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Escándalos y secretos
Una noche de pasión… ¡Y un enorme escándalo!
Dante D’Arezzo era la última persona a la que la famosa compositora Justina Perry querría encontrarse en la boda de su mejor amiga. El prohibitivamente sexy italiano era despiadado hasta la médula. Tras haber soportado que le hubiera roto el corazón en una ocasión, ella no estaba dispuesta a ceder de nuevo a su insaciable deseo. Pero lo hizo…
El embarazo de Justina fue portada en toda la prensa y Dante supo de inmediato que aquel bebé era suyo. Y estaba dispuesto a hacerle pagar caro por haberle intentado ocultar ese hijo. Señorita Independencia estaba a punto de volverse totalmente dependiente… de él.
Dante D’Arezzo era la última persona a la que la famosa compositora Justina Perry querría encontrarse en la boda de su mejor amiga. El prohibitivamente sexy italiano era despiadado hasta la médula. Tras haber soportado que le hubiera roto el corazón en una ocasión, ella no estaba dispuesta a ceder de nuevo a su insaciable deseo. Pero lo hizo…
El embarazo de Justina fue portada en toda la prensa y Dante supo de inmediato que aquel bebé era suyo. Y estaba dispuesto a hacerle pagar caro por haberle intentado ocultar ese hijo. Señorita Independencia estaba a punto de volverse totalmente dependiente… de él.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2014
82 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Kendrick
1,221 books454 followersI was told off as a child for making up stories—little did I know that one day I’d earn my living by writing them!
To the horror of my parents, I left school at sixteen and held a bewildering variety of jobs: I was a London DJ (in the now-trendy Primrose Hill), a decorator and a singer. After that I became a cook, a photographer and, eventually, a nurse. I waitressed in the south of France, drove an ambulance in Australia, saw lots of beautiful sights but could never settle down. Everywhere I went I felt like a square peg—until one day I started writing again and then everything just fell into place. I felt like Cinderella must have when the glass slipper fit!
Today, I have the best job in the world, writing passionate romances for Harlequin. I like writing stories which are sexy and fast-paced, yet packed full of emotion—stories that readers will identify with, laugh and cry along with.
My interests are many and varied—chocolate and music, fresh flowers and bubble baths, films, cooking and trying to keep my home from looking burglarized! Simple pleasures—you can’t beat them!
I live in Winchester, one of the most stunning cities in the world, but don’t take my word for it—come see for yourself! I regularly visit London and Paris. Oh, and I love hearing from my readers all over the world…so I think it’s over to you!
To the horror of my parents, I left school at sixteen and held a bewildering variety of jobs: I was a London DJ (in the now-trendy Primrose Hill), a decorator and a singer. After that I became a cook, a photographer and, eventually, a nurse. I waitressed in the south of France, drove an ambulance in Australia, saw lots of beautiful sights but could never settle down. Everywhere I went I felt like a square peg—until one day I started writing again and then everything just fell into place. I felt like Cinderella must have when the glass slipper fit!
Today, I have the best job in the world, writing passionate romances for Harlequin. I like writing stories which are sexy and fast-paced, yet packed full of emotion—stories that readers will identify with, laugh and cry along with.
My interests are many and varied—chocolate and music, fresh flowers and bubble baths, films, cooking and trying to keep my home from looking burglarized! Simple pleasures—you can’t beat them!
I live in Winchester, one of the most stunning cities in the world, but don’t take my word for it—come see for yourself! I regularly visit London and Paris. Oh, and I love hearing from my readers all over the world…so I think it’s over to you!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
October 27, 2014
This guy was such an arse come on they break up and only a few weeks later he is in bed with another woman and the heroine walks in to find him getting a blowjob and him really enjoying it! Then he can't understand why she was upset as they had broken up well I don't know you idiot but if I had walked in on a scene like that only a few weeks after breaking up I would be a little upset too!! This guy felt no real remorse untill maybe a little towards the end but i think it was too little too late for me!! What is it with this author and her cheating hero's??this book upset me and I really felt for the heroine especially during that scene she was either very brave or very stupid for taking him back personally I would go for the latter but that's just my feelings. Will not read this again!
December 12, 2017
I'm sorry, he cheated. He did nothing, NOTHING to redeem himself. Heroine stayed celibate after separation. So nope. Not for me.
Just imagine having a row with a husband like this!
You don’t agree on dinner menu, you come home to him shagging an apparently faceless (to him) woman! So no, thank you!
No fucking thank you.
He cheated.
Just imagine having a row with a husband like this!
You don’t agree on dinner menu, you come home to him shagging an apparently faceless (to him) woman! So no, thank you!
No fucking thank you.
He cheated.
June 16, 2015
ALERT! ALERT! CHEATING HERO!
I CAN'T, CAN'T, and CAN'T read the books by this author anymore!
I haven't read this book and I think I couldn't do it, but what a MANWHORE is this "hero"!
Hero and heroine had a short break up, she found him in bed with ow doing ablowjob.
RAT! ASSHOLE! MOTHERFUCKER!
I CAN'T, CAN'T, and CAN'T read the books by this author anymore!
I haven't read this book and I think I couldn't do it, but what a MANWHORE is this "hero"!
Hero and heroine had a short break up, she found him in bed with ow doing a
How I would believe this man love this heroine?
How can she trust him if he jumped in bed with ow after a few weeks of being with her?
December 12, 2017
The scene when she walked in on him with the woman under the blanket who was giving him you know what, was too gross and sad for words. The look of passion on his face was betrayal and that hurt her more than anything. It had only been a couple of days. It didn't even bother him and he never apologizes for it or the five years they were apart. I truly hated this book. It makes me sick to remember it.
July 7, 2020
Hated. Him. With. A. Vengeance.
Don’t read this book. Seriously.
It’s too late for me, but save yourself.
Don’t read this book. Seriously.
It’s too late for me, but save yourself.
August 5, 2020
3.5 Stars
Many times, when I sit down to write these, and look over my fellow reviewers’ feedback… I have to laugh, and wonder WTF is wrong with me, because 7 times out of 10… I walk away with a completely different outlook… and this one’s no different… Overall, I mostly liked this one, so I’m rounding up. The story kept me engaged, and I liked seeing the growth of the couple from silly stupid-heads to full fledged grown-ups. Dante and Justina were engaged, and broke up five years earlier, in a nutshell, they wanted totally different things in life at the time. Dante wanted to settle down with a more “traditional marriage” he wants Justina home, and kids right away. Justina wanted to pursue her career as pop star that takes her out of the country/traveling long periods at a time; she also tells him she’s not sure she wants kids. This causes the couple to fight for MONTHS, and eventually Dante breaks up, and calls off the engagement. The book starts with the couple seeing each other for the first time since the break.
Ok, so mostly everyone HATES this because of the “cheating” that’s explored. I don’t particularly LOVE reading about my H with an OW, but I want this to be helpful to my fellow readers that may be trying to decide if this is the book for them. So…. here’s the deets …. (I don’t think this is much of a spoiler because it comes up within the first 2 chapters.)
Dante broke up and called off the engagement, a few days later he went to a bar... got drunk and brought a girl back to his hotel room. Meanwhile, Justina flies back to see if they can give it another shot. Somehow, she gains access to his hotel room and walks in on him getting a BJ from a bimbo. This is made worse, because the understandably hurt h, brings it up over and over and over again, so we get LOTS of visuals of the encounter. Other than the flashback, the OW is never in the book, nor is there any other OW drama.
Although, the scene/conflict added a lot of angsty goodness; I didn’t think it was an effective plot device… other than to piss readers off for a few reasons. 1- It was overplayed, and by like the 6th or 7th time she brought it up, and we sat through the SAME convo… it lost its relevance. 2- I’m not gonna argue that it wasn’t a douche move, but they were in fact broken up, and by all text evidence, Dante wasn’t wavering or planning to reconcile. He had decided they weren’t right for each other, which if I’m honest… I agree… they weren’t compatible, and were both just stubbornly cycling through the same arguments. 3- Justina’s grand gesture “break in to beg for another chance” scene fell flat, because she had no intention of changing her stance on traveling or kids, so it was pointless? I don’t fault her for wanting to focus on her career, nor him for wanting to settle down… they just wanted different things, so the breakup made sense to me.
