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The Stefanos Legacy #2
The Heirs She Carried: A Billionaire Romance Novel
USA TODAY
bestselling author Lynne Graham captivates with this emotional surprise pregnancy billionaire romance, part of The Stefanos Legacy miniseries!
How do you tell your billionaire boss…you’re expecting his babies?
Orphaned Leah has never had it easy in life. Desperate for a job, she agrees to become ruthless Giovanni Zanetti’s housekeeper and finally gain some security. What she never expected was that being between his billion-dollar sheets would be so undeniably tempting…
Gio’s forbidden night with the totally off-limits innocent was a strictly one-time indiscretion. Anything more than that would require a level of trust he no longer has to give. Then Leah returns with a revelation that rocks the Italian’s carefully constructed she’s pregnant…with his twins!
Previously published as “The Heirs His Housekeeper Carried”.
From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
Read all The Stefanos Legacy
Book 1: Promoted to the Greek's Wife Book 2: The Heirs She Carried Book 3: King’s Christmas Heir
How do you tell your billionaire boss…you’re expecting his babies?
Orphaned Leah has never had it easy in life. Desperate for a job, she agrees to become ruthless Giovanni Zanetti’s housekeeper and finally gain some security. What she never expected was that being between his billion-dollar sheets would be so undeniably tempting…
Gio’s forbidden night with the totally off-limits innocent was a strictly one-time indiscretion. Anything more than that would require a level of trust he no longer has to give. Then Leah returns with a revelation that rocks the Italian’s carefully constructed she’s pregnant…with his twins!
Previously published as “The Heirs His Housekeeper Carried”.
From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
Read all The Stefanos Legacy
Book 1: Promoted to the Greek's Wife Book 2: The Heirs She Carried Book 3: King’s Christmas Heir
163 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 23, 2024
200 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Graham
1,783 books1,452 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 56 reviews
May 3, 2022
3.5 stars.
The second novel in the duet that began with Promoted to the Greek's Wife: An Uplifting International Romance.
This second chance/unexpected pregnancy trope romance, is Leah's story - she's the younger half sister of Ari, the H of Promoted to the Greek's Wife: An Uplifting International Romance.
It's a rather light-hearted romance, with a touch of whimsy and minus the more angsty elements of older LG novels.
Any long time HPlandia reader, who's also been a huge LG fan, ought to realize by now that Lynne G isn't going to revert to the type of storylines and heroes that wowed us in her vintage novels. If she ever does, it'll be awesome, but I'm not holding my breath.
It's taken me a long time to accept this fact and I've come to the conclusion that I can do ONE of 3 things:
1. Keep whining about how the current HP novels aren't as angsty etc as their vintage counterparts, while continuing to read them. This option just seems useless and idiotic, because only an idiot continues to waste time in the pursuance of an activity that results in the same repeated complaints and I have zero patience for this exercise in futility.
2. Simply STFU, just stop reading the new HP's, leave them to readers who love them and move on. I've taken this option with many HP authors (Dani Collins etc ) and former favourite non HP authors like Cora Reilly, C. M. Steele etc whose newer books no longer appeal, so it's not like it's some huge sacrifice. When I'm done with something, I'm done 💯, because it's more efficient and much less toxic than continuing to read these authors while writing ranting hate reviews, when I know that I no longer enjoy them.
3. Stop my whining, accept the new HP's for what they are and not what I want them to be and try to make the most of them, especially since I only read fewer than 10 of the current HP authors.
After having taken a very long break from book reviewing, I've decided to go with this 3rd option. After all, writing the same complaints, repeatedly, in every new HP I review, must get tedious for my Goodreads friends who read my reviews and wonder why I keep whining while continuing to read these books. It might make some people wonder if they're suffering from a case of...
Apologies for this digression but it's something that must to be said.
Change is an intrinsic part of Life and MB/HP novels have been evolving for decades, shaped by important socio-cultural historical developments of each generation. I know these books will eventually evolve to a point where I'll definitely have to stop reading them, but that time isn't now.
Anyway, back to Lynne G's lovely, whimsical romantic tale about a heroine who finds love in the most unlikely place, with the most dreamy H.
This is the H, Gio:
The lustrous black hair, the hard chiselled jawline, the classic nose and exotic high cheekbones teamed with unusual ice-blue eyes turned the heads of both men and women in the street.
LG trivia: Gio just happens to be 6' 5" tall. I think that makes him LG's tallest H.
In keeping with the politically correct mood of today's world, where people are too easily offended, I think LG uses Gio to explain why her current heroes are more well behaved and less outrageous than her vintage alpha hunks.
This discussion between the MCs, explains the above comment.
Leah makes the following observation:
And Gio responds:
This is the heroine, Leah:
...he had never in his entire adult life been desperate for sex. So, what was it about her?...That amazing glossy mane of curls? The big dark eyes, whose expression she veiled when uncomfortable...like now?
Leah has a university degree, but agrees to be Gio's temporary housekeeper, as a favour to her foster sister.
Both MCs hit it off well, when the H arrives home unexpectedly and spies the heroine skinny-dipping in his indoor pool. He pretends to be his own PA, because he's enjoying this delightful interaction with a woman who doesn't know he's her billionaire employer.
Leah is a refreshing change from the glossy golddiggers he's used to and their light, sexy flirtation doesn't trigger his usual self defence mechanisms.
In fact, she doesn't seem grasping and she's not ready for any lifetime commitment right now. She's got her own issues and is still hurting from a previous relationship with a grifter who pretended to be her boyfriend, as a cover for his affair with his boss' wife.
Gio, meanwhile, is still smarting from his brief, failed youthful marriage to a cheating ex wife. It's an experience that made him very wary of matrimony.
They go with the flow, living in the moment to see where this intense sexual chemistry will lead them and end up arguing after he confesses his true identity.
She feels like an embarrassed fool, the morning after...
This perhaps teaches an important lesson, about what it means to sleep with a total stranger, even if he's the hottest man she's ever seen:
LG brings in Ari, the heroine's long lost half brother (and the H from Promoted to the Greek's Wife: An Uplifting International Romance to help these MCs sort out their issues, especially after Leah's unexpected pregnancy complicates the situation.
There's some jealous possessiveness when Gio assumes that Ari is romantically interested in Leah, but it's all cleared up soon and it was fantastic to see Ari play the role of protective big brother. There's no grand angst and most of the subsequent conflict, after the MCs convenient marriage, is linked to their mutual refusal to admit that they're in love.
