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Innocent Christmas Brides #2
Christmas Babies for the Italian
One night before Christmas…
Two babies for the Italian!
Sevastiano Cantarelli can barely believe Amy Taylor is real. After the lifetime of betrayal he’s experienced, her surprising sweetness is the ultimate threat to his cynical worldview! Unwrapping her innocence was a gift he couldn’t forget…but one he knows it wouldn’t be fair to repeat.
Their encounter left Amy exhilarated – and wanted for the first time. She knows that walking away from the commanding Italian is the safest way to keep her heart intact. Yet it’s the one thing she can’t do…because she’s pregnant with Sevastiano’s twins!
Two babies for the Italian!
Sevastiano Cantarelli can barely believe Amy Taylor is real. After the lifetime of betrayal he’s experienced, her surprising sweetness is the ultimate threat to his cynical worldview! Unwrapping her innocence was a gift he couldn’t forget…but one he knows it wouldn’t be fair to repeat.
Their encounter left Amy exhilarated – and wanted for the first time. She knows that walking away from the commanding Italian is the safest way to keep her heart intact. Yet it’s the one thing she can’t do…because she’s pregnant with Sevastiano’s twins!
Hardcover
First published October 20, 2020
257 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Graham
1,778 books1,450 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
October 2, 2020
3.5 stars.
He wanted the evening over, Oliver Lawson done and dusted and buried, staked like a vampire by his rich wife’s discovery that her husband had a secret daughter conceived after his marriage.
Revenge by proxy, is the trope at the heart of this sweet, romantic story. But it's not very angsty, because the H dials down the cruelty and it's ironic that he reminds himself continually, that she's not to be blamed for the actions of her father.
That said, it's still more enjoyable than A Baby on the Greek's Doorstep. Sev is sexier than his younger half brother, Tor and Amy's more interesting than Pixie.
That, in itself, is quite unconventional because vengeful HPlandia H's tend to bulldoze over everyone and everything that stands in the way of their revenge. This H, while filled with anger and bitterness, doesn't allow it to consume him to the extent that the heroine ends up on the receiving end of harsh words and callous gestures.
I'm not gonna lie; I would've preferred it if the H had been more predictably aggressive in his efforts to seek revenge. The sweet and considerate vengeful H isn't a type that I'm used to in HPlandia. RevengeLite doesn't quite cut it, for me...
Amy, the heroine, becomes the pawn in Sevastiano's plan to ruin her (unknown) father, Oliver Lawson. The latter is a married, middle aged playboy who'd seduced and dumped the H's half sister when she became pregnant - much the same as he'd done to the heroine's late mother.
Sev is the older half brother of Tor, the H from A Baby on the Greek's Doorstep. He's another of LG's loner H's, who's emotionally stunted by the actions of his selfish mother and cruel stepfather. His one weakness is his half sister, Annabel. That's why he's determined to ruin the man who hurt her.
This is the H, Sevastiano:
Amy is a cheerful young heroine, who works at a cafe and a small animal shelter, while studying at nights to be a veterinary technician:
‘I like animals more than people,’ she heard herself confide, and inwardly winced at that opening sally tripping off her paralysed tongue.
This is the heroine Amy:
Despite his determination to use her as his pawn in his nefarious vengeance plot, Sev takes his time courting Amy. The MC's experience a major case of mutual insta-lust, but Lynne G lets things flow at a slower pace and this heroine isn't ready to give up so easily:
She didn’t like to give a man the wrong signals when she wasn’t planning to follow through, and the conviction that he was probably now expecting her to go to bed with him that night forced her to tilt back her head and say stiffly,
‘I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I’m not sleeping with you tonight.’
Much of the story revolves around the MC's going on dates, getting to know each other and the H even adopts a dog, named Harley, from the shelter.
This is Harley:
The H pulls out all stops, in his efforts to charm the heroine and earn her trust. He's sexy, flirtatious and engages in lighthearted banter. He doesn't overpower her with his attentions and tones down the masculine aggression when he realizes that she's uncomfortable around overly assertive men.
Amy and her favourite dog, Hopper:
Vengeance is achieved when the H introduces the heroine to her father and, more importantly, his rich sugar mommy wife. That's perhaps the only time in the novel when the H sets asides his growing feelings for the heroine, in a clinical and cold manner.
And in a hilariously sad turn of events, he's actually stunned when she dumps him. He's so lacking in self awareness that he doesn't realize that women dislike being seduced and used, as pawns in revenge plots. And although she's hurt and in love with him, Amy's determined to hold onto her pride; she refuses to be another wet dishrag, like her late mom, so she resolves to cut all ties with the H and tells him off coldly, when he suggests they resume their relationship...
Sev even thinks she'll contact him, when she cools off and he experiences some unusual alpha male manpouting when she fails to phone or text. He's the one who texts her first and she agrees to see him, only to inform him of him impending fatherhood.
The heroine is absolutely reluctant to take child support and/or allow him back into her life, but LG throws in an obvious, OTT deus ex machina that sends her right back into his arms: she's rendered jobless and homeless when her employer, Harold, tells her he's closing down the shelter and retiring immediately because he needs to seek treatment for cancer.
