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The Alfieri Saga #1
Damien's Return
They shared only one night of passion, but the memory of it has stayed with Damien ever since. He’d searched for her for months, but even with his considerable resources, with only her first name to go on, he’d been unsuccessful. Now, six years later, Damien is speechless when he finds Jemma by chance on a farm in the rolling hills of the Virginia countryside. The woman he has sought for so long, and yet she won’t come with him now? But Damien won’t give up so easily.
Damien’s appearance after so many years rocks Jemma’s comfortable, if simple existence. He has never left her memory either - how could he with such a visible reminder? Her son - their son - Dylan is now a precocious five, and the light of her life. Although Damien didn’t recognize him, Jemma feels honor bound to tell him about his son. But how will he react? Will he try to take Dylan away?
Damien’s appearance after so many years rocks Jemma’s comfortable, if simple existence. He has never left her memory either - how could he with such a visible reminder? Her son - their son - Dylan is now a precocious five, and the light of her life. Although Damien didn’t recognize him, Jemma feels honor bound to tell him about his son. But how will he react? Will he try to take Dylan away?
105 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2014
384 people are currently reading
954 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Lennox
295 books1,378 followersUSA Today™ best-selling author Elizabeth Lennox writes contemporary romance novels featuring sheiks, business tycoons, royalty, and other sexy rich men. Her male lead characters are smart, driven and determined, but can still be sensitive and vulnerable. Elizabeth’s female lead characters come from a variety of backgrounds. They are strong, intelligent and independent, while still feminine and caring.
Although she wanted to be a romance novelist since the eighth grade, that dream only became a reality for her in 2009 and a full time job in 2012. Along the way, she received a BS in History and held different jobs in the real estate, government consulting, and financial industries. All during that time, though, she was always writing, using her personal experiences, dreams, and travels throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean as backdrops for her stories. To date, she has written over eighty books and sold over 5.1 million copies. Her free novellas have been downloaded over 8 million times since 2013.
Elizabeth lives in Virginia with her husband and two children. Their home is just outside of Washington, D.C., and many of her novels are set in this area.
Although she wanted to be a romance novelist since the eighth grade, that dream only became a reality for her in 2009 and a full time job in 2012. Along the way, she received a BS in History and held different jobs in the real estate, government consulting, and financial industries. All during that time, though, she was always writing, using her personal experiences, dreams, and travels throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean as backdrops for her stories. To date, she has written over eighty books and sold over 5.1 million copies. Her free novellas have been downloaded over 8 million times since 2013.
Elizabeth lives in Virginia with her husband and two children. Their home is just outside of Washington, D.C., and many of her novels are set in this area.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
September 1, 2018
The Italian's Passionate Return by Elizabeth Lennox is the first book of the contemporary romance The Alfieri Saga series. While part of a series there is a definite ending and the next in the series changes to another couple as the main characters so it can be read as a standalone.
The two main characters in this story, Damien and Jemma, shared a passionate past but afterwards neither could figure out how to find one another. Now years later Jemma is perfectly happy in her life as a single mother, the product of her time with Damien, and never expected Damien to walk back into her life.
The Italian's Passionate Return is another story at novella length so it's a fairly quick read which I found to be an alright story. Giving the couple a history together makes the fast pace of the novella a bit more tolerable to me and are ones I usually enjoy more which ended up being the case here.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
The two main characters in this story, Damien and Jemma, shared a passionate past but afterwards neither could figure out how to find one another. Now years later Jemma is perfectly happy in her life as a single mother, the product of her time with Damien, and never expected Damien to walk back into her life.
The Italian's Passionate Return is another story at novella length so it's a fairly quick read which I found to be an alright story. Giving the couple a history together makes the fast pace of the novella a bit more tolerable to me and are ones I usually enjoy more which ended up being the case here.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
April 5, 2021
A Novella length introduction to the beginning of the Alfieri saga.
fairly quick paced.
fairly quick paced.
June 21, 2014
Sweet romance.
I always enjoy Elizabeth Lennox books but I think of them as 'go along for the ride books' you know you're getting a romance with a happy ending, a rich powerful man and generally a nice ordinary girl and there's usually a misunderstanding thrown in as well, sometimes it's just what you need.