Leah, whose pride had been battered severely, by her previous boyfriend, is determined to act casually around the H.
For me, the cherry on the sundae, of this sweet little romance, is Spike, with his cute purple bow.
This is Spike:
A scruffy three-legged Yorkshire terrier with an incongruous purple bow on top of his tufty head crept into view. He was exceedingly small and very scared.
If you're in the mood for one of LG's vintage angstfests, then this might not appeal to you. But if you can appreciate a lighter, more romantic tale with very little toxic conflict and an alpha H who's aware that he needs to curb his behaviour and watch his language, in accordance with current societal norms, then this might be of interest to you.
LG concludes with her usual adorable epilogue, set 7 years in the future, where the MCs are gathered with their kids and their beloved relatives. It's a huge pity that the elderly Spike wasn't alive at that point.
Harold Mongrelpup and his furry pals send their best wishes that Spike continues to RIP 🙏 in doggy heaven.
Safety: No OW, a former OM whom the heroine had never been intimate with and both MCs are celibate during their short separation.
The second novel in the duet that began with Promoted to the Greek's Wife: An Uplifting International Romance.
This second chance/unexpected pregnancy trope romance, is Leah's story - she's the younger half sister of Ari, the H of Promoted to the Greek's Wife: An Uplifting International Romance.
It's a rather light-hearted romance, with a touch of whimsy and minus the more angsty elements of older LG novels.
Any long time HPlandia reader, who's also been a huge LG fan, ought to realize by now that Lynne G isn't going to revert to the type of storylines and heroes that wowed us in her vintage novels. If she ever does, it'll be awesome, but I'm not holding my breath.
It's taken me a long time to accept this fact and I've come to the conclusion that I can do ONE of 3 things:
1. Keep whining about how the current HP novels aren't as angsty etc as their vintage counterparts, while continuing to read them. This option just seems useless and idiotic, because only an idiot continues to waste time in the pursuance of an activity that results in the same repeated complaints and I have zero patience for this exercise in futility.
2. Simply STFU, just stop reading the new HP's, leave them to readers who love them and move on. I've taken this option with many HP authors (Dani Collins etc ) and former favourite non HP authors like Cora Reilly, C. M. Steele etc whose newer books no longer appeal, so it's not like it's some huge sacrifice. When I'm done with something, I'm done 💯, because it's more efficient and much less toxic than continuing to read these authors while writing ranting hate reviews, when I know that I no longer enjoy them.
3. Stop my whining, accept the new HP's for what they are and not what I want them to be and try to make the most of them, especially since I only read fewer than 10 of the current HP authors.
After having taken a very long break from book reviewing, I've decided to go with this 3rd option. After all, writing the same complaints, repeatedly, in every new HP I review, must get tedious for my Goodreads friends who read my reviews and wonder why I keep whining while continuing to read these books. It might make some people wonder if they're suffering from a case of...
Apologies for this digression but it's something that must to be said.
Change is an intrinsic part of Life and MB/HP novels have been evolving for decades, shaped by important socio-cultural historical developments of each generation. I know these books will eventually evolve to a point where I'll definitely have to stop reading them, but that time isn't now.
Anyway, back to Lynne G's lovely, whimsical romantic tale about a heroine who finds love in the most unlikely place, with the most dreamy H.
This is the H, Gio:
The lustrous black hair, the hard chiselled jawline, the classic nose and exotic high cheekbones teamed with unusual ice-blue eyes turned the heads of both men and women in the street.
LG trivia: Gio just happens to be 6' 5" tall. I think that makes him LG's tallest H.
In keeping with the politically correct mood of today's world, where people are too easily offended, I think LG uses Gio to explain why her current heroes are more well behaved and less outrageous than her vintage alpha hunks.
This discussion between the MCs, explains the above comment.
Leah makes the following observation:
And Gio responds:
This is the heroine, Leah:
...he had never in his entire adult life been desperate for sex. So, what was it about her?...That amazing glossy mane of curls? The big dark eyes, whose expression she veiled when uncomfortable...like now?
Leah has a university degree, but agrees to be Gio's temporary housekeeper, as a favour to her foster sister.
Both MCs hit it off well, when the H arrives home unexpectedly and spies the heroine skinny-dipping in his indoor pool. He pretends to be his own PA, because he's enjoying this delightful interaction with a woman who doesn't know he's her billionaire employer.
Leah is a refreshing change from the glossy golddiggers he's used to and their light, sexy flirtation doesn't trigger his usual self defence mechanisms.
In fact, she doesn't seem grasping and she's not ready for any lifetime commitment right now. She's got her own issues and is still hurting from a previous relationship with a grifter who pretended to be her boyfriend, as a cover for his affair with his boss' wife.
Gio, meanwhile, is still smarting from his brief, failed youthful marriage to a cheating ex wife. It's an experience that made him very wary of matrimony.
They go with the flow, living in the moment to see where this intense sexual chemistry will lead them and end up arguing after he confesses his true identity.
She feels like an embarrassed fool, the morning after...
This perhaps teaches an important lesson, about what it means to sleep with a total stranger, even if he's the hottest man she's ever seen:
LG brings in Ari, the heroine's long lost half brother (and the H from Promoted to the Greek's Wife: An Uplifting International Romance to help these MCs sort out their issues, especially after Leah's unexpected pregnancy complicates the situation.
There's some jealous possessiveness when Gio assumes that Ari is romantically interested in Leah, but it's all cleared up soon and it was fantastic to see Ari play the role of protective big brother. There's no grand angst and most of the subsequent conflict, after the MCs convenient marriage, is linked to their mutual refusal to admit that they're in love.
Leah, whose pride had been battered severely, by her previous boyfriend, is determined to act casually around the H.
For me, the cherry on the sundae, of this sweet little romance, is Spike, with his cute purple bow.
This is Spike:
A scruffy three-legged Yorkshire terrier with an incongruous purple bow on top of his tufty head crept into view. He was exceedingly small and very scared.
If you're in the mood for one of LG's vintage angstfests, then this might not appeal to you. But if you can appreciate a lighter, more romantic tale with very little toxic conflict and an alpha H who's aware that he needs to curb his behaviour and watch his language, in accordance with current societal norms, then this might be of interest to you.
LG concludes with her usual adorable epilogue, set 7 years in the future, where the MCs are gathered with their kids and their beloved relatives. It's a huge pity that the elderly Spike wasn't alive at that point.
Harold Mongrelpup and his furry pals send their best wishes that Spike continues to RIP 🙏 in doggy heaven.
Safety: No OW, a former OM whom the heroine had never been intimate with and both MCs are celibate during their short separation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2024
1,5 😔⭐️s
I just won’t comment…
I just won’t comment…
May 1, 2022
4 stars!
Really fun to read. Alpha hero and sweet heroine. Heartwarming, charming and romantic.
Really fun to read. Alpha hero and sweet heroine. Heartwarming, charming and romantic.
January 30, 2025
Well written but devoid of the spark(not because of the caramel eyed-dark haired heroine)!
*******
Re-read and now I know H was not as besotted and passionate as normal LG H!
*******
Re-read and now I know H was not as besotted and passionate as normal LG H!
May 31, 2022
Lynne Graham's latest hp is a sweet angst free read that I enjoyed in this 2nd of 3 books about the 1/2 siblings of a deceased Greek billionaire.Leah and her siblings were his secret second family.
This is Gio and Leah's story.The half brother Ari makes a guest appearance along with his wife.
To sum up.....
The couple meets when the heroine is caught skinny dipping in the hero's pool where she went to take a dip to cool off after she was partway done cleaning his manse in coastal Norfolk.The hero does not tell her he is the owner,she assumes he is an employee.Later on she finds out he is in fact the owner.
Needless to say,an attraction forms and he asks her to spend the night.She agrees and informs him it will be an ONS .Leah has been burned before by her user ex boyfriend and once burned,twice shy.Gio has also been burned before by his exwife who took him to the cleaners as a young 21 year old so he too is once burned ,twice shy.They also both carry family baggage.
After dinner which he cooks they head off to his bedroom. Her virginity is no longer, but they have a broken condom moment hence the title.
From here on the story continues where she is indeed pregnant,finds her long lost 1/2 brother,becomes an heiress,goes to live on Greek Island with her brother and sil, reunites with the hero,have some very mild conflict,marries the hero, has twins prematurely ,and goes to Italy to live in old family castle,mild conflict over his disapproving grandparents,then finally HEA!
Somewhere in this story is a 3 legged little doggie with a purple bow on its head who likes to take a nip out of unsuspecting men..too cute.
As always with LG,very good epilogue into the future with family and any assorted pets.
Looking forward to the next story in this trilogy about the 3rd sibling.
This is Gio and Leah's story.The half brother Ari makes a guest appearance along with his wife.
To sum up.....
The couple meets when the heroine is caught skinny dipping in the hero's pool where she went to take a dip to cool off after she was partway done cleaning his manse in coastal Norfolk.The hero does not tell her he is the owner,she assumes he is an employee.Later on she finds out he is in fact the owner.
Needless to say,an attraction forms and he asks her to spend the night.She agrees and informs him it will be an ONS .Leah has been burned before by her user ex boyfriend and once burned,twice shy.Gio has also been burned before by his exwife who took him to the cleaners as a young 21 year old so he too is once burned ,twice shy.They also both carry family baggage.
After dinner which he cooks they head off to his bedroom. Her virginity is no longer, but they have a broken condom moment hence the title.
From here on the story continues where she is indeed pregnant,finds her long lost 1/2 brother,becomes an heiress,goes to live on Greek Island with her brother and sil, reunites with the hero,have some very mild conflict,marries the hero, has twins prematurely ,and goes to Italy to live in old family castle,mild conflict over his disapproving grandparents,then finally HEA!
Somewhere in this story is a 3 legged little doggie with a purple bow on its head who likes to take a nip out of unsuspecting men..too cute.
As always with LG,very good epilogue into the future with family and any assorted pets.
Looking forward to the next story in this trilogy about the 3rd sibling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2022
3.5 stars. This book was good overall, but the heroine REALLY irritated me after a while. She was so touchy and every little thing made her mad. I did like that she had a backbone and wasn’t some weak-willed, too-horny-to-think woman.
The heroine is hired to clean the hero’s house because he’s coming for a visit and his regular housekeeper is injured. The hero finds the heroine in his home, swimming naked in his pool. He thinks to confront her, but the heroine cuts him off. She asks who he is, saying he can’t be the owner of the house since that man looks different based on a picture she saw. He goes along with her mistake, pretending to be employed by the owner of the house, and they end up having a ONS. The next morning he confesses his true identity, and she gets irrationally angry and storms off, upset that he lied to her. He follows and gives her his contact info if she wants to contact him or “just in case” she ends up pregnant. Ofc, she does get pregnant, but she’s reluctant to get in contact with him. When she finally does reach out, he asks for a paternity test, and she acts like he’s just insulted her dead mother. The irrationality of this heroine was mind-boggling. He gives perfectly good reasoning for why he wants a paternity test - they hadn’t seen each other in months and he didn’t know who she had been seeing, or what she had been up to. Apparently, their one night spent together should have been enough for him to realize that she WOULD NEVER lie to him. 😂😂 Anyways, the story basically moves along in the same way until the end. The hero makes a small wrong move (the heroine finds issues in many minor things), heroine pushes the hero away, the hero tries again, and again, and again. Thankfully, there was a good ending and a HEA.
I still really did enjoy this book, but I did get so frustrated with the heroine’s naivety at times that I wanted to slap some sense into her.
Safe; heroine virgin, hero seemed to be a bit of a playboy, he was married & divorced in the past, no scenes with om/ow, no om/ow drama, heroine remained celibate during all of their separations but I don’t remember ever seeing it confirmed that he remained celibate. There was no mention either way, unless I missed something.
The heroine is hired to clean the hero’s house because he’s coming for a visit and his regular housekeeper is injured. The hero finds the heroine in his home, swimming naked in his pool. He thinks to confront her, but the heroine cuts him off. She asks who he is, saying he can’t be the owner of the house since that man looks different based on a picture she saw. He goes along with her mistake, pretending to be employed by the owner of the house, and they end up having a ONS. The next morning he confesses his true identity, and she gets irrationally angry and storms off, upset that he lied to her. He follows and gives her his contact info if she wants to contact him or “just in case” she ends up pregnant. Ofc, she does get pregnant, but she’s reluctant to get in contact with him. When she finally does reach out, he asks for a paternity test, and she acts like he’s just insulted her dead mother. The irrationality of this heroine was mind-boggling. He gives perfectly good reasoning for why he wants a paternity test - they hadn’t seen each other in months and he didn’t know who she had been seeing, or what she had been up to. Apparently, their one night spent together should have been enough for him to realize that she WOULD NEVER lie to him. 😂😂 Anyways, the story basically moves along in the same way until the end. The hero makes a small wrong move (the heroine finds issues in many minor things), heroine pushes the hero away, the hero tries again, and again, and again. Thankfully, there was a good ending and a HEA.
