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Greek Billionaires' Brides #1
La maîtresse du play-boy
Depuis qu'elle est sa maîtresse, Rebecca vit dans la peur que Xandros ne la quitte. Comment ce play-boy richissime, aussi séduisant qu'insensible, pourrait-il lui offrir davantage que quelques semaines de passion physique ? Ne lui a-t-il pas dit, depuis toujours, qu'il refusait tout engagement ? Malgré tous ses efforts pour le retenir auprès d'elle, en lui faisant croire qu'elle n'éprouve rien pour lui, les craintes de Rebecca se confirment lorsque Xandros rompt brutalement avec elle. Mais, peu après, elle apprend qu'elle est enceinte... et qu'elle attend des jumeaux
150 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 7, 2008
113 people are currently reading
703 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Kendrick
1,220 books454 followersI was told off as a child for making up stories—little did I know that one day I’d earn my living by writing them!
To the horror of my parents, I left school at sixteen and held a bewildering variety of jobs: I was a London DJ (in the now-trendy Primrose Hill), a decorator and a singer. After that I became a cook, a photographer and, eventually, a nurse. I waitressed in the south of France, drove an ambulance in Australia, saw lots of beautiful sights but could never settle down. Everywhere I went I felt like a square peg—until one day I started writing again and then everything just fell into place. I felt like Cinderella must have when the glass slipper fit!
Today, I have the best job in the world, writing passionate romances for Harlequin. I like writing stories which are sexy and fast-paced, yet packed full of emotion—stories that readers will identify with, laugh and cry along with.
My interests are many and varied—chocolate and music, fresh flowers and bubble baths, films, cooking and trying to keep my home from looking burglarized! Simple pleasures—you can’t beat them!
I live in Winchester, one of the most stunning cities in the world, but don’t take my word for it—come see for yourself! I regularly visit London and Paris. Oh, and I love hearing from my readers all over the world…so I think it’s over to you!
To the horror of my parents, I left school at sixteen and held a bewildering variety of jobs: I was a London DJ (in the now-trendy Primrose Hill), a decorator and a singer. After that I became a cook, a photographer and, eventually, a nurse. I waitressed in the south of France, drove an ambulance in Australia, saw lots of beautiful sights but could never settle down. Everywhere I went I felt like a square peg—until one day I started writing again and then everything just fell into place. I felt like Cinderella must have when the glass slipper fit!
Today, I have the best job in the world, writing passionate romances for Harlequin. I like writing stories which are sexy and fast-paced, yet packed full of emotion—stories that readers will identify with, laugh and cry along with.
My interests are many and varied—chocolate and music, fresh flowers and bubble baths, films, cooking and trying to keep my home from looking burglarized! Simple pleasures—you can’t beat them!
I live in Winchester, one of the most stunning cities in the world, but don’t take my word for it—come see for yourself! I regularly visit London and Paris. Oh, and I love hearing from my readers all over the world…so I think it’s over to you!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
February 20, 2018
This is another mistress-falls-pregnant-after-hero-kicks-her-to-the-curb. This hero is an architect and not at all interested in marriage. Even after the heroine tells him about the twins, he just gives her money and tells her to be in touch when they are born.
The "air hostess" heroine has high hopes at the beginning of their romance that she will be the one, but everything she does seems to irritate the hero. She is pretty passive until she has the twin boys.
The hero then decides he wants to live with the babies, but he doesn't want to marry. They all settle down in a house in London while the heroine ignores the hero and the hero suddenly realizes he likes domestic life and everything would be great if the heroine would have sex with him.
It's all told in a dispassionate way. The hero is very shut down and the heroine blows hot and then blows cold. There are lots of scenes with the babies and the H/h doing family things. They do eventually decide to get married - in the epilogue!
This is probably one of the most practical relationships I've seen depicted in an HP. The heroine even points out that the hero probably would have forgotten all about her if it hadn't been for the babies. Hero agrees, but he's committed now. I do think he's committed and they'll probably have a happy life. But if you're looking for romance or the love of the ages, you won't find it here.
The "air hostess" heroine has high hopes at the beginning of their romance that she will be the one, but everything she does seems to irritate the hero. She is pretty passive until she has the twin boys.
The hero then decides he wants to live with the babies, but he doesn't want to marry. They all settle down in a house in London while the heroine ignores the hero and the hero suddenly realizes he likes domestic life and everything would be great if the heroine would have sex with him.
It's all told in a dispassionate way. The hero is very shut down and the heroine blows hot and then blows cold. There are lots of scenes with the babies and the H/h doing family things. They do eventually decide to get married - in the epilogue!
This is probably one of the most practical relationships I've seen depicted in an HP. The heroine even points out that the hero probably would have forgotten all about her if it hadn't been for the babies. Hero agrees, but he's committed now. I do think he's committed and they'll probably have a happy life. But if you're looking for romance or the love of the ages, you won't find it here.
April 12, 2013
This one had all the elements of being a great story, but I just couldn't understand how the heroine could love such an unworthy jerk. For the hero, it was all about him and accommodating him. And I do mean accommodating him. His sexual overtures were always demeaning and his every action was focused on keeping her subservient. He dumps her not because he tires of her, but because he really wants to prove his power. The scene where she tells him she is pregnant, is a difficult scene. My heart broke for this poor woman.
What do you want me to say, agape mou? That we will all live happily ever after and that I will marry you? Because I have no intention of doing that.
Talk about being kicked when you are down. For some reason, he shows up after the birth of the twins, and proceeds to blackmail and threaten to take the children away if she doesn't jump through hoops.