So when I noticed this book was free this morning I thought I'd give it a go and yes it was everything I expected, the characters were good, the story predictable but nice, so all round feel good read.
I mentioned that I think of these books as 'go along for the ride books' what did I mean, well there's always mistakes both small and large the most obvious one in this book is when Damien asks about Dylan's birthday:
.....If the boy had been born in the middle of January that would mean he had been conceived in....September....
So like I said when reading these books you can't be too picky you just have to go with it and enjoy it for what it is a little romantic escape.
I always enjoy Elizabeth Lennox books but I think of them as 'go along for the ride books' you know you're getting a romance with a happy ending, a rich powerful man and generally a nice ordinary girl and there's usually a misunderstanding thrown in as well, sometimes it's just what you need.
So when I noticed this book was free this morning I thought I'd give it a go and yes it was everything I expected, the characters were good, the story predictable but nice, so all round feel good read.
I mentioned that I think of these books as 'go along for the ride books' what did I mean, well there's always mistakes both small and large the most obvious one in this book is when Damien asks about Dylan's birthday:
.....If the boy had been born in the middle of January that would mean he had been conceived in....September....
So like I said when reading these books you can't be too picky you just have to go with it and enjoy it for what it is a little romantic escape.
March 15, 2022
Read before
I read this before so I knew what was coming. I hate when couples are separated for a long time and then get back together like nothing happened. The little boy and his puppy were very sweet and the niece too. Just hate second chance stories like this. I do like the family part of it.
I read this before so I knew what was coming. I hate when couples are separated for a long time and then get back together like nothing happened. The little boy and his puppy were very sweet and the niece too. Just hate second chance stories like this. I do like the family part of it.
November 15, 2019
The writing style was fine, but I just didn't like the story. The MCs had a ONS six years ago. She was a virgin and got pregnant and hadn't slept with anyone else after that. Of course he'd been with women in the interim (though according to him "not as many she she thinks"). Le Sigh. Why do authors write this stuff?
July 1, 2016
I really wanted to enjoy this story! I love messy drama and second-chance romances, but I couldn't seem to get acclimated to this author's writing style, even to the end of the story. It felt very anti-climactic and I kept waiting for something to happen, but the characters' responses and attitudes were just so matter-of-fact. Everything neatly fell into place--no fuss, no muss, despite the serious nature of a man being denied his rightful position in his son's life. I wasn't expecting an all-out war, but I was expecting a little more...something.
Pros? The puppies, of course! It's a short read so I wasn't expecting a ton of history on the lead characters and I did like that the opening of the story jumps right to the heart of the matter.
Cons? Male and female lead seemed kind of blah/meh. The story felt uneventful, flat almost.
This was an okay read.
Pros? The puppies, of course! It's a short read so I wasn't expecting a ton of history on the lead characters and I did like that the opening of the story jumps right to the heart of the matter.
Cons? Male and female lead seemed kind of blah/meh. The story felt uneventful, flat almost.
This was an okay read.
October 2, 2014
Lovely short story that tells the lovestory of the parents of the Alfieri children.
January 29, 2015
The Italian's Passionate Return is a short story that tells the story of the romance of the romance of Jemma and Damien Alfieri.
They shared only one night of passion, but the memory of it has stayed with Damien ever since. He searched for her for months, but even with his considerable resources, with only her first name to go on, he’d been unsuccessful. Now, six years later, Damien is speechless when he finds Jemma by chance on a farm in the rolling hills of the Virginia countryside while purchasing a puppy for his niece. To Jemma he has never left her memory either - how could he with such a visible reminder? Her son - their son - Dylan is now a precocious five, and the light of her life. Damien first meet his son in a barn and even though he didn’t recognize him he felt something about the boy was familiar.
As I said this is a very short story but I did like it. I will buy and read other full length novels by this author. I would grade the sensuality a 7 and would recommend this for an enjoyable read.
They shared only one night of passion, but the memory of it has stayed with Damien ever since. He searched for her for months, but even with his considerable resources, with only her first name to go on, he’d been unsuccessful. Now, six years later, Damien is speechless when he finds Jemma by chance on a farm in the rolling hills of the Virginia countryside while purchasing a puppy for his niece. To Jemma he has never left her memory either - how could he with such a visible reminder? Her son - their son - Dylan is now a precocious five, and the light of her life. Damien first meet his son in a barn and even though he didn’t recognize him he felt something about the boy was familiar.
As I said this is a very short story but I did like it. I will buy and read other full length novels by this author. I would grade the sensuality a 7 and would recommend this for an enjoyable read.
April 21, 2018
I love this short story that I read many months ago. I thought it was an endearing tale. Unfortunately I did not care for the books that came after this one in this series so this is the only one that I finished.
August 31, 2015
**Currently free on iBooks!! 06/22/2014**
3.5 Stars
I enjoyed Jemma & Damien's story. This also felt different (in a good way!) from all of Elizabeth Lennox's other books, I think it was the layout and style. I look forward to reading about the rest of the Alfieri family come fall! :)
3.5 Stars
I enjoyed Jemma & Damien's story. This also felt different (in a good way!) from all of Elizabeth Lennox's other books, I think it was the layout and style. I look forward to reading about the rest of the Alfieri family come fall! :)
Did Not Finish
February 14, 2016I have no desire to finish this book. It barely held my interest in the beginning and it really hasn't improved for me. It's a short story and even that isn't making me want to finish it. I downloaded this as a Kindle freebie so kind of glad I didn't buy this.
April 18, 2018
Good book.
April 7, 2015
This is a free novella by Ms. Lennox. The characters are Jemma and Damien. They met at a night club, are instantly attracted to each other, dance together, and then goes to his penthouse and spend the night together. In the morning, she wakes up and leaves him due to embarrassment. She later realizes she is pregnant, but is unable to locate him because they didn't exchange last names and she couldn't remember how to get to his home. Fast forward several years and they end up meeting each other again. This is where the story picks up.
Ms. Lennox's books are very easy reads and move right along. No dull spots. The characters are life like and lovable. What's great is that this is the first of the Alfieri Saga - yippee! All the books in the series are excellent reads.
I gave this book 4 stars because I have a problem with Damien (and this is typical in ALL romance books that I've read). My romantic heart rejoices when the heroine loves the hero so much that, although she may date other men, she can't/won't sleep with them knowing the man could never live up to the hero. I like when the heroines have morals (intensely dislike promiscuous heroines!). BUT...the heroes leave a lot to be desired. It's like they can't keep it in their pants and Damien is no different. Jemma asks him if he had slept with other women and, of course, he states he has. Wouldn't it be so nice if, for once, a hero wasn't such a man slut and stated that no other woman could ever live up to the heroine and he decided he'd rather be celibate? Unrealistic, I know, but I can dream, right?
Anyway, good read and I highly recomment it.
Ms. Lennox's books are very easy reads and move right along. No dull spots. The characters are life like and lovable. What's great is that this is the first of the Alfieri Saga - yippee! All the books in the series are excellent reads.
I gave this book 4 stars because I have a problem with Damien (and this is typical in ALL romance books that I've read). My romantic heart rejoices when the heroine loves the hero so much that, although she may date other men, she can't/won't sleep with them knowing the man could never live up to the hero. I like when the heroines have morals (intensely dislike promiscuous heroines!). BUT...the heroes leave a lot to be desired. It's like they can't keep it in their pants and Damien is no different. Jemma asks him if he had slept with other women and, of course, he states he has. Wouldn't it be so nice if, for once, a hero wasn't such a man slut and stated that no other woman could ever live up to the heroine and he decided he'd rather be celibate? Unrealistic, I know, but I can dream, right?
Anyway, good read and I highly recomment it.
September 5, 2014
Didn't make it past 40%
This book really needed to be proofread. The billionaire hero can't count or is confused as to the normal length of a pregnancy. The heroine is supposedly a well known horse and dog breeder at 25 but struggles financially. If she can't buy groceries why go into two o f the most expensive businesses? I'm not sure how she's known as a horse breeder if her horses don't travel. Race, show and rodeo horses all log miles of travel and the best show horses are world travelers. Oh and let's make a snap decision about moving a company's headquarters to the U.S. I'm sure his board of directors will have no problem supporting that. Just like I'm sure will not keep rolling my eyes if I just keep reading.
This book really needed to be proofread. The billionaire hero can't count or is confused as to the normal length of a pregnancy. The heroine is supposedly a well known horse and dog breeder at 25 but struggles financially. If she can't buy groceries why go into two o f the most expensive businesses? I'm not sure how she's known as a horse breeder if her horses don't travel. Race, show and rodeo horses all log miles of travel and the best show horses are world travelers. Oh and let's make a snap decision about moving a company's headquarters to the U.S. I'm sure his board of directors will have no problem supporting that. Just like I'm sure will not keep rolling my eyes if I just keep reading.
August 1, 2014
I enjoyed this short story, Damien was wonderful but Jemma was a great characther too. I did find the children a little to grown for there ages, but loved the story. I didn't realise it was a prequel to a series of books about Jemma and Damien's children, which I'll be adding to my tbr as i enjoyed this authors style, and you can't go wrong with a HEA
3.75 stars
3.75 stars
March 28, 2015
A nice cute story.
Elizabeth Lennox has written many stories I enjoy and this was yet again another one.
Got this as a Nook (B&N) freebie and enjoyed it. I would recommend it to romance fans of short stories and Happy endings.
Elizabeth Lennox has written many stories I enjoy and this was yet again another one.
Got this as a Nook (B&N) freebie and enjoyed it. I would recommend it to romance fans of short stories and Happy endings.
June 29, 2014
it is a really short book but good at the end.
October 28, 2014
Quick and easy to read.
February 3, 2015
3,5 stars.
September 30, 2019
A nice feel-good romance but with a few errors. Firstly she is a well known horse and dog breeder but is struggling to put food on the table. Apparently, they can’t move horses around the world. Also, it is easier for him to move his entire headquarters to a small country town in Virginia, complete with staff, than it is to move her and her son to Italy.
However, it was short (55 pages) and it was sweet.i would be happy to read their children, which are the next 5 in the series.
However, it was short (55 pages) and it was sweet.i would be happy to read their children, which are the next 5 in the series.
October 23, 2020
This is a typical novella for E. Lennox. It was about an one night stand but where the woman leaves without leaving any way for the male to find her. Six years later Damien goes to a well respected farm for a puppy for his niece. He finds the owner, Jemma, is the woman whom he had been with and looked for. Now the story is what will happen, will they marry? What of Jemma's secret. Am looking forward to the rest of the series.
July 19, 2017
Sizzling Romance
I normally never write reviews, but here goes. The Italian's Passionate Return is one for the ages. A romance that has never died for six years apart. I recommend this book and the series as well.
I normally never write reviews, but here goes. The Italian's Passionate Return is one for the ages. A romance that has never died for six years apart. I recommend this book and the series as well.
July 23, 2018
I LUVD LUVD dis bk Elizabeth Lennox. & bcuz of hw much I luvd dis bk, I'm so hookd. I feel like I can't stop reading her bks. TOTALLY OBSESSED. I really wish I can get a hold off the rest of the series. 😍😊
September 5, 2019
Beautiful stody
I Love this story. I've read it probably 5 times. I love the characters and how kind and real they are. I love the horse farm setting with the stall full of puppies. Short and oh so sweet. Linda
I Love this story. I've read it probably 5 times. I love the characters and how kind and real they are. I love the horse farm setting with the stall full of puppies. Short and oh so sweet. Linda
September 23, 2019
Great short novella
This book tells the love story of Damien and Jemma, who reconnect after 6 years of lost contact. Damien and Jemma are the parents of the main characters of the rest of this series so it was really fun to read about their love story. Highly recommended!
This book tells the love story of Damien and Jemma, who reconnect after 6 years of lost contact. Damien and Jemma are the parents of the main characters of the rest of this series so it was really fun to read about their love story. Highly recommended!
September 6, 2020
This line from the book really annoyed me: "If the boy had been born in the middle of January, that would mean he had been conceived in…September."
Does the author really think a pregnancy lasts 4 months?
Does the author really think a pregnancy lasts 4 months?
June 28, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. He tried to look for his one night stand but couldn't find her. She tried to find him discovering she was pregnant. This is the story. You should read it.
June 30, 2019
Second chance
This Is a light read. This was a great book for a summer read. Loved the book boyfriend too. The story wasn't New but it works.
This Is a light read. This was a great book for a summer read. Loved the book boyfriend too. The story wasn't New but it works.
December 1, 2019
Damien lucked up and found the lover he lost six years ago. He's determined to have her but she has a secret to protect.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews