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Heirs for Royal Brothers #2
Her Best Kept Royal Secret: A Royal Romance
USA TODAY bestselling author Lynne Graham delights with this dramatic royal baby romance!
Reunited for one night
Bound by the scandalous consequences!
Playboy prince Angelino Diamandis has learned the hard way to hide his true emotions. Especially his inability to forget innocent Gaby and the passion they almost shared! Until a surprise meeting causes their still-simmering chemistry to instantly and inescapably explode…
Independent Gaby has always known how dangerous Angel could be to her heart. She thought nothing could be more life-changing than waking up in the prince’s bed. Until she’s standing in front of Angel a year later, sharing her shocking secret—his son!
From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
Read all the Heirs for Royal Brothers
Book 1: Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell
Book 2: Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell & Her Best Kept Royal Secret
Reunited for one night
Bound by the scandalous consequences!
Playboy prince Angelino Diamandis has learned the hard way to hide his true emotions. Especially his inability to forget innocent Gaby and the passion they almost shared! Until a surprise meeting causes their still-simmering chemistry to instantly and inescapably explode…
Independent Gaby has always known how dangerous Angel could be to her heart. She thought nothing could be more life-changing than waking up in the prince’s bed. Until she’s standing in front of Angel a year later, sharing her shocking secret—his son!
From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
Read all the Heirs for Royal Brothers
Book 1: Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell
Book 2: Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell & Her Best Kept Royal Secret
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published September 28, 2021
130 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Graham
1,763 books1,448 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
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September 3, 2021
3.5 stars.
Has anyone ever seen an LG novel in the bargain bin of their neighbourhood bookstore?
I haven't been to any brick and mortar bookstores in a long time (lockdown lifestyle), but when I used to, I never came across an LG romance in the bargain bin section.
Obviously I'm going on my personal experience, based on the reading preferences of women in my specific community and things might be the opposite elsewhere.
I've seen all the other *popular* HP authors there but never her.
It's quite possible that her books might have been in the bargain bin but were snapped up immediately. But even when I'm collecting used books for the annual Christmas charity fundraiser, women rarely donate an LG novel for the book rummage sale. I'd see loads of Anna Cleary, Dani Collins, Susan Stephens and even Caitlin Crews etc. But women hang onto their LG books because they enjoy re-reading them.
I know you're wondering if I'm having a drunken digression, because you're not here to read these useless musings that don't actually help you to decide whether or not you ought to read this book.
Well, I feel your pain (because I hate reading useless shit in book reviews too) but bear with me a little. There's a reason for my unorthodox beginning. If you're too impatient to peruse irrelevant drivel, then skip to the section that deals with the review itself.
I've been wondering why Lynne Graham has cornered her own special best selling section of HPlandia. I think it's mainly because:
📍She's developed her own unique style/formula combo and she doesn't stray too far from her brand/tropes/MC's: virgin heroines with a heart of gold and OTT sexy, oblivious, stubborn billionaire jerk heroes who drove us crazy and titillated us, in her early books but who've become more self aware in her recent novels.
📍Basically, LG knows that her fans expect certain things and she provides that. Other HP authors, who tend to experiment a lot, often find themselves losing/gaining fans whenever they decide to embark on an entire new storytelling tangent. I, for one, have no problem dropping authors when I notice that they've embarked on an entirely new type of storytelling journey, because authors need to know that the forces of Demand + Supply are at work. And I don't buy an author's books out of sentiment and nostalgia for the *good old days*. Patricia Cornwell is a fine example of a former favourite, who's been permanently dumped after she took her Scarpetta character into *jump the shark* storylines that bored me and started placing too much focus on Scarpetta's annoying niece, Lucy.
📍LG's fans are generally loyal, even when she produces a novel or two that's not quite up to snuff. That's because even when she's not at the top of her game, her stories still manage to provide that important *comfort read* factor of knowing that we're not diving into unknown depths. I know what to expect from LG and that's why I buy her books. It's the entire opposite of what I look for when I read mysteries/thrillers/horror etc.
When I started this novel, these thoughts ran through my mind because the MC's immediately reminded me of Rafaello and Glory, from Rafaello's Mistress and it occurred to me that I never forget LG's stories and MC's. And that's what started me trying to assess reasons why this is unique to her and why it's easy for me to forget books/MC's by other HP authors.
Angel is the same type of unapologetic playboy like Rafaello while Gaby is a beautiful, curvaceous and petite redhead like Glory. Angel also becomes fascinated with Gaby the same way that Rafaello was drawn to Glory.
But the most important similarities between both couples are:
1. Fascination doesn't mean that the H is celibate during the 5 years after their horribly acrimonious break up.
2. Both Angel and Rafaello behaved vindictively after the initial hostile break up, by flirting publicly with another woman, to punish their heroines for having the audacity to dump them.
3. The H's lack of celibacy during those years didn't bother me much, in both novels, because both heroes hadn't slept with their respective heroines. In cases where heroines were *the gals that got away*, I'm not too stringent about a H's lack of celibacy. It always bothers me more if a H isn't celibate after breaking up with a heroine with whom he'd had a sexual relationship. It's always distasteful for me to think about heroes deep diving into skank vag and wallowing in tramp trash, after experiencing the transcendent bliss of sexual pleasure with their heroines.
For me, it usually depends on the specific circumstances of each story. Most significantly, it would've been weirdly unrealistic for guys like Rafaello and Angel (based on way they're written) to spend years of celibacy mooning over their respective heroine. Heroes who have certain personality traits and who've been taught to distrust women, aren't gonna (especially if the break up happens when they're in their early 20's) wallow in celibacy when they've been dumped by the only female who got under their skin. It would've been unbelievable and unrealistic; I know I'll get a few muttered cuss words thrown my way for saying this but I think it would be schizophrenic for some heroes to undergo such a drastic change in their character arcs under certain circumstances.
Angel's super distrustful attitude to women, was triggered when his late nymphomaniac mom seduced his best friend. Having a skanky ephebopbile for a mother, tends to wreak lasting havoc on a young man's mind...
Full disclosure: Rafaello's Mistress is one of my all time favourite LG books, even though the H is OTT vindictive and vengeful.
But Lynne G takes a different route this time, in Angel's second chance romance with Gaby. For one thing, vengeance and vindictiveness don't play a part and secondly, Angel isn't as harsh as Rafaello. Thirdly, Gaby is tougher than Glory and refuses to let Angel treat her like a doormat.
Fourthly, Angel (unlike Rafaello) has some grudging respect for Gaby's determination not to be treated like a helpless female.
Angel and Gaby first met at college. He was the resident campus hottie, based on his royalty, privilege, looks and wealth. She was the working class beauty who caught his eye and filled him with a mega case of insta-lust.
This is the H, Angelino (aka Angel) :
This is the heroine Gaby:
She fell into an intense infatuation that soon turned to love while he was not at a point in his life where he was ready for a permanent commitment.
He messed up by asking her to sign an NDA before taking things to the next level. She rightly refused because she's not that desperate to take a ride on the *A* train, that she would demean herself like this and allow a man to treat her with such distrust and, in her eyes, disrespect.
I understood both MC's perspectives, with respect to this NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement). I didn't blame him because he's the young King of Themos and women are known to sell *kiss and tell tales* to the tabloids after they've been dumped by famous rich men.
He was in his final year at university and it would've been injudicious of him to risk public scandal, especially after his late parents had done so repeatedly, with their promiscuous public antics.
Gaby was in her first year, I think, and it would've been tacky for her to become entangled with with a royal playboy who would leave her to the mercies of campus gossipmongers after giving her his trademark
Pump and Dump joyride.
It's no shock therefore, that their youthful relationship was doomed to fail and end with tears, bitter words, angry screaming and the throwing of household objects at the H's head...
... Yes, Gaby's a girl after my own heart because I know I would behave the same way, under those circumstances. I'm not the type to grit her teeth with sedate feminine dignity and not give him a good piece of my mind. I know I'd regret the temper tantrum afterwards but it would've been worth it, knowing that I got all that crap off my chest and can move on.
Anyway, their second chance romance resumes when they meet at his half brother's wedding (Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell) and have an intense one night stand that ends disastrously for the heroine, when he leaves while she's sleeping because he thinks best to avoid any emotional morning after fallout.
They're separated for 8 more months until she turns up to reveal her pregnancy, as a matter of courtesy and not because she's scheming to blackmail him or has a desperate desire to be the queen of Themos.
There's more hostility and some cruel words, because Angel isn't sweet Man Candy on a tall sexy stick, like his well behaved older brother Saif - the H from Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell. He's distrustful, angry, cynical and even queries whether he's the father of her unborn child. It's all in sync with his personality so I didn't gasp and grab my pearls in shock, when he proceeded to dump the full force of his legendary assholery on the poor, unsuspecting heroine.
It's only after the baby's about 8 months old that he, after some lengthy investigation, is willing to accept the possibility that he might be the daddy of this sweet, cutiedorable and chubby baby boy. He is immediately drawn to little Alexios, who resembles him and has his (the H's) late mother's eyes, but refuses to do anything until a DNA test is administered. Once again, this is totally in keeping with this H's personality, character traits and belief systems.
One thing I liked about this book, was LG's willingness to regress a little, with respect to her H. Angel has a lot in common with her yester year heroes and it's a refreshing change to see her re-visit her old stomping grounds while making a concerted effort to add some modern nuance by toning him down, a lot, so that he's not the type of OTT jerk like Rafaello and other vintage heroes like the unforgettable Blaze from Indecent Deception.
In the mold of LG's yester year hunks, Angel has no problem using cruel blackmail to get what he wants and he doesn't sweeten the deal by making it anything other than what it will be, if she refuses to marry him and legitimise his precious heir.
They experience some minor push/pull before the heroine accepts his proposal and he softens his attitude after this, because victory makes it easier for him to be more relaxed and courteous. He even begins to realize that he doesn't mind having to marry a woman who evokes such passion and emotion within him; in contrast to his earlier assertion that a biddable, unemotional and bland lady would make the ideal bride.
In fact, he'd already picked out his biddable and boring bridal candidate, before the heroine had re-entered his life. But it's only afterwards, when he married the heroine, that he discovers that this *biddable* lady (an aristocratic courtier, named Cassia, whom he'd known since childhood but had never been attracted to or had sex with) is actually a raving, obsessive, narcissistic, power hungry bitch, whose head is so far up her ass that she can give herself a spit enema!
Important Aside: This isn't the first time LG's used the name Cassia, for a cunty bitch OW. The The Greek's Chosen Wife has the disgusting Cassia Morikis who also got up to no good, in her efforts to humiliate that novel's heroine, Prudence.
Anyway, the wannabe OW Cassia, in this novel, rivals the cunty bitch villainessses from the old school portion of LG's canon.
This Cassia has no problem overseeing the MC's wedding plans while paying a waiter to put a roofie in the heroine's drink. She also lies about being the H's secret mistress to bluff the heroine into calling off the wedding.
Only a lunatic with a set of brass breasts, would try this type of outrageous long shot, on a heroine who's already dressed in her wedding gown and about to walk down the aisle. Fortunately, Gaby isn't a pushover LG heroine who believes all the bull that flows from a vile OW's mouth.
Gaby, unlike her predecessor heroines in LG's vintage novels, uses logic and common sense, realising immediately that Cassia is pulling a fast one...
Gaby disbelieves Cassia's lies because nothing about it is logical, especially when she juxtaposes it to certain significant observations.
Unfortunately, it takes proof (via a taped recording of Cassia's lies and the waiter's confession) before the stubborn H would believe that his bland, boring and benign childhood friend, was harbouring such a toxic obsession. And that's when he decides to protect the woman he loves, by letting the police handle the wannabe OW, after permanently banning her from ever entering Themos again.
The OW doesn't get charged and there's no trial (for the roofie crime) only because the MC's want to prevent a distasteful scandal, where sections of the public might actually believe that the OW had indeed been the H's long time secret mistress.
Normally, I'd want the evil bitch to spend a year or two in jail, but it wasn't worth the sort of public scrutiny that the newly married and high profile MC's would have to deal with, forever. So I understood why the heroine preferred that the wannabe OW be merely banned from ever re-entering the kingdom.
This novel is a perfect foil for the first one in the duet, because these MC's are so different from Saif and Tati in Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell. I always enjoy it when LG tries something that's so different in the second novel of a duet.
I loved seeing Saif, Tati and baby Amir in this novel and although Angel is a lot more interesting as a character, I have a soft spot for Saif, because he's just so sweet and tender.
LG writes an awesome long term epilogue, set 5 or 6 years into the future and I will use it to underscore the fact that, in modern HPlandia, these epilogues are necessary. Sometimes they're the difference between 3 and 4 stars or 2 and 3 stars, so maybe authors need to include them and not expect us to buy into an abrupt HEA that often seems like a HFN if there's no beautiful and romantic epilogue.
Safety: The H isn't celibate during the first 5 year separation but the heroine is. The MC's are separated once again after they reunite; this time it's about a year and a half. I don't remember reading anything about the H's sex life during this period, so I can't say for sure if he was or wasn't but the heroine was because she was pregnant and then had a baby to care for. If anyone has picked up information that I missed, that can put this issue to rest, one way or another, I'll skim the relevant section and edit this portion of the review. That said, it's my gut feeling that the H was celibate this second time, because he was too preoccupied thinking about the heroine and the baby, while sending out his investigators to ferret whatever information they could about the heroine's life.
Has anyone ever seen an LG novel in the bargain bin of their neighbourhood bookstore?
I haven't been to any brick and mortar bookstores in a long time (lockdown lifestyle), but when I used to, I never came across an LG romance in the bargain bin section.
Obviously I'm going on my personal experience, based on the reading preferences of women in my specific community and things might be the opposite elsewhere.
I've seen all the other *popular* HP authors there but never her.
It's quite possible that her books might have been in the bargain bin but were snapped up immediately. But even when I'm collecting used books for the annual Christmas charity fundraiser, women rarely donate an LG novel for the book rummage sale. I'd see loads of Anna Cleary, Dani Collins, Susan Stephens and even Caitlin Crews etc. But women hang onto their LG books because they enjoy re-reading them.
I know you're wondering if I'm having a drunken digression, because you're not here to read these useless musings that don't actually help you to decide whether or not you ought to read this book.
Well, I feel your pain (because I hate reading useless shit in book reviews too) but bear with me a little. There's a reason for my unorthodox beginning. If you're too impatient to peruse irrelevant drivel, then skip to the section that deals with the review itself.
I've been wondering why Lynne Graham has cornered her own special best selling section of HPlandia. I think it's mainly because:
📍She's developed her own unique style/formula combo and she doesn't stray too far from her brand/tropes/MC's: virgin heroines with a heart of gold and OTT sexy, oblivious, stubborn billionaire jerk heroes who drove us crazy and titillated us, in her early books but who've become more self aware in her recent novels.
📍Basically, LG knows that her fans expect certain things and she provides that. Other HP authors, who tend to experiment a lot, often find themselves losing/gaining fans whenever they decide to embark on an entire new storytelling tangent. I, for one, have no problem dropping authors when I notice that they've embarked on an entirely new type of storytelling journey, because authors need to know that the forces of Demand + Supply are at work. And I don't buy an author's books out of sentiment and nostalgia for the *good old days*. Patricia Cornwell is a fine example of a former favourite, who's been permanently dumped after she took her Scarpetta character into *jump the shark* storylines that bored me and started placing too much focus on Scarpetta's annoying niece, Lucy.
📍LG's fans are generally loyal, even when she produces a novel or two that's not quite up to snuff. That's because even when she's not at the top of her game, her stories still manage to provide that important *comfort read* factor of knowing that we're not diving into unknown depths. I know what to expect from LG and that's why I buy her books. It's the entire opposite of what I look for when I read mysteries/thrillers/horror etc.
When I started this novel, these thoughts ran through my mind because the MC's immediately reminded me of Rafaello and Glory, from Rafaello's Mistress and it occurred to me that I never forget LG's stories and MC's. And that's what started me trying to assess reasons why this is unique to her and why it's easy for me to forget books/MC's by other HP authors.
Angel is the same type of unapologetic playboy like Rafaello while Gaby is a beautiful, curvaceous and petite redhead like Glory. Angel also becomes fascinated with Gaby the same way that Rafaello was drawn to Glory.
But the most important similarities between both couples are:
1. Fascination doesn't mean that the H is celibate during the 5 years after their horribly acrimonious break up.
2. Both Angel and Rafaello behaved vindictively after the initial hostile break up, by flirting publicly with another woman, to punish their heroines for having the audacity to dump them.
3. The H's lack of celibacy during those years didn't bother me much, in both novels, because both heroes hadn't slept with their respective heroines. In cases where heroines were *the gals that got away*, I'm not too stringent about a H's lack of celibacy. It always bothers me more if a H isn't celibate after breaking up with a heroine with whom he'd had a sexual relationship. It's always distasteful for me to think about heroes deep diving into skank vag and wallowing in tramp trash, after experiencing the transcendent bliss of sexual pleasure with their heroines.
For me, it usually depends on the specific circumstances of each story. Most significantly, it would've been weirdly unrealistic for guys like Rafaello and Angel (based on way they're written) to spend years of celibacy mooning over their respective heroine. Heroes who have certain personality traits and who've been taught to distrust women, aren't gonna (especially if the break up happens when they're in their early 20's) wallow in celibacy when they've been dumped by the only female who got under their skin. It would've been unbelievable and unrealistic; I know I'll get a few muttered cuss words thrown my way for saying this but I think it would be schizophrenic for some heroes to undergo such a drastic change in their character arcs under certain circumstances.
Angel's super distrustful attitude to women, was triggered when his late nymphomaniac mom seduced his best friend. Having a skanky ephebopbile for a mother, tends to wreak lasting havoc on a young man's mind...
Full disclosure: Rafaello's Mistress is one of my all time favourite LG books, even though the H is OTT vindictive and vengeful.
But Lynne G takes a different route this time, in Angel's second chance romance with Gaby. For one thing, vengeance and vindictiveness don't play a part and secondly, Angel isn't as harsh as Rafaello. Thirdly, Gaby is tougher than Glory and refuses to let Angel treat her like a doormat.
Fourthly, Angel (unlike Rafaello) has some grudging respect for Gaby's determination not to be treated like a helpless female.
Angel and Gaby first met at college. He was the resident campus hottie, based on his royalty, privilege, looks and wealth. She was the working class beauty who caught his eye and filled him with a mega case of insta-lust.
This is the H, Angelino (aka Angel) :
This is the heroine Gaby:
She fell into an intense infatuation that soon turned to love while he was not at a point in his life where he was ready for a permanent commitment.
He messed up by asking her to sign an NDA before taking things to the next level. She rightly refused because she's not that desperate to take a ride on the *A* train, that she would demean herself like this and allow a man to treat her with such distrust and, in her eyes, disrespect.
I understood both MC's perspectives, with respect to this NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement). I didn't blame him because he's the young King of Themos and women are known to sell *kiss and tell tales* to the tabloids after they've been dumped by famous rich men.
He was in his final year at university and it would've been injudicious of him to risk public scandal, especially after his late parents had done so repeatedly, with their promiscuous public antics.
Gaby was in her first year, I think, and it would've been tacky for her to become entangled with with a royal playboy who would leave her to the mercies of campus gossipmongers after giving her his trademark
Pump and Dump joyride.
It's no shock therefore, that their youthful relationship was doomed to fail and end with tears, bitter words, angry screaming and the throwing of household objects at the H's head...
... Yes, Gaby's a girl after my own heart because I know I would behave the same way, under those circumstances. I'm not the type to grit her teeth with sedate feminine dignity and not give him a good piece of my mind. I know I'd regret the temper tantrum afterwards but it would've been worth it, knowing that I got all that crap off my chest and can move on.
Anyway, their second chance romance resumes when they meet at his half brother's wedding (Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell) and have an intense one night stand that ends disastrously for the heroine, when he leaves while she's sleeping because he thinks best to avoid any emotional morning after fallout.
They're separated for 8 more months until she turns up to reveal her pregnancy, as a matter of courtesy and not because she's scheming to blackmail him or has a desperate desire to be the queen of Themos.
There's more hostility and some cruel words, because Angel isn't sweet Man Candy on a tall sexy stick, like his well behaved older brother Saif - the H from Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell. He's distrustful, angry, cynical and even queries whether he's the father of her unborn child. It's all in sync with his personality so I didn't gasp and grab my pearls in shock, when he proceeded to dump the full force of his legendary assholery on the poor, unsuspecting heroine.
It's only after the baby's about 8 months old that he, after some lengthy investigation, is willing to accept the possibility that he might be the daddy of this sweet, cutiedorable and chubby baby boy. He is immediately drawn to little Alexios, who resembles him and has his (the H's) late mother's eyes, but refuses to do anything until a DNA test is administered. Once again, this is totally in keeping with this H's personality, character traits and belief systems.
One thing I liked about this book, was LG's willingness to regress a little, with respect to her H. Angel has a lot in common with her yester year heroes and it's a refreshing change to see her re-visit her old stomping grounds while making a concerted effort to add some modern nuance by toning him down, a lot, so that he's not the type of OTT jerk like Rafaello and other vintage heroes like the unforgettable Blaze from Indecent Deception.
In the mold of LG's yester year hunks, Angel has no problem using cruel blackmail to get what he wants and he doesn't sweeten the deal by making it anything other than what it will be, if she refuses to marry him and legitimise his precious heir.
They experience some minor push/pull before the heroine accepts his proposal and he softens his attitude after this, because victory makes it easier for him to be more relaxed and courteous. He even begins to realize that he doesn't mind having to marry a woman who evokes such passion and emotion within him; in contrast to his earlier assertion that a biddable, unemotional and bland lady would make the ideal bride.
In fact, he'd already picked out his biddable and boring bridal candidate, before the heroine had re-entered his life. But it's only afterwards, when he married the heroine, that he discovers that this *biddable* lady (an aristocratic courtier, named Cassia, whom he'd known since childhood but had never been attracted to or had sex with) is actually a raving, obsessive, narcissistic, power hungry bitch, whose head is so far up her ass that she can give herself a spit enema!
Important Aside: This isn't the first time LG's used the name Cassia, for a cunty bitch OW. The The Greek's Chosen Wife has the disgusting Cassia Morikis who also got up to no good, in her efforts to humiliate that novel's heroine, Prudence.
Anyway, the wannabe OW Cassia, in this novel, rivals the cunty bitch villainessses from the old school portion of LG's canon.
This Cassia has no problem overseeing the MC's wedding plans while paying a waiter to put a roofie in the heroine's drink. She also lies about being the H's secret mistress to bluff the heroine into calling off the wedding.
Only a lunatic with a set of brass breasts, would try this type of outrageous long shot, on a heroine who's already dressed in her wedding gown and about to walk down the aisle. Fortunately, Gaby isn't a pushover LG heroine who believes all the bull that flows from a vile OW's mouth.
Gaby, unlike her predecessor heroines in LG's vintage novels, uses logic and common sense, realising immediately that Cassia is pulling a fast one...
Gaby disbelieves Cassia's lies because nothing about it is logical, especially when she juxtaposes it to certain significant observations.
Unfortunately, it takes proof (via a taped recording of Cassia's lies and the waiter's confession) before the stubborn H would believe that his bland, boring and benign childhood friend, was harbouring such a toxic obsession. And that's when he decides to protect the woman he loves, by letting the police handle the wannabe OW, after permanently banning her from ever entering Themos again.
The OW doesn't get charged and there's no trial (for the roofie crime) only because the MC's want to prevent a distasteful scandal, where sections of the public might actually believe that the OW had indeed been the H's long time secret mistress.
Normally, I'd want the evil bitch to spend a year or two in jail, but it wasn't worth the sort of public scrutiny that the newly married and high profile MC's would have to deal with, forever. So I understood why the heroine preferred that the wannabe OW be merely banned from ever re-entering the kingdom.
This novel is a perfect foil for the first one in the duet, because these MC's are so different from Saif and Tati in Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell. I always enjoy it when LG tries something that's so different in the second novel of a duet.
I loved seeing Saif, Tati and baby Amir in this novel and although Angel is a lot more interesting as a character, I have a soft spot for Saif, because he's just so sweet and tender.
LG writes an awesome long term epilogue, set 5 or 6 years into the future and I will use it to underscore the fact that, in modern HPlandia, these epilogues are necessary. Sometimes they're the difference between 3 and 4 stars or 2 and 3 stars, so maybe authors need to include them and not expect us to buy into an abrupt HEA that often seems like a HFN if there's no beautiful and romantic epilogue.
Safety: The H isn't celibate during the first 5 year separation but the heroine is. The MC's are separated once again after they reunite; this time it's about a year and a half. I don't remember reading anything about the H's sex life during this period, so I can't say for sure if he was or wasn't but the heroine was because she was pregnant and then had a baby to care for. If anyone has picked up information that I missed, that can put this issue to rest, one way or another, I'll skim the relevant section and edit this portion of the review. That said, it's my gut feeling that the H was celibate this second time, because he was too preoccupied thinking about the heroine and the baby, while sending out his investigators to ferret whatever information they could about the heroine's life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2021
I liked it. Playboy bad boy hero and innocent heroine were hot together but not the best LG Harlequin. I didn't care about the wanna be other woman who tried to poison our heroine.
September 24, 2021
4.25 stars..
So..let's see..
Hero's name is Angel...my husband's name is Angel....
There was a reference to Cassanova...my Siamese cat is named Cassanova...
The hero has a penis piercing... Neither my husband nor my cat has a piercing!
This was the second book in Lynne Graham's latest HP offering about two half brothers who have major Mommy disfunctions and abandonment issues.
They are both Royal with appealing heroines. This is the younger brother's story with his heroine Gabby.
Enjoyable read for me.
So..let's see..
Hero's name is Angel...my husband's name is Angel....
There was a reference to Cassanova...my Siamese cat is named Cassanova...
The hero has a penis piercing... Neither my husband nor my cat has a piercing!
This was the second book in Lynne Graham's latest HP offering about two half brothers who have major Mommy disfunctions and abandonment issues.
They are both Royal with appealing heroines. This is the younger brother's story with his heroine Gabby.
Enjoyable read for me.
September 2, 2021
I really loved H as a first class jerk but not sure about his celibacy when they were apart after their ONS. Not think he was that's why I reduced a star even though it was unrealistic expectation.
October 28, 2021
LG will always be my favorite harlequin author, but I didn't feel the spark in this book, not a favorite.
September 20, 2021
3.75 🌟.
I Loved all the drama in this. Hero was one mistrustful cad. And he hurt the heroine so many times. Though he apologized for some of it, it was only because heroine called on his rubbish. Also he was such a womanizer.
I just wish heroine made him grovel and sweat.
Safe-ish and recommended.
I Loved all the drama in this. Hero was one mistrustful cad. And he hurt the heroine so many times. Though he apologized for some of it, it was only because heroine called on his rubbish. Also he was such a womanizer.
I just wish heroine made him grovel and sweat.
Safe-ish and recommended.
October 18, 2021
4.5
Oh my heart, what a dream this was. I swooned at descriptions of electrifying kisses that make you tremble one moment and was totally angry at the hero and his shenanigans the next. It was the quick, dramatic read I needed this afternoon!
Oh my heart, what a dream this was. I swooned at descriptions of electrifying kisses that make you tremble one moment and was totally angry at the hero and his shenanigans the next. It was the quick, dramatic read I needed this afternoon!
October 28, 2021
No character development and no chemistry between the characters. Angelino was a pig, and Gaby had no spine or self-respect. Hard pass.
September 19, 2021
Her Best Kept Royal Secret by Lynne Graham is a wonderful conclusion to the Heirs for Royal Brothers duet. I thought it was emotional, fast paced and exciting because I love it when Lynne Graham includes villains.
Angel & Gabby always had something special when they met back in college but Angels stupid rules and stubbornness stuffed it right up. Years later when they meet in the most unexpected place, they give in to their feelings and a little heir is made. Drama ensues, Angel can’t believe the child could possibly bed his and by the time he thinks it could be, Gabby has gone missing.
I really enjoyed this easy read; I loved the battle of wills between the Angel and Gabby. I loved Angel, he was the fun-loving playboy prince until Gaby and watching him fall in love with his son was wonderful. I really liked the simple and fun but drama filled plot. The locations were lovely and beautifully described. Lynne Graham has a wonderful way with words and added just the right amount of drama. The sub characters added to the story and I really enjoyed the epilogue.
I recommend anyone who is looking for an enjoyable royal story with great characters and an injection of drama without a lot of intense emotion this is a winner. There is emotion of course but it’s on the lighter side. I smile when I think of this story. I really enjoyed it.
Angel & Gabby always had something special when they met back in college but Angels stupid rules and stubbornness stuffed it right up. Years later when they meet in the most unexpected place, they give in to their feelings and a little heir is made. Drama ensues, Angel can’t believe the child could possibly bed his and by the time he thinks it could be, Gabby has gone missing.
I really enjoyed this easy read; I loved the battle of wills between the Angel and Gabby. I loved Angel, he was the fun-loving playboy prince until Gaby and watching him fall in love with his son was wonderful. I really liked the simple and fun but drama filled plot. The locations were lovely and beautifully described. Lynne Graham has a wonderful way with words and added just the right amount of drama. The sub characters added to the story and I really enjoyed the epilogue.
I recommend anyone who is looking for an enjoyable royal story with great characters and an injection of drama without a lot of intense emotion this is a winner. There is emotion of course but it’s on the lighter side. I smile when I think of this story. I really enjoyed it.
March 13, 2022
Resumido: la protagonista queda embarazada luego de una aventura de una noche y cuando se lo dice, él lo niega todo. Ergo, ella transita su embarazo sola hasta que él decide que lo más probable es que dijo la verdad, apareciendo cuando el niño tiene varios meses.
La protagonista, sin dudarlo, lo perdona sin hacer demasiado esfuerzo. Atrás quedaron las historias de Lynne que realmente te llegaban al corazón. Acabé el libro por inercia, sin nada bueno para rescatar.
La protagonista, sin dudarlo, lo perdona sin hacer demasiado esfuerzo. Atrás quedaron las historias de Lynne que realmente te llegaban al corazón. Acabé el libro por inercia, sin nada bueno para rescatar.
March 23, 2023
Welp, this had a secret baby trope, which I love. And sweet, virgin heroine which I love. And a cruel, emotionally damaged hero, also love. But the hero was unfaithful. I could’ve overlooked that he slimed around with skanks during their first break up. They’d never had sex and never really got together and it was 5 years, and I could’ve let it pass that he tried to forget the heroine with other women. BUT, the reason this one fails is that after they do have sex, he still goes and fucks other women.
Nope. Not cool.
The only reason I gave this one 2 stars is that the heroine was awesome. She stood up to the hero, she loved him, she was faithful and she was truly a woman of virtue, of integrity and dignity, the kind of woman who builds civilization by building strong people.
Nope. Not cool.
The only reason I gave this one 2 stars is that the heroine was awesome. She stood up to the hero, she loved him, she was faithful and she was truly a woman of virtue, of integrity and dignity, the kind of woman who builds civilization by building strong people.
January 13, 2022
If I have to sum this book up in one word, I would choose “Lacking”. Its lacking in plot, strong protagonists, interesting secondary characters, character development, chemistry, love, romance.
The H is a womanizing king and is extremely distrustful and despite being disgusted with his parents lack of decorum and support follows in their footsteps and is just as hedonistic as they are. The h resists H when she was a student but has an one night stand and a baby. She never makes a stand with the exception of throwing temper tantrums and ‘loves’ H. Why she loves H while recognizing him as a human beneath contempt and accusing him of being a womanizer is not mentioned. When she mentions she is pregnant, H throws his royal tantrum and protests it can’t be his and she marches out. A few months later, he finds her with her son and poses as ultimatum and marries her. His invisible staff/friend, Cassie expected to marry him but is denied being a wife and plots against h but even that barely is mentioned and not even a plot twist.
The H is a womanizing king and is extremely distrustful and despite being disgusted with his parents lack of decorum and support follows in their footsteps and is just as hedonistic as they are. The h resists H when she was a student but has an one night stand and a baby. She never makes a stand with the exception of throwing temper tantrums and ‘loves’ H. Why she loves H while recognizing him as a human beneath contempt and accusing him of being a womanizer is not mentioned. When she mentions she is pregnant, H throws his royal tantrum and protests it can’t be his and she marches out. A few months later, he finds her with her son and poses as ultimatum and marries her. His invisible staff/friend, Cassie expected to marry him but is denied being a wife and plots against h but even that barely is mentioned and not even a plot twist.
May 10, 2025
I didn't like it, I wasn't a fan of the 9 month time jumps and that it was very unclear if hero was celibate during the separations (I lean towards him sleeping with other women because he did not come across as 18 months celibate at all). I did not like the hero at all and wished that he ended up with Cassia (being that she's so cold and a bad person that I wished him a miserable life by marrying her). He seriously treated heroine horribly at every turn that I just don't understand why she loved him. Heroine wasn't great but at least she had a backbone and stood up for herself. P.
January 9, 2022
Liked this
Not one of LG's wow books but it was good and enjoyable
A hot H and a sweet h with the unplanned pregnancy plot, drama and beautiful epilogue
Not one of LG's wow books but it was good and enjoyable
A hot H and a sweet h with the unplanned pregnancy plot, drama and beautiful epilogue
September 28, 2021
Gaby and Angel first meet at university and briefly date but they break up when she refused to sign a NDA. It is now 6 years later and they meet again at Angel's brothers wedding where she is working as an interim nanny for the wedding guests. Passions ensues.
November 10, 2021
H has piercings on his 🍆 and i was immediately turned off. It made no sense with his upbringing and character.
Also H’s name is Angel and the plot was pretty similar to LG’s The Secret Valtinos Baby, in which the H’s name was also Angel. 🙄
Too many time jumps and I just didn’t believe in the love. It was just lust.
Also H’s name is Angel and the plot was pretty similar to LG’s The Secret Valtinos Baby, in which the H’s name was also Angel. 🙄
Too many time jumps and I just didn’t believe in the love. It was just lust.
July 30, 2022
As always Ivy H has written a superb review which encapsulates all the points I would want to make and I suggest you read it and then read the book. This is a delightful and delicious story with wonderful characters in Angel and Gaby
May 7, 2024
This is a short royal unplanned pregnancy second chance romance.
Given the length of the book and the romance genre, I did not expect to read a groundbreaking story, but I was nonetheless disappointed that the book was filled with so many clichés and some sexist undertones.
We have the royal MMC that is a f*ck boy that is full of himself and only sleeps with women once, and they apparently like it when he doesn’t stay the night and the precious, righteous virgin FMC that is terrified that he will find out she is a virgin and lose interest. (Not that he’ll have any interest after they hook up). They meet again after almost getting involved with each other in college, their hook-up failed though because he required her to sign an NDA, which she did not want to. Apart from the fact that the MMC does not seem appealing to me at all, what is so wrong about signing an NDA? I am so tired of FMC’s sticking to principles to show the reader how pure they are, especially when those principles don’t make any sense. It would be fine if she gave him a pass, because she did not want to be a one-night stand, but doing it because he wants an NDA?
The MMC is scared to get screwed over, and this is why he only has one-night stands and requires them to sign NDA’s. This notion does not make much sense to me. Wouldn’t it be easier to find one person that is trustworthy instead of hooking up with so many people that can still mess with you in many different ways? That being said, when the FMC rejects his NDA in college, he goes on to kiss another woman in front of her that he had apparently already hooked up with. So he sticks to one-night-stands, sometimes.
When the FMC learns that she is pregnant, she makes very many presumptions about what that MMC wants without actually talking to him. When she then goes on to contact him, because she has fallen pregnant the MMC does not believe her at first, because so many other women have tried pinning their pregnancy on him, proving my point exactly that it doesn’t make sense to have one-night-stands for “safety reasons”. And if so many women tried pinning their pregnancy on him, why is he not taking precautions to avoid pregnancy himself?
The MMC is basically the picture of male toxicity. He thinks that the FMC contacting him after their one-night-stand is a red flag, and immediately brings in legal counseling for their meeting. Because obviously he is amazing and anyone he sleeps with will exhibit obsessive behavior, like contacting him (which is a perfectly normal thing to do). He is also too proud to apologize for his mistakes. For a person that is so clear about his own boundaries, he respects none of the FMC’s. After she cuts ties with him for his poor behavior, he just shows up to her new place unannounced and demands to see his son. Even after he has her contact information, he keeps showing up unannounced. He pressures her into marrying him, because for him there is no other option (which is outdated). He issues her an ultimatum and keeps doing so whenever there is a choice to be made. Instead of discussing their options and hearing her side of things, he just makes all the decisions by himself, and she has to go along with them. He is completely overbearing, (when there is no reason to be) even deciding what the baby’s nursery looks like and where it is supposed to be (10 min away from her rooms). He does all of this because he does not ‘want to fail her’, when that is all he does, in my eyes. He also says romantic things like ‘I can be faithful if I have to’. While I understand that there is some attraction between the two and the FMC wants to try to be a family, she tolerates way too much red flag behavior from the MMC without standing up for herself or confronting the MMC.
And all of that because ‘boys need a father’… I guess they are made for each other after all.
Then we also have some other woman drama with a character that called Cassia that just paints women to be either the motherly virgin type (our FMC) or vicious, malicious, jealous beings (Cassia). Being a person with trust issues, the MMC obviously chooses to believe Cassia instead of the FMC, for unknown reasons.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book and the accent of the male narrator was unfortunately very quirky.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.
Given the length of the book and the romance genre, I did not expect to read a groundbreaking story, but I was nonetheless disappointed that the book was filled with so many clichés and some sexist undertones.
We have the royal MMC that is a f*ck boy that is full of himself and only sleeps with women once, and they apparently like it when he doesn’t stay the night and the precious, righteous virgin FMC that is terrified that he will find out she is a virgin and lose interest. (Not that he’ll have any interest after they hook up). They meet again after almost getting involved with each other in college, their hook-up failed though because he required her to sign an NDA, which she did not want to. Apart from the fact that the MMC does not seem appealing to me at all, what is so wrong about signing an NDA? I am so tired of FMC’s sticking to principles to show the reader how pure they are, especially when those principles don’t make any sense. It would be fine if she gave him a pass, because she did not want to be a one-night stand, but doing it because he wants an NDA?
The MMC is scared to get screwed over, and this is why he only has one-night stands and requires them to sign NDA’s. This notion does not make much sense to me. Wouldn’t it be easier to find one person that is trustworthy instead of hooking up with so many people that can still mess with you in many different ways? That being said, when the FMC rejects his NDA in college, he goes on to kiss another woman in front of her that he had apparently already hooked up with. So he sticks to one-night-stands, sometimes.
When the FMC learns that she is pregnant, she makes very many presumptions about what that MMC wants without actually talking to him. When she then goes on to contact him, because she has fallen pregnant the MMC does not believe her at first, because so many other women have tried pinning their pregnancy on him, proving my point exactly that it doesn’t make sense to have one-night-stands for “safety reasons”. And if so many women tried pinning their pregnancy on him, why is he not taking precautions to avoid pregnancy himself?
The MMC is basically the picture of male toxicity. He thinks that the FMC contacting him after their one-night-stand is a red flag, and immediately brings in legal counseling for their meeting. Because obviously he is amazing and anyone he sleeps with will exhibit obsessive behavior, like contacting him (which is a perfectly normal thing to do). He is also too proud to apologize for his mistakes. For a person that is so clear about his own boundaries, he respects none of the FMC’s. After she cuts ties with him for his poor behavior, he just shows up to her new place unannounced and demands to see his son. Even after he has her contact information, he keeps showing up unannounced. He pressures her into marrying him, because for him there is no other option (which is outdated). He issues her an ultimatum and keeps doing so whenever there is a choice to be made. Instead of discussing their options and hearing her side of things, he just makes all the decisions by himself, and she has to go along with them. He is completely overbearing, (when there is no reason to be) even deciding what the baby’s nursery looks like and where it is supposed to be (10 min away from her rooms). He does all of this because he does not ‘want to fail her’, when that is all he does, in my eyes. He also says romantic things like ‘I can be faithful if I have to’. While I understand that there is some attraction between the two and the FMC wants to try to be a family, she tolerates way too much red flag behavior from the MMC without standing up for herself or confronting the MMC.
And all of that because ‘boys need a father’… I guess they are made for each other after all.
Then we also have some other woman drama with a character that called Cassia that just paints women to be either the motherly virgin type (our FMC) or vicious, malicious, jealous beings (Cassia). Being a person with trust issues, the MMC obviously chooses to believe Cassia instead of the FMC, for unknown reasons.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book and the accent of the male narrator was unfortunately very quirky.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.
August 1, 2023
Just the usual LG with playboy hero and virgin heroine. They first meet at college, he’s a bit older and she’s 18, they have a couple of dates then he asks her to sign a NDA. Of course she refuses. It’s so tacky it stings.
He dumps her and goes back to his manwhoring ways the same day. Classy.
Years later they meet again and have the ONS they should have had years before.
Of course for the hero is the best sex of his life even if the heroine is a virgin.
One wonders what kind of women he met before.
Shivers.
He leaves the morning after without even saying thank you. A prince, really.
Months later she goes to him with her baby bump and asks for child support. Reasonable.
He acts like an ass. The child can’t be his. Why? Even the heroine, who a genius is not, asks him how he can be so sure, since he isn’t sterile and they had sex repeatedly.
The hero refuses and asks for DNA after the child is born.
The heroine leaves and disappears.
Why the disappearing act, I don’t know.
He comes to his senses s. Purple of days later but he is unable to find her until the child is 8 months.
He asks her to marry because of the child and there’s a bit of ow drama when would be fiancée tries to poison the heroine first then lies to her about seeping with the hero after.
Hea with the hero who tells her he has loved her since he first met, but of course he was too young and wanted to have sex with multiple women, so it’s better this way. You bet. For him surely.
I don’t like this kind of double standard anymore.
It’s the same old thing, the hero has to have sex with thousands of women then he is ready for the heroine who has been celibate for six years.
Unclear celibacy for the 18 months after they had sex. I don’t think he was celibate, after all he dumped her without a reason and went on with his life and never thought about calling her again, so if it weren’t for the child he would never have come back, and that is his great love for her.
He dumped her and was finished with her the moment he had sex with her, so I don’t think there’s any love lost here.
She was usually a doormat because she never moved on, not the first time or the second.
This whole playboy thing is getting a lil old. I’m not fond of manwhore any longer, at least after the guys are past puberty. It’s simply tacky and sleazy.
He dumps her and goes back to his manwhoring ways the same day. Classy.
Years later they meet again and have the ONS they should have had years before.
Of course for the hero is the best sex of his life even if the heroine is a virgin.
One wonders what kind of women he met before.
Shivers.
He leaves the morning after without even saying thank you. A prince, really.
Months later she goes to him with her baby bump and asks for child support. Reasonable.
He acts like an ass. The child can’t be his. Why? Even the heroine, who a genius is not, asks him how he can be so sure, since he isn’t sterile and they had sex repeatedly.
The hero refuses and asks for DNA after the child is born.
The heroine leaves and disappears.
Why the disappearing act, I don’t know.
He comes to his senses s. Purple of days later but he is unable to find her until the child is 8 months.
He asks her to marry because of the child and there’s a bit of ow drama when would be fiancée tries to poison the heroine first then lies to her about seeping with the hero after.
Hea with the hero who tells her he has loved her since he first met, but of course he was too young and wanted to have sex with multiple women, so it’s better this way. You bet. For him surely.
I don’t like this kind of double standard anymore.
It’s the same old thing, the hero has to have sex with thousands of women then he is ready for the heroine who has been celibate for six years.
Unclear celibacy for the 18 months after they had sex. I don’t think he was celibate, after all he dumped her without a reason and went on with his life and never thought about calling her again, so if it weren’t for the child he would never have come back, and that is his great love for her.
He dumped her and was finished with her the moment he had sex with her, so I don’t think there’s any love lost here.
She was usually a doormat because she never moved on, not the first time or the second.
This whole playboy thing is getting a lil old. I’m not fond of manwhore any longer, at least after the guys are past puberty. It’s simply tacky and sleazy.
Read
January 19, 2025Her Best Kept Royal Secret, The Queen‘s Baby Scandal, An Air Fit For A King written by Lynn, Graham, Macy, Yates, and Abby Green, 3 fantasy romance novella’s about royalty babies, secrets, love and romance, I listen to the audiobook and thought the third and final book was my favorite. Although I also really liked the second Cinderella type story and each story had their own great swoony moments. I love these sweet short romances, put out by these authors, and although I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first narrator, not because she didn’t have a great voice, but hearing her read intimate moments made me feel uncomfortable IDK why because the others did not, but this is just my opinion. I think it was because she sounded so sweet and I wasn’t expecting such naughtiness to come out of her mouth lol! Having said that that is a me issue and not an issue with the book if you love Royal’s secrets babies and love then you’ll definitely enjoy this. Although I didn’t like the sex scenes in the book. They don’t last long, I just bypass them and enjoy the rest of the story. #NetGalley,
May 20, 2023
Lynne Graham’s heroes should start buying a different brand of condoms. Their Babies are spread out through harlequin universe for for goodness sake! This is getting ridiculous!🤣
Anyhewww.. To sum up this mess of a story :
Hero: : Sign the NDA so I date you.
Heroine : No.
Hero: Fuck this i am out of here.
PUFF Disappears for 5 years.
Hero accidentally meeting the Heroine after 5 years, and within 5 minutes are having sex.
Hero: That was amazing! Fuck this i am out of here.
Disappears again.
Heroine after 8 months :I am pregnant
Hero: fuck this .. get out of here.
9 months and a DNA test later
Hero: Marry me or i will take you to court and take my son.
Heroine : okie dokie.
Well if this is not romance, i do not know what is!
PS: I had to google Jacob’s Ladder as i had no freaking idea what it was. No idea why it was in the story but you know, it is there so here you go.. our hero had a Jacob’s Ladder .🙈
Anyhewww.. To sum up this mess of a story :
Hero: : Sign the NDA so I date you.
Heroine : No.
Hero: Fuck this i am out of here.
PUFF Disappears for 5 years.
Hero accidentally meeting the Heroine after 5 years, and within 5 minutes are having sex.
Hero: That was amazing! Fuck this i am out of here.
Disappears again.
Heroine after 8 months :I am pregnant
Hero: fuck this .. get out of here.
9 months and a DNA test later
Hero: Marry me or i will take you to court and take my son.
Heroine : okie dokie.
Well if this is not romance, i do not know what is!
PS: I had to google Jacob’s Ladder as i had no freaking idea what it was. No idea why it was in the story but you know, it is there so here you go.. our hero had a Jacob’s Ladder .🙈
November 18, 2021
Heroine Gaby and Prince Angel met at university year's ago. They dated, but Gaby refused to sign an NDA so they broke up. A chance meeting through Gaby's work, and an upcoming wedding and the attraction between them is still there. A passionate encounter takes place and Gaby falls pregnant. Angel refuses to believe the baby is his. He doesn't trust women in regards to this situation, due to several women claiming to be pregnant by him in the past and those turned out to be false.
A nice glamorous escape for a few hours listening.This story was okay and it hit all the usual tropes you expect from a Harlequin/Mills and Boon modern story. It just didn't have anything to make it different or extra special for me.
A nice glamorous escape for a few hours listening.This story was okay and it hit all the usual tropes you expect from a Harlequin/Mills and Boon modern story. It just didn't have anything to make it different or extra special for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2022
Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars.
I liked that Gaby stood up for herself and wasn't at Angel's whim or beckoned call no matter what he did.
Still the standard formula of rich and ruthless guy and innocent and inexperienced female coming together, the drama, which was darker than I've read in a Mills and Boon novel, then all being resolved neatly at the end. I don't know if it's some kind of prerequisite for a romance novel that at least one of the characters has some kind of harrowing past which haunts them and is either a reason why they won't do something or a motivation to do it, but this one is no different.
Overall an interesting story with some different cultures thrown in to keep it interesting.
I liked that Gaby stood up for herself and wasn't at Angel's whim or beckoned call no matter what he did.
Still the standard formula of rich and ruthless guy and innocent and inexperienced female coming together, the drama, which was darker than I've read in a Mills and Boon novel, then all being resolved neatly at the end. I don't know if it's some kind of prerequisite for a romance novel that at least one of the characters has some kind of harrowing past which haunts them and is either a reason why they won't do something or a motivation to do it, but this one is no different.
Overall an interesting story with some different cultures thrown in to keep it interesting.
December 9, 2024
Disappointed with LG for this book. Actually the plot maybe LG's but I felt the writing style is not hers as I have read most of her older books.
The hero is a manho prince of some fictional kingdom. He has mommy issues and is an arrogant asshole.
When the heroine is pregnant he doesn't believe her and threatens her with lawyers. Later tries to find her ,threatens again and blackmails her to get married for the sake of baby. The heroine is too understanding and has body betraying syndrome. There's some OW drama and as usual this prince charming NOT trusts the OW more. But all gets solved within a couple of pages and there is an epilogue with HEA and 3 kids and they are about to make the 4th one.
The hero is a manho prince of some fictional kingdom. He has mommy issues and is an arrogant asshole.
When the heroine is pregnant he doesn't believe her and threatens her with lawyers. Later tries to find her ,threatens again and blackmails her to get married for the sake of baby. The heroine is too understanding and has body betraying syndrome. There's some OW drama and as usual this prince charming NOT trusts the OW more. But all gets solved within a couple of pages and there is an epilogue with HEA and 3 kids and they are about to make the 4th one.
April 29, 2024
2.5 stars
I was looking for a quick and spicy listen when I applied for this and unfortunately this wasn’t for me.
It’s started over shaky and it just kept getting worse. Angel is no book boyfriend/husband. He just kept being an ass and completely fucking up. He didn’t even start to redeem himself, there was NO grovelling. For each massive! Mistake, he just added something else and made it impossible to root for this couple. Gabby was such a pushover with no backbone, I wish she was stronger and just left Angel.
They don’t get along, I don’t think they’re in love and just stunned this is a recent release. Overall, this was really not for me.
I was looking for a quick and spicy listen when I applied for this and unfortunately this wasn’t for me.
It’s started over shaky and it just kept getting worse. Angel is no book boyfriend/husband. He just kept being an ass and completely fucking up. He didn’t even start to redeem himself, there was NO grovelling. For each massive! Mistake, he just added something else and made it impossible to root for this couple. Gabby was such a pushover with no backbone, I wish she was stronger and just left Angel.
They don’t get along, I don’t think they’re in love and just stunned this is a recent release. Overall, this was really not for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2022
She kept folding...
He would do something that is pretty damaging, then he would say why he was right, and she would forgive him. It happened over and over. The reason they broke up years before seems convoluted and didn't really make sense, but a lot of their actions made little sense to me. Like she is such a devoted mom, but as soon as they are married, she practically forgets she has a kid and has no separation issues. It got to be so cheesy in parts, especially towards the end, I ended up skimming most of it.
He would do something that is pretty damaging, then he would say why he was right, and she would forgive him. It happened over and over. The reason they broke up years before seems convoluted and didn't really make sense, but a lot of their actions made little sense to me. Like she is such a devoted mom, but as soon as they are married, she practically forgets she has a kid and has no separation issues. It got to be so cheesy in parts, especially towards the end, I ended up skimming most of it.
March 11, 2024
"Her Best Kept Royal Secret" is the story of Gaby and Angel.
Cynical, playboy, pierced d hero spots the heroine, a woman from his past and shags her. He then refuses to take responsibility when she gets pregnant, then when he does believe the baby is his, tries to take it away from the mother. He also is an utter ahole throughout the book including treating women like a sex-toy because of his past and not believing the heroine even ONCE.
I disliked him and this book immensely.
Unsafe
1/5
Cynical, playboy, pierced d hero spots the heroine, a woman from his past and shags her. He then refuses to take responsibility when she gets pregnant, then when he does believe the baby is his, tries to take it away from the mother. He also is an utter ahole throughout the book including treating women like a sex-toy because of his past and not believing the heroine even ONCE.
I disliked him and this book immensely.
Unsafe
1/5
April 23, 2024
'Her Best Kept Royal Secret' is an enjoyable, second-chance romance with a royal setting that adds additional complications to the romance. In this immersive audiobook, the narrator convincingly brings the characters to life, making the relationship dynamics believable. I like how the couple's emotional commitment deepens until it matches their passionate attraction. I like this romance's characters, the couple's sizzling chemistry and the glamorous setting.
I reviewed an audiobook from the publisher.
I reviewed an audiobook from the publisher.
February 24, 2025
I always like a harlequin book
I love soap opera level drama and harlequin books usually deliver. Second chance romance + kinda secret baby + OW drama + splash of politics (really just his status makes relationships hard). Very lukewarm chemistry and character development, but I really came for the drama. I always love when the MMC has a meddling friend that's in love with him, as someone who believes men and women can have healthy platonic relationships, I live for OW best friend tropes in books for some reason.
I love soap opera level drama and harlequin books usually deliver. Second chance romance + kinda secret baby + OW drama + splash of politics (really just his status makes relationships hard). Very lukewarm chemistry and character development, but I really came for the drama. I always love when the MMC has a meddling friend that's in love with him, as someone who believes men and women can have healthy platonic relationships, I live for OW best friend tropes in books for some reason.
September 30, 2021
A good book
This is the 2nd book in the series and it was very good. The H is the half brother to the H in the 1st book, both are princes, both had childhood issues, mainly a mother who neglected both of her sons. The h was very sweet, beautiful, feisty and insecure, she didn’t believe the H wanted her. An unexpected pregnancy brought them back together. Good ending.
This is the 2nd book in the series and it was very good. The H is the half brother to the H in the 1st book, both are princes, both had childhood issues, mainly a mother who neglected both of her sons. The h was very sweet, beautiful, feisty and insecure, she didn’t believe the H wanted her. An unexpected pregnancy brought them back together. Good ending.
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