Everything unfurls smoothly, after this, because the H bends over backwards to move all 26 animals to his huge country estate. It's easy pickings afterwards; very few animal loving females, will fail to succumb when the man of their dreams pours on the charm and assails them with a seductive combo of sex, apologies and gentle grovelling.
He even protects her from her disgusting father; when the latter turns up and threatens her, he punches him, kicks him out and both MC's are able to enjoy some well deserved revenge when the villain's sugar mommy wife divorces him and fires him from his job as CEO of her firm.
I would've preferred if the titular *Christmas Babies* actually played a role in the story. The title and the blurb made it seem, to me at least, that this might be a second chance/secret baby romance where the MC's bond during the H's pregnancy. There aren't any babies in the body of the novel itself. Maybe HPlandia's title generator department needs to work harder to devise titles which are reflective of the stories that writers create ?
I didn't penalize the novel, for this discrepancy because current HPlandia authors don't get to choose the titles of their books.
These are the twin titular *babies* of the story. They don't make an appearance until the epilogue:
I wish LG had included a cameo appearance by Tor and Pixie, from A Baby on the Greek's Doorstep. The epilogue is filled with lots of Christmas cheer, the heroine is pregnant with a baby girl and the animal shelter is thriving.
Safety: No cheating and both MC's are celibate during their short separation. The H did go on a date with an unknown woman but it was totally platonic. The novel opens with the H at an unknown OW's apartment. Nothing sexual happens because he gets an emergency call from his sister. This wasn't a woman he'd been intimate with before and he never saw her again.
He wanted the evening over, Oliver Lawson done and dusted and buried, staked like a vampire by his rich wife’s discovery that her husband had a secret daughter conceived after his marriage.
Revenge by proxy, is the trope at the heart of this sweet, romantic story. But it's not very angsty, because the H dials down the cruelty and it's ironic that he reminds himself continually, that she's not to be blamed for the actions of her father.
That said, it's still more enjoyable than A Baby on the Greek's Doorstep. Sev is sexier than his younger half brother, Tor and Amy's more interesting than Pixie.
That, in itself, is quite unconventional because vengeful HPlandia H's tend to bulldoze over everyone and everything that stands in the way of their revenge. This H, while filled with anger and bitterness, doesn't allow it to consume him to the extent that the heroine ends up on the receiving end of harsh words and callous gestures.
I'm not gonna lie; I would've preferred it if the H had been more predictably aggressive in his efforts to seek revenge. The sweet and considerate vengeful H isn't a type that I'm used to in HPlandia. RevengeLite doesn't quite cut it, for me...
Amy, the heroine, becomes the pawn in Sevastiano's plan to ruin her (unknown) father, Oliver Lawson. The latter is a married, middle aged playboy who'd seduced and dumped the H's half sister when she became pregnant - much the same as he'd done to the heroine's late mother.
Sev is the older half brother of Tor, the H from A Baby on the Greek's Doorstep. He's another of LG's loner H's, who's emotionally stunted by the actions of his selfish mother and cruel stepfather. His one weakness is his half sister, Annabel. That's why he's determined to ruin the man who hurt her.
This is the H, Sevastiano:
Amy is a cheerful young heroine, who works at a cafe and a small animal shelter, while studying at nights to be a veterinary technician:
‘I like animals more than people,’ she heard herself confide, and inwardly winced at that opening sally tripping off her paralysed tongue.
This is the heroine Amy:
Despite his determination to use her as his pawn in his nefarious vengeance plot, Sev takes his time courting Amy. The MC's experience a major case of mutual insta-lust, but Lynne G lets things flow at a slower pace and this heroine isn't ready to give up so easily:
She didn’t like to give a man the wrong signals when she wasn’t planning to follow through, and the conviction that he was probably now expecting her to go to bed with him that night forced her to tilt back her head and say stiffly,
‘I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I’m not sleeping with you tonight.’
Much of the story revolves around the MC's going on dates, getting to know each other and the H even adopts a dog, named Harley, from the shelter.
This is Harley:
The H pulls out all stops, in his efforts to charm the heroine and earn her trust. He's sexy, flirtatious and engages in lighthearted banter. He doesn't overpower her with his attentions and tones down the masculine aggression when he realizes that she's uncomfortable around overly assertive men.
Amy and her favourite dog, Hopper:
Vengeance is achieved when the H introduces the heroine to her father and, more importantly, his rich sugar mommy wife. That's perhaps the only time in the novel when the H sets asides his growing feelings for the heroine, in a clinical and cold manner.
And in a hilariously sad turn of events, he's actually stunned when she dumps him. He's so lacking in self awareness that he doesn't realize that women dislike being seduced and used, as pawns in revenge plots. And although she's hurt and in love with him, Amy's determined to hold onto her pride; she refuses to be another wet dishrag, like her late mom, so she resolves to cut all ties with the H and tells him off coldly, when he suggests they resume their relationship...
Sev even thinks she'll contact him, when she cools off and he experiences some unusual alpha male manpouting when she fails to phone or text. He's the one who texts her first and she agrees to see him, only to inform him of him impending fatherhood.
The heroine is absolutely reluctant to take child support and/or allow him back into her life, but LG throws in an obvious, OTT deus ex machina that sends her right back into his arms: she's rendered jobless and homeless when her employer, Harold, tells her he's closing down the shelter and retiring immediately because he needs to seek treatment for cancer.
Everything unfurls smoothly, after this, because the H bends over backwards to move all 26 animals to his huge country estate. It's easy pickings afterwards; very few animal loving females, will fail to succumb when the man of their dreams pours on the charm and assails them with a seductive combo of sex, apologies and gentle grovelling.
He even protects her from her disgusting father; when the latter turns up and threatens her, he punches him, kicks him out and both MC's are able to enjoy some well deserved revenge when the villain's sugar mommy wife divorces him and fires him from his job as CEO of her firm.
I would've preferred if the titular *Christmas Babies* actually played a role in the story. The title and the blurb made it seem, to me at least, that this might be a second chance/secret baby romance where the MC's bond during the H's pregnancy. There aren't any babies in the body of the novel itself. Maybe HPlandia's title generator department needs to work harder to devise titles which are reflective of the stories that writers create ?
I didn't penalize the novel, for this discrepancy because current HPlandia authors don't get to choose the titles of their books.
These are the twin titular *babies* of the story. They don't make an appearance until the epilogue:
I wish LG had included a cameo appearance by Tor and Pixie, from A Baby on the Greek's Doorstep. The epilogue is filled with lots of Christmas cheer, the heroine is pregnant with a baby girl and the animal shelter is thriving.
Safety: No cheating and both MC's are celibate during their short separation. The H did go on a date with an unknown woman but it was totally platonic. The novel opens with the H at an unknown OW's apartment. Nothing sexual happens because he gets an emergency call from his sister. This wasn't a woman he'd been intimate with before and he never saw her again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2020
2.5 stars
Slow burn. It bored me. It also had all the right things to be interesting and angsty but it was none of those things. Loved how hero defended the heroine though when her father attacked her.
Safety info: womanizer hero, virgin heroine, no cheating.
Slow burn. It bored me. It also had all the right things to be interesting and angsty but it was none of those things. Loved how hero defended the heroine though when her father attacked her.
Safety info: womanizer hero, virgin heroine, no cheating.
November 1, 2020
Lynne Grahams heroes can be so awesome
I loved how besotted he was. I hated the first scene where he was in bed with another woman and he did try and get sex but he couldn't. I hated him then but then of course he turns into a totally besotted lover and I love it when that happens I and if course the epilogue was perfect. Yes he did a bad thing using her for revenge but it still turned out okay. And that epilogue was just awesome. By the way at the begin in scene he hadn't met the heroine yet. But I still hated it. Lol.
I loved how besotted he was. I hated the first scene where he was in bed with another woman and he did try and get sex but he couldn't. I hated him then but then of course he turns into a totally besotted lover and I love it when that happens I and if course the epilogue was perfect. Yes he did a bad thing using her for revenge but it still turned out okay. And that epilogue was just awesome. By the way at the begin in scene he hadn't met the heroine yet. But I still hated it. Lol.
May 25, 2023
4.5 Stars
Great read with no safety issues.
Great read with no safety issues.
March 3, 2021
“Christmas Babies for Italian” is the story of Amy and Sevastiano.
A very sweet romance with likable MCs. When the hero’s sister falls in love with a married man, only to be impregnated and abandoned by him, the hero is incensed. He decides to take revenge by tracking down the man’s illegitimate daughter, and revealing her to his oblivious wife. But as he meets the heroine, he realizes she’s not only sweet, but honest and caring. She works as a waitress and at a pet shelter, and is working towards being a vet nurse. His plan changes, the hero and heroine start connecting and falling for each other, some revelation drama happens but all is resolved and the book ends in a HEA.
I really enjoyed it!
Safe
4/5
A very sweet romance with likable MCs. When the hero’s sister falls in love with a married man, only to be impregnated and abandoned by him, the hero is incensed. He decides to take revenge by tracking down the man’s illegitimate daughter, and revealing her to his oblivious wife. But as he meets the heroine, he realizes she’s not only sweet, but honest and caring. She works as a waitress and at a pet shelter, and is working towards being a vet nurse. His plan changes, the hero and heroine start connecting and falling for each other, some revelation drama happens but all is resolved and the book ends in a HEA.
I really enjoyed it!
Safe
4/5
October 25, 2020
A very low angst , sweet read by one of my go to HP authors,Lynne Graham.
This is the second book in the duet ...the hero is the illegitimate son of an Italian/English woman who while pregnant with her Greek fiance's baby meets a titled Englishman and decides that he is the better prospect.They treat the young boy as a second class citizen and sends him off to boarding school at the age of 5,but never fear he has his Italian relatives to bolster him up.Upon his 18th birthday ,he comes into his inheritance and sets out to make more of a fortune.His step parent and mother hate him more now...the only person that means anything to him is his younger half sister Annabelle.
Poor Annabelle,she fell for the charms of an older man and is now pregnant by him and he wants nothing to do with her or the unborn baby,in fact he wants her to get a termination.Enter big brother Sev(the hero) who vows revenge and comeuppance to the cad older man.Everyone has a weakness and Sev will find that weakness and destroy him.Enter the sweet heroine,Amy.
Amy is all things good,but she had been rebellious in her early years as her Mom told her that she is the cause of all her troubles and the reason why her father left them.It became so bad that Amy was put into foster care and only found a true home with the kindly Vet who ran an animal rescue near her old home.Amy is also illegitimate.. Her father is the same married man that got the hero's sister pregnant...this is the weakness that Dev will use to destroy him and get revenge .
Sev sets his plan in motion..meets up with Amy and our story takes off.He meets her at her second job as a waitress and they are both struck with each other.After some time,they wind up in bed together and Amy surrenders her virginity to Sev...of course he forgets to wear a condom but all is well as she is on the pill.He wines and dines her,buys her a pretty dress and all the necessary and wisks her away to a party that is being thrown by her father and his wife.Amy is completely in the dark, she also receives a shock as she has never met her birth father before and did not even know his name.She is hurt and feels betrayed and have it out with Sev.
Life as Amy knows it has gone from bad to worse..she is going to be losing her job and home soon and she is now pregnant.The only one she can think of to help is...Sev.They meet up and she tells him of her pregnancy and then leaves him to mull his impending fatherhood over.
There was a lovely epilogue set 4 years later with twin boys and another on the way.
I enjoyed this low key romance as it was the first book I have read since I contracted Covid in late July.Let me just say that my brain was on a low setting and my concentration was nil and fleeting.I had what was called '" Covid" brain.I am recovering now but slowly.This story is exactly what I needed to kick start my reading with the pacing and sweetness of it.
This is the second book in the duet ...the hero is the illegitimate son of an Italian/English woman who while pregnant with her Greek fiance's baby meets a titled Englishman and decides that he is the better prospect.They treat the young boy as a second class citizen and sends him off to boarding school at the age of 5,but never fear he has his Italian relatives to bolster him up.Upon his 18th birthday ,he comes into his inheritance and sets out to make more of a fortune.His step parent and mother hate him more now...the only person that means anything to him is his younger half sister Annabelle.
Poor Annabelle,she fell for the charms of an older man and is now pregnant by him and he wants nothing to do with her or the unborn baby,in fact he wants her to get a termination.Enter big brother Sev(the hero) who vows revenge and comeuppance to the cad older man.Everyone has a weakness and Sev will find that weakness and destroy him.Enter the sweet heroine,Amy.
Amy is all things good,but she had been rebellious in her early years as her Mom told her that she is the cause of all her troubles and the reason why her father left them.It became so bad that Amy was put into foster care and only found a true home with the kindly Vet who ran an animal rescue near her old home.Amy is also illegitimate.. Her father is the same married man that got the hero's sister pregnant...this is the weakness that Dev will use to destroy him and get revenge .
Sev sets his plan in motion..meets up with Amy and our story takes off.He meets her at her second job as a waitress and they are both struck with each other.After some time,they wind up in bed together and Amy surrenders her virginity to Sev...of course he forgets to wear a condom but all is well as she is on the pill.He wines and dines her,buys her a pretty dress and all the necessary and wisks her away to a party that is being thrown by her father and his wife.Amy is completely in the dark, she also receives a shock as she has never met her birth father before and did not even know his name.She is hurt and feels betrayed and have it out with Sev.
Life as Amy knows it has gone from bad to worse..she is going to be losing her job and home soon and she is now pregnant.The only one she can think of to help is...Sev.They meet up and she tells him of her pregnancy and then leaves him to mull his impending fatherhood over.
There was a lovely epilogue set 4 years later with twin boys and another on the way.
I enjoyed this low key romance as it was the first book I have read since I contracted Covid in late July.Let me just say that my brain was on a low setting and my concentration was nil and fleeting.I had what was called '" Covid" brain.I am recovering now but slowly.This story is exactly what I needed to kick start my reading with the pacing and sweetness of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2021
Christmas Babies for the Italian isn't perfect, but I still really enjoyed it! :)
My rating/score: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads / 7 out of 10 on my own scoring system.
My rating/score: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads / 7 out of 10 on my own scoring system.
April 28, 2021
Sweet story of a veterinary assistant heroine with a deadbeat dad who the hero has targeted for revenge. His plan? Expose the heroine as his secret "baby" in front of his wife. How that avenges his pregnant sister is beyond me. Or he just could have exposed the husband's latest indiscretion without going back 22 years.
*Shrug*
Still, this was an interesting premise for a story. Both H/h were secret babies, now all grown up and making their own mistakes.
Unfortunately, there were too many inner monologues and a very thin plot, so I struggled to stay engaged.
*Shrug*
Still, this was an interesting premise for a story. Both H/h were secret babies, now all grown up and making their own mistakes.
Unfortunately, there were too many inner monologues and a very thin plot, so I struggled to stay engaged.
January 30, 2025
It reminded me of The Disobedient Mistress https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... immediately in the first chapter but the original one was better because the H was more besotted jerk than Sev.
*****
Re-read and the same rating!
*****
Re-read and the same rating!
October 27, 2020
I adore Lynne Graham. When I am in a reading slump or feeling down I can always count on her stories to make me smile. I love her happy ever afters. It's Harlequin and very Harlequinishy... and that is why I adore her. That is why I go back and read her stories over and over and over. They satisfy me.
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October 4, 2020
Liked this much more than the 1st book
Just wanted the H to be meaner 😁 he was so nice 🥴
Just wanted the H to be meaner 😁 he was so nice 🥴
February 26, 2021
4 stars. What a super cute book. I didn’t really like the hero much at the beginning but he grew on me quickly once he started to realize his mistakes. The heroine was pretty great too, she didn’t allow herself to be used and abused by the hero and showed quite a bit of backbone when dealing with everything thrown at her. The ending is a little overly cheesy, but it still worked for me... plus, there is a very sweet epilogue.
I think the biggest downside of this story is the ick factor of the hero’s manwhore past, which was brought up frequently. Also, I didn’t really like that the story starts with him being interrupted from a sexual encounter with OW. Even though nothing seemed to have started with them yet- was that necessary? And he does try to seek out OW after meeting the heroine, but doesn’t end up going through with it.
Safe
I think the biggest downside of this story is the ick factor of the hero’s manwhore past, which was brought up frequently. Also, I didn’t really like that the story starts with him being interrupted from a sexual encounter with OW. Even though nothing seemed to have started with them yet- was that necessary? And he does try to seek out OW after meeting the heroine, but doesn’t end up going through with it.
Safe
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2021
Only okay. It was short as most modern HPs are. It was simple without much conflict. Took me a while to read it because the beginning was pretty dull. There was no angst and little conflict. I did enjoy the end where the hero was being all sweet to her. He was not one of those cool unfeeling heros just a bit misguided.
December 22, 2020
Sweet h and a H who befriends her for revenge on her father ... I loved the H and the h was just totallt adorable .. and had a backbone too!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
November 29, 2022Y can be himiliated
y can be betrayed
y the perfect pawn
but what about trust that y have win
why crule one have ther forgivin in the end
it christmas babies
its happy times
y can be betrayed
y the perfect pawn
but what about trust that y have win
why crule one have ther forgivin in the end
it christmas babies
its happy times
November 8, 2020
Nothing new here. I really miss Lynne old books.
December 24, 2021
The couple: Sevastiano and Amy
Romance genre: secret identity
Series: Innocent Christmas Brides
Length: 169 pages
Plot: Sevastiano is angry when his little sister comes to him and says she's pregnant and the father has dumped her. He's even angrier when he realizes it's a married man twice her age, so he sets out for revenge. He finds out that the man, Oliver, has a secret illegitimate child. He sets out to make that child, Amy, fall in love with him so that he can take her to her father's Christmas party and introduce her to her father and her father's wife, thereby blowing open the secret. He does seduce her, and in the process, seduces himself. After the blowup at the party though, Amy is devastated and she wants nothing to do with Sev anymore. But when she turns up pregnant, she realizes she'll have to meet him again. And he realizes that he'll do anything to make Amy forgive him.
Commentary: Another case of more money than sense. Poor Amy - how did she get saddled with such awful people her entire life? I love that she was very clear after the party that what he did was wrong and that he was even more wrong because he couldn't see that:
She told him exactly what she thought and didn't sugarcoat it. What made it worse, I think, is that people were always using her - her mother used her for the money her father gave her, the old guy at her job used her for cheap labor, and now Sev used her for his revenge. It was so sad to think of it that way, and even more sad that it took Sev so long to work out the wrongness of what he did.
You tell him, Amy!
She made him work for her forgiveness, and not out of spite or wanting to even out the scales. She simply didn't believe his apologies when he had already shown her the kind of person he was. Having him set up the animal rescue was an actual grovel that made me (and Amy!) happy. He finally redeemed himself.
Previous book in the series: A Baby on the Greek's Doorstep
Romance genre: secret identity
Series: Innocent Christmas Brides
Length: 169 pages
Plot: Sevastiano is angry when his little sister comes to him and says she's pregnant and the father has dumped her. He's even angrier when he realizes it's a married man twice her age, so he sets out for revenge. He finds out that the man, Oliver, has a secret illegitimate child. He sets out to make that child, Amy, fall in love with him so that he can take her to her father's Christmas party and introduce her to her father and her father's wife, thereby blowing open the secret. He does seduce her, and in the process, seduces himself. After the blowup at the party though, Amy is devastated and she wants nothing to do with Sev anymore. But when she turns up pregnant, she realizes she'll have to meet him again. And he realizes that he'll do anything to make Amy forgive him.
Commentary: Another case of more money than sense. Poor Amy - how did she get saddled with such awful people her entire life? I love that she was very clear after the party that what he did was wrong and that he was even more wrong because he couldn't see that:
‘There can be no talking it out. What’s done is done...and you’re not even sorry, which says it all really,’ Amy muttered in a brittle undertone. ‘You don’t understand or accept that what you did to me tonight was cruel and wrong...and that this whole pretence you went through with me was even more dishonest and shameful. Everything was a lie.’
She told him exactly what she thought and didn't sugarcoat it. What made it worse, I think, is that people were always using her - her mother used her for the money her father gave her, the old guy at her job used her for cheap labor, and now Sev used her for his revenge. It was so sad to think of it that way, and even more sad that it took Sev so long to work out the wrongness of what he did.
‘Dio mio...’ Sev bit out. ‘What the hell do you think I am?’ ‘A devious bastard with about as much decent feeling, compassion and humility as the average rock,’ Amy framed unevenly.
You tell him, Amy!
She made him work for her forgiveness, and not out of spite or wanting to even out the scales. She simply didn't believe his apologies when he had already shown her the kind of person he was. Having him set up the animal rescue was an actual grovel that made me (and Amy!) happy. He finally redeemed himself.
Previous book in the series: A Baby on the Greek's Doorstep
January 17, 2021
I listened to the audio version of this story.
I liked the pretty book cover. Particularly the heroines red dress. Harlequin always do beautiful covers for their Presents line.
This is a revenge story between the heroine Amy and hero Sevastiano. He uses her to exact revenge on her father but then falls for Amy in the process.
Sevastiano and Amy have a good passionate chemistry but the story was slow in the beginning and it lacked that something extra special for a higher star rating. A good afternoon read still 📖❤
I liked the pretty book cover. Particularly the heroines red dress. Harlequin always do beautiful covers for their Presents line.
This is a revenge story between the heroine Amy and hero Sevastiano. He uses her to exact revenge on her father but then falls for Amy in the process.
Sevastiano and Amy have a good passionate chemistry but the story was slow in the beginning and it lacked that something extra special for a higher star rating. A good afternoon read still 📖❤
December 16, 2021
I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. The first sentence was off putting.
“Sevastiano was on the brink of a sex-fest with a lissom blond model when he was interrupted by his mobile phone.”
I guess I should be thankful he wasn’t actually banging her. I don’t get why authors think it’s a great idea to start books with the H being with an OW. Just tell me he’s a gross manwhore 10,000 timers or so - like you know you will - somewhere in there I don’t need to see it firsthand.
So after we get past that unnecessary garbage, it thankfully improves. Slowly. Sevastiano is a caring, thoughtful brother. As a love interest he kind of sucks at first. He seeks out the h, Amy, in a quest for revenge on the man who’s wronged his sister. He doesn’t intend for Amy to be hurt but he’s kind of dumb.
He’s instantly into her and tries to resist getting romantic. He just wants to string her along long enough to execute his revenge. Of course, that’s not how it goes. He claims her vCard. He continues along with his plan assuming she’ll forgive him because she’s so sweet and caring.
Spoiler alert: she does not forgive him. She leaves him and he insists he won’t chase her. After 10 days he’s starting to sweat though. Luckily for him, he’s unwittingly knocked her up and she reaches out. Mr. Smug is ready to distastefully spit out an apology and get back to being together. She’s still not having it. She drops the baby bomb and refuses his help.
Then she loses her job and home in the same day. How very convenient. I’ll give it to h, she reaches out and he swoops in like a knight in shining armor but she still keeps him at arms length. Eventually he does seem to finally get it. I think the pregnancy, job loss and homelessness were a bit of a cop out but mostly I felt satisfied with his grovel and I’m hard to please.
Story 4/5, Heat 1.5/5, Angst 3/5
Medium burn - she gives up the v card around 40%.
No condoms, virgin h, absolute manwhore, tiny OW drama, no OM drama, push away from h, 10 day separation. No cliffhanger and HEA with epilogue.
Safety - I’m going to say the safety is iffy. The actual OW interaction isn’t much despite the beginning of the book. The H tells us that he attempted to bang an OW while trying to resist h but he “couldn’t go through with it”. I find that dubious.
“Sevastiano was on the brink of a sex-fest with a lissom blond model when he was interrupted by his mobile phone.”
I guess I should be thankful he wasn’t actually banging her. I don’t get why authors think it’s a great idea to start books with the H being with an OW. Just tell me he’s a gross manwhore 10,000 timers or so - like you know you will - somewhere in there I don’t need to see it firsthand.
So after we get past that unnecessary garbage, it thankfully improves. Slowly. Sevastiano is a caring, thoughtful brother. As a love interest he kind of sucks at first. He seeks out the h, Amy, in a quest for revenge on the man who’s wronged his sister. He doesn’t intend for Amy to be hurt but he’s kind of dumb.
He’s instantly into her and tries to resist getting romantic. He just wants to string her along long enough to execute his revenge. Of course, that’s not how it goes. He claims her vCard. He continues along with his plan assuming she’ll forgive him because she’s so sweet and caring.
Spoiler alert: she does not forgive him. She leaves him and he insists he won’t chase her. After 10 days he’s starting to sweat though. Luckily for him, he’s unwittingly knocked her up and she reaches out. Mr. Smug is ready to distastefully spit out an apology and get back to being together. She’s still not having it. She drops the baby bomb and refuses his help.
Then she loses her job and home in the same day. How very convenient. I’ll give it to h, she reaches out and he swoops in like a knight in shining armor but she still keeps him at arms length. Eventually he does seem to finally get it. I think the pregnancy, job loss and homelessness were a bit of a cop out but mostly I felt satisfied with his grovel and I’m hard to please.
Story 4/5, Heat 1.5/5, Angst 3/5
Medium burn - she gives up the v card around 40%.
No condoms, virgin h, absolute manwhore, tiny OW drama, no OM drama, push away from h, 10 day separation. No cliffhanger and HEA with epilogue.
Safety - I’m going to say the safety is iffy. The actual OW interaction isn’t much despite the beginning of the book. The H tells us that he attempted to bang an OW while trying to resist h but he “couldn’t go through with it”. I find that dubious.
February 26, 2022
I'm really giving this book 2 1/2 stars, but you know you can't do half stars on Goodreads.
First time I'm diving into this sub genre of romance, sexy billionaire men getting absolutely gorgeous thin ladies pregnant thus finding forever love. I'm a tad confused by this particular genre, but hey whatever floats your boat. I love me some mail order bride stories, no judgement here. I know I'm giving this a low rating, but I don't think it was out right terrible. It's a tad boring, and since it's a short breezy read, novella length, it rushes it's ending. The story started off intriguing enough, it just never lived up to premise of it all. Maybe if the story was a tad longer, or took its time developing these characters more it'd feel less repetitive. I mean the inner monologue was just the same thoughts over and over again, but worded differently. There's plenty of ridiculousness going on. The revenge plot is stupid, there is no way I would ever forgive that man for what he did, and he's kind of a monster for doing it. It's not real Christmassy either. In the end this is basically a story about a glittery virginal who-ha that heals a broken angry man. I don't think these two are really in love after a few days, more like lust, I mean they can't get over how disgustingly gorgeous they are. Chiseled by the gods makes it easier to forgive a bastard I guess. Suffice it to say, I did not buy the love story. There are a few charming moments sprinkled throughout, just not enough to save this for me.
First time I'm diving into this sub genre of romance, sexy billionaire men getting absolutely gorgeous thin ladies pregnant thus finding forever love. I'm a tad confused by this particular genre, but hey whatever floats your boat. I love me some mail order bride stories, no judgement here. I know I'm giving this a low rating, but I don't think it was out right terrible. It's a tad boring, and since it's a short breezy read, novella length, it rushes it's ending. The story started off intriguing enough, it just never lived up to premise of it all. Maybe if the story was a tad longer, or took its time developing these characters more it'd feel less repetitive. I mean the inner monologue was just the same thoughts over and over again, but worded differently. There's plenty of ridiculousness going on. The revenge plot is stupid, there is no way I would ever forgive that man for what he did, and he's kind of a monster for doing it. It's not real Christmassy either. In the end this is basically a story about a glittery virginal who-ha that heals a broken angry man. I don't think these two are really in love after a few days, more like lust, I mean they can't get over how disgustingly gorgeous they are. Chiseled by the gods makes it easier to forgive a bastard I guess. Suffice it to say, I did not buy the love story. There are a few charming moments sprinkled throughout, just not enough to save this for me.
April 6, 2023
Esto fue verdaderamente una novela y me hizo dar rabia como una.
El protagonista era el típico hombre rico que sufrió de niño y por eso era mujeriego y solo le importaba él y en alguna medida su hermanastra.
Solo resaltó que él no tenía la intensión de enamorarla y después dejarla, pero igual lo que hizo estaba mal.
Me desesperó mucho la protagonista Amy, más buena que un pan. A pesar todo lo que le había pasado seguía siendo blanda. Okay, I mean, no digo que tenía que ser a total bitch pero si tener más carácter pero no. Y perdonó muy rápido al protagonista, yo lo quería ver rogando 😔. El hecho que te haya pasado cosas malas e ido como la mierda, no significa que tengas que ser un porquería con las dos personas. Es obvio que se puede tener recelos pero no pensar lo peor de todos como él lo hacía.
En fin, me saco muchas rabias porque él no aceptaba que está enamorado ya y todo el tiempo resaltando que era un playboy, quE NO SEV, NO QUIERO SABER QUE TE ACOSTAS HASTA CON UNA ESCOJA CON FALDA, YAAAAAA 🤮
El protagonista era el típico hombre rico que sufrió de niño y por eso era mujeriego y solo le importaba él y en alguna medida su hermanastra.
Solo resaltó que él no tenía la intensión de enamorarla y después dejarla, pero igual lo que hizo estaba mal.
Me desesperó mucho la protagonista Amy, más buena que un pan. A pesar todo lo que le había pasado seguía siendo blanda. Okay, I mean, no digo que tenía que ser a total bitch pero si tener más carácter pero no. Y perdonó muy rápido al protagonista, yo lo quería ver rogando 😔. El hecho que te haya pasado cosas malas e ido como la mierda, no significa que tengas que ser un porquería con las dos personas. Es obvio que se puede tener recelos pero no pensar lo peor de todos como él lo hacía.
En fin, me saco muchas rabias porque él no aceptaba que está enamorado ya y todo el tiempo resaltando que era un playboy, quE NO SEV, NO QUIERO SABER QUE TE ACOSTAS HASTA CON UNA ESCOJA CON FALDA, YAAAAAA 🤮
December 9, 2020
This book is more of a PG-13 book. Sevastiano sought out Amy to use her to hurt her father. Her father is not a good man, but using Amy to get back at him was wrong. He wasn’t expecting to fall for her. I loved Amy. She was strong, independent, and loved animals. She had several jobs to make ends meet. She was a waitress, which is where she meets Sevastiano. She also works at a vet clinic. Amy is taking classes to work as a vet tech. She knows Sevastiano is out of her league, but a girl can dream, right? I loved how he groveled in the end. I think my favorite part of the book came from chapter 8 when she told Sevastiano she needed his help finding homes for Twenty-three dogs and six cats and two rabbits. The shelter she was working at had to close for a little while. I have to say he took it all in stride. He knew he had to do what he could to win Amy back. This was his chance. The last few chapters were really good.
October 3, 2020
I love it, not bad at all. The heroine was so nice though she had a really rough past, with a cruel mother, that she went rebel. The hero also had a rough childhood, with a cruel mother too, though he was luckier that his father family was nice towards him.
The hero seeked the heroine to avenge her father because his half sister fot pregnant by him, while the heroine herself never even met nor knew her asshole father. When she found out, she of course got mad and ended things with him. As they had already have one night together, she fell pregnant by him. It's nice that the hero wouldn't hesitate to help her, even he was very protective of her, that's sweet of him.
The hero seeked the heroine to avenge her father because his half sister fot pregnant by him, while the heroine herself never even met nor knew her asshole father. When she found out, she of course got mad and ended things with him. As they had already have one night together, she fell pregnant by him. It's nice that the hero wouldn't hesitate to help her, even he was very protective of her, that's sweet of him.
October 30, 2020
Great
I found this a really good book. Amy is a great character. She has been mistreated her entire life by her parents but found a place in the world with her foster mother who put her back on the right path. Sev Cantarelli attempts to also use her in revenge against her father but doesn't count on falling for her, but once his revenge scheme comes to fruition he doesn't count on losing the thing he most needs but her in his life. Can he ever get her back to his side.
I found this a really good book. Amy is a great character. She has been mistreated her entire life by her parents but found a place in the world with her foster mother who put her back on the right path. Sev Cantarelli attempts to also use her in revenge against her father but doesn't count on falling for her, but once his revenge scheme comes to fruition he doesn't count on losing the thing he most needs but her in his life. Can he ever get her back to his side.
March 1, 2021
One of the very few Italian rich guys who is NOT a jerk from the getgo. Yeah, he made mistakes, said/did the wrong thing...but not in a horribly jerk fashion like most of the Harlequin books of their generation. It's nice to finally see a romance book from an author who an make the "jerk" rich guy not so...jerky.
The romance, the love, the drama, the angst....all at the "every day life" levels and definitely a winner.
The romance, the love, the drama, the angst....all at the "every day life" levels and definitely a winner.
November 7, 2020
Christmas Babies for the Italian
He only met her to facilitate revenge on a man who got his sister pregnant. But their one night together has lasting memories. What will he do when he finds out that he's about to be a father? Will he be able to make up to her after what he did when he used her to hurt another?
He only met her to facilitate revenge on a man who got his sister pregnant. But their one night together has lasting memories. What will he do when he finds out that he's about to be a father? Will he be able to make up to her after what he did when he used her to hurt another?
December 23, 2020
Lol not sure why I read this
but what a conviently placed strategy of the high and mighty hero to actually be a scumbag who eventually turns the tides.
There now you don't have to read the book anymore! Muahaha
but what a conviently placed strategy of the high and mighty hero to actually be a scumbag who eventually turns the tides.
There now you don't have to read the book anymore! Muahaha
February 8, 2021
I chose this rating because it was what I needed at the right time.
I so enjoyed this book. I liked all the laughs out loud situations and reactions of all the characters in this book.
I so enjoyed this book. I liked all the laughs out loud situations and reactions of all the characters in this book.
April 7, 2021
Did not like it, the story didn't flow. I also was not a fan of hero night before sleeping with heroine almost sleeping with another woman (no idea how far he went with the other woman but he at very least made out with her). I didn't feel a real connection between hero and heroine. P.
May 12, 2025
Sev wants revenge for his step sister and goes by it quickly not thinking of who he hurts until too late. Innocent Amy falls in love with Sev but doesn't know who he really ii until too late. Interesting way the 2 get things right
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