The author tries to give this heroine a backbone, but fails miserably.
The only redeeming thing in this book, was his connection to the children and how he embraced fatherhood. That was worth seeing unfold. A hardened man who could love no one, not even himself, ends up loving his children unconditionally. That saved the book from becoming a wallbanger.
What do you want me to say, agape mou? That we will all live happily ever after and that I will marry you? Because I have no intention of doing that.
Talk about being kicked when you are down. For some reason, he shows up after the birth of the twins, and proceeds to blackmail and threaten to take the children away if she doesn't jump through hoops.
The author tries to give this heroine a backbone, but fails miserably.
The only redeeming thing in this book, was his connection to the children and how he embraced fatherhood. That was worth seeing unfold. A hardened man who could love no one, not even himself, ends up loving his children unconditionally. That saved the book from becoming a wallbanger.
October 20, 2021
2.5 Stars (generously rounding up)
I read this in one sitting. I couldn't put it down.
The hero in this book is the epitome of an emotionally-crippled, commitment-phobe dirt-bag. Alexandros inspired my inner serial killer LOL Yet, as much as I wanted to hurt him, I'm not sure I can say I hated him. Riddle me that. Well, I guess a part of me knows why that is but I don't feel like psychoanalyzing that. At the moment, I'm a mixed bag of emotions over this book. Kudos to the author because Alexandros portrayed the emotionless playboy, flawlessly. Convincingly. Unfortunately for me, he played the role exceedingly well for almost the entire book! Where was the romance? I felt second-hand embarrassment for the women who'd lose themselves to be the one to change Alexandros' bachelor status. Including the heroine. Rebecca, gah, poor Rebecca. She was such a fool. She knew better and yet she couldn't help herself. I felt sorry for her because she deserved better. Being in Alexandros' headspace brought me a whole lot of angst. Oh no, he didn't pull any punches. He was brutally honest about who he was and what he was never going to be—a man tied to any woman. He knew every trick in the book, every manipulation women used to make him stay. And the fact remained, he was never going to fall for any of it. Even Rebecca knew he only wanted what he couldn't have and at one point she'd been a challenge for him. Well, their affair was past its expiration date. Their end was inevitable and it ended in a humiliating way for Rebecca.
A few months later she finds out she's pregnant. If it wasn't for the pregnancy they would never have seen each other again. When she went to tell him about the pregnancy, his thought was: "A baby—by a woman who meant nothing to him?" Kill me now. It felt like a punch to the heart.
When Alexandros finally decided he wanted to be a father, everything had to be under his terms—as it always was with him—but his demands only had to do with their twin babies. And the foolishly weak Rebecca was still secretly pinning and hoping for him to turn into her knight in shining armor and offer her her fairy tale. And okay, at the end he FINALLY did, but it was too late for me. I guess Rebecca had lost her self-respect long enough and deserved a break. He groveled (sort of) for like one damn page, claimed he loves her and that was that. What I wanted was him on bleeding knees, torturing himself with self-hatred for how callously he treated Rebecca, for all the pain and anguish he ever caused her (and me LOL). I do admit, I appreciated the answer he gave her when she asked him if he felt he'd been trapped into a future with her:
"Perhaps it would have pleased us both more if we had simply met and fallen in love. But we have come through much to attain the happiness we have today, Rebecca—and something hard-fought for is more precious than anything. Because life does not always follow rules, agape mou. Sometimes you have to make up your own in order to create your own fairy tale—and that is more satisfactory. Much more."
I believed he was genuine in his response but the story still left me feeling a bit depressed. Was it well written? Yes, but again, this did not feel like a romance. I love angsty stories but this one was not rewarding enough after all that anguish. No fair.
I read this in one sitting. I couldn't put it down.
The hero in this book is the epitome of an emotionally-crippled, commitment-phobe dirt-bag. Alexandros inspired my inner serial killer LOL Yet, as much as I wanted to hurt him, I'm not sure I can say I hated him. Riddle me that. Well, I guess a part of me knows why that is but I don't feel like psychoanalyzing that. At the moment, I'm a mixed bag of emotions over this book. Kudos to the author because Alexandros portrayed the emotionless playboy, flawlessly. Convincingly. Unfortunately for me, he played the role exceedingly well for almost the entire book! Where was the romance? I felt second-hand embarrassment for the women who'd lose themselves to be the one to change Alexandros' bachelor status. Including the heroine. Rebecca, gah, poor Rebecca. She was such a fool. She knew better and yet she couldn't help herself. I felt sorry for her because she deserved better. Being in Alexandros' headspace brought me a whole lot of angst. Oh no, he didn't pull any punches. He was brutally honest about who he was and what he was never going to be—a man tied to any woman. He knew every trick in the book, every manipulation women used to make him stay. And the fact remained, he was never going to fall for any of it. Even Rebecca knew he only wanted what he couldn't have and at one point she'd been a challenge for him. Well, their affair was past its expiration date. Their end was inevitable and it ended in a humiliating way for Rebecca.
A few months later she finds out she's pregnant. If it wasn't for the pregnancy they would never have seen each other again. When she went to tell him about the pregnancy, his thought was: "A baby—by a woman who meant nothing to him?" Kill me now. It felt like a punch to the heart.
