The Heir Dilemma

by Abby Green

An enemies to lovers, amnesia, second chance, billionaire romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Abby Green.

Reclaiming her son…
means facing their enduring passion!

Leaving her newborn baby with his father, Quintano Holt, broke Sadie Ryan. Except to protect them from her terrifyingly dark past, she was forced to leave. Now the danger has finally passed, she’ll do anything to get her son back. Including confront the Brazilian billionaire primed to hate her…

Seeing Sadie again in New York rocks Quintano. He vowed he’d ruthlessly guard his heir from any more pain and betrayal. But can he really deny his child a relationship with Sadie? Even when it means acknowledging the wildfire between them still rages…

From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

Read all the Brazilian Billionaire Brothers books:

Book 1: The Heir Dilemma
Book 2: On His Bride's Terms

Genres: Harlequin Presents

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2024

About the author

Abby Green spent her teens reading Mills & Boon romances. She then spent many years working in the Film and TV industry as an Assistant Director. One day while standing outside an actor's trailer in the rain, she thought: "there has to be more than this". So she sent off a partial to Mills & Boon. After numerous rewrites, they accepted her first book and an author was born.
She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here www.abby-green.com

Reviews

[Susan in Perthshire]

This was very mixed for me. I love this author’s books. Some of my favourite re-reads are hers so I am always pleased to read a new book from AG. The premise sounded good but I have mixed feelings about the execution.

The heroine, Sadie had angst piled upon pain and horror. A failed adoption, a life in foster care, witness to a brutal gangland murder (how likely is that?), into witness protection - then she encounters Quin and is keeping her distance as she daren’t get involved. Then she loses her memory so goes ahead, gets involved and they get Pregna at. And then….. her memory comes back and she is so scared of risking Sol and Quin’s lives that she runs away….. and then…. 4 years later, all,is now safe so she reconnects.

I was exhausted and became even more so as Quin refuses to allow her back into his heart because he doesn’t trust her. This went on until almost the last few pages of the book and the pain that poor Sadie went through was just awful.

It is really well written (as you’d expect) but I didn’t like the story. 4 years was too long and I would have been much happier if it had been two or less.

Never mind. I look forward to her next one.

[st23]

I recently finished Abby Green's latest romance, The Heir Dilemma, and while I was drawn into Quin and Sadie's love story and the way it spanned the years, I have some mixed feelings. I really enjoyed the core romance and felt their connection was palpable, but I was incredibly frustrated with Quin's behaviour.
Despite his obvious love for Sadie, his pain and desperation manifested in coldness and even cruelty towards her after they reunite. His inability to simply believe Sadie's explanation for leaving him and their newborn son four years ago—an explanation he only accepted after having it verified by an investigator—really bothered me. I honestly felt like he needed a wake-up call. He was treating Sadie, the one who had truly suffered during their time apart, terribly. She was forced into an impossible situation, making a heartbreaking choice to protect them both.
I was particularly annoyed by how much Sadie kept apologising and by Quin’s unreasonable behaviour, such as making her clean his house and delaying telling their son that she was his mother. Even after learning about the life-threatening situation that forced her hand, she readily forgave Quin for things he hadn’t disclosed when they first met, while continuing to apologise for the actions she was forced to take. It is only in the last chapter that she says that she cannot continue to apologise for the past. Really enough is enough!
There's one scene in The Heir Dilemma (Chapter Seven) that really rankles me. After Sadie had been cleaning his bathrooms and floors, Quin suddenly asks her to go out to lunch. He doesn't give her a chance to change or even freshen up, and then he takes her to a high-end restaurant! I was fuming. His callous disregard for her feelings is on full display here. He actually had the audacity to ask her what was wrong!" This emphasises his insensitivity. Her response was perfect: "What do you think? I’m completely out of place here. I can’t believe they even let me in. If your intention was to humiliate me, then it’s worked beautifully.” He at least had the decency to look guilty, but that didn't make it any better. What made me even more furious was that he then promised her it wasn't his intention to embarrass her, and, of course, she forgave him. Again! I honestly wanted to slap him myself. Seriously, she's just too sweet and forgiving. It feels unrealistic. He needed some fire from her, some real anger to understand the four years of grief, loss and pain she had endured. He was pathetic, it was all about him! That scene just perfectly encapsulates everything that frustrated me about this book.
While I understand that fidelity might not be a primary concern for all readers, it was extremely important to me that both Quin and Sadie remained faithful during their separation. I feel that infidelity would have cheapened their love story and diminished its emotional resonance.
However, even though I was ultimately happy that they reunited, I felt like Sadie forgave Quin far too easily and apologised way too much, especially considering everything she had gone through. This imbalance in forgiveness took away from my overall enjoyment, and because of it, I am rating this a 3.5 stars from what would have been a five-star rating. While the love between Quin and Sadie is definitely compelling, Quin's unforgiving nature and Sadie's constant apologies really detracted from the story for me.
Despite my frustrations with certain aspects of the story, I remain a fan of Abby Green's work and appreciate receiving a free copy of The Heir Dilemma through Booksprout. I want to reiterate that this review is entirely my own and was not influenced in any way.

[Julie]

The Heir Dilemma is a sensuous, emotional and intense contemporary romance from Harlequin Presents superstar Abby Green.

It had broken Sadie Ryan's heart to leave her beloved baby with his father. billionaire Brazilian, Quintano Holt. Having had no other choice and desperate to protect her baby, Sadie had had no other option to safeguard her son. But now that the danger has passed, Sadie wants her child back and nobody is going to get in her way - not even Quintano!

Rocked by Sadie's reappearance back in New York, Quintano vows to keep her at arm's length, but keeping his distance from her proves far easier said than done. As passions ignite and never forgotten feelings resurface with a vengeance, giving into temptation quickly proves inevitable. But will Quintano let Sadie penetrate the barriers he had built around himself? Or is his heart strictly off-limits?

Abby Green never disappoints and The Heir Dilemma is a sexy, passionate and dramatic contemporary romance I just devoured. With a gorgeous Alpha hero, a fantastic heroine and a love story that will hold readers in thrall, The Heir Dilemma is another winner by Abby Green.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amber Leigh Williams]

Quin and Sadie have a very complex backstory. They fell in love while she was recovering from amnesia following a surfing accident, she became pregnant, they married and then she chose to disappear. Four years later, she's back in Quin's life, hoping to be reunited with their son, Sol. This was a dicey premise and I initially worried that it would stretch believability. However, Abby Green handles every aspect with supreme delicacy. Quin's pain and abandonment issues are completely justified and Sadie's absence from Quin and Sol's lives is handled with care and understanding. I found this to be a compassionate rendering of a highly emotional love story, and the red hot chemistry between Sadie and Quin scorches the pages and keeps them turning.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[PurpleLadi]

The Heir Dilemma, by Abby Green is a second chance romance about two emotionally broken people, Sadie and Quinn, who miraculously found each other only to be ripped apart. Skip ahead four years and Quinn is face to face with his missing Sadie. Needless to say, Quinn was furious that she disappeared, four years ago leaving him and their baby behind. How dare she return, after the success of his tech company, claiming she wants a second chance to be a mother to their son Sol. Nothing is ever as it seems on the surface, so Quinn doesn't trust Sadie's motives or that she won't disappear again. Will these two broken people find a way to mend their brokenness so they can rebuild their family?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jenn]

This book was tearjerker. The ML was less of a pain in the butt character and more in grips with his emotion enough to accept the fact that he did love the FML. The last bit dragged a bit too much for my liking. The FML was just never off her toes, she paid way too much for ML's mommy issues. The FML was a self sacrificing champion. The ML was hiding his story just for the sake of it and the FML never really got to be angry over that. Er go, too giving.

I liked the overall book. Abby Green does it well.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debdutch]

“The Heir Dilemma” by Abby Green

-A passionate second-chance romance filled with drama and deep emotions. Quinn and Sadie’s journey from heartbreak to healing is intense and gripping. Their chemistry, emotional depth, and devotion to their son make this story shine. A heartfelt epilogue wraps it up beautifully!

Abby Green is one of my all time favorite Harlequin authors.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Vicki Stephens]

The Heir Dilemma is the second chance romance between Quinn and Sadie which ended with her unexpectedly disappearing. This book has angst, strong emotions, misunderstanding, mistrust, and a slow path for the return to love.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jenny]

I loved this couple! both hero and heroine were so loving and kind! Hero was harsh at first but he had his reasons. Serious reasons. Both hero and heroine were celibate during their 4 years separation. Loved the epilogue it was funny and heartwarming!

[MJ]

A part of this story was a little too over the top (telenovela-esque) but I enjoyed the emotions both characters experienced reconciling their past especially Sadie.

[Sheryl]

Needed more groveling. The heroine suffered horribly and the hero was blind to her pain way, way too long. Once he finally knew why she did what she did, and believed her story, he decides to "get her out of his system" and then end things. I really wanted someone to whump him upside the head and point out how selfish he was being by being so unforgiving to a woman who loved him, and by denying their kid the possibility of two parents in the same home who loved the kid and each other.

The heroine consistently puts him and their child first, and the hero consistently sees her needs and the needs of their child as secondary to his own hurt feelings until almost the very end. I wanted to see him seriously grapple with this and reverse course -- not just to say he would. Epilogues don't count when the reader's seen the heroine suffer at the hero's hands this way. I wanted to see him change, not hear about it after the fact.