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きらめく海のように
"My wife wears my rings--no others!"Andreas acknowledged neither the divorce nor Olivia's right to become engaged again. "How dare you come back to me, wearing another man's rings," he accused her when she returned to his Greek island of Illyaros.But Olivia wouldn't have come back at all if her grandfather hadn't been so ill. She'd known Andreas would resent her for having deserted the marriage three years ago. She hadn't forgiven him for his infidelity, either!So she couldn't tell Andreas of the existence of their son--the very thing he'd wanted from their marriage in the first place--and risk having her heart shattered a second time.
Paperback Bunko
First published October 1, 1986
About the author
Patricia Wilson
122 books181 followersPatricia Wilson (1929 – 2010) was a best-selling writer of 53 romance novels for the Mills & Boon publisher from 1986 to 2004. She placed her novels primarily in England, Spain or France.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
June 1, 2025
Same rating on a re-read. I had forgotten how overjoyed everyone was about the baby. That was just nice.
This was an excellent secret baby, second chance story. Four and a half stars.
The heroine is called back from England to Greece to see her grandfather who has had a stroke. The reason the H/h broke up is that the hero supposedly cheated. The triggering event was that she saw him kissing the OW, but there were other factors in her distrust of the H. He never actually said he loved her, she overheard an argument between the H and her grandfather about him not wanting to marry her, and she was 18 and stupid.
Once in Greece, the hero's behavior looks really bad for awhile. H is angry she left him 3 years before and he wants her to suffer as he has suffered. It begins when he invites his "mistress" to dine with the heroine on her first night back. The guilty heroine (who is hiding his son in England) handles it with spirit.
Even though the hero is being a jerk, she is just as bad, imo, in hiding his son from him. And it kept me reading along to see when that shoe was going to drop. The heroine tries to dismiss her attraction to her husband all through the story, but she is fighting a losing battle. She makes many missteps - the first is inviting her creepy OM fiance to the island as reinforcement against her husband.
The alpha hero makes quick work of him. But what won me over the hero was his reaction to finding out he had a child.
It's always hard to justify a secret baby - and the heroine was certainly immature. The hero's ledger was full of black marks and to me they evened out because the hero was 12 years older and should have handled the initial break up better. The only thing keeping this from five stars is that the middle with the heroine trying to resist the hero went on too long - and she should have leveled with the OM, the instant she knew she couldn't marry him.
This was an excellent secret baby, second chance story. Four and a half stars.
The heroine is called back from England to Greece to see her grandfather who has had a stroke. The reason the H/h broke up is that the hero supposedly cheated. The triggering event was that she saw him kissing the OW, but there were other factors in her distrust of the H. He never actually said he loved her, she overheard an argument between the H and her grandfather about him not wanting to marry her, and she was 18 and stupid.
Once in Greece, the hero's behavior looks really bad for awhile. H is angry she left him 3 years before and he wants her to suffer as he has suffered. It begins when he invites his "mistress" to dine with the heroine on her first night back. The guilty heroine (who is hiding his son in England) handles it with spirit.
Even though the hero is being a jerk, she is just as bad, imo, in hiding his son from him. And it kept me reading along to see when that shoe was going to drop. The heroine tries to dismiss her attraction to her husband all through the story, but she is fighting a losing battle. She makes many missteps - the first is inviting her creepy OM fiance to the island as reinforcement against her husband.
The alpha hero makes quick work of him. But what won me over the hero was his reaction to finding out he had a child.
It's always hard to justify a secret baby - and the heroine was certainly immature. The hero's ledger was full of black marks and to me they evened out because the hero was 12 years older and should have handled the initial break up better. The only thing keeping this from five stars is that the middle with the heroine trying to resist the hero went on too long - and she should have leveled with the OM, the instant she knew she couldn't marry him.
May 1, 2016
Re The Final Price -- think Charlotte Lamb's Storm Centre in plot tone except this h has a backbone and isn't afraid to use it. Ironically, the feistyness of the h is why many readers don't like this one, but what can a girl do when her mum dies before she can pass on the big skillet and she has to deal with an insanely possessive HP Alpha?
The h is 23, divorced from an arranged marriage and working as a legal secretary. She has a two yr old son and is engaged to her Alpha solicitor boss. She gets a cable that her beloved but tyrannical grandfather has had a stroke and is near death. She has to return to Greece to maybe say goodbye as she has had no contact for three years, ever since she left her marriage and got a divorce in England.
She was orphaned at 14 and went to live with her grandfather. While there, she met her grandfather's protege, the H, and when she was 18 he began courting her. She overheard her grandfather telling the H that they had to marry to secure the business and the grandfather wants a grandson for an heir. This was a week before the wedding. The h marries the H anyway, she was very sheltered and she thought the H loved her, even though he never said so.
Reality is a sharp stick when she sees him kissing another Greek woman from a wealthy family and the woman implies that they have been lovers and are continuing it after the marriage. The H had been being mean to the h as well, he accuses the h of being a child and yet he prevents her from doing anything that might allow her to mature.
One day she gets a call that sends her to the H's office and she finds him and the OW together and the h is done. She goes to England, gets a divorce and then suffers through a very difficult pregnancy that she can't reveal because she knows the H will take her son and she will never see him and she will NOT be having that - nor will she stay married to cheater.
The h is worried thought, the grandfather and the H are THAT ruthless in business and in getting what they want. The h has grown over the years since she left, so she thinks she can handle a visit, and she feels obligated to see her grandfather - he means a lot to her. Her very protective fiance has invited himself along too, and she is leaving her son with his aunt in London and doesn't want the H coming over and demanding her presence and finding out about the child. He isn't above kidnapping.
The h gets to Greece alone and the H starts referring to her as his wife. She reminds him tartly that she divorced his cheatin' rear and that she is engaged and her fiance will arrive in the next few days after his court cases are wrapped up. ( This h obviously has a thing for Alpha's, the fiance is just as possessive as the H and just as bossy - he doesn't like her son very much, but up to this point has been careful to hide it and really sweet to the h, so she really believes that she is getting a better offer with the fiance.)
The H is NOT happy to hear this, but he lets it go and on the way to the island the H owns and the grandfather is at, he tells her the grandfather isn't that bad. The grandfather has turned his business over to the H and there is some interesting back and forth banter between the h and H until they get to the island. The h isn't happy to be there but is happy to see her grandfather and his little deception about the seriousness of his illness is forgiven. (It was the grandfather that demanded she return and sent the alarming claim that he was at death's door.)
The fiance shows up and the tension really ratchets up between the three of them, it was actually fairly entertaining as the H has imprisoned the h on the island and lets the fiance know it. The h's son is upset that his mummy is gone tho, and he has a terrible temper for a two year old. (There is much speculation on who he gets that temper from, the H is a good candidate, but the h is no slouch either.) The aunt calls the h and lets her know she needs to come home cause her son is very upset. The h is frantic and making plans when the H overhears and finds out she has a son.
He TOTALLY freaks out and dire threats are issued when the h tells him the son isn't his because she slept with someone else when she found him with his mistress. The H is on the warpath and goes to get the little boy from London, promising death for the h if she telling the truth. I believed him, the H had enough money and power and was ruthless enough to do it.
The H brings the son to the island and tells the h she can either stay or go, but she won't be getting the son back and he will use all of his power and money to keep him. The fiance spokes his own wheel when he tells the h they can leave and figure out custody later, and the h tells him the engagement is off.
Like any arrogant Alpha, the fiance doesn't listen and sends the h off to bed, patronizingly telling her she will be over it in the morning. Then the h winds up in bed with the H and realizes she still loves him as much as ever. She won't tell him that tho, he has enough weapons as it is.
She knows the H is still in contact with the mistress,(they all had lunch together, before the island,) and she isn't happy about that at all, but figures it is typical of the H's arrogance. So she has to retaliate, she may be a prisoner and her son may be a hostage, but she will do her best to make the H sorry - even if he did keep all her things she left in his bedroom and never removed any of the things she picked from the house like some sort of shrine.
Then the fiance tries to get her to leave and she won't go, he tries bullying and then insulting her and the H overhears it and throws the fiance out. The h has had enough of being objectified by men who need a skillet to the brain, and takes her son to the beach to play and manages to totally exclude the H.
Then she takes her son to see his grandfather and again excludes the H. The H is looking all sad and pathetic and the message is understood that he can hold them hostage, but the h can prevent him from having a relationship with his son. (Granted her technique was harsh, but this H was seriously threatening, so I did not hold it against her in the context of the story line. )
The h is asleep when she wakes up cause a big storm is happening, thinking her son might be scared, she runs to check on him and finds the H there too. She feels guilty for depriving the H of a chance to get to know the son, cause it is obvious he really loves him and so she rethinks her position and the H is very sorry himself and some how they wind up in bed. She is still not happy about the mistress, but she can't be mean about the son and the H tells her to just be patient, he is fixing everything.
The h is bewildered and now the H's mistress (as he taunts her when she protests his vagueness,) but she is really infuriated when she walks into lunch and the H's girlfriend is there. She is set to do horrible things with butter knives and the H is ready to duck.
So it is with a certain amount of desperation, that he makes the OW confess her lies or he will ruin her, her family and any friends she might have. The OW admits she lied, she and the H have never been lovers and it was all a big set-up and then the OW throws a big fit.
The H uses his awesome ruthlessness to tell the OW that he is still inclined to ruin her and all her family and she should pretty much disappear cause everything was all her fault and he missed two years of his son's life and three years of being with the h. So much for the OW, she runs off as fast as she can.
Then the grandfather tells the h that it was actually the H who forced the grandfather to let him marry her. He has been obsessed with the h since she came to stay at 14 and he threatened to seduce the h if the grandfather did not give his consent. The grandfather thought the h was too young, she hadn't been anywhere or done anything and he felt the h deserved a chance to choose a different life.
The H won in the end with his threatened seduction and then the whole mess blew up when the h left. The grandfather stopped the H from rushing after the h when he was all set to do it as well. He had put the H in charge of his businesses but the grandfather made some serious enemies with his borderline illegal tactics and he convinced the H to wait, as people might want to retaliate by hurting the h.
The h is shocked that her grandfather might have been on the wrong side of the law, but the grandfather makes it clear that the H doesn't do business that way and that he is retired, so the h should be safe from any retaliation.
The H is waiting for the h and she tells him about her grandfather's confession and she apologizes for running off and hiding his son. The H won't accept it tho- (for once the H doesn't blame the h for anything and Rule #1 is totally obliterated.)
The H tells the h that he forced the marriage because he was and is wildly in love and he was afraid if she saw a different lifestyle away from him, she would reject him. Then he had to worry that if she did mature, she would leave him.
He apologizes for seducing her into marriage and then being mean to her about not growing up, he was an emotional mess the whole time they were together because he knew he had manipulated her and he knew he was keeping her a dependent weakling, but he loves her so much that he was terrified he was gong to lose her, so he just couldn't help himself - until he lost her anyway and then had to worry that if he brought her back to Greece, she would be the target for revenge.
He insists that he was going to come to England for her soon, and would have never let her marry the other man and the h is happy that he really does and did love her and demands that he give her more kids, cause she feels bad he missed out on the son's first years.
The H is afraid to let her try as her first pregnancy was so bad, but the h insists and the H tells her they will try on their honeymoon. The h tells him she can't go on honeymoon, cause they aren't married and the H is awed that she would love him so much that she would have his children, even tho she considers herself divorced. He tells her there isn't divorce in Greece, but he will marry her again anyways and HEA.
This one is good, and the back and forth between the H and h is very well done. It never seems like mindless bickering, but the H's arrogance and his sweeping statements are truly obnoxious at times and the h's set-downs are perfect. This is not PW's best by any means, but it is entertaining, and it is so totally a classic HP scenario that if you read it, you will think you are reading an HP veteran writer and not a newbie excursion to the wild shores of HPlandia.
The h is 23, divorced from an arranged marriage and working as a legal secretary. She has a two yr old son and is engaged to her Alpha solicitor boss. She gets a cable that her beloved but tyrannical grandfather has had a stroke and is near death. She has to return to Greece to maybe say goodbye as she has had no contact for three years, ever since she left her marriage and got a divorce in England.
She was orphaned at 14 and went to live with her grandfather. While there, she met her grandfather's protege, the H, and when she was 18 he began courting her. She overheard her grandfather telling the H that they had to marry to secure the business and the grandfather wants a grandson for an heir. This was a week before the wedding. The h marries the H anyway, she was very sheltered and she thought the H loved her, even though he never said so.
Reality is a sharp stick when she sees him kissing another Greek woman from a wealthy family and the woman implies that they have been lovers and are continuing it after the marriage. The H had been being mean to the h as well, he accuses the h of being a child and yet he prevents her from doing anything that might allow her to mature.
One day she gets a call that sends her to the H's office and she finds him and the OW together and the h is done. She goes to England, gets a divorce and then suffers through a very difficult pregnancy that she can't reveal because she knows the H will take her son and she will never see him and she will NOT be having that - nor will she stay married to cheater.
The h is worried thought, the grandfather and the H are THAT ruthless in business and in getting what they want. The h has grown over the years since she left, so she thinks she can handle a visit, and she feels obligated to see her grandfather - he means a lot to her. Her very protective fiance has invited himself along too, and she is leaving her son with his aunt in London and doesn't want the H coming over and demanding her presence and finding out about the child. He isn't above kidnapping.
The h gets to Greece alone and the H starts referring to her as his wife. She reminds him tartly that she divorced his cheatin' rear and that she is engaged and her fiance will arrive in the next few days after his court cases are wrapped up. ( This h obviously has a thing for Alpha's, the fiance is just as possessive as the H and just as bossy - he doesn't like her son very much, but up to this point has been careful to hide it and really sweet to the h, so she really believes that she is getting a better offer with the fiance.)
The H is NOT happy to hear this, but he lets it go and on the way to the island the H owns and the grandfather is at, he tells her the grandfather isn't that bad. The grandfather has turned his business over to the H and there is some interesting back and forth banter between the h and H until they get to the island. The h isn't happy to be there but is happy to see her grandfather and his little deception about the seriousness of his illness is forgiven. (It was the grandfather that demanded she return and sent the alarming claim that he was at death's door.)
The fiance shows up and the tension really ratchets up between the three of them, it was actually fairly entertaining as the H has imprisoned the h on the island and lets the fiance know it. The h's son is upset that his mummy is gone tho, and he has a terrible temper for a two year old. (There is much speculation on who he gets that temper from, the H is a good candidate, but the h is no slouch either.) The aunt calls the h and lets her know she needs to come home cause her son is very upset. The h is frantic and making plans when the H overhears and finds out she has a son.
He TOTALLY freaks out and dire threats are issued when the h tells him the son isn't his because she slept with someone else when she found him with his mistress. The H is on the warpath and goes to get the little boy from London, promising death for the h if she telling the truth. I believed him, the H had enough money and power and was ruthless enough to do it.
The H brings the son to the island and tells the h she can either stay or go, but she won't be getting the son back and he will use all of his power and money to keep him. The fiance spokes his own wheel when he tells the h they can leave and figure out custody later, and the h tells him the engagement is off.
Like any arrogant Alpha, the fiance doesn't listen and sends the h off to bed, patronizingly telling her she will be over it in the morning. Then the h winds up in bed with the H and realizes she still loves him as much as ever. She won't tell him that tho, he has enough weapons as it is.
She knows the H is still in contact with the mistress,(they all had lunch together, before the island,) and she isn't happy about that at all, but figures it is typical of the H's arrogance. So she has to retaliate, she may be a prisoner and her son may be a hostage, but she will do her best to make the H sorry - even if he did keep all her things she left in his bedroom and never removed any of the things she picked from the house like some sort of shrine.
Then the fiance tries to get her to leave and she won't go, he tries bullying and then insulting her and the H overhears it and throws the fiance out. The h has had enough of being objectified by men who need a skillet to the brain, and takes her son to the beach to play and manages to totally exclude the H.
Then she takes her son to see his grandfather and again excludes the H. The H is looking all sad and pathetic and the message is understood that he can hold them hostage, but the h can prevent him from having a relationship with his son. (Granted her technique was harsh, but this H was seriously threatening, so I did not hold it against her in the context of the story line. )
The h is asleep when she wakes up cause a big storm is happening, thinking her son might be scared, she runs to check on him and finds the H there too. She feels guilty for depriving the H of a chance to get to know the son, cause it is obvious he really loves him and so she rethinks her position and the H is very sorry himself and some how they wind up in bed. She is still not happy about the mistress, but she can't be mean about the son and the H tells her to just be patient, he is fixing everything.
The h is bewildered and now the H's mistress (as he taunts her when she protests his vagueness,) but she is really infuriated when she walks into lunch and the H's girlfriend is there. She is set to do horrible things with butter knives and the H is ready to duck.
So it is with a certain amount of desperation, that he makes the OW confess her lies or he will ruin her, her family and any friends she might have. The OW admits she lied, she and the H have never been lovers and it was all a big set-up and then the OW throws a big fit.
The H uses his awesome ruthlessness to tell the OW that he is still inclined to ruin her and all her family and she should pretty much disappear cause everything was all her fault and he missed two years of his son's life and three years of being with the h. So much for the OW, she runs off as fast as she can.
Then the grandfather tells the h that it was actually the H who forced the grandfather to let him marry her. He has been obsessed with the h since she came to stay at 14 and he threatened to seduce the h if the grandfather did not give his consent. The grandfather thought the h was too young, she hadn't been anywhere or done anything and he felt the h deserved a chance to choose a different life.
The H won in the end with his threatened seduction and then the whole mess blew up when the h left. The grandfather stopped the H from rushing after the h when he was all set to do it as well. He had put the H in charge of his businesses but the grandfather made some serious enemies with his borderline illegal tactics and he convinced the H to wait, as people might want to retaliate by hurting the h.
The h is shocked that her grandfather might have been on the wrong side of the law, but the grandfather makes it clear that the H doesn't do business that way and that he is retired, so the h should be safe from any retaliation.
The H is waiting for the h and she tells him about her grandfather's confession and she apologizes for running off and hiding his son. The H won't accept it tho- (for once the H doesn't blame the h for anything and Rule #1 is totally obliterated.)
The H tells the h that he forced the marriage because he was and is wildly in love and he was afraid if she saw a different lifestyle away from him, she would reject him. Then he had to worry that if she did mature, she would leave him.
He apologizes for seducing her into marriage and then being mean to her about not growing up, he was an emotional mess the whole time they were together because he knew he had manipulated her and he knew he was keeping her a dependent weakling, but he loves her so much that he was terrified he was gong to lose her, so he just couldn't help himself - until he lost her anyway and then had to worry that if he brought her back to Greece, she would be the target for revenge.
He insists that he was going to come to England for her soon, and would have never let her marry the other man and the h is happy that he really does and did love her and demands that he give her more kids, cause she feels bad he missed out on the son's first years.
The H is afraid to let her try as her first pregnancy was so bad, but the h insists and the H tells her they will try on their honeymoon. The h tells him she can't go on honeymoon, cause they aren't married and the H is awed that she would love him so much that she would have his children, even tho she considers herself divorced. He tells her there isn't divorce in Greece, but he will marry her again anyways and HEA.
This one is good, and the back and forth between the H and h is very well done. It never seems like mindless bickering, but the H's arrogance and his sweeping statements are truly obnoxious at times and the h's set-downs are perfect. This is not PW's best by any means, but it is entertaining, and it is so totally a classic HP scenario that if you read it, you will think you are reading an HP veteran writer and not a newbie excursion to the wild shores of HPlandia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2024
OW who tried to destroy them got an epic telling off ON page for once, so that was good. The protags has good chemistry and I could see that the hero, despite being all Alpha domineering and cruel, WAS vulnerable when it came to his wife. BUT the author couldn’t manage to come up with a plausible reason why hero didn’t go after the heroine and let a long separation between them, to the point that she divorced him and was engaged to another. Not buying that. Dommage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2021
Here we have a caveman Greek billionaire who is obsessed by the heroine forever and a stupid heroine ready to believe to a bitchy ow.
She and the hero were stepcousins and the hero was always very protective and caring with her. When she was 18 he proposed and she of course accepted because she was in love with him.
Then enter ow.
- heroine saw her kissing hero when they were almost engaged and hero told her ow was only saying goodbye (hello hero? Is there anything inside your head? No?) and she accepted his explanation.
Then, some months after their marriage she went to his office and found ow in the arms of the hero. She left him without giving a chance to explain and asked for divorce.
Three years later h’s grandfather calls her because he’s ill and when she arrives the hero basically kidnaps her.
- in the meantime the heroine had the hero’s son and is engaged to a quiet Englishman.
The hero goes ballistic because he considers her as a property.
-some ow/ om drama
Obviously the hero finds out he has a son and goes to England to bring him back to Greece.
- the heroine is stubborn and refuses to give the hero a second chance.
-the hero gives ow a due payback for her bitchiness in front of the heroine. It was all a set up.
Ok, entertaining reading with a possessive and jealous hero, completely committed to the heroine forever. He really treated her as a princess from the first day he met her, and she was only a child. He was the sweetest man alive and I really don’t understand how the heroine could think he cheated on her.
Actually he was celibate, while she was going to marry another man.
I loved how he behaved when he met his son: he was so completely in love with his child and so grateful to the heroine.
She even tried to use their child to hurt him, and I found this really nasty. She never gave him a chance to explain, never trust him, even if she had known him forever.
Yes, the hero was a little dumb because he didn’t understand that ow was jealous and dangerous and the heroine was young and naive, he could have kept ow distant and avoided all that drama.
And he left her alone for three years, without checking on her, so if he had waited some more months she would have married om. Inconsistent.
But this hero was not a bad guy.
I think this is one of the few cases where the hero deserved better.
She and the hero were stepcousins and the hero was always very protective and caring with her. When she was 18 he proposed and she of course accepted because she was in love with him.
Then enter ow.
- heroine saw her kissing hero when they were almost engaged and hero told her ow was only saying goodbye (hello hero? Is there anything inside your head? No?) and she accepted his explanation.
Then, some months after their marriage she went to his office and found ow in the arms of the hero. She left him without giving a chance to explain and asked for divorce.
Three years later h’s grandfather calls her because he’s ill and when she arrives the hero basically kidnaps her.
- in the meantime the heroine had the hero’s son and is engaged to a quiet Englishman.
The hero goes ballistic because he considers her as a property.
-some ow/ om drama
Obviously the hero finds out he has a son and goes to England to bring him back to Greece.
- the heroine is stubborn and refuses to give the hero a second chance.
-the hero gives ow a due payback for her bitchiness in front of the heroine. It was all a set up.
Ok, entertaining reading with a possessive and jealous hero, completely committed to the heroine forever. He really treated her as a princess from the first day he met her, and she was only a child. He was the sweetest man alive and I really don’t understand how the heroine could think he cheated on her.
Actually he was celibate, while she was going to marry another man.
I loved how he behaved when he met his son: he was so completely in love with his child and so grateful to the heroine.
She even tried to use their child to hurt him, and I found this really nasty. She never gave him a chance to explain, never trust him, even if she had known him forever.
Yes, the hero was a little dumb because he didn’t understand that ow was jealous and dangerous and the heroine was young and naive, he could have kept ow distant and avoided all that drama.
And he left her alone for three years, without checking on her, so if he had waited some more months she would have married om. Inconsistent.
But this hero was not a bad guy.
I think this is one of the few cases where the hero deserved better.
September 11, 2019
Booge and StM has written great reviews and I am glad I've read this book. I'm a veteran too as booge said.
4,5 stars!
4,5 stars!
July 23, 2012
Sometime I cannot fully understand the logic of HP stories. The angst is the typical HP line where the heroline when she saw the hero holding other woman in his arms and she left him. This particular other woman is also the same one she saw that hero was kissing before their engagement. The H knows very well why the h left him (because of this OW) but in fact keeping his distance away from this OW, he agreed to have lunch with her and her brother on his first reunion with the heroine. I thought if you truly loved a person and even there is nothing between you and the OW, shouldn't you at least keep your distance to the OW and show some respect to the lady you love? I also did not understand why the hero did not explain the situation properly when h caught him holding the OW before she left him. It doesn't seem to me there is lack of opportunity to do so. And the h also brought this topic up (the OW being his mistress) more than once since their reunion. Isn't it a simple explanation is enough?
However, I do understand why the reason of the 3 years separation. But I almost felt that if the herione wasn't "tricked" to go back home, the H would easily miss his chance of having the h again as h was planning to marry someone else in 3 months time.
I know others found that the hero shows his love very obviously throughout the story. Unfortunately I cannot see it as such. How can you declare your engagement to the world without asking the heroine to marry him first (even I feel that the H is treating the heroine as a child instead of an equal but he constantly accused her being a child), his insensitive action of sharing lunch with OW together with the heroine even though he knows the herione was still under the impression that the OW is his mistress, he begged the heroine to go back to him straight after h left him but fail to explain the situation properly to her then and did not explain it either when they reunited.... When I have one too many disbeliefs in a story, it dampen my enjoyment in reading it.
However, I do understand why the reason of the 3 years separation. But I almost felt that if the herione wasn't "tricked" to go back home, the H would easily miss his chance of having the h again as h was planning to marry someone else in 3 months time.
I know others found that the hero shows his love very obviously throughout the story. Unfortunately I cannot see it as such. How can you declare your engagement to the world without asking the heroine to marry him first (even I feel that the H is treating the heroine as a child instead of an equal but he constantly accused her being a child), his insensitive action of sharing lunch with OW together with the heroine even though he knows the herione was still under the impression that the OW is his mistress, he begged the heroine to go back to him straight after h left him but fail to explain the situation properly to her then and did not explain it either when they reunited.... When I have one too many disbeliefs in a story, it dampen my enjoyment in reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2012
This is the first book that I have read from this author and I found it entertaining. This is a story of an arranged family marriage between a Hero and heroine that are madly in love with each other. Yet the heroine is so young and immature, that she doesn't realize, understand, or appreciate the hero's love. For some reason (probably immaturity) because he never actually says "I loves you", she seems to miss all the actions that show how much he loves her. I guess she never heard the phrase "actions, speak louder than words" ..
The hero, Andreas is one hunky dreamboat..who repeatedly shows his love....
The hero, Andreas is one hunky dreamboat..who repeatedly shows his love....
December 26, 2012
This really should be a 2 star book because the heroine is one selfish, mean-spirited, egocentric, immature, spoilt, vindictive, malicious and petty being. She knows where it hurts and is not afraid to hit just where it hurts the most. Wow. Completely unsympathetic character. And what of the poor fiancé? She just uses and then discards him when he no longer meets her needs. However, I bumped up to three stars because of the hero. Would have been five stars if the heroine hadn't been so horrid.
March 15, 2018
"The Final Price" is the story of Olivia and Andreas.
Basically this has everything a blurb promises
-A runaway wife h
-An alpha posessive greek H
-A big misunderstanding that was never solved
-Hidden baby
-Sneaky grandpa
-OM/OW drama
-Mine-mine-mine amount of insane passion
-A hero who's been forever obsessed with the heroine
-Mild angst
-HEA
As expected, the heroine comes off as judgemental/impulsive/hurtful with a boyfriend while the hero is 100% loyal while they waste years due to a misunderstanding.
Overall, kept me hooked.
SWE
3/5
Basically this has everything a blurb promises
-A runaway wife h
-An alpha posessive greek H
-A big misunderstanding that was never solved
-Hidden baby
-Sneaky grandpa
-OM/OW drama
-Mine-mine-mine amount of insane passion
-A hero who's been forever obsessed with the heroine
-Mild angst
-HEA
As expected, the heroine comes off as judgemental/impulsive/hurtful with a boyfriend while the hero is 100% loyal while they waste years due to a misunderstanding.
Overall, kept me hooked.
SWE
3/5
August 22, 2019
The two main characters have been divorced and apart for over three years. She caught him with another woman and left the Greek island that was their home and went to England. Present day she has been called back to Greece as her grandfather is ill. Her ex husband doesn’t know that when she left she was pregnant and they now have a son he knows nothing about. The heroine is also engaged to be married to her English fiancé.
When she arrives in Greece her ex husband is waiting for her, he is quite angry with her, but invites her out to dinner that night where he brings his mistress the same woman she caught him with 3 years prior.
The premise of this story was ridiculous, he’d never cheated because he’d been set up, he knew that the other woman had done that, so I didn’t get why he was still associating with her, that was stupid. The heroine was a complete weak dimwit, but most ridiculous of all was her ex husbands insistance that she was still his wife, and not just him but everyone around him. Really the fact that they were legally divorced was ignored, it was pathetic. So was the fact that she’d hidden their son from him.
When she arrives in Greece her ex husband is waiting for her, he is quite angry with her, but invites her out to dinner that night where he brings his mistress the same woman she caught him with 3 years prior.
The premise of this story was ridiculous, he’d never cheated because he’d been set up, he knew that the other woman had done that, so I didn’t get why he was still associating with her, that was stupid. The heroine was a complete weak dimwit, but most ridiculous of all was her ex husbands insistance that she was still his wife, and not just him but everyone around him. Really the fact that they were legally divorced was ignored, it was pathetic. So was the fact that she’d hidden their son from him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2011
It was a good book,well developed characters,plot was repetative but the way it was written was good
Andreas-Olivia their marriage was arranged,Olivia was only 18 and Andreas was 29,Andreas did'nt want to marry Olivia cause she was too young but the old man said if he got married it will secure the inheritance ,this fight was heard by Olivia it was 1 week before marriage and when she married Andreas some fights as to she being child, acting like a child and then there's this OW Leandi (Olivia saw Andreas-Leandi kissing before engagement and then in office in embrace in each other's arms)who implies she n Andreas were lovers,they love each other but Andreas had to get married to her but they both are still carrying on,Olivia is insecure-jealous and final nail was Leandi stages a scene where in it seems Andrea -Leandi are in each others arms,Olivia runs away to England gives birth to their son,it was a difficult pregnancy and to keep Nicky safe she had to even break her contact with her grandfather
The story starts from 3 years from then Olivia is engaged to Peter but when her Grandfather gets sick she is summoned to Greek island she goes cause the old man was always good to her and then story paces Andreas gets to know of his son n all the misunderstanding are cleared
Olivia has grown in these 3 years from a girl she became mother and she is quiet head strong,Andreas knows how much he loves her but his anger kept him from coming to Olivia ,he really loves Olivia very much they wear their rings back and decide to get married again
good read,not a keeper though
recommend it
Andreas-Olivia their marriage was arranged,Olivia was only 18 and Andreas was 29,Andreas did'nt want to marry Olivia cause she was too young but the old man said if he got married it will secure the inheritance ,this fight was heard by Olivia it was 1 week before marriage and when she married Andreas some fights as to she being child, acting like a child and then there's this OW Leandi (Olivia saw Andreas-Leandi kissing before engagement and then in office in embrace in each other's arms)who implies she n Andreas were lovers,they love each other but Andreas had to get married to her but they both are still carrying on,Olivia is insecure-jealous and final nail was Leandi stages a scene where in it seems Andrea -Leandi are in each others arms,Olivia runs away to England gives birth to their son,it was a difficult pregnancy and to keep Nicky safe she had to even break her contact with her grandfather
The story starts from 3 years from then Olivia is engaged to Peter but when her Grandfather gets sick she is summoned to Greek island she goes cause the old man was always good to her and then story paces Andreas gets to know of his son n all the misunderstanding are cleared
Olivia has grown in these 3 years from a girl she became mother and she is quiet head strong,Andreas knows how much he loves her but his anger kept him from coming to Olivia ,he really loves Olivia very much they wear their rings back and decide to get married again
good read,not a keeper though
recommend it
July 20, 2020
Maybe I've just read too many Greek alpha/second chance on private island/seekrit baby Harleys, but this was just too paint by numbers for me. We've got the ailing grandwhatever to bring the heroine back to the hero's private-island lair, check! The seekrit baby, check! The possessive alpha hero, check! OM/OW drama, check! The one-talk-resolves-all conversation that the heroine refuses to have, check!
I didn't like the heroine at all--I thought she was an immature brat who just up and split on her husband and the grandfather she supposedly adored because she saw another woman kissing the heroine. I'll give her a pass because she was 18 at the time, and teenagers are impulsive and mercurial, but I'm always bugged by the entire plot being driven by a single Big Misunderstanding. At least have other issues to complicate the mess. And I've never been a fan of seekrit babies-just seems cruel to me. The supposedly grown-up heroine, three years later, was still a brat and when she considered punishing the hero by turning the plot moppet against him (more or less), that cemented it for me (even though she quickly relents--I guess her fleeting wish to pay him back for her own hurt was supposed to make her more human (?) but I don't like spite in my heroines.
Lots of good reviews/summaries of this one, and many readers really seemed to like it, so I'm a contrarian, but was just meh for me.
I didn't like the heroine at all--I thought she was an immature brat who just up and split on her husband and the grandfather she supposedly adored because she saw another woman kissing the heroine. I'll give her a pass because she was 18 at the time, and teenagers are impulsive and mercurial, but I'm always bugged by the entire plot being driven by a single Big Misunderstanding. At least have other issues to complicate the mess. And I've never been a fan of seekrit babies-just seems cruel to me. The supposedly grown-up heroine, three years later, was still a brat and when she considered punishing the hero by turning the plot moppet against him (more or less), that cemented it for me (even though she quickly relents--I guess her fleeting wish to pay him back for her own hurt was supposed to make her more human (?) but I don't like spite in my heroines.
Lots of good reviews/summaries of this one, and many readers really seemed to like it, so I'm a contrarian, but was just meh for me.
November 5, 2018
3.5/4 🌟
April 8, 2015
I give this book 3 1/2 stars. SPOILERS AROUND. What can I say, I really love the vintage Harlequins (vintage for me are the 80's HQs) I love me some bossy, controlling, obsessive(and handsome and rich of course) Heroes :P As usual these types of books can be totally un-PC and this is one of them. I felt the book had really good verbal back and forth war between the two main characters and they had great tension and chemistry too. The Hero does seem over the top in his powerful, controlling, bossy on the verge of kidnap kind of way, but hey this is the Harlequin world .-_-. The only thing I felt bad/weird about was the presence of the "other man". I thought his presence there was so uncomfortable and in some ways, that made me dislike the heroine bit because really that was a bit insensitive of her. She was supposedly "engaged" to him and wearing his ring and if I was the other man I too would be rather insulted that my "fiance" would "cheat" on me. Hmmm.. I think I'm not wording this review correctly. I'm totally not defending the other man or like him, heck I'm totally rooting for the Hero and Heroine, just that it was bad judgement for the Heroine to bring the fiance there and have him witness everything, thats like a slap in the face for the other man. But anyhoo, what I love is the "other woman" reveal and the heroine witnessing and hearing the truth finally. But it was slightly annoying that before the OQ truth/reveal the heroine was ready to bolt and run away again (uhhh can't you have faith!! you guys just had such wonderful lovin!!) I also love it that the Hero is super duper in love with the heroine forever/obsessed. It might weird other people out that he loved/obsessed with her since she was (14 was it?) and that they were "cousins" well not blood related but hey this is the HQ world!! I also agree with a previous reviewer how it was rather insane that it took three years for the H and h to finally get together and would have been a close call if the h married the other man. Let's see.. what else... yeah, I love the happy ending it was great. I enjoyed reading the book but with all my other complaints I'm taking out 1.5 stars away.
November 6, 2015
Hard to believe that the H would still hang out with the woman that caused the break up of his marriage. Also hard to believe that he would allow three years to pass and have someone else initiate the reconciliation.
May 18, 2020
I particularly like the husband’s reaction to the “secret” baby.
March 24, 2022
So much passion and angst but projected a little too late. The MCs were like a dormant volcano. The H was extremely territorial and assertive. The h was ditzy and much young.
The H and h have loved each other since their early teens. The h lost her parents and the H is heir to her grandfathers millions as well as her aunt’s adopted son. They both marry early but one shitty OW-scene later the h runs away. The H doesn’t come after her. He doesn’t shake sense into her to show her night from day. Instead he expects her to know and trust him as someone who would never have betrayed her.
They’re apart for some years and the H doesn’t know the h’s secret. She’s about to marry OM but must go back for once to meet their grandfather.
Their second meeting is when all their chemistry rekindles. The H is a possessive husband who won’t let the h forget that for a second. He won’t even allow her to wear her hair except the way he likes it. He’s extremely pushy and takes great ownership of his role as her husband.
Why did he not come after her all these years???!!! I felt bad for OM. He was consistently ridiculed and put down to his face from the H and yet he remained passive and won’t take off from their impending HEA situation.
The h was rightfully hurting by the indifference of her husband early on in their marriage. He’s caught more than once with OM in a lewd position and yet he won’t speak up and defend his loyalty to his wife. Instead he lets her run away and carry on and never touches base.
But it was a good one. The H was a real caveman so not everyone would like his ordering his wife around but I loved it! Wish they didn’t have to waste all those years apart for nothing.
The H and h have loved each other since their early teens. The h lost her parents and the H is heir to her grandfathers millions as well as her aunt’s adopted son. They both marry early but one shitty OW-scene later the h runs away. The H doesn’t come after her. He doesn’t shake sense into her to show her night from day. Instead he expects her to know and trust him as someone who would never have betrayed her.
They’re apart for some years and the H doesn’t know the h’s secret. She’s about to marry OM but must go back for once to meet their grandfather.
Their second meeting is when all their chemistry rekindles. The H is a possessive husband who won’t let the h forget that for a second. He won’t even allow her to wear her hair except the way he likes it. He’s extremely pushy and takes great ownership of his role as her husband.
Why did he not come after her all these years???!!! I felt bad for OM. He was consistently ridiculed and put down to his face from the H and yet he remained passive and won’t take off from their impending HEA situation.
The h was rightfully hurting by the indifference of her husband early on in their marriage. He’s caught more than once with OM in a lewd position and yet he won’t speak up and defend his loyalty to his wife. Instead he lets her run away and carry on and never touches base.
But it was a good one. The H was a real caveman so not everyone would like his ordering his wife around but I loved it! Wish they didn’t have to waste all those years apart for nothing.
June 29, 2023
My recording system appears to have let me down as I knew within a couple of pages that I'd read this before. Decided to press on as I was in the mood for a possessive Greek and my, my does Andreas deliver. If he says "you're mine" once he says it a hundred times so if possessiveness kink is big on your hot list you're in safe hands here. The h Olivia (divorced from H due to a 'OW misunderstanding' TM) has kept the existence of a toddler son from him and is engaged to English solicitor control freak type. When the 'sick grandfather' TM calls her back to the island the reunion game is on. Borderline for throat grabbing but just about the right side of psychopath. Perfectly competent PW.
February 19, 2021
Well, for me, this book was by far the best of Ms. Patricia Wilson. I’m always a sucker for a second chance at love trope, and there's also the secret baby trope. And the writing was almost... almost perfect. The only thing keeping this from five stars was how the heroine used her son as a weapon against Andreas. It was way below the belt and immature. The only reason why I gave this book 3 stars was the hero, Andreas. He can be a jerk at times, but he's actually a real softie, especially when it comes to Olivia (even though she didn't deserve him), their son Nicky, their grandfather Alex, and even Sophia and Tomas. And I also loved the fact that Andreas took the news that he has a child differently. Well, obviously, he was mad at first which is normal because Olivia kept their son. But after that, he was just thankful to her.
"I'm not in the mood to quarrel with you. I'm holding in my arms the wonderful gift you gave me, and for the moment, I'm at peace."
August 2, 2021
Excellent read. I am a fan of Patricia Wilson’s HP’s because of her H’s.
The h and H are married. She thinks he has an OW, so she runs. He follows her and he begs her to come back. She refuses.
Three years later they meet again. That’s where the book starts. She thinks she is divorced, but he tells her that they are still married. In those three years that they were apart, she had the H’s baby (which the H knows nothing about) and she is engaged to another man.
He is a jealous, dominant, possessive man who is crazy about her. Wonderful. I don’t like mellow, nice, laidback HP H’s.
What I find strange: he forgives her so easily that she kept their baby a secret from him. After he finds out that she has a kid, she tries to lie that the kid isn’t his. She’s not very nice, that’s why it isn’t 5 stars for me, but 4 stars.
The h and H are married. She thinks he has an OW, so she runs. He follows her and he begs her to come back. She refuses.
Three years later they meet again. That’s where the book starts. She thinks she is divorced, but he tells her that they are still married. In those three years that they were apart, she had the H’s baby (which the H knows nothing about) and she is engaged to another man.
He is a jealous, dominant, possessive man who is crazy about her. Wonderful. I don’t like mellow, nice, laidback HP H’s.
What I find strange: he forgives her so easily that she kept their baby a secret from him. After he finds out that she has a kid, she tries to lie that the kid isn’t his. She’s not very nice, that’s why it isn’t 5 stars for me, but 4 stars.
January 16, 2016
Secret baby Greek romance.
Olivia was set up by the OW to believe what her eyes could see as she got a phone call and walked into her husband office. She runs a way with the clothes on her back to England and leaves not only her husband but her maternal grandfather, the man who took care of her after her parents died in a car crash when she was young. She was young and she misunderstood a conversation she heard between her husband and her grandfather before they married. She questioned the genuineness of her husband feelings from the get go. She wanted to hear the three little words whereas he was showing her the three little words by his actions.
Andreas surprised me a few times. Just when I expected him to go apeshit, he acted the exact opposite.
Olivia was set up by the OW to believe what her eyes could see as she got a phone call and walked into her husband office. She runs a way with the clothes on her back to England and leaves not only her husband but her maternal grandfather, the man who took care of her after her parents died in a car crash when she was young. She was young and she misunderstood a conversation she heard between her husband and her grandfather before they married. She questioned the genuineness of her husband feelings from the get go. She wanted to hear the three little words whereas he was showing her the three little words by his actions.
Andreas surprised me a few times. Just when I expected him to go apeshit, he acted the exact opposite.
June 27, 2021
Vintage HPs are always better. Loved this gem so much!.. I normally hate seeing babies in romance but I absolutely loved all the scenes with him in it. This just shows you, if the author knows how to tell a good story, anything will work. Heck, my fav scenes were the son and the dad!👶🏻
Safe
Wannabe ow. h thinks he cheated.
Safe
Wannabe ow. h thinks he cheated.
November 28, 2013
I do love yummy, dreamy possessive Greek men. This one sure made you burn.
December 28, 2023
'Why are you pretending?' she cried out wildly, unable to keep up the barriers any longer. 'I wasn't the one to go to someone else. What do you think any wife would do when she found her husband with another woman?
That would depend on the maturity of the wife, I think,' he snarled derisively. 'My wife was a child who ran away, without faith, without even listening to reason.'
Another half-Greek heiress convinced her adopted cousin has married her for the money/ She runs away when she finds her husband embracing another woman without telling him of her pregnancy.
Yes, the H has married a spoiled stupid child.
And the h grew up into a spoiled stupid vicious woman.
'My weapon, Olivia thought bitterly, remembering the look Andreas had had on his face when he had hesitated to intrude on the bathtime play. She would make him feel an intruder, she had more than a two years' advantage. She could make Andreas suffer very easily. Power, rage and money would not buy love. Nicky was hers and would stay hers.
She sank into bed that night with a smile of determined satisfaction. The few times she had seen Andreas had shown her that he had taken this badly, not with anger, but with a great deal of pain. She settled her pillows comfortably. There were many ways of being trapped and in trapping her, Andreas had inadvertently trapped himself. He would never really have Nicky without her ready co-operation, and he would never get that.'
The H is almost submissive. Although he does go aroung promising to kill everyone
'Pray hard, Olivia,' he growled. 'Pray hard that when I see your son he looks enough like me to convince me that he is mine and that all this is a frantic lie to get you off the hook. Because if he should be anything but my son, if you have let anyone else have you, the only way you'll leave this island is dead!'
'If the child is not mine, then I'll kill you for giving to another man that which is mine alone. And if he is my son, I'll not forget that you were prepared to marry that English jellyfish and share my child with him. Either way you lose, Olivia—either way I'll punish you.'
That would depend on the maturity of the wife, I think,' he snarled derisively. 'My wife was a child who ran away, without faith, without even listening to reason.'
Another half-Greek heiress convinced her adopted cousin has married her for the money/ She runs away when she finds her husband embracing another woman without telling him of her pregnancy.
Yes, the H has married a spoiled stupid child.
And the h grew up into a spoiled stupid vicious woman.
'My weapon, Olivia thought bitterly, remembering the look Andreas had had on his face when he had hesitated to intrude on the bathtime play. She would make him feel an intruder, she had more than a two years' advantage. She could make Andreas suffer very easily. Power, rage and money would not buy love. Nicky was hers and would stay hers.
She sank into bed that night with a smile of determined satisfaction. The few times she had seen Andreas had shown her that he had taken this badly, not with anger, but with a great deal of pain. She settled her pillows comfortably. There were many ways of being trapped and in trapping her, Andreas had inadvertently trapped himself. He would never really have Nicky without her ready co-operation, and he would never get that.'
The H is almost submissive. Although he does go aroung promising to kill everyone
'Pray hard, Olivia,' he growled. 'Pray hard that when I see your son he looks enough like me to convince me that he is mine and that all this is a frantic lie to get you off the hook. Because if he should be anything but my son, if you have let anyone else have you, the only way you'll leave this island is dead!'
'If the child is not mine, then I'll kill you for giving to another man that which is mine alone. And if he is my son, I'll not forget that you were prepared to marry that English jellyfish and share my child with him. Either way you lose, Olivia—either way I'll punish you.'
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2011
3.5 stars. Patricia Wilson books start really well, in my opinion, but then just seem to peter out and get repetitive. As much as I love a head-over-heels hero, this hero is too obvious and the heroine is too unbelievably idiotic not to see it -- the fact that there's no real doubt about it kind of removes the emotional tension for me. It's still readable, just not as great as I want it to be given that otherwise the basic plots/attitudes are usually elements I like in other romances.
August 26, 2012
I like the story, although the H is pretty obvious about his love for the h. And as usual, we have here a pompous fiancé that cannot be compared with the ex husband, a very passionate man, with whom the h still shares a potent chemistry.
Something that is not usual in this kind the story: after the initial surprise the H is very happy with his son and that there exist a so strong link with his ex wife, something he uses to his advantage.
Something that is not usual in this kind the story: after the initial surprise the H is very happy with his son and that there exist a so strong link with his ex wife, something he uses to his advantage.
October 26, 2021
Stmargarets and Boogenhagen have all the details. This is a 4-5 star read for me. It checked off lots of boxes for me.
Hero is more than 10 years older✅(I don’t know why I like the older man/younger woman thing, 🤷🏻♀️)
Hero has loved heroine since before it was probably legal to do so✅(ok, I don’t want this misinterpreted, I am not advocating for young teens to hook up with 20 somethings, but I like that he has basically loved her forever)
Hero is super alpha greek and besotted with heroine✅
Hero stayed celibate and pined for his absent wife✅(there are things hinted early on by the bodyguard as well that things were pretty dark after the h left)
Heroine at the young age of 18 shows she has a backbone by leaving her “cheating” husband toot sweet✅
Secret pregnancy, secret baby✅ Again, I am not advocating for women to keep babies a secret, but I rather liked how this was done…The hero is outraged. He basically tells her that if the baby isn’t his he will kill her(super possessive here), and that if the baby is his, she is still not off the hook(this seems pretty honest). However, when he finally gets access to his son for the first time, PW does a good job showing how he is so ott in love with being a father. Instead of berating the heroine, he looks at her with wonderment at how she has basically gifted him with the most amazing thing ever. Of course being the possessive Greek he is, that baby is never leaving the island again.
OW gets her comeuppance✅✅(this needs to happen so much more in these stories)
OM for delicious jealousy drama✅The om in this is definitely all wrong for our fiery Heroine. The statistics for 2nd marriages and the divorce rates are higher. It is my opinion that has to do with the fact that one is sometimes looking for the complete opposite of what they had the first time. For our h, the om was there for her when she was depressed and a single mother. He was safe as well. So he played a pivotal part in her healing, giving her a job etc when she needed it. So even though the om was not HP hero material, he wasn’t all bad.
Interfering gruff grandpa✅
Support staff who want the couple to succeed✅
Second Chance✅ I am a sucker for these especially when the parties involved have stayed celibate
Virgin heroine✅ I, like the alphas I love to hate, do like when the heroine has only ever had the hero as her lover (Gloria Steinem would not be a fan!)
So I really enjoyed this. Our heroine was very young when she married, and didn’t handle things a more mature woman might have. I really liked the H in this one. He had enough asshattery to keep me entertained, but also had many moments where we could see his unspoken love showing through.
On a side note, I like when the author puts in things that are normal to us non billionaire living people.
After hero finds a high chair, he says:
'I saw you struggle with him at lunchtime and thought of balancing him on a few telephone directories, but Tomas and I made another sortie into the attics and found this.'
LOL in my household I think it was JCPenney, Wards, and Sears catalogs. These along with the telephone directories have gone the way of the dinosaurs now 😂
Hero is more than 10 years older✅(I don’t know why I like the older man/younger woman thing, 🤷🏻♀️)
Hero has loved heroine since before it was probably legal to do so✅(ok, I don’t want this misinterpreted, I am not advocating for young teens to hook up with 20 somethings, but I like that he has basically loved her forever)
Hero is super alpha greek and besotted with heroine✅
Hero stayed celibate and pined for his absent wife✅(there are things hinted early on by the bodyguard as well that things were pretty dark after the h left)
Heroine at the young age of 18 shows she has a backbone by leaving her “cheating” husband toot sweet✅
Secret pregnancy, secret baby✅ Again, I am not advocating for women to keep babies a secret, but I rather liked how this was done…The hero is outraged. He basically tells her that if the baby isn’t his he will kill her(super possessive here), and that if the baby is his, she is still not off the hook(this seems pretty honest). However, when he finally gets access to his son for the first time, PW does a good job showing how he is so ott in love with being a father. Instead of berating the heroine, he looks at her with wonderment at how she has basically gifted him with the most amazing thing ever. Of course being the possessive Greek he is, that baby is never leaving the island again.
OW gets her comeuppance✅✅(this needs to happen so much more in these stories)
OM for delicious jealousy drama✅The om in this is definitely all wrong for our fiery Heroine. The statistics for 2nd marriages and the divorce rates are higher. It is my opinion that has to do with the fact that one is sometimes looking for the complete opposite of what they had the first time. For our h, the om was there for her when she was depressed and a single mother. He was safe as well. So he played a pivotal part in her healing, giving her a job etc when she needed it. So even though the om was not HP hero material, he wasn’t all bad.
Interfering gruff grandpa✅
Support staff who want the couple to succeed✅
Second Chance✅ I am a sucker for these especially when the parties involved have stayed celibate
Virgin heroine✅ I, like the alphas I love to hate, do like when the heroine has only ever had the hero as her lover (Gloria Steinem would not be a fan!)
So I really enjoyed this. Our heroine was very young when she married, and didn’t handle things a more mature woman might have. I really liked the H in this one. He had enough asshattery to keep me entertained, but also had many moments where we could see his unspoken love showing through.
On a side note, I like when the author puts in things that are normal to us non billionaire living people.
After hero finds a high chair, he says:
'I saw you struggle with him at lunchtime and thought of balancing him on a few telephone directories, but Tomas and I made another sortie into the attics and found this.'
LOL in my household I think it was JCPenney, Wards, and Sears catalogs. These along with the telephone directories have gone the way of the dinosaurs now 😂
October 2, 2025
This story was good, as it just kept my attention with a "never a dull moment" atmosphere. I had thought at first that I might not like it as it's one of those "have a baby and keep ex-hubby in the dark" stories, and they always bug me. No matter what her motivations, it always seems like spite to me. ("You hurt me, so I'll keep your kid from you, so there!") But in this case, the h, Olivia was afraid her ex, wealthy, powerful Greek businessman, (the H, Andreas) might take their baby son away from her and raise him with the woman she assumes he loves and means to marry, Leandi. (Their marriage fell apart because Olivia believed Andreas and Leandi were lovers; hurt and angry at his apparent betrayal, she left their home in Greece and went to stay with her aunt in England; hurt and angry at her mistrust, Andreas let her go.)
Sad to say, because of her young age (Olivia's 21 and was only 18 when they got married), Olivia was too quick to jump to conclusions, took too much at face value, and chose flight rather than fight. Even her motives for keeping two-year-old Nicky a secret (except from her aunt, who disapproved of her decision) were immature. She was convinced Andreas never loved her and only married her as part of a business deal (her grandfather, Alex, put him in control of his financial empire in exchange for marrying Olivia, or so she thought, from a partially overheard conversation), so it wasn't difficult for her to mistrust his fidelity. But since she loved him, the baby would be a part of him she could keep all to herself, and not share with anyone else. She gave no thought to the future, that she'd be cheating her son out of his birthright, inheritance, Greek family, etc. More a self-centered girl than a grown woman!
(We really have to suspend disbelief here, when wealthy, powerful Andreas, who has kept tabs on Olivia since she left, never learned anything about the baby???)
Olivia was also selfish, in that she not only left her husband, but her grandfather as well, not having seen him in three years, because she wanted to avoid Andreas. But that changes when she's told he's ill and is asking for her.
Another change is that she plans to marry Peter, the lawyer she's been working for, who helped give her back her confidence after she pretty much fell apart after the divorce. (She apparently had a difficult time when she had the baby, but this isn't gone into in detail, just glossed over.)
Peter, the OM, is the WORST!!! What I hate about these "rivals" is that they're usually either boring, beta wimps or else they appear to be nice guys, but are in fact controlling, possessive creeps. Peter sure fits that second category!! Olivia was looking for security and stability (compared to the passion and excitement she had with Andreas) and she was also grateful to Peter for giving her a job when she had no work experience, so she agreed to marry him for the wrong reasons. She used her moral standards (not wanting sex outside marriage) as an excuse to avoid sleeping with him and was already asking herself it she'd really be able to go through with it when they got married. (She didn't even kiss him much.)
What she didn't consider (and should have) was his attitude towards Nicky. It was obvious he resented him, never even saying his name (always "the boy" or "the child"), kept telling Olivia she spoiled him, gave him too much attention (he's only two-years-old!!!) and he resented that, after working all week, she wanted to spend time with Nicky on weekends, when he wanted her to go out with him. Talk about a jerk!! I'll bet if they got married, he'd be checking out boarding schools to see if they took toddlers! He also has an annoying habit of telling Olivia he knows what's best.
And dumb Olivia wants to marry him????? (But of course, you know where her heart really is!) She even makes excuses for him, that it's understandable it would bother him that she was married before and has a child. Well then, why ask her to marry him if he feels that way? And why should she feel she has to apologize for her past?
And why do so many h's give the H a tough time and the OM a free pass????
When they meet again in Greece, there's the usual cold, cutting remarks from Andreas and snarky, bitchy comments from Olivia when they meet again, not to mention that strong physical attraction that he admits to, while she pretends isn't there, but what's most interesting about this story, is how everything they went through could have been avoided if they had waited a couple of years before getting married. Olivia was just too immature at 18 and Andreas - at 29 - should have known that. Trouble is, he wanted her so much but didn't want to sleep with her without getting married, out of respect both for her and Alex (who was his grandfather, too, by adoption). Meanwhile, he had kept Olivia isolated, away from other young men, even before he declared his feelings. It was understandable, but also selfish, as she should have had a chance to grow up and be independent; that didn't mean dating, but maybe getting a job, taking college classes, doing something that would have made her able to cope with the responsibilities of being married. (Andreas could have taken cold showers for another year or two.)
Ironically, he had accused her of wanting the best of both worlds, to be both his wife and a little girl at the same time, but neither he nor her grandfather gave her the chance to grow up.
There are some really good moments in this book, like Andreas refusing to acknowledge the divorce, his impression of her relationship with Peter, while she tries - not very successfully - to defend it, when Andreas finds out about Nicky, the scenes with him and his newfound son as he learns to care for him and loves every minute, Olivia's growing awareness of how happy she is to be back home, Peter (who came to Greece to give Olivia moral support - what a joke) showing his true colors and getting his comeuppance, a funny scene where Olivia has too much to drink (much to Andreas's amusement and Peter's disapproval), their near reconciliation derailed when once again Olivia lets jealousy get the better of her, the crummy way she tries to use Nicky as a weapon and her remorse afterward, and the true details of his "affair" with Leandi (if she's his true love, as Olivia believed, then how come in three years he hasn't married her?), the conversation Andreas and Alex had that started all the doubts, and the reason why, after only a few attempts to try and talk to her, Andreas let three years go by without attempting to get her back. (To be truthful, it was a bit lame, and it seemed silly to involve her grandfather in it).
Andreas (though he had his not-so-great moments) is a more likeable character than Olivia, or at least Olivia before she really grew up. But the two of them with their son make such a nice picture!
I had to laugh when it suddenly occurred to her: what if she had married Peter??? You can see how the realization hit her like, what was I thinking??? How awful!!!!! Well, guess who NEVER would have let that happen!!
Read and have fun!
Sad to say, because of her young age (Olivia's 21 and was only 18 when they got married), Olivia was too quick to jump to conclusions, took too much at face value, and chose flight rather than fight. Even her motives for keeping two-year-old Nicky a secret (except from her aunt, who disapproved of her decision) were immature. She was convinced Andreas never loved her and only married her as part of a business deal (her grandfather, Alex, put him in control of his financial empire in exchange for marrying Olivia, or so she thought, from a partially overheard conversation), so it wasn't difficult for her to mistrust his fidelity. But since she loved him, the baby would be a part of him she could keep all to herself, and not share with anyone else. She gave no thought to the future, that she'd be cheating her son out of his birthright, inheritance, Greek family, etc. More a self-centered girl than a grown woman!
(We really have to suspend disbelief here, when wealthy, powerful Andreas, who has kept tabs on Olivia since she left, never learned anything about the baby???)
Olivia was also selfish, in that she not only left her husband, but her grandfather as well, not having seen him in three years, because she wanted to avoid Andreas. But that changes when she's told he's ill and is asking for her.
Another change is that she plans to marry Peter, the lawyer she's been working for, who helped give her back her confidence after she pretty much fell apart after the divorce. (She apparently had a difficult time when she had the baby, but this isn't gone into in detail, just glossed over.)
Peter, the OM, is the WORST!!! What I hate about these "rivals" is that they're usually either boring, beta wimps or else they appear to be nice guys, but are in fact controlling, possessive creeps. Peter sure fits that second category!! Olivia was looking for security and stability (compared to the passion and excitement she had with Andreas) and she was also grateful to Peter for giving her a job when she had no work experience, so she agreed to marry him for the wrong reasons. She used her moral standards (not wanting sex outside marriage) as an excuse to avoid sleeping with him and was already asking herself it she'd really be able to go through with it when they got married. (She didn't even kiss him much.)
What she didn't consider (and should have) was his attitude towards Nicky. It was obvious he resented him, never even saying his name (always "the boy" or "the child"), kept telling Olivia she spoiled him, gave him too much attention (he's only two-years-old!!!) and he resented that, after working all week, she wanted to spend time with Nicky on weekends, when he wanted her to go out with him. Talk about a jerk!! I'll bet if they got married, he'd be checking out boarding schools to see if they took toddlers! He also has an annoying habit of telling Olivia he knows what's best.
And dumb Olivia wants to marry him????? (But of course, you know where her heart really is!) She even makes excuses for him, that it's understandable it would bother him that she was married before and has a child. Well then, why ask her to marry him if he feels that way? And why should she feel she has to apologize for her past?
And why do so many h's give the H a tough time and the OM a free pass????
When they meet again in Greece, there's the usual cold, cutting remarks from Andreas and snarky, bitchy comments from Olivia when they meet again, not to mention that strong physical attraction that he admits to, while she pretends isn't there, but what's most interesting about this story, is how everything they went through could have been avoided if they had waited a couple of years before getting married. Olivia was just too immature at 18 and Andreas - at 29 - should have known that. Trouble is, he wanted her so much but didn't want to sleep with her without getting married, out of respect both for her and Alex (who was his grandfather, too, by adoption). Meanwhile, he had kept Olivia isolated, away from other young men, even before he declared his feelings. It was understandable, but also selfish, as she should have had a chance to grow up and be independent; that didn't mean dating, but maybe getting a job, taking college classes, doing something that would have made her able to cope with the responsibilities of being married. (Andreas could have taken cold showers for another year or two.)
Ironically, he had accused her of wanting the best of both worlds, to be both his wife and a little girl at the same time, but neither he nor her grandfather gave her the chance to grow up.
There are some really good moments in this book, like Andreas refusing to acknowledge the divorce, his impression of her relationship with Peter, while she tries - not very successfully - to defend it, when Andreas finds out about Nicky, the scenes with him and his newfound son as he learns to care for him and loves every minute, Olivia's growing awareness of how happy she is to be back home, Peter (who came to Greece to give Olivia moral support - what a joke) showing his true colors and getting his comeuppance, a funny scene where Olivia has too much to drink (much to Andreas's amusement and Peter's disapproval), their near reconciliation derailed when once again Olivia lets jealousy get the better of her, the crummy way she tries to use Nicky as a weapon and her remorse afterward, and the true details of his "affair" with Leandi (if she's his true love, as Olivia believed, then how come in three years he hasn't married her?), the conversation Andreas and Alex had that started all the doubts, and the reason why, after only a few attempts to try and talk to her, Andreas let three years go by without attempting to get her back. (To be truthful, it was a bit lame, and it seemed silly to involve her grandfather in it).
Andreas (though he had his not-so-great moments) is a more likeable character than Olivia, or at least Olivia before she really grew up. But the two of them with their son make such a nice picture!
I had to laugh when it suddenly occurred to her: what if she had married Peter??? You can see how the realization hit her like, what was I thinking??? How awful!!!!! Well, guess who NEVER would have let that happen!!
Read and have fun!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2017
The story is about Olivia, who loses her parents in a young age and has to live under the wings of her Greek grandfather and the hero, Andreas. She falls in love with him and marries him even though she thinks he's not in love with her. She later discovers he's got a mistress and so runs away to England and has his child secretly.
In fairness, the writing style is beautiful, but the novel lacks a lot in the conviction part. I kept having these ideas while and after reading this novel:
One: How could a mother who loved her child deprive him of his father for three years even though she was hurt by that father, whom by the way she presumably loved so much!
Two: The hero and the grandfather kept a close eye on the heroine - as said in the story - for three years in fear that one of their enemies my hurt her. Three years of watching her and they weren't ever told she has a child! How could that be? Too strange to be believed, sorry to say that Patricia Wilson!
Three: The grandfather's and the hero's revelations were a total shock to me at the end, and the heroine's acceptance to them was even more shocking! They waited 3 years to tell her there was no mistress and that the hero loved her endlessly and preferred to watch her afar, instead of revealing the truth and protecting her near! I'm speechless.
Sorry, but I didn't much like the story and the characters. It was flat.
The only two novels that I totally liked so far from Patricia Wilson are Perilous Refuge and Dark Illusion. These I would definitely recommend any time, but definitely not this novel.
In fairness, the writing style is beautiful, but the novel lacks a lot in the conviction part. I kept having these ideas while and after reading this novel:
One: How could a mother who loved her child deprive him of his father for three years even though she was hurt by that father, whom by the way she presumably loved so much!
Two: The hero and the grandfather kept a close eye on the heroine - as said in the story - for three years in fear that one of their enemies my hurt her. Three years of watching her and they weren't ever told she has a child! How could that be? Too strange to be believed, sorry to say that Patricia Wilson!
Three: The grandfather's and the hero's revelations were a total shock to me at the end, and the heroine's acceptance to them was even more shocking! They waited 3 years to tell her there was no mistress and that the hero loved her endlessly and preferred to watch her afar, instead of revealing the truth and protecting her near! I'm speechless.
Sorry, but I didn't much like the story and the characters. It was flat.
The only two novels that I totally liked so far from Patricia Wilson are Perilous Refuge and Dark Illusion. These I would definitely recommend any time, but definitely not this novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2021
This is a rant, sorry in advance. If I read this a few years back I may had liked it, because I tried. Tried reading it previously but I found her annoying, so I now tried again & I found her to be the most annoying. Wishy washy, she played the guilt card for way too long & she hid the child from him. She claim it was for the child’s best interest. Obviously she did it to spite the hero. The hero talk like some angry teenager, he barks too much mine, mine, mine. Too bad it was all talk, no action. For someone of his background & the besotted husband, he wasn’t acting up to par with the whole OM aka fiancé thing. The OM was also mine, mine, mine too. It was cringey having the three of them on one page, let alone in the same house. There was a scene the hero, OM were barking/fighting over her & of course the heroine was in audience also doing her own barking. Gosh, they act like kids. She led OM on for too long, insisting she was over the hero when it was obvious she wanted him to baby her. The whole time the OM was there she was secretly revisiting the hero. I did not care for her. No sympathy whatsoever. She was all prepare to marry another douchebag. Hero should had kick her to the curb, like he said, everyone would agree he did good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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