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The Sicilian's Stolen Son

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At the Sicilian's bidding…and bedding!

The only link Jemima Barber has to her troubled late twin sister is her nephew. So when the boy's father storms into their lives to reclaim the child that was stolen from him, Jemima lets the forbidding Sicilian believe she is her smooth seductress of a sister.

Though his son's mother might be gentler than Luciano Vitale remembers, he's resolved to make her pay in the most pleasurable way imaginable. But when he discovers she's a virgin, her secret is out! Now Luciano has a new proposal: Jemima can atone for her sister's sins—by becoming his wife!

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 2016

184 people are currently reading
280 people want to read

About the author

Lynne Graham

1,763 books1,448 followers
Librarian 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.

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5 stars
198 (25%)
4 stars
204 (26%)
3 stars
252 (32%)
2 stars
93 (12%)
1 star
22 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
Profile Image for StMargarets.
3,212 reviews631 followers
June 14, 2018
Heroine tries to pass herself off as the mother of her dead sister's baby. Hero is the sperm donor who was scammed for money by the dead sister, a con artist who never intended him to know his son.

This was a flimsy premise for a story and LG never really expands on it. The heroine keeps up her deception (hero never met the surrogate mother of his child) for over half of the story. When the gig is up and the virgin heroine succumbs to the hero's seduction, there is the token resistance to marriage, a last minute black moment about the hero's first wife that doesn't go anywhere, and mutual declarations of love that had to be built on sexual compatibility since there isn't much else between these two.

Since I can't stand lying liars who lie - and the heroine is one for far too long - I couldn't warm up to her and her ridiculous loyalty to her sociopath twin. The hero was a generic alpha - buttoned down by past traumas but still warm and loving by the end. No cute pets to liven this one up, either.

A miss for me.
Profile Image for Chantal ❤️.
1,361 reviews912 followers
March 23, 2016
Well it was good but not amazing. I love her epilogue and I enjoyed their hot steamy sex scene but it was too much talking for my liking and a lot of drama for nothing. It's crazy that I miss the dysfunctional way she writes about the characters. Also I did not feel the love radiate out of this book. The passion was there but it was not blazing! Just good not great. A keeper anyways.
Profile Image for Melluvsbooks.
1,570 reviews
February 9, 2022
Twin swap and surprise virgin! 😍😍😍


This was a solid quick read that was surprisingly less angsty than I was expecting.

The h is sweet and selfless.

The H is a good loyal person, even though he’s been left cynical from his past.

I mean? I kinda wish he’d been less of a good person. 😬 His ruthless mafia dude dad (who blackmailed his young mother into marriage after seeing her on the beach) seemed like he might have been more my speed…. 👀🙈🤣🤣


Bottom Line? This was a pleasant, if forgettable read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️




⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️

- no cheating or sharing

- OW drama - very minimal - the H was widowed by an Evil Cackling Whore - the sister lives in the guest house in the estate… and she tries to meddle but isn’t successful

- OM drama - the h’s ex boyfriend (who slept with her twin) is still sniffing around - the h isn’t interested

- no dubcon

- h is 24-yr old virgin

- H is an older experienced man - not a manwhore

- condoms used and bc discussed - he decides he doesn’t want to use condoms with her after they are engaged
Profile Image for Caro.
513 reviews47 followers
August 14, 2016
Para ser un libro de Lynne Graham, no destaca demasiado. Después de la mitad hasta se volvió cansador. El prota tiene un hijo de probeta con Julie, hermana de la protagonista, aunque todo se da muy fríamente porque no tienen contacto sexual. Aun así, eso me hizo un poco de ruido. Jemima (a la que inevitablemente imaginé con pelo rosado cuando la llamaban Jem xD) es una chica buena de la que su hermana melliza siempre se ha abusado. Julie muere debido a su vida disipada y Jem se hace cargo del bebé, hasta que llega Luciano, el héroe, que cree que ella es la madre de su hijo y no quiere dejárselo.
Ponerle dos estrellas es incluso generoso, me gustó al comienzo y luego decayó para no volver a mejorar.
Profile Image for Jacqueline J.
3,565 reviews371 followers
April 8, 2016
This book just seemed incredibly rushed. It had potential but it seemed more like an outline than a fully completed novel. I'm sad that most new HPs seem so much less robust than older ones. They are technically the same amount of pages but maybe the print is bigger or something. What story there was was pretty convoluted. I didn't believe anyone's motivations and have no idea how these two contrived to fall in love with each other.
Profile Image for Grecia Robles.
1,697 reviews467 followers
June 24, 2017
Oro libro que tenía toooodos los elementos para que me gustara peeeero fue demasiado corto, las cosas se desarrollan a la velocidad del sonido para no exagerar tanto iba a poner la luz y eso no permitió que la historia la llegara a disfrutar y es que además que es casi irreal porque suceden en que 7 diás ? NO NO NO, como digo hubiera estado mejor que fuera un libro más extenso.
Aunque el final si me gustó ay es que amo los finales felices.
Profile Image for Jenny.
3,160 reviews558 followers
March 2, 2016
Hero is a widower whose first wife and child died on a crash. It was a very unhappy wedding for him so when he decides to become a father again he chooses a surrogacy arrangement. The baby's mother dies and heroine, her sister, takes her place. Jemima lies and fakes being her twin sister who was an escort and a thief so as to hold on to her nephew. When her secret is out Luciano proposes a marriage of convenience.

I liked this book but I didn't love it. It was a sweet decent love story but not overwhelmingly exciting or anything. The ending was sweet and I really loved the Epilogue!
Profile Image for Mizuki.
3,375 reviews1,400 followers
March 11, 2020
3.7 stars. Once again I was lured to read this novel after reading the preview of its manga adaptation,: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

The artwork is so lovely~

The beginning and the developing parts of the story is pretty solid, the writing is nice too. The plot is okay-ish and believable to a degree. I like how it's explained that in the age of DNA testing and stuff, the heroine's evil twin still .

However, the ending is just kind of weak, it's not a bad ending still...*sighs* I really don't like the Rebecca moment by the ending part of the story, it really does come out of nowhere! I mean, I know the hero was previously married to a beautiful movie star in the past but So when the younger sister of this dead ex-wife tried to kick up some fuss, it feels really shallow and 'melodrama for melodrama's sake'.

Plus, I don't believe the hero gives a shit about his late young daughter no matter what the author wrote in the ending part of the story. Because I hadn't seen the guy mentioned said late daughter in almost an entire book! And there was not even a photo around to prove that he cared!

Anyway, it's still a good escapism and guilty pleasure.

PS: in the face of the WuHan virus pandemic, everyone please stay safe! Avoid crowded places, wear faceamsks or other protections when you go out, wash your hands often, work-from-home if you can, give support to your local medics, pressure your local government to take responsibility to safeguard your community if you must, and don't trust a word from the World Health Organization about how this isn't a pandemic yet!
Profile Image for Penny Watson.
Author 12 books510 followers
Read
April 6, 2016
Big Misunderstanding at Defcon One for me.

JUST TELL HIM THE TRUTH ALREADY!

And then when he realizes she's not the twin sister, he still thinks she's conning him. MORE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING...

And then suddenly (and by suddenly, I mean SUDDENLY) he's all I LOVE YOU, BABE.

This is why I should never never never never read a HP unless it's recommended to me. Never. Never.

Never.

*smacks head against wall*

Never.
Profile Image for iamGamz.
1,549 reviews51 followers
March 13, 2016
3 Stars

“Quit with the lies, Jemima. Lies only make me angry and you don’t want me angry.”



Luciano pays surrogate Jemima to have a baby for him. She learns that he is wealthy and tries to extort more money out of him. Eight months later he finally finds her and his son. However, all is not what he believes it to be.

