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The Mediterranean Billionaire's Secret Baby
Italian billionaire Francesco Mastroianni was captivated by Anna. But their passionate affair was cut short when Anna's father attempted to blackmail Francesco into marrying her.Seven months later, Francesco is shocked to see Anna again. She's struggling to make ends meet and she's visibly pregnant! If she's carrying the Mastroianni heir, that can mean only one course of action for marriage!
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2007
About the author
Diana Hamilton
317 books78 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Diana Hamilton was born in a English town. Wanting to be a country child, her imagination came into play at an early age, transforming a neighbor’s tree into a forest, a hole in a stone wall into a gingerbread house, a gas puddle into a fairyland, complete with mountains, lakes and flower meadows. She loathed housework but made to do her share, to lessen the boredom, she told herself stories, in a very loud voice, featuring princesses and flower gardens, discovering that telling herself stories was almost as good as reading them in a book.
She loathed school with an equal passion and got through it by pretending to be somewhere else. Even so she left grammar school with respectable grades... And was sent to art college when she wanted to study to be a vet. This was nowhere as bad as it had seemed because it was there, at age 18, she first saw Peter. He had returned from two years’ active service in Korea to resume his studies, and Diana immediately fell in love with him.
Gaining a degree in advertising copywriting, Diana worked as a copywriter and married Peter. They moved to a remote part of Wales after the birth of their second child, Paul, when their daughter, Rebecca, was three years old. There, Diana enjoyed pony trekking and walking in the mountains; and her third child, Andrew, was born. Itchy feet brought them back to England to the beautiful county of Shropshire four years later and they have been there ever since, gradually restoring the rambling Elizabethan manor that Diana gave her heart to on sight, creating a garden out of a wilderness of nettles, brambles and old bedsteads.
In the mid-'70s Diana took up her pen again to write stories to read to her three children at bedtime. These were never offered for publication but the bug had bitten. Over the next 10 years she combined writing over 30 novels, published by Robert Hale of London, with bringing up her children, gardening and cooking for the restaurant of a local inn—a wonderful excuse to avoid the dreaded housework! In 1987 Diana realized her dearest ambition—the publication of her first Mills & Boon romance, Song in a Strange Land. She had come home. And that feeling persists to this day as, around 30 Harlequin/Mills & Boon romantic novels late, she was still in love with the genre.
Sadly, Diana Hamilton passed away on May 3, 2009, at her home in Shropshire, surrounded by her family. She will be sorely missed by her fans and everyone at Mills & Boon/Harlequin
Diana Hamilton was born in a English town. Wanting to be a country child, her imagination came into play at an early age, transforming a neighbor’s tree into a forest, a hole in a stone wall into a gingerbread house, a gas puddle into a fairyland, complete with mountains, lakes and flower meadows. She loathed housework but made to do her share, to lessen the boredom, she told herself stories, in a very loud voice, featuring princesses and flower gardens, discovering that telling herself stories was almost as good as reading them in a book.
She loathed school with an equal passion and got through it by pretending to be somewhere else. Even so she left grammar school with respectable grades... And was sent to art college when she wanted to study to be a vet. This was nowhere as bad as it had seemed because it was there, at age 18, she first saw Peter. He had returned from two years’ active service in Korea to resume his studies, and Diana immediately fell in love with him.
Gaining a degree in advertising copywriting, Diana worked as a copywriter and married Peter. They moved to a remote part of Wales after the birth of their second child, Paul, when their daughter, Rebecca, was three years old. There, Diana enjoyed pony trekking and walking in the mountains; and her third child, Andrew, was born. Itchy feet brought them back to England to the beautiful county of Shropshire four years later and they have been there ever since, gradually restoring the rambling Elizabethan manor that Diana gave her heart to on sight, creating a garden out of a wilderness of nettles, brambles and old bedsteads.
