When one night with playboy Rico Christofides leaves her pregnant, Gypsy Butler is determined to spare her unborn baby the heartache of her own neglectful childhood. But a shock meeting is about to change her plans….Rico has never forgotten—or forgiven—the one woman who managed to smash through his cast-iron defenses. Now he's discovered he's a father, nothing will stop him from claiming his child…even if unwilling Gypsy craves her freedom!
Abby Green spent her teens reading Mills & Boon romances. She then spent many years working in the Film and TV industry as an Assistant Director. One day while standing outside an actor's trailer in the rain, she thought: "there has to be more than this". So she sent off a partial to Mills & Boon. After numerous rewrites, they accepted her first book and an author was born. She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here www.abby-green.com
I just couldn't handle this heroine. Not only did she keep the hero in the dark for two years about his daughter, she also made these bone-headed decisions:
Inherited money from her father and gave it all away Had a university degree but could only get shift work as a waitress Went to boarding school – she had no contacts whatsoever? Lived in London in a crappy flat? She speaks the language, is a citizen and knows her rights. Why did she put up with this situation?
Why? She was a secret baby and she couldn’t trust her father, so she can’t trust the hero.
Then the strident complaining about the clothes and hero spending money on his daughter. The insistence she'll never marry him, will grow bored with him, will leave whenever she feels like it. Her refusal to tell the hero about her background or ask him questions was equally annoying. And I was the reader privy to her thoughts. I can't imagine how the hero kept his temper.
This one made me go “huh?” a few times. Rico left Gypsy with a curt note after a one-night stand, yet he blames her for running out on him. Gypsy is unsure she could prove paternity after she gets pregnant, even though she didn’t sleep with anyone else. (Or I dunno, maybe that’s realistic?) Add in a lot of grammatical errors and the book just seemed kind of sloppy.
On the positive side, it was fairly original for a secret baby story, because both characters are reacting to having been illegitimate babies themselves; their histories are like the results of Harlequin Presents plots gone wrong. (I had to laugh at the description of Gypsy’s tycoon father seducing a house cleaner, because it sounded exactly like a Lynne Graham story.) There are some good moments of passion and angst. But it left me feeling more that it could have been a good story than that it was one.
***THREE STARS*** This story wasn't too shabby. I wasn't expecting too much after seeing all the mixed reviews, but this one surprised me in how much I did enjoy it. The hero and the heroine were both hard heads who had wrongly misjudged the other. Everything would have been cleared up so much easier if they had just talked when they ran into each other again the second time, but I guess that would have made a much shorter story. Rico was kind of a hurtful dick towards Gypsy several times through the story, but she had it coming. She kept their kiddo away from him for the first 15 months of the kiddo's life, and had planned on never letting him know of their child's existence. Gypsy had a really shitty childhood and an asshole of a father, and she assumed Rico would be exactly like her father, so she did what she did. That made her kind of an asshole as well. All in all though, I did end up liking both of these hard headed characters by the ending, and I was happy to see them get their HEA.
The h is stupid and she was mean, I can't deal with her! Please see St Margarets review for why the h is a moron. The poor H is stuck with this idiot although he isn't exactly Prince Charming
I enjoyed some of this one but won't re-read because I found the heroine a totally irritating individual. She was a total pain in the proverbial.
She decides she doesn't want to know who the hero is. she just wants an escapist one night stand - no names!. But then is annoyed when he leaves her in the morning with a note, and then she sees him on the tv and discovers his identity and makes an immediate judgment about what kind of man he is - (ie like her awful father) and uses that as the justification for not telling him about the baby - and then for the way she treats him from that point on. Personally, I dislike it when the heroine decides not to let the hero know he is a father (in real life I'd understand if he'd abused or raped someone), but the longer the gap between the sex and the hero finding out the truth - the more uncomfortable I feel - but that's just me. I can still enjoy the stories.
When a character has a back story problem, it's difficult to ride the narrow line between helping the reader understand why the character behaves in a certain way - and making the character so stupid as to lose sympathy. In this instance, I just wanted to shout at Gypsy for being so wilfully blind and stupid>- "what else does he have to do for you to see him properly!!" However, she finally sees sense but by that time I had almost lost interest.
Not a bad book and it's still an enjoyable read but I can't give it more than 2 stars because of the heroine.
One night of passion. Rico Christofides, a gorgeous , arrogant,Greek millionaire who has never forgotten the magical night he spent with Gypsy Butler. Two years later they meet again and he discovers he has a baby daughter that he knew nothing about. He wants revenge and will do anything to claim his child. He then realiazes he wants a second chance with Gypsy and he does everything to make things right. Both had very sad and unhappy childhoods and once they begin communicating with each other, realize how much they love each other. Abby Green is a great writer. I read all her books. Her characters are always exciting and settings interesting. A nice love story and a great read
Nice HP. This secret baby story is different in that each of them had been a secret baby themselves so they came at their own relationship from different angles which caused them trauma. Their relationship was built fairly well. He had a few assy moments and she had a few bitchy ones but on the whole they were learning to get along. Even though there were scenes from the hero's POV, I would have liked to see a scene where he admits to himself that he loves her but that came in her POV. Oh well. This is the first Abby Green that I've read and I would be willing to try her again.
I feel that if I'm going to rate a book below three stars, then I need to explain why I rated it that way. Especially since this one is freaking nominated for an award.
I hate to keep re-using the phrase 'soap opera in a can,' but I can't think of anything else that describes how I feel about these books. The very best secret child reveal I've ever read was in Lauren Dane's Never Enough. In that book, the hero and heroine handled the situation mostly like adults and they always had the best interest of the child in mind.
By contrast, while she did have some basis for keeping the baby's existence a secret from the hero, the heroine, Gypsy, annoyed the ever-living shit out of me. Your child should come first. You get fired from your job, the job that's keeping food in your child's mouth and a roof over her head, because the hero's sudden reappearance makes you wibbly. Woman up. The hero, who is very wealthy by the way, tracks you down in the ghetto where you are living (with no heat!) and wants to move you to a better neighborhood, but you fight him on it because of your stupid pride. Woman up. Even if you believe you can cover your child's immediate needs, what about college? What happens if she gets sick? At least in Maya Banks's Wanted by Her Lost Love, the heroine kept the check the hero threw at her, just in case she needed it.
I'm not saying Gypsy should've rolled over and let Rico call the shots. She could have laid down some ground rules, like demanding a separate residence or child support or something. In fact, I feel like the whole book could have been solved with a two-hour couple's therapy session and a lot of 'How does it make you feel when your partner...' questions. It seemed like every freaking time Rico tried to initiate an adult discussion, Gypsy threw a hissy fit. WOMAN UP!
Also, because I am me and a champion nit-picker, the fact that Rico was able to whisk Gypsy and the baby to Greece without nary a word about passports didn't sit right. I would have thought that, even with private jets, you had to have some kind of documentation. Especially in today's day and age.
*sigh* I don't know. I've read categories that I've liked so I don't think it's entirely just me, but now I'm a little scared to read the other nominees.
Rico and Gypsy had shared a one night stand two years previous. He comes across the woman that had never completely left his thoughts only to discover that she was hiding more than her identity. The back of the book gives that away, however, it states she is pregnant and she is NOT in this story. Gypsy believed she had a reasonable excuse for not sharing her happy bundle w/ Rico but I’m not sure she would have told him any time soon. She wanted to be on her own two feet to stand up to him, yet she is working as a waitress when he comes across her and her prospects weren’t exactly overwhelming. How many years would he have had to wait?
I believed that Rico wanted more from Gypsy and, of course, he will find a means to hold on to her via the child. He won’t marry her because of the child though. Rico wants 15 months and then he will help her out so that she can care for his heir properly. Nice change from the forced marriage stuff!
He won’t ever forgive her for keeping that nugget to herself either. Right, he will be just like those hs that claim “never” and almost always “do”. No one says what they mean in these stories, right? Gypsy had decided that Rico would be exactly like her father and she didn’t want that for her child, and Rico decided that Gypsy would be like all the OW in his life. However, they were both wrong and after spending time w/ each they discover that there is more than what they thought w/ the other. They got to know each other and Rico had to make a bit of a sacrifice which seemed very romantic – the whole setting free thing! Yeah, worked for Gypsy because that is EXACTLY what she needed, but hey he really wasn’t setting free because wherever she went he would surely follow. SWEET!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
If I could do a 2 1/2 stars, I would. This book was a solid one-time read but left quite a bit to be desired. For me, it falls between 2-3 stars based on how I rate.
My ratings ⭐️ didn't finish/didn't like ⭐️⭐️ ambivalent ⭐️⭐️⭐️ good, solid one-time read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ great, read more from author ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️exceptional, will re-read multiple times
I base ratings on writing skills, how immersed I am in the story, and if the plot flows smoothly and believably for reality or the "world" created. Are the characters believable, likable/unlikable (protagonist/antagonist), and diverse. I will not give away any spoilers.
Let me start off saying I was really hoping to like this book more than I did, based off of the first book in the series, Bride in a Gilded Cage.
There was a lot of similarities, misconception after misconception, leading to lack of trust and respect. Yet, underneath an underlying desire that brings the characters together. So this felt overly repetitive to the first book and left me wondering if this was a one trick pony.
Secondly, I was more ambivalent towards the characters. I thought the hero was a bit too demanding and cold (especially considering the heroine is a mother to a baby, his baby, but nonetheless). I thought the heroine let herself get pushed around and moped when she went along with something. It was irritating.
A big thing for me, slightly unrealistic. The author portrays a good, protective single mom who doesn't trust or really like the hero (because of issues with her father and misconceptions of said hero). Yet, she lets him into her house because she feels trapped. Then, goes to his hotel when he demands it. And she meekly goes along, child in tow. The whole book she's getting pushed around by his demands (not a whole lot redeemable for both characters on this count). I'm sorry but if you weren't sure of a guy's character, and plainly don't like him/have a little fear, you wouldn't be like, yea let me and my baby follow you around and be at your beck and call.
Then to cap it off, the resolution and happy ending are so short, it left more to be desired. I had hoped to see more growth and progress before happily ever after, less angst on the journey. It was like instead of a nice shading from black (gloom and doom beginning) to grey (middle) to white (HEA ending), it was 90% black and then last two chapters (hey they like each other now)... Instant white. No grey.
That said, it was a nice one time read, but didn't really care one way or another when it ended. It wouldn't be one of my top books that I would suggest for a romance read. However, I would suggest the first book in the series, Bride In A Gilded Cage.
I tried to like this book. Failed. One night stand. Ugh! I don't care how handsome/attractive/godlike the hero is, this is just gross given the health risks and reckless to let the pant(ie)s rule the head. Plus secret baby plot. Angry sex. And one flighty heroine with a chip, nay a boulder, on her shoulder. The title alone should have warned me. No self-respecting feminist would want to be in anybody's keeping. Sticky notes to self: 1. Part 2 of a series. Part 1: Bride in a Gilded Cage 2. Stab-in-the-heart moment: page 115. When he snidely informed brother, SIL and heroine, that he has no intention of marrying her, the mother of his child.
I'm a sucker for the secret baby trope and good romances. And In Christofides Keeping gave me that and more. I loved how Rico and Gypsy came together despite all the misunderstandings and horrible conceptions they initially had. And the chemistry between them was off the charts.
Plus, little Lola stole my heart. She's so adorable. And as always, I loved the epilogue. Don't you love happy endings? *sigh*
Another fun, great, and entertaining read from Abby Green.
Okay, maybe Rico wasn't as overbearing as he seemed at first but you could have fooled me. Gypsy was so stupid, she was one of those heroines who shouldn't have reproduced. It's mind boggling.
I hated both characters and the romance puts the women's revolution back to circa 1900s but perhaps that's being cruel to the 1900s. Uggh.
I thought this novel was great and despite the fact I have indeed read it before, I wanted to read it again.
The hero and heroine had a one night stand which resulted in a pregnancy. When the hero found out, he demanded the heroine and his daughter live with him. Eventually over time the hero fell in love with the heroine and his daughter and wanted to be together, forever.
This was a touching story of two damaged people. Who slowly learned that they both assumed the worst about each other, and slowly learn to be there for each other and to trust each other. I also like that it was not your typical Harlequin formula, the hero did not damned marriage. The ending also also very sweet.
As I read and reread some of Abby Green's books I am beginning to realise that I really enjoy her work. Books have depth and real emotion. Lots of interaction between the H and h. Really enjoyed this one the second time round.
I liked it. The two of them were in such turmoil from their past. I liked the hero. I liked he was so determined to have the child and the Mother in his life. I thought him coming to terms with her reasons for not sharing her problem was excellent since they mirrored his own grief.
Abby Green likes to write about wealthy men who get scared once they meet "the one" and run away like cowards. I like her books, but I prefer an alpha hero who knows what he wants.
Hrdina sbalil hrdinku na diskotéce. V noci ho tak uchvátila, že před city prchl ještě za tmy. Ale i po dvou letech to tam stále bylo. Dva roky s ní srovnával všechny ostatní. Když ji konečně (náhodou) potkal, rozhodl se pro repete. A šel na to vskutku chytře. Sice litoval, že ji v noci opustil, ale zároveň poukázal na to, že na rozdíl od ní on nejde s každou. Překvapilo ho, že ji „rozhněvalo, jakým způsobem ji opustil“, což pro něho byla „neobvyklá informace“. V kapitole 7 Gypsy opět trpí. Je zranitelnější než dřív, protože Rika prostě chce. On se ji sice snaží ovládat, ale víc ji trápí, že je pořád v práci, takže nemají čas dostat se od techtlí k mechtlím. Nicméně pak se už po něm pne jako had, stačila pouhá vzpomínka na jeho mocné mužství, aby se jí před očima roztančily hvězdičky, aby pak se vzlykotem utekla. Nemá úplně jasno, jestli je zoufalá z měsíců, které má s Rikem strávit na řeckém ostrově nebo z toho, že Rika omrzí a on ji opustí. Další problém - nechce si ji vzít. Ona si ho tedy taky nechce vzít, ale trpí. Rico se jí ráno omluví za „hrubé vyjádření“. Jí poskočí srdce a začne přemýšlet, jestli by si ji třeba nevzal. Pak jí dojde, že nee a zasáhne ji čerstvá bolest . Pak se ještě dozvíme, že Riko jí sice po první noci nechal jen chladný vzkaz, že pokoj je zaplacený, ale pak jí volal. A miloval ji od první chvíle, kdy ji viděl v tom baru. Ona jeho taky, takže konečně skončili v posteli a prosouložili se ke konci. Tedy ještě s jednou „zápletkou“, kdy hrdinka potřebovala vědět, jestli by mohla odejít, kdyby chtěla. Hrdina jí kupodivu vyhodí věci na mráz a řekne „Jdi si". Což jí zlomí srdce a v slzách nemůže ani řídit, takže zastaví v první zatáčce a pláče, pláče a pláče. Do toho si patnáctiměsíční Lola uvědomí, že navždy opouštějí jejího otce a neusnadňuje jí to svým srdceryvným voláním „Tati, tati!“. Náhle se otvírají dveře, hrdina (hnán obavou, že se jí něco stalo) zjišťuje situaci a odvádí si hrdinku zpátky domů. Takže se přesvědčila, že kdyby chtěla, nechal by ji odejít. Panečku.
Hrdinovi stačilo velmi málo: s. 118 Natáhl se, aby ji vzal za bradu a otočil jí tvář k sobě (...) Cítil, jak zaťala čelisti, což v něm roztočilo divokou spirálu touhy.
Tohle už hraničilo s parodií: s. 108 rozepnul jí pyžamo a aby odhalil nahá ňadra (...) Když sehnul hlavu a klesl k nim ústy, jen klesla v citlivosti hraničící s bolestí na postel
(hrdinové se konečně dostali do postele) s. 123 Nyní Rico vložil do snažení veškerou sílu. Uvolnil v sobě ďábla.
Už když zvedala mimino z kočárku - „předvídal, že se přihodí cosi významného“.
s. 11 „...ale poslední dva týdny chodíš téměř každý den pozdě.“ (...) Gypsy začala namítat, že čas Loliny pečovatelky a její pracovní doba kolidují. A před čtrnácti dny to šlo? Navíc jí hlídá paní v důchodu: ji sem chodí hlídat pravidelně, když večer usne, a já odcházím do práce. Hrdinka vystudovala dětskou psychologii, ale dělala servírku a žila v podstatě v ghettu. Protože byla hrdá a všechny peníze, které zdědila po otci, rozdala charitám. Panečku.
Překlad je prazvláštní, např. s. 74 s vývrtkami nezkrotných kučer s. 92 stáhla ruce v pěst s. 106 když jí představili novou snachu Jelikož žádná svatba nebyla, tak průměrnému redaktorovi musí dojít, že se někde stala chyba. Ale ano, můžeme přeložit „granddaughter“ jako snacha. Proč ne. Tam, kde se bota jmenuje Melichar... s. 134 Gypsy se prohlížela v zrcadle šatníku luxusní suity nově otevírané hotelové pobočky ??
s. 72 jaký s Lolou dřív vedli [ona a Lola] s. 80 To samé cítila noc, kdy spolu spali s. 116 pohledla na něj
ji/jí - s. 29, 79, 124
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Adult romance novels are a guilty pleasure of mine. I now that there are problems with some of them and that most contain love at first sight (which I usually hate), but there's just something about these novels that is so addicting. I have read many Harlequin Presents and some other adult romance novels and while I enjoy some, I also understand that there are many flaws with these and usually I don't mind them as much.
I enjoy romance novels where the girl is hard to get throughout at least half of the novel and it seems more realistic instead of falling for the guy the minute you see him. Does that even happen in real life, is that even possible?
This is the second book in the Rafael and Rico duology. I didn't know that this was a series/companion novels until I got the part where Rico and Gypsy go to his brothers' place, which got me thinking "does he and his wife have a story too?" Then I searched it up on here and sure enough their story is book 1 and I wish that I had read that first.
I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I kind of enjoyed the story and like that it wasn't just the guy who had a tortured past and that they're both illijitimate children and it's interesting that both had a past of child abuse in different ways, which caused them to react in certain ways about each other in their daughter's life. On the other hand, I feel like Gypsy was too untrusting after living with him for a while and seeing how he interacted with his child. Also, she got mad at Rico for leaving her with a note the morning after. All I've got to say to that is, you knew it was a one night stand, he never made any promises and you two just met, so you can't be mad at him when you decided to have a one night stand. And in Rico's case, he can't be mad that she left because he knew that it was a one night stand too and he left her a curt note which made it obvious that she should leave and that they won't have any relationship or anything after. So they are both being hypocritical idiots!
It's also pretty stupid that she gave away all of the money that she inherited. I understand why she did it, but at least keep some of it to help you get started in the world. If someone got that kind of money in real life (no matter their personality), most likely they would keep at least half of it. It just seems highly unlikely that anyone who inherits a large some of money and is an orphan would just give it all away with no plan on how to buy a house.
Also, this is another Harlequin novel that ends with the hero and heroine admitting that they fell in love the minute they saw each other. Can we just stop with this ridiculous cliche?! I know what I'm getting into when I'm reading a Harlequin romance novel, but this cliche always irritates me even though I'm always expecting it.
Full review soon.
(I'm not sure if I will write more of my thoughts on the book later or if I'll just leave it like this).
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Wasn't a big fan of this h. She had some really good reasons for not telling the H she was expecting: 1) He dodged out the morning after a ONS with only a cryptic note about the room being paid for; and 2) She saw on the news how he crucified some other woman who claimed he was the father of her baby. Nevertheless, those reasons were completely shrugged off by the H. He did admit the first was a mistake and the second was a con job, but he never validated her fears. He just steamrolled in with anger, self-righteous indignation and bullish threats about taking the h to court.
The h was another story. She had a degree and she was waitressing and living in a dive. Come on, she could've at least gone to work for social services herself with a degree in psychology. And don't get me started on the money she gave away...🙄 I have no problem with the fact that she didn't want any part of ill-gotten gains, but her father's inheritance wasn't all tainted money. Even if the events of giving the money away happened before she was pregnant, she should've at least had the sense to use some to get a decent place.
She rarely took a rational stand on anything, her arguments came off ridiculously shrewish and even then she never stuck to her guns. Believe it or not, I wanted to like it. It had promise, I just didn't like the character development. I usually love Abby Green so this was a letdown.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Overly dominating men are a definite turnoff for me.
It took about 70 percent of the book for me to start even remotely liking Rico. Then I read what he went through when he went as young and understood him better. The last 30% was better. Far too often when a child is abused, they tend to show tendencies of the abuser later. I do like strong men but not someone who tries to TELL me what to do. I want a partner who respects me for who I am and what I can contribute. My father made the money in my family but it was our mother who held us together.
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It had a bit more unnecessary melodrama that communication could have easily resolved, but what harlequin doesn't. This book offered a nice mix of old-school harlequin vibes, mixed with modern outlooks. The only part that fell a little flat for me was the ending. The whole he loves her, so he will let her go thing made very little sense. I get the idea, but it made very little sense in the context. Overall, worth the read.
This was really good. I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a Harlequin book whereby the Hero wasn't such an a**hole - an overbearing one. The MMC was indeed hot, sexy and rich - no doubt. The heroine came from a very rich background as well, so that was a good element of surprise. I loved the idea of the secret baby girl. I lived for it! The way to "win back" the baby was really good, too. Not oppressive. Nice. Nice. Nice. Really enjoyed this baby.