A Baby for the Billionaire

The Billionaire’s Second Chance #1

by Victoria Davies

Walker Beckett is a man ready for anything. He’s a CEO, self-made billionaire, and fazed by nothing. Until a tiny bundle that cries and does…other things he's not equipped to deal with at all shows up on his doorstep. So he calls his best friend, Clara Anderson, who always has the answers. She’s beautiful, smart, and never afraid to put him in his place.

Clara’s job has her busier than ever and she really can’t handle one more thing on her plate. Only this particular thing is a baby…Walker's baby. Like always, he needs her. And, like always, she can’t say no to him. This time, though, it isn't a problem they can solve over a bottle of wine.

Seeing Walker take on the role of father is doing strange things to her. But she’s not about to risk her friendship—or her heart—especially since Walker doesn’t intend to ever settle down.

Genres: Friends To Lovers, Audiobook, Romance, Contemporary Romance

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 12, 2018

About the author

My love for writing started young. Luckily I had a family who encouraged believing in magic and embracing imagination. From stories quickly scribbled in bright pink diaries, my love of storytelling developed. Since then my characters may have evolved and my plots may have grown decidedly more steamy but I never lost my love of the written word. Writing is not only a way to silence the wonderful voices in my head, but it also allows me to share my passions with my readers. Hope you enjoy my titles!

Reviews

[Elisa ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

a friends to lovers romance with a baby.

after 10 years of wanting each other, she decides that is time to move on, but then her best friend suddenly becomes a father, and now she has to live with him.
this book has friends to lovers, roommates/ force proximity, and a baby!

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 48%.

Part of me wants to give this two stars because I feel this book fail is at least 50% on me.

I stopped and started this several times so apologies if I don't recall the intricacies of the plot correctly. Walker Beckett is a self-made billionaire, his BFF since college is Clara Anderson and they have always been buddies with no sexual tension.

Then a mystery woman leaves a small baby with Walker claiming he is the father. Horrified, Walker turns to Clara who he knows basically raised her brothers and sisters single-handedly. He asks Clara to move into his penthouse apartment for one month while he learns to deal with his baby.

Soon these BFFs are questioning the basis for their platonic friendship as they find living together is a tougher proposition than they expected.

So, as a cynical aside, do billionaires even know how to wear condoms properly? The proportion of billionaires who have sex, just the once, and use condoms and yet STILL impregnate their partner must be statistically significant. Is billionaire sperm just that potent? Sorry, I digress.

There was nothing wrong with this book and TBH if it hadn't been published at the same time as books by Sarina Bowen, Rosalind James and Amy Andrews I would probably have enjoyed it more. But in a week of outstanding books this just didn't do it for me. It felt like more of the same-old, same-old. Intense, immediate physical attraction (despite years of platonic friendship) but he doesn't think he can commit, she doesn't think he finds her attractive. They kiss, she dismisses it yadda, yadda, yadda.

When she went on a date with another guy I just couldn't even ....

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Neermboop · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ (rounded up)

If I wasn't so irritated about not knowing how old this freaking kid was the whole book, could've been a solid 3. 😒

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A baby, a billionaire, and a friends-to-lovers romance? It can't get much better than that, my friends!

A Baby for the Billionaire is a steamy yet sweet romance that had me dedicated from the first page until the very last. Victoria did a fantastic job of building up the romance as well as the main characters in general. I found both Clara and Walker to be likable and relatable. Clara was sassy yet kind. The way she was with baby Hunter melted my heart. There were so many times that I wished the baby was hers - she just loved the little guy so much. I also liked that Victoria included a strong friendship for Clara as well. Her best friend/boss was crass yet lovable, and the way she had the tendency to call out both Clara and Walker for being ridiculous always had me in stitches. The phone call in particular was a favorite of mine. Walker, on the other hand, is the typical billionaire - slightly self-obessed, a workaholic, and a commitment-phobe. However, once baby Hunter comes into the picture, Walker does a 180. It wasn't the fastest or easiest of transitions, but it was so easy to see how much he loved his child as well as Clara. The majority of the book focuses on adapting to a new life as well as romance. I really enjoyed the romance here. I liked that Clara and Walker had a back history in the form of their college years, and what I liked even more was how well they meshed together. The banter, the co-parenting, the almost-kisses....everything was beyond perfect. While I did think the ending was slightly dramatic - what I had predicted from page 1 came true - I still ate it up. Sometimes drama is so worth it.

Overall, A Baby for the Billionaire is yet another slam-dunk for Entangled's Indulgence line. I can't wait to read more by Victoria Davies in the future!

*ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

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[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another story where a man discovers he is a father when the child's mother abandons their baby on his doorstep! In this case the man is Walter Beckett, a billionaire computer guru, who has always avoided long term relationships with anyone except his best friend, Clara Anderson. They met at college, before he became rich, and she's always honest with him - apart from letting him know she loves him! The friendship between them is sacrosanct for them and both are wary of doing anything to risk spoiling it. Now, however, as she moves in to help with his son, life is changing for all of them - will love find a way to bring them together?

This is a friends to lovers romance where living together encourages them to finally give in to their mutual attraction and so helps them both discover just why previous relationships didn't work for either of them. There are plenty of twists and turns, angst and turmoil along the way to keep the reader turning those pages.

This is a delightful, well paced story to keep you highly entertained - especially if you also enjoy friends to lovers troupe stories!

I requested and received a copy of this novel, via NetGalley. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
it was a good friends to lovers romance.

[Bette Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic story. The characters and the storyline were both entertaining and heartwarming. The writing and pace of the story were excellent as well. Overall a very well done book that you don't want to miss.

Clara and Walker have been best friends since college. Neither has ever wanted to risk the friendship by exploring if they could be more. Walker knows Clara is the one person he can always count on. That's why she's the first person he called when his world is turned upside down. A baby showing up on your doorstep will throw a man off center but having Clara there to help him keeps Walker centered. All the time they spend together caring for the baby has them both questioning the decision to keep their relationship platonic. Are they willing to risk everything?

[Bonnie G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost did not post this book because I was so embarrassed to have read something with this title. My GR friends know that I am reasonably (or perhaps unreasonably) shameless in posting books here, owning up to reading, and even sometimes liking, things ridiculous, things smutty, and things very very basic. Truth be told there are only two one books I can recall deciding not to post due to embarrassment, but this almost became book three. Apparently I will admit to the smutty, but not the Hallmark-y or blatantly consumerist. But not posting was doing a disservice to a hard-working writer who put together a very solid genre romance just because her publisher gave it a terrible title, and that seemed unfair.

The book is really charming. Walker and Clara have been best friends since they met in college 10 years earlier when Walker dated Clara's roommate. Both came from troubled families from whom they were estranged and they became each other's families. Ten years later Clara is a hard-working journalist and Walker is a tech billionaire, and they remain the most important people in one another's lives as they casually date others but never commit to anyone but each other emotionally. Both fear the risk of losing the other and so they never pursue romantic partnership. Then one day someone leaves a baby on Walker's stoop saying it is his - there is no signature on the note, and apparently Walker is enough of a fuckboy that he is not sure whom the mother would be based on the age of the child. (I believe he narrows it down to a few options, but maybe I made that up.) He calls Clara, who had many younger siblings she was charged with raising so knows about babies, to come save him. She moves in for 3 weeks, and during that time as they each fall in love with the baby they lose the will to resist their love for one another. There are hurdles, but this is fairly low angst. The sex is sexy but not particularly graphic and the set up is fun, but the best part of this was the conversation between Walker and Clara. They are smart, and funny, but it is not just flirty banter like in most romances (which I often love, this is not an insult to that), it is fun and loving friend conversation and the dialogue sounds like real people actually talking to to one another. I also loved Clara's boss/friend and the person they hire as a nanny. There are some imperfect things. The baby's bio mother behaves in ways that do not ring true and Walker has a lot of free time for a billionaire who is still supposedly running a company, but overall this was fun and diverting. I am reading a very complicated book as my main read right now, and my sidepiece romances are a necessary escape -- this one did the job nicely.

[Reading on the run · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the well narrated audiobook.

If you’re a fan of surprise fatherhood, billionaire, friend to lovers tropes then this is a well written collection of these.

They both like each other but haven’t told one another in a decade of friendship having placed the friendship as priority. They each have a sad childhood backstory they’ve yet to share with each other.
Side characters are good - the interfering boss, the lovely nanny. The writing about the child’s mother is a little confused - the author wasn’t sure if she wanted to make her a villain or to assist her to become a more sympathetic character so the presentation wasn’t clear (was she she the cocktail sipping model pretending to parent or the contrite woman saddened by her own actions? Who knows, the author didn’t). Equally how old was this baby?!

The billionaire was nicely down to earth and thoughtful; the money seemed to cushion rather than be an ostentatious display. There was a slight poke that usually in this type of book he would have had a foundation to endorse which suggested a positive knowingness of the author.

She was a character with a value and function separate to him, and which remained with her through the book - that she continued to work was a positive.

[Luna Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Walker and Clara are best friends. They are idiots who are secretly pining for each other.one day an infant is dropped off at Walker's door with a note claiming that it is his son. Walker seeks Clara's help and they create a make-shift family with the baby.

Slowly, the proximity and their suppressed feelings result in them getting into a relationship. They starts dating and are on the verge of making it all official when the baby's mother shows up.

She is Walker's ex, a model named Victoria who was overwhelmed with the baby. This complicated Clara and Walker's relationship, Clara believes her as a hindrance to Walker and Victoria's future as a family. She tries to remove herself from their lives but it all turns good.

I really like the narrative style, the author just pushed us into the middle of the crisis at the first page itself. The epilogue was really interesting. The lack of a obvious villainous character was a refreshing factor.

[2kasmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walker has a surprise bundle that was not expected. He has not idea what that will do to his life from here on out. He calls in his best friend as an expert for help.

Clara has left the mother instinct behind, or so she thought. With helping Walker, she is finding what she wants more than her current life. Should she step up and tell him too?

This was such a sweet and sexy story. I do love best friend stories, and this was a delight to read. The characters have a solid connection, lots of sparks with heat, and lives of their own. Makes for a really great read.


***This early copy was given in exchange for an honest review by its publisher and Netgalley.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, entertaining read. I love the friendship that Clara and Walker have from the start. Their romance is sweet and fitting for these characters. They’ve both been scarred by their family histories and work on that to become a family. I found them entertaining, captivating, relatable characters. This story sucked me in from the start and held my attention until the end. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story by bringing so levity and showing other dimensions of the main characters.

[susan p zyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sustainable at Amazon .com ,and goodreader

I liked it ,but it kind of was unreal because how could love someone
For ten years and not , realize your in love with someone .

This i
S a real kind of book that makes u think , how could be so close and not realize that your in love with the other person, it kind of unreal. Especially when they were both so intelligent.
I guess miracles do happen ,sometimes.

[Cherry Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

Friends for life, always in love, and past, what could possibly go wrong? Add a baby, then the mother of said baby.

[Paula Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forever Family

Great read interesting story amazingly told you felt all the emotions recommend to anyone who loves a really great story

[ellen manchack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reality

Very sweet book loved the story line and the reality in this day and time.will enjoy reading more of your books.

[Josie]

One of my favourite tropes but the writing and characterisation fell flat here for me. DNF.

[Alexandria Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

in love after a 10 year friendship... great story!

[Kenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book! Hot and steamy! It doesn't get 5 stars because I felt it was missing something! I needed more from the conflict between the MC and the other woman! I also didn't like how the MC couldn't voice her feelings, she kept chickening out, it was truly frustrating!

[Gisele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Put a baby in the book, and I'm a sucker for it!

[Auntmolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read

I enjoyed this quick romantic friends to lovers story. Well done with a good storyline. I also listened to the audiobook, that was done well too.

[Lisa Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute romance

I liked the story it was a fun read but took awhile
to get into it. It was a little predictable

[Cookie McJingles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook Review 🎧

Story - 2.5 🌟
Narration - 4 🌟
Overall - 3 🌟

[Deb Conover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow burn definitely had a hook that kept you listening.

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walker Beckett and Clara Anderson have been best friends for years, and there's nothing they won't do for each other. So when Walker finds a baby on his doorstep, the person he turns to for help is Clara since he doesn't know the first thing about babies. Putting a time limit on helping Beckett seems like a good plan, but when time runs out and a spanner is thrown into the works, will Clara walk away to protect herself from getting hurt or will Walker be able to prove how much he needs her in his life before it's too late?

What an absolutely enthralling, fast-paced, incredible read Ms. Davies has delivered in this book where best friends become lovers while caring for the hero's baby; and the dialogue was compelling and had me loving the obstacles these two face on their journey to happy ever after including dealing with the mother of the baby and whether they're willing to take a chance on each other. Really, how have Walker and Clara never given into their intense chemistry before?

As for the dialogue, it was very entertaining and I loved every moment Walker and Clara interacted, as they both believe that giving into their chemistry could wreck their friendship in the long run, and neither are willing to lose the other. However, I liked that they finally gave in and took a chance because there's nothing these two need more than each other. Moreover, the heroine is loyal, has lots of experience when it comes to kids because of how she grew up, and I liked that she was willing to help the hero, even though it wasn't easy to be in such close quarters with him. I also liked the bond she shares with the baby, as she's definitely more of a mother to the little one than the child's mother.

While the hero, he's done well for himself and is known for making mistake after mistake, but being best friends with Clara and changing the status of their friendship has never been one of them. Really, their friendship changing was bound to happen, even though it's taken years for the pair to take the chance. I also liked the bond the hero shared with his baby, and that he was willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the child stayed in his life. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero was his determination to prove to the heroine that she's the one for him.

Overall, Ms. Davies has delivered a superb read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was powerful; the romance delightful, as the hero and heroine take a chance, even though it could lead to losing each other if things go awry between them; and the ending had me loving the hero, as he's not about to let the heroine make the selfless decision she makes without doing everything he can to prove she's the one for him. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up perfectly, as Clara and Walker have certainly come a long way and are wonderful together. I would recommend A Baby for the Billionaire by Victoria Davies, if you enjoy the friends to lovers trope or books by authors Cathryn Fox, Naima Simone, Kira Archer and Jenna Bayley-Burke.

[Angel Hatfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clara’s best friend was Walker they had met in college ten years ago and have been best friends since. She had been the most important women in Walker’s life for the last ten years she was the closest thing Walker had for a stable relationship in that time. Clara has attraction to Walker but doesn't want to chance messing up their friendship and Walker feels the same way. Clara was an investigative reporter and Walker is into complex computer engineering. Walker develops software and is a billionaire. Walker called Clara at least one to two times a week. Walker called in a panic and said he needed her with him. He found a baby by his penthouse door and a note said the baby was his. He let Clara know car was already on the way for her. Walker tells as soon as she gets there the note on the blanket say this small baby was his son. Walker had no idea what to do with a baby he had never wanted children. Clara knew Walker didn’t strike her as a baby person. Walker told Clara he knew how to deal with computers not people. Clara told him Walker was going to get a crash course in dealing with one very small baby who Clara figured was about a month old. Walker agreed and again he stated how he needed Clara’s help.and it would be for more than a night, Clara couldn’t just walk out on Walker and told him she would stay three weeks to teach him all she knew to cope with his child. Once living together Walker and Clara decided to admit their feelings and attraction and see where it goes. Two weeks later Hunter's mother Veronica and Walker’s ex lover came back and wanted to be forgiven for leaving their son.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a quick fun romantic read. I liked the plot and pace. I loved how deeply Clara and Walker care about each other and basically really know each other after being best friends for so long. I felt this was well written. I did feel it was a little odd they had never talked about their pasts after being so close for so long. I would have like more backstory on both Clara and Walker. I loved Clara and Walker together. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story.

[B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nerdy, hunky billionaire? Check. Surprise baby? Check. Best friends-to-lovers? Check. This romance checks off a lot of plotlines I enjoy in romances. I like that Walker and Clara have been best friends for a decade and truly understand each other except for the fact that each has been attracted to the other. But when a baby shows up at Walker’s doorstep, he begs his best friend to come and help him learn how to take care of his baby. She does and romance ensues.

Besides the plot set-up that I like, I also enjoyed that most of the story is told through dialogue. Too often authors tell us that a couple is close or had a good time, but they don’t have the talent to write believable, but interesting dialogue to demonstrate what was really happening between them.

I would have liked a bit more about Clara’s life. We’re told that she’s a hard-nosed investigative reporter, but we’re never given a glimpse at what she does or has done. She writes one story over two weeks and takes time off for most of the book. It helps that her best friend is her boss and doesn’t seem to care that Clara isn’t doing her job. Instead, she spends conversations hoping to get sexual details about Clara and Walker or giving very good advice to both of them to get over themselves and realize that they are actually in love with each other.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[LJT · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Baby for the Billionaire by Victoria Davies, is a feel good friends to lovers romance. The two main characters, reporter Clara Anderson, and CEO Walker Beckett, have been the best of friends for over a decade. They met in college, and put each other in the friend zone in order to ensure that their friendship would last forever. However, they have always been attracted to each other, and as a result, they never found their happily ever after with someone else.

One day Walker finds a infant on his penthouse doorstep, with a note explaining that the little boy is his. Walker immediately enlists Clara's assistance, since she has oodles of childcare experience and he has none. Clara temporarily moves in with Walker and baby Hunter, and they form a family. Clara and Walker evolve their platonic relationship into so much more, and their happiness is contagious. When the outside world attempts to bust up their chance at forever, they are able to work through it.

Overall, this is a well-written book that twists and turns in all the right places. The main characters are genuine and interesting, and I liked the way the author evolved their friendship into true love. Clara and Walker are a steamy couple, both in and out of the bedroom. If you are a fan of the friends to lovers romance trope, then you will enjoy this book.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Thuy Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walker and Clara have been friends for about 10 years. They deeply love each other, but have never risked their friendship to go any further. So, they kept it locked up. I liked that the story dived right in at the beginning. It hooked me from the first few pages.

A baby is dropped off on Walker's doorstep with a note saying it was his baby. He is set in panic mode and needs his best friend, Clara. They tackle baby duties together, learn as they go. Clara knows what to do with a baby, its part of her past that she never has revealed to Walker. Walker and her agree to 3 weeks of Clara moving in and living with them. They've kept their childhood from each other. But they get closer, they have a lot of chemistry. They give in and they both know they don't want to go through life without each other. I won't spoil too much, but baby mamma comes back. She creates drama. The story is really sweet of how they've come to keep each other in their lives, because deep down they knew they loved each other. I enjoyed it very much. I would recommend to anyone.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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