In the mid-'70s Diana took up her pen again to write stories to read to her three children at bedtime. These were never offered for publication but the bug had bitten. Over the next 10 years she combined writing over 30 novels, published by Robert Hale of London, with bringing up her children, gardening and cooking for the restaurant of a local inn—a wonderful excuse to avoid the dreaded housework! In 1987 Diana realized her dearest ambition—the publication of her first Mills & Boon romance, Song in a Strange Land. She had come home. And that feeling persists to this day as, around 30 Harlequin/Mills & Boon romantic novels late, she was still in love with the genre.
Sadly, Diana Hamilton passed away on May 3, 2009, at her home in Shropshire, surrounded by her family. She will be sorely missed by her fans and everyone at Mills & Boon/Harlequin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 23, 2016
I hated this.
I hated the hero who was a monologuing asshat idiot that thinks all women are out to get him and just knows the heroine is on the long con. Yeah, bud, you run into her when she's seven months pregnant so she's just waiting to slam it to you. Not to mention the fact that he hides who he is when they meet, lolling around in ecstasy that he's finally loved for who he is. Let me wipe away a tear.
I hated the heroine who thinks she has a spine, but caves and lets him feel her up in the most degrading way so he can prove she still lusts after him. That's just one episode. How ROMANTIC! Hey, she may be a conniving gold digger, but at least she has the hots for him. Felled by the magic penis affect.
Stupid, stupid shallow parents that really don't care about the heroine and are just glad she got knocked up by a billionaire.
The only decent person in the book is the plot moppet baby, and he just lies there.
I hated the hero who was a monologuing asshat idiot that thinks all women are out to get him and just knows the heroine is on the long con. Yeah, bud, you run into her when she's seven months pregnant so she's just waiting to slam it to you. Not to mention the fact that he hides who he is when they meet, lolling around in ecstasy that he's finally loved for who he is. Let me wipe away a tear.
I hated the heroine who thinks she has a spine, but caves and lets him feel her up in the most degrading way so he can prove she still lusts after him. That's just one episode. How ROMANTIC! Hey, she may be a conniving gold digger, but at least she has the hots for him. Felled by the magic penis affect.
Stupid, stupid shallow parents that really don't care about the heroine and are just glad she got knocked up by a billionaire.
The only decent person in the book is the plot moppet baby, and he just lies there.
October 1, 2017
I have read this several times and it personally appeals to me. Maybe because he was celibate but I did hate how he talked to her. A couple of times I think I might have actually done phyisical harm to his person. But I digress. Her dad was a complete moron. He almost ruined his daughter's life. I thought the parent's were both a little grasping but who am I to judge. They definitely took advantage of what he could do for them. Pretty low class in my opinion. I loved the h. She was a great heroine. I did feel the passion between them and I could tell he really did still love her. If I hadn't this book would have been rated lower for sure. Nick the friend was a great guy. I could actually see him in my minds eye, just a great big puppy, and I really liked his personality. I loved that the H was so jealous. All in all a good book for me. I think this might be the fourth time I read it too because it is so rare for an H in an HP story to keep it in his pants during the separation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2011
Ah, the world of Harlequin Presents, where women have completely regained their former figure and are ready for lovin' three weeks after giving birth.
This started off so good and angsty, I thought it would be four stars. Then it just went steadily downhill, dropping stars all the way. I don't think the heroine said one line without yelling until the last page. When she wasn't yelling, she was berating herself for spinelessly being the hero's sex-slave -- honestly, she must have thought that phrase at least three times. Yet oddly enough, they barely have sex. It still engaged me, somehow or other, for most of the book, so I'll promote it back up to two stars.
***
7/24/11 - I accidentally downloaded this one without realizing I'd read it before, and somehow I got sucked into reading it again! It's really pretty terrible, but somehow compelling.
This started off so good and angsty, I thought it would be four stars. Then it just went steadily downhill, dropping stars all the way. I don't think the heroine said one line without yelling until the last page. When she wasn't yelling, she was berating herself for spinelessly being the hero's sex-slave -- honestly, she must have thought that phrase at least three times. Yet oddly enough, they barely have sex. It still engaged me, somehow or other, for most of the book, so I'll promote it back up to two stars.
***
7/24/11 - I accidentally downloaded this one without realizing I'd read it before, and somehow I got sucked into reading it again! It's really pretty terrible, but somehow compelling.
August 29, 2015
Hero and heroine are in love but he thinks she is a gold digger but marries her anyways cause she is having his baby. I liked both hero and heroine and loved their chemistry and their scenes with their baby boy.
September 14, 2018
***TWO AND A HALF STARS***
This story was just so-so. Hero was a bona fide stubborn Jackass, who refused to notice his heroine Anna didn't at all display ANY of the characteristics of a Gold Digger. His treatment of her through the story was pretty nasty. That nasty treatment towards Anna created a tiny bit of angst in the story which was the high point of this story for me. Anna's parents were nothing more than a couple of parasites, letting pregnant Anna work her ass off just to foot the bills for a "family home" that her mother didn't even want. Her dad was an asshat who f'd up Anna's relationship with Francesco, and he didn't even have the balls to tell her what he had done. Then they both threw her to the wolf just so she could land herself a husband who they could benefit from because he was loaded. Terrible parenting. Very disappointed in the 100% lack of grovel from Francesco by the ending too. This story could have been a lot better.
August 12, 2011
Good & cheesy. This book upholds the ROMANTIC LAWS OF RICH MENFOLK:
1. they're a total fox
2. they're gruff only to protect their hidden emo.
3. They love pretending to be poor around equally foxy, but innocent ladies (who are always shorter than them.)
1. they're a total fox
2. they're gruff only to protect their hidden emo.
3. They love pretending to be poor around equally foxy, but innocent ladies (who are always shorter than them.)
March 5, 2020
Moron's see Vintages review for why
January 23, 2019
No ha sido una novela súper wow, corta y de rápida lectura pero no me he sentido cerca de ningún personaje. Ni de ella con su personalidad ni de él y su inconveniente a amar por los problemas con su familia. Le ha faltado un poco de verdadero romance para encender la chispa en el lector.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2018
I found this to be a dull book, which surprised me because I normally like Diana Hamilton’s books. I fully appreciate the need to pace the book quickly in order to move the story along HOWEVER, this book will literally jump to 3 weeks into the future from one paragraph to the next. By doing this, there is a loss of dialogue amongst the hero and heroine, which would have been nice to read given that readers are supposed to believe these characters fall in love with each other at the end of the book. The pitiful attempt to briefly insert OW drama was a waste of time. It made no sense especially, as a reader, we knew from the beginning of the book there was nothing going on between the OW and the hero. That plot point fell flat and I was annoyed that the author even tried to insert that little bit of drama in the book. It literally lasted maybe 2 pages before everything was cleared up. It was like the author had a list of tropes she wanted to include in the book and forgot to include an OW, so she quickly made one up and just as quickly got rid of her. Overall I found this to be a disappointing read.
October 19, 2019
Francesco Mastroianni (I copy-pasted the name here...*rolling my eyes*) is in a foul mood. Two things that define him...his smoke-free eyes and his Ferrari. His foul mood can be attributed to his visit to Gloucestershire, to his cousin Silvana Rosewall's housewarming party. A place which holds bad memories for him, memories of Anna who had duped him into believing she loved him and not his wealth. He was about to propose her at that time when her father brought her family's actual reality in front of him. And he left, never looking back, until now.
Anna Maybury is in her late twenties to his thirty-four, she runs her own home catering business (all alone) and is seven-months pregnant. She believed Francesco to be a regular guy who made a living through a run of the mill jobs. But now her views of him are of a rich, callous, womanizing louse. There is only one thing she trusts now, and it is her cooking. She believes that he left that insulting note because he thought of her as rich and entitled and when he found out to the contrary he left. Later, she concludes that it was just for the sex - a holiday fling.
Ooo... there's another guy in the scene. Her childhood friend Nick, who even proposed marriage! But will he stand a chance against our haughty Italian? And though Anna felt compassion for her parents, I dare say I didn't. Totally irresponsible, both of them.
On the Italian island of Ischia is where Francesco and Anna had first met. The story has an entire chapter dedicated to their meeting. But, I didn't like the style of writing. It read like chipped-off ice. Jumping over incidents. With paragraphs, scenes changed like the passing scenery until the birth of their baby.
After that, in spite of revelations on both their sides, what follows is a tussle of how to not believe that what the other said was the truth. Rather, it was convenient to keep judging each other. Everything is obviously resolved in the end but it could have been better with an epilogue.
This is the fourth book by Diana Hamilton that I have read and I have loved her other books more than this one.
Anna Maybury is in her late twenties to his thirty-four, she runs her own home catering business (all alone) and is seven-months pregnant. She believed Francesco to be a regular guy who made a living through a run of the mill jobs. But now her views of him are of a rich, callous, womanizing louse. There is only one thing she trusts now, and it is her cooking. She believes that he left that insulting note because he thought of her as rich and entitled and when he found out to the contrary he left. Later, she concludes that it was just for the sex - a holiday fling.
Ooo... there's another guy in the scene. Her childhood friend Nick, who even proposed marriage! But will he stand a chance against our haughty Italian? And though Anna felt compassion for her parents, I dare say I didn't. Totally irresponsible, both of them.
On the Italian island of Ischia is where Francesco and Anna had first met. The story has an entire chapter dedicated to their meeting. But, I didn't like the style of writing. It read like chipped-off ice. Jumping over incidents. With paragraphs, scenes changed like the passing scenery until the birth of their baby.
After that, in spite of revelations on both their sides, what follows is a tussle of how to not believe that what the other said was the truth. Rather, it was convenient to keep judging each other. Everything is obviously resolved in the end but it could have been better with an epilogue.
This is the fourth book by Diana Hamilton that I have read and I have loved her other books more than this one.
September 30, 2017
Gotta agree with a fellow goodreader. This has the potential to be really good but ended up an epic fail for me.
Part of the problem is the distribution of the plot, where the bulk of it is on the estrangement and the H didn't change his opinion till very very late. Honestly with no "perceived decent h" featured, at least in the eyes of the H, I don't rightly know why this even is classified as a romance. There isn't any in here, just a totally highhanded H blackmailing the poor spineless h and her lamenting what a pushover she is.
Except for a brief interlude where we get to see a bit of what they had shared before, the whole book doesn't have any sweet or loving interaction between these 2 to make it work for me.
I wantef to bash H in for his stubborn refusal to really see the h and sorry to say it, I cannot work up much sympathy for such a pushover h, that only lusted and loved the H no matter how horrible his behavior is. She totally deserves being miserable to my way of thinking.
I was initially hoping this one is gonna be a grovel book, which will be a lot more my cuppa to see the H eat crow and try to win h back, yet with the protagonists' personality, I realised it is unlikely but was still hoping for a good reconciliation scene, which ended up v rushed and totally meh.
Part of the problem is the distribution of the plot, where the bulk of it is on the estrangement and the H didn't change his opinion till very very late. Honestly with no "perceived decent h" featured, at least in the eyes of the H, I don't rightly know why this even is classified as a romance. There isn't any in here, just a totally highhanded H blackmailing the poor spineless h and her lamenting what a pushover she is.
Except for a brief interlude where we get to see a bit of what they had shared before, the whole book doesn't have any sweet or loving interaction between these 2 to make it work for me.
I wantef to bash H in for his stubborn refusal to really see the h and sorry to say it, I cannot work up much sympathy for such a pushover h, that only lusted and loved the H no matter how horrible his behavior is. She totally deserves being miserable to my way of thinking.
I was initially hoping this one is gonna be a grovel book, which will be a lot more my cuppa to see the H eat crow and try to win h back, yet with the protagonists' personality, I realised it is unlikely but was still hoping for a good reconciliation scene, which ended up v rushed and totally meh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2021
Italian billionaire Francesco Mastroianni was captivated by Anna. But their passionate affair was cut short when Anna's father attempted to blackmail Francesco into marrying her. Seven months later, Francesco is shocked to see Anna again. She's struggling to make ends meet and she's visibly pregnant! If she's carrying the Mastroianni heir, that can mean only one course of action for Francesco: marriage!
April 9, 2022
Did I finish it? no, I didn't
Do I want to finish it? I have no idea.
But what I do know is that the hero is a big asshole who thinks that it's his world and they're all just living in it. He's also unreasonable, unbearable and unintelligent. and the heroine....... good god. She's just weak. You mean to tell me that the guy comes out of nowhere and starts making demands and you don't put up a decent fight? you just roll over and take it?
I got frustrated with it that I almost destroyed my book. I kept reminding myself that it isn't real but ....... it clearly wasn't working and therefore I forfeit this race.
buh-bye
Do I want to finish it? I have no idea.
But what I do know is that the hero is a big asshole who thinks that it's his world and they're all just living in it. He's also unreasonable, unbearable and unintelligent. and the heroine....... good god. She's just weak. You mean to tell me that the guy comes out of nowhere and starts making demands and you don't put up a decent fight? you just roll over and take it?
I got frustrated with it that I almost destroyed my book. I kept reminding myself that it isn't real but ....... it clearly wasn't working and therefore I forfeit this race.
buh-bye
March 3, 2021
Hero is a billionaire and meets heroine who doesn’t know he’s a billionaire. They fall in love and she asks him to meet her parents. First time her father sees him he asks him for money because he recognizes him. Hero leaves her with a note, disgusted. Seven months later he meets her and she’s pregnant with his child. Misunderstandings and issues. Turns out that she didn’t know what her father did and she truly didn’t know who he was. He apologizes and all is well. This is a little below the average. I didn’t appreciate: the hero is cold, mean and cruel until the end of the book. Even if he declares he was so in love with her he stays separated for many months without getting in touch with her and their son. In the beginning when he finds out she’s pregnant he doesn’t offer marriage because she’s a gold digger, he never even kisses her for most of the book or has any thoughts about her, he doesn’t desire her and doesn’t touch her for most of the book. When her father asked him for money he didn’t even wait to talk to her about it , he condemns her without hearing her first. He would have never sought her out, he meets her by accident at his cousin’s and if she were not pregnant he wouldn’t have talked to her any more. This is far from romantic. She never defends by his accusations and eventually she is in love with him even if she’s a jerk. Two stars only because he was celibate for months.
December 25, 2014
it was not dat bad. i thought it deserved at least a 3 star but i cud not get past francesco's harsh attitude towards anna. he was downright cruel and it was not even justified! his excuse was extremely lame. her father asked u for money !? so what? this means he's a gold digger, not his daughter.not anna!
September 8, 2025
"The Mediterranean Billionaire's Secret Baby" is the story of Anna and Francesco.
What a horrible hero and book.
POS hero goes an impregnates a hot stranger, only to have a misunderstanding and ABANDON HER. He returns months later to find her heavily pregnant, and believes she wants to entrap him. He blackmails her family and DUMPS her in his home (while its hinted hes with OW). She gives birth and is left alone again, he then wants to have sex with her so coerces her into marrying him and you want me to believe this garbage man is her HEA???
Horrible, disgusting, chauvinistic hero, doormat heroine, waste of time.
Do not read this
Unsafe
1/5
What a horrible hero and book.
POS hero goes an impregnates a hot stranger, only to have a misunderstanding and ABANDON HER. He returns months later to find her heavily pregnant, and believes she wants to entrap him. He blackmails her family and DUMPS her in his home (while its hinted hes with OW). She gives birth and is left alone again, he then wants to have sex with her so coerces her into marrying him and you want me to believe this garbage man is her HEA???
Horrible, disgusting, chauvinistic hero, doormat heroine, waste of time.
Do not read this
Unsafe
1/5
March 1, 2023
I hated it. The hero believing heroine was a gold-digger and treating her horribly til the 14th chapter was extremely annoying.
I can accept misunderstandings to further the plot however I cannot stand the the reiterating of the same conversations over and over for 14 chapters.
I did not like either the hero or the heroine. He was such a jerk and I hated everything about him (except that he was celibate while they were seperated). I couldn't stand the heroine would say things to deliberately make him believe she was a gold digger like he thought. I didn't like the heroine's family. P.
I can accept misunderstandings to further the plot however I cannot stand the the reiterating of the same conversations over and over for 14 chapters.
I did not like either the hero or the heroine. He was such a jerk and I hated everything about him (except that he was celibate while they were seperated). I couldn't stand the heroine would say things to deliberately make him believe she was a gold digger like he thought. I didn't like the heroine's family. P.
May 25, 2017
So incredibly cheesy and yet I enjoyed reading it. I am now tempted to go to my library and get some more mill and boon books from their little selection in the corner
July 18, 2019
This books needed an editor bad. I think there is a good story with in depth characters but the writing was so choppy I couldn’t tell! Skip.
January 23, 2022
Setting: Ischia(Italy) to England
For such a short book it took me a long time to finish. It started off good and then got boring. A classic case of a simple misunderstanding.
For such a short book it took me a long time to finish. It started off good and then got boring. A classic case of a simple misunderstanding.
May 3, 2019
Quick Info
Standalone/Cliffhanger?: Standalone
Part of a Series?: No
----------------------------------
Meeting the Characters
Anna
Francesco
----------------------------------
What happens?
Anna meets the hot an elusive stranger on a beach while on holiday with her friend. She doesn't expect a holiday romance and so isn't prepared to lost her virginity to him. Due to his upbringing Francesco is very guarded with women and so expects Anna to be a gold digger and so is quick to accept evidence that that is what she is. However this changes when he finds out she is pregnant with his child and now he doesn't want to lose the baby.
Final thoughts
Francesco is a douche. Lets be honest, demanding to get married is just sucky. Calling her a gold digger but then sleeping with her is also kind of pathetic.
I thought Anna needed to be more independent she accepts everything very easily with very little fight.
Would I read again?: Nah
Would I read this author again?: Yes
Standalone/Cliffhanger?: Standalone
Part of a Series?: No
----------------------------------
Meeting the Characters
Anna
Francesco
----------------------------------
What happens?
Anna meets the hot an elusive stranger on a beach while on holiday with her friend. She doesn't expect a holiday romance and so isn't prepared to lost her virginity to him. Due to his upbringing Francesco is very guarded with women and so expects Anna to be a gold digger and so is quick to accept evidence that that is what she is. However this changes when he finds out she is pregnant with his child and now he doesn't want to lose the baby.
Final thoughts
Francesco is a douche. Lets be honest, demanding to get married is just sucky. Calling her a gold digger but then sleeping with her is also kind of pathetic.
I thought Anna needed to be more independent she accepts everything very easily with very little fight.
Would I read again?: Nah
Would I read this author again?: Yes
December 18, 2014
2.70 stars
I was a nice book. If you want to kill time with something short, easy to understand and fluent; this book is for you.
I believe I missed the part when behavior of the hero changed or it was not clear. A simple story to kill time.
I was a nice book. If you want to kill time with something short, easy to understand and fluent; this book is for you.
I believe I missed the part when behavior of the hero changed or it was not clear. A simple story to kill time.
August 13, 2016
It's no good I cannot keep silent any longer ! I am so tired of the 'he'll take my child away if don't marry him' premise. If the heroine needs a reason to give in at least pick a valid one. In the UK an unmarried father has absolutely NO rights to his child. Disappointing.
May 21, 2008
Poorly written. The male "Hero" was a boor and the female "heroine" was a doormat.
Read
September 20, 2014#N/A
April 1, 2013
Major doormat heroine...
January 25, 2014
I am not a fan of the easily cleared up misunderstanding that lasts the entire book. Even with that issue, I did read the entire book. so maybe this deserves a 3.5.
April 27, 2014
1.5 stars for me. Nothing memorable, very basic storyline, seemed anticlimactic to me.
May 4, 2019
Reading this book for the second time I realized it was rather boring and reinforced how much I hate it when half of the book is spent in the past. I really hate that.
March 3, 2015
Not bad. I was sooo craving for such stories before I started reading real love stories. It ia entertaining, light reading but I think they both went through a lot of pain uselessly.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews