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Shocking Italian Heirs #1
Demanding His Hidden Heir
A sizzling weekend…
Changes the Italian’s life—forever
Enzo Cardinali had never known a passion like the one he shared with Matilda St George during their red-hot Caribbean fling. Beautiful, irresistible Matilda made brooding Enzo crave something more for the first time. But when she left abruptly, he vowed to forget her, rebuilding the walls around his damaged heart. Now Matilda has reappeared—with his son! Enzo demands his heir, but will he claim vibrant Matilda, too?
Feel the heat in this tantalizing tale—with a hidden heir twist!
193 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2018
111 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Jackie Ashenden
496 books978 followersJackie has been writing fiction since she was eleven years old. Mild mannered fantasy/SF/pseudo-literary writer by day, obsessive romance writer by night, she used to balance her writing with the more serious job of librarianship until a chance meeting with another romance writer prompted her to throw off the shackles of her day job and devote herself to the true love of her heart – writing romance. She particularly likes to write dark, emotional stories with alpha heroes who've just got the world to their liking only to have it blown wide apart by their kick-ass heroines.
She lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, the inimitable Dr Jax, two kids, two cats and some guppies (possibly dead guppies by the time you read this). When she's not torturing alpha males and their stroppy heroines, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, posting random crap on her blog, or being forced to go mountain biking with her husband.
She lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, the inimitable Dr Jax, two kids, two cats and some guppies (possibly dead guppies by the time you read this). When she's not torturing alpha males and their stroppy heroines, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, posting random crap on her blog, or being forced to go mountain biking with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 4, 2019
3.5 stars
I had a hard time deciding on a rating, because I had certain issues with the execution of the plot. I wavered between 3.25 and 3.5. In the final analysis, I rated it based on the simple fact that I really enjoyed it - in spite of the issues. The unusual storyline gripped my attention and I wasn't bored. The review will, hopefully, clarify...
***************
'You got pregnant,’ he went on, rage and desire burning a hole inside him. ‘And you didn’t tell me. You didn’t even bother to send a message. No, you went ahead and married another man and let him claim my son.’
Insta-lust;
Deception;
Unintentional betrayal;
A secret baby and a H bent on vengeance...
This is a passionate, tempestuous and unusual second chance romance with MC's whose insta-lust hadn't been enough to keep them together, because the heroine had already been duty bound to marry another man !
Jackie Ashenden's HPlandia debut gets off to a shockingly dramatic start, because Matilda ( the heroine ) is already married to another man when the MC's are reunited. Many of you are probably squirming in distaste, by now - a feeling that's gonna be compounded by my revelation that the heroine's husband was old enough to be her father...
But the tackiness is thankfully minimized, by the revelation that Matilda's marriage had never been consummated. Additionally, her husband Henry was aware of her pregnancy before their wedding occurred. This soap opera gets better: Matilda hadn't wanted to marry Henry but, in true HPlandia martyr heroine tradition, she'd been bullied into it by her bankrupt guardians ( aunt and uncle ).
This is the heroine, Matilda:
A woman with red hair and freckles who’d turned him inside out. Who’d made him so hungry he hadn’t been able to think straight.
Who’d made him forget, just for a couple of days, the constant ache in his heart for what he’d lost.
And who’d left him without even a goodbye.
Enzo, our H, is a former Crown Prince who's been exiled, through no fault of his own, from his former island kingdom. He blames his late father for the loss of his birthright because the latter's tyrannical policies had led to a coup, resulting in the kindgom's changeover to a democratic republic. Although Enzo had become a billionaire property tycoon, he never quite let go of his resentment over the loss of his royal birthright.
This is the H, Enzo:
... the austere black suited him, the cut outlining his powerful shoulders and lean hips, while the colour made his black hair gleam and highlighted the brilliant gold of his eyes.
The H met the heroine 4 years ago, at a luxury Caribbean resort, on the eve of her engagement to Henry. The virgin heroine Matilda, was on her last bachelorette holiday, before settling down to her platonic marriage of convenience. The MC's were hit with the full force of insta-lust and spent one weekend together, after which the heroine just upped and absconded without saying goodbye.
Matilda hadn't even told Enzo her real name. The first quarter of the novel was the best. The tension, drama, jealousy and conflict were all well set up. The reader is faced with the unusual situation of a married heroine being given an ultimatum after the H discovers he's the father of her 3 year old son.
I was totally into this story, because it seemed destined to be an awesome trainwreck. However, by the halfway point, certain issues were sorted out in a suspiciously convenient manner while one wasn't even addressed:
1. My first issue was with Matilda's marriage. Her husband Henry, who'd practically coerced her to marry him, lay down like a dead clown and let Enzo call all the shots. Henry didn't argue with the H's alpha male demand that Matilda move to Italy with the little boy, Simon.
2. Henry also agreed to a very speedy divorce, because ( and this is another suspiciously convenient stroke of good luck ) apparently, he'd been seeing a woman in secret ! So, this old man who had coerced the heroine to marry him, because he wanted a platonic female companion, has suddenly found himself in love with a new lady, right when the H re-appears.
3. Matilda had phoned the H to tell him about her pregnancy but she'd spoken to an unknown guy who'd called her a liar and told her to get lost. The identity of this man was never revealed. I know it's probably a moot point for some readers, but I had assumed that it had been the H's brother Dante. It obviously wasn't but I still needed the answer to that minor mystery.
The second half of the story was less dramatic but still very angsty. The heroine is the one who suggests marriage, because she doesn't want to be on the sidelines while another hypothetical woman plays stepmom to her child. This is where the story begins to lag a little. Both MC's have re-consummated their relationship but are afraid to acknowledge any emotional connection.
Matilda is a people pleaser type of character. She's been disappointed by everyone in her life and she thinks that her relationship with Enzo will work out well as long as she's willing to do the bulk of the compromising. The H is the type who expects others to bend to his needs, so this arrangement appears workable for both personalities.
The H eventually realizes that he's been selfish, so he breaks off the engagement and sends her back to England. His brother's timely intervention salvages the MC's relationship, because Enzo chases after Matilda and his son to apologize and grovel. His brother Dante, was a very sexy and intriguing character and I look forward to his upcoming story.
I enjoyed this novel and there were some hot sex scenes. But I can't increase the rating because the dissolution of the heroine's marriage to Henry was just too easy and convenient. I also found Matilda to be a little indecisive and wishy washy at times, even though I liked her a lot. Jackie Ashenden's definitely a new HP author I'll be reading again in the future. I've also read a couple of her early independently published novels and enjoyed them.
Good points:
1. Fans of jealous, possessive H's will enjoy this.
2. The MC's shared exquisite sexual chemistry.
3. The H had fallen in love with her during their weekend interlude, 4 years ago. He'd actually intended to propose marriage to her. However, cynics will not be impressed by the fact that he never searched for her after she ran out on him.
In the epilogue, they're living on their private Mediterranean island with their son, while they await the birth of their daughter.
Safety: No OW, no OM, no cheating. The heroine was celibate during the 4 year separation but the H wasn't.
I had a hard time deciding on a rating, because I had certain issues with the execution of the plot. I wavered between 3.25 and 3.5. In the final analysis, I rated it based on the simple fact that I really enjoyed it - in spite of the issues. The unusual storyline gripped my attention and I wasn't bored. The review will, hopefully, clarify...
***************
'You got pregnant,’ he went on, rage and desire burning a hole inside him. ‘And you didn’t tell me. You didn’t even bother to send a message. No, you went ahead and married another man and let him claim my son.’
Insta-lust;
Deception;
Unintentional betrayal;
A secret baby and a H bent on vengeance...
This is a passionate, tempestuous and unusual second chance romance with MC's whose insta-lust hadn't been enough to keep them together, because the heroine had already been duty bound to marry another man !
Jackie Ashenden's HPlandia debut gets off to a shockingly dramatic start, because Matilda ( the heroine ) is already married to another man when the MC's are reunited. Many of you are probably squirming in distaste, by now - a feeling that's gonna be compounded by my revelation that the heroine's husband was old enough to be her father...
But the tackiness is thankfully minimized, by the revelation that Matilda's marriage had never been consummated. Additionally, her husband Henry was aware of her pregnancy before their wedding occurred. This soap opera gets better: Matilda hadn't wanted to marry Henry but, in true HPlandia martyr heroine tradition, she'd been bullied into it by her bankrupt guardians ( aunt and uncle ).
This is the heroine, Matilda:
A woman with red hair and freckles who’d turned him inside out. Who’d made him so hungry he hadn’t been able to think straight.
Who’d made him forget, just for a couple of days, the constant ache in his heart for what he’d lost.
And who’d left him without even a goodbye.
Enzo, our H, is a former Crown Prince who's been exiled, through no fault of his own, from his former island kingdom. He blames his late father for the loss of his birthright because the latter's tyrannical policies had led to a coup, resulting in the kindgom's changeover to a democratic republic. Although Enzo had become a billionaire property tycoon, he never quite let go of his resentment over the loss of his royal birthright.
This is the H, Enzo:
... the austere black suited him, the cut outlining his powerful shoulders and lean hips, while the colour made his black hair gleam and highlighted the brilliant gold of his eyes.
The H met the heroine 4 years ago, at a luxury Caribbean resort, on the eve of her engagement to Henry. The virgin heroine Matilda, was on her last bachelorette holiday, before settling down to her platonic marriage of convenience. The MC's were hit with the full force of insta-lust and spent one weekend together, after which the heroine just upped and absconded without saying goodbye.
Matilda hadn't even told Enzo her real name. The first quarter of the novel was the best. The tension, drama, jealousy and conflict were all well set up. The reader is faced with the unusual situation of a married heroine being given an ultimatum after the H discovers he's the father of her 3 year old son.
I was totally into this story, because it seemed destined to be an awesome trainwreck. However, by the halfway point, certain issues were sorted out in a suspiciously convenient manner while one wasn't even addressed:
1. My first issue was with Matilda's marriage. Her husband Henry, who'd practically coerced her to marry him, lay down like a dead clown and let Enzo call all the shots. Henry didn't argue with the H's alpha male demand that Matilda move to Italy with the little boy, Simon.
2. Henry also agreed to a very speedy divorce, because ( and this is another suspiciously convenient stroke of good luck ) apparently, he'd been seeing a woman in secret ! So, this old man who had coerced the heroine to marry him, because he wanted a platonic female companion, has suddenly found himself in love with a new lady, right when the H re-appears.
3. Matilda had phoned the H to tell him about her pregnancy but she'd spoken to an unknown guy who'd called her a liar and told her to get lost. The identity of this man was never revealed. I know it's probably a moot point for some readers, but I had assumed that it had been the H's brother Dante. It obviously wasn't but I still needed the answer to that minor mystery.
The second half of the story was less dramatic but still very angsty. The heroine is the one who suggests marriage, because she doesn't want to be on the sidelines while another hypothetical woman plays stepmom to her child. This is where the story begins to lag a little. Both MC's have re-consummated their relationship but are afraid to acknowledge any emotional connection.
Matilda is a people pleaser type of character. She's been disappointed by everyone in her life and she thinks that her relationship with Enzo will work out well as long as she's willing to do the bulk of the compromising. The H is the type who expects others to bend to his needs, so this arrangement appears workable for both personalities.
The H eventually realizes that he's been selfish, so he breaks off the engagement and sends her back to England. His brother's timely intervention salvages the MC's relationship, because Enzo chases after Matilda and his son to apologize and grovel. His brother Dante, was a very sexy and intriguing character and I look forward to his upcoming story.
I enjoyed this novel and there were some hot sex scenes. But I can't increase the rating because the dissolution of the heroine's marriage to Henry was just too easy and convenient. I also found Matilda to be a little indecisive and wishy washy at times, even though I liked her a lot. Jackie Ashenden's definitely a new HP author I'll be reading again in the future. I've also read a couple of her early independently published novels and enjoyed them.
Good points:
1. Fans of jealous, possessive H's will enjoy this.
2. The MC's shared exquisite sexual chemistry.
3. The H had fallen in love with her during their weekend interlude, 4 years ago. He'd actually intended to propose marriage to her. However, cynics will not be impressed by the fact that he never searched for her after she ran out on him.
In the epilogue, they're living on their private Mediterranean island with their son, while they await the birth of their daughter.
Safety: No OW, no OM, no cheating. The heroine was celibate during the 4 year separation but the H wasn't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2019
Because I loved the angst: 4,5 stars!
Read
November 10, 2019"Demanding His Hidden Heir" is the Matilda and Enzo.
Hella WEIRD.
Ok timeout. I just cannot.
Our h and H had a two day fling four years ago. At present, the H is attending a party a sees a little boy- and because they have the same eyes- realizes it could be his after he sees the h. The h is married to the host, but the H barges in, and decides to claim his son after one look. The h helplessly tries to plead, but the hero then takes the h and his son away from her husband. Confused much?
Well, she has been in a marriage of convenience. He also, has not been a monk in the meanwhile. Yada yada, she moves in, yada yada, sexual attraction, yada yada drama, yada yada some sort of weird resolution.
I'll be honest. Lost interest in this absurdity and skimmed most of it.
Unsafe.
Unrated.
Hella WEIRD.
Ok timeout. I just cannot.
Our h and H had a two day fling four years ago. At present, the H is attending a party a sees a little boy- and because they have the same eyes- realizes it could be his after he sees the h. The h is married to the host, but the H barges in, and decides to claim his son after one look. The h helplessly tries to plead, but the hero then takes the h and his son away from her husband. Confused much?
Well, she has been in a marriage of convenience. He also, has not been a monk in the meanwhile. Yada yada, she moves in, yada yada, sexual attraction, yada yada drama, yada yada some sort of weird resolution.
I'll be honest. Lost interest in this absurdity and skimmed most of it.
Unsafe.
Unrated.
June 22, 2019
Loved it ! Very enjoyable
Loved the angst , the unplanned pregnancy, the HOT sex scenes , their cute son and the sweet epilogue, both of them been through alot I am happy they found peace and love .
Excited about the brother !
Loved the angst , the unplanned pregnancy, the HOT sex scenes , their cute son and the sweet epilogue, both of them been through alot I am happy they found peace and love .
Excited about the brother !
July 21, 2019
Loved this book! An angsty tales of two wounded people who didnt belong anywhere or to anyone, but ultimately found love and belonging in each other.
May 19, 2019
Demanding His Hidden Heir was an okay read for me. I liked the seemingly untenable situation that the hero and heroine found themselves in as well as certain aspects of their relationship but there were certain traits that I really didn't care in either Enzo or Matilda. This things started to grate on my nerves after a while. That said I'm interested in reading Dante's story.
Copy won in a contest hosted by author
Copy won in a contest hosted by author
July 4, 2019
Demanding His Hidden Heir by Jackie Ashenden is an enjoyable and sexy ‘secret baby’ second chance romance.
Before Matilda St. George entered into a companionship marriage of convenience with an older family friend for money reasons, her soon-to-be fiance gave her a beach vacation to enjoy being single before announcing their engagement. A sexy affair on the Caribbean island left Matilda with an unexpected pregnancy but the man she married was content to claim the child as his own. Though she eventually found out the name of the man she’d slept with and left during their night together, his wealth and status made her doubt that he’d believe her pregnancy tale anyway.
That all changes when she comes face to face with Enzo Cardinali and he sees her 4 year old son while at a St. George house party where Enzo has come to bargain for an island property owned by Matilda’s husband. The boy, Simon, has the golden eyes native to Enzo’s family so there is no doubt that he is the father. He is determined to be a father in more than name to his newly found son and insists that Simon spend time with him. But Matilda isn’t about to let her son go off without her. Her marriage of convenience isn’t going to be a barrier as her husband is willing to proceed with a divorce. Free to pursue a new relationship, can Matilda and Enzo rekindle the fire that first drew them together?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: https://harlequinjunkie.com/review-de...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
Before Matilda St. George entered into a companionship marriage of convenience with an older family friend for money reasons, her soon-to-be fiance gave her a beach vacation to enjoy being single before announcing their engagement. A sexy affair on the Caribbean island left Matilda with an unexpected pregnancy but the man she married was content to claim the child as his own. Though she eventually found out the name of the man she’d slept with and left during their night together, his wealth and status made her doubt that he’d believe her pregnancy tale anyway.
That all changes when she comes face to face with Enzo Cardinali and he sees her 4 year old son while at a St. George house party where Enzo has come to bargain for an island property owned by Matilda’s husband. The boy, Simon, has the golden eyes native to Enzo’s family so there is no doubt that he is the father. He is determined to be a father in more than name to his newly found son and insists that Simon spend time with him. But Matilda isn’t about to let her son go off without her. Her marriage of convenience isn’t going to be a barrier as her husband is willing to proceed with a divorce. Free to pursue a new relationship, can Matilda and Enzo rekindle the fire that first drew them together?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: https://harlequinjunkie.com/review-de...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
July 3, 2020
Plot spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
There were a lot of things about this story that I didn’t care for and very few things that I did. At times I did have to skim through because I was bored and found it very hard to connect with. I didn’t get the feels like I was expecting to get. It very much had this one track (or more accurately two) track mind, and it didn’t fluctuate from that, which made it less exciting for me. It seemed to repeat the same cycle over and over and by the middle I was over it. I just needed more, and I just didn’t get it.
The biggest issue with this story was that it had a trope in it that I just don’t care for and just didn’t like. It was a typical trope that is used quite a deal in Harlequin Presents, but whenever it contained that I tended not to that story. It’s very rare that I feel like this trope was executed well enough for me that it did not diminish the romance for me. And i have always had this issue with the trope for years and years ever since I started reading Presents in the first place.
What trope is this you ask?
It’s the stranger/one night stand the resulted in a baby trope. I just can’t can’t stand it. Though it was a little different in this was a two night stand/vacation fling, it’s still the same idea in my mind. I just don’t like that insta lust and gave into it immediately with the only focus being on slaking their lust for each other. I know it’s meant to show how much desire and attraction they have for each other that they just can’t help themselves, but that’s almost too easy. There was no build up or anticipation to it. And I love the build up and anticipation part of the story. It was what I want when I go on the romantic journey with the characters. I want to fell that attraction continue to grow and build as they get to know each other more until they could stand it no longer and they had to give into their passions for one another. For me it’s about daily satisfaction instead of instant gratification like it was in this story. I want to the denial and the fight between the characters as they deal with the immense chemistry that they have. I love stories like that.
In this case in particular, Matilda and Enzo were on a tropical island with him being there for business while she was on vacation with each other. Their eyes met and boom lust city. He followed her after feeling this burst of chemistry between them, then before I knew it there were knocking boots, though it was told in flashback format so I couldn’t see the beginning, middle, and end of the encounter, and thus they began a hot two day affair. I’m sorry what’s the fun of that. There was no journey. There was no build up. There was nothing really exciting because they gave into their passions to each other. It was just too quick for me. I want something more of satisfying than that. It’s like the saying goes “good things come to those who wait”, but Matilda and Enzo didn’t wait, and that was boring to me. Anyone could do that, and in my view it made it less special.
Another thing was the fact that this was told all in flashback when they had their fling wasn’t that exciting either because nothing was shown aside from what they did to each other physically. There were no feeling presented, or head spaces revealed at the time. It was just this was what happened and that was it. The referred to multiple times that they were together during that two day period. Well, why couldn’t that be the focus, instead of jumping four years into the future? Even though I hate the whole fling aspect, I would have preferred to see its entire arc instead of getting snippets here and there. It took away the importance of the time they had together, or what made it so special that they just couldn’t resist each other that they had to be together at that moment right then right now. None of that was shown, and I wanted shown so I could get the full picture of it all. I just felt like I was missing something.
Then the fact that this little fling between them resulted in a child just really set me over the edge. I know that because they had a child together was what brought them together again so they could get their second chance together, but I feel like a million other Presents do that, and I wanted something different that stood out. It wasn’t unique enough for me to be invested in their story. Nothing special. The same ho hum feeling that I usually get when this type of thing is in a story. It just another pet peeve of mine.
What I did find unique about the situation when Matilda and Enzo were reunited again was the fact that she was married. Yes, that was very unique and different from any Presents I had read in the past, but I personally did like it. It was almost too extreme in the unique scale for me, which I know was contrary to what I said above, but I just didn’t like that aspect. Even though her marriage was in name only with no love between them, it still bothered me. It was slightly on the edge of cheat even though nothing majorly physical happened between Matilda and Enzo until she was divorced, but it still tainted it a little bit for me. If she was just engaged to the guy or seeing him, I would felt differently and wouldn’t have gave me the unsavory vibe that I got, but she was married, and it crossed a line a little bit for me.
Once Matilda and Enzo rekindled their relationship, I felt there wasn’t a lot to their relationship aside from anger and lust. The anger and lust were connected to each other. It was like he was angry with her but he still wanted to rip her clothes off, and that cycle would repeat for a majority of the book. The same could be said for her, she would get angry with him, fight back, but then she wanted to rip his clothes off two, and they would go at it. It became same thing over and over again with out little substance to their relationship. They started building anything of their relationship or intimacy until nearly the end because they were so focus on the anger and their lust. That was the crux of their relationship. There were never really and sweet and endearing moments together until the end. By that time it was little late in the game for me to believe that they were deeply in love with other. Did they have an insane connection to each other since they met? Yes, but in my mind it was more physically based that bored on obsession, and I did like that. I wanted some more emotional stuff to balance out the physically stuff. I needed intimacy in all forms in a relationship that builds and grows and develops over the course of the book, and not just in the end. There just needed to be more there for me.
I will say that the love scenes were pretty hot and steamy. Those moments they had together showed off how much chemistry that they had for each other. Their passion really flowed off the pages until it consumed me in fire. It really did show off that the connection they had was consuming and overwhelming and hard to control. Every time they touched, they set each other on fire. It was intense. And that was the part of their relationship that worked really well. But for me that wasn’t enough? There needed to be more than that even in their love scenes. I think there needed to be a more emotionally intimate love scene between them where I could see their bodies, minds, and hearts meeting and becoming one. More to show that they had more than just the physical going on in their relationship. At least one scene in a bed, at least, not everywhere else, with a lovely aftermath scene. Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so. I need to see the contrast between just the physical loves scenes and the emotional love scenes.
On a related note, I didn’t care for at all of how she was using their chemistry and attraction in order to control him. She even admitted that she was doing that and what she was doing to get the power in a relationship. And he would do the same thing too at certain points. It was such a manipulation on both their parts that it left a sour taste in my mind. It was all about the power struggle in their relationship for a majority of the book, and that’s typical of romance novels, but those novels come off as fun and playful and very cat and mouse like that it was a joy to read about. it was fun and entertaining and part of the ride. But in this story, it didn’t feel like that at all. It just felt manipulative and wrong especially when they admit that was exactly what they were doing. Like no.
Though I found it very interesting that Enzo was royalty of an island meant to be king one day until the people overthrew his family and threw him out of his country, I didn’t care for him as a person. I understand why he had the reaction that he did when he found out Matilda kept their son away from him for four years, but I couldn’t get over his attitude. He seemed to have to feelings for most of the book and that was anger and lust. If he wasn’t angry then he was lusting after her. That would be all he displayed. Yes, there were layers explored of why he was the way he was with part of it being kicked off his country and loosing his identity, but even stiff he was just a little much and rubbed me the wrong way. And some things he did were not cool. However, he did show his humanity when Matilda was talking to him at the memory about feeling unwanted, and then when she was trying to wedding dresses and realizing that he couldn’t do this because she was pandering to him like his mother would do to his father, and he didn’t like that. That was when I got a glimmer of feeling that he had for her. That he might have actually cared about her, but that happened way too late in my opinion. It needed to come out sooner and not in the shape of anger or lust. Something else beyond that.
I wish more their journey towards each other was shown more than the physical side. For example, I think it should have been more played up of her feeling of being unwanted for most of her life. It was touched on a tad, but most of it was internalized and never fully explained the extent of damage that was done to her by feeling that way in her life. Yes, they had the scene at the mirror where she explained it to him, and he did realize all the hurt feelings she had at those beliefs about herself, but I think more could have been done with the issue and also a lot sooner. I just thought it was a missed opportunity there as they created more intimacy between them by understanding each other better. Yes, they had their moments, but I wish there were more of those and less of physical. I wanted to see them grow emotionally closer together just like they were doing physically. And that just didn’t happen here.
However, the small intimate scenes between them like at the mirror were my favorite part of the entire story. I wanted see the building blocks of their relationship to grow so they could have this happy and healthy relationship together. There were sparks there that showed them connect on those intimate levels, and I wanted more of those. I wanted more romances. I wanted more date nights, or even the bonding as they spent time with there son. Just anything that would increase the intimacy between them then I would have felt different about them as a couple and enjoyed their romance more. It was there in those moments that were shown in the story, but it wasn’t carried through the entire story. Those were the moments that highlighted the potential they had as a couple.
Personally I thought he should have groveled a little bit more in the end especially after he promised her that he wouldn’t let her go and she would always be with him. Now he let her go for an altruistic reason, and the best reason of all, but I still think he could have done a little more to apologize for breaking his promise to her especially knowing her vulnerability of feeling unwanted then he did the same thing. So, I think there should have been more of grand gesture there in my opinion aside from saying that he loved her and why he did what he did when he rejected her. But to be fair, she forgave him. I just think she should have made him work for it a little bit more than he did. It was almost to easy as easy as it was on the island when the succumbed to their passions. I wanted more of that pay off.
I had some issues with this story that made me not entirely sold on the story as a whole. It was missing things for me that it very hard to back the romance between Matilda and Enzo. There were just not the couple for me. And overall I just didn’t care for the romance between the two of them. It was very disappoint romantic read for me.
Out the Harlequin Presents written by Jackie Ashenden that I have read thus far, this was my least favorite of hers. For a majority of the book, I just didn’t care for it. I couldn’t connect to it. There were far more things that I didn’t like compared to what I did like. The other two books that I read from her were so much better in my opinion. I connected to them so much more with them than I did this one. Those stories gave me tons of feels while this one did not. There was just a lack of connection with me from this story that dampened me enjoyment of it.
There were a lot of things about this story that I didn’t care for and very few things that I did. At times I did have to skim through because I was bored and found it very hard to connect with. I didn’t get the feels like I was expecting to get. It very much had this one track (or more accurately two) track mind, and it didn’t fluctuate from that, which made it less exciting for me. It seemed to repeat the same cycle over and over and by the middle I was over it. I just needed more, and I just didn’t get it.
The biggest issue with this story was that it had a trope in it that I just don’t care for and just didn’t like. It was a typical trope that is used quite a deal in Harlequin Presents, but whenever it contained that I tended not to that story. It’s very rare that I feel like this trope was executed well enough for me that it did not diminish the romance for me. And i have always had this issue with the trope for years and years ever since I started reading Presents in the first place.
What trope is this you ask?
It’s the stranger/one night stand the resulted in a baby trope. I just can’t can’t stand it. Though it was a little different in this was a two night stand/vacation fling, it’s still the same idea in my mind. I just don’t like that insta lust and gave into it immediately with the only focus being on slaking their lust for each other. I know it’s meant to show how much desire and attraction they have for each other that they just can’t help themselves, but that’s almost too easy. There was no build up or anticipation to it. And I love the build up and anticipation part of the story. It was what I want when I go on the romantic journey with the characters. I want to fell that attraction continue to grow and build as they get to know each other more until they could stand it no longer and they had to give into their passions for one another. For me it’s about daily satisfaction instead of instant gratification like it was in this story. I want to the denial and the fight between the characters as they deal with the immense chemistry that they have. I love stories like that.
In this case in particular, Matilda and Enzo were on a tropical island with him being there for business while she was on vacation with each other. Their eyes met and boom lust city. He followed her after feeling this burst of chemistry between them, then before I knew it there were knocking boots, though it was told in flashback format so I couldn’t see the beginning, middle, and end of the encounter, and thus they began a hot two day affair. I’m sorry what’s the fun of that. There was no journey. There was no build up. There was nothing really exciting because they gave into their passions to each other. It was just too quick for me. I want something more of satisfying than that. It’s like the saying goes “good things come to those who wait”, but Matilda and Enzo didn’t wait, and that was boring to me. Anyone could do that, and in my view it made it less special.
Another thing was the fact that this was told all in flashback when they had their fling wasn’t that exciting either because nothing was shown aside from what they did to each other physically. There were no feeling presented, or head spaces revealed at the time. It was just this was what happened and that was it. The referred to multiple times that they were together during that two day period. Well, why couldn’t that be the focus, instead of jumping four years into the future? Even though I hate the whole fling aspect, I would have preferred to see its entire arc instead of getting snippets here and there. It took away the importance of the time they had together, or what made it so special that they just couldn’t resist each other that they had to be together at that moment right then right now. None of that was shown, and I wanted shown so I could get the full picture of it all. I just felt like I was missing something.
Then the fact that this little fling between them resulted in a child just really set me over the edge. I know that because they had a child together was what brought them together again so they could get their second chance together, but I feel like a million other Presents do that, and I wanted something different that stood out. It wasn’t unique enough for me to be invested in their story. Nothing special. The same ho hum feeling that I usually get when this type of thing is in a story. It just another pet peeve of mine.
What I did find unique about the situation when Matilda and Enzo were reunited again was the fact that she was married. Yes, that was very unique and different from any Presents I had read in the past, but I personally did like it. It was almost too extreme in the unique scale for me, which I know was contrary to what I said above, but I just didn’t like that aspect. Even though her marriage was in name only with no love between them, it still bothered me. It was slightly on the edge of cheat even though nothing majorly physical happened between Matilda and Enzo until she was divorced, but it still tainted it a little bit for me. If she was just engaged to the guy or seeing him, I would felt differently and wouldn’t have gave me the unsavory vibe that I got, but she was married, and it crossed a line a little bit for me.
Once Matilda and Enzo rekindled their relationship, I felt there wasn’t a lot to their relationship aside from anger and lust. The anger and lust were connected to each other. It was like he was angry with her but he still wanted to rip her clothes off, and that cycle would repeat for a majority of the book. The same could be said for her, she would get angry with him, fight back, but then she wanted to rip his clothes off two, and they would go at it. It became same thing over and over again with out little substance to their relationship. They started building anything of their relationship or intimacy until nearly the end because they were so focus on the anger and their lust. That was the crux of their relationship. There were never really and sweet and endearing moments together until the end. By that time it was little late in the game for me to believe that they were deeply in love with other. Did they have an insane connection to each other since they met? Yes, but in my mind it was more physically based that bored on obsession, and I did like that. I wanted some more emotional stuff to balance out the physically stuff. I needed intimacy in all forms in a relationship that builds and grows and develops over the course of the book, and not just in the end. There just needed to be more there for me.
I will say that the love scenes were pretty hot and steamy. Those moments they had together showed off how much chemistry that they had for each other. Their passion really flowed off the pages until it consumed me in fire. It really did show off that the connection they had was consuming and overwhelming and hard to control. Every time they touched, they set each other on fire. It was intense. And that was the part of their relationship that worked really well. But for me that wasn’t enough? There needed to be more than that even in their love scenes. I think there needed to be a more emotionally intimate love scene between them where I could see their bodies, minds, and hearts meeting and becoming one. More to show that they had more than just the physical going on in their relationship. At least one scene in a bed, at least, not everywhere else, with a lovely aftermath scene. Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so. I need to see the contrast between just the physical loves scenes and the emotional love scenes.
On a related note, I didn’t care for at all of how she was using their chemistry and attraction in order to control him. She even admitted that she was doing that and what she was doing to get the power in a relationship. And he would do the same thing too at certain points. It was such a manipulation on both their parts that it left a sour taste in my mind. It was all about the power struggle in their relationship for a majority of the book, and that’s typical of romance novels, but those novels come off as fun and playful and very cat and mouse like that it was a joy to read about. it was fun and entertaining and part of the ride. But in this story, it didn’t feel like that at all. It just felt manipulative and wrong especially when they admit that was exactly what they were doing. Like no.
Though I found it very interesting that Enzo was royalty of an island meant to be king one day until the people overthrew his family and threw him out of his country, I didn’t care for him as a person. I understand why he had the reaction that he did when he found out Matilda kept their son away from him for four years, but I couldn’t get over his attitude. He seemed to have to feelings for most of the book and that was anger and lust. If he wasn’t angry then he was lusting after her. That would be all he displayed. Yes, there were layers explored of why he was the way he was with part of it being kicked off his country and loosing his identity, but even stiff he was just a little much and rubbed me the wrong way. And some things he did were not cool. However, he did show his humanity when Matilda was talking to him at the memory about feeling unwanted, and then when she was trying to wedding dresses and realizing that he couldn’t do this because she was pandering to him like his mother would do to his father, and he didn’t like that. That was when I got a glimmer of feeling that he had for her. That he might have actually cared about her, but that happened way too late in my opinion. It needed to come out sooner and not in the shape of anger or lust. Something else beyond that.
I wish more their journey towards each other was shown more than the physical side. For example, I think it should have been more played up of her feeling of being unwanted for most of her life. It was touched on a tad, but most of it was internalized and never fully explained the extent of damage that was done to her by feeling that way in her life. Yes, they had the scene at the mirror where she explained it to him, and he did realize all the hurt feelings she had at those beliefs about herself, but I think more could have been done with the issue and also a lot sooner. I just thought it was a missed opportunity there as they created more intimacy between them by understanding each other better. Yes, they had their moments, but I wish there were more of those and less of physical. I wanted to see them grow emotionally closer together just like they were doing physically. And that just didn’t happen here.
However, the small intimate scenes between them like at the mirror were my favorite part of the entire story. I wanted see the building blocks of their relationship to grow so they could have this happy and healthy relationship together. There were sparks there that showed them connect on those intimate levels, and I wanted more of those. I wanted more romances. I wanted more date nights, or even the bonding as they spent time with there son. Just anything that would increase the intimacy between them then I would have felt different about them as a couple and enjoyed their romance more. It was there in those moments that were shown in the story, but it wasn’t carried through the entire story. Those were the moments that highlighted the potential they had as a couple.
Personally I thought he should have groveled a little bit more in the end especially after he promised her that he wouldn’t let her go and she would always be with him. Now he let her go for an altruistic reason, and the best reason of all, but I still think he could have done a little more to apologize for breaking his promise to her especially knowing her vulnerability of feeling unwanted then he did the same thing. So, I think there should have been more of grand gesture there in my opinion aside from saying that he loved her and why he did what he did when he rejected her. But to be fair, she forgave him. I just think she should have made him work for it a little bit more than he did. It was almost to easy as easy as it was on the island when the succumbed to their passions. I wanted more of that pay off.
I had some issues with this story that made me not entirely sold on the story as a whole. It was missing things for me that it very hard to back the romance between Matilda and Enzo. There were just not the couple for me. And overall I just didn’t care for the romance between the two of them. It was very disappoint romantic read for me.
Out the Harlequin Presents written by Jackie Ashenden that I have read thus far, this was my least favorite of hers. For a majority of the book, I just didn’t care for it. I couldn’t connect to it. There were far more things that I didn’t like compared to what I did like. The other two books that I read from her were so much better in my opinion. I connected to them so much more with them than I did this one. Those stories gave me tons of feels while this one did not. There was just a lack of connection with me from this story that dampened me enjoyment of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2019
Sadly, no fireworks in this book.
It was a good story, but not very exciting.
The H was a seemingly cold, bitter, controlling alpha. He had too many issues to count. But deep down he was a good guy. He just didn’t see himself that way.
The h was waaay to meek for my liking. She spent her life trying to please everyone at the expense of her happiness. She made me sad for her. God gave you a perfectly good backbone Matilda, use it girl!
I am looking forward to the second book about Dante, this H’s little brother. I’m hoping that it will be...more.
It was a good story, but not very exciting.
The H was a seemingly cold, bitter, controlling alpha. He had too many issues to count. But deep down he was a good guy. He just didn’t see himself that way.
The h was waaay to meek for my liking. She spent her life trying to please everyone at the expense of her happiness. She made me sad for her. God gave you a perfectly good backbone Matilda, use it girl!
I am looking forward to the second book about Dante, this H’s little brother. I’m hoping that it will be...more.
December 13, 2019
Not my cup of tea...
September 27, 2021
Just not as good as I'd hoped, especially as the whole first half dragged. There is a twist in that the h is married when they reunite, but it wasn't enough to hold my interest in the rest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2021
Une romance convenue au schéma classique mais avec une originalité cependant. L'héroïne est mariée avec un autre homme que le héros. Plutôt rare dans ce genre d'histoire. Mais entre passion, colère et sensualité, les ingrédients sont réunis pour un moment de lecture sans prise de tête.
February 14, 2022
Good story, Jackie doesn’t write a boring story, lots of angsty…
May 16, 2019
Very circular. Your mine but I don’t want to love you cause you’ll get hurt. But you mine. But I don’t want to hurt you....
November 28, 2019
A sizzling weekend…
Changes the Italian’s life—forever
Enzo Cardinali had never known a passion like the one he shared with Matilda St George during their red-hot Caribbean fling. Beautiful, irresistible Matilda made brooding Enzo crave something more for the first time. But when she left abruptly, he vowed to forget her, rebuilding the walls around his damaged heart. Now Matilda has reappeared—with his son! Enzo demands his heir, but will he claim vibrant Matilda, too?
Feel the heat in this tantalizing tale—with a hidden heir twist!
Changes the Italian’s life—forever
Enzo Cardinali had never known a passion like the one he shared with Matilda St George during their red-hot Caribbean fling. Beautiful, irresistible Matilda made brooding Enzo crave something more for the first time. But when she left abruptly, he vowed to forget her, rebuilding the walls around his damaged heart. Now Matilda has reappeared—with his son! Enzo demands his heir, but will he claim vibrant Matilda, too?
Feel the heat in this tantalizing tale—with a hidden heir twist!
June 16, 2019
Congratulations Jackie Ashenden ! This debut book by this author blew me away! I couldn't put it down! Enzo was a king of a lost kingdom, despite having no ruler-ship over people the finesse and royalty aura exudes from his persona. Enzo wasn't a go in between hero he was an all or nothing blue blood. He met Matilda on a Caribbean island and they instantly hit it off. Their chemistry was explosive and intense so much so it scared innocent Matilda into running away and slamming the door shut on their exploration of their connection.
Enzo was hurt and disappointed, he was more angry than before. He carried it like a coat and was fierce with his dealings. He discovered his son and he realised the next be women he was considering making his wife was the mother of his child, none other than Matilda. Only that she was married and forbidden. Enzo was furious and sinister-like with shocking Matilda she was blackmailed into leaving a cold marriage and moving to Italy. There Enzo focused on getting to know his son and avoided Matilda until she was divorced.Matilda wanted Enzo to belong to, she always felt noone really wanted her for herself since she was always a bargaining chip for her aunt and uncle and her ex husband. Enzo believed he was a law into himself and refused to be like his selfish parents. He had a good relationship with his brother,Dante, who seemed unaffected by his parents selfishness. I hope we get his story since he played cupid. Both Matilda and Enzo had abandonment issues, One wanted to belong and the other wanted to own. Perfect for each other ! Looking forward to Dante's story! I like the passion, pain and yearnings described by the author...a new favourite.
Enzo was hurt and disappointed, he was more angry than before. He carried it like a coat and was fierce with his dealings. He discovered his son and he realised the next be women he was considering making his wife was the mother of his child, none other than Matilda. Only that she was married and forbidden. Enzo was furious and sinister-like with shocking Matilda she was blackmailed into leaving a cold marriage and moving to Italy. There Enzo focused on getting to know his son and avoided Matilda until she was divorced.Matilda wanted Enzo to belong to, she always felt noone really wanted her for herself since she was always a bargaining chip for her aunt and uncle and her ex husband. Enzo believed he was a law into himself and refused to be like his selfish parents. He had a good relationship with his brother,Dante, who seemed unaffected by his parents selfishness. I hope we get his story since he played cupid. Both Matilda and Enzo had abandonment issues, One wanted to belong and the other wanted to own. Perfect for each other ! Looking forward to Dante's story! I like the passion, pain and yearnings described by the author...a new favourite.
February 29, 2020
An extra twist in the first half or so of the book to make things interesting. The book doesn't waste any time having the hero discover his son and I was swept away. Liked it, liked the hero and heroine. There were some sex scenes for those that like them, I just skipped over them.
This is a book I'd want to read again one day once I've forgotten the details. Worth reading.
This is a book I'd want to read again one day once I've forgotten the details. Worth reading.
February 9, 2021
HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was my first read from Jackie Ashenden and Wowza! I had no idea how sexy her stories were. From the start, the hero Enzo intrigued me. Readers are introduced to him at some fancy party he didn’t want to attend in the hopes that the host will eventually sell him an island. While he’s at this party he runs into the woman he had an affair with years ago and sees his lookalike son with her!
From there the story only grew richer. We learn more about Mathilda and Enzo’s backstory and how they came to be on that Caribbean getaway. The author expertly weaved their backstory and what was going on perfectly. I see some reviewers didn’t like Matilda, but I thought she was a perfectly great heroine. Didn’t make the best decisions, but do any of them?
Enzo is a very sexy hero. JA knows how to write a textbook alpha! The dirty talking is top-notch in the book. Enzo is demanding and manipulative and I just loved him. He’s now one of my top Presents heroes. I started this book late and had to put it down because I was so tired, but I couldn’t wait to return to Enzo and Mathilda. JA has a new fan!
This was my first read from Jackie Ashenden and Wowza! I had no idea how sexy her stories were. From the start, the hero Enzo intrigued me. Readers are introduced to him at some fancy party he didn’t want to attend in the hopes that the host will eventually sell him an island. While he’s at this party he runs into the woman he had an affair with years ago and sees his lookalike son with her!
From there the story only grew richer. We learn more about Mathilda and Enzo’s backstory and how they came to be on that Caribbean getaway. The author expertly weaved their backstory and what was going on perfectly. I see some reviewers didn’t like Matilda, but I thought she was a perfectly great heroine. Didn’t make the best decisions, but do any of them?
Enzo is a very sexy hero. JA knows how to write a textbook alpha! The dirty talking is top-notch in the book. Enzo is demanding and manipulative and I just loved him. He’s now one of my top Presents heroes. I started this book late and had to put it down because I was so tired, but I couldn’t wait to return to Enzo and Mathilda. JA has a new fan!
September 7, 2019
Enzo is the Crown prince without a country (Monte Santa Maria).His family was exiled because his father, king Luca, thought only of himself and made bad business decisions. Now Enzo lives ,in Italy, heads his own business.He comes to see Henry St George,planning to buy a small island near Naples
from him. Enzo meets Henry's young wife, Matilda, and their small son, Simon. Only Simon has the eyes of a Cardinali...
Enzo confronts both Henry and Matilda. He takes Matilda and Simon to Milan , t hen to the island he has just bought.
Matilda married Henry for convenience.It was a platonic marriage. Now they are divorcing. Henry is sterile.Matilda wanted to secure her aunt's and uncle's home.
Once Mattie planned to go to the university, but the pregnancy and marriage put an end to it.
Now Mattie is about 22-23, ready to fight for her son.
A bit different kind of a second chance romance. A new author for me.
from him. Enzo meets Henry's young wife, Matilda, and their small son, Simon. Only Simon has the eyes of a Cardinali...
Enzo confronts both Henry and Matilda. He takes Matilda and Simon to Milan , t hen to the island he has just bought.
Matilda married Henry for convenience.It was a platonic marriage. Now they are divorcing. Henry is sterile.Matilda wanted to secure her aunt's and uncle's home.
Once Mattie planned to go to the university, but the pregnancy and marriage put an end to it.
Now Mattie is about 22-23, ready to fight for her son.
A bit different kind of a second chance romance. A new author for me.
August 2, 2020
Short read.
Enzo Cardinali was to have been a king. A future ripped from him at the age of fifteen. His past experiences guiding his present and crippling his future. Having built his own empire, he wants to find an island as close to his past home as possible. He finds his son, and the woman that disappeared on him four years before.
Matilda St. George married strictly to be a companion to her husband. A fulfillment of a promise for the aunt and uncle that had reluctantly took her in after her parents death. Her husband ready to accept her pregnancy and care for her son, Simon, as his own. But she has never truly gone past the man she fell for, Enzo.
Enzo Cardinali was to have been a king. A future ripped from him at the age of fifteen. His past experiences guiding his present and crippling his future. Having built his own empire, he wants to find an island as close to his past home as possible. He finds his son, and the woman that disappeared on him four years before.
Matilda St. George married strictly to be a companion to her husband. A fulfillment of a promise for the aunt and uncle that had reluctantly took her in after her parents death. Her husband ready to accept her pregnancy and care for her son, Simon, as his own. But she has never truly gone past the man she fell for, Enzo.
July 13, 2020
Kind of boring, though the plot should've been interesting. The heroine was such a clown for asking the hero to marry her after her phone call with her husband. I couldn't connect to this heroine's character. The hero definitely had his own demons, but it wasn't so bad, so I don't get why he was like that.
May 28, 2019
Love her books.
Read
July 1, 2019Categories
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Secret Heirs of Billionaires
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Secret Heirs of Billionaires
Read
July 1, 2019Categories
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Secret Heirs of Billionaires
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Secret Heirs of Billionaires
September 23, 2019
Great read.
March 8, 2020
Well written by a favourite author of mine. However I thought there was a bit too much internal dialogue for my taste these days. It seems to be a typical Mills and Boon trait - telling and not showing. There are steamy romance scenes, but not much back story - lots of push and pull drama relationship wise.
June 13, 2019
Absolutely love Jackie Ashenden. Her books are well written, with powerful characters.
July 18, 2019
A fun read. Even though I don't like secret baby, and I tested myself and thoroughly enjoyed this book as Enzo managed to get over himself and accept love and family. A lovely story.
July 22, 2019
It was good
It was decent book. I love reading Jackie's books. It was emotional but I wish Matilda had been more insistent but it all worked out in the end.
It was decent book. I love reading Jackie's books. It was emotional but I wish Matilda had been more insistent but it all worked out in the end.
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