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The Ruthless Devereux Brothers #1
The Innocent's Shock Pregnancy
She gave him her innocence…
Now she’ll be his convenient bride!
Wherever ruthless billionaire Ethan Devereux goes, the press follow. So when he discovers the astonishing night he shared with talented actress Merida ended in pregnancy, he moves fast to contain the scandal. Suddenly Merida lands the biggest role of her career—playing the part of the loving Mrs. Devereux. But she knows the real challenge is pretending she can walk away from their electric chemistry…
Feel the chemistry in this pregnancy romance!
Now she’ll be his convenient bride!
Wherever ruthless billionaire Ethan Devereux goes, the press follow. So when he discovers the astonishing night he shared with talented actress Merida ended in pregnancy, he moves fast to contain the scandal. Suddenly Merida lands the biggest role of her career—playing the part of the loving Mrs. Devereux. But she knows the real challenge is pretending she can walk away from their electric chemistry…
Feel the chemistry in this pregnancy romance!
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published October 16, 2018
83 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Carol Marinelli
1,401 books450 followersCarol Marinelli was born in England to Scottish parents, then emigrated to Australia, where there are loads of Scottish and English people who did exactly the same, so she’s very at home there.
She lives in the outer suburbs of Melbourne—pretty much in her car, driving her three children to their various commitments.
Carol writes for the Harlequin Presents and Medical lines and she also writes contemporary women's fiction (with a dark twist).
When she's not writing she's reading, when she's not reading she's writing.
She lives in the outer suburbs of Melbourne—pretty much in her car, driving her three children to their various commitments.
Carol writes for the Harlequin Presents and Medical lines and she also writes contemporary women's fiction (with a dark twist).
When she's not writing she's reading, when she's not reading she's writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
October 10, 2018
3.5 stars.
OK, this was quite enjoyable. It didn't blow my mind, but I'll give Carol Marinelli a well deserved fist bump, for bringing it this time. I was really disappointed with her previous novel Claiming His Hidden Heir and I didn't hide it, or cut Carol any slack... Lol. But, I've been a fan of hers long before that debacle so I'd said I'd give her a chance again after reading positive reviews of her next book. So, when I'd read Leigh Anne's review, I decided to give this novel a chance. And, I was not disappointed ! The style of writing was a definite improvement and the author made me appreciate, connect and empathize with both MC's. The internal monologues were used effectively and allowed me to see that both MC's had deep feelings for each other, even from the very start of the story. This was a slightly different, but beautiful romantic love story infused with just enough passion and angst to make it memorable. I also enjoyed the minor storylines that dealt with both MC's family issues, the H's relationship with his terminally ill dad, the heroine's lifelong desire to be an actress and her longing to be part of a family that truly loved her.
Merida, the heroine, is a young Englishwoman who's come to New York to pursue her theatrical ambitions. She works as a guide at a small gallery during the day and as a minor actress in a small part on the weekends. The H, Ethan, is a billionaire who is part of the infamous, scandalous, old money New Yorker family: the Devereux's. He's the usual, conventional type of playboy H who's closed himself off from that little thing called human affection, because he blames his father Jobe for his mother's death and for re-marrying many times afterwards. It was nice to read about a H who's not Greek/Italian/Arab/Spanish because, although those guys are hot, they seem to overpopulate modern HPlandia. Merida, is hit with lust at first sight when she sees him and I loved the way the author introduced the H:
And then she glanced up. A handmade leather shoe on the end of a suited leg was her first glimpse of him. Then he stepped out of the car and she saw his tall frame and immaculate suit. From his confident stance, Mr Devereux certainly looked as if he owned the street that he stood in.
And, after she got a full glimpse of his awesome hotness, it was a case of:
There is just something about these tortured, brooding, tall, dark and handsome H's like Ethan that just gives me goosebumps.
This is Ethan:
And this is Merida:
The MC's are both hit with intense sexual chemistry from the time they meet at the gallery. Ethan's preoccupied with his father's impending exploratory surgery but he invites her to dinner, which culminates with hot sex afterwards. The MC's forge a strong connection that's not just sexual, unlike in many other one night stand situations. They actually talk to each other and their respective internal monologues reveal that they're both feeling a strong emotional connection. Ethan is filled with a newfound sense of optimism and takes a day off from work the morning after, because he wants to spend time with Merida. This was unusual for the workaholic H. He goes with her to her audition and waits patiently at a nearby cafe until she's done. All of this is the hallmark of a besotted H, but then shit hits the fan after he gets a phone call from his brother Abe; he finds out that his father's exploratory surgery has revealed bad news !
This destroys everything for the MC's because the H becomes the closed off, cold and uncommunicative man he had been before because:
Ethan knew for sure that everything was about to change.
Everything.
The circus that was his life was about to go full throttle, and he would not be exposing her to that. And neither did he need another witness to his grief.
Grief.
I don't think he wanted to hurt her by dumping her, but he merely felt that there was nothing else he could do under the circumstances:
He walked back to Merida. He didn’t sit down—just stood over her and tried to work out what to say and decided that less was best. His father’s surgery was a closely guarded secret. The Devereux family did not discuss such things with outsiders.
And so he reverted to type.
Arrogant, aloof, closed-off type. ‘
Something’s come up.’
I hated him for treating her coldly after he'd been so warm, communicative, kind and loving but I also understand how he felt about the need to safeguard his family's privacy at such a crucial time. After all, he'd only just met Merida and couldn't be sure if he could trust her. The one thing that underscored his deep emotional feelings for her during this scene was the way he actually showed the reader that he cared, in spite of the brusque, cold words he'd spoken:
When she stood up he went to leave, but then instead he turned back and did the oddest thing. He did up the buttons of her trench coat. The inside ones and the outer. And then he did up her belt.
‘It’s cold,’ Ethan said.
Then, without looking back, he walked away. And left her standing there.
The author's inclusion of that little descriptive scene proved to me that the H didn't really want to leave her or treat her so coldly. The fact that he delayed his departure by painstakingly buttoning and fixing her trench coat told me a lot about what's going on within him. That's something Carol Marinelli failed to do in her previous horrible novel Claiming His Hidden Heir . That novel had a lot more telling and inadequate showing, in my opinion; it was one of the many reasons why that novel failed abysmally, for me.
The post break-up part of the story was very painful and unhappy for both MC's. Ethan was filled with guilt about his refusal to mend fences with his terminally ill dad and his inability to tell the man that he still loved him. On the surface of it all, the H appeared to be normal but his internal monologues revealed the full extent of his tortured unhappiness:
Merida, meanwhile, is depressed but continues to work hard and even manages to get a big role in a new Broadway play !
Of course, it all falls apart again when she discovers she's pregnant and has to give up the role to her understudy. The H finds her again just when she's at the airport on her way back to England and he persuades her to marry him for their unborn child's sake. His terms for the marriage ( and the subsequent divorce ) are cold and businesslike. This breaks the heroine's heart because she's in love with him, but she doesn't fall apart. She draws upon her skills as an actress and decides she will play him at his own game: if he wants her to be a gold digging, socialite wife then that's what she'll pretend to be. Throughout this portion of the novel, though, the MC's respective internal monologues helped me a lot to see that they did love each other. They pretended not to care on the surface, but on the inside the love was there. I know many readers don't appreciate internal monologues so much but I love them when authors use them effectively. The only times I've been bored with internal monologues are when authors employ them to reveal absolutely useless information.
This story was sweet because it also focused on Ethan's dying dad, Jobe. I almost cried during the scene when the H discovered that Jobe had not been the villain who had hurt his late mother and cheated on her. The H's pain, regret and guilt for all the 25 yrs of bad blood between him and his dad was heartbreaking; Jobe had lied for many years in order to protect his late wife's memory but in so doing, he had inadvertently destroyed his son's respect for him. At the end of the story, it was somewhat bittersweet that Ethan and Jobe finally reconciled and confessed their mutual when it was a little too late, since the old man was going to die soon anyway. It was so sad to think of the 25 lost years when a dad and his son could've shown each other how they really felt but allowed pride and stupidity to get in the way. The H's simple confession of love to Merida was poignantly beautiful too:
‘I’m not.’ Ethan shook his head. ‘In fact, I didn’t want to love you.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because then you’d leave.’
He finally admitted the truth. The gnawing of fear he’d grown up with. ‘But I’ve loved you for a very long time.’
‘When?’ Merida asked. ‘When did you know that you did?’
‘The morning I first left you in the coffee shop.’
This was a lovely romance novel with an accompanying theme that dealt with the importance of family and one of the best scenes at the end occurred when the ailing Jobe held his newborn granddaughter Ava for the first time. It's a feel good type of story that's well suited for the coming Christmas season. I did wish that there had been a more distant epilogue that had shown how Merida was finally able to get her chance to act in a Broadway play. And, I left it feeling as happy and contented as a litter of fat puppies rolling around and enjoying the good things that life has to offer:
( Aside: OK, so I admit that the fat puppies gif is a bit of difficult fit with the rest of the review, but I just can't help myself with the doggy gif addiction... Lol )
Safety: No cheating, no OW, no OM. Both MC's were celibate during their short separation.
OK, this was quite enjoyable. It didn't blow my mind, but I'll give Carol Marinelli a well deserved fist bump, for bringing it this time. I was really disappointed with her previous novel Claiming His Hidden Heir and I didn't hide it, or cut Carol any slack... Lol. But, I've been a fan of hers long before that debacle so I'd said I'd give her a chance again after reading positive reviews of her next book. So, when I'd read Leigh Anne's review, I decided to give this novel a chance. And, I was not disappointed ! The style of writing was a definite improvement and the author made me appreciate, connect and empathize with both MC's. The internal monologues were used effectively and allowed me to see that both MC's had deep feelings for each other, even from the very start of the story. This was a slightly different, but beautiful romantic love story infused with just enough passion and angst to make it memorable. I also enjoyed the minor storylines that dealt with both MC's family issues, the H's relationship with his terminally ill dad, the heroine's lifelong desire to be an actress and her longing to be part of a family that truly loved her.
Merida, the heroine, is a young Englishwoman who's come to New York to pursue her theatrical ambitions. She works as a guide at a small gallery during the day and as a minor actress in a small part on the weekends. The H, Ethan, is a billionaire who is part of the infamous, scandalous, old money New Yorker family: the Devereux's. He's the usual, conventional type of playboy H who's closed himself off from that little thing called human affection, because he blames his father Jobe for his mother's death and for re-marrying many times afterwards. It was nice to read about a H who's not Greek/Italian/Arab/Spanish because, although those guys are hot, they seem to overpopulate modern HPlandia. Merida, is hit with lust at first sight when she sees him and I loved the way the author introduced the H:
And then she glanced up. A handmade leather shoe on the end of a suited leg was her first glimpse of him. Then he stepped out of the car and she saw his tall frame and immaculate suit. From his confident stance, Mr Devereux certainly looked as if he owned the street that he stood in.
And, after she got a full glimpse of his awesome hotness, it was a case of:
There is just something about these tortured, brooding, tall, dark and handsome H's like Ethan that just gives me goosebumps.
This is Ethan:
And this is Merida:
The MC's are both hit with intense sexual chemistry from the time they meet at the gallery. Ethan's preoccupied with his father's impending exploratory surgery but he invites her to dinner, which culminates with hot sex afterwards. The MC's forge a strong connection that's not just sexual, unlike in many other one night stand situations. They actually talk to each other and their respective internal monologues reveal that they're both feeling a strong emotional connection. Ethan is filled with a newfound sense of optimism and takes a day off from work the morning after, because he wants to spend time with Merida. This was unusual for the workaholic H. He goes with her to her audition and waits patiently at a nearby cafe until she's done. All of this is the hallmark of a besotted H, but then shit hits the fan after he gets a phone call from his brother Abe; he finds out that his father's exploratory surgery has revealed bad news !
This destroys everything for the MC's because the H becomes the closed off, cold and uncommunicative man he had been before because:
Ethan knew for sure that everything was about to change.
Everything.
The circus that was his life was about to go full throttle, and he would not be exposing her to that. And neither did he need another witness to his grief.
Grief.
I don't think he wanted to hurt her by dumping her, but he merely felt that there was nothing else he could do under the circumstances:
He walked back to Merida. He didn’t sit down—just stood over her and tried to work out what to say and decided that less was best. His father’s surgery was a closely guarded secret. The Devereux family did not discuss such things with outsiders.
And so he reverted to type.
Arrogant, aloof, closed-off type. ‘
Something’s come up.’
I hated him for treating her coldly after he'd been so warm, communicative, kind and loving but I also understand how he felt about the need to safeguard his family's privacy at such a crucial time. After all, he'd only just met Merida and couldn't be sure if he could trust her. The one thing that underscored his deep emotional feelings for her during this scene was the way he actually showed the reader that he cared, in spite of the brusque, cold words he'd spoken:
When she stood up he went to leave, but then instead he turned back and did the oddest thing. He did up the buttons of her trench coat. The inside ones and the outer. And then he did up her belt.
‘It’s cold,’ Ethan said.
Then, without looking back, he walked away. And left her standing there.
The author's inclusion of that little descriptive scene proved to me that the H didn't really want to leave her or treat her so coldly. The fact that he delayed his departure by painstakingly buttoning and fixing her trench coat told me a lot about what's going on within him. That's something Carol Marinelli failed to do in her previous horrible novel Claiming His Hidden Heir . That novel had a lot more telling and inadequate showing, in my opinion; it was one of the many reasons why that novel failed abysmally, for me.
The post break-up part of the story was very painful and unhappy for both MC's. Ethan was filled with guilt about his refusal to mend fences with his terminally ill dad and his inability to tell the man that he still loved him. On the surface of it all, the H appeared to be normal but his internal monologues revealed the full extent of his tortured unhappiness:
Merida, meanwhile, is depressed but continues to work hard and even manages to get a big role in a new Broadway play !
Of course, it all falls apart again when she discovers she's pregnant and has to give up the role to her understudy. The H finds her again just when she's at the airport on her way back to England and he persuades her to marry him for their unborn child's sake. His terms for the marriage ( and the subsequent divorce ) are cold and businesslike. This breaks the heroine's heart because she's in love with him, but she doesn't fall apart. She draws upon her skills as an actress and decides she will play him at his own game: if he wants her to be a gold digging, socialite wife then that's what she'll pretend to be. Throughout this portion of the novel, though, the MC's respective internal monologues helped me a lot to see that they did love each other. They pretended not to care on the surface, but on the inside the love was there. I know many readers don't appreciate internal monologues so much but I love them when authors use them effectively. The only times I've been bored with internal monologues are when authors employ them to reveal absolutely useless information.
This story was sweet because it also focused on Ethan's dying dad, Jobe. I almost cried during the scene when the H discovered that Jobe had not been the villain who had hurt his late mother and cheated on her. The H's pain, regret and guilt for all the 25 yrs of bad blood between him and his dad was heartbreaking; Jobe had lied for many years in order to protect his late wife's memory but in so doing, he had inadvertently destroyed his son's respect for him. At the end of the story, it was somewhat bittersweet that Ethan and Jobe finally reconciled and confessed their mutual when it was a little too late, since the old man was going to die soon anyway. It was so sad to think of the 25 lost years when a dad and his son could've shown each other how they really felt but allowed pride and stupidity to get in the way. The H's simple confession of love to Merida was poignantly beautiful too:
‘I’m not.’ Ethan shook his head. ‘In fact, I didn’t want to love you.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because then you’d leave.’
He finally admitted the truth. The gnawing of fear he’d grown up with. ‘But I’ve loved you for a very long time.’
‘When?’ Merida asked. ‘When did you know that you did?’
‘The morning I first left you in the coffee shop.’
This was a lovely romance novel with an accompanying theme that dealt with the importance of family and one of the best scenes at the end occurred when the ailing Jobe held his newborn granddaughter Ava for the first time. It's a feel good type of story that's well suited for the coming Christmas season. I did wish that there had been a more distant epilogue that had shown how Merida was finally able to get her chance to act in a Broadway play. And, I left it feeling as happy and contented as a litter of fat puppies rolling around and enjoying the good things that life has to offer:
( Aside: OK, so I admit that the fat puppies gif is a bit of difficult fit with the rest of the review, but I just can't help myself with the doggy gif addiction... Lol )
Safety: No cheating, no OW, no OM. Both MC's were celibate during their short separation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2018
I liked it but didn’t love it. Safe: virgin heroine and both are celibate during separation.
February 13, 2019
I don't know whether reading the sequel, The Billionaire's Christmas Cinderella before this was a mistake as this was an okay, slow burn read.
The hero is cold as ice, willing to sacrifice our love (Thank you Foreigner) because his father's affair with his nanny drove his mother to suicide. Or not.
He meets the heroine and it's insta-attraction on both their parts. She's a virgin and this is the first time she's really been attracted to a man. You can guess the rest.
Two reasons this was ho hum for me.
One, details in the second book expand the whole family storyline and explain that hero's issues as well as the cold family dynamics here. Big spoilers so beware! We really got the soft soap here.
Two, and this is more germane. I truly dislike when a heroine succumbs to the passion when she is in love but knows that the H is just having sex. There are exceptions to this when the heroine knowingly weighs it all in the balance and acknowledges this unfair transaction. Of course, I can not think of one example right now. That did not happen here. She has sex after a truly miserably sad wedding ceremony then regrets it. She does get her mojo back when she decides to "act" the part of the gold-digging bride she has been painted, and kicks the H out of her bed.
‘The marriage is consummated,’ Merida told him, and went on with what she had decided.
‘I’ll attend all the necessary functions, and I’ll sort out the nanny’s area and the nursery, and have everything running smoothly for the baby before I’m gone. I’ll do everything that’s stated in the contract, and everything that you pay me to do I’ll do well, but I won’t be your whore for a year,’ Merida said. She put down her knife and fork and excused herself from the table. ‘We sleep separately from now on.’
Our H is a cold one and I have to go with his unthawing because the author and Ivy H said he did. lol
Ivy's and StMargaret's reviews were more fun.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One big issue is I wish the CM had the hero track down the nanny and find her once he realized that all that maternal love he remembered came from her. Plus she deserved a break being branded a marriage breaking hussy.
The hero is cold as ice, willing to sacrifice our love (Thank you Foreigner) because his father's affair with his nanny drove his mother to suicide. Or not.
He meets the heroine and it's insta-attraction on both their parts. She's a virgin and this is the first time she's really been attracted to a man. You can guess the rest.
Two reasons this was ho hum for me.
One, details in the second book expand the whole family storyline and explain that hero's issues as well as the cold family dynamics here. Big spoilers so beware! We really got the soft soap here.
Two, and this is more germane. I truly dislike when a heroine succumbs to the passion when she is in love but knows that the H is just having sex. There are exceptions to this when the heroine knowingly weighs it all in the balance and acknowledges this unfair transaction. Of course, I can not think of one example right now. That did not happen here. She has sex after a truly miserably sad wedding ceremony then regrets it. She does get her mojo back when she decides to "act" the part of the gold-digging bride she has been painted, and kicks the H out of her bed.
‘The marriage is consummated,’ Merida told him, and went on with what she had decided.
‘I’ll attend all the necessary functions, and I’ll sort out the nanny’s area and the nursery, and have everything running smoothly for the baby before I’m gone. I’ll do everything that’s stated in the contract, and everything that you pay me to do I’ll do well, but I won’t be your whore for a year,’ Merida said. She put down her knife and fork and excused herself from the table. ‘We sleep separately from now on.’
Our H is a cold one and I have to go with his unthawing because the author and Ivy H said he did. lol
Ivy's and StMargaret's reviews were more fun.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One big issue is I wish the CM had the hero track down the nanny and find her once he realized that all that maternal love he remembered came from her. Plus she deserved a break being branded a marriage breaking hussy.
November 29, 2018
Loved this! Hero was deliciously cool and cruel when inside he was a seething bundle of longing and fear. Virgin heroine tried to be cool and sophisticated and live up to the hero's idea of a golddigger, but she was too honest with her feelings to hold out very long.
To add to all of the angst, the hero's father is dying and with him the answers to some family secrets.
I really liked the H/h's instant chemistry, their New York City hall wedding and reception overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge, the descriptions of the hero's house and the house he grew up in. The author seems to have a real affection for the city (even though she's Australian) and it shows.
Ivy has all the details in her excellent review that also included fat puppies. :)
I'm putting my marker down now and guessing the hero's older brother will get together with the heroine's bff who just jetted in from London to help with the baby.
We shall see.
To add to all of the angst, the hero's father is dying and with him the answers to some family secrets.
I really liked the H/h's instant chemistry, their New York City hall wedding and reception overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge, the descriptions of the hero's house and the house he grew up in. The author seems to have a real affection for the city (even though she's Australian) and it shows.
Ivy has all the details in her excellent review that also included fat puppies. :)
I'm putting my marker down now and guessing the hero's older brother will get together with the heroine's bff who just jetted in from London to help with the baby.
We shall see.
November 2, 2018
Rating 3.5
I really liked the first half of the book. Chemistry and dialogue was good.
Ethan was likable in the first half but at the point of him leaving Merida (at the coffee shop/resturant?) he became more of a jerk and is character kind of went flat. Never really recovered in my opinion.
Merida was the same. I like her character the first half, but the second half it was almost like she became another person. One I didn't really connect with from that point or care for either.
The story line about Ethan's dying Father was well written, but the Mother issue didn't work for me, seemed odd/off. Merida's acting career was well done and appreciated that she was encouraged by Ethan to continue in her dream.
I really liked the first half of the book. Chemistry and dialogue was good.
Ethan was likable in the first half but at the point of him leaving Merida (at the coffee shop/resturant?) he became more of a jerk and is character kind of went flat. Never really recovered in my opinion.
Merida was the same. I like her character the first half, but the second half it was almost like she became another person. One I didn't really connect with from that point or care for either.
The story line about Ethan's dying Father was well written, but the Mother issue didn't work for me, seemed odd/off. Merida's acting career was well done and appreciated that she was encouraged by Ethan to continue in her dream.
October 12, 2018
I hated the Hero when he was coldly rejected and hurt heroine. And loved the heroine when she showed she had a backbone even if she loved him.
July 30, 2020
I am on a roll with good HP reads. Liked this one. While still being a Harly, it had a modern contemporary romance feel. Enjoyed the heroine. She was pretty strong and pretty much held the hero's feet to the fire. He was also well written as a closed off emotion denying hero. But he wasn't particularly an ass. He had some bad stuff in his history but wasn't too introspective about it. He wasn't even really aware of how it was affecting him.
October 15, 2018
I liked this a lot even though the angst was low, not as intense as I usually like in romance books. I loved the MCs - Merida Cartwright and Ethan Devereux. Thought they were perfectly made for each other. She was perfect blend of sweet, compassionate, lively & feisty to his brooding, outwardly cold & ruthless but a very caring person deep within.
I liked how the author took time to show them connecting on a deeper level from the moment they met until they parted the morning following their ONS unlike most HP books where the ONS is just a flashback or a quick meet then tumble into bed.
The spontaneous actions between the two was such a delight to read. Like Ethan surprising Merida with a spontaneous kiss soon after she locks the gallery where she works or him reaching across the table to hold her hand in the restaurant as they were sharing personal stuff about themselves they wouldn't usually don't share with others and them both finding the waiter's appearance an intrusion. I also like how they both didn't want to part the morning after their sensual love-making then on an impulse Ethan cancels his day schedule so that he could go with her for her audition, waiting for hours at a small coffee shop across the studio. Also, his fear and concern that makes him run across the road when he thinks she's in some danger and his relief when he finds her okay.
Merida is a British girl who loves acting. It's number one in her heart. Having had not much luck in acting in England and also wanting to get away from her parents who divorced when she was ten & remarried & use her more as a babysitter for their other children, she relocates to New York hoping to try her luck at Broadway which she's dreamed about all her life. She gave herself a year to make it, but now ten months later all that she's managed is minor roles in plays. As her saving is running out she's takes up a job as a gallery assistant.
On this particular evening she's specially called in by her boss to give a tour of the gallery to someone who's considered New York royalty & that's Ethan who's visiting the gallery as a favor to his friend the Sheikh of Al Zahan whose family amulets are on display at the gallery. Merida is warned by her boss not to fall for the famed playboy's charms as he could be ruthless enough 'to crush her in the palm of his hand.' Even forewarned, Merida, for whom no one mattered except for acting & had never found herself attracted to any man, is instantly attracted to him. By the end of the tour, she can feel he's as attracted to her and when she thought he was going to ask her out to dinner which she was dying to accept he suddenly ends their encounter & walks out of the gallery leaving a vortex behind.
Ethan is back in New York after many weeks in Dubai as his father is undergoing a procedure of which his father doesn't want the shareholders to know. Ethan has had a strained relationship with his father since he was ten when he confronted his father having heard it was his affair with the nanny that made his mother to flee to the Caribbean five years ago where she died in a water-skiing accident. He told his father he hated him for it and their relationship further deteriorated as his father went on to have numerous affairs & three marriages and the two had nothing to say to each other except for business. He has an older brother with whom he also has a strained relationship. Hvr, even though, Ethan didn't want to admit it, he cared a lot about his father and brother and was very concerned about this procedure that his father was evasive about. He wanted to feel normal for once, to open his heart out to another person about his fears and worries and finds himself back at the gallery inviting Merida to dinner which they both knew would end up in bed, which she accepts.
But then, the following morning after her audition when he would've loved to spend more time with her, he gets that dreaded call from his brother about his father which transports him back to the reality of his messy life of which he knew he couldn't let Merida in, which is why he reverts back to his old, cold ruthless self & leaves her with no explanation. Even then, I liked his last act of buttoning up her coat, which tells how reluctant he was to leave her.
‘Something’s come up.’
She blinked and looked up at the sound of his voice. Ethan stood with the sun behind him, his face unreadable. Rather than fretting over her performance at the audition Merida had been sitting daydreaming—or rather last-night-dreaming— when his deep voice had hauled her back to Ethan in real time. He was back to being the man she’d first met—detached and a touch dismissive and very keen to be gone.
‘Something?’ Merida checked.
‘Yes. I need to head off.’
‘Now?’ Merida tried to keep the shake from her voice.
‘Yes, now.’
And then she actually had to close her lips together to resist asking, When will I see you? When will you call?
‘Be good,’ he said.
When she stood up he went to leave, but then instead he turned back and did the oddest thing. He did up the buttons of her trench coat. The inside ones and the outer. And then he did up her belt.
‘It’s cold,’ Ethan said.
Then, without looking back, he walked away. And left her standing there.
Even though Merida gets the TV role her she'd auditioned for while Ethan waited for her at the coffee shop, she doesn't feel as thrilled as she'd thought she'd be as she misses Ethan. Few months down the line when she lands her dream role on Broadway she finds that Ethan had toppled Broadway from the first place in her heart. She then finds herself pregnant & has to choose between termination or giving up her Broadway dream. She chooses to have her baby even though she has no job, no money and no father for her baby. She tried to reach Ethan to tell him he was going to be a father, but his over-protective staff thwart her. In anger & frustration she tells them to tell him to deal with her lawyers as she prepares to go back to England even though she was reluctant to leave NY.
I enjoyed Ethan's frustration when he finds out she's leaving NY, which he takes out on his driver while he was desperately trying to reach the airport to stop her. I also loved that moment when he uses his brother as a black mirror to articulate all doubts he should be feeling about Merida's pregnancy & yet finds himself defending her at every step.
However, as he knew no relationship lasted and in order to be well prepared for its end, he proposes a contract marriage shredding Merida's heart with his cold, business-like terms becoming a stranger to her.
‘You just landed the biggest gig of your life.’ Ethan gave her a black smile. ‘Playing the part of my loving wife.’
I loved that moment when Merida asks him who he was & his reply. ‘What happened to the man I met...?’
‘The man you met was having a night off from himself!’ Ethan retorted angrily. ‘This is who I am. Perhaps you should have done your research a bit better before you—’
I also loved how Merida handled his cold contract by consummating their marriage and giving him that blissful two days honeymoon period as stipulated in the contract then moves into the guest room refusing to be his whore for the period they were married. I also liked how she played the role of a perfect Devereux wife role attending the necessary functions holding Ethan's hands & looking adoringly at him, also deliberately spending his money on renovating the house in preparation for the baby. I felt the author could have been upped the angst a bit out here.
With their farcical marriage killing him Ethan takes himself off to the Middle-East on excuse of work. ‘You’re the one who wanted separate rooms, Merida. Well, I’m going to give you a whole lot more—separate countries. Is that enough space for you?’
Although Ethan seems cold-hearted, there are many little things that he does that melts Merida's as well as the reader's heart, for example arranging for that riverboat wedding dinner, the way he races back to the house midway on his run when she pops in his head or him trying to prolong their video call while he's in the Middle E because even though things were strained between them talking to her was the highlight of his day. I loved how they were miserable being away from each other, how he missed that Merida of that beautiful night they'd conceived their baby and wanted a second chance to bring her back. Merida also realizes even if Ethan doesn't love her, her heart would always melt for him and that the Devereux family, as broken and messed up they were was the only family she wanted.
She and Ethan's father had become very close from the very first time they met --on the wedding day-- and seeing that the older man's time was running out she hoped father and son would become close. I loved the emotional chat between Ethan and his father at the hospital toward the end where both Merida (in labour) and his father were admitted at the same time. The epilogue was very sweet.
I love books where romance is not only about sex but also that little gestures and emotional connection between MC whether in sweet or bitter moments and this book had plenty of it.
I didn't like Ethan's older brother, Abe, here, but I'm sure there is a reason behind his cold ruthlessness. So looking forward to reading his story and also of Sheikh Khalid of Al Azhan as his name was mentioned many times in the book.
I liked how the author took time to show them connecting on a deeper level from the moment they met until they parted the morning following their ONS unlike most HP books where the ONS is just a flashback or a quick meet then tumble into bed.
The spontaneous actions between the two was such a delight to read. Like Ethan surprising Merida with a spontaneous kiss soon after she locks the gallery where she works or him reaching across the table to hold her hand in the restaurant as they were sharing personal stuff about themselves they wouldn't usually don't share with others and them both finding the waiter's appearance an intrusion. I also like how they both didn't want to part the morning after their sensual love-making then on an impulse Ethan cancels his day schedule so that he could go with her for her audition, waiting for hours at a small coffee shop across the studio. Also, his fear and concern that makes him run across the road when he thinks she's in some danger and his relief when he finds her okay.
Merida is a British girl who loves acting. It's number one in her heart. Having had not much luck in acting in England and also wanting to get away from her parents who divorced when she was ten & remarried & use her more as a babysitter for their other children, she relocates to New York hoping to try her luck at Broadway which she's dreamed about all her life. She gave herself a year to make it, but now ten months later all that she's managed is minor roles in plays. As her saving is running out she's takes up a job as a gallery assistant.
On this particular evening she's specially called in by her boss to give a tour of the gallery to someone who's considered New York royalty & that's Ethan who's visiting the gallery as a favor to his friend the Sheikh of Al Zahan whose family amulets are on display at the gallery. Merida is warned by her boss not to fall for the famed playboy's charms as he could be ruthless enough 'to crush her in the palm of his hand.' Even forewarned, Merida, for whom no one mattered except for acting & had never found herself attracted to any man, is instantly attracted to him. By the end of the tour, she can feel he's as attracted to her and when she thought he was going to ask her out to dinner which she was dying to accept he suddenly ends their encounter & walks out of the gallery leaving a vortex behind.
Ethan is back in New York after many weeks in Dubai as his father is undergoing a procedure of which his father doesn't want the shareholders to know. Ethan has had a strained relationship with his father since he was ten when he confronted his father having heard it was his affair with the nanny that made his mother to flee to the Caribbean five years ago where she died in a water-skiing accident. He told his father he hated him for it and their relationship further deteriorated as his father went on to have numerous affairs & three marriages and the two had nothing to say to each other except for business. He has an older brother with whom he also has a strained relationship. Hvr, even though, Ethan didn't want to admit it, he cared a lot about his father and brother and was very concerned about this procedure that his father was evasive about. He wanted to feel normal for once, to open his heart out to another person about his fears and worries and finds himself back at the gallery inviting Merida to dinner which they both knew would end up in bed, which she accepts.
But then, the following morning after her audition when he would've loved to spend more time with her, he gets that dreaded call from his brother about his father which transports him back to the reality of his messy life of which he knew he couldn't let Merida in, which is why he reverts back to his old, cold ruthless self & leaves her with no explanation. Even then, I liked his last act of buttoning up her coat, which tells how reluctant he was to leave her.
‘Something’s come up.’
She blinked and looked up at the sound of his voice. Ethan stood with the sun behind him, his face unreadable. Rather than fretting over her performance at the audition Merida had been sitting daydreaming—or rather last-night-dreaming— when his deep voice had hauled her back to Ethan in real time. He was back to being the man she’d first met—detached and a touch dismissive and very keen to be gone.
‘Something?’ Merida checked.
‘Yes. I need to head off.’
‘Now?’ Merida tried to keep the shake from her voice.
‘Yes, now.’
And then she actually had to close her lips together to resist asking, When will I see you? When will you call?
‘Be good,’ he said.
When she stood up he went to leave, but then instead he turned back and did the oddest thing. He did up the buttons of her trench coat. The inside ones and the outer. And then he did up her belt.
‘It’s cold,’ Ethan said.
Then, without looking back, he walked away. And left her standing there.
Even though Merida gets the TV role her she'd auditioned for while Ethan waited for her at the coffee shop, she doesn't feel as thrilled as she'd thought she'd be as she misses Ethan. Few months down the line when she lands her dream role on Broadway she finds that Ethan had toppled Broadway from the first place in her heart. She then finds herself pregnant & has to choose between termination or giving up her Broadway dream. She chooses to have her baby even though she has no job, no money and no father for her baby. She tried to reach Ethan to tell him he was going to be a father, but his over-protective staff thwart her. In anger & frustration she tells them to tell him to deal with her lawyers as she prepares to go back to England even though she was reluctant to leave NY.
I enjoyed Ethan's frustration when he finds out she's leaving NY, which he takes out on his driver while he was desperately trying to reach the airport to stop her. I also loved that moment when he uses his brother as a black mirror to articulate all doubts he should be feeling about Merida's pregnancy & yet finds himself defending her at every step.
However, as he knew no relationship lasted and in order to be well prepared for its end, he proposes a contract marriage shredding Merida's heart with his cold, business-like terms becoming a stranger to her.
‘You just landed the biggest gig of your life.’ Ethan gave her a black smile. ‘Playing the part of my loving wife.’
I loved that moment when Merida asks him who he was & his reply. ‘What happened to the man I met...?’
‘The man you met was having a night off from himself!’ Ethan retorted angrily. ‘This is who I am. Perhaps you should have done your research a bit better before you—’
I also loved how Merida handled his cold contract by consummating their marriage and giving him that blissful two days honeymoon period as stipulated in the contract then moves into the guest room refusing to be his whore for the period they were married. I also liked how she played the role of a perfect Devereux wife role attending the necessary functions holding Ethan's hands & looking adoringly at him, also deliberately spending his money on renovating the house in preparation for the baby. I felt the author could have been upped the angst a bit out here.
With their farcical marriage killing him Ethan takes himself off to the Middle-East on excuse of work. ‘You’re the one who wanted separate rooms, Merida. Well, I’m going to give you a whole lot more—separate countries. Is that enough space for you?’
Although Ethan seems cold-hearted, there are many little things that he does that melts Merida's as well as the reader's heart, for example arranging for that riverboat wedding dinner, the way he races back to the house midway on his run when she pops in his head or him trying to prolong their video call while he's in the Middle E because even though things were strained between them talking to her was the highlight of his day. I loved how they were miserable being away from each other, how he missed that Merida of that beautiful night they'd conceived their baby and wanted a second chance to bring her back. Merida also realizes even if Ethan doesn't love her, her heart would always melt for him and that the Devereux family, as broken and messed up they were was the only family she wanted.
She and Ethan's father had become very close from the very first time they met --on the wedding day-- and seeing that the older man's time was running out she hoped father and son would become close. I loved the emotional chat between Ethan and his father at the hospital toward the end where both Merida (in labour) and his father were admitted at the same time. The epilogue was very sweet.
I love books where romance is not only about sex but also that little gestures and emotional connection between MC whether in sweet or bitter moments and this book had plenty of it.
I didn't like Ethan's older brother, Abe, here, but I'm sure there is a reason behind his cold ruthlessness. So looking forward to reading his story and also of Sheikh Khalid of Al Azhan as his name was mentioned many times in the book.
January 20, 2019
The hero is the ruthless billionaire, Ethan Devereux, who is your typical playboy...until he meets the heroine. He and his father have been at odds since he was five years old and this has stunted his emotional growth severely. There are a few hard and fast rules he lives by. No relationships- sex only dates and hookups. Never marry and certainly never have a child. Oh yes, and don't ever love anyone because if you love them you will wake up one morning and they will be gone...just like his mom. [This causes me to want to shake some sense into the heroes everywhere.]
Our heroine, Merida, is a stage actress from England and she does a little TV as well. She is just coming into her own. Her parents divorced when she was approximately ten but spent years arguing over custody, visitation schedules and as the heroine said herself...every penny they had. She was lost in the shuffle. Neither parent really wanted her but they certainly wouldn't give in to battle that surrounded them all and just give in. Merida is still hurt because she was never supported emotionally by mum and pops. They were too caught up in themselves then their new families. They used their daughter as a babysitter to care for her mother's daughter and her father's child, as well.
When Ethan and Merida meet it was instantaneous attraction! I was not fond of the hero at first but he grew on me though it was a close call to being too little too late. He treated the heroine abysmally and kept her heart broken month after month during her pregnancy. He said horrible things about her when he discovered she was pregnant. I felt quite sad for her because he purposely treated her this way to ensure they wouldn't love each other. Too bad it was already too late for them both!
At the end of the story my sadness continued because I felt there was too much sadness and heartache that was caused by the hero. There was basically very little grovelling or apologizing and I felt it was completely overlooked. To top that off he treated her so poorly from the time he found out she was pregnant at four months along until the baby was born and I thought how utterly and completely thoughtless he was not to consider the fact she was carrying his child. She should not have had to suffer through all of that and I remained somewhat disillusioned by the hero. I would be remiss if I didn't say the story left me saddened even after he finally tells her he loves her. I feel the author waited too long to try and redeem him. I was unconvinced!
Safety Info:
No Cheating
Celibate While Apart
No OM/OW Drama
Our heroine, Merida, is a stage actress from England and she does a little TV as well. She is just coming into her own. Her parents divorced when she was approximately ten but spent years arguing over custody, visitation schedules and as the heroine said herself...every penny they had. She was lost in the shuffle. Neither parent really wanted her but they certainly wouldn't give in to battle that surrounded them all and just give in. Merida is still hurt because she was never supported emotionally by mum and pops. They were too caught up in themselves then their new families. They used their daughter as a babysitter to care for her mother's daughter and her father's child, as well.
When Ethan and Merida meet it was instantaneous attraction! I was not fond of the hero at first but he grew on me though it was a close call to being too little too late. He treated the heroine abysmally and kept her heart broken month after month during her pregnancy. He said horrible things about her when he discovered she was pregnant. I felt quite sad for her because he purposely treated her this way to ensure they wouldn't love each other. Too bad it was already too late for them both!
At the end of the story my sadness continued because I felt there was too much sadness and heartache that was caused by the hero. There was basically very little grovelling or apologizing and I felt it was completely overlooked. To top that off he treated her so poorly from the time he found out she was pregnant at four months along until the baby was born and I thought how utterly and completely thoughtless he was not to consider the fact she was carrying his child. She should not have had to suffer through all of that and I remained somewhat disillusioned by the hero. I would be remiss if I didn't say the story left me saddened even after he finally tells her he loves her. I feel the author waited too long to try and redeem him. I was unconvinced!
Safety Info:
No Cheating
Celibate While Apart
No OM/OW Drama
September 12, 2020
3.5 Stars.
I liked this book but I feel like the second half of the book could have been better. The hero was cold and jerk, but on the other hand, I find him smitten to the heroine. The heroine tried to play it cool but ended up being miserable. I know, I am just pointing out the flaws here but the overall family drama with the marriage of convenience story makes the flaws and I did enjoy it.
Check out more details from Ivy's reviews 👇
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I liked this book but I feel like the second half of the book could have been better. The hero was cold and jerk, but on the other hand, I find him smitten to the heroine. The heroine tried to play it cool but ended up being miserable. I know, I am just pointing out the flaws here but the overall family drama with the marriage of convenience story makes the flaws and I did enjoy it.
Check out more details from Ivy's reviews 👇
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
October 12, 2018
Liked this alot , excited about Abe and Naomi and about sheikh Khalid too .
July 31, 2022
On page 94 I stopped reading. I could't make myself read further. I found the hookup bland. I found the hero bland. I found the heroine's career ambitions boring. I'm not a fan of actress heroines. I found the heroine's wanting more from a hookup annoying. She may have been a virgin but she was an ambitious career woman not a traditionalist even tho she was still a virgin in her 20s. I found the hero boring. I found his family tensions boring. I found his career ambitions boring.
So yeah the Innocent's Shock Pregnancy was so underwhelming I wasn't curious enough to see how the one night stand would become a happily ever after.
So yeah the Innocent's Shock Pregnancy was so underwhelming I wasn't curious enough to see how the one night stand would become a happily ever after.
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November 29, 2018Ugh. I did not like this one.
I HATED that she caved about marrying some guy she didn't know. Why? He was a complete jerk.
I HATED that she gave up her dream...for a guy who didn't love her and treated her like crap.
I HATED that she pretended to be a fake gold-digger. Ugh.
I HATED that he basically ran away and left her alone.
We never got to see their relationship develop. He finally comes home, realizes he loves her, HEA. Not buying this at all. I didn't think either one of their characters was well-developed at all, and their relationship was non-existent.
The only cool part of the book was the dad, and HIS relationship with the heroine. Oy.
Super unsatisfying.
**NOTE TO SELF: Do not re-read.
I HATED that she caved about marrying some guy she didn't know. Why? He was a complete jerk.
I HATED that she gave up her dream...for a guy who didn't love her and treated her like crap.
I HATED that she pretended to be a fake gold-digger. Ugh.
I HATED that he basically ran away and left her alone.
We never got to see their relationship develop. He finally comes home, realizes he loves her, HEA. Not buying this at all. I didn't think either one of their characters was well-developed at all, and their relationship was non-existent.
The only cool part of the book was the dad, and HIS relationship with the heroine. Oy.
Super unsatisfying.
**NOTE TO SELF: Do not re-read.
February 9, 2022
Loved it, simple and beautiful!
October 18, 2018
I adore the connection between the MC, from the beginning of the book that was the essence between them . Ethan met Merida at the Museum and she instantly fell in love. He was undergoing an emotional turmoil searched her out after their initial meeting and they both fell on the sheets. The aftermath of their interlude was meant to spend the day with each other. The Deveraux Men were all Cold, unfeeling dudes, all because of one woman, ELisabeth Deveraux, Ethan and Abe's mother.Yup there is a hunky brother also. Their issues with woman were that they don't believe in love because the eventually love abandons them. Ethan proved no different despite recognising a difference with Merida. Merida was an actress and she was excellent one too. Despite loving Ethan, she acted like a gold digger he accused of being until Ethans father forced him to face his feelings. Merida also helped Ethan with his estranged relationship with his dad. Everything was patched up and the couple had their HEA. I'm looking fwd to Abe and Candice story, I hope I get some angst and passionate declarations.Sad that their father was dying,but he made his peace with Ethan....Bittersweet story too sweet to n fact .....good one though
March 14, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up
This one had MCs who were crazy in love but too afraid to admit it. Ethan was warm and sweet when he seduced virgin Merida into bed. When he gets bad new about his father's health, things end too suddenly. Merida is an aspiring actress and finally lands her dream job only to find herself pregnant. Forced MOC it is!
Ethan is damaged by his childhood and so afraid of being left that he treats his new marriage like a business arrangement. Merida realizes she can't give her whole soul to a man who is letting her go in a year. So she pulls away and uses her acting skills to be the perfect wife. But they're both dying inside. The angst in this book was thick. Along with the fact that Ethan's dad is dying, there was a lot of emotion in the story. I do wish that Ethan's turn-around had been more gradual but I loved the nice HEA. I've already bought the next book about the brother Abe, and after reading this book I'm a little nervous (He's apparently such a manwhore that even Ethan is impressed).
Safety
This one had MCs who were crazy in love but too afraid to admit it. Ethan was warm and sweet when he seduced virgin Merida into bed. When he gets bad new about his father's health, things end too suddenly. Merida is an aspiring actress and finally lands her dream job only to find herself pregnant. Forced MOC it is!
Ethan is damaged by his childhood and so afraid of being left that he treats his new marriage like a business arrangement. Merida realizes she can't give her whole soul to a man who is letting her go in a year. So she pulls away and uses her acting skills to be the perfect wife. But they're both dying inside. The angst in this book was thick. Along with the fact that Ethan's dad is dying, there was a lot of emotion in the story. I do wish that Ethan's turn-around had been more gradual but I loved the nice HEA. I've already bought the next book about the brother Abe, and after reading this book I'm a little nervous (He's apparently such a manwhore that even Ethan is impressed).
Safety
December 1, 2018
Nice, fast paced story.
November 8, 2018
Review by www.bookread2day.wordpress.com
After a break from Mills and Boon, I’m back reading their books again. I took up the opportunity to order some books from Mills and Boon while they had an offer with 30% off. One of titles I ordered was from the Modern collection, The Innocent’s Shock Pregnancy, that I thoroughly enjoyed. What I liked was how author Carol Marinelli gave Merida some job titles. Merida worked in Fifth Avenue gallery by day, but her heart was really into acting by night. Billionaire Ethan Deveraux who is always followed press takes a visit to the gallery, Merida will be showing Ethan around the gallery. When Merida is excited to be given an acting part, something is about to end her dreams of being an actress. Highly entertaining. A must read.
After a break from Mills and Boon, I’m back reading their books again. I took up the opportunity to order some books from Mills and Boon while they had an offer with 30% off. One of titles I ordered was from the Modern collection, The Innocent’s Shock Pregnancy, that I thoroughly enjoyed. What I liked was how author Carol Marinelli gave Merida some job titles. Merida worked in Fifth Avenue gallery by day, but her heart was really into acting by night. Billionaire Ethan Deveraux who is always followed press takes a visit to the gallery, Merida will be showing Ethan around the gallery. When Merida is excited to be given an acting part, something is about to end her dreams of being an actress. Highly entertaining. A must read.
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March 3, 2019Inocencia Sensual (Los Implacables Hermanos Devereux #1)
February 16, 2020
She gave him her innocence…
Now she’ll be his convenient bride!
Wherever ruthless billionaire Ethan Devereux goes, the press follow. So when he discovers the astonishing night he shared with talented actress Merida ended in pregnancy, he moves fast to contain the scandal. Suddenly Merida lands the biggest role of her career—playing the part of the loving Mrs. Devereux. But she knows the real challenge is pretending she can walk away from their electric chemistry…
Now she’ll be his convenient bride!
Wherever ruthless billionaire Ethan Devereux goes, the press follow. So when he discovers the astonishing night he shared with talented actress Merida ended in pregnancy, he moves fast to contain the scandal. Suddenly Merida lands the biggest role of her career—playing the part of the loving Mrs. Devereux. But she knows the real challenge is pretending she can walk away from their electric chemistry…
October 16, 2018
The Innocent’s Shock Pregnancy by Carol Marinelli is a passionate romance for an actress and the man who sweeps her off her feet – with unexpected consequences!
Merida Cartwright is enjoying her part time job working at an art gallery while trying to get her big Broadway break in acting. When she has a private showing for handsome billionaire Ethan Devereux, something clicks and she agrees to dinner with him, followed by a passionate night together. But in the morning, Ethan becomes the cold, aloof man he was when they were introduced and they go their separate ways.
A few months later, Merida has had to give up her opening night dreams when her pregnancy can no longer be hidden. About to leave the country and return home to England after attempting to contact Ethan several times, he catches her at the airport and brings her to his home. Once he’s sized up the situation he makes her an offer -stay in New York, have the baby and stay married to him for one year before a tidy divorce and amicable settlement with joint custody agreement. He’s got it all on paper in a contract, and Merida reluctantly agrees. But once together and with the birth of their child, will love have time to blossom before their arrangement is up?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-the...
Note: A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
Merida Cartwright is enjoying her part time job working at an art gallery while trying to get her big Broadway break in acting. When she has a private showing for handsome billionaire Ethan Devereux, something clicks and she agrees to dinner with him, followed by a passionate night together. But in the morning, Ethan becomes the cold, aloof man he was when they were introduced and they go their separate ways.
A few months later, Merida has had to give up her opening night dreams when her pregnancy can no longer be hidden. About to leave the country and return home to England after attempting to contact Ethan several times, he catches her at the airport and brings her to his home. Once he’s sized up the situation he makes her an offer -stay in New York, have the baby and stay married to him for one year before a tidy divorce and amicable settlement with joint custody agreement. He’s got it all on paper in a contract, and Merida reluctantly agrees. But once together and with the birth of their child, will love have time to blossom before their arrangement is up?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-the...
Note: A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
October 11, 2018
3.5 stars.Lots of chemistry between the characters in this One Night with Consequences romance. I really loved the h, she was very sweet and genuine but the H was hot and cold and I really only liked him at the beginning and the end as I found him cruel speaking to Merida often. Ethan comes with baggage from his childhood as does Merida but there is a HEA after they can communicate their love for one another.
November 21, 2018
The first book in 2 part story of the Deveraux brothers tells the tale of the youngest brother Ethan and Merida. I really liked this story it is well structured and whilst the Deveraux brothers and their father Jobe appear cold and ruthless as they open up with Merida you find more than what they present to the world. I liked Ethan's emotional journey and reconnection with his father and his relationship with Merida -eventually.
September 9, 2022
SPOILERS!!!
There's a Sheikh, thankfully he is just mentioned and doesn't make an appearance and the story moves on :) Ethan and Merida have a one night stand and... unwanted pregnancy of course. A forced marriage with a contract. How effing predictable! Ethan is gorgeous, Merida is a virgin and I'm the idiot who keeps reading this kind of tropes hoping, ever hoping for a twist. I did like that Merida knew her way around an art gallery.
There's a Sheikh, thankfully he is just mentioned and doesn't make an appearance and the story moves on :) Ethan and Merida have a one night stand and... unwanted pregnancy of course. A forced marriage with a contract. How effing predictable! Ethan is gorgeous, Merida is a virgin and I'm the idiot who keeps reading this kind of tropes hoping, ever hoping for a twist. I did like that Merida knew her way around an art gallery.
March 30, 2021
Ethan Devareaux and Merida Cartwright
These 2 meet while Merida is giving him a tour of the amulets his friend, Khalid, let them borrow. They have dinner and end the night intimate. Merida. ends up in a pregnant state.
.
These 2 meet while Merida is giving him a tour of the amulets his friend, Khalid, let them borrow. They have dinner and end the night intimate. Merida. ends up in a pregnant state.
.
October 18, 2018
A wonderful passionate read, loved it.
October 22, 2018
I somehow expected a lot more from this author rather than yet another Harlequin cliched story - a one night pregnancy complete with a virgin h and a millionaire H who didn't have loving parents!
December 24, 2018
There’s nothing better than a page turning Harlequin romance. A fantastic read.
December 30, 2018
Great Will definitely but more from this author,in fact I bought the book about Ethan brother.
August 31, 2019
Thanks very much for your effort
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