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Rings of Vengeance #3
Pour le coeur de Javier Casillas
Amours vengeresses Ils sont frères. La trahison les a séparés, l’amour pourrait les réconcilier… Javier Casillas est abasourdi. La nuit torride qu’il a passée dans les bras de la belle Sophie n’a pas été sans conséquences, puisque la voilà enceinte de lui ! Bien que réfractaire à l’idée de s’engager, il n’a d’autre choix que de proposer à la jeune femme de l’épouser. Pas question pour lui de laisser une mère et son enfant sans protection… Mais quand Sophie en vient à attendre autre chose de lui que le désir brut et sauvage qu’il lui témoigne chaque fois qu’ils se trouvent en présence l’un de l’autre, alors Javier sent la situation lui échapper. Car, résolu à garder le contrôle, jamais encore il n’a permis à quiconque d’atteindre son cœur…
140 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2019
98 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Smart
725 books257 followersMichelle Smart is a Publishers Weekly bestselling romance author with a slight-to-severe coffee addiction. With over four million copies of her books sold worldwide, Michelle is now embracing the indie book world to write the passionate romance books she knows her readers love whilst continuing to write for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She is also the author of Butterflies, a standalone romantic and humorous time travel novel set in the 1990s.
A bookworm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback.
Michelle loves hearing from readers and can be contacted directly via her website.
A bookworm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback.
Michelle loves hearing from readers and can be contacted directly via her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
February 14, 2019
I bought this hook, line and sinker.
I usually HATE a hurt, damaged, tortured hero as most of them are just big babies and TSTL. Cheating girlfriends, poorly done vasectomies, bad mommies and daddies, grow up. This hero actually has something to complain about. Not only did his father strangle his mother, but being the preferred twin by his father, the H had to maintain a fine balancing act to protect his twin. As a result, he has turned into a cold monster that was willing to defraud his best friend and ruthlessly cut his brother out of his life when he tried to point out his responsibility in a legal but morally questionable deal.
The hero ponders the mother who abandoned the heroine at birth.
And she prayed for the woman who’d abandoned her and hoped she was alive and well? Javier had no such compassion. He hoped, with every fibre of his being, that the woman who’d abandoned his wife to die had lived a short and painful life.
The heroine could easily have been yet another whey-faced doormat willing to lie down for the sake of her baby, but she is more than willing to lay out the hero's inconsistencies and negative qualities to him. Yes, Ms Smart, we need more heroines like her! When he points out they have a marriage contract and he'll take the baby, she basically says, "So what.!" and leaves. I loved Sophie because she could still love the hero, but stand up for herself and their child.
The story is high an angst and hero development and pretty low on romance, but when we get to about the halfway period and the hero opens up to the reader, MS writes a great arc of a hero than knows he needs to change and searches out redemption.
Nice epilogue with some humor:
The yacht’s captain brought the vessel to anchor next to Luis’s, which matched theirs for size—something incredibly important to both men, she and Chloe liked to snigger about.
I haven't read the others in the series, and will get around to it, but this met so many of the requirements we like to see in an HP and so rarely get: the arc of the hero and the charm of a sweet but strong heroine.
I usually HATE a hurt, damaged, tortured hero as most of them are just big babies and TSTL. Cheating girlfriends, poorly done vasectomies, bad mommies and daddies, grow up. This hero actually has something to complain about. Not only did his father strangle his mother, but being the preferred twin by his father, the H had to maintain a fine balancing act to protect his twin. As a result, he has turned into a cold monster that was willing to defraud his best friend and ruthlessly cut his brother out of his life when he tried to point out his responsibility in a legal but morally questionable deal.
The hero ponders the mother who abandoned the heroine at birth.
And she prayed for the woman who’d abandoned her and hoped she was alive and well? Javier had no such compassion. He hoped, with every fibre of his being, that the woman who’d abandoned his wife to die had lived a short and painful life.
The heroine could easily have been yet another whey-faced doormat willing to lie down for the sake of her baby, but she is more than willing to lay out the hero's inconsistencies and negative qualities to him. Yes, Ms Smart, we need more heroines like her! When he points out they have a marriage contract and he'll take the baby, she basically says, "So what.!" and leaves. I loved Sophie because she could still love the hero, but stand up for herself and their child.
The story is high an angst and hero development and pretty low on romance, but when we get to about the halfway period and the hero opens up to the reader, MS writes a great arc of a hero than knows he needs to change and searches out redemption.
Nice epilogue with some humor:
The yacht’s captain brought the vessel to anchor next to Luis’s, which matched theirs for size—something incredibly important to both men, she and Chloe liked to snigger about.
I haven't read the others in the series, and will get around to it, but this met so many of the requirements we like to see in an HP and so rarely get: the arc of the hero and the charm of a sweet but strong heroine.
August 2, 2018
ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, I really really tried with this one but just couldn't finish. I even walked away and came back to it a week or so later. I skimmed the last quarter of the book and found it didn't improve.
The male hero in this book, Javier was about the coldest and complete jerk of a hero I've read in a long time. I've read the book series prior that had him as part of the story line and was hoping he could be redeemed somehow, didn't happen. He was a jerk to the heroine, he was cold, and was not just a dark character but to me emotionally cruel at times. He treated the heroine terrible and fought his feeling pretty much the whole book. Not much romance and mainly focused on his past and hang ups.
I didn't find the heroine to be that great herself. She came across more on the weak side. Sophie and how she was so infatuated with the hero was almost high schoolish and immature.
I found the scene of there first encounter at his home (where they had sex for the first time) to be very off putting and cold. The romance never really unfolded or evolved for me. The story line was more focused on the hero's issues and past.
I normally enjoy Michelle Smarts HP, but this one was very disappointing.
Wow, I really really tried with this one but just couldn't finish. I even walked away and came back to it a week or so later. I skimmed the last quarter of the book and found it didn't improve.
The male hero in this book, Javier was about the coldest and complete jerk of a hero I've read in a long time. I've read the book series prior that had him as part of the story line and was hoping he could be redeemed somehow, didn't happen. He was a jerk to the heroine, he was cold, and was not just a dark character but to me emotionally cruel at times. He treated the heroine terrible and fought his feeling pretty much the whole book. Not much romance and mainly focused on his past and hang ups.
I didn't find the heroine to be that great herself. She came across more on the weak side. Sophie and how she was so infatuated with the hero was almost high schoolish and immature.
I found the scene of there first encounter at his home (where they had sex for the first time) to be very off putting and cold. The romance never really unfolded or evolved for me. The story line was more focused on the hero's issues and past.
I normally enjoy Michelle Smarts HP, but this one was very disappointing.
September 9, 2018
I love ruthless and alpha heroes but this hero was too cruel and cold for like 90% of the book and as a result the romance suffered. Heroine was a sweetheart so two stars for her.
November 23, 2018
4.5 rounded down. Excellent hurt/comfort story that will satisfy the angst junkies who love the redemption of a cruel, cold hero. However, there are triggers in the backstory–
Domestic violence, murder, child abuse, child abandonment
The hero is the villain of the three-part series. This heroine is the bff of the prima ballerina heroine from the first book. Yes, our sweet, adopted not-so-great ballerina heroine had a crush on the hero and then her bff signed a contract for a marriage of convenience with him. When her bff married the hero’s enemy, the heroine stopped by his mansion to return all of the MOC papers so no reporters would find them. The hero had just found out his ex was marrying his enemy so he was feeling pretty emotional. H/h ended up having a ONS that resulted in the heroine’s pregnancy. The heroine was a virgin.
The story opens when the heroine shows up at the hero’s mansion and tell him she is pregnant. Hero didn’t know she had quit the ballet company two months before and hadn’t followed up with her even though he hadn’t used protection and she was a virgin. Hero then declares they will marry for the sake of the baby and they’ll use the same prenuptial he had with the ex-bff.
Heroine has her own ideas and puts her foot down about the hero taking a mistress. And from there we have the push/pull relationship that will eventually turn to love.
The heroine is the sweetest heroine ever, but she is not afraid to speak up and to contradict the hero. It takes him aback everytime. LOL He is used to being the scary guy who looks exactly like his father who killed his mother. And he is afraid he’s going to destroy the heroine either by his need for control or he’ll snap and actually physically hurt her. He had a fight when he was 14 and put a guy in the hospital, so he’s always been afraid of a violent streak in his nature. He really hates himself and can’t imagine anyone would love him.
It’s an interesting inner conflict for the hero and it’s the courageous heroine who talks him down, even when he’s warning her he is not worthy of her trust and could blow.
Depending on your background with violence and trust and how you feel about a character’s ability to change, will depend how much you buy/enjoy these scenes. The hero is truly hurting and truly tries to take care of the heroine (the puppy! Gong to vet school, the nursery décor) – without exposing his feelings.
It’s a fascinating process and the heroine gets her feelings hurt a few times, but she never gives up – until the hero’s jealous black moment. The heroine leaves and that’s what finally wakes up the hero.
He actually goes to his brother and his enemy and apologizes for the what he did and begins the process of righting a few wrongs. It’s only after he’s done about six of the 12 AA steps to recovery that he tracks down the heroine at her parent’s house. Heroine accepts his apology, but won’t move back with him until he grovels (beautifully) and tells her he loves her. There is a nice epilogue 7 years later that shows the three couples with their children and the hero heavily involved with the newest baby.
I think the author was right to include a 7 year time span. The hero still had a lot to work on and he would need that much time to learn new habits of thinking and acting.
As for the series overall here it goes:
The rift was over money. It had all the hallmarks of a family feud after a will is read. The amount of money was chump change to all of the billionaires involved, but it was what it represented that caused so many hard feelings.
For billionaire number one – it was like a brother betrayed him – and digging deeper, he realized his mother cared for her friend’s twins more than she cared for him. Add into the grief of never being able to have that mother love because she is dead, and you’ve got a lot riding on that one clause in the contract. So for billionaire number one, there were a lot of unmet emotional needs in his reaction – as well as injustice and regret at his own carelessness.
For billionaire number two – he was angry he had been blindly loyal to his twin and was tarred with the betrayal brush when he knew nothing about it. This solidified his victim status of being his father’s literal whipping boy. That was his role in the family, which he both identified with and resented. There was a lot of ego involved in his reaction. I think that’s why book 2 was my least favorite. Revenge wasn’t really the remedy here. I think his HEA with the heroine (sister of billionaire number one) should have been separate from the revenge and the money. I would have liked to see the two innocent bystanders chose not to be involved with all of that darkness in their pasts and to not take sides.
Billionaire number three carried the most emotional baggage, which is why he inflicted pain on billionaire one in the first place and then doubled down as that pain rippled through all of their relationships. He was assigned the role of his father’s mini-me as a child and always associated pain and cruelty with his true self.
In times of stress or vulnerability such as the bb’s mother’s illness, or a court case, or his fiancé leaving him in such a public way – he defaulted to the “easy” path. It is only after he meets the heroine does he realize that his cruelty coping skills aren’t making his life easy and that there is another way to go forward.
Very few people have the insight, humility and tenacity to change their life and truly repent. I thought MS showed billionaire number three’s process. I wish she could have showed how billionaire one and two learned how to forgive without feeling like chumps. But page time is limited in categories.
This is a fascinating series and if you like these kinds of tropes, you'll probably enjoy all three books.
Domestic violence, murder, child abuse, child abandonment
The hero is the villain of the three-part series. This heroine is the bff of the prima ballerina heroine from the first book. Yes, our sweet, adopted not-so-great ballerina heroine had a crush on the hero and then her bff signed a contract for a marriage of convenience with him. When her bff married the hero’s enemy, the heroine stopped by his mansion to return all of the MOC papers so no reporters would find them. The hero had just found out his ex was marrying his enemy so he was feeling pretty emotional. H/h ended up having a ONS that resulted in the heroine’s pregnancy. The heroine was a virgin.
The story opens when the heroine shows up at the hero’s mansion and tell him she is pregnant. Hero didn’t know she had quit the ballet company two months before and hadn’t followed up with her even though he hadn’t used protection and she was a virgin. Hero then declares they will marry for the sake of the baby and they’ll use the same prenuptial he had with the ex-bff.
Heroine has her own ideas and puts her foot down about the hero taking a mistress. And from there we have the push/pull relationship that will eventually turn to love.
The heroine is the sweetest heroine ever, but she is not afraid to speak up and to contradict the hero. It takes him aback everytime. LOL He is used to being the scary guy who looks exactly like his father who killed his mother. And he is afraid he’s going to destroy the heroine either by his need for control or he’ll snap and actually physically hurt her. He had a fight when he was 14 and put a guy in the hospital, so he’s always been afraid of a violent streak in his nature. He really hates himself and can’t imagine anyone would love him.
It’s an interesting inner conflict for the hero and it’s the courageous heroine who talks him down, even when he’s warning her he is not worthy of her trust and could blow.
Depending on your background with violence and trust and how you feel about a character’s ability to change, will depend how much you buy/enjoy these scenes. The hero is truly hurting and truly tries to take care of the heroine (the puppy! Gong to vet school, the nursery décor) – without exposing his feelings.
It’s a fascinating process and the heroine gets her feelings hurt a few times, but she never gives up – until the hero’s jealous black moment. The heroine leaves and that’s what finally wakes up the hero.
He actually goes to his brother and his enemy and apologizes for the what he did and begins the process of righting a few wrongs. It’s only after he’s done about six of the 12 AA steps to recovery that he tracks down the heroine at her parent’s house. Heroine accepts his apology, but won’t move back with him until he grovels (beautifully) and tells her he loves her. There is a nice epilogue 7 years later that shows the three couples with their children and the hero heavily involved with the newest baby.
I think the author was right to include a 7 year time span. The hero still had a lot to work on and he would need that much time to learn new habits of thinking and acting.
As for the series overall here it goes:
The rift was over money. It had all the hallmarks of a family feud after a will is read. The amount of money was chump change to all of the billionaires involved, but it was what it represented that caused so many hard feelings.
For billionaire number one – it was like a brother betrayed him – and digging deeper, he realized his mother cared for her friend’s twins more than she cared for him. Add into the grief of never being able to have that mother love because she is dead, and you’ve got a lot riding on that one clause in the contract. So for billionaire number one, there were a lot of unmet emotional needs in his reaction – as well as injustice and regret at his own carelessness.
For billionaire number two – he was angry he had been blindly loyal to his twin and was tarred with the betrayal brush when he knew nothing about it. This solidified his victim status of being his father’s literal whipping boy. That was his role in the family, which he both identified with and resented. There was a lot of ego involved in his reaction. I think that’s why book 2 was my least favorite. Revenge wasn’t really the remedy here. I think his HEA with the heroine (sister of billionaire number one) should have been separate from the revenge and the money. I would have liked to see the two innocent bystanders chose not to be involved with all of that darkness in their pasts and to not take sides.
Billionaire number three carried the most emotional baggage, which is why he inflicted pain on billionaire one in the first place and then doubled down as that pain rippled through all of their relationships. He was assigned the role of his father’s mini-me as a child and always associated pain and cruelty with his true self.
In times of stress or vulnerability such as the bb’s mother’s illness, or a court case, or his fiancé leaving him in such a public way – he defaulted to the “easy” path. It is only after he meets the heroine does he realize that his cruelty coping skills aren’t making his life easy and that there is another way to go forward.
Very few people have the insight, humility and tenacity to change their life and truly repent. I thought MS showed billionaire number three’s process. I wish she could have showed how billionaire one and two learned how to forgive without feeling like chumps. But page time is limited in categories.
This is a fascinating series and if you like these kinds of tropes, you'll probably enjoy all three books.
November 6, 2018
This is the last book of the series......or is it? Anyways,I digress...This is the villain, Javier ,of the series, and the lovely Sophie' s story.I have to say that this was by far the best book of the series for me and it delivered on all counts.For example the hero,from what we read in the prior two books,Javier was a cold blooded,unfeeling,backstabbing ,decietfull bastard with a rock in place for his heart.Hecould make the the most hated person seem like the nicest .The heroine on the other hand was pure spun gold,she saw the good in everything and was a joy.Now your thinking....she is one of those.....a doormat!!!..... Gasp,the horror!!!This heroine was anything but....girl had a spine made of steel in the body of an angel,she was ju st so darn likeable :)
The pairing of these two opposites were perfect ,and this girl was just what our hero needed in his life.She stood up to him when needed ,and soothed and was just there for him.
I call him the villain because that is what he is for the first 2 books in this series....he knowingly withheld information from his childhood best friend which in turn caused huge financial loss which led to a break in friendship ,breach of trust,and plots of revenge.But in his story,we see the whys,the issues that led him to his path of villainy and his abject fear of turning out like his murderous father.To say he had baggages of Mommy and Daddy issues is to put it mildly,this all led to shape him into the man he became,cold,ruthless, and unfeeling.Thank goodness he had Sophie to show him the light.
The title is appropriate, because the baby was his redemption,he was redeemed by story end and the epilogue had all 3 couples together bonded and enjoying family life with more little ones in tow.
The pairing of these two opposites were perfect ,and this girl was just what our hero needed in his life.She stood up to him when needed ,and soothed and was just there for him.
I call him the villain because that is what he is for the first 2 books in this series....he knowingly withheld information from his childhood best friend which in turn caused huge financial loss which led to a break in friendship ,breach of trust,and plots of revenge.But in his story,we see the whys,the issues that led him to his path of villainy and his abject fear of turning out like his murderous father.To say he had baggages of Mommy and Daddy issues is to put it mildly,this all led to shape him into the man he became,cold,ruthless, and unfeeling.Thank goodness he had Sophie to show him the light.
The title is appropriate, because the baby was his redemption,he was redeemed by story end and the epilogue had all 3 couples together bonded and enjoying family life with more little ones in tow.
September 10, 2018
Modern era of Harveyland is really difficult for authors. Their heroes cannot shake, slap, verbally abuse or force heroines. That’s why they are written as cold, insensitive, unemotional robots. Javier was one of the best examples of modern HPs so I could tolerate him through the book and at the end he had redeemed. His groveling was good. Of course it was not enough but as you can guess dear Sophie was saint.
I love saintly virgin heroines, cold abusive heroes and I am a generous person so 4,5 stars. ☺️
I love saintly virgin heroines, cold abusive heroes and I am a generous person so 4,5 stars. ☺️
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October 2, 2018I'm not sure how to rate this one. Michelle Smart is one of my all-time favorite HP authors. However, this entire series had some issues for me. The first book was good, the second book had issues, and the third book was tough to take (incredible jerk of a hero with last-minute turn-around). Having said that, the writing is excellent.
I had issues with the basic premise (2 brothers cheat their best friend out of billions of dollars, and do it while the poor guy is dealing with the death of his mother). Fatal flaw for romance series: the heroes are actually villains. Hee hee!
This final installment deals with the big villain--I mean hero--who purposefully screwed his friend and is cold, unemotional, and pretty much a humungous jerk. Unfortunately, his turn-around from villain to hero, and his declaration of love to the heroine, didn't work for me.
The heroine, by the way, is one of the sweetest, most adorable, loving, precious heroines ever. Typically, I like mixing a sweet heroine with a rough-around-the-edges hero, but for 90%+ of this book the heroine is giving, loving, sweet, and the hero is cold, jerky, an ass.
Not sure if I'll be re-reading this series. However, IRRESISTIBLE SICILIANS is one of my favorite re-reads.
Other favorites by Michelle...
THE PERFECT CAZORLA WIFE
WEDDED, BEDDED, BETRAYED
ONCE A MORETTI WIFE
I had issues with the basic premise (2 brothers cheat their best friend out of billions of dollars, and do it while the poor guy is dealing with the death of his mother). Fatal flaw for romance series: the heroes are actually villains. Hee hee!
This final installment deals with the big villain--I mean hero--who purposefully screwed his friend and is cold, unemotional, and pretty much a humungous jerk. Unfortunately, his turn-around from villain to hero, and his declaration of love to the heroine, didn't work for me.
The heroine, by the way, is one of the sweetest, most adorable, loving, precious heroines ever. Typically, I like mixing a sweet heroine with a rough-around-the-edges hero, but for 90%+ of this book the heroine is giving, loving, sweet, and the hero is cold, jerky, an ass.
Not sure if I'll be re-reading this series. However, IRRESISTIBLE SICILIANS is one of my favorite re-reads.
Other favorites by Michelle...
THE PERFECT CAZORLA WIFE
WEDDED, BEDDED, BETRAYED
ONCE A MORETTI WIFE
October 2, 2018
Sorry to say that this hero was just too ridiculously cruel. Couldn't handle it. I'm all about the alpha hero and his ways but this just went so far over the top.
I'm sorry but I can't recommend this book.
I'm sorry but I can't recommend this book.
May 27, 2021
I wanted this to have the same magic for me as Taming the Notorious Sicilian, but while the character archetypes are similar (innocent beauty taming worldly beast) and the structure of the two series appears to be mirrored (two brothers + 1 friend, third book focused on redeeming the "villain" from the first two), this hero's backstory of abuse and alienation left no room for joy. I found it sad. And grim.
The only amusement I got was over the pettiness of the conflict running through the three stories. X years ago, this hero and his brother urgently needed money for a real estate development project. They approached their mutual friend, the hero from book 1, unaware that he had just learned his mother's cancer was terminal. They proposed a 20% share of the profits for his investment, but the brothers' lawyer then wrote up a contract for a 5% share because all the work would be on the brothers' part so the lawyer suggested hero #1 didn't really deserve a share equal to his investment percentage. Hero #1 signed the contract without reading it and has been burning over the betrayal ever since.
Perhaps if I had read book #1, I would appreciate hero #1's feelings more. (Was he on the financial brink at the time? Would the profit difference have funded a miracle cure for Mom?) Instead, while I agree that hero #3 was morally and ethically wrong re: the contract dispute, I find myself nodding my head whenever he exasperatedly declares that the first hero should have read the contract or had his lawyer read it before signing, plus the guy did make a €75M profit on his investment. I simply can't go back to read book one, because hero #1 revenge-napping hero #3's fiancée of convenience over billionaire chump change just doesn't work for me. This pecuniary motivation seems even more ludicrous when compared to the abuse the twin brothers suffered from their horrible parents. Let it go, hero #1. Let it go.
2.5 stars rounded to 3 because I clearly need to buy karmic forgiveness for being such a cynic.
The only amusement I got was over the pettiness of the conflict running through the three stories. X years ago, this hero and his brother urgently needed money for a real estate development project. They approached their mutual friend, the hero from book 1, unaware that he had just learned his mother's cancer was terminal. They proposed a 20% share of the profits for his investment, but the brothers' lawyer then wrote up a contract for a 5% share because all the work would be on the brothers' part so the lawyer suggested hero #1 didn't really deserve a share equal to his investment percentage. Hero #1 signed the contract without reading it and has been burning over the betrayal ever since.
Perhaps if I had read book #1, I would appreciate hero #1's feelings more. (Was he on the financial brink at the time? Would the profit difference have funded a miracle cure for Mom?) Instead, while I agree that hero #3 was morally and ethically wrong re: the contract dispute, I find myself nodding my head whenever he exasperatedly declares that the first hero should have read the contract or had his lawyer read it before signing, plus the guy did make a €75M profit on his investment. I simply can't go back to read book one, because hero #1 revenge-napping hero #3's fiancée of convenience over billionaire chump change just doesn't work for me. This pecuniary motivation seems even more ludicrous when compared to the abuse the twin brothers suffered from their horrible parents. Let it go, hero #1. Let it go.
2.5 stars rounded to 3 because I clearly need to buy karmic forgiveness for being such a cynic.
March 21, 2024
I didn't like the hero at first but I did like this book very much. I could see why he was so cold, his? Father killed his mother so he didn't believe in love or anything like that. He screwed over his friend and alienated his own twin bother. He was ruthless. Sophie was a wonderful person with the capacity to love. She held up a mirror for him to see the difference and it was hard for him to change. I liked how she made him confront his misconceptions. The scene where she invited his stepmother to an event was priceless. He hated her but Sophia had the cahones to show him the real.person and it was hard to read but it really was cathartic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2020
3.75 Stars.
This is the last book of this series and the hero is definitely a bad one! He deliberately betrayed his best friend because of his jealousy. I don't know what the heroine saw in him because he is like a certified evil person.
I liked the book only because of the heroine. Compare to the other two, she was very reasonable and at the same time very warm & passionate also. And the way every time she presented her logic in front of the hero, It was amazing. She loved the hero but that doesn't mean she is going to take his bullshits! She knows how to stand up for herself! I need more heroines like her!
The epilogue was good, a perfect finishing of the series!
This is the last book of this series and the hero is definitely a bad one! He deliberately betrayed his best friend because of his jealousy. I don't know what the heroine saw in him because he is like a certified evil person.
I liked the book only because of the heroine. Compare to the other two, she was very reasonable and at the same time very warm & passionate also. And the way every time she presented her logic in front of the hero, It was amazing. She loved the hero but that doesn't mean she is going to take his bullshits! She knows how to stand up for herself! I need more heroines like her!
The epilogue was good, a perfect finishing of the series!
