B I remember reading where Angie, the heroine, sounds British. I mean the dialogues, I can just imagine the sexy accent they were spoken in as I read it. And her comebacks are the best!
This is only the M&B I remember reading where Angie, the heroine, sounds British. I mean the dialogues, I can just imagine the sexy accent they were spoken in as I read it. And her comebacks are the best!
February 26, 2017
Good read. I love second-chance-romance :)
December 5, 2017
Ages: heroine: 22, hero: 30, Age Gap: 8 years
December 29, 2017
I would've rated it higher but the heroine was a big turn off.
January 24, 2019
I didn’t like the main character, especially as she was so young. There were too many hidden plot points and spiky plot points. I didn’t think th
September 10, 2019
Dominant Greek male and the butlers daughter. Meh.
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