When Alexandros finally decided he wanted to be a father, everything had to be under his terms—as it always was with him—but his demands only had to do with their twin babies. And the foolishly weak Rebecca was still secretly pinning and hoping for him to turn into her knight in shining armor and offer her her fairy tale. And okay, at the end he FINALLY did, but it was too late for me. I guess Rebecca had lost her self-respect long enough and deserved a break. He groveled (sort of) for like one damn page, claimed he loves her and that was that. What I wanted was him on bleeding knees, torturing himself with self-hatred for how callously he treated Rebecca, for all the pain and anguish he ever caused her (and me LOL). I do admit, I appreciated the answer he gave her when she asked him if he felt he'd been trapped into a future with her:
"Perhaps it would have pleased us both more if we had simply met and fallen in love. But we have come through much to attain the happiness we have today, Rebecca—and something hard-fought for is more precious than anything. Because life does not always follow rules, agape mou. Sometimes you have to make up your own in order to create your own fairy tale—and that is more satisfactory. Much more."
I believed he was genuine in his response but the story still left me feeling a bit depressed. Was it well written? Yes, but again, this did not feel like a romance. I love angsty stories but this one was not rewarding enough after all that anguish. No fair.
June 2, 2011
If I hadn’t stopped to think about it awhile I would have liked it better. Because I want to believe in the HEA . . . always, but I stopped to think about it - I didn’t like it that much. I found myself enjoying the beginning of the book but then towards the ending I was wondering what I was missing.
Xandros really did come across as wanting what he couldn’t have. This was repeated so many times in this book that you couldn’t miss it either. The minute a woman starts giving him everything he wants, losing her own identity in herself he is pretty much done. However, something about Rebecca draws him to her even though she seems to squash some of her own natural tendencies so that she can hang on to him. Yet she soon realizes that all they share is physical and small talk. She doesn’t really know him at all and he doesn’t seem to want to get to know her either. Just their bodies coming together! He treats her as a mistress, a sex object if you will, at his beck and call; then she realizes that it will always be that way and they have a blow up!
She does tell him about the repercussions of that one night which is pretty stand up for her but she does so hoping that she can still attain the fairy tale ending. But Xandros disappoints her in that and she seems to solidify with that back bone! YES!! This was a good point, but then when he comes around more she starts accommodating him again. Why? He wasn’t there for her all those months that she was going through things alone and now he is taking over her life and the babies lives! He feels it is his right and I wished that she had said something to him about it instead of just making it so easy for him.
SPOILERS: It really annoyed me that she didn’t fight him more on the naming of the children and living arrangements at that point. What happened to all that money he had paid her over those months since she didn’t touch it at all? He threatened her w/ seeking full custody, but he never really wanted them to begin w/. He seemed to carry around a lot of hurt and pain from his childhood abandonment by his mother and yet he was willing to separate his children from their mother just to get what he wanted! Then of course he is willing to give her her freedom but only on his terms once again! And that was towards the ending w/ his big reveal. I wonder if he was willing to live by those standards that he was setting up for her then too. I suppose if she plays him right and lets him think he is getting his way when in the end she is really getting hers . . . then it will all be good! But if she continues to be honest in her feelings and such towards him then she may have some additional heartache on her hands. END SPOILERS.
I guess I was wanting a little bit more and then I didn’t like that we were left wondering so much about his family which played such a large influence on the way he is now. We never meet his twin brother whom he is estranged from and I needed more closure w/ that relationship as well. I need their rift healed too! I guess that means I have to read his brother's book now. (FYI: The Greek Tycoon’s Convenient Wife) However, I see that the reviews on it aren't very good - I will go into it knowing I have been warned!
Xandros really did come across as wanting what he couldn’t have. This was repeated so many times in this book that you couldn’t miss it either. The minute a woman starts giving him everything he wants, losing her own identity in herself he is pretty much done. However, something about Rebecca draws him to her even though she seems to squash some of her own natural tendencies so that she can hang on to him. Yet she soon realizes that all they share is physical and small talk. She doesn’t really know him at all and he doesn’t seem to want to get to know her either. Just their bodies coming together! He treats her as a mistress, a sex object if you will, at his beck and call; then she realizes that it will always be that way and they have a blow up!
She does tell him about the repercussions of that one night which is pretty stand up for her but she does so hoping that she can still attain the fairy tale ending. But Xandros disappoints her in that and she seems to solidify with that back bone! YES!! This was a good point, but then when he comes around more she starts accommodating him again. Why? He wasn’t there for her all those months that she was going through things alone and now he is taking over her life and the babies lives! He feels it is his right and I wished that she had said something to him about it instead of just making it so easy for him.
SPOILERS: It really annoyed me that she didn’t fight him more on the naming of the children and living arrangements at that point. What happened to all that money he had paid her over those months since she didn’t touch it at all? He threatened her w/ seeking full custody, but he never really wanted them to begin w/. He seemed to carry around a lot of hurt and pain from his childhood abandonment by his mother and yet he was willing to separate his children from their mother just to get what he wanted! Then of course he is willing to give her her freedom but only on his terms once again! And that was towards the ending w/ his big reveal. I wonder if he was willing to live by those standards that he was setting up for her then too. I suppose if she plays him right and lets him think he is getting his way when in the end she is really getting hers . . . then it will all be good! But if she continues to be honest in her feelings and such towards him then she may have some additional heartache on her hands. END SPOILERS.
I guess I was wanting a little bit more and then I didn’t like that we were left wondering so much about his family which played such a large influence on the way he is now. We never meet his twin brother whom he is estranged from and I needed more closure w/ that relationship as well. I need their rift healed too! I guess that means I have to read his brother's book now. (FYI: The Greek Tycoon’s Convenient Wife) However, I see that the reviews on it aren't very good - I will go into it knowing I have been warned!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2015
The hero is simply awful. What in the hell was she thinking staying with a guy like that? He's rude, always late, condescending, verbally abusive, inconsiderate so, gee whiz of course I am in love with him.