September 26, 2018
My recovery from Harari’s 21 Lessons continues in the form of romance-wallowing. What better than a dose of the HP’s uber-heightened-romance? Michelle Smart being a favourite author and with “baby” in the title (I like’em, what can I say?), I knew this would be a “Calgon-take-me-away” reading experience. And it was. I swallowed it in two evening sittings and it would’ve been one were it not for one drooly-sleep on night #1. As far as HPs go, it’s standard fare. Billionaire hero Javier Casillas is cold-hearted, ruthless, and angry, angry at his father who murdered his mother, angry at his brother for abandoning their business partnership to marry his enemy’s sister. He’s still raging at said enemy, his former best friend, whom Javier’d cheated in a business deal and who now sought his revenge by kidnapping and then marrying Javier’s fiancée, the prima ballerina of one of his and his brother’s many assets, a Madrid-based ballet company. Heroine Sophie Johnson walked into his life one night, on a mission to return certain important items to him from her best friend, Javier’s former fiancée. Sweet, innocent, tiny Sophie had been in love with her friend’s fiancé forever.
When they fell into bed together that night, Sophie having the requisite-hymen for the experience, Javier and Sophie had heart-shattering love-making, deep, meaningful transforming love-making. Javier, with his tiny, cold heart, dismissed it as being overwrought over the anger-inducing events in his life. For Sophie, a one-night dream come true with the man she loves, a night to cherish and remember … until she has evidence of a permanent reminder, a baby. At ten weeks pregnant, Sophie does the right thing and tells Javier she wants to give him a chance to share in their child’s life. Javier insists they marry and Sophie delightfully doesn’t “protest too much,” but agrees readily with ” ‘You don’t have to threaten me. I want us to marry.’ ” When they do, she insists Javier make their marriage “real”: share a bed, make love, get to know each other, converse and share. Javier’s worst nightmare to his deep-seated sense of self-loathing and undeservedness (there be reasons, of course).
I lapped Billionaire’s Baby like a cat with a bowl of milk. It hit all the right spots and echoed some of my most beloved romance reads. There is something very much Lord Of Scoundrels about Javier: he’s angry, impetuous, and dubious in his business and other dealings. He is both arrogant and capable of spectacular self-loathing. I do love a self-loathing hero. Sophie, on the other hand, reminded me of the heroine of one of my favourite HPs, Sarah Morgan’s Playing By the Greek’s Rules. She’s a vulnerable waif with a spine of steel, a deep moral core, and a bullshit metre so wide and powerful, it upends Javier’s world. She surprises Javier, challenges him, and calls him out on his behaviour, but she never condemns him or sees him as incapable of love, tenderness, affection, and care. And she lavishes all of those fuzzy feels on him until he can’t bear it. The stronger Sophie’s softness, the more confused and erratic Javier becomes. Frankly, I love an overwrought hero and where-angels-fear-to-tread heroine. Moreover, Smart’s witty, sharp dialogue and fine writing made this a sheer delight. With Miss Austen, we deem Billionaire’s Baby of Redemption “real comfort,” Emma.
Michelle Smart’s Billionaire’s Baby Of Redemption is published by Harlequin. It was released on September 18th and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC of Billionaire’s Baby from Harlequin Books, via Netgalley.
When they fell into bed together that night, Sophie having the requisite-hymen for the experience, Javier and Sophie had heart-shattering love-making, deep, meaningful transforming love-making. Javier, with his tiny, cold heart, dismissed it as being overwrought over the anger-inducing events in his life. For Sophie, a one-night dream come true with the man she loves, a night to cherish and remember … until she has evidence of a permanent reminder, a baby. At ten weeks pregnant, Sophie does the right thing and tells Javier she wants to give him a chance to share in their child’s life. Javier insists they marry and Sophie delightfully doesn’t “protest too much,” but agrees readily with ” ‘You don’t have to threaten me. I want us to marry.’ ” When they do, she insists Javier make their marriage “real”: share a bed, make love, get to know each other, converse and share. Javier’s worst nightmare to his deep-seated sense of self-loathing and undeservedness (there be reasons, of course).
I lapped Billionaire’s Baby like a cat with a bowl of milk. It hit all the right spots and echoed some of my most beloved romance reads. There is something very much Lord Of Scoundrels about Javier: he’s angry, impetuous, and dubious in his business and other dealings. He is both arrogant and capable of spectacular self-loathing. I do love a self-loathing hero. Sophie, on the other hand, reminded me of the heroine of one of my favourite HPs, Sarah Morgan’s Playing By the Greek’s Rules. She’s a vulnerable waif with a spine of steel, a deep moral core, and a bullshit metre so wide and powerful, it upends Javier’s world. She surprises Javier, challenges him, and calls him out on his behaviour, but she never condemns him or sees him as incapable of love, tenderness, affection, and care. And she lavishes all of those fuzzy feels on him until he can’t bear it. The stronger Sophie’s softness, the more confused and erratic Javier becomes. Frankly, I love an overwrought hero and where-angels-fear-to-tread heroine. Moreover, Smart’s witty, sharp dialogue and fine writing made this a sheer delight. With Miss Austen, we deem Billionaire’s Baby of Redemption “real comfort,” Emma.
Michelle Smart’s Billionaire’s Baby Of Redemption is published by Harlequin. It was released on September 18th and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC of Billionaire’s Baby from Harlequin Books, via Netgalley.
June 11, 2019
This was so good, it would’ve been perfect if it wasn’t for five minutes after virgin h knocked on H’s door and met for the first time, they had sex. On the dinner table no less.
October 4, 2018
I really thought I was going to hate Javier when We first meet him in the two other books of his brother and best friend but halfway through my ice cold heart began to melt for him. However I do think this story was too short to capture or describe all the emotional traumas that he endured but this is HP so *shrugs*
The h in this story was really bold and in my opinion a bit pushy in certain areas but the angst was awesome because of that so I did not mind it so much but I was definitely covering my face at some points like “she really did that?”
Overall, great angsty read.
The h in this story was really bold and in my opinion a bit pushy in certain areas but the angst was awesome because of that so I did not mind it so much but I was definitely covering my face at some points like “she really did that?”
Overall, great angsty read.
July 19, 2018
It was a great book by a new to me author. After reading this book I am checking out more of their work. But sincerely it had an wonderful story line with tremendous characters that really pulled you in and captured your attention. Again I surely cherished every little thing from this book from introduction to end. You should check this book out you will not regret it one bit.
September 12, 2018
I know my friends didn't like this book because of the H but I liked it a lot, I love redemption stories with tortured H ,sweet h and cute epilogue.
March 15, 2023
Quite good story, more of a coming of age (for a man in his thirties) than a romance.
Reread 12/21 and upped rating to 3 stars.
Reread and now 4 stars.
Reread 12/21 and upped rating to 3 stars.
Reread and now 4 stars.
September 28, 2018
This book was fantastic! The angst-meter on this one was off the charts, which is exactly the way I like 'em. Javier was all I expected him to be and then some! The traumatic events of his past had totally killed his ability to feel yet darling Sophie broke through... after a boatload of angst. Sophie was a total sweetheart, positively one of the best HP heroines I've read in a long while. She didn't let her circumstances affect who she inherently was and stood by her beliefs. Both were complex characters whose past had defined them BEFORE they met each other, and they saw the other person for who they were. I was ready to hate Javier as he was cast as the villian in the previous stories but he did see the error of his ways and tried to mend the relationships with Benjamin and Luis.
The first 2 books were great and set up the back story perfectly. I have to add that I read all the books the trilogy once all were available so that probably made it all the more enjoyable. This would have been 5 stars but the end felt just a wee bit rushed. Loved the cute epilogue which gives us a look into the future of all 3 couples and their brood of adorable babies. This book, and it's predecessors, are keepers.
The first 2 books were great and set up the back story perfectly. I have to add that I read all the books the trilogy once all were available so that probably made it all the more enjoyable. This would have been 5 stars but the end felt just a wee bit rushed. Loved the cute epilogue which gives us a look into the future of all 3 couples and their brood of adorable babies. This book, and it's predecessors, are keepers.
September 15, 2018
"Every bread has its cheese" This book was awesome! I thought it was going to be disappointing,but was I totally wrong! I'm glad I decided to read it despite a poor review. Javier ,the hero, was a tormented guy, he wasn't loved by his Mother because he resembled his sinister father and his hateful father adored him. Javier was cold,harsh and cruel because it was self preservation from what he endured with his parents and after their demise. At a tender age he was protector of Luis and he naturally didn't get the chance to experience his childhood not relax because he was always mitigating the troubles Benjamin and Luis got involved in. This book has a lot of angst which is MY PREFERENCE, Sophie was the coolness of Javier's rage, the warm that melt his heart, the lifeline in the dark pit he was suspended in. She broke through his festering scars and bled him to healing. All broken bones were mended, I got my conclusion i was so looking fwd to and the groveling I thrive in....have a read..you may like it. MS didn't disappoint!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2024
the hero needed therapy instead of romance however the romance was used as a therapy tool which made it difficult for this reader. I did love the ending: the hero realizes he is not his father; th hero reunites with his brother and friend; the dog loves the hero; the hero realizes he loves the heroine.
I felt exhausted reading this therapy part of this romance which is why I kept putting it down. Reading the epilogue was worth enduring all the time spent on fixing the hero's childhood trauma.
I felt exhausted reading this therapy part of this romance which is why I kept putting it down. Reading the epilogue was worth enduring all the time spent on fixing the hero's childhood trauma.
September 7, 2018
The hero in this passionate read has locked his emotions away and trusts no one, the heroine want love and her happy ever after which makes for a wonderful read.
May 2, 2020
Horrible hero.
July 11, 2018
I've read quite a few books by Michelle Smart in the Harlequin Presents line and typically they're very good. Billionaire's Baby of Redemption however was something else. I understand the purpose of having emotional conflict in a story but this went way beyond that. The male hero was an emotional black hole for 95% of the book. The cruelty and nastiness toward the female heroine was just way to much for me. Sorry but this was a 1.5 stars for me.
July 15, 2018
Well isn't Javier just a giving man, ‘if it’s *** you require then I can accommodate that without you moving into my personal space.’ Soophie doesn't mind giving sass back to Javier, ‘considering you do as you please with no consultation with me, you’re hardly in a position to moan when I do the same.’ I liked this book, I liked that Javier got his head out of his butt.
August 25, 2018
It was an OK story. I wish the heroine (Sophie) had been smarter and more assertive about what she wanted for her life. The hero was not great either. I was really expecting more from a Michelle Smart’s book. I received a free copy via NetGalley.
September 20, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last.
It was a rather nice take on Beauty and the Beast, but what I really liked was the heroine. I like shy heroines, and she was surprisingly shy even for a professional ballerina, which was adequately explained in the story. She was so calm and sensible rather than flighty or naive. She was compassionate, but at the same time very practical about the baby. Her adoption backstory made her actions make a lot of sense—she can’t stand to see anyone or anything abandoned, even when that person (her husband) pushes those people out of his life first. The hero’s internal issues were also really well done, showing his flaws but at the same time making him very sympathetic once you understand his backstory and how he views himself.
The middle of the book, however, sagged a bit for me. But things started to pick up at the last quarter of the book and I was racing along to see how everything would end. It was a very satisfying and romantic ending, and I couldn’t have wished for more.
Overall, a good book and an excellent author. Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing an e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
It was a rather nice take on Beauty and the Beast, but what I really liked was the heroine. I like shy heroines, and she was surprisingly shy even for a professional ballerina, which was adequately explained in the story. She was so calm and sensible rather than flighty or naive. She was compassionate, but at the same time very practical about the baby. Her adoption backstory made her actions make a lot of sense—she can’t stand to see anyone or anything abandoned, even when that person (her husband) pushes those people out of his life first. The hero’s internal issues were also really well done, showing his flaws but at the same time making him very sympathetic once you understand his backstory and how he views himself.
The middle of the book, however, sagged a bit for me. But things started to pick up at the last quarter of the book and I was racing along to see how everything would end. It was a very satisfying and romantic ending, and I couldn’t have wished for more.
Overall, a good book and an excellent author. Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing an e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
September 17, 2018
Billionaire’s Baby of Redemption by Michelle Smart concludes her passionate Rings of Vengeance romance series. While each story can be read as a standalone, events in the first two books, Billionaire’s Bride for Revenge and Marriage Made in Blackmail have led up to this dramatic conclusion. Javier Cassilas has been the bad guy up to now – a man who cheated his best friend Benjamin out of a fortune and cut off ties with his twin brother Luis. He believes he doesn’t deserve love – yet it finds him, humbles him, and changes him for the better.
Javier’s one night stand with ballerina Sophie Johnson was one he quickly put out of his mind – until she comes to him with the news that she’s pregnant. He insists on getting married for the sake of the child, but he envisions and expects a cold marriage of convenience. Sophie has other plans. Abandoned by her birth parents but adopted by a loving couple, she wants her child to be raised in a household with parents who respect and love each other. Convincing Javier that their marriage deserves a real chance will test her compassion and patience. Will she get her wish?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-bil...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
Javier’s one night stand with ballerina Sophie Johnson was one he quickly put out of his mind – until she comes to him with the news that she’s pregnant. He insists on getting married for the sake of the child, but he envisions and expects a cold marriage of convenience. Sophie has other plans. Abandoned by her birth parents but adopted by a loving couple, she wants her child to be raised in a household with parents who respect and love each other. Convincing Javier that their marriage deserves a real chance will test her compassion and patience. Will she get her wish?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-bil...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
July 18, 2021
Billionaire’s Baby of Redemption is the third installment in the Rings of Vengeance series. Finally it’s Javier’s book which I have been waiting for since I read the first book in this series. He is portrayed to be this cruel, cold hearted, sinister man that gets what he wants when he wants. Then you have Sophia an innocent, sweet, kind young woman that fell in love with the beast. I love how Sophia is portrayed I really thought that she was going to be a woman that would be walked over. Wow was I wrong she had a back bone to her and would not take crap from Javier which I loved. Javier thought that he could intimidate Sophia but he had no idea what she was capable of doing in order to protect her baby and also herself. He was going to have to prove to her that he loved her not only because she was pregnant with his child. I loved how he was able to finally clear the air with the people that he loved and he was able to be the father and husband that Sophia and his kids needed for him to be.
July 21, 2018
Billionaire's Baby of Redemption by Michelle Smart treats you to a hot, sexy Spanish hottie. Javier is used to getting what he wants, wielding his power to do so. When Javier’s life begins to crumble before him, Sophie takes center stage in his drama. This romance had great bones. Dark and handsome main character that fights against falling in love with the gentle, pregnant one night stand, had such potential. Sadly this story fell short. Much of this romance focused on the character’s past and not his present. Even with all his success and wealth, his past defined him. It hung as a shadow over the entire novel. Sophie was a strong match for Javier, but there was never any progress for her. The love scenes were admirable, yet Javier's need to stay unattached during those scenes were a turn off. It wasn’t until the very end of the novel that the power of love was showcased and executed well. I am intrigued by the Rings of Vengeance series and would love to read more.
August 12, 2020
This book is totally a beauty and the beast type of book. I really didn't like hero in the other 2 books and in the majority of this book, he had his moments of humanity but WOW was he cold and ruthless. I did come around to accepting him as an ok hero in the end but he did some very horrible things. He knowingly betrayed Benjamin 7 years before, that scene where he took heroines virginity (on a table no less) and then almost immediately went to door and kicked her out, he never once inquired about her or anything. I get it because he hated himself he was able to treat everyone else around him like shit and I did like he came around in the end. The heroine was way too nice and I have never met anyone like that so it's hard to believe that she actually wanted to be married to him (before he had any emotional growth and after the way he treated her after having sex on table). P.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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