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El secreto de su amante
Estaba dispuesto a hacer lo que fuese necesario para volver a tenerla en su cama.
La tinta de los papeles del divorcio de Giorgios Letsos todavía no estaba seca, pero este solo podía pensar en una encontrar a Billie Smith, la que había sido su amante antes de que él se casase. No obstante, la dulce y manejable mujer a la que había conocido le dio con la puerta en las narices nada más verlo.
Billie se había esforzado mucho en recuperarse después de que Gio le hubiese roto el corazón al decidir casarse con otra mujer. Cuando Gio volvió repentinamente a su vida, ella decidió no volver a dejarse seducir. Sobre todo, porque tenía un secreto que proteger… su hijo.
La tinta de los papeles del divorcio de Giorgios Letsos todavía no estaba seca, pero este solo podía pensar en una encontrar a Billie Smith, la que había sido su amante antes de que él se casase. No obstante, la dulce y manejable mujer a la que había conocido le dio con la puerta en las narices nada más verlo.
Billie se había esforzado mucho en recuperarse después de que Gio le hubiese roto el corazón al decidir casarse con otra mujer. Cuando Gio volvió repentinamente a su vida, ella decidió no volver a dejarse seducir. Sobre todo, porque tenía un secreto que proteger… su hijo.
135 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 16, 2015
204 people are currently reading
1292 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Graham
1,763 books1,448 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
September 22, 2015
This is one of the best LG's I have read in years. The style, story and characters are highly reminiscent of LG's The Spanish Groom and Tempestuous Reunion halcyon days.
Gio is a great H and his actions are bad--really, really bad-- but it was beautifully explained and he was so cute in his OTT obsession of keeping Billie at any cost that he earns his redemption in classic LG style.
Billie is one of the best LG h's ever. She isn't a doormat and she makes some really tough decisions and deals with some really hard situations with a lot of grace, diginty and class.
I can't think of any other book in HPlandia where the h has to deal with the ex-wife/OW showing up at her wedding that doesn't end up with someone being doused in wine. In this one, not only is clothing saved from wine stains but the H is the one who boots the jealous evil ex out and the h doesn't fall for the obvious OW ploy of "the Ex is using you but really wants me" trope. She doesn't fall into a pit of despair, she puts aside her doubts and she comes out at the end as the better lady of the two. She also contemplates hiring a hit man to take the H out, but that was part of the fun in this plot.
All in all this book made me happy to see LG writing in her best style, and I know this one is going to be a keeper for years and years.
Gio is a great H and his actions are bad--really, really bad-- but it was beautifully explained and he was so cute in his OTT obsession of keeping Billie at any cost that he earns his redemption in classic LG style.
Billie is one of the best LG h's ever. She isn't a doormat and she makes some really tough decisions and deals with some really hard situations with a lot of grace, diginty and class.
I can't think of any other book in HPlandia where the h has to deal with the ex-wife/OW showing up at her wedding that doesn't end up with someone being doused in wine. In this one, not only is clothing saved from wine stains but the H is the one who boots the jealous evil ex out and the h doesn't fall for the obvious OW ploy of "the Ex is using you but really wants me" trope. She doesn't fall into a pit of despair, she puts aside her doubts and she comes out at the end as the better lady of the two. She also contemplates hiring a hit man to take the H out, but that was part of the fun in this plot.
All in all this book made me happy to see LG writing in her best style, and I know this one is going to be a keeper for years and years.
December 21, 2014
4 star story and heroine, 1 star hero. Story missing some detail on hero's marriage...felt incomplete there. But otherwise gripping. But very upsetting to me:
December 18, 2014
I gave this one 4 stars only because I adored Billie, the heroine. She may have been a doormat when she was the hero's mistress for two years but she certainly grew some backbone when she left him, after he informed her that he was going to marry the "right kind of woman".
So, two years on, hero has divorced the so called perfect wife, who is actually the most odious and bitchy woman ever.........and goes knocking on Billie's door, where she has built a life for herself and the hero's secret son....yes, he wants her back in his life, as his mistress and no not as his wife.........
What a sod.....I so disliked Gio....he takes the alpha-male to a new, so not nice level!!!!
But wait, when he discovers he has a son.....something he never wanted to have as he told Billie years before...he suddenly wants him!!!!! Totally unbelievable....arrogant, unrepentant......check this out...when he demands that Billie drop everything and go with him to Greece....
Too bad his family love her.....I so wanted him to grovel....not enough grovelling from him was my feeling........
But hey, Billie loves him and in his way I guess he loves her too.....so let me leave the three of them to their HEA........he better be good to her!!!! Or I will come looking for Gio and slap his damn face!!!!!
So, two years on, hero has divorced the so called perfect wife, who is actually the most odious and bitchy woman ever.........and goes knocking on Billie's door, where she has built a life for herself and the hero's secret son....yes, he wants her back in his life, as his mistress and no not as his wife.........
What a sod.....I so disliked Gio....he takes the alpha-male to a new, so not nice level!!!!
But wait, when he discovers he has a son.....something he never wanted to have as he told Billie years before...he suddenly wants him!!!!! Totally unbelievable....arrogant, unrepentant......check this out...when he demands that Billie drop everything and go with him to Greece....
"I need to think about all this," Billie admitted tightly. "You're talking about turning my life upside down."
"And my own," Gio added softly. "None of this was on my bucket list either."
Too bad his family love her.....I so wanted him to grovel....not enough grovelling from him was my feeling........
But hey, Billie loves him and in his way I guess he loves her too.....so let me leave the three of them to their HEA........he better be good to her!!!! Or I will come looking for Gio and slap his damn face!!!!!
May 24, 2020
This was highly entertaining! Hero is such a caveman. It was amusing to see what he would do next to our poor heroine who became his mistress at 19 and then was supposed to be accepting of his marriage to a proper woman and remain his bit on the side. Hero is genuinely angry she left him.
Now, two years later, the hero is divorced and has found his mistress. But oops. She has a secret baby - 15 months old.
Hero is so thick he thinks the child is another man's. Then he threatens to take the baby away. Then forces the heroine to marry him, but leaves her alone until their wedding day.
This ends the first half of the story - the antagonistic part where the heroine's angst and confusion is highlighted. The second half concerns the H/h's marriage and how they build a relationship. The hero's emotional hang ups then take center stage and I enjoyed watching him turn from caveman to human.
So, the day of the wedding: it finally penetrates his thick skull that the heroine is angry with him and he'd better mend fences before the ceremony. This is where LG starts showing us the hero's vulnerability. They have sex before the wedding with the heroine in her wedding dress. The heroine sees this as weakness on her part, but it's the hero who needs reassuring.
The heroine shows her strength when the ex-wife shows up at the wedding ceremony. (To the hero's credit, he doesn't know what the hell she is doing there.) Heroine is also able to handle the hero's family and other run ins with the hero's ex.
I did enjoy the hero realizing that the made a mistake with the pre-nup and the lengths he went to tear it up.
Because the heroine was committed to their relationship and because the hero stopped running, they were able to understand each other. This hero really couldn't handle any one leaving him and after hearing his family history she (and the reader) understand.
Now, two years later, the hero is divorced and has found his mistress. But oops. She has a secret baby - 15 months old.
Hero is so thick he thinks the child is another man's. Then he threatens to take the baby away. Then forces the heroine to marry him, but leaves her alone until their wedding day.
This ends the first half of the story - the antagonistic part where the heroine's angst and confusion is highlighted. The second half concerns the H/h's marriage and how they build a relationship. The hero's emotional hang ups then take center stage and I enjoyed watching him turn from caveman to human.
So, the day of the wedding: it finally penetrates his thick skull that the heroine is angry with him and he'd better mend fences before the ceremony. This is where LG starts showing us the hero's vulnerability. They have sex before the wedding with the heroine in her wedding dress. The heroine sees this as weakness on her part, but it's the hero who needs reassuring.
The heroine shows her strength when the ex-wife shows up at the wedding ceremony. (To the hero's credit, he doesn't know what the hell she is doing there.) Heroine is also able to handle the hero's family and other run ins with the hero's ex.
I did enjoy the hero realizing that the made a mistake with the pre-nup and the lengths he went to tear it up.
Because the heroine was committed to their relationship and because the hero stopped running, they were able to understand each other. This hero really couldn't handle any one leaving him and after hearing his family history she (and the reader) understand.
July 30, 2022
As for my cheating shelves, hero intended on cheating on his wife with heroine. He wanted heroine to be his mistress while he married someone suitable which heroine wasn’t. He had EVERY intention to cheat on both his wife and heroine and if he could plan that ahead I don’t see why he wouldn’t have had cheated on the wife with someone else specially when he can justify it by saying she was an awful person.
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As far as the romance goes, I didn’t find any. I did find his OTT alpha double-standards BS. But no romance. He fully expected the heroine to accept the fact that she’s not good enough to be his wife, he WILL marry calypso, I mean Calista while Billie would be his side chick, his dirty little secret. If he knew about the baby he’d marry her FOR the baby, just like he did in the end, not for her. He seemed her again for making her a mistress so spending time with Calista taught him nothing. She by herself wasn’t good enough and if Calista was even slightly tolerable and agreed to give him a kid, he’d still be married to her. So nothing he did redeemed him in my eye, then again he only did farther manipulation and almost screwed Billie over. If he had a celibate marriage I’d have understood, but no, he didn’t and Billie was as pure as driven snow, so this guy was rather a cad, and unforgivable one at that. If he only knew Calista was shallow and liar? He’d have picked another bride who’d come from impeccable parentage. Not Billie, never Billie. My skillet refuses to be marred by his touch! Rant over!
=======
As far as the romance goes, I didn’t find any. I did find his OTT alpha double-standards BS. But no romance. He fully expected the heroine to accept the fact that she’s not good enough to be his wife, he WILL marry calypso, I mean Calista while Billie would be his side chick, his dirty little secret. If he knew about the baby he’d marry her FOR the baby, just like he did in the end, not for her. He seemed her again for making her a mistress so spending time with Calista taught him nothing. She by herself wasn’t good enough and if Calista was even slightly tolerable and agreed to give him a kid, he’d still be married to her. So nothing he did redeemed him in my eye, then again he only did farther manipulation and almost screwed Billie over. If he had a celibate marriage I’d have understood, but no, he didn’t and Billie was as pure as driven snow, so this guy was rather a cad, and unforgivable one at that. If he only knew Calista was shallow and liar? He’d have picked another bride who’d come from impeccable parentage. Not Billie, never Billie. My skillet refuses to be marred by his touch! Rant over!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2014
This has got to be one of the best romances that LG has written in years.Loved everything about it.Heroine,Billie,was a strong character,and Gio,the hero,I believed loved Billie all along from their days when she was his mistress.
November 21, 2015
Gio, Gio, Gio. You are one self-involved, self-centered, egotistical, alpha romero hero. I should hate you and your arrogant self, but like Billie I just can't. Gio and Billie are the kind of hero and heroine that L. Graham does best. Billie is a loving, sweet scatterbrain lower case h while Gio is an uber alpha, arrogant asshat capital H.
The plot has been hashed and rehashed so I will concentrate on the relationship. Billie actually has a spine unlike many, okay most, Harlequin heroines, and leaves Gio when, shock, he plans on marrying a "suitable" woman. Well, we all know what happens when a HERO marries a suitable woman in Harley-land. It is not good. It will nit last. Evil Woman alert. She's skinny, 'nuff said.
Even though Gio wears his asshat at an extreme level by actually marrying the OW and telling Billie it's really okay 'cause she can remain as the mistress, Apparently the OW is A-OK with that as she is marrying Gio for his money.
A little outrage, a runaway heroine, a secret baby, a little Greek tycoon blackmail and the magic penis, and there you have it.
Gio is the typical Graham hero in that he is confused, bemused and bedazzled by his little heroine which leads him to do all kinds of stupid things like what he does right before they marry and the pre-nup.
I'm rambling. Probably the Jamesons, but give this a read. Harmless and cute.
The plot has been hashed and rehashed so I will concentrate on the relationship. Billie actually has a spine unlike many, okay most, Harlequin heroines, and leaves Gio when, shock, he plans on marrying a "suitable" woman. Well, we all know what happens when a HERO marries a suitable woman in Harley-land. It is not good. It will nit last. Evil Woman alert. She's skinny, 'nuff said.
Even though Gio wears his asshat at an extreme level by actually marrying the OW and telling Billie it's really okay 'cause she can remain as the mistress, Apparently the OW is A-OK with that as she is marrying Gio for his money.
A little outrage, a runaway heroine, a secret baby, a little Greek tycoon blackmail and the magic penis, and there you have it.
Gio is the typical Graham hero in that he is confused, bemused and bedazzled by his little heroine which leads him to do all kinds of stupid things like what he does right before they marry and the pre-nup.
I'm rambling. Probably the Jamesons, but give this a read. Harmless and cute.
February 9, 2022
Re-read:
Yes this is up in my shelf s**t I love to read.
I finally understood why the book is not angsty.
Because there’s no love between the characters.
If the heroine had loved him when he treated her as s**t and married another woman, she would have been shattered and would have never ever forgiven him or taken him back a second time (Julia James here can give lessons…)
She should have suffered a lot more.
She took him back without much fuss instead, and she didn’t care a lot about his past behavior.
So my opinion is that she was in lust with him the first time and the second too, and when he asked her to marry him she was happy because she and her son would have had financial security and she would have had great sex too.
Not much love here.
The hero of course never loved her and his declaration of love in the end is the same I received from one of my classmate when I was 8, he threw me a note during a lesson where he wrote: I love you, won’t you be my fiancée? The same note was thrown to 6 of my other class mates… cute isn’t it the depth of his feelings? Same the hero here…
Welcome to Fantasyland! I liked this one. We have two of the worst characters ever. A narcissist classist bastard of a millionaire and a stupid dependent clingy heroine who is in this case also a teenager. So he seduces her and she’s a virgin, they have a relationship but for him she’s his mistress while for her he’s the love of her life. But then, when he realizes she’s not cultured and well bred enough he tells her he’s going to marry another woman and she will be his mistress. Obviously h leaves him and finds out she’s pregnant. H marries ow and after 2 years divorces her. He comes back to h because he wants her as his mistress again and finds out she’s had his son. They get married, he loves her, they have babies and are happy. Nope. This should be an awful story because he doesn’t realize his mistakes and he doesn’t understand that he hurts her when he treated as a kept woman. He and his friends make fun of her because she doesn’t know a painters name, and this is not what an smart and intelligent person would ever do, make fun of someone because he or she doesn’t have your cultural level is stupid not something a really cultured and intelligent person would do, so he’s only a snob and a dumb and so his friends. Actually he plans to cheat oh her and on his wife without remorse, he only thinks about him and his necessities and never about h of his wife’s needs. Heroine was dumb and stupid because when she realized she was pregnant she should have come back to him with an army of lawyers like barracudas and should have skinned him alive. I don’t understand why these heroines lack the minimum amount of self preservation, if you are pregnant with a millionaire’s child and he’s a jerk please go back to your country and ask him for support, a very huge and high sum. No judge would give him the baby when you are in your country. If we add the fact that she was a teenager she should have asked him half his money. But this is fantasyland and heroines are stupid and victim of big pen’s power, and men are handsome, rich and brainless as in zoolander movie. Hero never really redeem himself because he married another woman, he bedded ow for two years and maybe how many ow? This is never explained. If ow had his children he would have never divorced her so I don’t believe for a moment that he ever loved heroine. If heroine had another man’s child he would never have asked her to marry him so in the end he only married because she had his baby. So why 3 stars? Because LG is the only writer who writes stories so ugly sad and humiliating for all women in the world and is able to make them completely free of angst so in the end you enjoyed it all and you are almost happy for the poor stupid characters. Chapeau.
Yes this is up in my shelf s**t I love to read.
I finally understood why the book is not angsty.
Because there’s no love between the characters.
If the heroine had loved him when he treated her as s**t and married another woman, she would have been shattered and would have never ever forgiven him or taken him back a second time (Julia James here can give lessons…)
She should have suffered a lot more.
She took him back without much fuss instead, and she didn’t care a lot about his past behavior.
So my opinion is that she was in lust with him the first time and the second too, and when he asked her to marry him she was happy because she and her son would have had financial security and she would have had great sex too.
Not much love here.
The hero of course never loved her and his declaration of love in the end is the same I received from one of my classmate when I was 8, he threw me a note during a lesson where he wrote: I love you, won’t you be my fiancée? The same note was thrown to 6 of my other class mates… cute isn’t it the depth of his feelings? Same the hero here…
Welcome to Fantasyland! I liked this one. We have two of the worst characters ever. A narcissist classist bastard of a millionaire and a stupid dependent clingy heroine who is in this case also a teenager. So he seduces her and she’s a virgin, they have a relationship but for him she’s his mistress while for her he’s the love of her life. But then, when he realizes she’s not cultured and well bred enough he tells her he’s going to marry another woman and she will be his mistress. Obviously h leaves him and finds out she’s pregnant. H marries ow and after 2 years divorces her. He comes back to h because he wants her as his mistress again and finds out she’s had his son. They get married, he loves her, they have babies and are happy. Nope. This should be an awful story because he doesn’t realize his mistakes and he doesn’t understand that he hurts her when he treated as a kept woman. He and his friends make fun of her because she doesn’t know a painters name, and this is not what an smart and intelligent person would ever do, make fun of someone because he or she doesn’t have your cultural level is stupid not something a really cultured and intelligent person would do, so he’s only a snob and a dumb and so his friends. Actually he plans to cheat oh her and on his wife without remorse, he only thinks about him and his necessities and never about h of his wife’s needs. Heroine was dumb and stupid because when she realized she was pregnant she should have come back to him with an army of lawyers like barracudas and should have skinned him alive. I don’t understand why these heroines lack the minimum amount of self preservation, if you are pregnant with a millionaire’s child and he’s a jerk please go back to your country and ask him for support, a very huge and high sum. No judge would give him the baby when you are in your country. If we add the fact that she was a teenager she should have asked him half his money. But this is fantasyland and heroines are stupid and victim of big pen’s power, and men are handsome, rich and brainless as in zoolander movie. Hero never really redeem himself because he married another woman, he bedded ow for two years and maybe how many ow? This is never explained. If ow had his children he would have never divorced her so I don’t believe for a moment that he ever loved heroine. If heroine had another man’s child he would never have asked her to marry him so in the end he only married because she had his baby. So why 3 stars? Because LG is the only writer who writes stories so ugly sad and humiliating for all women in the world and is able to make them completely free of angst so in the end you enjoyed it all and you are almost happy for the poor stupid characters. Chapeau.
December 2, 2014
Gio and Billie have an affair but when he decides to marry a woman of his social background and keep Billie as his mistress she dissapears from his life. Alone and pregnant she builds a career and a new life for herself and her son. Two years later Gio is a divorced man. When he finds Billie again he is determined to make her his again and when he finds out he has a son he demands marriage as well.
Good read. It was sexy but it was not very angsty. I liked the hero even if he was an oblivious moron and his interaction with his baby boy was adorable. Heroine was sweet warm and so nice. She has a heart of gold. I would not treat my husband's evil shrewish ex-wife with such class but Billie is a better person than I am! lol I loved the ending. Awesome job Lynne Graham!
Good read. It was sexy but it was not very angsty. I liked the hero even if he was an oblivious moron and his interaction with his baby boy was adorable. Heroine was sweet warm and so nice. She has a heart of gold. I would not treat my husband's evil shrewish ex-wife with such class but Billie is a better person than I am! lol I loved the ending. Awesome job Lynne Graham!
December 6, 2014
For anyone else I'd have given a 2* rating but for someone of Lynne Graham's calibre I expect a little more. I usually like Lynne Graham books, wallbangers, crazy H's and all. I was soooo disappointed in this one.
Firstly the writing style. Not the prose I'd expect. I struggle to explain as I couldn't pin it down but if I hadn't read it on the cover I would never have thought it a Lynne Graham book. Something gauche about it.
Firstly the writing style. Not the prose I'd expect. I struggle to explain as I couldn't pin it down but if I hadn't read it on the cover I would never have thought it a Lynne Graham book. Something gauche about it.
March 31, 2020
I enjoyed this, but felt there could have been more angst considering the storyline. Gio broke Billie's heart yet I didn't feel her anguish. Billie primarily concerned herself in the present with protecting her secret and resisting Gio's bedroom charms. These are valid concerns, but the author's decision to brush Billie's feelings under the rug reduced the emotional impact of Gio's betrayal. It didn't help either how Gio, after reentering her life, initially failed to express any remorse, or even recognized how much he'd hurt Billie. That bothered me, but he did redeem himself enough by the time the story concluded.
Billie surprised me with her behavior early on, , but considering her feelings for Gio it kind of made sense as the story progressed. At least she had the grace to acknowledge it was a stupid thing to do! I also liked how Billie stood up for herself, and how she handled the truth of Theo's paternity which showed a new maturity and a selfless love for her son.
Gio turned out to be a smitten hero and that's how I like 'em! Underneath his arrogance and ruthlessness lay a vulnerable man, especially concerning Billie. He was a protective father too, and I loved how he didn't hesitate to claim his son.
Both lead characters matured during the course of the story, expressing remorse for their past mistakes, and in turn strengthened their love. I can definitely see their happy ending sticking for the long run.
Billie surprised me with her behavior early on, , but considering her feelings for Gio it kind of made sense as the story progressed. At least she had the grace to acknowledge it was a stupid thing to do! I also liked how Billie stood up for herself, and how she handled the truth of Theo's paternity which showed a new maturity and a selfless love for her son.
Gio turned out to be a smitten hero and that's how I like 'em! Underneath his arrogance and ruthlessness lay a vulnerable man, especially concerning Billie. He was a protective father too, and I loved how he didn't hesitate to claim his son.
Both lead characters matured during the course of the story, expressing remorse for their past mistakes, and in turn strengthened their love. I can definitely see their happy ending sticking for the long run.
April 23, 2016
I'd given up on Graham, but this one is more like her oldies. It reminded me quite a bit of one of my old skool Graham favs Tempestuous Reunion. Although this one was definitely different enough to stand on its own.
One of my favorite HP tropes is the mistress taken for granted. And boy did Gio deliver on that score. He was even worse than the H in Tempestuous Reunion in that he was so out of touch with his feelings that he STILL didn't realize what the h meant to him even after she left him. He searched for her from day one, but his intention when he found her was to stick her right back into the comfortable mistress slot (or 'drawer' as Billie so aptly put it).
I really liked the heroine, Billie. She had an endearing personality although she wasn't a perfect person. It's my feeling that she would have eventually contacted Gio re: the secret baby. She was very young and I felt that lack of maturity and tremendous hurt led her to believe she was right to hide the child. However, she was starting to feel guilt about that and second guess her decision on that front. I do respect her decision to leave the hero when he married, although I wasn't totally on board with her hiding the pregnancy. Gio wasn't exactly nurturing father material though. I feel she truly believed he wouldn't want the child and might have even have pushed for an abortion. I also loved that she took and sold one of the valuable pieces of "mistress jewelry" so her child would have a home and she'd have a way to support herself. I can understand the stubborn pride that leads most of the heroines to leave EVERYTHING behind (Billie left all but the one piece). It has to be so insulting to the asshole heroes to see the gifts discarded, but I did love that she at least had a bit of practical concern when it came to her and the child's future survival.
What was hard to take was the fact that the H was such a snob. He really was more of an anti-hero than a hero. He was ashamed of the heroine's lack of sophistication (much like the hero in Tempestuous Reunion). It was painful to read about how he kept her as a dirty little secret and SERIOUSLY expected her to remain as his mistress even though he was getting married. He needed to be taken down LOTS of notches. I really wish he'd have broken his best friend's nose for making fun of her for her lack of knowledge about "fine art".
What kept this from being a 5 star was the fact that his redemption was so subtle. I had to re-read the last half for it to sink in exactly when/how he started to see what an ass he was. It wasn't a dramatic climax. Plus I was greatly offended when he was so incensed that when he thought she had a child by another man that he was willing to just walk away. I don't think he would have (for long anyway) but I'd have liked to have seen this confirmed in print.
I'd recommend this to fans of the old skool Graham HPs, but can understand how others may hate it because of the hero. He wasn't exactly endearing, but he did have an actual tragic past that went further than the lame 'one woman hurt me 100 years ago and now I'm ANGRY' excuse we so often see.
For some reason I just get a kick out of the jackass tycoon who gets taken down a peg or two when the mistress dares to ditch him. If you like that and enjoy a wallbanger, this is a good read.
One of my favorite HP tropes is the mistress taken for granted. And boy did Gio deliver on that score. He was even worse than the H in Tempestuous Reunion in that he was so out of touch with his feelings that he STILL didn't realize what the h meant to him even after she left him. He searched for her from day one, but his intention when he found her was to stick her right back into the comfortable mistress slot (or 'drawer' as Billie so aptly put it).
I really liked the heroine, Billie. She had an endearing personality although she wasn't a perfect person. It's my feeling that she would have eventually contacted Gio re: the secret baby. She was very young and I felt that lack of maturity and tremendous hurt led her to believe she was right to hide the child. However, she was starting to feel guilt about that and second guess her decision on that front. I do respect her decision to leave the hero when he married, although I wasn't totally on board with her hiding the pregnancy. Gio wasn't exactly nurturing father material though. I feel she truly believed he wouldn't want the child and might have even have pushed for an abortion. I also loved that she took and sold one of the valuable pieces of "mistress jewelry" so her child would have a home and she'd have a way to support herself. I can understand the stubborn pride that leads most of the heroines to leave EVERYTHING behind (Billie left all but the one piece). It has to be so insulting to the asshole heroes to see the gifts discarded, but I did love that she at least had a bit of practical concern when it came to her and the child's future survival.
What was hard to take was the fact that the H was such a snob. He really was more of an anti-hero than a hero. He was ashamed of the heroine's lack of sophistication (much like the hero in Tempestuous Reunion). It was painful to read about how he kept her as a dirty little secret and SERIOUSLY expected her to remain as his mistress even though he was getting married. He needed to be taken down LOTS of notches. I really wish he'd have broken his best friend's nose for making fun of her for her lack of knowledge about "fine art".
What kept this from being a 5 star was the fact that his redemption was so subtle. I had to re-read the last half for it to sink in exactly when/how he started to see what an ass he was. It wasn't a dramatic climax. Plus I was greatly offended when he was so incensed that when he thought she had a child by another man that he was willing to just walk away. I don't think he would have (for long anyway) but I'd have liked to have seen this confirmed in print.
I'd recommend this to fans of the old skool Graham HPs, but can understand how others may hate it because of the hero. He wasn't exactly endearing, but he did have an actual tragic past that went further than the lame 'one woman hurt me 100 years ago and now I'm ANGRY' excuse we so often see.
For some reason I just get a kick out of the jackass tycoon who gets taken down a peg or two when the mistress dares to ditch him. If you like that and enjoy a wallbanger, this is a good read.
September 8, 2021
3.5 med-suds Stars
I feel like I’ve read something very similar to this one. It’s the standard unsuitable wife trope with the “secret” she carried….👶. Billie dated Gio on the DL (AKA was the mistress) for a couple years (I believe) when he announced that he had to get married. Since technically nothing needed to change, he was shocked when he realized she left him. He’s spent the last 2 years searching for her, and finally locates her just as his divorce is finalized.
Bottom Line- I liked it, I have a weakness for a confused, OTT, obsessive alpha. I liked Billie, and loved the crazy ex trying to stir shit, but getting shot down. But it’s light (no real angst) and nothing unique.
I feel like I’ve read something very similar to this one. It’s the standard unsuitable wife trope with the “secret” she carried….👶. Billie dated Gio on the DL (AKA was the mistress) for a couple years (I believe) when he announced that he had to get married. Since technically nothing needed to change, he was shocked when he realized she left him. He’s spent the last 2 years searching for her, and finally locates her just as his divorce is finalized.
Bottom Line- I liked it, I have a weakness for a confused, OTT, obsessive alpha. I liked Billie, and loved the crazy ex trying to stir shit, but getting shot down. But it’s light (no real angst) and nothing unique.
April 6, 2021
4.5 stars. Great LG book! It only missed five stars because I was still a bit unclear about his reasons for marrying his first wife. It's nice to see a favorite author deliver a great HP read.
August 11, 2019
"The Secret His Mistress Carried" is the story of Billie and Gio.
Hmm..Nah.
Basically, one page into the book I knew I had read it before.. but that was back in 2014, I did not remember if I liked it or not, so I decided to give it a go again. Nope.
The hero is a big cad. He is crazy obsessed with the heroine, yet equally oblivious and selfish. Two years ago he made the heroine his mistress, had wild sex with her while keeping her a secret because he was embarrassed of her social status- she was a cleaner. He later expects her to sleep with him while he marries rich OW who will give him legit babies, and the heroine is like nah, boy byee.
In present, the day the hero gets divorced and his OTT horniness returns. He starts searching for the heroine again- hiring a PI- tracing her back to gobble her mouth and coerce her sexually- ignores her refusals- and OFC since this a HQN read, the heroine concedes with minimal reluctance. I did like that she had gotten educated and independent in the meanwhile but his magic penis is SO GOOD, she lets him back into her coot. Yada yada, she's had his baby- yada yada- blackmail marriage- yada yada- custody issues- yada yada- crazy ex wife- yada yada- confessions- yada yada HEA.
The things I liked were- that the heroine grew 1 inch of a brain during the separation and the stupid hero was genuinely confused when he was called self centered- he did have this crazy attachment with the heroine but I just did not like him.
Unsafe
2/5
Hmm..Nah.
Basically, one page into the book I knew I had read it before.. but that was back in 2014, I did not remember if I liked it or not, so I decided to give it a go again. Nope.
The hero is a big cad. He is crazy obsessed with the heroine, yet equally oblivious and selfish. Two years ago he made the heroine his mistress, had wild sex with her while keeping her a secret because he was embarrassed of her social status- she was a cleaner. He later expects her to sleep with him while he marries rich OW who will give him legit babies, and the heroine is like nah, boy byee.
In present, the day the hero gets divorced and his OTT horniness returns. He starts searching for the heroine again- hiring a PI- tracing her back to gobble her mouth and coerce her sexually- ignores her refusals- and OFC since this a HQN read, the heroine concedes with minimal reluctance. I did like that she had gotten educated and independent in the meanwhile but his magic penis is SO GOOD, she lets him back into her coot. Yada yada, she's had his baby- yada yada- blackmail marriage- yada yada- custody issues- yada yada- crazy ex wife- yada yada- confessions- yada yada HEA.
The things I liked were- that the heroine grew 1 inch of a brain during the separation and the stupid hero was genuinely confused when he was called self centered- he did have this crazy attachment with the heroine but I just did not like him.
Unsafe
2/5
November 23, 2023
Another reread… November 22, 2023
Reread 2/15/2022
This popped up in my GR feed and I found it interesting that the reviews seemed to be either extreme. It works or it doesn’t. Obviously, 4 stars shows it works for me.
She was his mistress for 2 years before he decided it was time to marry, he chose someone more appropriate than the heroine. She leaves, finds out she’s pregnant and because he’d told her their relationship would be over if she became pregnant, she never tells him.
Not the best set up for a HEA.
Two years later, the ink on his divorce isn’t even dry and he’s been searching for her for awhile, and she and the baby have been found.
He’s an idiot and that’s why this works. He’s been cluelessly in love with her from the start, but she didn’t fit the mold his family history creates for a wife. So, he finds a wife that doesn’t care that he will keep a mistress, and he’s shocked, angry, heartbroken when the heroine left him when he married his first wife.
She still loves him and allows herself to be manipulated into marriage. A marriage that includes a nasty pre-nap, a pre-nup she doesn’t read before signing, that will have her losing her son if she leaves her husband. A pre-nup he regrets as soon as they reach the families Greek island estate.
Confrontation with the ex-wife leaves her knowing he was even more manipulative than she realizes, but he quickly owns that he shredded all the copies, including hers.
He wasn’t trying to take the baby, he was trying to keep her, knowing she would never leave her child. Grovel, I love you moment, HEA, nice little epilogue.
All thing considered, for a mistress, secret baby, ugly ex, Lynne Graham, it was rather low angst.
4 low angst stars
Reread 2/15/2022
This popped up in my GR feed and I found it interesting that the reviews seemed to be either extreme. It works or it doesn’t. Obviously, 4 stars shows it works for me.
She was his mistress for 2 years before he decided it was time to marry, he chose someone more appropriate than the heroine. She leaves, finds out she’s pregnant and because he’d told her their relationship would be over if she became pregnant, she never tells him.
Not the best set up for a HEA.
Two years later, the ink on his divorce isn’t even dry and he’s been searching for her for awhile, and she and the baby have been found.
He’s an idiot and that’s why this works. He’s been cluelessly in love with her from the start, but she didn’t fit the mold his family history creates for a wife. So, he finds a wife that doesn’t care that he will keep a mistress, and he’s shocked, angry, heartbroken when the heroine left him when he married his first wife.
She still loves him and allows herself to be manipulated into marriage. A marriage that includes a nasty pre-nap, a pre-nup she doesn’t read before signing, that will have her losing her son if she leaves her husband. A pre-nup he regrets as soon as they reach the families Greek island estate.
Confrontation with the ex-wife leaves her knowing he was even more manipulative than she realizes, but he quickly owns that he shredded all the copies, including hers.
He wasn’t trying to take the baby, he was trying to keep her, knowing she would never leave her child. Grovel, I love you moment, HEA, nice little epilogue.
All thing considered, for a mistress, secret baby, ugly ex, Lynne Graham, it was rather low angst.
4 low angst stars
December 6, 2014
Classic Lynne Graham. A wonderful second chance at love romance with the right touch of angst.
The Secret His Mistress Carried is why I read Harlequin Presents. The heroine is modern but not an unlikable bitch. She has her flaws but they don't ruin the book. The hero is devious, over the top and clueless about love alpha. His grovel is well done as is the heroine's. I totally enjoyed this modern day fairytale!!
The Secret His Mistress Carried is why I read Harlequin Presents. The heroine is modern but not an unlikable bitch. She has her flaws but they don't ruin the book. The hero is devious, over the top and clueless about love alpha. His grovel is well done as is the heroine's. I totally enjoyed this modern day fairytale!!
February 16, 2025
I hated him when he was married to OW but in second reading, the delicious angst and his regret & short 🤷🏻♀️grovel made me rate it 4 stars.
February 12, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I really liked Billie’s character and how she fought to make a better life for her and her son. Gio was okay. Typical alpha Greek billionaire who at first only thinks of himself and his own desires. I know it had a lot to do with how he was raised however, he still annoyed me with wanting to get married to a proper wife but keep Billie as a mistress. Of course Billie says “No” and disappears for 2 years where she builds a life for herself and her son until Gio finally finds her.
For Gio to be so intelligent, the fact that he spent 2 years (while married) looking for Billie after she left was a sure sign he loved her but he was too caught up in finding out he had a son and his physical attraction to Billie to realize just how much he loved her.
Great book. Will definitely recommend!
For Gio to be so intelligent, the fact that he spent 2 years (while married) looking for Billie after she left was a sure sign he loved her but he was too caught up in finding out he had a son and his physical attraction to Billie to realize just how much he loved her.
Great book. Will definitely recommend!
May 25, 2022
Eh. He would still be married to someone else if the OW had been willing to have a baby. 🤷🏼♀️ I’ll throw him an extra star for searching for the h and doing some underhanded stuff to Tie her to him…. But marrying someone else was a bit much for me.
March 29, 2020
3.5 stars
February 23, 2025
Reread 2/23/25:
I have read this HP romance novel many times over the years. It is a comfort read for me. If you enjoy the "enemies to lovers" trope, in my personal opinion, nobody does it better than LG. I own the Kindle version of this novel, and the audiobook version is available through Hoopla. I really like its narrator, Polly Lee, much better than Melanie Crawley, who has performed the vast majority of audiobooks for LG.
Review from 11/25/23:
Passionate, secret-baby page-turner from 2015, written in the retro, angry-alpha style of a 1990’s HP romance
Four years ago, when she was a naïve, 19-year-old virgin, Billie Smith was swept off her feet into a passionate affair by gorgeous, sophisticated, Greek billionaire Giorgios (“Gio”) Letsos. He was only twenty-six years old at the time, but had already had so many brief flings, he was light years beyond her in sexual experience. During their time together, as far as Billie was concerned, she was living with the man she desperately loved. As far as Gio was concerned, he was involved in a discreet liaison with a beautiful, sexy, pliant, young mistress, whose slavish devotion he took entirely for granted. Until the day he informed Billie he was about to enter a dynastic marriage with a wealthy, Greek woman who was his social equal, in order to produce heirs worthy of his exalted family name. He serenely informed Billie that his fiancée had no qualms at all about Gio retaining Billie as his mistress, as long as the connection continued to remain as tastefully out of sight as it had been for the entire two years of their alliance. Unfortunately for Gio, he learned the hard way that day that Billie was not the dutiful pushover he assumed her to be when she vanished without a trace. He has had private investigators trying to track her down for the past two years, but he only, finally, discovers her whereabouts shortly after his cold-blooded society marriage ends in divorce.
The day that heart-broken Billie left Gio, she took only two things with her among the countless gifts Gio had showered upon her: the first piece of jewelry he ever gave her, an exorbitantly expensive ring, and the unplanned baby she carried. She didn’t tell Gio about the baby because she assumed he would not want to know, since he was marrying someone else, and because she was concerned that he might demand she get an abortion. She got an excellent start in her new post-Gio life after selling the ring and using the proceeds to start a business and purchase a modest house. In addition, her medical bills and that of her baby were paid for by the National Health Service, and she was able to share living expenses and avoid a huge outlay for childcare as a working mother by trading babysitting duties with her cousin, who is the single mother of twins. In spite of many men being more than eager to date gorgeous, sweet-natured Billie, she has not been interested in any man during all of the time of her separation from Gio. Until the day that Gio arrives on her doorstep, insisting he wants Billie back, and she learns, to her alarm, that her passionate attachment to Gio has not faded at all.
Gio is in a class all by himself as a cluelessly insensitive, misogynistic, hyper-privileged, gorgeous, HP billionaire. He spends a good part of the book completely unable to imagine why in the world Billie would have left him over something as trivial as his engaging in a marriage of convenience with another woman. Fortunately, Billie’s days of being the adoring doormat she was at age 19-20 are long gone at the time of the commencement of this secret-baby, reunion-romance. She goes toe to toe with Gio throughout the novel in many entertaining, fiery encounters. And when the slow-burn reunion ultimately moves into lovemaking, she doesn’t tamely fall in line after he wows her in bed either.
Fans of HP romances, and LG novels in particular, will enjoy this novel, in spite of the ridiculously sexist hero, mainly because of Billie’s backbone, and also because Gio has a significant (desperately needed) growth arc across the novel.
I have experienced this novel both in Kindle format and as an audiobook, which is narrated by Polly Lee. She does a good job performing the dialogue and convincingly voices both male and female characters and various regional and national dialects.
I rate this novel as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 3 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Audiobook Narration: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars
I have read this HP romance novel many times over the years. It is a comfort read for me. If you enjoy the "enemies to lovers" trope, in my personal opinion, nobody does it better than LG. I own the Kindle version of this novel, and the audiobook version is available through Hoopla. I really like its narrator, Polly Lee, much better than Melanie Crawley, who has performed the vast majority of audiobooks for LG.
Review from 11/25/23:
Passionate, secret-baby page-turner from 2015, written in the retro, angry-alpha style of a 1990’s HP romance
Four years ago, when she was a naïve, 19-year-old virgin, Billie Smith was swept off her feet into a passionate affair by gorgeous, sophisticated, Greek billionaire Giorgios (“Gio”) Letsos. He was only twenty-six years old at the time, but had already had so many brief flings, he was light years beyond her in sexual experience. During their time together, as far as Billie was concerned, she was living with the man she desperately loved. As far as Gio was concerned, he was involved in a discreet liaison with a beautiful, sexy, pliant, young mistress, whose slavish devotion he took entirely for granted. Until the day he informed Billie he was about to enter a dynastic marriage with a wealthy, Greek woman who was his social equal, in order to produce heirs worthy of his exalted family name. He serenely informed Billie that his fiancée had no qualms at all about Gio retaining Billie as his mistress, as long as the connection continued to remain as tastefully out of sight as it had been for the entire two years of their alliance. Unfortunately for Gio, he learned the hard way that day that Billie was not the dutiful pushover he assumed her to be when she vanished without a trace. He has had private investigators trying to track her down for the past two years, but he only, finally, discovers her whereabouts shortly after his cold-blooded society marriage ends in divorce.
The day that heart-broken Billie left Gio, she took only two things with her among the countless gifts Gio had showered upon her: the first piece of jewelry he ever gave her, an exorbitantly expensive ring, and the unplanned baby she carried. She didn’t tell Gio about the baby because she assumed he would not want to know, since he was marrying someone else, and because she was concerned that he might demand she get an abortion. She got an excellent start in her new post-Gio life after selling the ring and using the proceeds to start a business and purchase a modest house. In addition, her medical bills and that of her baby were paid for by the National Health Service, and she was able to share living expenses and avoid a huge outlay for childcare as a working mother by trading babysitting duties with her cousin, who is the single mother of twins. In spite of many men being more than eager to date gorgeous, sweet-natured Billie, she has not been interested in any man during all of the time of her separation from Gio. Until the day that Gio arrives on her doorstep, insisting he wants Billie back, and she learns, to her alarm, that her passionate attachment to Gio has not faded at all.
Gio is in a class all by himself as a cluelessly insensitive, misogynistic, hyper-privileged, gorgeous, HP billionaire. He spends a good part of the book completely unable to imagine why in the world Billie would have left him over something as trivial as his engaging in a marriage of convenience with another woman. Fortunately, Billie’s days of being the adoring doormat she was at age 19-20 are long gone at the time of the commencement of this secret-baby, reunion-romance. She goes toe to toe with Gio throughout the novel in many entertaining, fiery encounters. And when the slow-burn reunion ultimately moves into lovemaking, she doesn’t tamely fall in line after he wows her in bed either.
Fans of HP romances, and LG novels in particular, will enjoy this novel, in spite of the ridiculously sexist hero, mainly because of Billie’s backbone, and also because Gio has a significant (desperately needed) growth arc across the novel.
I have experienced this novel both in Kindle format and as an audiobook, which is narrated by Polly Lee. She does a good job performing the dialogue and convincingly voices both male and female characters and various regional and national dialects.
I rate this novel as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 3 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Audiobook Narration: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars
January 4, 2015
Lynne Graham junkie that I am, I thought this was a nice little story. It was amusing how blind the hero was. He had married another woman two years earlier while expecting Billie, the heroine to continue as his mistress. After his marriage fails he finally finds her again and can't understand why she left him. She keeps going 'but you married another woman!' and he just can't see what difference that should have made. They have this conversation in different ways throughout the book. She doesn't just roll over for him and he eventually figures out the error of his ways. A fun little title for LG fans.
June 3, 2024
Супер сладко Арлекинче, което отново доказва, че дори с малко страници и редовните идиотски тропи за жанра пак може да се получи добра история.
Любима сцена: героят, настръхнал като стършел да предпази мацката от надутото си семейство,
Любима сцена: героят, настръхнал като стършел да предпази мацката от надутото си семейство,
December 8, 2014
h is stupid and H is an asshole.
March 3, 2015
I liked it! Lynne Graham's books make me happy most of times. The heroine was smart and strong, I love she was curvy. The hero was Greek, an alfa male as usually ;)
April 2, 2015
Finally a book by LG that I could read without skimming!
Loved the hero, loved the way he was obsessed with the heroine and relentless in his pursuit of her. He was a bit set in his ways and totally unaware of how his actions hurt the heroine. Loved the way he slowly changed into a better man. I especially enjoyed the scene with the prenup agreement and the reasons for wording it the way he did!
When it comes to the heroine I found her endearing and resourceful. She had the brains and guts to improve herself by studying and later starting her own business.
Unfortunately her brains seemed to go out the window as soon as the all mighty, tall, dark & handsome hero came on the scene. From that moment on I found her reactions to him annoying. It was all about her batting her lashes at him, salivating at his good looks and fearing he would reject her or leave her again. In her thoughts she stood up to him but in her actions she was a doormat.
I wish she had shown more backbone and stood up for herself when he threatened her about taking their child away from her and exposing her cousin's secret.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book very much, mostly because the hero was so besotted with the heroine.
Loved the hero, loved the way he was obsessed with the heroine and relentless in his pursuit of her. He was a bit set in his ways and totally unaware of how his actions hurt the heroine. Loved the way he slowly changed into a better man. I especially enjoyed the scene with the prenup agreement and the reasons for wording it the way he did!
When it comes to the heroine I found her endearing and resourceful. She had the brains and guts to improve herself by studying and later starting her own business.
Unfortunately her brains seemed to go out the window as soon as the all mighty, tall, dark & handsome hero came on the scene. From that moment on I found her reactions to him annoying. It was all about her batting her lashes at him, salivating at his good looks and fearing he would reject her or leave her again. In her thoughts she stood up to him but in her actions she was a doormat.
I wish she had shown more backbone and stood up for herself when he threatened her about taking their child away from her and exposing her cousin's secret.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book very much, mostly because the hero was so besotted with the heroine.
October 5, 2016
Okay... completed reading this last night! h was H's mistress for nearly two years and then suddenly he announces he has to marry a woman who matches his status in society. He still expects her to be his mistress after marriage. At that moment, h who was a doormat before, finally stands up for herself and dumps his a$$. The story starts after H's divorce.
Billie, short for nothing, was once a complete doormat. But in the book, she stands up to Gio, in every single occasion. I liked that about her. I liked that a lot.
Gio, on the other hand, is totally surprised to see this side of her. He wants her back, there is no doubt in that. I liked that about him, but what I didn't like is the fact that he thought nothing was wrong in keeping her as a mistress even after he marries another woman.
The book lost it one star there and also because I personally thought Gio should have groveled a bit more.
Overall a good read! But I have read better books by this author.
Billie, short for nothing, was once a complete doormat. But in the book, she stands up to Gio, in every single occasion. I liked that about her. I liked that a lot.
Gio, on the other hand, is totally surprised to see this side of her. He wants her back, there is no doubt in that. I liked that about him, but what I didn't like is the fact that he thought nothing was wrong in keeping her as a mistress even after he marries another woman.
The book lost it one star there and also because I personally thought Gio should have groveled a bit more.
Overall a good read! But I have read better books by this author.
June 15, 2016
These books are essentially all the same. Wealthy arrogant H. Most often a weak h that is either their mistress or secretary /assistant. The H decides he needs to marry someone "more suitable" to satisfy family needs and drops h. Of course, h finds out she is pregnant but can't tell H because she is poor and destitute and she is afraid he will take the child. The H decides he can't live without h and comes back and is pissed when he finds out he is a father and didn't know. Then he blackmails h to do what he wants. They end up married and H is hit by a lightening bolt of realization that he loves h. They live happily ever after.... Gio the H was pretty much an ass 95% of the book. I will say Billie, the h, was a little tougher that most of the h's in these stories and stood up for herself the best she could. As you can see, I've read a lot of these stories. Most I haven't even added to Goodreads. I listened to this on audio.
December 20, 2015
This was an OK Read. The story line was similar to another book by this author- Tempestuous Reunion. It did not carry the same punch for me though.
I also did not feel the Love of the H in this.
I also did not feel the Love of the H in this.
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