I still really did enjoy this book, but I did get so frustrated with the heroine’s naivety at times that I wanted to slap some sense into her.
Safe; heroine virgin, hero seemed to be a bit of a playboy, he was married & divorced in the past, no scenes with om/ow, no om/ow drama, heroine remained celibate during all of their separations but I don’t remember ever seeing it confirmed that he remained celibate. There was no mention either way, unless I missed something.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2023
Sweet Twin Pregnancy Romance
The heroine was very strong, but a little unreasonable too. She led the hero Leo on a merry chase. He never knew which way was up. Lol. She was similar to the heroine in the first story, where she tries to leave right after they made love the first time, and then she left him when she found out he lied about who he was, and then she disappeared for like five months while he looked for her. It was just a crazy chase. It did drag a little three quarters into the book. I was like hurry up, and then the book ends at like 90%. Seven years into the future and they are deliriously happy still and it was very cute. I loved Spike the little rescue dog too. I liked how Gio came to love him too. And they babies names were perfect. Luca and Aurora. I just thought it was very very cute. No OW drama really. At the beginning it showed him giving jewelry to his last hookup and she was cringe worthy. Plus he had been married before to a gold digger who had lied to him. But I think HR was dedicated to the heroine the whole time they were apart. It doesn't say but he was totally discombobulated about her. Kind of sweet. He did fight it though.
The heroine was very strong, but a little unreasonable too. She led the hero Leo on a merry chase. He never knew which way was up. Lol. She was similar to the heroine in the first story, where she tries to leave right after they made love the first time, and then she left him when she found out he lied about who he was, and then she disappeared for like five months while he looked for her. It was just a crazy chase. It did drag a little three quarters into the book. I was like hurry up, and then the book ends at like 90%. Seven years into the future and they are deliriously happy still and it was very cute. I loved Spike the little rescue dog too. I liked how Gio came to love him too. And they babies names were perfect. Luca and Aurora. I just thought it was very very cute. No OW drama really. At the beginning it showed him giving jewelry to his last hookup and she was cringe worthy. Plus he had been married before to a gold digger who had lied to him. But I think HR was dedicated to the heroine the whole time they were apart. It doesn't say but he was totally discombobulated about her. Kind of sweet. He did fight it though.
December 26, 2022
Wow. That was dull. I didn’t even care to read til the end. DNF @ 85% It gets an extra star since the writing was fine… the story, however, was a big ol’ Nothing Sandwich.
😴😴😴😴😴😴🥱
😴😴😴😴😴😴🥱
June 17, 2022
Reading a Mills and Boon after quite some time and what better to get back to them than a Lynne Graham, an all-time favourite.
Giovanni Zanetti, all of twenty-nine, has been swindled in matrimony once. Now he wishes for some peace and quiet by going to Shore House, his coastal home in the UK. Leah Ramsay, twenty-two, happens to be the temporary caretaker of Shore House and is introduced to Gio, who hides his identity from her, being tired of women who seem to be only after him for his money.
The highlight of the story was Spike, a three-legged Yorkshire terrier. As well as Leah herself, who is not a simpering female and knows when to resist. Especially one who calls the gazillionaire a jealous toad to his face. Leah and Gio have a one-night stand and boom, you know what immediately follows. Yep, I love stories about pregnancy where it is revealed earlier in the story (by taking a twenty-week leap though) and this one was exactly that.
Leah has a lost twin brother and a kid sister, and a half-brother in Ari Stefanos, and seeing Gio and Ari bicker was the most entertaining thing ever. It was amusing to see two alpha males go head-to-head over simple things in life. Ha! Most problems in their relationship did seem to sprout because of the hero of the first book in this series.
The story is kept spicy with her ex making an appearance but what really made my heart all gooey was the straightforward discussions they had about their pasts, so understanding about/with each other. Dogs are very much a part of this family and only a few lines here and there were all to win me over. Sigh!
This was a beautiful story where relationships were handled maturely. It ended on a wonderful note, with a non-epilogue epilogue seven years down the lane.
Giovanni Zanetti, all of twenty-nine, has been swindled in matrimony once. Now he wishes for some peace and quiet by going to Shore House, his coastal home in the UK. Leah Ramsay, twenty-two, happens to be the temporary caretaker of Shore House and is introduced to Gio, who hides his identity from her, being tired of women who seem to be only after him for his money.
The highlight of the story was Spike, a three-legged Yorkshire terrier. As well as Leah herself, who is not a simpering female and knows when to resist. Especially one who calls the gazillionaire a jealous toad to his face. Leah and Gio have a one-night stand and boom, you know what immediately follows. Yep, I love stories about pregnancy where it is revealed earlier in the story (by taking a twenty-week leap though) and this one was exactly that.
Leah has a lost twin brother and a kid sister, and a half-brother in Ari Stefanos, and seeing Gio and Ari bicker was the most entertaining thing ever. It was amusing to see two alpha males go head-to-head over simple things in life. Ha! Most problems in their relationship did seem to sprout because of the hero of the first book in this series.
The story is kept spicy with her ex making an appearance but what really made my heart all gooey was the straightforward discussions they had about their pasts, so understanding about/with each other. Dogs are very much a part of this family and only a few lines here and there were all to win me over. Sigh!
This was a beautiful story where relationships were handled maturely. It ended on a wonderful note, with a non-epilogue epilogue seven years down the lane.
July 16, 2022
Great book! I absolutely loved this heroine, Effie, and her strength was something you don't often see in HP heroines. Add in the requisite tortured hero, Achileas, and you get an explosive chemistry. The book is filled with equal parts of sensual and sweet moments, set amongst a beautiful backdrop of exotic places.
May 9, 2023
The heroine was very strong, but a little unreasonable too. She led the hero Leo on a merry chase. He never knew which way was up. Lol. She was similar to the heroine in the first story, where she tries to leave right after they made love the first time, and then she left him when she found out he lied about who he was, and then she disappeared for like five months while he looked for her. It was just a crazy chase. It did drag a little three quarters into the book. I was like hurry up, and then the book ends at like 90%. Seven years into the future and they are deliriously happy still and it was very cute. I loved Spike the little rescue dog too. I liked how Gio came to love him too. And they babies names were perfect. Luca and Aurora. I just thought it was very very cute. No OW drama really. At the beginning it showed him giving jewelry to his last hookup and she was cringe worthy. Plus he had been married before to a gold digger who had lied to him. But I think HR was dedicated to the heroine the whole time they were apart. It doesn't say but he was totally discombobulated about her. Kind of sweet. He did fight it though.
July 18, 2022
Perfect safe read
September 4, 2022
These characters were like copy and paste versions of the MCs in the first book. This book was slow and boring.... sigh.
July 15, 2023
A “fling to forever,” accidental pregnancy romance
When, during Leah’s early childhood, her single mother died, she and her twin brother and younger sister were split up and parceled out to different foster homes. Fortunately for Leah, she ended up in an excellent placement with a very kind woman. Because of the staunch emotional support she enjoyed, intelligent, independent Leah made it all the way through college, obtaining a business degree. Immediately after graduation, she was hired at a prestigious law firm in London and her working career was off to a flying start. But only a few months later, her prospects were torpedoed, because the romantic relationship she had formed with a coworker named Oliver abruptly ended when he cheated on her and dumped her. Suffering from crushed pride as much or more than heartbreak, Leah fled back to the small town where her foster mother lives to lick her wounds. At the start of this story, Leah has been holed up in the country for over a year, working far beneath her educational expertise in local, poorly paid, unskilled jobs. One such job arises when her foster mother’s good friend, who is housekeeper for a sprawling mansion owned by a mysterious man the locals have nicknamed, “the gazillionaire,” has injured her ankle and is unable to meet his demand to stock the mansion and clean it from top to bottom before his arrival within the next three days for a brief stay. Leah agrees to act as a temporary housekeeper, both as a favor to her foster mother’s friend, and because the gazillionaire is offering a huge amount of cash for any willing temporary housekeeper, and Leah could definitely use the money.
Cleaning the mansion proves to be a daunting project for Leah, who has never held a cleaning job before. After a long, grueling day of dusting and vacuuming, Leah is hot and exhausted. Believing that the owner will not arrive for two more days, the temptation is irresistible for Leah to take a quick dip in the invitingly cool, Olympic-sized indoor pool. There are plenty of big, fluffy towels available for Leah to borrow one, but she momentarily hesitates due to her lack of a bathing suit. Ultimately, though, because there is no one around to see her, she feels no qualms about going skinny dipping for the first time in her life.
Giovanni (“Gio”) Zanetti is a 29-year-old, tech billionaire who has been so anticipating a relaxing sojourn at one of his favorite estates, he has pushed forward his projected arrival date by two days. As he enters the spa area of his mansion, he is shocked to discover a voluptuous, naked woman in his pool. When she identifies herself as Leah, the temporary housekeeper he had been informed would be working for him, he is entranced both with her beauty and her sprightly personality. There is nothing of the siren in her attitude as she clings to the side of the pool, the nakedness he only briefly glimpsed hidden from view, as her body remains underwater and out of sight. In fact, her straightforward speech and unaffected attitude are refreshing to him, as someone who is constantly exposed to rapacious women who are blatantly eager to hook up with him, as a very wealthy man. On a whim, when it is obvious to him that lovely Leah has no idea who he is and has assumed he is merely an employee like her and not her boss, Gio decides to, just for today, be no one in particular, merely an ordinary man, with this intriguing woman he has just met, who is only briefly passing through his busy life. As a further, spur-of-the-moment impulse, Gio invites Leah to share dinner with him, which he cooks for her himself. He continues to be delighted with Leah’s company, and when he invites her to stay the night, he is elated when she agrees.
Though 22-year-old Leah is more attracted to Gio than any man ever before, including Oliver, up until this moment she has been determined to not surrender her virginity until she is in a committed relationship. But all of a sudden, Leah decides to throw caution to the wind. She informs Gio of her complete lack of serious intentions right up front. This will be nothing more than a one-night stand. As a freewheeling divorced man who has no intentions of marrying ever again, this is music to Gio’s ears. Unfortunately for both of their footloose intentions, however, during their wildly passionate sexual interlude, the condom breaks, and Leah is not on the pill. Nor does she consider the option of taking a morning-after pill (something no HP heroine would ever do, which would eliminate the ubiquitous HP accidental-pregnancy and secret-baby plots). When, the following morning, Gio offers his business card to Leah to enable her to contact him in case she becomes pregnant, she discovers, to her dismay, that her temporary lover is not some nice guy on her own socioeconomic level, but the gazillionaire himself! Due to the fact that her previous relationship ended because of a horrendous deception on the part of awful Oliver, Leah massively overreacts to Gio’s comparatively minor deception, for which he had no malign intent. She throws a huge fit, rather redundantly declares she never wants anything to do with her one-and-done fling, Gio, ever again, and stomps out the door. Though Gio is greatly attracted to Leah, strongly desiring to have far more of a connection to her than one night of unbridled ecstasy, he is just as prideful as she is, and he makes no effort to pursue her and try to change her mind. In fact, if Leah did not end up getting pregnant (as LG heroines virtually always do), it seems clear from their mutual pig-headedness, that neither one of them would have ever reached out to each other again.
This novel is the second in a trilogy called, The Stefanos Legacy. Each book stars a Stefanos sibling. In book 1, Promoted to the Greek's Wife, Ari Stefanos discovers, after his father’s death, that he has three half siblings from his father’s longtime, covert, extra-marital affair. Ari is determined to locate each of his siblings. In the process, he learns that one of them, a young man of 22, is a recently deceased addict, who had a child with another addict, who is also dead. In that story, Ari adopts his baby niece. In this novel, Ari tracks down Leah, informs her of the fate of her twin and introduces her to his wife and their mutual niece.
This novel is unusual for HP in general, and LG in specific, in that it is the heroine, not the hero, who treats her romantic counterpart as a disposable fling. In addition, as a bit of interesting LG trivia, Leah is one of the very few LG heroines who has brown hair, rather than blonde or red hair. Gio is also the tallest hero LG has ever offered. Her heroes are never less than 6’1”, and usually always 6’3” or 6’4”, but Gio is a gigantic 6’5”. Almost all of LG’s heroines are around 5’, so Leah is a bit taller than the LG average, at 5’5”. The one thing that is consistent, though, in virtually every LG novel (and almost all HP novels in general) is that Leah is a virgin who gets pregnant the very first time she has sex with the hero. And, as a large percentage of LG heroines are, Leah is pregnant with twins. One other consistent theme in LG novels, that I personally enjoy, is that her heroines almost always have a rescue dog (sometimes more than one), and they are almost always a terrier blend. In the case of Leah’s dog, he is a tiny, ancient, three-legged, toothless, Yorkshire terrier.
Overall, this is a solidly entertaining, LG, contemporary, billionaire romance. It is an interesting switch-up that the heroine is the one who takes the lead in this “fling to forever” plot but, personally, I’m not a fan of that popular romance-genre trope, whether the hero or the heroine instigates the meaningless sex that kicks off their relationship. I do enjoy the theme of newly discovered half-siblings that this series offers, which is an intriguing type of series that LG has successfully written multiple times over the years. One thing that wasn’t ideal for my particular taste in this novel is the fact that Leah and Gio spend a great deal of the book apart due to the fact that, as Leah only admits to herself toward the very end of the book, she spends all her time with Gio shutting him down and cutting him out of her life, because she refuses to ever give him the benefit of the doubt. For that reason, most of the story exists as an extended Dark Period, in which all seems lost between them. Making up for all the separation and angst between the unlucky lovers, however, is an excellent, extended epilogue, set seven years in the future, which convincingly portrays an HEA for this beleaguered couple.
I rate this novel as follows:
Heroine: 3.5 stars
Hero: 3.5 stars
Romance Plot: 3 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars
When, during Leah’s early childhood, her single mother died, she and her twin brother and younger sister were split up and parceled out to different foster homes. Fortunately for Leah, she ended up in an excellent placement with a very kind woman. Because of the staunch emotional support she enjoyed, intelligent, independent Leah made it all the way through college, obtaining a business degree. Immediately after graduation, she was hired at a prestigious law firm in London and her working career was off to a flying start. But only a few months later, her prospects were torpedoed, because the romantic relationship she had formed with a coworker named Oliver abruptly ended when he cheated on her and dumped her. Suffering from crushed pride as much or more than heartbreak, Leah fled back to the small town where her foster mother lives to lick her wounds. At the start of this story, Leah has been holed up in the country for over a year, working far beneath her educational expertise in local, poorly paid, unskilled jobs. One such job arises when her foster mother’s good friend, who is housekeeper for a sprawling mansion owned by a mysterious man the locals have nicknamed, “the gazillionaire,” has injured her ankle and is unable to meet his demand to stock the mansion and clean it from top to bottom before his arrival within the next three days for a brief stay. Leah agrees to act as a temporary housekeeper, both as a favor to her foster mother’s friend, and because the gazillionaire is offering a huge amount of cash for any willing temporary housekeeper, and Leah could definitely use the money.
Cleaning the mansion proves to be a daunting project for Leah, who has never held a cleaning job before. After a long, grueling day of dusting and vacuuming, Leah is hot and exhausted. Believing that the owner will not arrive for two more days, the temptation is irresistible for Leah to take a quick dip in the invitingly cool, Olympic-sized indoor pool. There are plenty of big, fluffy towels available for Leah to borrow one, but she momentarily hesitates due to her lack of a bathing suit. Ultimately, though, because there is no one around to see her, she feels no qualms about going skinny dipping for the first time in her life.
Giovanni (“Gio”) Zanetti is a 29-year-old, tech billionaire who has been so anticipating a relaxing sojourn at one of his favorite estates, he has pushed forward his projected arrival date by two days. As he enters the spa area of his mansion, he is shocked to discover a voluptuous, naked woman in his pool. When she identifies herself as Leah, the temporary housekeeper he had been informed would be working for him, he is entranced both with her beauty and her sprightly personality. There is nothing of the siren in her attitude as she clings to the side of the pool, the nakedness he only briefly glimpsed hidden from view, as her body remains underwater and out of sight. In fact, her straightforward speech and unaffected attitude are refreshing to him, as someone who is constantly exposed to rapacious women who are blatantly eager to hook up with him, as a very wealthy man. On a whim, when it is obvious to him that lovely Leah has no idea who he is and has assumed he is merely an employee like her and not her boss, Gio decides to, just for today, be no one in particular, merely an ordinary man, with this intriguing woman he has just met, who is only briefly passing through his busy life. As a further, spur-of-the-moment impulse, Gio invites Leah to share dinner with him, which he cooks for her himself. He continues to be delighted with Leah’s company, and when he invites her to stay the night, he is elated when she agrees.
Though 22-year-old Leah is more attracted to Gio than any man ever before, including Oliver, up until this moment she has been determined to not surrender her virginity until she is in a committed relationship. But all of a sudden, Leah decides to throw caution to the wind. She informs Gio of her complete lack of serious intentions right up front. This will be nothing more than a one-night stand. As a freewheeling divorced man who has no intentions of marrying ever again, this is music to Gio’s ears. Unfortunately for both of their footloose intentions, however, during their wildly passionate sexual interlude, the condom breaks, and Leah is not on the pill. Nor does she consider the option of taking a morning-after pill (something no HP heroine would ever do, which would eliminate the ubiquitous HP accidental-pregnancy and secret-baby plots). When, the following morning, Gio offers his business card to Leah to enable her to contact him in case she becomes pregnant, she discovers, to her dismay, that her temporary lover is not some nice guy on her own socioeconomic level, but the gazillionaire himself! Due to the fact that her previous relationship ended because of a horrendous deception on the part of awful Oliver, Leah massively overreacts to Gio’s comparatively minor deception, for which he had no malign intent. She throws a huge fit, rather redundantly declares she never wants anything to do with her one-and-done fling, Gio, ever again, and stomps out the door. Though Gio is greatly attracted to Leah, strongly desiring to have far more of a connection to her than one night of unbridled ecstasy, he is just as prideful as she is, and he makes no effort to pursue her and try to change her mind. In fact, if Leah did not end up getting pregnant (as LG heroines virtually always do), it seems clear from their mutual pig-headedness, that neither one of them would have ever reached out to each other again.
This novel is the second in a trilogy called, The Stefanos Legacy. Each book stars a Stefanos sibling. In book 1, Promoted to the Greek's Wife, Ari Stefanos discovers, after his father’s death, that he has three half siblings from his father’s longtime, covert, extra-marital affair. Ari is determined to locate each of his siblings. In the process, he learns that one of them, a young man of 22, is a recently deceased addict, who had a child with another addict, who is also dead. In that story, Ari adopts his baby niece. In this novel, Ari tracks down Leah, informs her of the fate of her twin and introduces her to his wife and their mutual niece.
This novel is unusual for HP in general, and LG in specific, in that it is the heroine, not the hero, who treats her romantic counterpart as a disposable fling. In addition, as a bit of interesting LG trivia, Leah is one of the very few LG heroines who has brown hair, rather than blonde or red hair. Gio is also the tallest hero LG has ever offered. Her heroes are never less than 6’1”, and usually always 6’3” or 6’4”, but Gio is a gigantic 6’5”. Almost all of LG’s heroines are around 5’, so Leah is a bit taller than the LG average, at 5’5”. The one thing that is consistent, though, in virtually every LG novel (and almost all HP novels in general) is that Leah is a virgin who gets pregnant the very first time she has sex with the hero. And, as a large percentage of LG heroines are, Leah is pregnant with twins. One other consistent theme in LG novels, that I personally enjoy, is that her heroines almost always have a rescue dog (sometimes more than one), and they are almost always a terrier blend. In the case of Leah’s dog, he is a tiny, ancient, three-legged, toothless, Yorkshire terrier.
Overall, this is a solidly entertaining, LG, contemporary, billionaire romance. It is an interesting switch-up that the heroine is the one who takes the lead in this “fling to forever” plot but, personally, I’m not a fan of that popular romance-genre trope, whether the hero or the heroine instigates the meaningless sex that kicks off their relationship. I do enjoy the theme of newly discovered half-siblings that this series offers, which is an intriguing type of series that LG has successfully written multiple times over the years. One thing that wasn’t ideal for my particular taste in this novel is the fact that Leah and Gio spend a great deal of the book apart due to the fact that, as Leah only admits to herself toward the very end of the book, she spends all her time with Gio shutting him down and cutting him out of her life, because she refuses to ever give him the benefit of the doubt. For that reason, most of the story exists as an extended Dark Period, in which all seems lost between them. Making up for all the separation and angst between the unlucky lovers, however, is an excellent, extended epilogue, set seven years in the future, which convincingly portrays an HEA for this beleaguered couple.
I rate this novel as follows:
Heroine: 3.5 stars
Hero: 3.5 stars
Romance Plot: 3 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars
January 10, 2023
H misleads h into believing he’s an employee rather than the billionaire. He ends up smexing her up. She’s emotionally unavailable so she insists on ONS. She leaves big mad at his deception.
He’s mad she never contacted him again. He assumed she was overreacting or would “come to her senses”. When she reaches out 5 months it’s to reveal she’s pregnant. He questions paternity and then proceeds to fuck up with h every time he’s given an opportunity. It takes him a stupid amount of time to get it together.
The angsty amps up at the end and it was over the top and unnecessary. It would have been much more appealing without all that.
He’s mad she never contacted him again. He assumed she was overreacting or would “come to her senses”. When she reaches out 5 months it’s to reveal she’s pregnant. He questions paternity and then proceeds to fuck up with h every time he’s given an opportunity. It takes him a stupid amount of time to get it together.
The angsty amps up at the end and it was over the top and unnecessary. It would have been much more appealing without all that.
January 30, 2023
cute book! fun read, loved the Hero and heroine!
i liked that the heroine wasn’t a pushover and stood her ground. the Hero made some small mistakes and evolved and learned through out the book, he fought to have her in his life and you could tell he cared for her. both had been hurt before, which caused them both to be quite guarded and careful. very sweet light story, not too sad.
i liked that the heroine wasn’t a pushover and stood her ground. the Hero made some small mistakes and evolved and learned through out the book, he fought to have her in his life and you could tell he cared for her. both had been hurt before, which caused them both to be quite guarded and careful. very sweet light story, not too sad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2022
Another great book
This is the 2nd book in the series and it didn’t disappoint. The h and H when she went to clean his house, she didn’t know who he was and he didn’t reveal his identity. They had a one night stand which resulted in a pregnancy. The h was spunky, she didn’t chase or beg the H, in fact she would walk away from him. She didn’t allow him to steamroll over her. Both had childhood issues but they were able to find their way to each other. Good ending. Looking forward to the next book.
This is the 2nd book in the series and it didn’t disappoint. The h and H when she went to clean his house, she didn’t know who he was and he didn’t reveal his identity. They had a one night stand which resulted in a pregnancy. The h was spunky, she didn’t chase or beg the H, in fact she would walk away from him. She didn’t allow him to steamroll over her. Both had childhood issues but they were able to find their way to each other. Good ending. Looking forward to the next book.
July 28, 2025
Predictable book, they always are. She's not really technically his housekeeper, either. She was filling in for someone for the extra money. I wouldn't have done what Leah did at the beginning, so I guess I never would have been put in her situation. Taking liberties in the house you're cleaning is a bit much. I mean, come on! There's GOT to be cameras, right??? I understand Gios reasons for not telling her who he was right away, but I feel it should have been sooner rather than later.
January 12, 2026
boring accidental pregnancy
This FMC is honestly nuts. Who goes naked swimming in someone’s house when they’re supposed to be cleaning it?
Anyways, they’re not together for like 90% of the pregnancy, we jump from the ONS to 4 months later, then basically to the birth. Needlessly convoluted with family drama (SO much family drama).
This FMC is honestly nuts. Who goes naked swimming in someone’s house when they’re supposed to be cleaning it?
Anyways, they’re not together for like 90% of the pregnancy, we jump from the ONS to 4 months later, then basically to the birth. Needlessly convoluted with family drama (SO much family drama).
June 30, 2022
An uplifting romance novel
I thoroughly enjoyed Geo's and Leah romance. I loved the difference in their story, and all the ups and down in their lives. I also loved that its connected with other books. I would recommend this book to friends and families.
I thoroughly enjoyed Geo's and Leah romance. I loved the difference in their story, and all the ups and down in their lives. I also loved that its connected with other books. I would recommend this book to friends and families.
September 29, 2022
Fast paced easy on the heart read
Leah was a little hard on Gio but I get her mistrust in men. Gio always seemed to say or do the wrong thing and he never had to work so hard for a women. I gave the book a 5 star because the author wrote a awesome up my alley epilogue.
Leah was a little hard on Gio but I get her mistrust in men. Gio always seemed to say or do the wrong thing and he never had to work so hard for a women. I gave the book a 5 star because the author wrote a awesome up my alley epilogue.
October 21, 2023
3.5 stars... was a nice story but for me, not enough push and pull. The writing and atmosphere was great so I must not have been in the mood. I salivate over angsty, brooding males and innocent virgins with a character that yearns to fight for herself and this one just fell into a satisfactory fee.
June 1, 2022
Must read
I loved this book one you can't put down from start to finish ,I highly recommend this book worth the money
I loved this book one you can't put down from start to finish ,I highly recommend this book worth the money
August 4, 2022
Forced
All of it is forced and feels about as romantic as an episode of Housewives of New Jersey. It's LG's worst.
All of it is forced and feels about as romantic as an episode of Housewives of New Jersey. It's LG's worst.
September 20, 2022
I love this author’s books. Her prose flows effortlessly and her characters are well developed and engage my interest. Very emotional and satisfying.
March 1, 2023
Aanzoek van de Griekse magnaat~NL
April 27, 2023
Page turner
Story line was great! Loved the chemistry these two had together. The fight the leading lady put up against the gazillionaire was entertaining!!!
Story line was great! Loved the chemistry these two had together. The fight the leading lady put up against the gazillionaire was entertaining!!!
March 17, 2024
Formulaic and boring.
The blurb here and some reviews do not match the book “The Heirs His Housekeeper Carried” by Lynne Graham that I downloaded from the Harlequin website.
The blurb here and some reviews do not match the book “The Heirs His Housekeeper Carried” by Lynne Graham that I downloaded from the Harlequin website.
November 24, 2025
My review:
I really enjoyed this romance, but there was something that pissed me off, which was the neice situation.
So, Leah, who grew up in foster care, was trying for years to get back in touch with her biological siblings, who she was separated from when their mother died. During the book, she learns from a solicitor that her twin brother had died a few years before from an overdose, but she also learns that she has a biological half-brother named Ari. It turned out they share the same father, with Leah and her siblings being from an affair, and Ari being the son of the man's wife.
Leah goes to Ari's house to meet him and his wife, and during this meeting, they introduce her to Lucy, their adopted daughter. And then, they say that the little girl is the daughter of Leah's twin brother and his girlfriend, who had also died. Ari and his wife adopted Lucy a few months before.
I read that, and went what the actual fuck?
If that was me, and I found out that I had a half-sibling out there, and then when I met them, found out that they had behind my back adopted one of my sister's children, I would be fucking fuming. Like, I would lose my absolute shit. What kind of bullshit next-of-kin is that? Like, I'm right there, existing, the sister who actually grew up with the parent of that child (and Leah did grow up with her twin brother until they were around ten years old), but then I find out their child went to a rando who they never even fucking met? Oh my god would I lose my shit.
And Lucy was already calling Ari and his wife dad and mum, and his wife and Leah started smiling and crying as if that isn't some of the most stole-your-child bullshit ever. The only way this works in my mind is if Leah had been asked first if she wanted to adopt Lucy. And only if she had said no, Ari and his wife could have gotten the option. You don't just get to adopt a child behind someone's back, come in hot with a "mummy" and "daddy", and then smile like one big family as if you haven't just stolen that child from the closest family they have. Literally the father's twin. It meant that regardless of how Leah felt about it, she kind of had no choice but to smile and act happy, because what else was she going to do? Sue the billionaire couple? Retraumatise the poor girl by once again separating her from her parental figures?
When Ari said that he'd had Leah investigated, that he already knew she was pregnant, and then insisted she live with him on his island, I was like girl run. He wants to steal your baby.
Safety Stats
Leah
Virgin - yes
Gio
Playboy - yes
Sex scene with OW - no
Cheating - no
OW drama - no
Overall, Safe.
I really enjoyed this romance, but there was something that pissed me off, which was the neice situation.
So, Leah, who grew up in foster care, was trying for years to get back in touch with her biological siblings, who she was separated from when their mother died. During the book, she learns from a solicitor that her twin brother had died a few years before from an overdose, but she also learns that she has a biological half-brother named Ari. It turned out they share the same father, with Leah and her siblings being from an affair, and Ari being the son of the man's wife.
Leah goes to Ari's house to meet him and his wife, and during this meeting, they introduce her to Lucy, their adopted daughter. And then, they say that the little girl is the daughter of Leah's twin brother and his girlfriend, who had also died. Ari and his wife adopted Lucy a few months before.
I read that, and went what the actual fuck?
If that was me, and I found out that I had a half-sibling out there, and then when I met them, found out that they had behind my back adopted one of my sister's children, I would be fucking fuming. Like, I would lose my absolute shit. What kind of bullshit next-of-kin is that? Like, I'm right there, existing, the sister who actually grew up with the parent of that child (and Leah did grow up with her twin brother until they were around ten years old), but then I find out their child went to a rando who they never even fucking met? Oh my god would I lose my shit.
And Lucy was already calling Ari and his wife dad and mum, and his wife and Leah started smiling and crying as if that isn't some of the most stole-your-child bullshit ever. The only way this works in my mind is if Leah had been asked first if she wanted to adopt Lucy. And only if she had said no, Ari and his wife could have gotten the option. You don't just get to adopt a child behind someone's back, come in hot with a "mummy" and "daddy", and then smile like one big family as if you haven't just stolen that child from the closest family they have. Literally the father's twin. It meant that regardless of how Leah felt about it, she kind of had no choice but to smile and act happy, because what else was she going to do? Sue the billionaire couple? Retraumatise the poor girl by once again separating her from her parental figures?
When Ari said that he'd had Leah investigated, that he already knew she was pregnant, and then insisted she live with him on his island, I was like girl run. He wants to steal your baby.
Safety Stats
Leah
Virgin - yes
Gio
Playboy - yes
Sex scene with OW - no
Cheating - no
OW drama - no
Overall, Safe.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews