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His Brother's Child
Whose baby?
When Donna discovered she was pregnant, and Toni Mantini proposed, she was overjoyed.
But Rinaldo Mantini wasn't. He suspected Donna of latching on to his younger brother to secure herself a wealthy life-style.
Then Toni was cruelly snatched away from them all, and Rinaldo insisted that Donna become his wife - he would not allow her baby to be born out of wedlock. To marry Rinaldo was to marry her greatest enemy, but how could Donna deny him the chance of being a father to his brother's child?
When Donna discovered she was pregnant, and Toni Mantini proposed, she was overjoyed.
But Rinaldo Mantini wasn't. He suspected Donna of latching on to his younger brother to secure herself a wealthy life-style.
Then Toni was cruelly snatched away from them all, and Rinaldo insisted that Donna become his wife - he would not allow her baby to be born out of wedlock. To marry Rinaldo was to marry her greatest enemy, but how could Donna deny him the chance of being a father to his brother's child?
288 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 1997
About the author
Lucy Gordon
699 books91 followersChristine Sparks was born in England, UK. She wanted to be a writer all her life, and began by working on a British women's magazine. As a features writer, she gained a wide variety of experience. She interviewed some of the world's most attractive and interesting men, including Warren Beatty, Richard Chamberlain, Charlton Heston, Sir Roger Moore, Sir Alec Guiness.
Single life was so enjoyable that she put marriage, and even romance, on the back burner, while she went about the world having a great time. Then, while on vacation in Venice, she met a tall, dark handsome Venetian artist, who changed all her ideas in a moment, and proposed on the second day. Three months later they were married. Her friends said a whirlwind romance would never last, but they celebrated their 25 anniversary, they are still married, still happy and in love.
After 13 years on the magazine Christine decided that it was now or never if she was ever going to write that novel. So she wrote Legacy of Fire which became a Silhouette Special Edition, followed by another, Enchantment in Venice. Then she did something crazy gave up her job. Since then she has concentrated entirely on writing romances for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette and has written over 75 books. Her settings have been European and her heroes mainly English or Italian. Christine now claims to be an expert on one particular subject. Italian men are the most romantic in the world. They are also the best cooks.
A few years ago she and her husband returned to Venice and lived there for a couple of years. This proved the perfect base for exploring the rest of Italy, and she has given many of her books Italian settings: Venice (of course), Rome, Florence, Milan, Sicily, Tuscany. She has also used the Rhine in Germany for Song of the Lorelei, for which she won her first RITA Award, in 1991. Her second RITA came in 1998, with His Brother's Child, set in Rome.
Eventually Christine Fiorotto and her husband returned to England, where they now live. She write and he paints, they have no children, but have a cat and a dog.
Single life was so enjoyable that she put marriage, and even romance, on the back burner, while she went about the world having a great time. Then, while on vacation in Venice, she met a tall, dark handsome Venetian artist, who changed all her ideas in a moment, and proposed on the second day. Three months later they were married. Her friends said a whirlwind romance would never last, but they celebrated their 25 anniversary, they are still married, still happy and in love.
After 13 years on the magazine Christine decided that it was now or never if she was ever going to write that novel. So she wrote Legacy of Fire which became a Silhouette Special Edition, followed by another, Enchantment in Venice. Then she did something crazy gave up her job. Since then she has concentrated entirely on writing romances for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette and has written over 75 books. Her settings have been European and her heroes mainly English or Italian. Christine now claims to be an expert on one particular subject. Italian men are the most romantic in the world. They are also the best cooks.
A few years ago she and her husband returned to Venice and lived there for a couple of years. This proved the perfect base for exploring the rest of Italy, and she has given many of her books Italian settings: Venice (of course), Rome, Florence, Milan, Sicily, Tuscany. She has also used the Rhine in Germany for Song of the Lorelei, for which she won her first RITA Award, in 1991. Her second RITA came in 1998, with His Brother's Child, set in Rome.
Eventually Christine Fiorotto and her husband returned to England, where they now live. She write and he paints, they have no children, but have a cat and a dog.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 31, 2017
This was a little disappointing, but Lucy Gordon still managed to turn the romance knife.
The heroine has arrived at the Italian mansion in the sky with her charming but lite lover. He is the beloved little brother of the house. The H, Signore Brooder with subtle mommy issues, lays out a $10,000 bribe immediately then follows it promptly with an offer for number one mistress with an unlimited budget. Didn't see that coming. I think I was more surprised than the heroine.
Long story short, the charmer kicks the bucket and the H blackmails the h into marriage. Not a lot happens really.
However, and it's a big one, the evil OW gets one of the best comeuppance ever. The only one that nears it is another Lucy Gordon book, The Pregnancy Bond where the h subtly suggests that she may poison the OW.
The heroine has arrived at the Italian mansion in the sky with her charming but lite lover. He is the beloved little brother of the house. The H, Signore Brooder with subtle mommy issues, lays out a $10,000 bribe immediately then follows it promptly with an offer for number one mistress with an unlimited budget. Didn't see that coming. I think I was more surprised than the heroine.
Long story short, the charmer kicks the bucket and the H blackmails the h into marriage. Not a lot happens really.
However, and it's a big one, the evil OW gets one of the best comeuppance ever. The only one that nears it is another Lucy Gordon book, The Pregnancy Bond where the h subtly suggests that she may poison the OW.
October 9, 2015
What drew me first was Donna. Her clever comebacks to Rinaldo's scathing remarks were winner. And I applauded the way she handled Selina. Way to go girl!
This was one of those rare moments where I pity the hero, Rinaldo. The author smartly gave us glimpses of Rinaldo thoughts, let us see how tortured his soul was. Poor guy. Some of them tug my heartstrings. His problems were nothing too tragic and might happen to the rest of us, but they affected him deeply.
The ups and downs of Donna and Rinaldo's relationship was told nicely. The story flow made me couldn't put the book down. This book made me laugh out loud and broke to tears. Bravo to the author.
Oh, and Donna was 27 years old. So there's hope to women above 23 to get her own billionaire. Yay.
This was one of those rare moments where I pity the hero, Rinaldo. The author smartly gave us glimpses of Rinaldo thoughts, let us see how tortured his soul was. Poor guy. Some of them tug my heartstrings. His problems were nothing too tragic and might happen to the rest of us, but they affected him deeply.
The ups and downs of Donna and Rinaldo's relationship was told nicely. The story flow made me couldn't put the book down. This book made me laugh out loud and broke to tears. Bravo to the author.
Oh, and Donna was 27 years old. So there's hope to women above 23 to get her own billionaire. Yay.
March 28, 2022
I m careful around this author. I don't even trust her reviews. The first book of hers I read after reading raving comments about it, I discovered later that it wasn't a safe book (cheating). Now this book too reeks of a similar trope but I m treading carefully. Because the reviews here dont have a safety warning. I think all her fans are used to cheating tropes so they don't reveal the safety.
Edit:- I m 40% in and finding it hard to connect to the characters. Her writing is rapid. The dialogues like a over-enacted play. They dont seem natural but more like a scripted play where the actors make exaggerated gestures and voice modulation. "Never fear" instead of "don't worry"; "the truth holds no terror to me" instead of simply "I m not afraid of anything"- what is this? 16th century? Who talks like that? Not even Europeans talk like this. It's so artificial. And the events were happening so fast that I was having difficulty keeping up. It was like a whiplash. See I m a VERY empathetic person. I take angst seriously. When I was about to get the feel of the scene and connect to the emotions of the characters, the scenes ended or changed swiftly. And the moment was deflated. And the dialogue and feelings expressed were- odd. I don't know how to put it, but they didn't follow the natural flow of someone's thought process. There's no effortless flow to it. It felt like someone deliberately sat and thought out every word and which direction to follow. It was like they were only speaking for the sake of it. It's just odd.
Edit 2:- I am almost finished. But it's a torture. The book is dragging. I m contemplating dnf.
The lack of passion is boring. Like there's no chemistry at all. None of her books have. There are only heaps of dialogues but no actions that will give some emotional jostling. It was do flat. The story was monotonous and stoic. Like a telenovela. It was frustrating. I thought it would be passionate Enemies to lovers affair with a lot of angst and grovelling but it was bland and tasteless.
And the author has this uninformed idea that there can be no sex during pregnancy. I dont know which year this was written in but I m pretty sure even in 90s doctors would tell that it's okay to have sex during pregnancy.
And oh yes. SAFETY WARNING- The guy is in a long term arrangement with his ex-fiance and that bitch still comes to their house even after marriage and he hasn't broken contact with her. He even defends the ow infront of the h. When one night he doesn't come home the h confronts her and he doesn't dispel her doubts of keeping her as mistress but inunciates that he will do whatever he wants and that as his wife she is not allowed to question him or cheat on him. Basically he tells he is free to cheat but she cant because she is his property and this is Italy. Men do whatever they want.