He doesn't get better when she finds out she's pregnant. In a sick way, I can comprehend his treatment of her. If she can't ask for or expect some respect and take anything he'll dish out, then these kind of arrogant asshats probably think the h's deserve it. I am, of course, analyzing this in terms of the Land of Harley not real life.
He gets a little better at the end, but there should have been one heck of a grovel scene.
He doesn't get better when she finds out she's pregnant. In a sick way, I can comprehend his treatment of her. If she can't ask for or expect some respect and take anything he'll dish out, then these kind of arrogant asshats probably think the h's deserve it. I am, of course, analyzing this in terms of the Land of Harley not real life.
He gets a little better at the end, but there should have been one heck of a grovel scene.
June 14, 2020
Whew!! This was a nice little angsty read that I enjoyed so much that I read it twice. Rebecca and Xandros carry on with an affair that Rebecca knows she has no business being in. She begins to have feelings for Xandros although he’s been explicit that he’s only in this for the hot as hell, no strings attached sex. About the time Rebecca decides to let Xandros know she has feelings for him, he’s been getting bored and is ready to cut the strings and let her go. The breakup scene is pretty devastating.
I loved the entire story of these two people as they struggled to find their way towards a happy ending as a family, along with the challenges presented in this situation. There was plenty of angst along the way, which kept me a very happy reader.
October 28, 2014
I liked the heroine and the fact that she stood up for herself, and truly put her children first. Also, refreshing to see that she told the father about his children rather than keep her pregnancy from him, rather than the secret baby trope. Very hard to like the hero though. Although I do believe that he fell for her in the end, through seeing what a devoted mother she was, he was a jerk for most of the book and it was very hard to like him...when he discovers she's pregnant, he laments having children with a woman who "meant nothing to him". This author has some heroes who don't really fall in love with the heroine, and truly use the heroine for sex, just like all other women. He is a crappy guy. As a book, 4 stars....as a romance, 2 stars. But at least he's honest to admit he loved her only after she turned him down and he would have lost his little family.
October 5, 2018
Oh, this book hits the all the right spots for me.
Rebecca has fallen in love with the wrong man. But she knows the rules of the game and plays it the best she can, fully aware of what he's like: an arrogant, commitment-phobic man, who loves having sex with her but keeps work his first priority. She's essentially his mistress but she owns the situation, not sugar coating the bitter pill she chose to swallow. No bitching, no moaning just handling it. But she wants more, and the day she realises it's not going to happen, she digs in her heels and breaks it off with him but not after one final romp that results in a surprise pregnancy.
No histrionics, no self-righteous matyrdom and no sweeping assumptions that he will not want the baby so better keep it a secret. Nope, she decides he has the right to know, flies to see him and lays the cards on the table: she expects nothing from him. He freaks out internally but is calm enough to promise monetary support.
I know some reviewers thought Xandros was an unbearable asshat. But I liked him from the start. He never led her on for one second. He had a pretty good idea what women wanted of him and was disillushioned by a mother who couldn't handle motherhood so had no rose-tinted views of love or marriage and usually broke it off when a girl got clingy. There's no angst or dramatic ploy to win back Rebecca, no startling revelation that he discovers he loves her. He gets on with his life, finds himself often thinking of her then realises she has not touched the money.
If like me, you love a strong, sweetheart heroine who owns her sexuality and life choices and a confident alpha male hero who more than makes up for his arrogant behaviour then this a wonderful read.
Edited 5/10/18: I've no idea why I rated this so high to be honest. It was definitely a good read but not exactly excellent. Maybe because it was my first Kendrick and I liked the novelty of a pragmatic heroine. Either way, I'll keep the rating until a re-read, it must have just worked for me at that time.
Rebecca has fallen in love with the wrong man. But she knows the rules of the game and plays it the best she can, fully aware of what he's like: an arrogant, commitment-phobic man, who loves having sex with her but keeps work his first priority. She's essentially his mistress but she owns the situation, not sugar coating the bitter pill she chose to swallow. No bitching, no moaning just handling it. But she wants more, and the day she realises it's not going to happen, she digs in her heels and breaks it off with him but not after one final romp that results in a surprise pregnancy.
No histrionics, no self-righteous matyrdom and no sweeping assumptions that he will not want the baby so better keep it a secret. Nope, she decides he has the right to know, flies to see him and lays the cards on the table: she expects nothing from him. He freaks out internally but is calm enough to promise monetary support.
I know some reviewers thought Xandros was an unbearable asshat. But I liked him from the start. He never led her on for one second. He had a pretty good idea what women wanted of him and was disillushioned by a mother who couldn't handle motherhood so had no rose-tinted views of love or marriage and usually broke it off when a girl got clingy. There's no angst or dramatic ploy to win back Rebecca, no startling revelation that he discovers he loves her. He gets on with his life, finds himself often thinking of her then realises she has not touched the money.
If like me, you love a strong, sweetheart heroine who owns her sexuality and life choices and a confident alpha male hero who more than makes up for his arrogant behaviour then this a wonderful read.
Edited 5/10/18: I've no idea why I rated this so high to be honest. It was definitely a good read but not exactly excellent. Maybe because it was my first Kendrick and I liked the novelty of a pragmatic heroine. Either way, I'll keep the rating until a re-read, it must have just worked for me at that time.