Jemima’s long lost twin, Julie, shows up in her life, steals her passport and proceeds to commit a series of crimes and frauds under her name. Julie gives birth to Luciano’s baby and a week after he is born, she hands him over to Jemima and disappears.

Now Luciano’s has arrived to collect his child, but how can Jemima give up the baby she loves as her own?

While this isn’t the best HP I’ve read recently, it’s a Decent Read .
Profile Image for Carol Storm.
Author 28 books236 followers
June 16, 2016
Loved Luciano! Jemima was such a fun heroine, simple and down to earth but also very much able to stand up for herself. It's so inspiring to me that after more than twenty five years (and nearly a hundred books) Lynne Graham is still writing the same kind of sweet, sensual, hypnotic stories of passion and desire that I first fell in love with all those years ago!

Favorite Jemima quote: "I'll do anything reasonable, but I won't be intimidated and I won't grovel."
Profile Image for Paula Legate.
Author 17 books25 followers
October 27, 2016
Jemima has been taking care of her nephew since he was days old. Her twin sister has died. She finds out that Her sister stole her identify, running up debt in her name, and even claiming that Jemima is the mother of little Nick.

When Luciano came to claim his son, Jemima knew the only way she had a chance of keeping the baby she loves with all of her heart is to pretend to be the baby's mom, and her twin sister. He has no idea that they are twins.

I found this to be a good book.

Profile Image for Brenda.
246 reviews46 followers
October 31, 2017
I think LG has taken stuff from two of her previous books and thrown them together. Like, the bad twin using good twin's identity to sign a contract with the hero who wanted a child was taken from Ruthless Magnate Convenient wife, only in that the twin did not die like in this book, then the renegading on the surrogacy contract after giving birth was in Contract Bride, only there the h was the surrogate, here it was the h's late twin sister.

I liked Luciano and Jemima though, liked how things developed between them at the island. Liked Jemima's love for the baby and also liked how she got Luciano to reveal his secrets. Jemima's adoptive parents and best friend were very nice and supportive of her. Sweet of Jemima's father to call up Luciano to inform him that Jemima was upset. I would've loved it had Luciano given one solid punch to Steven. After leaving Jemima for her sister, he still arrogantly thought Jemima should marry him and goes about dictating her life, how she should give Nicky up, so that she's free to marry him.

Overall, it was a good, decent read.
Profile Image for Shruthi.
58 reviews15 followers
April 3, 2016
OK Read!

When I read the blurb of this book in LG's page, I thought ii would hate the H. I didn't hate him but I didn't love him either.

This book was so-so... almost bland! That's why it lost it's first star and second because I didn't love any characters. Couldn't connect, couldn't feel anything for them.

Anyway, I'm eagerly waiting for LG's 100th book. I know I'm going to love it
Profile Image for Calysta.
843 reviews8 followers
October 9, 2019
The woman was a bit of a fool, but I mostly liked her. The man was the typical douche but there was enough likable about him that I didn't want to set him on fire. The resolution in chapter ten salved my annoyance at some of the earlier parts, but the epilog was just over the top with all the babies.
Profile Image for Beyond the Pages with Eva K.
3,051 reviews166 followers
August 23, 2023
Quick Summary: A mistaken identity romance

My Review: The Sicilian's Stolen Son by Lynne Graham was a Harlequin Presents Secret Baby Romance. It featured a father who had arranged for a surrogate to birth a son and a twin sister whose identity had been stolen by her sister, who just so happened to be the chosen surrogate.

After given birth, the surrogate mother decided to run away with the baby in hopes that she would get her big payday. When her untimely death occurred, it was her sister who was left to pick up the pieces. As soon as her nephew's biological father showed up to claim his son, all bets were off, regarding raising her sweet charge.

Primary Trope: A billionaire and an innocent virgin

My Final Say: This was an ok read. It was very low in conflict with mild to moderate drama.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: +/-
Audience: A
Profile Image for Lisa (Remarkablylisa).
2,519 reviews1,813 followers
May 2, 2016
I really don't understand why this book has such a high rating because it was literally the most frustrating thing ever. Can we just talk about how he freaking had sex with her without using protection on purpose just so she could have a chance at being pregnant and therefore, stuck with him for the rest of her life??? Like that's freaking insane!!! And the whole thing is just a part of a bigger story. It felt like I read a quarter of the beginning and then the end but not the middle. UGH
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for MBR.
1,384 reviews365 followers
August 8, 2025
He knew he wasn’t fully in control and it made him feel outrageously free of his rigid rules to do as he liked. She would be his for as long as he wanted her and that was all that currently mattered to him.


The Sicilian’s Stolen Son by Lynne Graham delivers all the passion, tension, and emotional depth you would expect from one of her signature Mediterranean romances. Jemima Barber’s life is turned upside down when Luciano Vitale storms in to her life to reclaim his young son, the child carried by Jemima’s late twin sister as part of a surrogacy arrangement gone terribly wrong. In a bid to protect her nephew, Jemima allows Luciano to believe she is her sister, a deception that immediately puts her in the crosshairs of a man known for his ruthless control and scorching intensity.

Luciano is every inch the classic alpha hero; smouldering, sexy, and devastatingly commanding. A widower still haunted by his past, his marriage to a beautiful but faithless woman has left him jaded and mistrustful. Yet, even when he believes Jemima to be the unscrupulous woman who withheld his child, his attraction to her is undeniable. Beneath the arrogance and edge lies a man who is fiercely protective of his son and, as the story unfolds, surprisingly vulnerable when it comes to love.

Jemima was an absolute delight as a heroine. At twenty-four, she is curvy, down-to-earth, and refreshingly warm, a stark contrast to the sophisticated, manipulative sister whose identity she is temporarily forced to assume. Her genuine care for her nephew and her quiet strength make her deeply relatable, and her helpless attraction to Luciano only complicates the precarious situation she is in. Watching her navigate the minefield of his mistrust while trying to hold her own in their increasingly combustible relationship is a large part of the book’s appeal.

The dynamic between them is electric from the start, fueled by a combustible mix of mistrust, desire, and emotional wounds. The turning point, when Luciano discovers the truth about Jemima’s innocence, does not dim the intensity, but rather shifts it into a marriage of convenience that brims with sexual tension and emotional push and pull. Their journey to trust and love is laced with tender moments, sharp exchanges, and just enough vulnerability from Luciano to make his eventual surrender to his feelings truly satisfying.

What I loved most was how Graham managed to make Luciano’s moments of openness enhance rather than weaken his potent, alpha nature. He remains smouldering and authoritative, but with flashes of raw honesty that deepen the romance. The epilogue is especially rewarding, offering a warm, joyful glimpse of their life together that ties the story together beautifully.

Recommended for: fans of marriage of convenience romances, tortured widower heroes, and curvy, relatable heroines who can hold their own against a powerful alpha male.

Final Verdict: Smouldering, heartfelt, and irresistibly romantic, The Sicilian’s Stolen Son delivers in every way you would expect a Graham novel to.

Rating = 4.75/5

For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
Profile Image for April Reader.
189 reviews14 followers
July 31, 2018
I wanted to like this one more but the heroine got on my nerves.

The ‘mistaken identity’ conceit can only work so far in this story until the heroine comes off as as a dummy.

Hero thinks heroine is her evil twin sister, who agreed to a surrogacy agreement and then backed off in order to get more money from hero. Evil sister dies and leaves baby son to her sister, the heroine but doesn’t give h details to contact H.

H eventually finds h and assumes the worst about her. The heroine doesn’t want H to know that she’s not the real mother, but the mother’s twin sister.

Fair enough, I thought for the first 25% of the book. She’s been taking care of Baby Nicky and she doesn’t want to relinquish him to the father until she knows that he’s a decent person. It’s not exactly the right thing to do, but she’s been taking care of the baby since day 1 so I’m not surprised that she’s reserved.

However, once we get to the point where the hero agrees to keep her on as a nanny to the baby for a few weeks until the baby slowly gets used to other surroundings, the h should have told him the truth. Her excuse was that she thought he’d get rid of her if he found out the truth but that doesn’t make any sense based on the characters LG was developing.

Hero first said no to the idea of the heroine acting as nanny because he didn’t trust her character. He only agreed out of eventual desperation. At that point, telling him who she was should have assuaged him more than anything. So her stubborn refusal to admit who she was until the sex scene was ridiculous.

It grated on my nerves because the conceit dragged on for far too long and i no longer cared about the second half of the story.
Profile Image for Page Passion .
856 reviews9 followers
May 6, 2022
Another LG over-the-top hero!

The reviews for this one are mixed. I enjoyed this, but not loved. I love the possessive, over-the-top, controlling heroes in HP - that's the point of the books! I see so many complaints about heroes and figure people must be new to HPlandia. Luciano was a mob boss's son and security was everywhere and they were secluded on a private island!

The twin impersonation/switcheroo thing was different. Not sure if I'd read that before. The Epilogue with all the kids was just perfect.

LG has her formula for sure but it works. Sexy and swoony each time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
710 reviews12 followers
April 5, 2016
Jemima and Julie are twins that were separated at birth and adopted in different homes. When Julie gives birth via surrogate to Luciano Vitale son she leaves the child with Jemima and unfortunately is killed. Jemima loves little Nicky and doesn't realize that months down the road Luciano will find her and his son. She pretends to be Julie so she isn't separated from the boy. Ms. Graham sends you on a roller coaster ride as these two who come from such different worlds realize that their world revolves around Nicky. Luciano is wealthy , extremely handsome and comes from a father who had a dark side, where Jemima comes from a loving home with poor parents. Sparks fly when Luciano finds out Jemima is not the boys mother, and Jemima finds out the deceit her sister used, and from there you will become immersed in a truly deep lovely story. Ms. Graham always delivers a fantastic book and this is a truly wonderful one. You will fall in love with Luciano and learn all the things in the past that make him the hard man he is. Don't miss this book..
Profile Image for Deborah.
2,914 reviews22 followers
April 2, 2016
A quick read with a story that was unique. Loved it
Profile Image for Clara Villadiego.
122 reviews
May 14, 2020
En este libro nos cuentan la vida de Jemima, una muchacha virgen de 24 años que tiene que hacerse cargo de su sobrino, porque su hermana melliza ha muerto y le ha dejado el niño, pero su vida se complica cuando aparece el padre del niño para llevárselo, Jemima se hace pasar por su hermana Julie, para no ser separada del niño, pero se va enamorando de Luciano un hombre millonario y misterioso que además es el padre del bebé que quiere como a su hijo.

La historia es muy entretenida y fácil de leer, pero me parece que todo se da de manera muy conveniente, todo pasa demasiado rápido una vez que Luciano descubre la verdad y eso es poco creíble, pero estuvo entretenida.
Profile Image for Celeste.
1,000 reviews59 followers
November 8, 2024
Cute

Evil twin steals good twins identity and proceeds to lie, cheat and steal with it. She also decides to become a surrogate with it and runs away from the surrogacy parent after giving birth because she wants more money. She leaves the baby with the good twin and then proceeds to die leaving the good twin to face the consequences.

The good twin and the father of the baby were the most normal harlequin/ mill and Boons characters I've read. There is obviously the lie and the misunderstanding that the good twin is the evil twin but they're mostly adult about all of it. The tension was resolved satisfactorily.

I liked it
Profile Image for Debra.
3,465 reviews13 followers
June 17, 2018
The Sicilian's Stolen Son

When she is confronted with the man who was her nephews father she had a choice. He thought she was the greedy witch who stole his son. With a child in the middle Jemima wants only what is best. Her twin sister left a bitter trail behind her before and after her death. Will she be able to help the father as well as her parents heal from the back lash of her sister?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews

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