My main gripe, was that I felt both MC’s but especially Justina were portrayed inconsistent and constantly flip-flopping. Here’s some examples… I wanted to yell… PICK A LANE S.K.!!!!
So, here’s where I’m the oddball, in a sea of Dante haters (although I didn’t hate her) I found Justina exhausting, immature, borderline selfish, and mildly unstable. Her personality was all over the place, but the majority of it rested in the defensive and hostile camp, which couldn’t all be explained away because of the above-mentioned hotel scene. For his part, Dante started out as a grade A prick, but he turned it around pretty quickly, and soon became the grown up in the relationship. He owned up to his douchery deeds, and apologized, and I got a kick out of his “not wanting to just be a stud” speeches.
Bottom Line- I liked that this one had dual POV’s because you really have to get both when dealing with anything cheating related without it the remorse is not validated. IMO, SK didn’t do our h any favors constantly portraying her as childish, but she does make a herculean effort to explain it all away, because she had a shadowed past with a shit mom, and no father, and fears & insecurities. (I recently saw a highlight reel of T. Swift’s Miss Americana, and I kept picturing the scene where’s she crying and saying that most of them get into the business because they have low self-esteem, and depend on others clapping for them to have self-worth.) By the end, both MC’s have a new outlook on life, a cute baby, and a love filled HEA.
**part of the secret baby box set
Many times, when I sit down to write these, and look over my fellow reviewers’ feedback… I have to laugh, and wonder WTF is wrong with me, because 7 times out of 10… I walk away with a completely different outlook… and this one’s no different… Overall, I mostly liked this one, so I’m rounding up. The story kept me engaged, and I liked seeing the growth of the couple from silly stupid-heads to full fledged grown-ups. Dante and Justina were engaged, and broke up five years earlier, in a nutshell, they wanted totally different things in life at the time. Dante wanted to settle down with a more “traditional marriage” he wants Justina home, and kids right away. Justina wanted to pursue her career as pop star that takes her out of the country/traveling long periods at a time; she also tells him she’s not sure she wants kids. This causes the couple to fight for MONTHS, and eventually Dante breaks up, and calls off the engagement. The book starts with the couple seeing each other for the first time since the break.
Ok, so mostly everyone HATES this because of the “cheating” that’s explored. I don’t particularly LOVE reading about my H with an OW, but I want this to be helpful to my fellow readers that may be trying to decide if this is the book for them. So…. here’s the deets …. (I don’t think this is much of a spoiler because it comes up within the first 2 chapters.)
Dante broke up and called off the engagement, a few days later he went to a bar... got drunk and brought a girl back to his hotel room. Meanwhile, Justina flies back to see if they can give it another shot. Somehow, she gains access to his hotel room and walks in on him getting a BJ from a bimbo. This is made worse, because the understandably hurt h, brings it up over and over and over again, so we get LOTS of visuals of the encounter. Other than the flashback, the OW is never in the book, nor is there any other OW drama.
Although, the scene/conflict added a lot of angsty goodness; I didn’t think it was an effective plot device… other than to piss readers off for a few reasons. 1- It was overplayed, and by like the 6th or 7th time she brought it up, and we sat through the SAME convo… it lost its relevance. 2- I’m not gonna argue that it wasn’t a douche move, but they were in fact broken up, and by all text evidence, Dante wasn’t wavering or planning to reconcile. He had decided they weren’t right for each other, which if I’m honest… I agree… they weren’t compatible, and were both just stubbornly cycling through the same arguments. 3- Justina’s grand gesture “break in to beg for another chance” scene fell flat, because she had no intention of changing her stance on traveling or kids, so it was pointless? I don’t fault her for wanting to focus on her career, nor him for wanting to settle down… they just wanted different things, so the breakup made sense to me.
My main gripe, was that I felt both MC’s but especially Justina were portrayed inconsistent and constantly flip-flopping. Here’s some examples… I wanted to yell… PICK A LANE S.K.!!!!
So, here’s where I’m the oddball, in a sea of Dante haters (although I didn’t hate her) I found Justina exhausting, immature, borderline selfish, and mildly unstable. Her personality was all over the place, but the majority of it rested in the defensive and hostile camp, which couldn’t all be explained away because of the above-mentioned hotel scene. For his part, Dante started out as a grade A prick, but he turned it around pretty quickly, and soon became the grown up in the relationship. He owned up to his douchery deeds, and apologized, and I got a kick out of his “not wanting to just be a stud” speeches.
Bottom Line- I liked that this one had dual POV’s because you really have to get both when dealing with anything cheating related without it the remorse is not validated. IMO, SK didn’t do our h any favors constantly portraying her as childish, but she does make a herculean effort to explain it all away, because she had a shadowed past with a shit mom, and no father, and fears & insecurities. (I recently saw a highlight reel of T. Swift’s Miss Americana, and I kept picturing the scene where’s she crying and saying that most of them get into the business because they have low self-esteem, and depend on others clapping for them to have self-worth.) By the end, both MC’s have a new outlook on life, a cute baby, and a love filled HEA.
**part of the secret baby box set
May 18, 2013
Hated both characters. He "moved on" quickly to another woman. Jerk. Don't like him. Not finishing book
April 30, 2016
Free Download on Amazon UK
Dante and Justina had been engaged five years ago but split up due to Justina wishing to continue her career as a member of a girl group called the 'Lollipops' (I cringed at the bands name). As soon as they split, Justina realised it wasn't what she wanted and she returned to tell Dante but caught him in bed with another woman. Dante has always maintained that they were over at this point but because it is mentioned early on in the story, it made me feel that Justina could hardly have been the love of his life that he makes her out to be if he could think to sleep with another woman so soon. As usual with a Mills & Boon story, in the five years since they have been apart Dante has obviously been with other women but Justina has remained celibate although she leads Dante to believe otherwise and of course he is jealous.
The story starts a the wedding of Justina's bandmate and Dante and Justina meeting again after not seeing each for five years. We don't learn much about how they fell in love in the past and the only part of the past we know is that his family didn't approve of her and Dante wanted her to give up work when they married as her career was keeping them apart. Their attraction to one another is still there and they are soon back in bed but it was a very predicatable storyline and obvious due to the book title but I was surprised at how the story jumped ahead and how Dante wasn't as angry as I expected.
I normally like this authors books but this plot felt lazy. It lacked something and so I wasn't really convinced this couple were as in love as we're led to believe by the end.
Dante and Justina had been engaged five years ago but split up due to Justina wishing to continue her career as a member of a girl group called the 'Lollipops' (I cringed at the bands name). As soon as they split, Justina realised it wasn't what she wanted and she returned to tell Dante but caught him in bed with another woman. Dante has always maintained that they were over at this point but because it is mentioned early on in the story, it made me feel that Justina could hardly have been the love of his life that he makes her out to be if he could think to sleep with another woman so soon. As usual with a Mills & Boon story, in the five years since they have been apart Dante has obviously been with other women but Justina has remained celibate although she leads Dante to believe otherwise and of course he is jealous.
The story starts a the wedding of Justina's bandmate and Dante and Justina meeting again after not seeing each for five years. We don't learn much about how they fell in love in the past and the only part of the past we know is that his family didn't approve of her and Dante wanted her to give up work when they married as her career was keeping them apart. Their attraction to one another is still there and they are soon back in bed but it was a very predicatable storyline and obvious due to the book title but I was surprised at how the story jumped ahead and how Dante wasn't as angry as I expected.
I normally like this authors books but this plot felt lazy. It lacked something and so I wasn't really convinced this couple were as in love as we're led to believe by the end.
October 27, 2016
Well I say the Justina is a fool for have a relationship back with Dante. It's a shame she is so desperate to accept Dante back. Well really hate this Dante!
1,5 star
1,5 star
January 11, 2018
That scene ( you know what I mean ) was really gross! hated it , a jerk hero!
September 9, 2018
Horrible story in my opinion.
Just too much for me to tolerate. Yes, they fought and split but can he not keep it zipped for a few days?
Just too much for me to tolerate. Yes, they fought and split but can he not keep it zipped for a few days?
Read
December 13, 2017Friends say no.
June 16, 2017
Oh dear. It's another one of those: I really, really liked the premise, but I didn't like the execution.
It had one of my favourite tropes - second chances, plus secret baby (which I sometimes liked and sometimes detested). Unfortunately, it was one of those that I detested. Justina took so many steps to hide her pregnancy from Dante, and then just kept shying away from the truth, I just got so mad at her! If you couldn't be honest with the man you loved, despite all your fears, then the relationship probably didn't amount to love.
That Dante didn't take the time to examine why Justina kept wanting to work through their engagement really frustrated me too! And then the fact that he implicitly slept around during their time apart? GAH!
Nope. This story just didn't do it for me. I just got so mad at the lack of communication between the both of them that it took me away from enjoying the story as much as I could've.
It had one of my favourite tropes - second chances, plus secret baby (which I sometimes liked and sometimes detested). Unfortunately, it was one of those that I detested. Justina took so many steps to hide her pregnancy from Dante, and then just kept shying away from the truth, I just got so mad at her! If you couldn't be honest with the man you loved, despite all your fears, then the relationship probably didn't amount to love.
That Dante didn't take the time to examine why Justina kept wanting to work through their engagement really frustrated me too! And then the fact that he implicitly slept around during their time apart? GAH!
Nope. This story just didn't do it for me. I just got so mad at the lack of communication between the both of them that it took me away from enjoying the story as much as I could've.
December 9, 2015
He sufrido con esta novela. Una semana después de romper la relación, la protagonista encontró al galán con una rubia que le hacía sexo oral. Pasaron 5 años y después se reencuentran, tienen sexo, queda embarazada y ahí va el drama. No podía creer que el protagonista hubiera estado con otra. Odié eso. No lo toleré. Nada ha sido color de rosa. Está bien escrita, pero me dejó con tristeza y agonía.
June 19, 2017
I can´t believe it. What a horrible book.
December 10, 2017
3.5 rounded stars - I liked it though I'm in the minority.
Own in Kindle edition of A Scandal, a Secret, a Baby / Marriage Scandal, Showbiz Baby!
Own in Kindle edition of A Scandal, a Secret, a Baby / Marriage Scandal, Showbiz Baby!
September 10, 2020
Ok....so it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The H didn't exactly cheat but he did fall into bed quickly after their breakup. I will make an allowance as he was drunk and trying to drown in his sorrows. I did feel that they worked through their problems by the end and I believe their HEA. Also, he wasn't as much of a jerk as SK's other heroes tend to be. Not the best book but I couldn't stop reading it. Recommended for those who can stand a cheating H and good angst.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2018
Up and coming songwriter and pop star, Justine was engaged to wealthy businessman Dante. Their relationship fell apart because he wanted her to walk away from her career while she needed to be financially independent, and have the means to support herself. Her need for independence was because of a childhood of trauma and insecurity. A week after their split, Justine realized that she loved Dante more than her career and went back to see if she could salvage their relationship. When she gets to his apartment, she finds him in bed with a random blonde.
Five years later later the h and H meet again at the wedding of her band mate, Roxy. After a few zingers at each other, the h and H have sex again. One more time for the good times. Justine soon learns that there were consequences to that last bit of pleasure and finds herself pregnant with her ex-fiancé’s child.
Long story short, he finds in Singapore when she is seven and a half months pregnant. He’s pissed because she didn’t tell him about the baby. She wants nothing to do with the cheating bastard. There are lots of petty little arguments until he shows up unexpectedly when she is in labor and stays to help. Turns out, he’s a great dad and wants to be in his baby’s life. She now has decisions to make on what she wants and what’s best for baby Nico.
This was mediocre. I couldn’t get past his cheating less than a week after they broke up. His explanation of it was just too blasé. I didn’t feel like he was honestly sincere with his apology or that he truly regretted his cheating. The h was right in considering what would happen when they hit rough patches in the future. Will that be his next excuse of cheating again. I finished this book with all the side-eye feels.
Five years later later the h and H meet again at the wedding of her band mate, Roxy. After a few zingers at each other, the h and H have sex again. One more time for the good times. Justine soon learns that there were consequences to that last bit of pleasure and finds herself pregnant with her ex-fiancé’s child.
Long story short, he finds in Singapore when she is seven and a half months pregnant. He’s pissed because she didn’t tell him about the baby. She wants nothing to do with the cheating bastard. There are lots of petty little arguments until he shows up unexpectedly when she is in labor and stays to help. Turns out, he’s a great dad and wants to be in his baby’s life. She now has decisions to make on what she wants and what’s best for baby Nico.
This was mediocre. I couldn’t get past his cheating less than a week after they broke up. His explanation of it was just too blasé. I didn’t feel like he was honestly sincere with his apology or that he truly regretted his cheating. The h was right in considering what would happen when they hit rough patches in the future. Will that be his next excuse of cheating again. I finished this book with all the side-eye feels.
May 26, 2016
:/ welllll....
At some point the characters are believable and on others they are not so much.
I have some dificulty to understand their point of view, and the way they hide their emotions (or tried), but this is a tale!
Forgiveness is a part of human emotions, and this story is all about it. If you do not concentrate only in the fisical aspects you can retrieve some interesting points of view.
In the end, Dante and Jus, figured all out, and seemed they find out that they can't live apart.
At some point the characters are believable and on others they are not so much.
I have some dificulty to understand their point of view, and the way they hide their emotions (or tried), but this is a tale!
Forgiveness is a part of human emotions, and this story is all about it. If you do not concentrate only in the fisical aspects you can retrieve some interesting points of view.
In the end, Dante and Jus, figured all out, and seemed they find out that they can't live apart.
April 6, 2016
I struggled with liking Dante for much of the book. I did like Justina but I didn't feel that the chemistry was that strong between them. Happy reading!
April 9, 2025
Ugh so disappointing. A Spineless h and an icky H.
This started out strong. The h and H run into each other after 5 years at a common friends wedding. They used to be engaged but the H broke it off because the h was too independent and he thought she put her career ahead of him and his career. She's a singer/ songwriter and he's a Sicilian billionaire. He keeps poking at her during this wedding and he's not particularly nice about it because how dare she be the only thing he failed at in life. Furthermore, 5 years ago, a week after he broke off the engagement with her she walks in on him getting head after she goes back to try and salvage their relationship.
What follows is bbs, a surprise pregnancy, bullying, gaslighting, the term independent woman being used as a bad word and the reason to excuse all the H's bad behavior, culminating in a now jellyfish h crawling back to him after he treats her coldly because she refuses to marry a man who asks her only because he wants undeniable rights to his son.
What a prince, amiright?
Not sure if I want to throw up right now or find all copies of this absolute tragedy and destroy ever copy just so no one else has to go through this travesty.
This started out strong. The h and H run into each other after 5 years at a common friends wedding. They used to be engaged but the H broke it off because the h was too independent and he thought she put her career ahead of him and his career. She's a singer/ songwriter and he's a Sicilian billionaire. He keeps poking at her during this wedding and he's not particularly nice about it because how dare she be the only thing he failed at in life. Furthermore, 5 years ago, a week after he broke off the engagement with her she walks in on him getting head after she goes back to try and salvage their relationship.
What follows is bbs, a surprise pregnancy, bullying, gaslighting, the term independent woman being used as a bad word and the reason to excuse all the H's bad behavior, culminating in a now jellyfish h crawling back to him after he treats her coldly because she refuses to marry a man who asks her only because he wants undeniable rights to his son.
What a prince, amiright?
Not sure if I want to throw up right now or find all copies of this absolute tragedy and destroy ever copy just so no one else has to go through this travesty.
December 16, 2021
Oh goodness all these angry, vicious one star reviews totally puzzle me. Especially when folk don’t finish the book! The accusations of infidelity are unjust. They’d broken up! How can that be cheating?
Yes Justina’s unexpected visit meant she discovered him with another woman but they’d finished because she had too many hang ups to be ready to marry him. Naturally she was horrified but personally, as we got to know Dante, I found it easy to understand why heartbreak made him search for comfort and validation and I totally believed his regret and could understand why Justina was able to forgive him.
The author created really interesting characters here.
I thought SK explored the issues in this book with great skill and sensitivity. Definitely 5 stars!
Yes Justina’s unexpected visit meant she discovered him with another woman but they’d finished because she had too many hang ups to be ready to marry him. Naturally she was horrified but personally, as we got to know Dante, I found it easy to understand why heartbreak made him search for comfort and validation and I totally believed his regret and could understand why Justina was able to forgive him.
The author created really interesting characters here.
I thought SK explored the issues in this book with great skill and sensitivity. Definitely 5 stars!
May 31, 2020
I love a good Mills and Boon and despite the fact that when there's a story with ex-lovers who can't stop themselves having sex I end up rolling my eyes a lot, usually there's some redeeming features. What's disappointing about this story is that I was completely on board with the relationship to start off with. Justina and Dante were once engaged but because they had different ideas about what their relationship should be like - she wanted to continue working (a stance where I don't see what the problem was - it's completely understandable), he wanted her pregnant and at home - they broke up. After a one night stand Justina ended up pregnant.
This is the part of the story which I thought was really sweet. Apart from being a bit bewildered, Dante really stepped up at this point of the story and was there for Justina and I started really rooting for them. Unfortunately after that, Dante decides that the best way to get Justina back is make her feel abandoned, lonely and miserable so she realises that she is better off with him. And that is the point that I started hating him because that's an awful, manipulative thing to do. It just ruined the whole story for me, despite a fairly enjoyable start.
A manipulative, gaslighting hero ruins what could otherwise have been a lovely romance. 1.5 stars.
This is the part of the story which I thought was really sweet. Apart from being a bit bewildered, Dante really stepped up at this point of the story and was there for Justina and I started really rooting for them. Unfortunately after that, Dante decides that the best way to get Justina back is make her feel abandoned, lonely and miserable so she realises that she is better off with him. And that is the point that I started hating him because that's an awful, manipulative thing to do. It just ruined the whole story for me, despite a fairly enjoyable start.
A manipulative, gaslighting hero ruins what could otherwise have been a lovely romance. 1.5 stars.
April 29, 2025
It's a no from me...
Justina, our fmc, runs into her ex fiance, Dante, at her "friends" wedding (instead of friend substitute the phrase clueless, attention seeking moron).
5 years earlier, Dante broke off their engagement because he couldn't understand why she wouldn't give up a very successful singing career to be a traditional trophy wife. Being a narcissistic control freak, he judged her career, pop star image, and priorities, and his family (barring his younger sister) found her unsuitable as well.
Within days of their break up, Justina walks in on Dante having sex with another woman and leaves heartbroken.
Fast forward to the aforementioned wedding, Dante decides he must have her one more time to get her "out of his system," and, she ends up having sex with him despite her attempts to appear indifferent and strong.
Unfortunately, she falls pregnant, and he ambushes her when she's 8 months along and continues to be a judgemental, overbearing a**hole.
Justina gives birth, allows Dante to muscle into her private space, and picks up the threads of their relationship. Aside from a half assed apology, he makes no attempt to redeem himself.
In fact, Dante tells Justina that she needs to forget the fact that he hurt so that he can marry her and legitimise their child. He doesn't tell her that he loves her or that he's not making that decision out of a sense of obligation... no, he just expects her to stop being a femnazi and kowtow to his superior male thinking.
Dante proposes, Justina rejects the proposal due to valid trust issues, and he gaslights her and gives her the cold shoulder.
Out of desperation, she declares her love for him and assuages his chauvinistic ego by confiding that he is the only person she has had a relationship with. Despite the fact that he was an unapologetic ho during their time apart.
The way the story was written, it felt like it was a cautionary tale (on behalf of the author) about the danger of being a career woman in a relationship. It seemed to suggest that, in order for a woman to be truly happy, she shouldn't pursue her career with the single mindedness that a man would.
As someone who chose to be a sahm for a season and who has subsequently worked in the corporate world for years, it felt insulting, to be honest.
Justina, our fmc, runs into her ex fiance, Dante, at her "friends" wedding (instead of friend substitute the phrase clueless, attention seeking moron).
5 years earlier, Dante broke off their engagement because he couldn't understand why she wouldn't give up a very successful singing career to be a traditional trophy wife. Being a narcissistic control freak, he judged her career, pop star image, and priorities, and his family (barring his younger sister) found her unsuitable as well.
