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Princess's Nine-Month Secret
“The princess is pregnant.”
With the Italian’s baby!
For a stolen night of freedom, ever-dutiful Princess Halina throws caution to the wind and succumbs to the seduction of notorious Rico Falcone. Yet the consequences of their insatiable passion land Lina in royal disgrace. When she’s hidden away to conceal her shocking secret, ruthless Rico storms the palace! He’ll do anything to legitimize his child—he’ll even make Lina his wife!
With the Italian’s baby!
For a stolen night of freedom, ever-dutiful Princess Halina throws caution to the wind and succumbs to the seduction of notorious Rico Falcone. Yet the consequences of their insatiable passion land Lina in royal disgrace. When she’s hidden away to conceal her shocking secret, ruthless Rico storms the palace! He’ll do anything to legitimize his child—he’ll even make Lina his wife!
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published August 21, 2018
66 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Kate Hewitt
875 books1,688 followersKate is the USA Today-bsetselling author of many books of both historical and contemporary fiction. Under the name Katharine Swartz, she is the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell.
She likes to read women's fiction, mystery and thrillers, as well as historical novels. She particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.
Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and two Golden Retrievers.
She likes to read women's fiction, mystery and thrillers, as well as historical novels. She particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.
Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and two Golden Retrievers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 5, 2018
Now I'm accustomed to the manwhore H's that abound in HPlandia but Rico, the H in this novel, takes his skankaholism to a higher level. Rico makes those other guys look like amateurs because he changes his women/mistresses within the space of one week or 2 for the most. And, for a man who changes his sex partners so frequently, Rico's not too concerned about safe sex because he actually didn't use a condom during his one night stand with the heroine. Rico actually asked Halina is she was "safe". How can a man who is an intelligent, ruthless billionaire be so lax about his sexual practices ? He was only concerned about preventing pregnancy when he should've been worried about contracting an STD. It was, after all, just a one night stand. The heroine Lina hears about Rico's reputation before she even meets the man, because 2 women were talking about him in the ladies room:
‘Oh, well,’ the first woman said as she zipped her bag up. ‘Someone said he’s already looking for his next mistress tonight—he doesn’t like to have long in between paramours.’
‘Mere minutes, it seems,’ the other woman quipped.
‘Well, it won’t be me.’ She sounded glum rather than determined.
And, Rico doesn't dispute that fact; he's rather proud of it too. He confirms it all to the heroine:
‘Were they?’ Rico arched an eyebrow. ‘Women’s gossip in a bathroom—I can imagine what they said, and I assure you, it’s all true.’
Her eyes rounded. ‘All of it?’
Rico didn’t even hesitate. ‘All of it,’ he drawled, and Lina let out a hiccupping laugh.
This book is the companion novel to Desert Prince's Stolen Bride: A Royal Marriage of Convenience Romance. This heroine, Halina, is the princess who had been betrothed to the hunky H Zayed from Desert Prince's Stolen Bride: A Royal Marriage of Convenience Romance, but it was her best friend Olivia who ended up marrying him. I really enjoyed Desert Prince's Stolen Bride: A Royal Marriage of Convenience Romance a lot because the MC's in that story were a lot more likable. Zayed was also a better type of alpha male H than Rico. Rico's a skankaholic who jumps from one woman's bed to another, while Zayed had been celibate for 10 years. Rico's got a chip on his shoulder because both of his parents had abandoned him: his mother had dumped him right after giving birth to him while his father placed him in an orphanage when he was just a kid. I felt sorry for Rico but I couldn't accept the fact that he used this excuse to rationalize his manwhorish behaviour.
Halina came across as a likable but insecure heroine. I guess it was due to her extremely sheltered upbringing. When she met Rico, Halina was at an emotional crossroads in her life. She was in Rome with her mother and she was a 22 yr old who had become fed up of her boring and restricted lifestyle. She thought that she was, unlike other girls her age, always on the outside looking in. And, she wanted to have fun for just one night. That's why she crept out of her hotel suite and gate crashed a party that was being held in the ballroom. The MC's are sexually attracted to each other and Halina's natural inhibitions are lowered after she drinks a few glasses of champagne. They ended up going to Rico's penthouse suite and having sex. Soon afterwards, her bodyguard arrives looking for her and she's taken back to her angry mother.
The rest of the novel dealt with Lina's pregnancy issues and Rico's determination to ensure that his child be legitimate. It's only in this part of the story that Rico began to redeem himself slowly. He also won a point in his favour by being celibate during the 2 months after his one night stand with Halina. Halina's parents were a nightmare, but I guess that's to be expected since their cultural values clash with the reality of a pregnant and unwed daughter. They actually forced her to go to a doctor for an abortion but the doctor refused to do it when he saw that Halina wanted to keep her baby. Rico ended up rescuing Halina from a deserted old outpost to which her dad had banished her.
This part of the novel tended to focus on the tentative relationship that was building between the MC's.
Rico was a good fiance because he was kind, protective, nurturing and he promised that he'd be a faithful husband. Halina was the one who was missing her family a lot because she'd fallen in love with Rico and he kept insisting that love would never be a part of the marital package deal. He wasn't cruel; he was just cold and he refused to discuss the possibility of love being a part of their relationship. They co-existed peacefully while they lived together but then Halina's father turned up and apologized for the way he'd treated her. He'd also promised her that he wouldn't force her to marry anyone if she returned home with him. The heroine didn't want to return home because she loved Rico but the H was still obstinately refusing to admit that he loved her. Rico did the dumbest thing when he make the unilateral decision that Halina would be better off without him:
As the doors pinged open and then shut Rico let out a shuddering breath. So this would be the end. He would let her go, because he cared for her too much to shackle her to him. He saw that now.
The MC's parted on a bitter note but Halina was in for a big surprise when she returned home. Her father had lied to her. Once he had her locked up at his palace in Abkar, he told her in no uncertain terms that she would be marrying an 80 something yr old neighbouring sultan who already had 2 wives ! When Halina begged her father to let her return to Rico and marry him instead, the old man was ruthless in his refusal:
Of course, Rico read all about Halina's upcoming wedding to the senile sultan and he rushed to Abkar to rescue her. As per the course with most romantic storylines of this type, the H only realized how much he loved her after she'd left him. Rico could've grovelled a lot more though, but his declaration of true love was endearing and seemed to be sincere:
‘No, because you’re wrong. So wrong. I won’t come to care for you a little in time, because I’m already completely, hopelessly in love with you.’
Her mouth dropped open and he started walking towards her.
‘I’ve been fighting it for a while, maybe even since we first met. Fighting it, because I was so scared of loving someone again, letting myself get hurt. Left. And so I did what I thought I’d never, ever do and I left you instead. I convinced myself I was doing the right thing, the noble thing, but really it was just cowardice. You were right to call me a coward, Halina. Lina. My Lina.’
The epilogue was very sweet and gratifying because the MC's are portrayed with their 6 month old son Matteo:
‘I think he’s had enough.’ Halina lifted their sleepy son up to him. ‘Do you want to hold him?’ ‘Of course.’ Rico never tired of cradling his precious, tiny son. He marvelled that marriage and family had been gifts, treasures that he’d scorned, and he thanked God that he’d learned otherwise.
However, this novel wasn't as enjoyable as Desert Prince's Stolen Bride: A Royal Marriage of Convenience Romance. I think it's because I didn't find Rico and Halina as engaging or as romantic as Zayed and Olivia.
Safety: There's no OW or OM in the novel. However, the early part of the story did have a lot of references about Rico's previous manwhore tendencies. He was celibate after he slept with Halina though, so that's one good thing. Oh, before I forget, I gotta mention how much I disliked the name Rico. It just seemed so downmarket for a billionaire, but I suppose one can argue that he wasn't born a billionaire or from the middle or upper class.
This is the H, Rico:
This is the heroine, Halina:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2018
The hero has to be the dumbest tycoon in HPLand. He makes not just one, but two rescue attempts all by his lonesome. The first time he rescues the Princess in a fortress in the middle of SAND, and they almost die. You are a billionaire! Don’t you know any rebel forces, SEAL’s gone bad, hackers, commandos. How about Maya Banks KGI group? Bikers? The second time he rescues her from her viper of a father, may Sheikh Daddy boil in oil AND rot in hell, the H just saunters in the palace. At least he had a plan that time.
To make matters worse, after strong-arming the heroine about how important it is for him to be the father he never had, the child he would never abandon, his child that will always have his love etc and so forth, he just lets her walk away when bad Sheikh Daddy comes back.
Okay, getting ahead of myself. Poor Halina the heroine. Sad little romance between a poor put upon Princess with no life and the totally shut-down, sex-on-wheels hero tycoon rotates his chicks weekly. Despite being abandoned by everyone in his life he made a billion by the time he was twelve. Okay, nineteen yo, but it was only a million. The Princess wants a slice of life but gets pregnant instead and is banished by her evil father to the Palace of Forgotten Sands which sounds like a real bummer. What makes him so evil? Before she rebelled, he loved her and doted on her, a little, then sold her down the river in a brutal fashion . Personally I wanted the billionaire tycoon to use all the forces at his fingertips to destroy the Sheikh father or at least shame him internationally.
The epilogue is charming, but it’s not enough to make up for the 21st century Princess abandonment by her family, her lack of choices or attempts to make her own decisions, or the hero’s late, late capitulation of love. I reluctantly believed his declarations of love, but the romance was a little sad. More laughter and real connection as they got to know each other on both their parts would have pepped this up.
September 25, 2018
Princess just wants to have fun!
This was a good story. The princess snuck out of her hotel to go to her first party and flirt, drink champagne and maybe get her first kiss. Instead she gets Rico Falcone who is a totally ruthless womanizer with a bad reputation. And probably an std or two. I didn't like him at all. He was just wanting to find a woman for the night and he did. She just happened to be a virginal princess whose bodyguard came and took away before he was finished with her. Otherwise he wouldn't have cared I don't think. He was a pig. She of course gets pregnant And her Father treats her abominable and sticks her in the desert to have her baby. No doctor anything. The H has been looking for her to find out if she's pregnant since they used no protection and he 'rescues' her because he wants the baby. After that there is a rollercoaster of events that happen between him not being able to love, her wanting love and several other tear inducing dilemmas that really were thrown at the poor heroine. But the jerk became a hero in the last 50% of the book. I understood why he was the way he was and he really wanted the baby. And the princess too. He still did some dumb things still but their journey is worth it! I loved the epilogue and I really believed their HEA!
This was a good story. The princess snuck out of her hotel to go to her first party and flirt, drink champagne and maybe get her first kiss. Instead she gets Rico Falcone who is a totally ruthless womanizer with a bad reputation. And probably an std or two. I didn't like him at all. He was just wanting to find a woman for the night and he did. She just happened to be a virginal princess whose bodyguard came and took away before he was finished with her. Otherwise he wouldn't have cared I don't think. He was a pig. She of course gets pregnant And her Father treats her abominable and sticks her in the desert to have her baby. No doctor anything. The H has been looking for her to find out if she's pregnant since they used no protection and he 'rescues' her because he wants the baby. After that there is a rollercoaster of events that happen between him not being able to love, her wanting love and several other tear inducing dilemmas that really were thrown at the poor heroine. But the jerk became a hero in the last 50% of the book. I understood why he was the way he was and he really wanted the baby. And the princess too. He still did some dumb things still but their journey is worth it! I loved the epilogue and I really believed their HEA!
August 12, 2018
Sweet love story loved the angst. Hero was your typical playboy who doesn’t want love but of course heroine changed his mind and conquered his heart. I liked Lina. She was a strong but sweet heroine. Epilogue with their baby boy was adorable!
August 20, 2018
Three and a half stars.
August 25, 2018
With the end of my precious holidays and a week of getting back into early-morning-commute mode, I knew my fried brain couldn’t handle reading anything more than an HP. However derided the category, it’s a survivor and, in the hands of its greatest practitioners (ahem, Sarah Morgan), it can be original, fun, and range from witty to angsty all in the same book. I consider Hewitt one of its best. Princess’s Nine-Month Secret is HP-typical, less than what I’ve seen Hewitt deliver. Nevertheless, it “hit the spot” during a can’t-work-too-hard to read week. Its trappings will be familiar to the die-hard HP reader. Sheltered, cloistered Princess Halina Amari sneaks away from the Roman hotel suite she shares with her mother and into a party. Halina wants a taste of freedom and adventure before she returns home to wed Prince Zayed al bin Nur, a marriage arranged by her politically expedient father, using his daughter to advance the kingdom. At the party, Halina spends her night of rebellion with Rico Falcone. Two months later, Halina is pregnant and exiled to a desert fortress. Her engagement to the Prince has been called off (see book 1) and the parents she thought loved her have brushed her aside as an embarrassment to the family. When Rico discovers Halina’s pregnancy, he kidnaps her from the desert “palace” and returns to Rome, where they will marry pronto.
I’ve always been pleasantly surprised at how Hewitt can give us the uber-intense-HP reading experience and still surprise with the sweetness and gravitas of her message. Princess’s Nine-Month Secret‘s first half didn’t surprise. Standard fare: naïve, foolish heroine harries off on an adventure with the dangerous, seemingly cold-hearted hero and the consequences are punitive. She loses family, support, and security. Rico enters in classic alpha fashion, impediments melting before his will. Halina and Rico lack the spark, fire, and wit that usually mark Hewitt’s characters. I chugged along with my reader attentiveness at low. Rico turns out to be a billionaire with a loveless childhood, abandoned by his parents, poverty-stricken. Rico’s childhood misery-fest has made him heart-protective. He will never love anyone; indeed, he’s not capable of love, because he’ll never allow anyone to hurt him as he’d been hurt as a child. Does the heroine melt his heart? Does her loving-kindness resurrect his emotional ice? It’s what we would expect from an HP, is it not?
Ostensibly, yes, but how Halina does so makes for the more interesting second-half of Princess’s Nine-Month Secret. Halina is an interesting heroine: she doesn’t bear lovelessness well. It depresses her. She is ill from “all-day sickness” and challenges Rico’s philosophy of a life without that pesky love emotion as better because you’ll never be hurt. I liked how Halina expressed hurt and sadness. She wasn’t feisty and defiant. She was sad. And she told the stark truth to Rico, that she was resigned to a life without love with him. She was alone, ignorant in the ways of the world, and helpless before his competency, success, and arranging, managing, and deciding what her life would be.
What is equally interesting in Rico is that whatever he does for and with Halina are expressions of love. He cares for her physical well-being. He seeks her happiness. He shares experiences with her outside of the bedroom: there’s a lovely scene, for example, at the Roman colosseum. Halina is a heroine who doesn’t have much to offer beyond an understanding that love is the most important thing for a good life: to love and be loved. I thought it was particularly appealing that Halina even seeks her perfidious family’s love. Not in a dish-raggy kind of way, but with an understanding that love isn’t either/or. People are weak and flawed and yet, we must still try to love and be loved within those constraints. When Rico indulges in an either/or gesture, after he realizes he loves Halina, she calls him on it. Neither control nor sacrifice make for love, but abiding with someone, being there day in and day out, for good and bad. I don’t know if Halina’s passivity will appeal to most romance readers. I came to appreciate her and Rico’s story and with Miss Austen, would say that Princess’s Nine-Month Secret offers “real comfort,” Emma.
Kate Hewitt’s Princess’s Nine-Month Secret is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on August 21st and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-ARC from Harlequin Books, via Netgalley.
I’ve always been pleasantly surprised at how Hewitt can give us the uber-intense-HP reading experience and still surprise with the sweetness and gravitas of her message. Princess’s Nine-Month Secret‘s first half didn’t surprise. Standard fare: naïve, foolish heroine harries off on an adventure with the dangerous, seemingly cold-hearted hero and the consequences are punitive. She loses family, support, and security. Rico enters in classic alpha fashion, impediments melting before his will. Halina and Rico lack the spark, fire, and wit that usually mark Hewitt’s characters. I chugged along with my reader attentiveness at low. Rico turns out to be a billionaire with a loveless childhood, abandoned by his parents, poverty-stricken. Rico’s childhood misery-fest has made him heart-protective. He will never love anyone; indeed, he’s not capable of love, because he’ll never allow anyone to hurt him as he’d been hurt as a child. Does the heroine melt his heart? Does her loving-kindness resurrect his emotional ice? It’s what we would expect from an HP, is it not?
Ostensibly, yes, but how Halina does so makes for the more interesting second-half of Princess’s Nine-Month Secret. Halina is an interesting heroine: she doesn’t bear lovelessness well. It depresses her. She is ill from “all-day sickness” and challenges Rico’s philosophy of a life without that pesky love emotion as better because you’ll never be hurt. I liked how Halina expressed hurt and sadness. She wasn’t feisty and defiant. She was sad. And she told the stark truth to Rico, that she was resigned to a life without love with him. She was alone, ignorant in the ways of the world, and helpless before his competency, success, and arranging, managing, and deciding what her life would be.
What is equally interesting in Rico is that whatever he does for and with Halina are expressions of love. He cares for her physical well-being. He seeks her happiness. He shares experiences with her outside of the bedroom: there’s a lovely scene, for example, at the Roman colosseum. Halina is a heroine who doesn’t have much to offer beyond an understanding that love is the most important thing for a good life: to love and be loved. I thought it was particularly appealing that Halina even seeks her perfidious family’s love. Not in a dish-raggy kind of way, but with an understanding that love isn’t either/or. People are weak and flawed and yet, we must still try to love and be loved within those constraints. When Rico indulges in an either/or gesture, after he realizes he loves Halina, she calls him on it. Neither control nor sacrifice make for love, but abiding with someone, being there day in and day out, for good and bad. I don’t know if Halina’s passivity will appeal to most romance readers. I came to appreciate her and Rico’s story and with Miss Austen, would say that Princess’s Nine-Month Secret offers “real comfort,” Emma.
Kate Hewitt’s Princess’s Nine-Month Secret is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on August 21st and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-ARC from Harlequin Books, via Netgalley.
March 26, 2022
A good escape romance. The heroine does tame the hero and one sees it in action! I can actually believe the hero when he finally admits he loves the heroine. The hero showed his transformation from womanizer to being in love with small gestures throughout the book.
June 9, 2021
The princess is pregnant.”With the Italian’s baby!
For a stolen night of freedom, ever-dutiful Princess Halina throws caution to the wind and succumbs to the seduction of notorious Rico Falcone. Yet the consequences of their insatiable passion land Lina in royal disgrace. When she’s hidden away to conceal her shocking secret, ruthless Rico storms the palace! He’ll do anything to legitimize his child—he’ll even make Lina his wife!
For a stolen night of freedom, ever-dutiful Princess Halina throws caution to the wind and succumbs to the seduction of notorious Rico Falcone. Yet the consequences of their insatiable passion land Lina in royal disgrace. When she’s hidden away to conceal her shocking secret, ruthless Rico storms the palace! He’ll do anything to legitimize his child—he’ll even make Lina his wife!
January 5, 2019
Sequel to Desert Prince's Stolen Bride. This had all kinds of angst, including a very evil father who acted as if he'd reformed after trying to force his daughter to have an abortion, only to try to force her to marry a fat, old perv and a lover who vowed to never abandon his child only to give Lina the impression that he really didn't care if she took the baby back to her home country and never see him again.
Someone commented on how Rico's rescue of Lina- twice- was pretty unrealistic and I have to agree. Why not hire experts to do that and how was he able to gain entry to both places? I have to say that I expected there to be more security for the royal family, but then Zayed was able to kidnap Olivia (Desert Prince's Stolen Bride) with no problem at all.
My emotions bounced all over the place, but I really, really wish the father (and mother for that matter) would have some form of "come-uppance". I loved how Rico created Lina's Paris dream, though she viewed it as once more having choice taken away from her.
Someone commented on how Rico's rescue of Lina- twice- was pretty unrealistic and I have to agree. Why not hire experts to do that and how was he able to gain entry to both places? I have to say that I expected there to be more security for the royal family, but then Zayed was able to kidnap Olivia (Desert Prince's Stolen Bride) with no problem at all.
My emotions bounced all over the place, but I really, really wish the father (and mother for that matter) would have some form of "come-uppance". I loved how Rico created Lina's Paris dream, though she viewed it as once more having choice taken away from her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2018
Princess's Nine-Month Secret by Kate Hewitt kicks off with all the right kinds of steamy moments. Young and innocent Lina wants control of her own life. She decides to escape the watchful eyes of her parents, if only for a short while, to experience life. Never did she think she would find herself face to face with the notorious Rico. I had such high hopes for this romance. Rico burns up the sheets and his attraction to Halina is palpable. After a slew of discoveries, Rico decides to find Lina and keep her for himself. The entire story was wonderful up until the point where Lina decides to go with her father. I was so disappointed. She had already dealt with her father and should had known it was not in her best interest. Although not happy with a few aspects of the story, it ended well. I am very interested in secondary characters and their stories after reading the Princess’s Nine-Month Secret.
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January 15, 2019I didn't put a review of this up at AAR because I only review books there that I have completed. I have to admit that while I made it 3/4 of the way through this novel, I just couldn't stick with it.
So, if it's a DNF, why did I pick it up in the first place? Well, I've enjoyed Kate Hewitt's writing in the past. There is a depth of emotion that makes her sometimes improbable tales more than simply fluff. Also, I like reading HP when I'm in the mood for romantic fantasy and plenty of drama.
The first part of this book certainly delivered that. The extremely sheltered Princess Halina knows that her fate involves a politically arranged marriage but what she really wants is to live a little. So, she dresses up, sneaks out of the suite she and her mother are sharing in a hotel in Rome, and basically crashes a party. She meets gazillionaire Rico Falcone on her way into the party, and so it is assumed that she is his latest conquest.
The eyerolls started up pretty early for me. While heroes in the world of HP tend to get around, the descriptions of Rico taking on a new concubine every week or two were a bit much for me. Even the average Regency rake in Romlandia would likely blush at this! Still, the innocent Halina is swept away by Rico and they enjoy a passionate evening - that ends in conception.
The family Halina thought loved turns out to manipulate and reject her several times over in the course of this story, but alpha hero Rico swoops in to save the day. The conflict in this story initially showed promise as it's obvious Halina craves love and affection and it's equally apparent that Rico will give her everything but the deep and abiding love she desires. It's not that he doesn't love her but more that he just doesn't recognize the emotion anymore.
However, as promising as the romantic conflict became for me, the plot action just wasn't working for me. Halina's father was a little too over the top and the almost stereotypical portrayals of the desert kingdom irked me. Halina's home felt almost like "generic desert palace" and not like a distinct place with a culture of its own. I can't say that I threw this book aside, but I did eventually just hit a point where I didn't really pick it up anymore.
Many thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.
So, if it's a DNF, why did I pick it up in the first place? Well, I've enjoyed Kate Hewitt's writing in the past. There is a depth of emotion that makes her sometimes improbable tales more than simply fluff. Also, I like reading HP when I'm in the mood for romantic fantasy and plenty of drama.
The first part of this book certainly delivered that. The extremely sheltered Princess Halina knows that her fate involves a politically arranged marriage but what she really wants is to live a little. So, she dresses up, sneaks out of the suite she and her mother are sharing in a hotel in Rome, and basically crashes a party. She meets gazillionaire Rico Falcone on her way into the party, and so it is assumed that she is his latest conquest.
The eyerolls started up pretty early for me. While heroes in the world of HP tend to get around, the descriptions of Rico taking on a new concubine every week or two were a bit much for me. Even the average Regency rake in Romlandia would likely blush at this! Still, the innocent Halina is swept away by Rico and they enjoy a passionate evening - that ends in conception.
The family Halina thought loved turns out to manipulate and reject her several times over in the course of this story, but alpha hero Rico swoops in to save the day. The conflict in this story initially showed promise as it's obvious Halina craves love and affection and it's equally apparent that Rico will give her everything but the deep and abiding love she desires. It's not that he doesn't love her but more that he just doesn't recognize the emotion anymore.
However, as promising as the romantic conflict became for me, the plot action just wasn't working for me. Halina's father was a little too over the top and the almost stereotypical portrayals of the desert kingdom irked me. Halina's home felt almost like "generic desert palace" and not like a distinct place with a culture of its own. I can't say that I threw this book aside, but I did eventually just hit a point where I didn't really pick it up anymore.
Many thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.
October 21, 2021
I was having reader's block, lots of books to read but not much interest and not sure what to pick up to read next so choosing nothing. I found this by chance and maybe it could seem bland and same old same old to some but it was interesting enough to me to read it. It was a gentle story to get me back into reading. The story I liked though it is not ground breaking. Then again, most people that read romance novels like the Harlequin books are not looking for ground breaking. Personally when I read romance novels, the reason I do is because I want something easy to read, not requiring a lot of thought, a stress reliever, a happy ending. Basically I want something soothing, a balm to the soul, a happily ever after to contrast what we often encounter in real life.
I liked the story though in retrospect, it's not that original. I liked the characters I thought they were sympathetic and their reasoning and behavior was understandable considering their experiences. I might want to read this one again in the future. Maybe I should give it five stars... hmm, I'll have to think about that.
I liked the story though in retrospect, it's not that original. I liked the characters I thought they were sympathetic and their reasoning and behavior was understandable considering their experiences. I might want to read this one again in the future. Maybe I should give it five stars... hmm, I'll have to think about that.
August 23, 2018
The hero kept on saying that he did not believe in love while at the same time doing everything within his power to please the heroine, excep he would not say that he love her. He did not recognize his feelings as love until the very end. The heroine was too immature and impulsive at the beginning and because of her actions she trapped herself in an impossible situation. I wish she had been more brave and come out of her shell on her own; instead, she kept on doing what others told her to do. It was a nice read but I wished the heroine had had more spark.
June 23, 2018
It's best not to get on Rico's bad side, "Rico returned evenly, the words vibrating with taut anger. ‘She is coming with me.’ His tone left no room for disagreement." Sometimes Rico could be so thoughtful, ‘who hurt you? Did someone say something, do something? Because if they did it to you, then they did it to me.’ I liked this book, I really liked Rico the man learned a lot from his wkma
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February 9, 2022So sweet. Loved the Epilogue
April 25, 2025
I hated it. The connection between them was almost nonexistent. They were 100% only together because she was pregnant, he was only still thinking of her weeks later and looking for her because of the possibility that she was pregnant. It's not even clear if he was celibate during their 10 week seperation.
The MMC was a massive manwhore, he slept with 1 woman a week for years. On night he met FMC he had just dumped his current mistress and was immediately looking for another woman and happened to see FMC. They slept together within a couple hours of meeting and he didn't even use a condom, only asked if she was on birth control (in a way that FMC being a virgin was confused about). He was not horrified in the moment or even afterwards that he didn't use a condom so even though he said later that he always used them, it did not seem like he did. So surprising that with the amount if women he slept with that he didn't have an STD or a bunch of children. P.
The MMC was a massive manwhore, he slept with 1 woman a week for years. On night he met FMC he had just dumped his current mistress and was immediately looking for another woman and happened to see FMC. They slept together within a couple hours of meeting and he didn't even use a condom, only asked if she was on birth control (in a way that FMC being a virgin was confused about). He was not horrified in the moment or even afterwards that he didn't use a condom so even though he said later that he always used them, it did not seem like he did. So surprising that with the amount if women he slept with that he didn't have an STD or a bunch of children. P.
April 1, 2022
Princess’s Nine-Month Secret, Book 45 of the One Night With Consequences series (and Book 2 of the Kingdoms of Abkar & Kalidar series), was about Halina Amari, Princess of Abkar, and Rico Falcone
Engaged to Prince Zayed al bin Nur, a man of her father's choosing when she was only 10 years old and whom she had never met, Halina felt the walls closing in on her as if she were in a prison cell. But when Zayed had attempted to kidnap her and force the marriage, he had taken Olivia, Halina's sisters' governess, and married her by mistake. After hearing this news, Halina's father had her mother take her away to Rome to prevent any further kidnap attempts.
Halina was the epitome of "spoiled little rich kid" who believed she was entitled to anything and everything she wanted...and she proved it when she sneaked out of her hotel room in Rome to attend a party to which she had not been invited even after her mother had forbidden her. She took it a step further when she met Rico for the first time, followed him to his penthouse suite and slept with him, only to be caught by one of her guards immediately afterwards.
After some time had passed with no word as to whether or not Halina was pregnant, and having hired a private investigator to unearth her whereabouts, he finally learned of her location and that she was, indeed, pregnant, he made haste to retrieve her and his unborn child. When he finally understood the measures her father had gone to in regards to the pregnancy, he was livid...and determined to marry Halina. But he had informed her that he would never love her. He believed sex would be enough to take the place of love. He thought he could "kiss away her concerns" and that would be all it would take to earn her trust and make for a happy marriage.
This story was a hard read, so full of angst, drama, heartache, betrayal, pain, disappointments, and all the negative emotions you could possibly throw into the mix. Sure there were good times, chemistry, and passion, but the downward slide of all those bleak feelings tended to overshadow any of the positive sentiments that should have been the main focal point of a love story. The twists and turns were sometimes surprising, sometimes not...but more often than not, they were sad to read.
Rico, having had a difficult upbringing, guarded his heart with a fierceness that made him come across as a cold, unfeeling b*st*rd, when in reality he was just a hurt little boy hiding in a man's body. His character was a man of honor, integrity, and principles, and he showed that in his determination to take care of Halina and their baby.
Halina did start off as a self-indulging, entitled princess, but she learned fast, and in the hardest possible way, that not everything in life was about her and satisfying her needs. Through everything she had to endure, Halina grew up quickly, with her eyes wide open to the truth of man's nature. She did eventually mature, finding out in the hardest way possible that life wasn't always fair.
This book had some harsh moments that showed the reader that not all love stories end with everyone getting what they want, even with the HEA for the main two characters. Some sacrifices have to be made to achieve those goals, even the hardest decisions that could make and/or break a person. With that in mind, this book earned only a four-star rating.
Engaged to Prince Zayed al bin Nur, a man of her father's choosing when she was only 10 years old and whom she had never met, Halina felt the walls closing in on her as if she were in a prison cell. But when Zayed had attempted to kidnap her and force the marriage, he had taken Olivia, Halina's sisters' governess, and married her by mistake. After hearing this news, Halina's father had her mother take her away to Rome to prevent any further kidnap attempts.
Halina was the epitome of "spoiled little rich kid" who believed she was entitled to anything and everything she wanted...and she proved it when she sneaked out of her hotel room in Rome to attend a party to which she had not been invited even after her mother had forbidden her. She took it a step further when she met Rico for the first time, followed him to his penthouse suite and slept with him, only to be caught by one of her guards immediately afterwards.
After some time had passed with no word as to whether or not Halina was pregnant, and having hired a private investigator to unearth her whereabouts, he finally learned of her location and that she was, indeed, pregnant, he made haste to retrieve her and his unborn child. When he finally understood the measures her father had gone to in regards to the pregnancy, he was livid...and determined to marry Halina. But he had informed her that he would never love her. He believed sex would be enough to take the place of love. He thought he could "kiss away her concerns" and that would be all it would take to earn her trust and make for a happy marriage.
This story was a hard read, so full of angst, drama, heartache, betrayal, pain, disappointments, and all the negative emotions you could possibly throw into the mix. Sure there were good times, chemistry, and passion, but the downward slide of all those bleak feelings tended to overshadow any of the positive sentiments that should have been the main focal point of a love story. The twists and turns were sometimes surprising, sometimes not...but more often than not, they were sad to read.
Rico, having had a difficult upbringing, guarded his heart with a fierceness that made him come across as a cold, unfeeling b*st*rd, when in reality he was just a hurt little boy hiding in a man's body. His character was a man of honor, integrity, and principles, and he showed that in his determination to take care of Halina and their baby.
Halina did start off as a self-indulging, entitled princess, but she learned fast, and in the hardest possible way, that not everything in life was about her and satisfying her needs. Through everything she had to endure, Halina grew up quickly, with her eyes wide open to the truth of man's nature. She did eventually mature, finding out in the hardest way possible that life wasn't always fair.
This book had some harsh moments that showed the reader that not all love stories end with everyone getting what they want, even with the HEA for the main two characters. Some sacrifices have to be made to achieve those goals, even the hardest decisions that could make and/or break a person. With that in mind, this book earned only a four-star rating.
November 18, 2018
Another quick read. In this one the "privileged" princess escapes the confines of a hotel where she's sequestered to attend a party, the only fun one she's been to as an adult, before she has to marry the man who kidnapped her sibling's nanny.
She gets in on the arm of a lady's man who thinks she's another luscious party girl out for a tumble with the billionaire. She's enamored and figures why not see if he's all the ladies had whispered about in the restroom. She's dragged out after by her guard.
She's firm she won't have an abortion so her father the King sends her to a palace in the middle of the desert, a prisoner behind the royal walls, no say in her life.
After learning the virgin was knocked up he rescues her, demanding she marry him so he can keep the kid. Things progress, and he'll keep her for fun too.
She falls for him and though he's said he won't love her, she's willing to give it a go, if he'll be faithful and love their kid. Until she experiences a difficulty with the pregnancy and he backs off and calls off the wedding. Why not, their bargain is for a kid and its mom?
Poor Lina and Rico, they just can't seem to figure it out.
But, this is a Harlequin ... so things will work out, one way or the other.
It's worth the time to check it out.
* ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
She gets in on the arm of a lady's man who thinks she's another luscious party girl out for a tumble with the billionaire. She's enamored and figures why not see if he's all the ladies had whispered about in the restroom. She's dragged out after by her guard.
She's firm she won't have an abortion so her father the King sends her to a palace in the middle of the desert, a prisoner behind the royal walls, no say in her life.
After learning the virgin was knocked up he rescues her, demanding she marry him so he can keep the kid. Things progress, and he'll keep her for fun too.
She falls for him and though he's said he won't love her, she's willing to give it a go, if he'll be faithful and love their kid. Until she experiences a difficulty with the pregnancy and he backs off and calls off the wedding. Why not, their bargain is for a kid and its mom?
Poor Lina and Rico, they just can't seem to figure it out.
But, this is a Harlequin ... so things will work out, one way or the other.
It's worth the time to check it out.
* ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2018
Princess Halina lives under the restrictive control of her King father, decides she is going to have one night of fun. She knows her father is looking to marry her to a advantageous union, so what could one stolen night crashing a hotel party change. First she has to sneak past her guard, done, next she has to get into an invitation only party not happening. Rico Falcone is attending a hotel bash looking for his one night hook up. An encounter seeing a women trying to attend with an invite he claims she is with him. She introduces herself as Lina and has her first ever with a man. Rico is shocked but has no interest in a long time affair so Lina leaves . End of story not at all just the beginning Halina finds out she has consequences from her one night and a father who banishes her and intends to take her baby away. Rico who needs to find out if their are any consequences, hired an investigator and when he finds out she is pregnant heads out to confront her. In true Kate Hewitt style this story only gets better as it goes on.
April 3, 2019
Princess Halina and Rico are great characters that end up having a journey that took them from one flaming night to a sand storm to them having a shotgun wedding, but then calling off the wedding to parting to so much more. I loved how Halina knew what she wanted but at the same time she was trapped because she was at the mercy of the King then a sexy Billionaire but love that she never forgot who she was and that love was something she longed for. Rico is a player and he always has a new woman at his side almost weekly but when Halina is with him something changed then he found of the pregnancy and he knew what he had to do. But Rico has his own life issues that have cause him not to believe in love. He doesn’t know what love is and, in the end, if he doesn’t open his heart to the possibilities, he might lose everything or will he let her have her freedom.
This is a must read!!!
Received ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an Honest Review
This is a must read!!!
Received ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an Honest Review
October 11, 2018
Princess Halina of Abkar takes a walk on the wild side with billionaire Rico Falcone, and winds up disgraced in her ultra-conservative country. Banished from the palace until she either agrees to abort the baby she has already fallen in love with, or she agrees to be a second wife to bring political gain to her father's kingdom. When Rico rescues her, she exchanges her father's prison for Rico's, one she would accept willingly if he loved her.
Rico Falcone hasn't loved anyone since he was abandoned at 9 by the one person he did love, his father. He attends parties with a different woman every week. When he meets Lina, her innocence draws him, but he doesn't expect to be snared by it.
Can these two overcome their obstacles to realize that the love they want has been staring at them all along? Kate Hewitt seldom disappoints. If you enjoy the secret baby trope, pick this one up.
Rico Falcone hasn't loved anyone since he was abandoned at 9 by the one person he did love, his father. He attends parties with a different woman every week. When he meets Lina, her innocence draws him, but he doesn't expect to be snared by it.
Can these two overcome their obstacles to realize that the love they want has been staring at them all along? Kate Hewitt seldom disappoints. If you enjoy the secret baby trope, pick this one up.
August 31, 2018
Review Posted at HarlequinJunkie.com
All Princess Halina wants is a night of freedom. So, she decides to escape and decides to crash a party. Luckily, Rico Falcone comes to her rescue and she finds herself spending the night with him, even though he’s notorious for tossing his women out the door the moment he’s had his fun. Yet, when Halina discovers she’s pregnant, the only person willing to help her is Rico. Will Rico do what’s right by Halina or will she walk away from her shot at happy ever after and do her duty for her country? Read More
August 22, 2018
Hmm up and down the princess irritated me by going with her dad again. However, with that small irritation, this was a very enjoyable romance. Light and fun to read. Some humor, a little pathos and a story line that engages. So buy the book and sit and enjoy for this is a good light read well worth your time. I was given this arc via NetGalley. All opinions expressed here are my own. Regards, Anna
April 11, 2019
Rico was handsome, rich, sexy and cold as death. It actually took me reading the whole book and I still didn’t like him. Princess Lina was weak and annoying, I didn’t like her at all. The book started out really well but between the many pages of internal stuff in their head and the boring pace of this story I just wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. I finished the book and for that reason I gave it 3 stars. I really can’t recommend this book.
June 23, 2018
I've been reading Harlequin romance for 30+ years so I'm familiar with the rich playboy and innocent girl type formula but this one just didn't work. There was no build up to romance and zero chemistry between the characters. Frankly I found the female character just annoying.
July 16, 2018
I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, I loved the Hero. He was an alpha-type who is protective & sexy, but on the other hand, the heroine annoyed me and their "romance" at times felt unbelievable to me.
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August 2, 2018Miniseries: One Night With Consequences
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August 2, 2018Miniseries: One Night With Consequences
August 11, 2018
Passionate, romantic read loved it.
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August 16, 2018Love it
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