His to Keep

Chicago Steam #6

by Genni Bee

Whitney
I wasn't expecting this job to be easy, carrying a baby never is. But the father of my surrogate baby is paying me a mountain of cash. On top of that, he's assigned me my very own security detail. Everything was going according to plan until I start falling for my bodyguard. I hadn't been expecting that.

Emerson
I've always gotten everything I want. Success and money came easy to me. But never the wife and children I've been obsessed with having. Now, with everything on the line, I decided to forgo marriage and hire a surrogate to carry my baby.
But when I meet her, she's nothing like I expected. And everything I can't live without.

Which is why I go undercover, acting as her and my baby's personal bodyguard. When feelings get mixed in, my mission changes from keeping her safe to keeping her forever.

Genres: Romance, Novella, Contemporary

115 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2022

About the author

Genni Bee writes steamy romance stories with heart.

When she’s not writing, she's out working that 9-5 corporate gig, pretending to be a runner, or binging true crime TV.
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Reviews

[april ♡ probably reading smut - safety reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars ☆☆☆☆☆

"Hi, my name is Whitney Bryant, and I’m a virgin surrogate carrying a reclusive billionaire’s baby."

Whitney loves babies and helping people. She's a surrogate for Emerson, a billionaire she's never met. As part of the contract they agreed on, she gets a bodyguard assigned to her. His name is David... but he's really Emerson.

Emerson is completely obsessed with Whitney- he wanted her the second he saw her. After a few lies and lots of tension-filled moments, it's revealed that David is actually Emerson, the father of her baby.

I thought this was an amazing little story! I love Whitney, she's so strong. I just wish we could have seen the birth of the baby- I felt a little cheated at the end haha.

safety:
virgin heroine
no OM/OW
no cheating/sharing
pregnancy
HEA ♡

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Paula (In & Out) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is for all those who like a sweet fluffy romance between a Hero with a heart of a marshmallow, innocent/virginal heroine and babies in the making type stories.

Hero is a 41 yr old billionaire business man who focused on business and now after watching his siblings all get married & start families, wants to start his own by hiring a surrogate to carry his baby.
Heroine is a 23 yr old virgin who just finished college and became a school teacher. She has 2 older siblings who are drug addicts & her parents are constantly trying to get them out of trouble which leaves her as an outsider & feeling alone. So she decides to become a surrogate because she loves kids & needs the money to be independent from her family life.

Story starts with heroine already pregnant with Hero’s baby so we don’t get any info before that. All that was mentioned is that heroine was interviewed by Hero without her seeing him and that he was instantly attracted to her & wanted to use her own eggs instead of a donor’s. She agreed.

So Hero then decides to act as her bodyguard under a false name so that he could get to know her & be involved in all the steps with his baby. They start getting close & fall in love and then she finds out who he really is and is mad for a minute or two, they make up and HEA.

Now 2 annoying points that I want to make that may frustrate readers like it did me is that heroine mentioned that she lied on her Bio about her family life because she didn’t want to admit that she had two siblings who were drug addicts and Author never again mentioned it so Hero never knew. Which was weird because in the end she tells him that she wants him to meet her family as if they were any average/normal family. Lol.

And then we have what annoyed me the most of the constant references to the baby (singular) as “they”. Heroine was pregnant with one baby – not twins. So to constantly describe the baby as “they” got old & aggravating many, many times!

I’d known she was pregnant with my baby. But seeing it, the evidence of that growing life, of my future. Of our future. It almost took me to my knees.

For a long moment, I’d almost reached for her, wishing that I’d had the balls to tell her who I was the other night. Because not only was I craving another taste of her lips, but I wanted to feel that bump against my body.

They were my family. I could feel it.

Safety:

Safe
No OM/OW drama. No intimate scenes with OP
Heroine does go on a blind date with OM but she is not interested in him.
Heroine is a virgin. Hero’s past is never mentioned.
HEA

[Viv “BookVixen” Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything was going great! I was loving this steamy novella. The writing was simple but sharp and flowed well. A hero who impregnates a woman his surrogacy and then shows up as her bodyguard to take care of her?? Ummm, YASSSSSSS please!!! All of THAT, thank yewwww. The tension and steam was melting my kindle while the feelz and emotional connection was melting my heart. It had a stern, cold, controlled man coming undone for the sweet, innocent woman carrying his baby. The swoon was going strong. And then—

“Whitney stepped towards me, going slowly down to one knee in front of me, her hands reaching for me. “Emerson Brooks, I am so in love with you that I can’t even imagine not planning my life with you.”

No. Just no. This wasn’t swoony or sweet, it was stupid. And I felt like the hero should’ve been on his knee to ask for the heroine. She’d been overlooked and neglected by her family, passed over for her siblings. She DESERVED to have a man going on his knee to choose her and instead she’s deprived of that moment.

i was sooo upset. BUT THEN, This happened:

“He was on his knee, his beautiful, familiar face turned up to mine. “Whitney Bryant, love of my life, I want, more than anything else in this world, is for you to welcome our baby into the world with my ring on your hand. I want to face every trial, enjoy every moment from here on with you as my wife. Will you marry me?”

Ok, so it was rescued! Still, I would’ve preferred if the hero had asked the heroine before she asked him and I would’ve liked to see him claim her and put her first and let her know he wasn’t going to let her go instead of the way it went down. But I’m happy she got her marriage proposal, so it saved the story for me.


Safe-ish. Hero has been celibate for a long time, hence the need for a surrogate and no details given on past. Heroine is a virgin and belongs only to her hero. No ow but some
OM. Heroine goes on date with OM but he pales in comparison to hero. OM tries to kiss heroine, and hero pulls him away from h. no cheating or sharing or abuse. HEA with epilogue and extended epilogue can be obtained via newsletter.

[Magali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, thanks to the choice made at the beginning by the hero
It's a tender, romantic, often cute story for a man who can't express himself to the one he's attracted to. Emerson has always put his career first, and he makes a drastic choice: to have a surrogate mother to have a child. His choice to follow her in her pregnancy is rather surprising, and the closer he gets, the less he manages to express himself. This back and forth between what he does and what the reader knows, is all the more cute for the reader, frustrating for the chosen one of his heart.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

Super quick and super cute

[Aelicia Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Age Gap✅
Forced Proximity ✅
Surrogacy✅

Plot 5⭐️
Spice 4🌶

The one thing Whitney has never had is stability but that is all about to change with one contract and two little lines. She is giving someone the precious gift of a child and for the first time she doesn’t have to worry.

When Emerson’s dad wanted to retire he needed two things. Someone to take over and grandchildren to spoil. The first one was easy for Emerson to complete and the picture he is looking at on his phone means the second will be complete in roughly nine months.

How could Whitney forget about the bodyguard her contract said she needed? Having a hot man follow her won’t be to bad right?
Emerson knows he should have sent the real bodyguard to watch her but he couldn’t help it. What s he going to do now that he has lied to the woman he is falling for and fast?

Thank you to the amazing Gennni Bee for giving me an ARC in exchange for this honest review.
I feel for Emerson before the first two chapters was over. He is the perfect man any woman would want to be pregnant by. The way he cares about not only the baby but Whitney is heart stopping beautiful. Yes at times I wanted to shake him and ask him what he was thinking but in the end he makes it all better. I loved Whitney as well and her reason for being a surrogate is precious. I adored this book so much.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of the Steamy Shorts series each can be read as a standalone with in an hour or so, has it own sexy guy who claims/keeps the girl who captures his heart. Emerson sexy as all get out workaholic who always put his career first putting life on the back burner and now, he wants a child but has waited long enough for Mrs. Right, who seems to not even exists, so he decides to hire a surrogate to have the child he has always wanted. Whitney intelligent, needs the money agrees to be a surrogate for a wealthy guy, he even assigned her very own body guards not realizing that body guard is the father of her baby himself the more time they spend together the stronger they feel for one another I mean the attraction was there from the beginning instant, intense and growing stronger the more time they spend with each other but what happens when she finds out the bodyguard is none other than the father of her child, what happens when a transaction turns into something more with feelings no longer just a transaction, will they continue the path they are on or will he take the baby once it is born, and has he found his Mrs. Right with their very own HEA?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[T Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

HEA

Standalone 

Age-gap 23/41


Emerson, CEO of a personal security agency, had his life figured out with one exception, his own personal family. He decides to hire a surrogate to give him a child to fulfill his life. 

Whitney is fresh out of college and signs up to be the surrogate for a rich man, allowing her own egg to be used instead of that of a donor egg. 

As her pregnancy progresses, the rich "baby daddy" sends gifts and things to make her life easier. What she didn't realize was, that would include a bodyguard at the beginning of her 2nd trimester. 

She starts getting to know the bodyguard, slowly falling for him.

Emerson watches her, getting to know her, falling for her a little more each day. When she finds out Emerson is both her bodyguard and the father of her baby, things get a bit complicated. 

I received an ARC copy of this book and this was my own personal review. I really enjoyed reading this book and have pretty much loved anything I've read by this author.

[(betts) ⚜ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐ / 3🌶️
[📱] ebook

— vibezz
🍼 age gap [41H 23h]
📧 a little stalkerish
🍼 surrogate
📧 hidden identity

mini blurb — ✍🏻
Now in his 40s, Emerson is longing for a family to his own and more importantly a baby.
Whitney left her old life back and once settled in Chicago she decides to enter the surrogacy agency and be able to give people the best gift they can think of. After all, this is also her dream, one that become true once Emerson has a glimpse of his baby mama.

//

I had no idea the plot was gonna be like this, lol.
Emerson sure surprised me sending a request at the surrogacy agency it was totally unexpected and ALSO finding out he was shy as fuck? 🥹😭💖 omg I melted right there and then.

These Brooks brothers gonna have a fuck ton of children, I just know it.

[heart · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

check out my tags/shelves for more info

it was just kinda meh for me, nothing wrong with the book just not my style and a little slow at some parts. however i did find there first time disappointing and the time skip right after the sex super disappointing as well, i also found the Hero disappointing because of how indecisive and back and forth he was, a little annoying and the heroine, i just couldn’t connect with her.

virgin heroine
slow insta
surrogate
billionaire/rich
bodyguard
dnf
boring
disappointing first time
disappointing hero (he wasn’t really alpha enough for me)
push/pull from both
no ow drama/ slight om drama (she want on a date for no reason really)
safe
spicy lvl 3/5

[Shivika Khurana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Hi, my name is Whitney Bryant, and I'm a virgin surrogate carrying a reclusive billionaire's baby."

This book is for those who like a sweet romance with a whole lot of fluff as well as smut. It has age gap (H-41, h-23) and bodyguard trope.

Whitney is a surrogate for Emerson, and they have never met before. They agree upon a contract and she gets a bodyguard which is Emerson himself but she doesn't know that (he introduces himself as David Gates). They start getting close, really like each other but then she gets to know his real identity and she is mad at him, but they make up (HEA).

There was lot of tension between them and the hero was cold in the starting but he melted for the woman carrying his baby.

Definitely recommend this for anyone who wants to get out of a reading slump.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved His to Keep Book 3 of Steamy Shorts #2. This was such a sweet story. Emerson is using a surrogate to have his baby, he decided he’s tired of waiting for Mrs. Right. Little does he’s know that Whitney, the woman carrying his baby is her and he will do everything he can to keep them both. But when he keeps a big secret and Whitney finds out that could be the end of it. Emerson won’t let that happen. Such a great storyline and lovable characters. I would definitely recommend this book and the series. Loved it!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerson is a busy man, and a relationship was the last thing on his agenda, so he went the way of a surrogate to have a child. Everything was going well until he met the woman that would have his child. Although they never seen eye to eye Emerson was enthralled with her so much so that he pretended to be her bodyguard but when Whitney finds out that the man, she has slowly begun to fall in love with is not who she thought will it end things between them? This touching story kept me glued to the pages and cheering for Emerson and Whitney to get a chance for a real relationship and a happily ever after!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[casvec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanting to do something that mattered, Whitney moved to a new town, got a new job and became a surrogate. Emerson took over as CEO and knew that his father wanted grandbabies, but with the job he knew that was not going to happen, so he decided to hire a surrogate.

His to Keep is a fast read with a bit of drama, as Emerson finds what he wants not only with a baby but in Whitney. Part of Whitney's contract was a bodyguard, what she did not realize was that her bodyguard was Emerson.

Great story with hot moment, a brooding Alpha, love and caring that will melt your heart.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Vickie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from the author and this is my honest review of it!
A virgin preschool teach agreeing to be a surrogate to a billionaire owner of a security firm what could possibly go wrong! Hiding his identity Emerson sets out to be everything to Whitney. As they fall in love and struggle with her thinking he couldn't want someone carrying another's baby and him knowing he was lying to her this story just keeps bringing on the sweetness! Yes the sex is hot as HECK but the love story is the true greatness of this book. Loved it!!!!!

[Kristyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doable

This was a good book, the reason for the 3 stars is the spelling errors. It is VERY fast paced at only 115 pages which I didn't know until after getting into the book. That was my fault, but anyhow the book was good, like I said it is very fast paced. Throughout the book there are a few parts where either there were not enough words to finish the sentence or there were to many for it to make since. All in all it was a decent book.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

His brothers have all found happiness with the loves of their lives. He wants that also, but he really just wants to be a father, so he gets surrogate to have his baby. What he did not plan on was to fall in love with her.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful novella about a surrogate and the billionaire that fell in love with her at first sight. The chracters a superb. A marvelous novella that goes great with its series, very wonderfully written. I recommend this novella as well as the series they're all lovely happily ever after stories.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zero stars. How did this book get more than 1 star? Absolutely terrible. I was so confused with calling the singular baby “they” . I thought is this twins and did I miss something? Nope just one . I get the use of they/ them for pronouns but it came off looking/ feeling like no editing/ proof reading. This story was Insta love with no storyline. I removed this author from my reading list

[v'sreadingjourney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Method: ebook
Rating: 3/5 stars
H rating: 3/5 - Emerson
h rating: 3/5 - Whitney
Drama: 3/5
Trope(s): novella
Thoughts: will add to review later

[Ashley Yarbrough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a little confusing. It was still a cute and happy love story, but it didn't make sense to me. FMC signed up to be a surrogate, so not her baby. Then he falls in love with her, and she raises the baby with him. My confusion is did she want this baby to raise, if she was a surrogate? I'm definitely reading too much into it, but it was just an odd scenario.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

intriguing series

Emerson & Whitney story is my favorite one of the series so far. I am so glad that they worked out their problems. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series.

[Nicole Montalegre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young surrogate meets her bodyguard, or so she thinks! Their chemistry was great from the start! They balance each other really well. I want more of this couple!

[jennifer | offmyredcarpet · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s the rich reclusive CEO and she’s the young surrogate having his baby. A sweet, fun contemporary romance novella that is age gap and insta-love with all the good feels.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Really sweet. And hot!

[Kat Parkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved

This is my favorite of the series. I love the way everything fell into place with Emerson and Whitney. The ending was perfect!!

[deeena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short lil read. Pregnancy trope.

[Kerri Seaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that I’ve finished all these I can stop and get back to a normal reading cadence 😅😅😅

[Marlen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and short

[Lizzie LoveofBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little novella. I enjoyed how tender Emerson was and how much he loved Whitney. Genni Bee always has great reads!