April 10, 2013
Loved it! This story had more than a few tug-at-your-heartstrings moments a brooding hero and a heroine I adored. Rebecca was sweet and vulnerable and the perfect mother. A heroine with a heart of gold.
But she was not very strong when it came to Alexandros. She had no defences against his charm and sex appeal. I mean he left her alone and pregnant even though he knew she was carrying not one but two babies and she still found it in her heart to forgive him. I wanted him to grovel more!
Still I liked Alexandros. He was definitely an alpha hero, arrogant, cold, jealous and super possessive. He loved his family and Rebecca and no other woman could tempt him! He is a really sweet man at heart. With Rebecca's love he is able to heal from his past and grow.
Enjoyed this very much!
But she was not very strong when it came to Alexandros. She had no defences against his charm and sex appeal. I mean he left her alone and pregnant even though he knew she was carrying not one but two babies and she still found it in her heart to forgive him. I wanted him to grovel more!
Still I liked Alexandros. He was definitely an alpha hero, arrogant, cold, jealous and super possessive. He loved his family and Rebecca and no other woman could tempt him! He is a really sweet man at heart. With Rebecca's love he is able to heal from his past and grow.
Enjoyed this very much!
March 2, 2012
Pleasant way to pass the time if you like HPs -- would have been 3 stars, but the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.
February 14, 2010
So great to get books from the library at 1 a.m. This is a good middle of the road Harlequin. Sometimes you just need that quick candy bar read. You know what you're going to get and if the writing is well done you're satisfied. This one was a bit different in how the hero reacted to the heroine's pregnancy. Nice satisfying ordinary read.
March 15, 2024
This author is not may hp favorite because her heroes are very often far from redeemable, but this one if not the worst.
He is a Greek billionaire with abandonment issues that made him quite commitment phobic. He always leaves his mistresses when they become boring or clingy. He and the heroine have a f buddy kind of affair, he calls when in London and she runs, lot of sex and some glitzy dates, nothing more. When the heroine proposes a cozy homemade dinner at her flat, the hero has an allergic reaction and plans to dump her, but she precedes him when she realizes what he wants to do and ends the affair herself. I must admit she wasn’t quite the doormat you expect. She has a mind of her own, and she’s brave and not silly.
She even loses her job because her boss finds out of her affair with a client, that is the hero. And she finds out she’s pregnant.
Thank god she doesn’t act martyr and stupid and goes straight to him to inform him he’s going to be a father.
He is quite cold, not mean, but I hoped for some more reaction. He’s annoyed and doesn’t want to be around her and her child, or else, children, since she’s expecting twins.
He offers money and goes back to is life. So no marriage proposal or love declaration but it’s ok, he’s got avoidance issues and I wouldn’t expect more.
The heroine is quite a sensible woman and refuses to touch the money since she doesn’t need to, but sends him news about her pregnancy without much fuss. She also falls out of love with him since he’s quite different from what she had envisioned before. And I must admit I liked it very much. She doesn’t pine and she doesn’t keep loving him. She is satisfied that he’s out of her life since he’s no good. The hero is quite disappointed because she doesn’t ask him for anything, doesn’t call him and doesn’t behave like a selfish gold digger as his own mother had.
Unexpectedly the hero flies to London when she informs him she’s in labor and as soon as he sees his two sons he decides to be involved in their lives.
He buys a big house for them and well, he becomes the family man. I appreciated that the heroine didn’t act silly, she accepted the house and she accepted him and she was polite, kind and reasonable instead of throwing tantrums and acting passive aggressive. The hero is stunned by her change, when she was his mistress she was always very accommodating but now she does as she pleases and she treats him like a roomie and not like a god. He basically falls in love with her and is frustrated because he wants to be wanted.
Of course she wants him and they even have a ONS but she tells him it wouldn’t be repeated, and the hero’s amazement is unlimited.
In the end he decides to make the first step and tells her he loves her and wants them to be a couple. This was quite a big step for him, given his big mama issues. In the end he also proposes but that was quite a bit too sensible imo. He agrees he didn’t love her at first and if it wasn’t for the children they wouldn’t be together but he fell in love with her and wants to marry her for love. I would have loved a bit more romanticism, maybe admitting he loved her but was scared and so he dumped her but nope. We have to be content with this very unromantic, down to earth declaration. Celibacy is unclear, it’s not said if he had other women while they we apart, but surely he didn’t have any mistress, but at least I’m glad it never came up, since SK has this nasty habit to make her heroes comparing other women with the heroine, here we are spared this delight.
He’s not cruel but he’s very cold, and this is typical SK. Beside the lust I didn’t feel a lot here, and it was more of a slow burn which is ok, more realistic and less love at first sight. It’s a very short read but anyway a pleasant, low angst one.
He is a Greek billionaire with abandonment issues that made him quite commitment phobic. He always leaves his mistresses when they become boring or clingy. He and the heroine have a f buddy kind of affair, he calls when in London and she runs, lot of sex and some glitzy dates, nothing more. When the heroine proposes a cozy homemade dinner at her flat, the hero has an allergic reaction and plans to dump her, but she precedes him when she realizes what he wants to do and ends the affair herself. I must admit she wasn’t quite the doormat you expect. She has a mind of her own, and she’s brave and not silly.
She even loses her job because her boss finds out of her affair with a client, that is the hero. And she finds out she’s pregnant.
Thank god she doesn’t act martyr and stupid and goes straight to him to inform him he’s going to be a father.
He is quite cold, not mean, but I hoped for some more reaction. He’s annoyed and doesn’t want to be around her and her child, or else, children, since she’s expecting twins.
He offers money and goes back to is life. So no marriage proposal or love declaration but it’s ok, he’s got avoidance issues and I wouldn’t expect more.
The heroine is quite a sensible woman and refuses to touch the money since she doesn’t need to, but sends him news about her pregnancy without much fuss. She also falls out of love with him since he’s quite different from what she had envisioned before. And I must admit I liked it very much. She doesn’t pine and she doesn’t keep loving him. She is satisfied that he’s out of her life since he’s no good. The hero is quite disappointed because she doesn’t ask him for anything, doesn’t call him and doesn’t behave like a selfish gold digger as his own mother had.
Unexpectedly the hero flies to London when she informs him she’s in labor and as soon as he sees his two sons he decides to be involved in their lives.
He buys a big house for them and well, he becomes the family man. I appreciated that the heroine didn’t act silly, she accepted the house and she accepted him and she was polite, kind and reasonable instead of throwing tantrums and acting passive aggressive. The hero is stunned by her change, when she was his mistress she was always very accommodating but now she does as she pleases and she treats him like a roomie and not like a god. He basically falls in love with her and is frustrated because he wants to be wanted.
Of course she wants him and they even have a ONS but she tells him it wouldn’t be repeated, and the hero’s amazement is unlimited.
In the end he decides to make the first step and tells her he loves her and wants them to be a couple. This was quite a big step for him, given his big mama issues. In the end he also proposes but that was quite a bit too sensible imo. He agrees he didn’t love her at first and if it wasn’t for the children they wouldn’t be together but he fell in love with her and wants to marry her for love. I would have loved a bit more romanticism, maybe admitting he loved her but was scared and so he dumped her but nope. We have to be content with this very unromantic, down to earth declaration. Celibacy is unclear, it’s not said if he had other women while they we apart, but surely he didn’t have any mistress, but at least I’m glad it never came up, since SK has this nasty habit to make her heroes comparing other women with the heroine, here we are spared this delight.
He’s not cruel but he’s very cold, and this is typical SK. Beside the lust I didn’t feel a lot here, and it was more of a slow burn which is ok, more realistic and less love at first sight. It’s a very short read but anyway a pleasant, low angst one.
September 29, 2020
3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads.
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‘Mr Alexandros Pavlidis asked me to convey his apologies, but he is dealing with a conference call. He asked me to bring you to him instead.’
How did she look the first time he’d seen her—when he had hunted her down like a hungry predator?
‘Isn’t it a little soon in our acquaintance for convention to rear its ugly head?’
‘Take it off,’ he urged thickly.
‘Still want to go to the bedroom?’ he taunted, dragging his mouth away from hers. ‘Or did you have somewhere else in mind?’
‘Want me to go faster?’ he mocked as he saw her tongue snake out to moisten her parched lips.
Ironically, this was when he liked her best—when she was retreating from him, like the tide moving away from the ever-distant shore. Xandros only wanted something when it was beyond his reach. Because once he had possessed it he wanted to move on, as he had been moving on all his restless life.
Women tried to please you and in so doing they submerged their own identity into yours. And then you lost sight of what had attracted you to them in the first place—for you could no longer see it.
‘No one will know a thing. We will keep it secret, ne? Our little secret…’
Plan something, he had said. Bill it to me, he had said. Was he aware of how dismissive those words had been—as if everything in life came with a price-tag?
‘My time with you was supposed to be a pleasant interlude—and now suddenly I’m supposed to be baring my soul just because you’ve peeled a few potatoes. If I’d wanted a damned therapy session I could have crossed the road in New York and found a hundred!’ He saw her stricken face and with an effort, he quelled his fury. ‘Listen, Rebecca,’ he said, in as gentle a voice as he’d ever used with her. ‘What we’ve had together has been—’
He was about to dump her! And along with that revelation came the realisation of just how weak and compliant she’d been all along—always accommodating his needs. It had been Xandros, Xandros, Xandros all the way.
A stab of guilt pierced him as he noted the torn and discarded panties on the floor, until he reminded himself that she had wanted that just as much as him. Easily as much. ‘Rebecca?’ She turned her face to the wall and the pain in her heart made her want to curl up like a broken animal. ‘Just go, will you, Xandros?’ she said wearily. His eyes narrowed, capturing her and the scene in a brief snapshot to file away in his memory one last time. ‘Goodbye, Rebecca,’ he said softly, and shut the door very quietly behind him.
A lot had happened in the weeks since Xandros had walked out of her apartment after making love to her—and left her lying on the floor feeling cheap and used and heartbroken. She had crawled off to bed and sobbed as if her heart were breaking into a thousand pieces.
‘What do you want me to say, agape mou? That we will all live happily ever after and that I will marry you?’ He gave a short, bitter laugh. ‘Because I have no intention of doing that.’
She stared at him. ‘You mean you want to be involved?’ He hardened his heart against her violet eyes. ‘I meant I want a progress report,’ he said, as if he were talking about the construction of one of his own projects.
Would Xandros have come to her aid if she had told him she needed him during those months? Rebecca didn’t know and neither had she wanted to test it out. She really hadn’t wanted to see him.
Xandros didn’t do love—not the adult kind between man and woman—he’d never pretended to. He loved his babies and that was growing day by day—but there was never going to be anything deeper left over for her.
December 4, 2015
I liked the angst when the h tries so hard to please him and keep him and bends over backwards not to upset the apple cart. I thought it was portrayed so well, the context may not be real but the uncertainty, the insecurity was so real. The H, such a not likeable fella. No matter the liking normally develops over time. In this case it didn't, I thought him just as unlikeable at the end. The h grew a pair over her time with him, but I felt she deserved someone more emotionally invested in her.
June 16, 2020
There’s a weird level of disconnection between the hero and heroine, a little too much of their inner thoughts.
January 24, 2021
Re-read
Another typical playboy hero. He was self centered, arrogant and selfish. He thought the world revolved around him and he didn’t change until almost the end of the story. That fact meant he didn’t have time to redeem himself.
-he was a playboy so I’m confident he was with others after meeting her and during separation
-no violence
-odd epilogue that really didn’t fit into the story and wasn’t very far out
Another typical playboy hero. He was self centered, arrogant and selfish. He thought the world revolved around him and he didn’t change until almost the end of the story. That fact meant he didn’t have time to redeem himself.
-he was a playboy so I’m confident he was with others after meeting her and during separation
-no violence
-odd epilogue that really didn’t fit into the story and wasn’t very far out
July 16, 2017
I really struggled with how to rate this. I really disliked both characters for the first 1/2 of the book when Alexandros Pavlidis was such a SOB to his mistress Rebecca Gibbs, but I hated that Rebecca was such a doormat, earning his scorn. Yes, I know that was a large part of the plot, but I cringed so much! I was glad when she got some backbone, but I'm not sure it was enough for me. Still, the ending...
August 22, 2010
3.5 stars. Okay so this wasn't the best book I ever read, and I would have loved to see a little more character development, but I cannot deny that I enjoyed reading this book. That is a huge statement coming from me since I don't usually read contemporary romance. I just loved the fact that the hero in this book was no nonsense and it took him time to fall in love with the heroine. He didn't lie about his feelings for the her and he made no excuses for who he was and he never lead the heroine on. As a reader you knew the reasons why he didn't just fall in love with her in the beginning, but once she started to change, you saw him slowly being captured. Oh but it was so sweet in the end to see a man with such a hard heart fall in love- and it was believable!
February 22, 2025
Mientras leía los primeros capítulos me dí cuenta que ya había leído este libro cuando tenía 15/16 años pero en Wattpad como un fic de Harry Styles. En su momento me acuerdo que me gustó aunque me pareció apresurado el final.
Me sigue apareciendo apresurado. La verdad no me gusta el protagonista masculino porque es medio forro y como piensa de las mujeres es ☠️☠️
Aún así aplaudo de que el chabon no le mintió y le hizo falsas promesas, él nunca quiso una relación y lo dejó claro. Y aplaudo de que la mina admita eso, que no lo culpé por no querer las mismas cosas que ella.
La verdad no entiendo cómo ella se enamoró de él. En todo el libro se centran en la atracción y química sexual que hay entre ellos pero nunca nos muestran una conexión emocional. Como mucho tienen la escena en que los dos están cuidando de su hijo enfermo (me acuerdo que la primera vez que lo leí me pareció alta escena pero ahora fue como meh).
Le doy dos estrellas porque no odie el libro y se me hizo fácil de leer, a diferencia de otro libro que no sé todavía si lo voy a seguir leyendo 🤡
Me sigue apareciendo apresurado. La verdad no me gusta el protagonista masculino porque es medio forro y como piensa de las mujeres es ☠️☠️
Aún así aplaudo de que el chabon no le mintió y le hizo falsas promesas, él nunca quiso una relación y lo dejó claro. Y aplaudo de que la mina admita eso, que no lo culpé por no querer las mismas cosas que ella.
La verdad no entiendo cómo ella se enamoró de él. En todo el libro se centran en la atracción y química sexual que hay entre ellos pero nunca nos muestran una conexión emocional. Como mucho tienen la escena en que los dos están cuidando de su hijo enfermo (me acuerdo que la primera vez que lo leí me pareció alta escena pero ahora fue como meh).
Le doy dos estrellas porque no odie el libro y se me hizo fácil de leer, a diferencia de otro libro que no sé todavía si lo voy a seguir leyendo 🤡
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2022
I have come to be quite addicted to angst filled wrecks and therefore this book didn’t quite hit the spot, so there’s that. But also the other thing retracting from it was that it felt like it was a tutorial based on all those ask aunty Becca columns, as in what not to do or what to do in order to get your man. The first heroine was quite nauseating through the first half of the book, one of hose clingy, desperate doormats and then she gets pregnant and dutifully goes through all 12 steps and gets her man in the end. Quite unsettling for me since I was looking forward to jerk, cruel hero, blackmails, dyslexia, sick twins, evil other women, and so forth.
July 31, 2020
He is awful beyond description. The breakup scene is gut wrenching (you’ll wish you could forget it).
He leaves her alone and jobless to cope with a twins pregnancy... totally remorseless. His selfishness was extreme.
He’s a total manwhore, and I am sure he was cheating on her again before the author typed The End.
There’s no romance in this story. There is plenty of hurt and pain.
This is one book where I would’ve cheered a decent OM taking her and the kids away.
This wasn’t HEA... it wasn’t even H.
I wish SK knew we like romance in our romance stories.
He leaves her alone and jobless to cope with a twins pregnancy... totally remorseless. His selfishness was extreme.
He’s a total manwhore, and I am sure he was cheating on her again before the author typed The End.
There’s no romance in this story. There is plenty of hurt and pain.
This is one book where I would’ve cheered a decent OM taking her and the kids away.
This wasn’t HEA... it wasn’t even H.
I wish SK knew we like romance in our romance stories.
September 25, 2025
un desastre
July 27, 2011
I thought this story was a pleasant read. It didn't have me at the edge of my seat but it was okay, I enjoyed it. Well, most of it. I'd give it a 3.6. If there was a 3.6 to give on here.
I liked the heroine. I felt that she could've been a little stronger, emotionally. The only thing that bothered me was, why would she accept him so easily back into her & "her" children's life? Yes I wrote it, "her", not "theirs". He wanted no part in their lives, just giving her money & wanting a progress report. Anyways, I know he has legal power to get custody and all but she should've told him how she felt, she shoulda made him feel guilty. She didn't show him how much anguish and pain she endured for nine months without him & now the babies are out & VOILA! He decides, "IM BACK CAUSE I FEEL LIKE A DADDY NOW." & SHE ACCEPTS LIKE NOTHING EVER WENT WRONG? Well what about those nine months of pregnancy BUSTER?!! Where were you at doctor appointments, where were you when she needed a foot rub?!! Lol, I'm just saying. I dont really buy the, "Okay, come back into my life, my childrens lives even though you wanted no part in the beginning."
Other than that, then the story was just fine. A pleasant read.
I liked the heroine. I felt that she could've been a little stronger, emotionally. The only thing that bothered me was, why would she accept him so easily back into her & "her" children's life? Yes I wrote it, "her", not "theirs". He wanted no part in their lives, just giving her money & wanting a progress report. Anyways, I know he has legal power to get custody and all but she should've told him how she felt, she shoulda made him feel guilty. She didn't show him how much anguish and pain she endured for nine months without him & now the babies are out & VOILA! He decides, "IM BACK CAUSE I FEEL LIKE A DADDY NOW." & SHE ACCEPTS LIKE NOTHING EVER WENT WRONG? Well what about those nine months of pregnancy BUSTER?!! Where were you at doctor appointments, where were you when she needed a foot rub?!! Lol, I'm just saying. I dont really buy the, "Okay, come back into my life, my childrens lives even though you wanted no part in the beginning."
Other than that, then the story was just fine. A pleasant read.
June 2, 2011
H is a typical alpha greek tycoon. He never stays in relationships long, has very cynical attitude towards women and his only interest in women seems to be sexual. The h resists the H's pursuit, which only makes him more determined. However as soon as she gives in he begins to lose interest. He demands that he calls all the shots but as soon as women begin to give in to his demands in order to keep him he loses respect. The h tells him to leave before he can dump her as he intends to do. This irritates him but he walks away. She shows up a few months later pregnant. He expects demands but she just informs him of pregnancy and leaves again. The books picks up again when she texts him that she's gone into labor.
He steps in and takes over her and the twins lives. He thinks she will cave in to whatever he wants bur she continues to resist any relationship with other than as the father of her babies.
Readers tend to really like this book or to hate it. I liked it. Not a keeper but an enjoyable read and believable HEA. I thought both H/h showed alot of growth. Him after the babies were born and her after the break-up of their relationship. I would rate it 3.5*.
He steps in and takes over her and the twins lives. He thinks she will cave in to whatever he wants bur she continues to resist any relationship with other than as the father of her babies.
Readers tend to really like this book or to hate it. I liked it. Not a keeper but an enjoyable read and believable HEA. I thought both H/h showed alot of growth. Him after the babies were born and her after the break-up of their relationship. I would rate it 3.5*.
September 14, 2012
I loved the story from beginning to end. Xandros is the love 'em leave 'em type but with Rebecca he has stayed longer than expected because he can't get her out of his system. Rebecca loves Xandros but when she tries to bring their relationship to the next level Xandros leaves. She finds out she is pregnant and tells him. He sends her money to in a sense pay her off but she never touches the money. He just asked jer to keep him up to date on the twins. She sends him sonogram pics and texted him that she was in labor. That threw him in gear but it may be to late to save their love when he just can't give her his heart.
August 21, 2012
Wasn't the best novel ever written about Greek men and their pregnant mistresses but it was definitely interesting and more so the first I've seen written that had living twins in it. I thought the hero needed a swift kick n the nuts and the heroine needed to be stronger, especially emotionally. The hero pushes her into situations and practically mows her over, yet she takes him back. Sounds silly and lacking to me.
December 10, 2015
Not much to say except that I did not like this book at first, there was something cheap about the AH. However, I liked her, I felt bad for her and I am not sure I liked that The A - hole hero never showed her enough love. I have to say it is more realistic this way, but I don't read HQP for a realistic view on love. I know all about the reality of it :)
It is a good read, different, at points very sad, but overall interesting and different from other Sharon Kendrick books.
It is a good read, different, at points very sad, but overall interesting and different from other Sharon Kendrick books.
June 4, 2021
Bought for her babies... Alexandros Pavlidis always ended his affairs before he got bored. So he never expected to see his London mistress, Rebecca Gibbs, again--until she showed up with shocking news: she was pregnant with his twins! Xandros was intrigued when Rebecca didn't touch a penny of the substantial payoff he gave her. And when the babies were born, everything changed. These were Pavlidis heirs! Now he was on his way to London to bargain for his sons!
August 24, 2013
Ah, I love this book to the point I didn't notice HIM's chat on my notification because I got engrossed in reading. I love the ending, I love Xandros even if at first, I feel like he is a jerk. One of my SK's fave book♥♥♥
November 28, 2016
I really enjoyed this book, particularly because the heroine was strong, she could stand up for herself and to the hero!
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