Within days of their break up, Justina walks in on Dante having sex with another woman and leaves heartbroken.
Fast forward to the aforementioned wedding, Dante decides he must have her one more time to get her "out of his system," and, she ends up having sex with him despite her attempts to appear indifferent and strong.
Unfortunately, she falls pregnant, and he ambushes her when she's 8 months along and continues to be a judgemental, overbearing a**hole.
Justina gives birth, allows Dante to muscle into her private space, and picks up the threads of their relationship. Aside from a half assed apology, he makes no attempt to redeem himself.
In fact, Dante tells Justina that she needs to forget the fact that he hurt so that he can marry her and legitimise their child. He doesn't tell her that he loves her or that he's not making that decision out of a sense of obligation... no, he just expects her to stop being a femnazi and kowtow to his superior male thinking.
Dante proposes, Justina rejects the proposal due to valid trust issues, and he gaslights her and gives her the cold shoulder.
Out of desperation, she declares her love for him and assuages his chauvinistic ego by confiding that he is the only person she has had a relationship with. Despite the fact that he was an unapologetic ho during their time apart.
The way the story was written, it felt like it was a cautionary tale (on behalf of the author) about the danger of being a career woman in a relationship. It seemed to suggest that, in order for a woman to be truly happy, she shouldn't pursue her career with the single mindedness that a man would.
As someone who chose to be a sahm for a season and who has subsequently worked in the corporate world for years, it felt insulting, to be honest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2023
Ok, everbody is saying the H cheated when their engagement was already over. And he apologised before they even had sex again.
They both wanted different things and truly not ready to settle down. It was mostly about the sex and thar doesnt keep a relationship.
The h came of as childish, insecure, indecisive. She stayed inthe past even after 5years. I know it hurts but come on, they were no longer together Abd even if they came back that time. It wont work.
The H at a point became better and handled their relationship better.
The 5 years reunion was better cos now they have seen and learnt a lot to work on their relationship.
Bottom line is they both had their faults, not just The H.
They both wanted different things and truly not ready to settle down. It was mostly about the sex and thar doesnt keep a relationship.
The h came of as childish, insecure, indecisive. She stayed inthe past even after 5years. I know it hurts but come on, they were no longer together Abd even if they came back that time. It wont work.
The H at a point became better and handled their relationship better.
The 5 years reunion was better cos now they have seen and learnt a lot to work on their relationship.
Bottom line is they both had their faults, not just The H.
July 20, 2023
It took a re-read for me to fall in love with the angst and heartache in this book. The hero broke the heroine’s heart after he made a big mistake. I connected with the book because human beings are weak and love doesn’t always conquer all. The reality is ambitious, financially independent women can walk away and move on with their lives. The hero did finally ask for her forgiveness - more than once - and it was a happy reunion. I did secretly wish the heroine had slept around a bit just to give him a taste of his own medicine but loved the storyline otherwise.
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April 23, 2024Did I already say that this author is horrible?! The pleasure she gets from betrayal is something disgusting. I can't understand how it can have any kind of positive rating. Is it clear that he was cheating on her, before when she was traveling, or was it just me who saw that?! The talk of abandonment, distance, that he felt abandoned... Okay!!!! So she can't have a career?! Or rather, career and family?!! The author not allowing h to have a relationship in these 5 years did not show any growth in the supposed couple's life. Do not read.
February 14, 2018
It's actually not a bad story. I just really don't like the main male character, Dante. Typical male antics... grrrr..... I just wanted to kick him in the balls. Lol. Man I was getting so feisty and pissed off. Cause I believe he doesn't deserve a second chance. Well I could rave on, but I beta stop. The author has truly created a remarkable tale to get me all riled up. Have a read to see what your take is on it? But honestly, he is an A#@hole. Truly don't like him. Thank you for writing it. 😄
December 1, 2016
Writing is good, story interesting, characters okay. I kept waiting for the scandal. It all revolved around the two main characters, which is what books should do, but there never seemed to be a scandal as the title implied.
September 29, 2024
This left me really unsatisfied. The H was a manipulative ah and the whole shtick about h being too old to have babies (she wasn't even 30) and her ending up grovelling when it should have been him... Ugh.
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