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Secret Heirs of Billionaires #30
Unwrapping the Innocent's Secret
Their desire haunts him…
Will her revelation reunite them?
Billionaire Pascal prides himself on his rigid control. So it infuriates him beyond belief that he can’t forget Cecilia, the sweet and innocent woman who saved his life…or the forbidden passion they shared. This Christmas, he’s determined to forget her—until they suddenly come face-to-face!
Seeing Pascal again blindsides Cecilia. She gave him more than her innocence during their explosive encounter—she gave him a piece of her heart. Their still-searing chemistry is startling! As is Cecilia’s stunning baby secret…
Will her revelation reunite them?
Billionaire Pascal prides himself on his rigid control. So it infuriates him beyond belief that he can’t forget Cecilia, the sweet and innocent woman who saved his life…or the forbidden passion they shared. This Christmas, he’s determined to forget her—until they suddenly come face-to-face!
Seeing Pascal again blindsides Cecilia. She gave him more than her innocence during their explosive encounter—she gave him a piece of her heart. Their still-searing chemistry is startling! As is Cecilia’s stunning baby secret…
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2019
90 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Caitlin Crews
1,093 books594 followersCaitlin Crews discovered her first romance novel at the age of twelve, in a bargain bin at the local five and dime. It involved swashbuckling pirates, grand adventures, a heroine with rustling skirts and a mind of her own, and a seriously mouthwatering and masterful hero. The book (the title of which remains lost in the mists of time) made a serious impression. Caitlin was immediately smitten with romances and romance heroes, to the detriment of her middle school social life. And so began her life-long love affair with romance novels, many of which she insists on keeping near her at all times, thus creating a fire hazard of love wherever she lives.
Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.
She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.
Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.
She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 5, 2019
Because once again, the only thing in his head was her.
His angel of mercy.
His greatest temptation.
The woman who had nearly wrecked him before he’d begun.
It is December , he reminded himself. This is always how it feels in December. Come the New Year she will fade again, the way she always does. https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
Another beautifully written, character driven, second chance/secret baby romance, filled with intense emotional angst with MC's who've both been dealt a sad hand of cards, by Fate. There's quite a strong focus on the use of internal monologues but it wasn't boring, in this specific instance, because these MC's interested me and I kept wanting to know more about them.
Once again, I'm not surprised that Caitlin Crews proves herself to be unpredictable. Sometimes I love her books and sometimes a couple of them remain on my currently reading bookshelf for a few months. LOL. But, once in a while I come across one that really keeps me glued to the pages, not just because it's so well written, but because the MC's are captivating. The latter is the case, with this novel...
It's fair to say that Cecilia, the heroine, got the worse hand of cards, because her problems are doubly compounded by poverty and the stigma of being an orphaned, unwed mother ( after the H took her virginity and she's left pregnant ), in a tiny Catholic village in the Italian Dolemites.
This is the heroine, Cecelia:
Pascal, the H, wasn't a billionaire when he'd met Cecilia 6 years ago. He'd been a soldier, on furlough, from the army and he'd crashed his rickety old car, on his way to do some skiing in the Dolemites.
This is the H, Pascal:
The villagers saved him and brought him to an Abbey, where the nuns took charge of his recovery. Cecelia had been a 20 year old novitiate ( nun in training ) and she was the one who spent most of her time playing nursemaid to the sexy H. The heroine, who'd been abandoned as a child by her English mother, grew up in the Abbey and had never been exposed to a normal secular life.
The village itself was like a tiny place that's relatively untouched by the ravages of modernization. The MC's bonded during the H's convalescence and their sexual chemistry eventually led them to consummate their friendship. As a ( supposedly ) good Catholic, I'm probably not supposed to love this kinda storyline because a novitiate gets corrupted by passion and turns away from her Destiny, of joining the nunnery.
But, as a lover of romance ( especially when it's forbidden romance ! ) I can't help eating up this stuff 😂. It's just something about this trope that's so captivating. It worked on me with The Thornbirds and it's working again. Anyway, the point is that the MC's slept together and things went ballistic when the Mother Superior discovered them the following morning.
The H might've stayed in the tiny village but chose to leave, without even waiting for Cecilia to wake up. He did this after Mother Superior talked to him, asking him pointedly pertinent questions about his lifestyle, his goals and where he saw Cecilia in this picture. Pascal, who was an emotionally messed up H, had no idea what he was supposed to do and even less, about getting Cecilia involved in his impoverished, disorganized life.
Cecilia knew nothing about this important conversation between the H and Mother Superior, so she's left to wallow in self pity and hatred for the H, thinking that he'd just pulled the old pump and dump routine. I think Pascal should've at least stayed to say goodbye, but I got the impression that he truly believed Cecilia would be better off joining the nunnery.
The story begins when the H, now a billionaire ( and all HPlandia fans should know, by now, that it makes little sense to question the logic behind how these H's get rich so quickly ! ) decides to drive back to the Dolemites, to see the heroine. Pascal is contemplating marriage to some ( yet to be determined ) suitable woman, but he's unable to stop thinking about Cecelia:
No matter how many empires he built, no matter how much richer he made himself, he was still haunted by her face.
It was high time for an exorcism. https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
Pascal entered the Abbey expecting to meet her as Sister Cecilia, or to discover that she's married and living in the village. Our donkey douchebag H expects a serene welcome, and is a bit smug, when he enters the Abbey:
What he doesn't anticipate, is to find that his sweet, gentle angel of mercy and passion, is filled with resentment and spitting out her hatred at him:
He knew her, his angel of mercy and the ghost that had haunted him for years.
It was Cecilia. His Cecilia.
“My God,” he whispered. “It’s you.”
“It’s me,” she replied, her voice flat. Hard. And that was when he noticed that those violet eyes of hers were bright on his. And murderous. “And you can’t have him.” https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
He is beyond shocked and confused to hear that the "him" she's referring to, is his 5 year old son, Dante !
This revelation changes everything for the H, because the last thing he wants is for history to be repeated. He'd lived through the agony of being an unwanted illegitimate child, whose rich father contributed nothing to his upbringing. He feels angry and ashamed to know that his child has been living in poverty, raised by a mother whose job is to ( literally ) scrub the floors of the Abbey:
Pascal would die before he consigned a child of his to the things he’d suffered, first and foremost being the lack of his father’s name. https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
So, Pascal is angry, down in the dumps and feeling sorry for himself after this stormy encounter:
And thus begins the H's new penance: Pascal willingly consigns himself to accept accommodation in his old stark, bare and cold bedroom in the Abbey, while he waits for the heroine to allow him to see his son. I cheered this decision, because I thought he'd be just like the usual HPlandia H's, who throw around their wealth to ensure that the local boarding house offers him the best room.
This part of the story is a little slow, because H is focused on manipulating Cecilia to marry him, while she's determined to let him cool his heels and serve his penance, in payment for all the years she's suffered alone as an unwed mom in a traditional little village. It was great to see how Cecilia stood up for herself, strung him along and refused to be blamed when he whined about how she should've tried harder to find him and tell him about his son.
At one point, I ( because I have a soft heart for sexy, sad, brooding H's. 😂 ) even felt sorry for the poor sap, when he's he's so pitiful and desperate to legitimize his son and she keeps pushing him away. But, they get married when he pulls out his HPlandia alpha H trump card and threatens to fight her for custody.
The strong-willed heroine warns him not to get to horny, though:
“You forced me to do this,” she said, “and I did it. For Dante. But you should know right now that it doesn’t matter if you kiss me like that. This marriage will never, ever be consummated.” https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
His cocky response:
“My darling wife,” he said, enjoying the words as much as the way she trembled—in fury, he was sure, and he liked that, too. He couldn’t wait to taste it.
“You will beg me.” https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
You'll have to read the book yourself to find out if she did end up begging him. LOL. But, I will say that our H, in the spirit of the Christmas season, learned about true love and, more importantly, about the value of a good, decent, honest and loving woman. And, when he learned that lesson, he's the one who got on his knees and begged:
... Pascal Furlani sang the only song that mattered.
He surrendered.
He sank down on his knees, took her hands in his and begged.
“Please don’t leave me,” he said, urgent and low. “I know I’ve given you no reason to stay, no reason to do anything but hate me. But Cecilia, I can’t live without you. I’ve tried.”
She shifted as if she would say something—
But he cut her off, because he couldn’t stop now. https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
So, since I am a sucker for this kinda melodrama, this scene won me over, especially when the H amped it up with an even more splendid, worthy of cinematic glory, type of grovelling:
“I love you,” he told her. “I built empires in your absence, but all I saw was your ghost. You have haunted me since the moment I woke up in pieces and saw you there, smiling. You taught me how to live. To love. To imagine that I could be the kind of man who could do either when I’d never thought I was much of anything but another man’s dirt. I don’t deserve you. I never will.”
“Pascal—”
“Cecilia,” he said, a song and a vow, and her—always her, “I need you to stay here. I need to become the man I imagined I was when I was smashed into a million pieces and you alone made me whole. I need to become that man so I can be the husband you deserve. The father Dante deserves. And I am very much afraid that only you can teach me how.” https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
Cecilia was an amazing and perceptive heroine, full of quiet, steely dignity. Perhaps her wisdom came from having lived her entire life in the Abbey, or perhaps she's just an old soul. But, she always seemed far more mature than her numerical age. She was strong and fierce when she needed to be and she was soft and gracious when circumstances required it.
In the romantic epilogue, set 3 years into the future, the MC's are once again in the Dolemites, celebrating Christmas with their son and toddler daughter.
Safety: No OW, no OM and no cheating. However, the H wasn't celibate during their 6 year separation while the heroine was celibate.
His angel of mercy.
His greatest temptation.
The woman who had nearly wrecked him before he’d begun.
It is December , he reminded himself. This is always how it feels in December. Come the New Year she will fade again, the way she always does. https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
Another beautifully written, character driven, second chance/secret baby romance, filled with intense emotional angst with MC's who've both been dealt a sad hand of cards, by Fate. There's quite a strong focus on the use of internal monologues but it wasn't boring, in this specific instance, because these MC's interested me and I kept wanting to know more about them.
Once again, I'm not surprised that Caitlin Crews proves herself to be unpredictable. Sometimes I love her books and sometimes a couple of them remain on my currently reading bookshelf for a few months. LOL. But, once in a while I come across one that really keeps me glued to the pages, not just because it's so well written, but because the MC's are captivating. The latter is the case, with this novel...
It's fair to say that Cecilia, the heroine, got the worse hand of cards, because her problems are doubly compounded by poverty and the stigma of being an orphaned, unwed mother ( after the H took her virginity and she's left pregnant ), in a tiny Catholic village in the Italian Dolemites.
This is the heroine, Cecelia:
Pascal, the H, wasn't a billionaire when he'd met Cecilia 6 years ago. He'd been a soldier, on furlough, from the army and he'd crashed his rickety old car, on his way to do some skiing in the Dolemites.
This is the H, Pascal:
The villagers saved him and brought him to an Abbey, where the nuns took charge of his recovery. Cecelia had been a 20 year old novitiate ( nun in training ) and she was the one who spent most of her time playing nursemaid to the sexy H. The heroine, who'd been abandoned as a child by her English mother, grew up in the Abbey and had never been exposed to a normal secular life.
The village itself was like a tiny place that's relatively untouched by the ravages of modernization. The MC's bonded during the H's convalescence and their sexual chemistry eventually led them to consummate their friendship. As a ( supposedly ) good Catholic, I'm probably not supposed to love this kinda storyline because a novitiate gets corrupted by passion and turns away from her Destiny, of joining the nunnery.
But, as a lover of romance ( especially when it's forbidden romance ! ) I can't help eating up this stuff 😂. It's just something about this trope that's so captivating. It worked on me with The Thornbirds and it's working again. Anyway, the point is that the MC's slept together and things went ballistic when the Mother Superior discovered them the following morning.
The H might've stayed in the tiny village but chose to leave, without even waiting for Cecilia to wake up. He did this after Mother Superior talked to him, asking him pointedly pertinent questions about his lifestyle, his goals and where he saw Cecilia in this picture. Pascal, who was an emotionally messed up H, had no idea what he was supposed to do and even less, about getting Cecilia involved in his impoverished, disorganized life.
Cecilia knew nothing about this important conversation between the H and Mother Superior, so she's left to wallow in self pity and hatred for the H, thinking that he'd just pulled the old pump and dump routine. I think Pascal should've at least stayed to say goodbye, but I got the impression that he truly believed Cecilia would be better off joining the nunnery.
The story begins when the H, now a billionaire ( and all HPlandia fans should know, by now, that it makes little sense to question the logic behind how these H's get rich so quickly ! ) decides to drive back to the Dolemites, to see the heroine. Pascal is contemplating marriage to some ( yet to be determined ) suitable woman, but he's unable to stop thinking about Cecelia:
No matter how many empires he built, no matter how much richer he made himself, he was still haunted by her face.
It was high time for an exorcism. https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
Pascal entered the Abbey expecting to meet her as Sister Cecilia, or to discover that she's married and living in the village. Our donkey douchebag H expects a serene welcome, and is a bit smug, when he enters the Abbey:
What he doesn't anticipate, is to find that his sweet, gentle angel of mercy and passion, is filled with resentment and spitting out her hatred at him:
He knew her, his angel of mercy and the ghost that had haunted him for years.
It was Cecilia. His Cecilia.
“My God,” he whispered. “It’s you.”
“It’s me,” she replied, her voice flat. Hard. And that was when he noticed that those violet eyes of hers were bright on his. And murderous. “And you can’t have him.” https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
He is beyond shocked and confused to hear that the "him" she's referring to, is his 5 year old son, Dante !
This revelation changes everything for the H, because the last thing he wants is for history to be repeated. He'd lived through the agony of being an unwanted illegitimate child, whose rich father contributed nothing to his upbringing. He feels angry and ashamed to know that his child has been living in poverty, raised by a mother whose job is to ( literally ) scrub the floors of the Abbey:
Pascal would die before he consigned a child of his to the things he’d suffered, first and foremost being the lack of his father’s name. https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
So, Pascal is angry, down in the dumps and feeling sorry for himself after this stormy encounter:
And thus begins the H's new penance: Pascal willingly consigns himself to accept accommodation in his old stark, bare and cold bedroom in the Abbey, while he waits for the heroine to allow him to see his son. I cheered this decision, because I thought he'd be just like the usual HPlandia H's, who throw around their wealth to ensure that the local boarding house offers him the best room.
This part of the story is a little slow, because H is focused on manipulating Cecilia to marry him, while she's determined to let him cool his heels and serve his penance, in payment for all the years she's suffered alone as an unwed mom in a traditional little village. It was great to see how Cecilia stood up for herself, strung him along and refused to be blamed when he whined about how she should've tried harder to find him and tell him about his son.
At one point, I ( because I have a soft heart for sexy, sad, brooding H's. 😂 ) even felt sorry for the poor sap, when he's he's so pitiful and desperate to legitimize his son and she keeps pushing him away. But, they get married when he pulls out his HPlandia alpha H trump card and threatens to fight her for custody.
The strong-willed heroine warns him not to get to horny, though:
“You forced me to do this,” she said, “and I did it. For Dante. But you should know right now that it doesn’t matter if you kiss me like that. This marriage will never, ever be consummated.” https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
His cocky response:
“My darling wife,” he said, enjoying the words as much as the way she trembled—in fury, he was sure, and he liked that, too. He couldn’t wait to taste it.
“You will beg me.” https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
You'll have to read the book yourself to find out if she did end up begging him. LOL. But, I will say that our H, in the spirit of the Christmas season, learned about true love and, more importantly, about the value of a good, decent, honest and loving woman. And, when he learned that lesson, he's the one who got on his knees and begged:
... Pascal Furlani sang the only song that mattered.
He surrendered.
He sank down on his knees, took her hands in his and begged.
“Please don’t leave me,” he said, urgent and low. “I know I’ve given you no reason to stay, no reason to do anything but hate me. But Cecilia, I can’t live without you. I’ve tried.”
She shifted as if she would say something—
But he cut her off, because he couldn’t stop now. https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
So, since I am a sucker for this kinda melodrama, this scene won me over, especially when the H amped it up with an even more splendid, worthy of cinematic glory, type of grovelling:
“I love you,” he told her. “I built empires in your absence, but all I saw was your ghost. You have haunted me since the moment I woke up in pieces and saw you there, smiling. You taught me how to live. To love. To imagine that I could be the kind of man who could do either when I’d never thought I was much of anything but another man’s dirt. I don’t deserve you. I never will.”
“Pascal—”
“Cecilia,” he said, a song and a vow, and her—always her, “I need you to stay here. I need to become the man I imagined I was when I was smashed into a million pieces and you alone made me whole. I need to become that man so I can be the husband you deserve. The father Dante deserves. And I am very much afraid that only you can teach me how.” https://bookshout.com/store/books/221...
Cecilia was an amazing and perceptive heroine, full of quiet, steely dignity. Perhaps her wisdom came from having lived her entire life in the Abbey, or perhaps she's just an old soul. But, she always seemed far more mature than her numerical age. She was strong and fierce when she needed to be and she was soft and gracious when circumstances required it.
In the romantic epilogue, set 3 years into the future, the MC's are once again in the Dolemites, celebrating Christmas with their son and toddler daughter.
Safety: No OW, no OM and no cheating. However, the H wasn't celibate during their 6 year separation while the heroine was celibate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2019
Second chance romance.
Heroine was strong and loved her little boy. Dedicated.
I enjoyed the background story of the quaint Catholic village, the Abbey and the nuns/sisters. Different.
The hero's character was a jerk sometimes but he saw the light in the end. 😂
I found the story line a little confusing at times, more so the hero story with his father.
But all in all an enjoyable read.
Another short review. Short for time lately. 😂
Heroine was strong and loved her little boy. Dedicated.
I enjoyed the background story of the quaint Catholic village, the Abbey and the nuns/sisters. Different.
The hero's character was a jerk sometimes but he saw the light in the end. 😂
I found the story line a little confusing at times, more so the hero story with his father.
But all in all an enjoyable read.
Another short review. Short for time lately. 😂
January 16, 2020
The title is generic, but this is a secret baby story with nuns – in the Italian Alps. My kind of catnip.
Unfortunately, the beginning drags a bit with the billionaire-in-six-years hero contemplating hisnavel past and then deciding to look up the novice nun he deflowered while he was recovering from injuries from a car accident.
Heroine decided not to become a nun after she discovered she was pregnant. She tried to contact the hero, but after a few years gave up. She knew he was rich and successful and she was resentful he left her after one night. She still lives in the small alpine village with her five year-old son.
The H/h each take turns blaming the other for their situation. For revenge, heroine makes the hero wait a week to meet his son. During that time hero works up anger at missing his son’s life. When hero forces the heroine to marry him and move to Rome, he treats her with contempt.
CC likes to play with power dynamics and in this case the hero claims the heroine will beg for sex (which she does). But then the hero realizes he doesn’t want to lose her, so he begs as well. Meanwhile Mother Superior is pointing out that fear is a lie and love is the truth. A much more interesting theme to explore than begging.
Ivy has all the details in her excellent review!
Unfortunately, the beginning drags a bit with the billionaire-in-six-years hero contemplating his
Heroine decided not to become a nun after she discovered she was pregnant. She tried to contact the hero, but after a few years gave up. She knew he was rich and successful and she was resentful he left her after one night. She still lives in the small alpine village with her five year-old son.
The H/h each take turns blaming the other for their situation. For revenge, heroine makes the hero wait a week to meet his son. During that time hero works up anger at missing his son’s life. When hero forces the heroine to marry him and move to Rome, he treats her with contempt.
CC likes to play with power dynamics and in this case the hero claims the heroine will beg for sex (which she does). But then the hero realizes he doesn’t want to lose her, so he begs as well. Meanwhile Mother Superior is pointing out that fear is a lie and love is the truth. A much more interesting theme to explore than begging.
Ivy has all the details in her excellent review!
October 9, 2019
"I don't deserve you", he managed to say. and he was totally right! I would be happy if he was the first one who confessed his love and did a fantastic groveling like licking the dirt under her shoes or crawling through broken glasses. How could he thought that the son would have felt if she went away as he suggested? He was not a cruel alpha, just a petulant child!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2019
"Unwrapping the Innocent's Secret" is the story of Cecelia and Pascal.
Grrr. Well, this just left me annoyed.
Our h is a playboy extraordinaire and brooding billionaire who is tired of the constant female attention and sexing all things walking. He has never forgotten the life changing accident after which he had stayed in a nunnery and sexed a beautiful woman. He ends up going back, only to realize he has a son and the woman he so graciously abandoned post coitus works as a cleaner. Now he's mad because his son grew up without knowing him, completely ignoring the fact that it is he who left the heroine without contact details, it was his people who disregarded her requests to meet him and he was hoeing throughout that period- conveniently forgetting her.
Anyways, blackmail, forced marriage and expected drama leads to some sort of HEA.
Did not enjoy it.
Unsafe
1.5/5
Grrr. Well, this just left me annoyed.
Our h is a playboy extraordinaire and brooding billionaire who is tired of the constant female attention and sexing all things walking. He has never forgotten the life changing accident after which he had stayed in a nunnery and sexed a beautiful woman. He ends up going back, only to realize he has a son and the woman he so graciously abandoned post coitus works as a cleaner. Now he's mad because his son grew up without knowing him, completely ignoring the fact that it is he who left the heroine without contact details, it was his people who disregarded her requests to meet him and he was hoeing throughout that period- conveniently forgetting her.
Anyways, blackmail, forced marriage and expected drama leads to some sort of HEA.
Did not enjoy it.
Unsafe
1.5/5
October 8, 2019
Yet again a Hero who screws around while the heroine remains frozen. Isn't this crap getting old people? What's the point of calling it a "romance" if neither can stay celibate? Does the male always have to be a slut to be considered a "Hero"? Why can't he keep it in his pants for once?
So many questions and so little change in the romance literature......
So many questions and so little change in the romance literature......
October 6, 2019
Their desire haunts him…
Will her revelation reunite them?
Billionaire Pascal prides himself on his rigid control. So it infuriates him beyond belief that he can’t forget Cecilia, the sweet and innocent woman who saved his life…or the forbidden passion they shared. This Christmas, he’s determined to forget her—until they suddenly come face-to-face!
Seeing Pascal again blindsides Cecilia. She gave him more than her innocence during their explosive encounter—she gave him a piece of her heart. Their still-searing chemistry is startling! As is Cecilia’s stunning baby secret
Will her revelation reunite them?
Billionaire Pascal prides himself on his rigid control. So it infuriates him beyond belief that he can’t forget Cecilia, the sweet and innocent woman who saved his life…or the forbidden passion they shared. This Christmas, he’s determined to forget her—until they suddenly come face-to-face!
Seeing Pascal again blindsides Cecilia. She gave him more than her innocence during their explosive encounter—she gave him a piece of her heart. Their still-searing chemistry is startling! As is Cecilia’s stunning baby secret
October 12, 2019
3.5 stars
The beginning was great and I was so excited but when the H (Pascal) loved the name 👍 actually went to the village and met the h (Cecilia) I expect more drama and more angst but it was a little bit slow and flat but inspite of that I loved the groveling and the last chapter ( the epilogue ) it was so cute .
The beginning was great and I was so excited but when the H (Pascal) loved the name 👍 actually went to the village and met the h (Cecilia) I expect more drama and more angst but it was a little bit slow and flat but inspite of that I loved the groveling and the last chapter ( the epilogue ) it was so cute .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2019
1.5. I did not enjoy this, did not like H’s person or h’s actions, the story was confusing, we get bits and pieces here and there, and the think-thinking all the time...
Unusual setting, and the heroine was an almost-nun who “mounted the poor defenseless H”! But h begging stupid H in the end-what the no.
Unusual setting, and the heroine was an almost-nun who “mounted the poor defenseless H”! But h begging stupid H in the end-what the no.
December 13, 2019
too much inner monologue ...
January 11, 2020
Wow ... definitely an epic read ...
Loved this h ... strong, classy and regal ... a girl who grows up in a convent and lives in a tiny village (loved the way the small village reminded me of the reason I always loved to read HP's with Italian or Spanish H's ... little villages where the way of life is conservative ... love them)
In her own strong and capable manner she delivers verbal smackdowns to the H ... she has dignity! ... Loved this book ... a lot ...
Loved this h ... strong, classy and regal ... a girl who grows up in a convent and lives in a tiny village (loved the way the small village reminded me of the reason I always loved to read HP's with Italian or Spanish H's ... little villages where the way of life is conservative ... love them)
In her own strong and capable manner she delivers verbal smackdowns to the H ... she has dignity! ... Loved this book ... a lot ...
November 2, 2021
Huh, an almost nun heroine and a dirt poor turned billionaire hero, definitely different.
3.5 rounding up.
3.5 rounding up.
December 17, 2019
3.5 - 4 stars
The beginning was very promising with its premise, characters, angst, and hurt feelings that I really crave from romance. I was all gun ho for it until I wasn’t. It suddenly petered out for me and lost some of its sparkle for me that had me in the beginning. If there were some tweaks here and there, I think I would have enjoyed it so much better, but from the moment that Pascal and Cecilia got married the story kind of fell flat and felt very rushed with things happening in very quick session when I would have preferred it to be drawn out just a little bit more.
Now to say that I didn’t enjoy this story would be lie because up to a point I was really digging it, mainly with the premise. I loved the setup of how Cecilia and Pascal met and the circumstance of how they got together. It was a little bit different from the usual Present fare, but that was what I liked about it. The fact that Pascal had a serious car accident six years previous where he nearly died and was nursed back to health by Cecilia at the abbey, where she was planning on becoming a nun. They had a night of passion together before he abrupt left leaving Cecilia heartbroken and pregnant. Fast forward six years later, Pascal couldn’t get Cecilia out of his mind and even said she was haunting him and had been for years. He decided that he was going exercise her from his memories by going back to the abbey to confront her only to learn that she had his son. Cue the intensity in the story after that with lots of intense feelings, which created great angst that I was digging. I could feel the hurt. The pain. And just overall tension between the two of them once secrets were revealed and on full display. It caused a lot of great head butting and conflict between them as they tried to figure out how to work out the situation between them, which was good.
Another thing that I really liked in this story were the characters of Cecilia and Pascal. It was easy to see where they were both coming from in this situation when they were reunited again. Lots of hurt, guilt, and pain had to be worked through in order make their way through in the story. I felt really bad for Cecilia and really felt her pain throughout the story because of what she had gone through not only with Pascal, but the fact that she never knew her father, and her mother abandoned her at the abbey at age of three. So already she had a lot going on emotionally before she even met Pascal, but she met Pascal for the first time she had hope, which quickly dashed away when he disappeared without a word, crushing her in the process. I ached for her, and I understood why she felt she didn’t want Pascal in life after he abandoned just like her mother did. I was so glad that she wasn’t doormat, and she pushed back against him to fight for what she believed was right for her son as well for herself, though mostly for her son. She had to deal with all these emotions of dealing with Pascal again, reliving that hurt and pain that he dealt her with all while dealing with her attraction and love for him. it wasn’t an easy ride for her, but she dealt with it as classy as possible.
As for Pascal, I understood why he was upset about not knowing about his son, who was five years old at the point. It brought up great issues he had with his own illegitimacy and related to his son, who was also illegitimate. He vowed never to have children outside of married, but he did, even though he never knew it. His world just blew up when he found out about his son and the fact that Cecilia had lied to him when he believed that she was his angel that saved him all those years. I got why he was angry about that. I get that he wanted to be in his son’s life and would do anything in his power to make that possible. I got that he wanted to be a proper father to his son. He did everything to make that happen even if it wasn’t the correct way of doing things. He did the typical alpha male thing and threw his power around by being threatening and such. I understood why he did what he did even if I didn’t agree with his methods. I liked that he was haunted by Cecilia for years, but not really recognizing what that meant and how important that she was to him all those years ago and how he might have taken the wrong path in life. I liked really seeing that struggle with him as he dealt with her ghost throughout the story until they were reunited again. It felt a little Christmas nod with the Ghost of Christmas past aka Cecilia. I really liked seeing that struggle within him throughout the entire book as he dealt with his denial of feelings for her. That was an enjoyable part of the story.
I did feel that this book had a lot of internal musing goings on instead of just getting to the action or even having more interactions between Cecilia and Pascal or even Pascal and Dante. There was more telling than showing I felt in this story. There were several pages just dedicated to the internal monologues that they would have with themselves whether it was Cecilia trying to process her feelings for him and trying to keep away him or whether he was dealing with the fact she hid his child from him and never being a proper father to him or just why she couldn’t be the one for him. It was a little too much, and it went on for majority of the book. And because there was so much internal dialogue going on it didn’t leave enough room to pace the story between Cecilia and Pascal and their romance especially when they got married. There was just not enough time dedicated to them being a married couple and just felt really rushed. Like they were married, then the slept together, the the L word was uttered before quickly ending with him groveling and stating his love for her. It just felt really rushed and unrealistic because they both seemed to do a 180 in such quick succession, instead of taking the time to pace it so it was a little bit more believable. I think if they showed them more as a married couple and spending more time together and getting more and more emotionally intimate, as well as physically then I think I would have liked the story a little bit better. There needed to be more development on that front than was give where it felt like it was rushing to the finish line. I think less internal monologue was needed and more of them spending time as a couple and falling in love with each other would have been better time to spend in the story.
I think if story was approached in a different way I would felt different. I think if they started the story from the very beginning when they first met, this story would have a very different vibe to it and I would have probably enjoyed it a bit more. I would liked to seen Cecilia nursing Pascal back to health, taking care of him, and just the whole process. That would have been where they first stirring of love could have been shown on both sides. i would have liked to see them get know other and build and intimacy between them as spent more time together. I would loved to see that connection develop over the course of time while he was getting better. Then I would love to seen their first time together when they become full intimate and then aftermath of when he left. I would have like to see that explored a little bit more in detail then flash forward to the present when six years passed, and they reunite once more. Now I get why Caitlin Crews started where she did, and how she didn’t want to have that much expanse of time to go by before they were reunited and wanted to get to the point a little sooner, but I would have liked to seen more of the past interactions in details even if it was told in flashbacks I think that would have made a stronger story for me. The past was touched on, but it was more in a summary way rather than a detailed way, and I wanted the detailed way. It would have made it stronger and made the connection more believable to me. I think I just needed that to be behind their relationship.
The fact that they really had only one physically intimate scene and then no really emotionally intimate scenes really made hard to see their relationship develop and grow over the course of the book. I didn’t see them get closer to each other after they reunited, but more it was about them fighting for their son more than anything else. Yes, there was spark and attraction still between them, but not meeting of the minds really. There was no tender moments between them nor anything really romantic happen between them, and I really needed to see those type of moments on the page to be totally behind that romance. I just needed to feel more of the love story aspect in the story than I actually felt. It couldn’t be about the past, which was barely even shown or scratched the surface. There needed to be more shown than actually was.
I also wish there more moments between the father and son. There was barely any interaction between them, or when there was it was just a sentence or two. I knew Pascal loved Dante, but I wanted to see it on the page. I wanted to feel it. The plot line of him wanting to be a father was such a big deal, but then when the time came there were no really scenes with him being an actual father or bonding with his son.
Another thing was none of the emotional issues were really dealt with in this story except in a surface way. There were so many intense feelings at the beginning of the story then kind of brushed to the side. For example, Cecilia’s abandonment issue. Pascal and Cecilia never really discuss it, nor did she tell him so he would understand what his abandonment did her when he disappeared all those years ago and why it was such a sensitive subject for her. i don’t think he took the time to understand what she went through all those years ago. They never really have an open, honest line of communication in the story where they could be vulnerable with each other and feel safe doing so because they had that love and trust between them. They needed to build that bridge between them, and they just really didn’t and as said before fast forward to the ending. There just needed be more of building that connection brought into the story.
This wasn’t a horrible, but I think there needed to be more scenes fo Pascal and Cecilia building a relationship and developing intimacy between them because there was really none in the story. I loved the angst in the story. i loved the intense emotions like pain, hurt, guilt, and tension in the story, which was done really well I thought. It created great conflict between them with sparks flying between them as they fought one another for control. It was intense at time, which I loved. The setup was really great and enjoyable. The potential was there for a really epic love, but it wasn’t there because of the lack of intimate scenes between them and the couple building moments and there was just way too much internal dialogue on both sides. I wanted to get more into the nitty gritty and more into the action of the romance. I wanted more romantic moments and tender scenes between them in order to build that loving and intimate relationship that would make it believable for an epic love story. I wanted an epic love story, and I just didn’t get it in this one.
The beginning was very promising with its premise, characters, angst, and hurt feelings that I really crave from romance. I was all gun ho for it until I wasn’t. It suddenly petered out for me and lost some of its sparkle for me that had me in the beginning. If there were some tweaks here and there, I think I would have enjoyed it so much better, but from the moment that Pascal and Cecilia got married the story kind of fell flat and felt very rushed with things happening in very quick session when I would have preferred it to be drawn out just a little bit more.
Now to say that I didn’t enjoy this story would be lie because up to a point I was really digging it, mainly with the premise. I loved the setup of how Cecilia and Pascal met and the circumstance of how they got together. It was a little bit different from the usual Present fare, but that was what I liked about it. The fact that Pascal had a serious car accident six years previous where he nearly died and was nursed back to health by Cecilia at the abbey, where she was planning on becoming a nun. They had a night of passion together before he abrupt left leaving Cecilia heartbroken and pregnant. Fast forward six years later, Pascal couldn’t get Cecilia out of his mind and even said she was haunting him and had been for years. He decided that he was going exercise her from his memories by going back to the abbey to confront her only to learn that she had his son. Cue the intensity in the story after that with lots of intense feelings, which created great angst that I was digging. I could feel the hurt. The pain. And just overall tension between the two of them once secrets were revealed and on full display. It caused a lot of great head butting and conflict between them as they tried to figure out how to work out the situation between them, which was good.
Another thing that I really liked in this story were the characters of Cecilia and Pascal. It was easy to see where they were both coming from in this situation when they were reunited again. Lots of hurt, guilt, and pain had to be worked through in order make their way through in the story. I felt really bad for Cecilia and really felt her pain throughout the story because of what she had gone through not only with Pascal, but the fact that she never knew her father, and her mother abandoned her at the abbey at age of three. So already she had a lot going on emotionally before she even met Pascal, but she met Pascal for the first time she had hope, which quickly dashed away when he disappeared without a word, crushing her in the process. I ached for her, and I understood why she felt she didn’t want Pascal in life after he abandoned just like her mother did. I was so glad that she wasn’t doormat, and she pushed back against him to fight for what she believed was right for her son as well for herself, though mostly for her son. She had to deal with all these emotions of dealing with Pascal again, reliving that hurt and pain that he dealt her with all while dealing with her attraction and love for him. it wasn’t an easy ride for her, but she dealt with it as classy as possible.
As for Pascal, I understood why he was upset about not knowing about his son, who was five years old at the point. It brought up great issues he had with his own illegitimacy and related to his son, who was also illegitimate. He vowed never to have children outside of married, but he did, even though he never knew it. His world just blew up when he found out about his son and the fact that Cecilia had lied to him when he believed that she was his angel that saved him all those years. I got why he was angry about that. I get that he wanted to be in his son’s life and would do anything in his power to make that possible. I got that he wanted to be a proper father to his son. He did everything to make that happen even if it wasn’t the correct way of doing things. He did the typical alpha male thing and threw his power around by being threatening and such. I understood why he did what he did even if I didn’t agree with his methods. I liked that he was haunted by Cecilia for years, but not really recognizing what that meant and how important that she was to him all those years ago and how he might have taken the wrong path in life. I liked really seeing that struggle with him as he dealt with her ghost throughout the story until they were reunited again. It felt a little Christmas nod with the Ghost of Christmas past aka Cecilia. I really liked seeing that struggle within him throughout the entire book as he dealt with his denial of feelings for her. That was an enjoyable part of the story.
I did feel that this book had a lot of internal musing goings on instead of just getting to the action or even having more interactions between Cecilia and Pascal or even Pascal and Dante. There was more telling than showing I felt in this story. There were several pages just dedicated to the internal monologues that they would have with themselves whether it was Cecilia trying to process her feelings for him and trying to keep away him or whether he was dealing with the fact she hid his child from him and never being a proper father to him or just why she couldn’t be the one for him. It was a little too much, and it went on for majority of the book. And because there was so much internal dialogue going on it didn’t leave enough room to pace the story between Cecilia and Pascal and their romance especially when they got married. There was just not enough time dedicated to them being a married couple and just felt really rushed. Like they were married, then the slept together, the the L word was uttered before quickly ending with him groveling and stating his love for her. It just felt really rushed and unrealistic because they both seemed to do a 180 in such quick succession, instead of taking the time to pace it so it was a little bit more believable. I think if they showed them more as a married couple and spending more time together and getting more and more emotionally intimate, as well as physically then I think I would have liked the story a little bit better. There needed to be more development on that front than was give where it felt like it was rushing to the finish line. I think less internal monologue was needed and more of them spending time as a couple and falling in love with each other would have been better time to spend in the story.
I think if story was approached in a different way I would felt different. I think if they started the story from the very beginning when they first met, this story would have a very different vibe to it and I would have probably enjoyed it a bit more. I would liked to seen Cecilia nursing Pascal back to health, taking care of him, and just the whole process. That would have been where they first stirring of love could have been shown on both sides. i would have liked to see them get know other and build and intimacy between them as spent more time together. I would loved to see that connection develop over the course of time while he was getting better. Then I would love to seen their first time together when they become full intimate and then aftermath of when he left. I would have like to see that explored a little bit more in detail then flash forward to the present when six years passed, and they reunite once more. Now I get why Caitlin Crews started where she did, and how she didn’t want to have that much expanse of time to go by before they were reunited and wanted to get to the point a little sooner, but I would have liked to seen more of the past interactions in details even if it was told in flashbacks I think that would have made a stronger story for me. The past was touched on, but it was more in a summary way rather than a detailed way, and I wanted the detailed way. It would have made it stronger and made the connection more believable to me. I think I just needed that to be behind their relationship.
The fact that they really had only one physically intimate scene and then no really emotionally intimate scenes really made hard to see their relationship develop and grow over the course of the book. I didn’t see them get closer to each other after they reunited, but more it was about them fighting for their son more than anything else. Yes, there was spark and attraction still between them, but not meeting of the minds really. There was no tender moments between them nor anything really romantic happen between them, and I really needed to see those type of moments on the page to be totally behind that romance. I just needed to feel more of the love story aspect in the story than I actually felt. It couldn’t be about the past, which was barely even shown or scratched the surface. There needed to be more shown than actually was.
I also wish there more moments between the father and son. There was barely any interaction between them, or when there was it was just a sentence or two. I knew Pascal loved Dante, but I wanted to see it on the page. I wanted to feel it. The plot line of him wanting to be a father was such a big deal, but then when the time came there were no really scenes with him being an actual father or bonding with his son.
Another thing was none of the emotional issues were really dealt with in this story except in a surface way. There were so many intense feelings at the beginning of the story then kind of brushed to the side. For example, Cecilia’s abandonment issue. Pascal and Cecilia never really discuss it, nor did she tell him so he would understand what his abandonment did her when he disappeared all those years ago and why it was such a sensitive subject for her. i don’t think he took the time to understand what she went through all those years ago. They never really have an open, honest line of communication in the story where they could be vulnerable with each other and feel safe doing so because they had that love and trust between them. They needed to build that bridge between them, and they just really didn’t and as said before fast forward to the ending. There just needed be more of building that connection brought into the story.
This wasn’t a horrible, but I think there needed to be more scenes fo Pascal and Cecilia building a relationship and developing intimacy between them because there was really none in the story. I loved the angst in the story. i loved the intense emotions like pain, hurt, guilt, and tension in the story, which was done really well I thought. It created great conflict between them with sparks flying between them as they fought one another for control. It was intense at time, which I loved. The setup was really great and enjoyable. The potential was there for a really epic love, but it wasn’t there because of the lack of intimate scenes between them and the couple building moments and there was just way too much internal dialogue on both sides. I wanted to get more into the nitty gritty and more into the action of the romance. I wanted more romantic moments and tender scenes between them in order to build that loving and intimate relationship that would make it believable for an epic love story. I wanted an epic love story, and I just didn’t get it in this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2019
Caitlin Crews writes such wonderfully fleshed-out characters whose encounters are almost operatic in their emotional intensity and verbal exchanges. Pascal and Cecilia's story is beautifully realised in this book and I loved it as I do virtually all of Ms. Crews" books. I liked the Mother Superior's character and of course Dante - the all too wonderful child they created.
Cecilia is strong, determined, feisty and articulate. Pascal is hard and manipulative and yet we know that inside there is a loving soul desperate to get out, and all he needs is the heroine. We just enjoy how she helps him get there.
I absolutely love this writer's use of language. Romantic, emotional, descriptive - it takes the story up to another level. Fabulous.
Cecilia is strong, determined, feisty and articulate. Pascal is hard and manipulative and yet we know that inside there is a loving soul desperate to get out, and all he needs is the heroine. We just enjoy how she helps him get there.
I absolutely love this writer's use of language. Romantic, emotional, descriptive - it takes the story up to another level. Fabulous.
August 27, 2020
Pascal Furlani finally makes a trip back to the valley and convent where he had recovered from a life threatening injury years before. The girl he had seduced and left behind, Cecilia, had always haunted him. Instead of slaying the ghosts of the past, he finds he has raised a demon inside. Cecilia has his son.
Blah.
Blah.
October 29, 2019
Unwrapping the Innocent’s Secret by Caitlin Crews is an intense and sexy Italian set ‘secret baby’ romance.
When Pascal Furlani was seriously injured in a car crash in the mountains, it was the nuns of a nearby abbey who saved him, including one novitiate, Cecilia, who nursed him back to health. As he healed, they shared many conversations, and eventually one passionate night together. But in the morning, Pascal was gone, back to Rome and Cecilia was left alone, and pregnant.
Six years later, Pascal is a wealthy but lonely businessman, still haunted by his days at the abbey, and his memories of Cecilia. In an effort to banish those thoughts, he seeks her out to come to terms with what happened during those dark days. To his surprise and shock, he discovers that she has a son – his son. As a young man who had been abandoned by his own father, there is no way Pascal will leave without Dante, and he’s got the perfect solution to keep them together – marriage. Will this second chance be the one to last a lifetime?
Once again Caitlin Crews has delivered an entertaining and romantic story! Pascal has scars, both physical and emotional from his accident and his upbringing. After he and Cecilia shared their night together, there were reasons that he left abruptly that Cecilia only finds out upon his return. Being unwed and pregnant caused her to give up her dreams of becoming a nun and while she was supported by the community, she nevertheless had felt bitterness at Pascal’s abandonment of her, though she had tried to get news to him of his son without success. It’s no surprise that they clash when they see each other again, with some intense and dramatic scenes as they adjust to the new situation.
The sexual tension between them builds as the story progresses, finally culminating in a sexy and intimate scene after their marriage when Cecilia and Dante have moved in with Pascal in Rome. It’s clear that Pascal loves his son from the start of their father/son relationship and Dante takes all the changes in stride even as the adults struggle with their own emotions. Admitting their true feelings for each other takes time, but makes their devotion to each other complete as they get their happy ending. The story is told as Christmas is approaching, so themes of light in the darkness and the joy of the season are prominent. I loved the setting, the small mountainous town in the Italian countryside and the bustle of Rome. It’s a very enjoyable character driven romance.
This review also appears at Harlequin Junkie: https://harlequinjunkie.com/review-un...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
When Pascal Furlani was seriously injured in a car crash in the mountains, it was the nuns of a nearby abbey who saved him, including one novitiate, Cecilia, who nursed him back to health. As he healed, they shared many conversations, and eventually one passionate night together. But in the morning, Pascal was gone, back to Rome and Cecilia was left alone, and pregnant.
Six years later, Pascal is a wealthy but lonely businessman, still haunted by his days at the abbey, and his memories of Cecilia. In an effort to banish those thoughts, he seeks her out to come to terms with what happened during those dark days. To his surprise and shock, he discovers that she has a son – his son. As a young man who had been abandoned by his own father, there is no way Pascal will leave without Dante, and he’s got the perfect solution to keep them together – marriage. Will this second chance be the one to last a lifetime?
Once again Caitlin Crews has delivered an entertaining and romantic story! Pascal has scars, both physical and emotional from his accident and his upbringing. After he and Cecilia shared their night together, there were reasons that he left abruptly that Cecilia only finds out upon his return. Being unwed and pregnant caused her to give up her dreams of becoming a nun and while she was supported by the community, she nevertheless had felt bitterness at Pascal’s abandonment of her, though she had tried to get news to him of his son without success. It’s no surprise that they clash when they see each other again, with some intense and dramatic scenes as they adjust to the new situation.
The sexual tension between them builds as the story progresses, finally culminating in a sexy and intimate scene after their marriage when Cecilia and Dante have moved in with Pascal in Rome. It’s clear that Pascal loves his son from the start of their father/son relationship and Dante takes all the changes in stride even as the adults struggle with their own emotions. Admitting their true feelings for each other takes time, but makes their devotion to each other complete as they get their happy ending. The story is told as Christmas is approaching, so themes of light in the darkness and the joy of the season are prominent. I loved the setting, the small mountainous town in the Italian countryside and the bustle of Rome. It’s a very enjoyable character driven romance.
This review also appears at Harlequin Junkie: https://harlequinjunkie.com/review-un...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
February 19, 2022
This is a shamefully seductive and sensuous second chance romance, it has all the love and heart you have come to expect from this M&B line, but with added glitz.
I hate to say it, but this is the first book I have read by Caitlin Crews, once again I am missing out on something here, I will certainly be reading more from her, even though this line has never been my favourite out of the Mills and Boon/Harlequin books, I have found myself reaching for presents more and more. Unwrapping the Innocent's Secret is a stereotypical Present's love story, the wealthy hero plays emotional tig-tag with the likeable girl-next-door heroine, they go through drama and a will-they, won't-they pre-lude until they finally give in to what we all know will happen anyway.
I liked the character's, they are your run-of-the-mill Present's couple, wealthy, stylish, dynamic, sexy and yet beneath all that glitz and glam there are two fractured, in need of love hearts who obviously can only be happy with each other.
For me, it was the setting that stole the show, every scene is vivid and richly descriptive you feel as though you are standing right beside them.
I liked the story, it didn't have the boom effect on me where I absolutely loved it, but still, it's a decent and lovely story. It's not taxing, it is a quick and easy read, which will satisfy any romance-loving heart.
I hate to say it, but this is the first book I have read by Caitlin Crews, once again I am missing out on something here, I will certainly be reading more from her, even though this line has never been my favourite out of the Mills and Boon/Harlequin books, I have found myself reaching for presents more and more. Unwrapping the Innocent's Secret is a stereotypical Present's love story, the wealthy hero plays emotional tig-tag with the likeable girl-next-door heroine, they go through drama and a will-they, won't-they pre-lude until they finally give in to what we all know will happen anyway.
I liked the character's, they are your run-of-the-mill Present's couple, wealthy, stylish, dynamic, sexy and yet beneath all that glitz and glam there are two fractured, in need of love hearts who obviously can only be happy with each other.
For me, it was the setting that stole the show, every scene is vivid and richly descriptive you feel as though you are standing right beside them.
I liked the story, it didn't have the boom effect on me where I absolutely loved it, but still, it's a decent and lovely story. It's not taxing, it is a quick and easy read, which will satisfy any romance-loving heart.
June 12, 2020
While the story had some unique elements, it fell flat in a few places, the beginning being one. Otherwise, it was an overall good read.
October 7, 2019
Nice quick read love a strong female !
January 11, 2020
Pascal Furlani’s trip through the Dolomites brought him to an abbey clinic after a car crash that almost killed him. After being cared for and brought back to health by the nuns and novitiates, he thanked them by seducing and abandoning the one novitiate that everyone loved the most, Cecilia.
Six years later, on a whim, he returns to the Dolomites and the little village only to find Cecilia had his child. A son named Dante. The arrogant SOB blackmail her into marrying him by threatening to take her son away from her.
Pascal annoyed the hell out of me at first. But as I continued reading, his insecurities and pain became so evident and he hid it all under his arrogance and bluster. Still, I considered Cecilia an angel for putting up with his crap.
A sure sign that this was a great book was my reacting to the characters as though they were real people. I absolutely enjoyed getting all worked up over Pascal’s unfairness to Cecilia and that he was a total butthead. I was mumbling advice to Cecilia throughout the book. It was sad.
I obviously enjoyed this one. It’s a great read.
Six years later, on a whim, he returns to the Dolomites and the little village only to find Cecilia had his child. A son named Dante. The arrogant SOB blackmail her into marrying him by threatening to take her son away from her.
Pascal annoyed the hell out of me at first. But as I continued reading, his insecurities and pain became so evident and he hid it all under his arrogance and bluster. Still, I considered Cecilia an angel for putting up with his crap.
A sure sign that this was a great book was my reacting to the characters as though they were real people. I absolutely enjoyed getting all worked up over Pascal’s unfairness to Cecilia and that he was a total butthead. I was mumbling advice to Cecilia throughout the book. It was sad.
I obviously enjoyed this one. It’s a great read.
October 9, 2019
Cecelia was a young orphan who grew up under the care of nuns. Her goal was to become a nun also and continue her life serving God. However all that changed when the catalyst of change came in the form of Pascal. He was a military soldier severely wounded. Under her administrative caring Cecelia fell in love and gave him her devotion. Pascal was a tormented hero, rejected by his billionaire father and depressed mother he was cold, dark and unfeeling. He was like a vampire without fangs. Cecelia was his life mate and his salvation. Their attraction grew during Pascal's recovery and their passions burn. Soon they found themselves in each other's arms and created their storm. After their one night of love, Pascal was leaving and wanted her with him, but the superior nun forbade it and he left without a word. Cecelia got pregnant and devoted herself to a life of simplicity and poverty.
Six years passed and not a day gone by the lovers yearned for each other. Haunted by her face and their night, Pascal returned to the Abbey and found his real ghost. Cecelia was no longer sweet-natured innocent nurse but a weary and wounded tigress out for his blood. There was angst between these two as well as attraction. They courted revenge and antagonism using their emotions and the child. Pascal was livid when he discovered his son and she was carrying toxicity in his abandonment. They soon resolved their differences and got married. The Marriage was a tormented jail, they wanted each other but punished themselves in denial of their carnal cravings. Then it made sense and everything fell into place, they feared and they tormented then found love. It was a good theme and a good story, but somehow I struggled to stay with the story until the latter part of the book. Nice description of feelings and of Rome.
Six years passed and not a day gone by the lovers yearned for each other. Haunted by her face and their night, Pascal returned to the Abbey and found his real ghost. Cecelia was no longer sweet-natured innocent nurse but a weary and wounded tigress out for his blood. There was angst between these two as well as attraction. They courted revenge and antagonism using their emotions and the child. Pascal was livid when he discovered his son and she was carrying toxicity in his abandonment. They soon resolved their differences and got married. The Marriage was a tormented jail, they wanted each other but punished themselves in denial of their carnal cravings. Then it made sense and everything fell into place, they feared and they tormented then found love. It was a good theme and a good story, but somehow I struggled to stay with the story until the latter part of the book. Nice description of feelings and of Rome.
December 23, 2019
There are parts of this romantic story that I like, and others that are less convincing.
What I like are the characters. A courageous woman who puts her child first, whatever the cost to herself. A tormented billionaire, with so much emotional baggage, his whole life is about overcoming his past and getting back at his birth father. This is good for his career, and bank balance, but leaves him an emotionally barren man.
The concept of the secret heir is less believable and that makes what follows less enjoyable. The ending is lovely and gives the story a lovely festive, hopeful twist.
I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
What I like are the characters. A courageous woman who puts her child first, whatever the cost to herself. A tormented billionaire, with so much emotional baggage, his whole life is about overcoming his past and getting back at his birth father. This is good for his career, and bank balance, but leaves him an emotionally barren man.
The concept of the secret heir is less believable and that makes what follows less enjoyable. The ending is lovely and gives the story a lovely festive, hopeful twist.
I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
October 26, 2021
I adored the premise of this, but the execution - not so much.
I expected an inspiring, heartwarming, tender love story of a wealthy but desperately lonely man finding sweet fulfilling love with the nun who had healed him in a forgotten quiet little valley, long ago.
You know the premise - a rich man who realises how poor he is without the love of his life, and a poor woman who knows how rich she is by being able to love and be loved.
What I got was two bitter, hate-filled people tearing strips of each other.
It was so infuriating how he blamed her for keeping the baby secret even though she explained how she had tried so hard to contact him at his company.
Equally annoying was how cruel and selfish the heroine was not letting him meet his son for over a week - only torturing him by letting him watch the boy from afar. I mean seriously wth?
They were like a couple of unbearably awful parents locked in a destructive custody battle over their son, except there were no lawyers or a courtroom - just plenty of ugly power plays.
I had high hopes that the heroine, as a former novitiate, would have a sweetness, serenity and depth to her, but nope, she was just filled with anger and hostility.
On that note, I wish the cover photo had a woman who looked a bit more nun-like - straight-laced and innocent rather than the sexy woman in the slinky dress. I mean what a waste of great premise. Just sayin....
There was way too much inner thoughts going in the middle of the dialogue. Sometimes there would be 2 pages between one person speaking and the next. It made it disjointed to read.
I honestly don't know how these two fell in love at the end. There were a few flashes of sweetness near the end but it was way too late.
P.S. How exactly does one become a billionaire in 6 short years? Is there a secret formula for that? A book I can buy? It just seemed crazily unrealistic.
I expected an inspiring, heartwarming, tender love story of a wealthy but desperately lonely man finding sweet fulfilling love with the nun who had healed him in a forgotten quiet little valley, long ago.
You know the premise - a rich man who realises how poor he is without the love of his life, and a poor woman who knows how rich she is by being able to love and be loved.
What I got was two bitter, hate-filled people tearing strips of each other.
It was so infuriating how he blamed her for keeping the baby secret even though she explained how she had tried so hard to contact him at his company.
Equally annoying was how cruel and selfish the heroine was not letting him meet his son for over a week - only torturing him by letting him watch the boy from afar. I mean seriously wth?
They were like a couple of unbearably awful parents locked in a destructive custody battle over their son, except there were no lawyers or a courtroom - just plenty of ugly power plays.
I had high hopes that the heroine, as a former novitiate, would have a sweetness, serenity and depth to her, but nope, she was just filled with anger and hostility.
On that note, I wish the cover photo had a woman who looked a bit more nun-like - straight-laced and innocent rather than the sexy woman in the slinky dress. I mean what a waste of great premise. Just sayin....
There was way too much inner thoughts going in the middle of the dialogue. Sometimes there would be 2 pages between one person speaking and the next. It made it disjointed to read.
I honestly don't know how these two fell in love at the end. There were a few flashes of sweetness near the end but it was way too late.
P.S. How exactly does one become a billionaire in 6 short years? Is there a secret formula for that? A book I can buy? It just seemed crazily unrealistic.
August 3, 2023
This one gets lots of likes from readers I admire, but I thought the H Pascal tipped over from Alpha into utter bastard. He is a soldier on furlough, has a terrible accident, and is nursed back to health by a sweet, innocent, orphaned novitiate, Cecilia. They grow close, their friendship becomes more, they have sex. And then he leaves her to face the consequences, for reasons that never quite made any sense. No goodbye, no explanation, off he goes - to become a billionaire, as you do.
Six years later, with her face still haunting him, he decides on the spur of the moment to trek back to the Dolomites and draw a line under those memories. And there he finds a much-toughened Cecelia scrubbing the floors of the convent, unwed, and the mother to his son. And he gets angry at her! She has tried for years to contact him, and then he threatens her with losing custody unless they marry. She's furious, she has every right to be angry. And yet they still have that chemistry. And they love each other. But dear lord he is a horror.
Six years later, with her face still haunting him, he decides on the spur of the moment to trek back to the Dolomites and draw a line under those memories. And there he finds a much-toughened Cecelia scrubbing the floors of the convent, unwed, and the mother to his son. And he gets angry at her! She has tried for years to contact him, and then he threatens her with losing custody unless they marry. She's furious, she has every right to be angry. And yet they still have that chemistry. And they love each other. But dear lord he is a horror.
October 23, 2019
LOVE! One of the BEST HQ romance stories. At last, a heroine that is not a waitress, housekeeper, maid, etc. This story is unique and deep w/out OM or OW drama that is sooo common in harlequin lalaland. This story is really bout love that touches your heart and make you dream about your happily ever after. I wish we get more unique stories like this. I love the fact that the heroine was raised in the convent. I am of Catholic faith and was educated in a convent school so this story is somewhat relatable to me :) I wonder if there are other HQ books that has 'nun' heroine or other unique heroine...?
April 7, 2024
I struggled with this one. But I am so grateful that I persisted through the discomfort. The resolve was breathtakingly beautiful. Though bitterness can be the fruit of trauma - I don’t like to see the heroine afflicted with such. It makes it hard for me to feel the compassion and empathy needed to root for the couple through insurmountable obstacles. But Caitlin, as my favorite Harlequin Presents author - hands down, has a way of presenting the paradox of love and hate in a character that just keeps you connected. Again, the resolve is well worth the discomfort - she somehow made it a masterpiece.
December 7, 2019
I thought that this was a moving, endearing story that I really, really enjoyed!
I thought that the story was very well written, there was not as much action as there is in some of the books I like but this had just enough to keep me fully engaged and interested and it still captivated me and held my attention right to the end.
The plot was well developed and the author had a really nice writing style. The flow for the story was excellent too. It is 5 stars from me for this one, I thought it was a lovely story to read - very highly recommended!!
I thought that the story was very well written, there was not as much action as there is in some of the books I like but this had just enough to keep me fully engaged and interested and it still captivated me and held my attention right to the end.
The plot was well developed and the author had a really nice writing style. The flow for the story was excellent too. It is 5 stars from me for this one, I thought it was a lovely story to read - very highly recommended!!
December 17, 2020
I gave this 2.5 stars because it wasn't as good as I hoped it would've been.For almost this entire book there was just constant arguing about this ''secret''.It got annoying real fast.I stopped reading then started again a bunch of times because it wasn't keeping my attention.the last 30 pages was fine,they did not argue and the love aspect finely became more in this book.This will not be a re-read for me in the future.
Read
January 31, 2023It hit like storm
blow after blow
how can i beg ya
my womb empity
my child run there
over the momnten with air
dream with cloud full of toy
how can i beg ya
when y distroy the vow
run after a shadow of pain
after a shatter of human
how can i beg ya
behind the tears
behind the lost dream
behind the fear
tell me
how can i beg ya
blow after blow
how can i beg ya
my womb empity
my child run there
over the momnten with air
dream with cloud full of toy
how can i beg ya
when y distroy the vow
run after a shadow of pain
after a shatter of human
how can i beg ya
behind the tears
behind the lost dream
behind the fear
tell me
how can i beg ya
Read
April 4, 2020Pascal thinks he has it all but who he really is missing, is someone to share his life with. Cecelia once helped save his life and though he ran from her, he wants her a back. A moving love story about two people who need to find their way back to each other.
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