And where was the romance? No chemistry, no romance and the constant mention of the brother. He was an ever present entity till the end and the h said she loved him over and over everytime they talked. It was frustrating as hell. It was always Toni Toni Toni Toni.
And the OW drama at the end was so unnecessary and cheap that it was reeking of last minute effort to keep the story afloat as it was already sinking. Blech! It was just drama for the sake of drama. There was nothing keeping the story interesting so the author threw that last ditch cliche trope to start the adrenaline. It was pitiful.
Anyway, only jeanie Lucas will be my favourite HP and mills and boons author, I will never find anyone else better than her. So Lucy Gordon is a pass.
Edit:- I m 40% in and finding it hard to connect to the characters. Her writing is rapid. The dialogues like a over-enacted play. They dont seem natural but more like a scripted play where the actors make exaggerated gestures and voice modulation. "Never fear" instead of "don't worry"; "the truth holds no terror to me" instead of simply "I m not afraid of anything"- what is this? 16th century? Who talks like that? Not even Europeans talk like this. It's so artificial. And the events were happening so fast that I was having difficulty keeping up. It was like a whiplash. See I m a VERY empathetic person. I take angst seriously. When I was about to get the feel of the scene and connect to the emotions of the characters, the scenes ended or changed swiftly. And the moment was deflated. And the dialogue and feelings expressed were- odd. I don't know how to put it, but they didn't follow the natural flow of someone's thought process. There's no effortless flow to it. It felt like someone deliberately sat and thought out every word and which direction to follow. It was like they were only speaking for the sake of it. It's just odd.
Edit 2:- I am almost finished. But it's a torture. The book is dragging. I m contemplating dnf.
The lack of passion is boring. Like there's no chemistry at all. None of her books have. There are only heaps of dialogues but no actions that will give some emotional jostling. It was do flat. The story was monotonous and stoic. Like a telenovela. It was frustrating. I thought it would be passionate Enemies to lovers affair with a lot of angst and grovelling but it was bland and tasteless.
And the author has this uninformed idea that there can be no sex during pregnancy. I dont know which year this was written in but I m pretty sure even in 90s doctors would tell that it's okay to have sex during pregnancy.
And oh yes. SAFETY WARNING- The guy is in a long term arrangement with his ex-fiance and that bitch still comes to their house even after marriage and he hasn't broken contact with her. He even defends the ow infront of the h. When one night he doesn't come home the h confronts her and he doesn't dispel her doubts of keeping her as mistress but inunciates that he will do whatever he wants and that as his wife she is not allowed to question him or cheat on him. Basically he tells he is free to cheat but she cant because she is his property and this is Italy. Men do whatever they want.
And where was the romance? No chemistry, no romance and the constant mention of the brother. He was an ever present entity till the end and the h said she loved him over and over everytime they talked. It was frustrating as hell. It was always Toni Toni Toni Toni.
And the OW drama at the end was so unnecessary and cheap that it was reeking of last minute effort to keep the story afloat as it was already sinking. Blech! It was just drama for the sake of drama. There was nothing keeping the story interesting so the author threw that last ditch cliche trope to start the adrenaline. It was pitiful.
Anyway, only jeanie Lucas will be my favourite HP and mills and boons author, I will never find anyone else better than her. So Lucy Gordon is a pass.
March 12, 2021
This was a satisfying read. As the reader you figured out fairly quickly that the hero was in love with heroine and that most of the torture came from loving his brother’s girl.
Heroine: 27 years old, pregnant and engaged to marry the brother(Toni) of the hero (Rinaldo). Toni cares for her in a way others have not, plus she gives Toni some mothering which he gravitated to
Hero- 34 ish... believes that Donna(h) is a gold digger like the previous brother’s fiancé’s and can be bought off, however he is also taken with her even though she is just “ordinary” He is reluctantly in love with her at first sight although he hasn’t come to terms with it.
OM- 24–He is a huge part of the angst, although he is dead for more than 1/2 of the book. He is immature, very indulged, but also loving and kind to the h. Unfortunately the hero believes Toni is the h’s love of her life(she realizes the day he dies that she will not marry him because he is too immature) Rinaldo is jealous of the fact that his brother has secured the love of the h...this jealousy continues after his brother has died
OW- She had her chance with the H years ago...blew it to be a low rate actress who is no stranger to the casting couch. They do resume a sexual affair years later but this ends before the h is on the scene. She spreads lies as easily as she spreads other things I’m sure...(ok that was crass😬)
Grandfather Mantini- the patriarch of the household...welcomes the h with open arms right away(this is shocking, so used to grumpy old men causing problems) Alas, he was not grumpy at all! Plus he has a cat...that eats dinner at the table with him.
The cat....hisses at the ow and loves the h...you can trust animals’ intuitions
Why isn’t this a 5 for me? There was a huge build up in the end...it was awesome...then it just petered out with a 1 paragraph cop out summary. If ever a book would benefit from an epilogue, this one would!!
Heroine: 27 years old, pregnant and engaged to marry the brother(Toni) of the hero (Rinaldo). Toni cares for her in a way others have not, plus she gives Toni some mothering which he gravitated to
Hero- 34 ish... believes that Donna(h) is a gold digger like the previous brother’s fiancé’s and can be bought off, however he is also taken with her even though she is just “ordinary” He is reluctantly in love with her at first sight although he hasn’t come to terms with it.
OM- 24–He is a huge part of the angst, although he is dead for more than 1/2 of the book. He is immature, very indulged, but also loving and kind to the h. Unfortunately the hero believes Toni is the h’s love of her life(she realizes the day he dies that she will not marry him because he is too immature) Rinaldo is jealous of the fact that his brother has secured the love of the h...this jealousy continues after his brother has died
OW- She had her chance with the H years ago...blew it to be a low rate actress who is no stranger to the casting couch. They do resume a sexual affair years later but this ends before the h is on the scene. She spreads lies as easily as she spreads other things I’m sure...(ok that was crass😬)
Grandfather Mantini- the patriarch of the household...welcomes the h with open arms right away(this is shocking, so used to grumpy old men causing problems) Alas, he was not grumpy at all! Plus he has a cat...that eats dinner at the table with him.
The cat....hisses at the ow and loves the h...you can trust animals’ intuitions
Why isn’t this a 5 for me? There was a huge build up in the end...it was awesome...then it just petered out with a 1 paragraph cop out summary. If ever a book would benefit from an epilogue, this one would!!
May 1, 2025
Very good story, enjoyable characters. Only problem is it felt like I was reading about people at a distance, it lacks immediacy. Reread and like less.
May 15, 2019
His Brother's Baby
This was about the hero believing that she was a good differ only after the family money. She was engaged to his younger brother. But what happens when the brother dies? He will take her as his bride, to give her child the family name. Will it work out? What about his lover? Will his bride turn a blind eye, just because they weren't in love?
This was about the hero believing that she was a good differ only after the family money. She was engaged to his younger brother. But what happens when the brother dies? He will take her as his bride, to give her child the family name. Will it work out? What about his lover? Will his bride turn a blind eye, just because they weren't in love?
May 14, 2017
This was truly awful and I really wanted to hate it (I did at first), but then I got sucked in by the ridiculous drama and kind of enjoyed it 🤐🙈
November 14, 2023
Uma história simples sobre um homem se casando para segurar a guarda de uma criança.
Os diálogos são interessantes, mas não foi o suficiente para assegurar a qualidade.
Os diálogos são interessantes, mas não foi o suficiente para assegurar a qualidade.
January 24, 2016
This is a real angsty read and I was in an angsty mood so... I loved the heroine Donna. She was a strong heroine and after so many harlequin doormats, this one made the story a very interesting read.
Donna is introduced as the hero's brothers fiancee who is pregnant with his baby and the hero falls in love with her. He mistrusts her and is pretty cruel to her. Donna loves the hero's brother tony but that is a needy kind of love. Tony needs her while she longs to be needed having been alone all her life. The sad part is when Tony dies, our hero realizes that he misjudged the heroine and she isnt a golddigger. But the heroine wants nothing to do with the hero. The hero marries her, but is jealous of his dead brother and also suffering from the pangs of unrequited love. In the end the strong hero is reduced to a broken tormented man ready to settle down for even crumbs of her affection.
The heroine who realizes the physical attraction to the hero at the very beginning, she knows that they are very late to explore that plain of what could have been.. a brother too late.. a baby too late..
She stands up to the hero, decides to build a life with her fiance but when he is killed and she has to marry the hero, she after telling him a few home truths, comforts him in his grief...
The hero's regret, his love, desperation, the heroines loss, longing, her near death experience that drove the hero into depths of despair makes this book a deep angsty and a beautiful read
Donna is introduced as the hero's brothers fiancee who is pregnant with his baby and the hero falls in love with her. He mistrusts her and is pretty cruel to her. Donna loves the hero's brother tony but that is a needy kind of love. Tony needs her while she longs to be needed having been alone all her life. The sad part is when Tony dies, our hero realizes that he misjudged the heroine and she isnt a golddigger. But the heroine wants nothing to do with the hero. The hero marries her, but is jealous of his dead brother and also suffering from the pangs of unrequited love. In the end the strong hero is reduced to a broken tormented man ready to settle down for even crumbs of her affection.
The heroine who realizes the physical attraction to the hero at the very beginning, she knows that they are very late to explore that plain of what could have been.. a brother too late.. a baby too late..
She stands up to the hero, decides to build a life with her fiance but when he is killed and she has to marry the hero, she after telling him a few home truths, comforts him in his grief...
The hero's regret, his love, desperation, the heroines loss, longing, her near death experience that drove the hero into depths of despair makes this book a deep angsty and a beautiful read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2016
4 1/2 Stars! ~ Toni Mantini adored his fiancée, Donna and together they traveled to Italy to meet his family. For the first time since she was a child, Donna feels truly loved and she’s anxious to begin her new life with Toni and their unborn child. Toni’s grandfather welcomes Donna with open arms, but his older brother Rinaldo isn’t as ecstatic about the couple. A tragic car accident takes Toni’s life, places Donna in hospital and causes his grandfather to have a severe stroke. Rinaldo’s family is falling apart and he still has his doubts about Donna’s motives. But to give Toni’s child the Mantini name is very important to this very Italian family. Rinaldo insists that Donna marry him; that it would have been what Toni wanted.
This is an emotionally intense love story. Donna is a very strong woman who isn’t afraid to stand up to Rinaldo, even when he insults her integrity. Rinaldo is one who loves to control, and he hates the turmoil Donna has brought to their family. But he loves his grandfather and he vows the child must be born a Mantini. Donna and Rinaldo have an unmistakable attraction that draws and repels at the same time. Ms. Gordon likes to write a scene where her heroine triumphs over an injustice. That scene in this book is exceptionally well done, and I cheered heartily for Donna. A very enjoyable read.
This is an emotionally intense love story. Donna is a very strong woman who isn’t afraid to stand up to Rinaldo, even when he insults her integrity. Rinaldo is one who loves to control, and he hates the turmoil Donna has brought to their family. But he loves his grandfather and he vows the child must be born a Mantini. Donna and Rinaldo have an unmistakable attraction that draws and repels at the same time. Ms. Gordon likes to write a scene where her heroine triumphs over an injustice. That scene in this book is exceptionally well done, and I cheered heartily for Donna. A very enjoyable read.
July 31, 2016
Different harlequin. The heroine Donna is pregnant with her fiancés child. They go to Italy to meet his family. The elder brother Rinaldo (H) is totally opposed to the wedding, thinks Donna is a gold digger etc etc. Donna stands up for herself well and doesn't back down. Anyway the fiancé dies in a car crash so Rinaldo marries Donna to give her child his name. During the marriage their opinions of each other start to change but they are both still grieving for the brother. Also a wicked other woman who sows misunderstanding between them. Both of them need to overcome their conflicted feelings for each other as well as towards the dead brother/fiancé before they resolve their relationship.
July 25, 2016
I was looking for angst and this wasn't it.
January 12, 2016
no me gusto, no se me gusta el cliché pero esto fue la tapa de la olla
May 20, 2016
Me gusto la historia, tiene ciertas partes que no me encantaron, pero en general una lectura rápida, ligera y con un buen final.
April 15, 2017
Too frustrating. I spent 90% of the time reading the book, wanting to throw it against a wall. Seriously. Hateful characters. Especially Rinaldo, the male hero. Made me want to punch him. And I'm not generally a violent woman. The dead hero, Toni, was stupid and immature. The female heroine, Donna, was probably the best character in the book, which is not saying a lot, since the other characters, except Maria and Piero, were seriously f@cked up.
Also, I feel offended. I'm Italian and I assure you most men don't freaking behave like Rinaldo. He told Donna that's the way Italians are. No freaking way! Not even in the 90s. No, no, no! I might have liked it a bit better if not for that thing. It was really annoying. I'm so not rating this book more than 2 stars. I really can't see how so many people could have liked this book and rated it high.
Also, I feel offended. I'm Italian and I assure you most men don't freaking behave like Rinaldo. He told Donna that's the way Italians are. No freaking way! Not even in the 90s. No, no, no! I might have liked it a bit better if not for that thing. It was really annoying. I'm so not rating this book more than 2 stars. I really can't see how so many people could have liked this book and rated it high.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews