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Cinderella Seductions #2
The Greek's Pregnant Cinderella
'You will go to the ball.'
And be seduced by a billionaire...
Hotel maid Tabitha is stunned to be gifted a ticket to an elite ball hosted by Greek tycoon Giannis Basinas. It's meant to be a night of pure luxury, but this untouched Cinderella ends up in Giannis's bed - utterly pleasured! Making a hasty morning exit out of the window, Tabitha expects to return to her ordinary life. Until she discovers her midnight mischief has had nine-month consequences!
And be seduced by a billionaire...
Hotel maid Tabitha is stunned to be gifted a ticket to an elite ball hosted by Greek tycoon Giannis Basinas. It's meant to be a night of pure luxury, but this untouched Cinderella ends up in Giannis's bed - utterly pleasured! Making a hasty morning exit out of the window, Tabitha expects to return to her ordinary life. Until she discovers her midnight mischief has had nine-month consequences!
187 pages, Hardcover
Published July 1, 2019
About the author
Michelle Smart
775 books261 followersMichelle Smart is a Publishers Weekly bestselling romance author with a slight-to-severe coffee addiction. With over four million copies of her books sold worldwide, Michelle is now embracing the indie book world to write the passionate romance books she knows her readers love whilst continuing to write for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She is also the author of Butterflies, a standalone romantic and humorous time travel novel set in the 1990s.
A bookworm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback.
Michelle loves hearing from readers and can be contacted directly via her website.
A bookworm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback.
Michelle loves hearing from readers and can be contacted directly via her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
July 3, 2019
2 Stars
I just realized I never reviewed this...
It was just okay for me. I didn't realize this would be so much of a psuedo-re-telling of Cinderella...I mean, of course I saw the title, but I just thought it was just that: a title. And, quite frankly, I am not a huge fan of re-tellings. They have been done to death the last few years and, had I known this was one, I wouldn't have requested it from NG. But, as I said, that's my error.
Other than that, I thought this was very...forgettable. The story was very boring and the characters not all that likeable. The heroine annoyed the shit out of me and it's almost like the fact that she came from a rich family was the only reason the hero and his family accepted her.
I am a sucker for the HP guilty pleasure and this just didn't do it for me. In fact, all it did was make me want to go back and re-read some of the similar books of this nature that I already own and enjoyed a whole lot more.
I just realized I never reviewed this...
It was just okay for me. I didn't realize this would be so much of a psuedo-re-telling of Cinderella...I mean, of course I saw the title, but I just thought it was just that: a title. And, quite frankly, I am not a huge fan of re-tellings. They have been done to death the last few years and, had I known this was one, I wouldn't have requested it from NG. But, as I said, that's my error.
Other than that, I thought this was very...forgettable. The story was very boring and the characters not all that likeable. The heroine annoyed the shit out of me and it's almost like the fact that she came from a rich family was the only reason the hero and his family accepted her.
I am a sucker for the HP guilty pleasure and this just didn't do it for me. In fact, all it did was make me want to go back and re-read some of the similar books of this nature that I already own and enjoyed a whole lot more.
June 9, 2019
...The ticket is in my name. Tonight, you will be Amelia Coulter, and you will dance with handsome men and drink champagne and spend an evening being who you were born to be.’
A real HPlandia Cinderella story !
The heroine, who works as a maid at the billionaire H's luxury Austrian castle-hotel, gets a free $40 000 ticket to his lavish masquerade ball. Her fairy godmother is an amicable, octogenarian widow named Mrs. Coulter.
There have been a few recent HPlandia novels that trade on the Cinderella trope - some going as far as to also include the word in the title. But this novel is actually the closest modern HPlandia retelling of the classic fairytale, right down to the heroine's devious evil stepmother, stripping her of her birthright legacy, and two equally malignant stepsisters.
Two significant variations from the classic fairytale, were:
1. The replacement of the famous glass slipper, with one half of a pair of earrings.
2. The H was a billionaire instead of an aristocrat/nobleman or Prince.
Tabitha was a sweet, adorable, selfless and beautiful heroine. She'd been kicked out of her home at the age of 18, by her stepmother Emmaline, who'd also defrauded her of her rightful inheritance:
Her name was the only thing her stepmother had been unable to take from her. She’d taken everything else, though. Her home, her education, her money, her future…
With little educational qualifications to rely on, Tabitha was forced into a life of menial drudgery working at any hotels that offered free boarding to employees.
This is the heroine, Tabitha:
Not a breath of sound could be heard between them as he slowly lifted the mask up and over the honey-blonde hair. Heart pounding, he stared at a flawless face far more beautiful than he had suspected.
Truly, ethereally beautiful.
The H, Giannis, is an embittered and cynical alpha male whose distrust of women was born out of his failed marriage to an adulterous gold digger named Anastasia. Giannis is the best friend of the H from A Cinderella to Secure His Heir. I'd enjoyed that novel, but this one was even better.
This is the H, Giannis:
Tall, with dark brown hair cut short at the sides and long at the top, Giannis had a nose that was too long and his chin was a little too pointed for him to be considered traditionally handsome. But there was something about him, whether it was the high cheekbones, the clear blue eyes or the full bottom lip, that drew attention.
In true Cinderella fashion, this H has invited at least 50 rich, eligible women to his masquerade ball because his intention is to find a suitable wife. All candidates are independently wealthy because he's determined not to burnt again, by the wiles of a mercenary penis polishing hagbitch, pretending to be his ideal woman.
He's made that coldly calculating decision, but his emotions and his libido are thrown into a tailspin when he catches his first glimpse of the ethereally exquisite Tabitha:
Tabitha could have stepped out of one of the fairy-tale books his sisters had read as children, an enchantress casting her spell over him. Not yet. He wanted to stay under her enchantment and let it take him wherever it desired.
Tabitha knew his identity, because she'd had a crush on him for a few months. In none of her wildest fantasies could she have predicted that Giannis would've been so instantly enraptured by her, that he would stay at her side all night long and refuse to even ask another woman to dance. It was a truly magical and utterly romantic scene.
The night culminated in hot, sweaty sex - because this is HPlandia. And in the morning, while the happy H is whistling and making coffee, Tabitha snuck out through the bedroom window, leaving behind one side of her borrowed diamond earrings.
After this, the angst accelerates as the disillusioned H searches fruitlessly for Tabitha, little knowing that she's working at his own hotel. His disillusionment turns to resentment and dislike when she finally approaches him to reveal that she's pregnant. At this point, the former charming and sexy H changes into a cruel and insulting alpha jerk.
The storyline switches gears as the marriage of convenience trope steps into the second half of the novel. The H continues to show that he's a graduate of the University of Douchedonkeys while the heroine tries to grow a backbone and stand up to him. She torments herself with the notion that he'll never love her as much as he loved the dead first wife.
It's soon revealed that the dead wife was a penis polishing cheater, who'd been pregnant with another man's child when she'd died. This doesn't improve the heroine's confidence and optimism, because the H continues to treat her only as a receptacle for sex and fails to introduce her, as his wife, to his best friend and business colleagues.
Tabitha's backbone is finally hardened at this point and she lays her cards on the table, before leaving him after he refuses to compromise. She uses this short separation to confront her evil stepmother with the proof of fraud. The botoxed villainess and her 2 disgusting daughters finally receive their comeuppance, when they're kicked out of Tabitha's family home.
The H turns up to grovel and declare his everlasting love, after he's experienced a few weeks of well deserved emotional suffering. The epilogue could've been nicer and longer. The MC's baby daughter is born and they're having a proper wedding, to replace the boring and business like ceremony they'd first experienced.
I think this is probably my favourite novel by this author. I haven't enjoyed all of her previous books, but I hope that her future romances are as magical and amazing as this. This appealed to me a lot because Cinderella is my all time favourite fairytale and I never tire of well written adaptations of it.
Safety: No OW, no OM and no cheating.
A real HPlandia Cinderella story !
The heroine, who works as a maid at the billionaire H's luxury Austrian castle-hotel, gets a free $40 000 ticket to his lavish masquerade ball. Her fairy godmother is an amicable, octogenarian widow named Mrs. Coulter.
There have been a few recent HPlandia novels that trade on the Cinderella trope - some going as far as to also include the word in the title. But this novel is actually the closest modern HPlandia retelling of the classic fairytale, right down to the heroine's devious evil stepmother, stripping her of her birthright legacy, and two equally malignant stepsisters.
Two significant variations from the classic fairytale, were:
1. The replacement of the famous glass slipper, with one half of a pair of earrings.
2. The H was a billionaire instead of an aristocrat/nobleman or Prince.
Tabitha was a sweet, adorable, selfless and beautiful heroine. She'd been kicked out of her home at the age of 18, by her stepmother Emmaline, who'd also defrauded her of her rightful inheritance:
Her name was the only thing her stepmother had been unable to take from her. She’d taken everything else, though. Her home, her education, her money, her future…
With little educational qualifications to rely on, Tabitha was forced into a life of menial drudgery working at any hotels that offered free boarding to employees.
This is the heroine, Tabitha:
Not a breath of sound could be heard between them as he slowly lifted the mask up and over the honey-blonde hair. Heart pounding, he stared at a flawless face far more beautiful than he had suspected.
Truly, ethereally beautiful.
The H, Giannis, is an embittered and cynical alpha male whose distrust of women was born out of his failed marriage to an adulterous gold digger named Anastasia. Giannis is the best friend of the H from A Cinderella to Secure His Heir. I'd enjoyed that novel, but this one was even better.
This is the H, Giannis:
Tall, with dark brown hair cut short at the sides and long at the top, Giannis had a nose that was too long and his chin was a little too pointed for him to be considered traditionally handsome. But there was something about him, whether it was the high cheekbones, the clear blue eyes or the full bottom lip, that drew attention.
In true Cinderella fashion, this H has invited at least 50 rich, eligible women to his masquerade ball because his intention is to find a suitable wife. All candidates are independently wealthy because he's determined not to burnt again, by the wiles of a mercenary penis polishing hagbitch, pretending to be his ideal woman.
He's made that coldly calculating decision, but his emotions and his libido are thrown into a tailspin when he catches his first glimpse of the ethereally exquisite Tabitha:
Tabitha could have stepped out of one of the fairy-tale books his sisters had read as children, an enchantress casting her spell over him. Not yet. He wanted to stay under her enchantment and let it take him wherever it desired.
Tabitha knew his identity, because she'd had a crush on him for a few months. In none of her wildest fantasies could she have predicted that Giannis would've been so instantly enraptured by her, that he would stay at her side all night long and refuse to even ask another woman to dance. It was a truly magical and utterly romantic scene.
The night culminated in hot, sweaty sex - because this is HPlandia. And in the morning, while the happy H is whistling and making coffee, Tabitha snuck out through the bedroom window, leaving behind one side of her borrowed diamond earrings.
After this, the angst accelerates as the disillusioned H searches fruitlessly for Tabitha, little knowing that she's working at his own hotel. His disillusionment turns to resentment and dislike when she finally approaches him to reveal that she's pregnant. At this point, the former charming and sexy H changes into a cruel and insulting alpha jerk.
The storyline switches gears as the marriage of convenience trope steps into the second half of the novel. The H continues to show that he's a graduate of the University of Douchedonkeys while the heroine tries to grow a backbone and stand up to him. She torments herself with the notion that he'll never love her as much as he loved the dead first wife.
It's soon revealed that the dead wife was a penis polishing cheater, who'd been pregnant with another man's child when she'd died. This doesn't improve the heroine's confidence and optimism, because the H continues to treat her only as a receptacle for sex and fails to introduce her, as his wife, to his best friend and business colleagues.
Tabitha's backbone is finally hardened at this point and she lays her cards on the table, before leaving him after he refuses to compromise. She uses this short separation to confront her evil stepmother with the proof of fraud. The botoxed villainess and her 2 disgusting daughters finally receive their comeuppance, when they're kicked out of Tabitha's family home.
The H turns up to grovel and declare his everlasting love, after he's experienced a few weeks of well deserved emotional suffering. The epilogue could've been nicer and longer. The MC's baby daughter is born and they're having a proper wedding, to replace the boring and business like ceremony they'd first experienced.
I think this is probably my favourite novel by this author. I haven't enjoyed all of her previous books, but I hope that her future romances are as magical and amazing as this. This appealed to me a lot because Cinderella is my all time favourite fairytale and I never tire of well written adaptations of it.
Safety: No OW, no OM and no cheating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2019
ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review. The views expressed are my honest opinion.
Rating 3.5
Tabitha was brought up in a well to do lifestyle. Until her mother died and her father remarried. When he died and Tabitha turned 18 her stepmother (she also had evil stepsisters, of course) kicked her out with barley anything. Tabitha's only option was to work as a chamber maid.
Years later Tabitha is working at one of the finest hotels. Tabitha is entranced with the owner of the hotel Giannis Basinas. There is going to be a grand ball/party and rumor is Giannis is looking for a wife. Tabitha has befriends a dear old lady who is staying at the hotel and she is her fairy godmother. She gives her the exclusive ticket for the ball, a beautiful dress and accessories. She sends her off to have a good time, because she said Tabitha is a good and giving person and deserves it.
Giannis really isn't looking forward to this party but understands his families concern on him needing a heir. But Giannis was marries before, his wife cheated on and him became pregnant with another mans baby. She died in a care crash and he's never forgotten the pain and bitterness he experienced. He swore he would never fall in love.
Tabitha is headed to the ball when he accidentally runs into Giannis. Giannis is enchanted with her immediately. He steps away but before he leaves asks her to save him a dance. Tabitha enters the ball with no problem (she was concerned if Giannis was there he would wonder why she introduced herself as Tabitha but her invitation is in another name). In no time Giannis returns and claims Tabitha for a dance and they didn't separate all night. They end up back at his apartment and in his bed. Tabitha wakes up the next morning and runs away afraid of what he would think once he learned she isn't who she really said she was.
But a month later Tabitha learns she's pregnant and lets Giannis know. That didn't go well as he believes he was tricked as he learns her true identity. The two then work on what's best for their baby and marriage was the conclusion. The two now need to work through Giannis past and trust issues. Also Tabitha is learning to become more confident and self-assured. Halfway point was when I felt that they started working on their relationship in a more conducive and positive manner.
I liked this but didn't love it. I struggled a little with the heroine during the first half in how she handled the revelations of the baby. She was a little too timid in my humble opinion and insecure. The hero was a pretty typical alpha hero. The second half of the book was much better and more enjoyable. I do wish the epilogue was longer though.
Rating 3.5
Tabitha was brought up in a well to do lifestyle. Until her mother died and her father remarried. When he died and Tabitha turned 18 her stepmother (she also had evil stepsisters, of course) kicked her out with barley anything. Tabitha's only option was to work as a chamber maid.
Years later Tabitha is working at one of the finest hotels. Tabitha is entranced with the owner of the hotel Giannis Basinas. There is going to be a grand ball/party and rumor is Giannis is looking for a wife. Tabitha has befriends a dear old lady who is staying at the hotel and she is her fairy godmother. She gives her the exclusive ticket for the ball, a beautiful dress and accessories. She sends her off to have a good time, because she said Tabitha is a good and giving person and deserves it.
Giannis really isn't looking forward to this party but understands his families concern on him needing a heir. But Giannis was marries before, his wife cheated on and him became pregnant with another mans baby. She died in a care crash and he's never forgotten the pain and bitterness he experienced. He swore he would never fall in love.
Tabitha is headed to the ball when he accidentally runs into Giannis. Giannis is enchanted with her immediately. He steps away but before he leaves asks her to save him a dance. Tabitha enters the ball with no problem (she was concerned if Giannis was there he would wonder why she introduced herself as Tabitha but her invitation is in another name). In no time Giannis returns and claims Tabitha for a dance and they didn't separate all night. They end up back at his apartment and in his bed. Tabitha wakes up the next morning and runs away afraid of what he would think once he learned she isn't who she really said she was.
But a month later Tabitha learns she's pregnant and lets Giannis know. That didn't go well as he believes he was tricked as he learns her true identity. The two then work on what's best for their baby and marriage was the conclusion. The two now need to work through Giannis past and trust issues. Also Tabitha is learning to become more confident and self-assured. Halfway point was when I felt that they started working on their relationship in a more conducive and positive manner.
I liked this but didn't love it. I struggled a little with the heroine during the first half in how she handled the revelations of the baby. She was a little too timid in my humble opinion and insecure. The hero was a pretty typical alpha hero. The second half of the book was much better and more enjoyable. I do wish the epilogue was longer though.
June 9, 2019
Absolutely does as it says on the tin and with a strong fairytale presence throughout, Michelle Smart brings us an endearing couple in Tabitha and Giannis as they get to grips with their little surprise.
Tonight you will be a princess and you will go to the ball.”
Lots of trusted tropes to be found along the way and with plenty of feeling from moments where your heart aches for Tabitha to those romantic gestures which make it sigh happily, The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella ticked the boxes of what I want from a Harlequin romance.
Copy received courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Tonight you will be a princess and you will go to the ball.”
Lots of trusted tropes to be found along the way and with plenty of feeling from moments where your heart aches for Tabitha to those romantic gestures which make it sigh happily, The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella ticked the boxes of what I want from a Harlequin romance.
Copy received courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.
October 1, 2024
3🌪🌈💘⭐️s
A nice, typical, predictable harlequin read.
The ending was rushed and the epilogue could have been expanded and not that short.
Also, some of the dates didn’t add up.
A nice, typical, predictable harlequin read.
The ending was rushed and the epilogue could have been expanded and not that short.
Also, some of the dates didn’t add up.
June 20, 2019
4.5 stars.
Lovely romance based on a favorite fairytale of mine,Cinderella.I only wish that the epilogue was longer and the wicked steps got their comeuppance!
This author has become a favorite in the hp verse.
Lovely romance based on a favorite fairytale of mine,Cinderella.I only wish that the epilogue was longer and the wicked steps got their comeuppance!
This author has become a favorite in the hp verse.
September 25, 2020
A lovely story with a wonderful heroine. She was the highlight of the story to me. I loved how the story progressed too.
Epilogue was short but cute.
Recommended and safe.
Epilogue was short but cute.
Recommended and safe.
June 18, 2019
"The Greek's Pregnant Cinderella" is the story of Tabitha and Giannis.
Wow, this was a pleasant surprise!
Our h works as a chambermaid, struggling to make ends meet when one of the hotel patrons she works for gives her a chance to have her own fairytale. Having had a terrible life after her evil stepmother and two stepsisters threw her out, she now takes it as a chance to wear the beautiful dress, and attend the elite ball..never expecting to attract the attention of the
"prince", aka her boss, famous Greek tycoon Giannis Basinas!
They have instant attraction, that concludes in explosive sex and the h runs away the next morning. The H searches, but cannot find her, until the h misses her period, and decides to inform the H..
Having already had a cheating ex wife, the H is skeptical and full of accusations, but the h stands her ground and fights for her rights, ultimately gaining paternity and legitimacy for her child, as well as finding true love with the H (after a lot of drama!)
Likable, strong characters with a lot of passion and chemistry. I liked the h's determination as well as the H's ability to ultimate believe and help the h out. I enjoyed how she faced her fears, and also the H's grovel. The epilogue was heartwarming too, and his family was very likable!
Safe
4/5
Wow, this was a pleasant surprise!
Our h works as a chambermaid, struggling to make ends meet when one of the hotel patrons she works for gives her a chance to have her own fairytale. Having had a terrible life after her evil stepmother and two stepsisters threw her out, she now takes it as a chance to wear the beautiful dress, and attend the elite ball..never expecting to attract the attention of the
"prince", aka her boss, famous Greek tycoon Giannis Basinas!
They have instant attraction, that concludes in explosive sex and the h runs away the next morning. The H searches, but cannot find her, until the h misses her period, and decides to inform the H..
Having already had a cheating ex wife, the H is skeptical and full of accusations, but the h stands her ground and fights for her rights, ultimately gaining paternity and legitimacy for her child, as well as finding true love with the H (after a lot of drama!)
Likable, strong characters with a lot of passion and chemistry. I liked the h's determination as well as the H's ability to ultimate believe and help the h out. I enjoyed how she faced her fears, and also the H's grovel. The epilogue was heartwarming too, and his family was very likable!
Safe
4/5
February 3, 2020
Cinderella stories are like chocalate
You can't get enough of them. And this one was quite good. I loved the hero and heroine. They meet at a masked ball and she got a ticket from a fairy Godmother, oops I meant an older lady who wanted to thank her for being so sweet. She left an earring behind and not a shoe but she totally blindsided Prince Charming, oops I meant Giannis. It was so sweet. The ending was very moving and he really had to grovel to get her back. Not unforgettable grovel, but he did beg. I loved when she finally faced her evil Stepmother, and she was vile. The epilogue was good, but it wasn't glorious. I wish it had been a little more sparkly! And yes, there is a baby and a wedding. And they loved happily ever after.💓
You can't get enough of them. And this one was quite good. I loved the hero and heroine. They meet at a masked ball and she got a ticket from a fairy Godmother, oops I meant an older lady who wanted to thank her for being so sweet. She left an earring behind and not a shoe but she totally blindsided Prince Charming, oops I meant Giannis. It was so sweet. The ending was very moving and he really had to grovel to get her back. Not unforgettable grovel, but he did beg. I loved when she finally faced her evil Stepmother, and she was vile. The epilogue was good, but it wasn't glorious. I wish it had been a little more sparkly! And yes, there is a baby and a wedding. And they loved happily ever after.💓
July 14, 2019
La la la laaaaa! I am so glad Michelle put “Cinderella” in the title because NO ONE would ever get it. No, honestly, another terrible HP title for a very sweet story. Perhaps The Dropped Diamond or Where’s my Pumpkin? Nope, those are pretty terrible too.
Yep, we have a Cinderella story complete with:
Evil stepmother
Two EVIL stepsisters
Cinderella
Wish granting godmother
And a so-s0 Prince that learns to love and grovel
Overall the story is insanely sweet and I am tempted to give it four stars which is rare for me and an HP. Unfortunately, reality and practicality hit me in the face and prevented me from doing so.
One, the “godmother” of the story buys the down on her luck heroine a $40,000 euro ticket to a ball. $40,00 euros or approximately $45,000 US. Tack on a ballgown that’s probably worth about another $10,000 to 15,000. All the heroine wants is a home of her own, and I think $50,000-60,000 would make a heck of a down payment.
Secondly, the Prince is a jerk. Shock! But what’s worse he deprives our little Cinderella of the white wedding and hides her like a dirty little secret.
The H gets over his meanness pretty quick and later does a pretty good grovel and a white wedding, but in the meantime the heroine throws away the HP h rulebook. Not only does she leave the H because he refuses to love her, but she A heroine with a backbone.
The heroine is a sweetheart without inducing nausea, and the hero grows up and gets his heart back.
Okay, 4 stars.
And here is a quote from the elder lady/godmother that I loved and proving that HP editors need to give their writers more word count to flesh out stories.
First love always is personal, my dear,’ Mrs Coulter mused before a dreamy expression drifted over her wizened face.
‘I remember my first love. He was a bad boy. My father thought he was scum. He was right—Billy was only interested in one thing—but I didn’t care. I thought he was marvellous. The first time we made love was in the shed at the bottom of my garden. My father nearly caught us. He thought foxes had broken in. We only escaped when he went back in the house to get his gun.’
‘What happened to him?’ Tabitha asked, fascinated at this generations-old tale of young love.
‘Who? My father or Billy?’
‘Billy.’
Her eyes crinkled with mischief. ‘I married him, my dear. Billy was my sweet William.
Yep, we have a Cinderella story complete with:
Evil stepmother
Two EVIL stepsisters
Cinderella
Wish granting godmother
And a so-s0 Prince that learns to love and grovel
Overall the story is insanely sweet and I am tempted to give it four stars which is rare for me and an HP. Unfortunately, reality and practicality hit me in the face and prevented me from doing so.
One, the “godmother” of the story buys the down on her luck heroine a $40,000 euro ticket to a ball. $40,00 euros or approximately $45,000 US. Tack on a ballgown that’s probably worth about another $10,000 to 15,000. All the heroine wants is a home of her own, and I think $50,000-60,000 would make a heck of a down payment.
Secondly, the Prince is a jerk. Shock! But what’s worse he deprives our little Cinderella of the white wedding and hides her like a dirty little secret.
The H gets over his meanness pretty quick and later does a pretty good grovel and a white wedding, but in the meantime the heroine throws away the HP h rulebook. Not only does she leave the H because he refuses to love her, but she A heroine with a backbone.
The heroine is a sweetheart without inducing nausea, and the hero grows up and gets his heart back.
Okay, 4 stars.
And here is a quote from the elder lady/godmother that I loved and proving that HP editors need to give their writers more word count to flesh out stories.
First love always is personal, my dear,’ Mrs Coulter mused before a dreamy expression drifted over her wizened face.
‘I remember my first love. He was a bad boy. My father thought he was scum. He was right—Billy was only interested in one thing—but I didn’t care. I thought he was marvellous. The first time we made love was in the shed at the bottom of my garden. My father nearly caught us. He thought foxes had broken in. We only escaped when he went back in the house to get his gun.’
‘What happened to him?’ Tabitha asked, fascinated at this generations-old tale of young love.
‘Who? My father or Billy?’
‘Billy.’
Her eyes crinkled with mischief. ‘I married him, my dear. Billy was my sweet William.
June 12, 2019
I love Cinderella and fairy tales so I knew I would love this book. Greek hero is a hotel owner, he is also sexy, rich and ruthless. Heroine is a hotel maid at one of his hotels. She meets him at a ball and she ends up in his bed. When she discovers she is pregnant she is shocked. Giannis proposes a loveless marriage of convenience but Tabitha falls in love with her cold but charming husband.
Amazing and passionate love story. Hero is dreamy. He is a true alpha hero. He is hard and cruel at the beginning of the book but as the story unfolds and he falls in love with Tabitha he becomes charming and loving. He is a widower but he has no feelings for his dead wife. She cheated on him and she was pregnant with another man's child when she died so hero is kind of weary when it comes to relationship. Heroine is a virgin. She is a sweetheart but I loved her inner strength and the fact that she found the strength to leave Giannis and ruin her evil stepmother. I loved hero's grovel it was super romantic and sweet. Perfect couple, sizzling chemistry and a sweet HEA make this book a must read. Michelle Smart is becoming one of my favorite Harlequin Presents authors. And I hated her first book lol!
Amazing and passionate love story. Hero is dreamy. He is a true alpha hero. He is hard and cruel at the beginning of the book but as the story unfolds and he falls in love with Tabitha he becomes charming and loving. He is a widower but he has no feelings for his dead wife. She cheated on him and she was pregnant with another man's child when she died so hero is kind of weary when it comes to relationship. Heroine is a virgin. She is a sweetheart but I loved her inner strength and the fact that she found the strength to leave Giannis and ruin her evil stepmother. I loved hero's grovel it was super romantic and sweet. Perfect couple, sizzling chemistry and a sweet HEA make this book a must read. Michelle Smart is becoming one of my favorite Harlequin Presents authors. And I hated her first book lol!
September 4, 2019
3.5 stars
Super-sweet story of a chambermaid heroine who is given tickets to a ball and meets the hotel tycoon hero for a night of dancing and unprotected sex. I think we all know where this story is going . . .
There is absolutely nothing new in this story – but it’s enjoyable in the telling nonetheless. Greek hero is cynical about love after his golddigging first wife, English Rose heroine is still traumatized by her truly evil stepmother and stepsisters. But love finds a way. I liked the hero’s sister, as well. Heroine finally has a nice family life again.
Super-sweet story of a chambermaid heroine who is given tickets to a ball and meets the hotel tycoon hero for a night of dancing and unprotected sex. I think we all know where this story is going . . .
There is absolutely nothing new in this story – but it’s enjoyable in the telling nonetheless. Greek hero is cynical about love after his golddigging first wife, English Rose heroine is still traumatized by her truly evil stepmother and stepsisters. But love finds a way. I liked the hero’s sister, as well. Heroine finally has a nice family life again.
June 13, 2019
As my dear friend Ivy has excellently pointed out that H was an honor graduate from the University of Douchedonkeys, the groveling scene below made me rate this 4,5 stars.
"I could not forget you. I tried. God knows I tried, but you were with me all the time, in my head, in my heart… I could not forget you.It’s been the same since you left me but so much worse. You’re in my head, matia mou, under my skin and in my heart. I have missed you more than I thought it was possible to miss another.’ To Tabitha’s utter bewilderment, he sank down onto his knees before her and took her hand in his. ‘Since you left me I can’t breathe properly and I am here to ask you—to beg you— to please give me another chance."
"I could not forget you. I tried. God knows I tried, but you were with me all the time, in my head, in my heart… I could not forget you.It’s been the same since you left me but so much worse. You’re in my head, matia mou, under my skin and in my heart. I have missed you more than I thought it was possible to miss another.’ To Tabitha’s utter bewilderment, he sank down onto his knees before her and took her hand in his. ‘Since you left me I can’t breathe properly and I am here to ask you—to beg you— to please give me another chance."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2019
3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this modern Cinderella story for the first three quarter of the book --that's until the separation. After that I felt everything was rushed.
It started off great with our Cinderella, Tabitha, who is working as a chambermaid for a luxurious hotel in Venice being given a ticket by her benefactor & well-wisher to attend a ball where she meets her dashing prince, Greek billionaire, Giannis Basinas. He owns the hotel and is hosting the ball on request of his childhood friend Alessio Palvetti, the hero of book one in this series.
The entire ball segment was enchanting - how Giannis and Tabitha meet before entering the venue and how he glued himself to her for the entire evening and how they landed up in his apartment and that scorching kiss that led to sex. Also loved Giannis in a happy mood the following morning, whistling while making coffee for his enchantress little knowing she'd vanished. A month later Tabitha is pregnant and typically when she tells Giannis about it, he whisks her off to his home in Greece leading to a marriage of convenience.
Although, Giannis was typical HP alpha who claimed he didn't do love having already been burnt once -- his late wife was pregnant with another man's child when she died in a car accident-- his actions said otherwise. Like how how he roped in his sister to throw a surprise birthday party for Tabitha to see a smile on her face, also thinking of her when he's away, almost calling her just to hear his voice, but doesn't because he's sure the magical spell that has him aching for his wife all the time would end soon. He also had investigation carried out on her wicked step-mother who threw Tabitha out of her own house and gave Tabitha the necessary evidences so she could confront her step-mother & get back everything she'd taken from her.
Which is why, I found it hard to accept Tabitha's reason for calling quits on her marriage. Yes, any wife would be upset and angry if her husband didn't introduce her as his wife to his closest friend and other business associates, but I didn't think it was such a big issue for her to take such a drastic step. She could have given him a good blasting or a cold shoulder for a few days. It wasn't as if he was a very bad husband or completely irredeemable.
It was he who got her acquainted with her inner strength pointing out to the fact that despite being homeless and unable to complete her education, she'd managed to find a job and did great with her life. He encouraged her to believe in herself and helped her gain confidence. Sadly, he ended up becoming the first casualty of her newly found confidence. Further, using the evidences he provided she reclaimed her home and business from her step-mother and was beginning to settle into a life without him.
Her actions, instead of showing her having gained courage & confidence, tilted toward selfishness. It would have been convincing had she stayed and called his bluff about him not being in love with her, stayed and fought for the two of them. So, the entire separation segment, mainly the reasoning behind it, didn't sit well with me.
But, I still enjoyed the book. I loved Giannis' bubbly sister Niki and his big, loving family.
The epilogue wasn't great. Too short
Overall, a very nice read.
I enjoyed this modern Cinderella story for the first three quarter of the book --that's until the separation. After that I felt everything was rushed.
It started off great with our Cinderella, Tabitha, who is working as a chambermaid for a luxurious hotel in Venice being given a ticket by her benefactor & well-wisher to attend a ball where she meets her dashing prince, Greek billionaire, Giannis Basinas. He owns the hotel and is hosting the ball on request of his childhood friend Alessio Palvetti, the hero of book one in this series.
The entire ball segment was enchanting - how Giannis and Tabitha meet before entering the venue and how he glued himself to her for the entire evening and how they landed up in his apartment and that scorching kiss that led to sex. Also loved Giannis in a happy mood the following morning, whistling while making coffee for his enchantress little knowing she'd vanished. A month later Tabitha is pregnant and typically when she tells Giannis about it, he whisks her off to his home in Greece leading to a marriage of convenience.
Although, Giannis was typical HP alpha who claimed he didn't do love having already been burnt once -- his late wife was pregnant with another man's child when she died in a car accident-- his actions said otherwise. Like how how he roped in his sister to throw a surprise birthday party for Tabitha to see a smile on her face, also thinking of her when he's away, almost calling her just to hear his voice, but doesn't because he's sure the magical spell that has him aching for his wife all the time would end soon. He also had investigation carried out on her wicked step-mother who threw Tabitha out of her own house and gave Tabitha the necessary evidences so she could confront her step-mother & get back everything she'd taken from her.
Which is why, I found it hard to accept Tabitha's reason for calling quits on her marriage. Yes, any wife would be upset and angry if her husband didn't introduce her as his wife to his closest friend and other business associates, but I didn't think it was such a big issue for her to take such a drastic step. She could have given him a good blasting or a cold shoulder for a few days. It wasn't as if he was a very bad husband or completely irredeemable.
It was he who got her acquainted with her inner strength pointing out to the fact that despite being homeless and unable to complete her education, she'd managed to find a job and did great with her life. He encouraged her to believe in herself and helped her gain confidence. Sadly, he ended up becoming the first casualty of her newly found confidence. Further, using the evidences he provided she reclaimed her home and business from her step-mother and was beginning to settle into a life without him.
Her actions, instead of showing her having gained courage & confidence, tilted toward selfishness. It would have been convincing had she stayed and called his bluff about him not being in love with her, stayed and fought for the two of them. So, the entire separation segment, mainly the reasoning behind it, didn't sit well with me.
But, I still enjoyed the book. I loved Giannis' bubbly sister Niki and his big, loving family.
The epilogue wasn't great. Too short
Overall, a very nice read.
June 13, 2019
As my dear friend Ivy has excellently pointed out that H was an honor graduate from the University of Douchedonkeys, the groveling scene below made me rate this 4,5 stars.
"I could not forget you. I tried. God knows I tried, but you were with me all the time, in my head, in my heart… I could not forget you. It’s been the same since you left me but so much worse. You’re in my head, matia mou, under my skin and in my heart. I have missed you more than I thought it was possible to miss another.’ To Tabitha’s utter bewilderment, he sank down onto his knees before her and took her hand in his. ‘Since you left me I can’t breathe properly and I am here to ask you—to beg you— to please give me another chance."
"I could not forget you. I tried. God knows I tried, but you were with me all the time, in my head, in my heart… I could not forget you. It’s been the same since you left me but so much worse. You’re in my head, matia mou, under my skin and in my heart. I have missed you more than I thought it was possible to miss another.’ To Tabitha’s utter bewilderment, he sank down onto his knees before her and took her hand in his. ‘Since you left me I can’t breathe properly and I am here to ask you—to beg you— to please give me another chance."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2019
Tabitha is this story's Cinderella. She turns twenty-three during the story. She has been helping take care of an elderly woman whom she calls her benefactor that lives in the hotel where she works and the older woman gives her a $40,000 ticket to a ball and a very expensive dress. It is her thank you for the young woman's help.
Tabitha meets her prince charming that night, Giannis Basinas, who is thirty-five and he doesn't let her out of his sight the entire evening. He even refused to dance with anyone else. He is using this ball to scope out his future wife, a wealthy, upper class woman to have children with. He was badly burned by his first wife as she had been having an affair throughout their relationship and then he found she was pregnant but the timeline showed it could not have been his. They were only married three months before her death. She ends up dying in a automobile accident along with the child she was carrying. Now he just wants a marriage of convenience to have some heirs and a woman to spend some time with but not to love her!! Never for love!! He thinks this and tells us more than enough.
Tabitha and Giannis are drawn together like mad and she ends up going back to his apartment with him and of course we all know what went down...or up. What he doesn't know is she is as poor as a church mouse because her evil step mother stole her home, her money, her inheritance...everything. Tabitha was now working as a chambermaid at Giannis' hotel but he doesn't realize this nor does he recognize her.
When she wakes the next morning and she hears Giannis making coffee she dresses quickly and sneaks out the bedroom window because she has to be at work...for him/his hotel...in a very short while and if late she risks being fired. He goes looking for her, trying to hunt her down because he is more attracted to her than anyone who has ever been in his life. He is obsessed with her but refuses to admit it. She finally seeks him out 4-6 weeks later and she reaches out to him to tell him she is pregnant. He is mad as mad can be and doesn't believe a word she says. He has labelled her an evil- coniving-gold digger amongst other things. He immediately fires her! She will have no way to get through the coming months. All she owns to her name is a gym bag with clothes, old worn clothes!! He is so nasty and makes her feel like a burden most of the way through. All she ever wanted was to feel loved but it illudes her because he has offered to marry her but promises her he will never ever love her and doesn't want her to love him.
During this confrontation he says all kinds of demeaning things to her and believes she stole the ticket to the ball. She is not really supposed to tell who her secret benefactor is, at least that is the way I understood it. The elderly woman didn't tell her she had to keep it a secret but she didn't want the elderly woman brought into her troubles and possible get in trouble herself.
What really bothered me about this book:
1. Since Giannis had a big white wedding the first time he just wants to get married alone, the two of them, and doesn't really care what she wants. He does give in and invites his family but she has no one there...her side of the aisle was completely empty. I felt so sad for her.
2. For most of the book the hero basically wanted it to be a sex-only relationship and they would love their child but not each other. He put that limitation on their marriage.
3. It seems he hid her away. He didn't take her out in public before or after they were married and when he finally did he refused to introduce her as his wife, even to his closest friend while he let them all come to their own conclusions. It caused Tabitha to feel that he was ashamed of her and was embarrassed that he was married to her. He would not tell any of these people about their upcoming child either. I felt quite sad about that because she was already in love with him and it hurt her so much. It just broke the heroine's heart. It seems everything he did broke her heart and he was a heartless bastard!
4. He had this habit of putting her down, telling her she was weak thinking it would make show her she could be stronger. She was too afraid to go back home and confront her step-mother of all her evil doings which Giannis later found out everything step-mama stole and took from Tabitha including her inheritance from her mother and father she had done so illegally. Tab was abused terribly verbally, mentally and physically and was kicked out of her own home the day she turned eighteen and wasn't even allowed to finish her last semester of school. She only had a half year to go but the old witch cut her off at the knees. She had been so deeply damaged by the treatment she received from the step-mother and her two step-sisters that she never wanted to lay eyes on them again.
5. The hero was not very likeable throughout most of the book. I wish things would have resolved a little sooner than they did. There isn't much left when they don't get back together until the very end. I like having a bit more time of them being together while they both realize they love each other.
6. The heroine worried a lot about the hero's first wife. It bothered her because she thought they had lived in the same house as man and wife that they were now living in and she didn't want to sleep in the bed they were in together. I think she would have gone through a lot less pain if he had just told her about his marriage and what did and didn't happen.
This is a safe read.
No OW/OM drama.
Celibate while apart.
Hero speaks of not being a monk before her met his wife and again since her death five years earlier. I was glad we didn't have to read about his sexual escapades.
I would definitely recommend this book as well as book one in the series.
Tabitha meets her prince charming that night, Giannis Basinas, who is thirty-five and he doesn't let her out of his sight the entire evening. He even refused to dance with anyone else. He is using this ball to scope out his future wife, a wealthy, upper class woman to have children with. He was badly burned by his first wife as she had been having an affair throughout their relationship and then he found she was pregnant but the timeline showed it could not have been his. They were only married three months before her death. She ends up dying in a automobile accident along with the child she was carrying. Now he just wants a marriage of convenience to have some heirs and a woman to spend some time with but not to love her!! Never for love!! He thinks this and tells us more than enough.
Tabitha and Giannis are drawn together like mad and she ends up going back to his apartment with him and of course we all know what went down...or up. What he doesn't know is she is as poor as a church mouse because her evil step mother stole her home, her money, her inheritance...everything. Tabitha was now working as a chambermaid at Giannis' hotel but he doesn't realize this nor does he recognize her.
When she wakes the next morning and she hears Giannis making coffee she dresses quickly and sneaks out the bedroom window because she has to be at work...for him/his hotel...in a very short while and if late she risks being fired. He goes looking for her, trying to hunt her down because he is more attracted to her than anyone who has ever been in his life. He is obsessed with her but refuses to admit it. She finally seeks him out 4-6 weeks later and she reaches out to him to tell him she is pregnant. He is mad as mad can be and doesn't believe a word she says. He has labelled her an evil- coniving-gold digger amongst other things. He immediately fires her! She will have no way to get through the coming months. All she owns to her name is a gym bag with clothes, old worn clothes!! He is so nasty and makes her feel like a burden most of the way through. All she ever wanted was to feel loved but it illudes her because he has offered to marry her but promises her he will never ever love her and doesn't want her to love him.
During this confrontation he says all kinds of demeaning things to her and believes she stole the ticket to the ball. She is not really supposed to tell who her secret benefactor is, at least that is the way I understood it. The elderly woman didn't tell her she had to keep it a secret but she didn't want the elderly woman brought into her troubles and possible get in trouble herself.
What really bothered me about this book:
1. Since Giannis had a big white wedding the first time he just wants to get married alone, the two of them, and doesn't really care what she wants. He does give in and invites his family but she has no one there...her side of the aisle was completely empty. I felt so sad for her.
2. For most of the book the hero basically wanted it to be a sex-only relationship and they would love their child but not each other. He put that limitation on their marriage.
3. It seems he hid her away. He didn't take her out in public before or after they were married and when he finally did he refused to introduce her as his wife, even to his closest friend while he let them all come to their own conclusions. It caused Tabitha to feel that he was ashamed of her and was embarrassed that he was married to her. He would not tell any of these people about their upcoming child either. I felt quite sad about that because she was already in love with him and it hurt her so much. It just broke the heroine's heart. It seems everything he did broke her heart and he was a heartless bastard!
4. He had this habit of putting her down, telling her she was weak thinking it would make show her she could be stronger. She was too afraid to go back home and confront her step-mother of all her evil doings which Giannis later found out everything step-mama stole and took from Tabitha including her inheritance from her mother and father she had done so illegally. Tab was abused terribly verbally, mentally and physically and was kicked out of her own home the day she turned eighteen and wasn't even allowed to finish her last semester of school. She only had a half year to go but the old witch cut her off at the knees. She had been so deeply damaged by the treatment she received from the step-mother and her two step-sisters that she never wanted to lay eyes on them again.
5. The hero was not very likeable throughout most of the book. I wish things would have resolved a little sooner than they did. There isn't much left when they don't get back together until the very end. I like having a bit more time of them being together while they both realize they love each other.
6. The heroine worried a lot about the hero's first wife. It bothered her because she thought they had lived in the same house as man and wife that they were now living in and she didn't want to sleep in the bed they were in together. I think she would have gone through a lot less pain if he had just told her about his marriage and what did and didn't happen.
This is a safe read.
No OW/OM drama.
Celibate while apart.
Hero speaks of not being a monk before her met his wife and again since her death five years earlier. I was glad we didn't have to read about his sexual escapades.
I would definitely recommend this book as well as book one in the series.
May 8, 2020
The book does have all the elements of a Cinderella story...
The Grand Ball, Gown, disappearing after mid-night (Actually it was early morning) Evil Stepmother, Evil Twin Sisters, Fairy Godmother... The prince charming was a jerk though, but he was searching for her madly after her disappearance act.
It was also full of typical HP elements- Greece, Greek hero, Billionaire, Beautiful house with a private beach, Ex cheating wife, trust issues, I don't do love anymore,... Hotel Chambermaid, Unplanned Pregnancy, Get married for the baby's seek, leave hero, unclaimed inheritance ... and the list go on.
The Hero was a complete jerk when she confessed about her pregnancy... one thing I liked about the hero as he took his vows seriously... The heroine was not the ideal one. She was lacking confidence and courage but she did grow up throughout the book.
The book was a combination of Cinderella and the HP version's story. The result was good and I liked it.
The Grand Ball, Gown, disappearing after mid-night (Actually it was early morning) Evil Stepmother, Evil Twin Sisters, Fairy Godmother... The prince charming was a jerk though, but he was searching for her madly after her disappearance act.
It was also full of typical HP elements- Greece, Greek hero, Billionaire, Beautiful house with a private beach, Ex cheating wife, trust issues, I don't do love anymore,... Hotel Chambermaid, Unplanned Pregnancy, Get married for the baby's seek, leave hero, unclaimed inheritance ... and the list go on.
The Hero was a complete jerk when she confessed about her pregnancy... one thing I liked about the hero as he took his vows seriously... The heroine was not the ideal one. She was lacking confidence and courage but she did grow up throughout the book.
The book was a combination of Cinderella and the HP version's story. The result was good and I liked it.
June 14, 2019
Wow a real Cinderella 🤗
Such a passionate and sexy love story I loved everything, the way they met, the night they spent together, how he searched for her but i hated him when she came to tell him about the pregnancy he was so mean 🤨 the jerk !!!
But he redeemed himself thank God and the epilogue was so sweet
Such a passionate and sexy love story I loved everything, the way they met, the night they spent together, how he searched for her but i hated him when she came to tell him about the pregnancy he was so mean 🤨 the jerk !!!
But he redeemed himself thank God and the epilogue was so sweet
September 9, 2019
This was a nice Cinderella retelling with a sweet, virginal h and a cynical but sexy H. It follows the same formula as most books of this trope (billionaire H wronged by one woman, who now will never love another. Struggling virgin h who is all things sweet and kind with surprise baby, trying to win the H's love). Despite the predictable plot, I really enjoyed this one. Both MCs were likable and the H is just cruel enough to ratchet up the angst-o-meter. The grovel at the end was nice.
Safety
Safety
December 9, 2019
My third Harlequin / Mills & Boon read in one day... and finished when I couldn't sleep (of all reasons). I fully didn't expect it to wrench at my heart the way it did, nor did I fully expect the raw, honest conversations that the MCs had. It was oddly refreshing.
This book very closely follows the Cinderella story (which meant that the evil people were straight cardboard cutouts), but that's a minor quibble for an otherwise solid story.
This book very closely follows the Cinderella story (which meant that the evil people were straight cardboard cutouts), but that's a minor quibble for an otherwise solid story.
June 19, 2019
This book had such a wonderful fairytale feel to it. Talk about love at first sight! Giannis and Tabitha were such a perfect couple and I was so emotionally invested in their HEA. Tabitha's kindness and compassion was really endearing, making her a memorable heroine in HP land. A truly stand out book.
June 23, 2019
3 ½ Stars
A sweet story very much in keeping with the fairy tale theme. Their first meeting and dance was absolutely magical. There was even the obligatory evil stepmother and wicked stepsisters.
An enjoyable read.
A sweet story very much in keeping with the fairy tale theme. Their first meeting and dance was absolutely magical. There was even the obligatory evil stepmother and wicked stepsisters.
An enjoyable read.
July 4, 2019
Absolutely great! I felt the love, the angst, I loved the H and the h was a nicely cast Cinderella.
May 6, 2019
I love Cinderella so there’s no way I wasn’t go to love this book. Giannis is handsome, sexy, rich, and the owner of the hotel Tabitha works at. A friendly old lady who you could imagine as a fairy godmother gives her a very expensive ticket to attend a costume ball. This story is perfect and it comes complete with a stepmother and two horrible stepsisters, and a stolen inheritance. There are other twist and turns that make this book quite awesome. I love that it has Alessio and Beth in the story from a previous book that was also perfect. I loved loved loved this book and recommend it highly.
Did Not Finish
March 30, 2023Dnf@ 68% - it started fun. I can’t resist a Cinderella tale… but it’s boring now. 🤷🏼♀️. She has wicked step sisters and step mom but they don’t really feature much. Even the evil dead wife is just a side note. I need more drama and angst for this kind of story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2021
A sweet re-telling of Cinderella's story. It was a pleasant book to read. I liked both Tabitha and Giannis. I hate though romance stories related to Greece and translated to Greek (I read the translated edition of this story) because terms of endearment end up being funny for me as every single character ends up with an accent in my head... My personal comedians...
August 9, 2019
Michelle Smart beautifully parallels the Cinderella fairy tale in the second volume of the Cinderella Seductions series, The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella. Tabitha Brigstock toils in Vienna’s Basinas Palace Hotel as a cleaner after her evil stepmother and beloved father’s widow, seizes control of her wealth and property and kicks her out of the Oxfordshire family home. Tabitha’s fairy godmother comes in the form of a wealthy elderly Basinas Palace Hotel denizen, Amelia Coulter. In appreciation of Tabitha’s care and company when Amelia was ill, she gifts Tabitha with a Basinas-hosted 40 000-euro Viennese ball ticket, and a dress and shoes fit for a princess. Widower and billionaire Giannis Basinas takes one look at Tabitha (he insists on describing her as “exquisite,” which annoyed me to no end; I have a feral spinster antipathy for the word) and is enchanted. They dance, drink champagne, and share a passionate night. In the morning, while Giannis makes coffee to share with Tabitha, she sneaks away. Giannis is angry and hurt, but in the weeks ahead, can’t get Tabitha out of his mind.
Giannis is furious when Tabitha appears in his hotel office weeks later, in the uniform of one of his cleaning staff, to inform him she’s pregnant. He is cold and ragey, but pulls the a-child-needs-two-parents-we will-marry-for-the-child’s-sake routine, all the while side-eying Tabitha and cutting off any affection or companionship they might share. Because she is duplicitous and not to be trusted. They travel to his Santorini home to marry. Thankfully, Giannis is never a chest-thumping he-man, nor cruel, or cutting. He remains aloof, but polite and, eventually, there are glimmers of affection and compatibility between them. Tabitha, in turn, is honest and caring, doesn’t let herself be a doormat, and takes joy in the beauty, rest, and care she experiences. Giannis has a lovely, boisterous Greek family, loving, protective, humorously nosy, thanks to four overwhelming sisters, and makes for a lovely contrast to the usual abandoned-child HP hero issues.
Unfortunately, Smart builds her conflict around Giannis’s (mis)trust issues. Giannis’s wife, RIP Anastasia, has so many sins heaped on her she makes the proverbial scapegoat look like he’s lounging on a chaise longue, catered to by fanning servants and others who peel his grapes. Anastasia, says Giannias, was a gold-digger and freeloader (unlike the ever-toiling Tabitha); she was a liar and adulteress. Thankfully, she and unborn baby, which was NOT Giannis’s, were conveniently taken out by a car accident. Poor Giannis carries the scars of mistrust. Other than that, he’s a pretty nice guy and Tabitha, droll, beautiful, honest Tabitha, falls in love with him. He is caring, affectionate, and fun to be with, but there’s a part of him that remains aloof. Tabitha won’t stand for this and … badness ensues.
I wish there was more to their differences than the evil Anastasia. What kept me reading was Giannis and Tabitha’s exchanges. Smart can write mean dialogue and great banter; her heroes taking on snooty Victorian tones and diction, while her heroines go for bathos and flat colloquialisms; one such moment from Pregnant Cinderella, after Tabitha has announced her pregnancy to Giannis:
” … but you would have to be the most audacious of fools to try and pretend something so easily disproved.”
“And you would have to be the most audacious of arrogant twonks to think I would let you decide anything on my behalf!”
Definitely, Tabitha 1 (who can resist “twonks”?); Giannis, like the inarticulate, awkward Darcy, 0. It’s moments like this and a lovely, grovelly HEA that held my interest and will see me return to Smart’s HPs. With Miss Austen, we find The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella offers “real comfort,” Emma.
Michelle Smart’s The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on June 18 and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC from Harlequin Books, via Netgalley.
Giannis is furious when Tabitha appears in his hotel office weeks later, in the uniform of one of his cleaning staff, to inform him she’s pregnant. He is cold and ragey, but pulls the a-child-needs-two-parents-we will-marry-for-the-child’s-sake routine, all the while side-eying Tabitha and cutting off any affection or companionship they might share. Because she is duplicitous and not to be trusted. They travel to his Santorini home to marry. Thankfully, Giannis is never a chest-thumping he-man, nor cruel, or cutting. He remains aloof, but polite and, eventually, there are glimmers of affection and compatibility between them. Tabitha, in turn, is honest and caring, doesn’t let herself be a doormat, and takes joy in the beauty, rest, and care she experiences. Giannis has a lovely, boisterous Greek family, loving, protective, humorously nosy, thanks to four overwhelming sisters, and makes for a lovely contrast to the usual abandoned-child HP hero issues.
Unfortunately, Smart builds her conflict around Giannis’s (mis)trust issues. Giannis’s wife, RIP Anastasia, has so many sins heaped on her she makes the proverbial scapegoat look like he’s lounging on a chaise longue, catered to by fanning servants and others who peel his grapes. Anastasia, says Giannias, was a gold-digger and freeloader (unlike the ever-toiling Tabitha); she was a liar and adulteress. Thankfully, she and unborn baby, which was NOT Giannis’s, were conveniently taken out by a car accident. Poor Giannis carries the scars of mistrust. Other than that, he’s a pretty nice guy and Tabitha, droll, beautiful, honest Tabitha, falls in love with him. He is caring, affectionate, and fun to be with, but there’s a part of him that remains aloof. Tabitha won’t stand for this and … badness ensues.
I wish there was more to their differences than the evil Anastasia. What kept me reading was Giannis and Tabitha’s exchanges. Smart can write mean dialogue and great banter; her heroes taking on snooty Victorian tones and diction, while her heroines go for bathos and flat colloquialisms; one such moment from Pregnant Cinderella, after Tabitha has announced her pregnancy to Giannis:
” … but you would have to be the most audacious of fools to try and pretend something so easily disproved.”
“And you would have to be the most audacious of arrogant twonks to think I would let you decide anything on my behalf!”
Definitely, Tabitha 1 (who can resist “twonks”?); Giannis, like the inarticulate, awkward Darcy, 0. It’s moments like this and a lovely, grovelly HEA that held my interest and will see me return to Smart’s HPs. With Miss Austen, we find The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella offers “real comfort,” Emma.
Michelle Smart’s The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on June 18 and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC from Harlequin Books, via Netgalley.
July 9, 2019
The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella by Michelle Smart is a retelling of Cinderella with a Greek business tycoon and the woman he never saw coming. Tabitha’s life has not been an easy one. Now working as a maid to make ends meet, she never expected to attend a ball, much less meet her prince charming. After a night of seduction, she will never forget, she realizes she has a surprise coming in nine-months.
Giannis does not need or want another wife; one disastrous marriage was enough. But when his family is wanting more for him, he agrees to the ball. He was a cold and hard man, but Tabitha touched something inside of him. But when she is gone after the ball, he is more intrigued than ever. But when she comes bearing news he never expected he becomes suspicious and cruel. Can he see what he has before it’s too late? A charming and sweet story about second chances and love.
Happy reading!
Giannis does not need or want another wife; one disastrous marriage was enough. But when his family is wanting more for him, he agrees to the ball. He was a cold and hard man, but Tabitha touched something inside of him. But when she is gone after the ball, he is more intrigued than ever. But when she comes bearing news he never expected he becomes suspicious and cruel. Can he see what he has before it’s too late? A charming and sweet story about second chances and love.
Happy reading!
January 12, 2020
Definitely enjoyed reading this book .... loved the cinderella type beginning ... loved the sweet and hard working h ... H was an interesting character ... liked the way he put up with his sisters ... and definitely liked how the h was capable of standing up for herself with the evil stepmother ...
January 31, 2020
When they are done well, I adore Cinderella themed stories. There’s something about a sweet person refusing to turn into a bitter, twisted person by life’s injustices, and a hero to swoop in to save the day by appreciating the person she really is. It’s even better when the hero isn’t two-dimensional, not prince-like at all. Giannis is far from a perfect hero which is why I felt he fit. Call him rich, powerful, assured … and broken.
The initial meeting between the two is magical, as it was meant to be. Then real life comes along and throws the hero a curveball. Tabitha is not who he thought and of course he’s furious. No alpha male takes being duped lying down. Even though lying down was sort of the catalyst for what happens in the story.
Tabitha was an interesting Cinderella-like heroine. She’s sweet and beaten down but unlike the fairy tale, she has the capacity to save herself. She just doesn’t know it. I have no idea what a ‘twonk’ is but I grinned when the heroine used the word. Actually, she let loose some really great lines of dialogue throughout the novel and I enjoyed that tremendously.
I also liked reading about the few times Giannis’s heart experienced a wrenching feeling because I knew what that meant. The romance had begun and Tabitha was getting under his thick hide. Corporate movers and shakers who think they have life figured out, and everything in life is going to be on their terms because they have money and power, well, let’s just say they don’t handle things well when they discover they’ve been lying to themselves. Giannis most definitely didn’t handle it well. Being able to see inside his head was interesting because he was so torn! He beat himself up for wanting Tabitha but for some reason he just couldn’t resist her. It was driving him nuts. I knew what was going on and I thought his fractious behavior highly entertaining. This was so much fun!
The plot really took off when Niki, Giannis’s sister, pops in. The love game was afoot and perceptions started to get blown to pieces. I really liked the hero’s sister. She was fun.
The passion between the two is off the charts and a reader is treated to detailed, spicy/hot shenanigans leaving no doubt they are highly compatible. Volatile, but compatible.
When I finally got to the good stuff, when Tabitha reveals who she really is, what she’s been through and how pragmatic and sweet she still was, Giannis’s reaction was all I could hope for in a hero. Okay, he did make a few stupid ‘man’ decisions but once again Niki took him to task as only a sister could. I really, really liked his sister.
There’s actually a lot more I can say about this story but I’ll end here by saying that I absolutely enjoyed reading The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella. For fans of the fairy tale trope, this is excellent brain candy and I definitely recommend reading this one.
The initial meeting between the two is magical, as it was meant to be. Then real life comes along and throws the hero a curveball. Tabitha is not who he thought and of course he’s furious. No alpha male takes being duped lying down. Even though lying down was sort of the catalyst for what happens in the story.
Tabitha was an interesting Cinderella-like heroine. She’s sweet and beaten down but unlike the fairy tale, she has the capacity to save herself. She just doesn’t know it. I have no idea what a ‘twonk’ is but I grinned when the heroine used the word. Actually, she let loose some really great lines of dialogue throughout the novel and I enjoyed that tremendously.
I also liked reading about the few times Giannis’s heart experienced a wrenching feeling because I knew what that meant. The romance had begun and Tabitha was getting under his thick hide. Corporate movers and shakers who think they have life figured out, and everything in life is going to be on their terms because they have money and power, well, let’s just say they don’t handle things well when they discover they’ve been lying to themselves. Giannis most definitely didn’t handle it well. Being able to see inside his head was interesting because he was so torn! He beat himself up for wanting Tabitha but for some reason he just couldn’t resist her. It was driving him nuts. I knew what was going on and I thought his fractious behavior highly entertaining. This was so much fun!
The plot really took off when Niki, Giannis’s sister, pops in. The love game was afoot and perceptions started to get blown to pieces. I really liked the hero’s sister. She was fun.
The passion between the two is off the charts and a reader is treated to detailed, spicy/hot shenanigans leaving no doubt they are highly compatible. Volatile, but compatible.
When I finally got to the good stuff, when Tabitha reveals who she really is, what she’s been through and how pragmatic and sweet she still was, Giannis’s reaction was all I could hope for in a hero. Okay, he did make a few stupid ‘man’ decisions but once again Niki took him to task as only a sister could. I really, really liked his sister.
There’s actually a lot more I can say about this story but I’ll end here by saying that I absolutely enjoyed reading The Greek’s Pregnant Cinderella. For fans of the fairy tale trope, this is excellent brain candy and I definitely recommend reading this one.
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