The Italian's Unexpected Heir - Jennifer Faye (HR #4728 - Sept 2020)

Series: Bartolini Legacy (Book 3)

Her baby surprise proves…

…that one night will never be enough!

Reeling from the secrets that have torn his heritage apart, Enzo Bartolini is set on selling his family's Tuscan vineyard and trying to forget the impulsive, dazzling night he and best friend Sylvie shared in Paris. While the sale moves forward, the thrilling awareness between him and Sylvie is harder to move past…especially when she upends Enzo's world by revealing she's carrying his baby!

Good conclusion to the series. Enzo and Sylvie became good friends when she began working as a wedding planner at the winery. Now that both of his sisters have moved away, Enzo is alone except for her. When he wins a prestigious wine award, he takes Sylvie to Paris for the award ceremony. The romance of the city works its magic on them, and they spend one passionate night together. But Enzo pulls back after their return to Italy, leaving Sylvie hurt and confused.

Enzo is the oldest of the Bartolini siblings and always felt protective of his sisters. The deaths of their parents and the ensuing revelations have left him feeling lost. Enzo is also wallowing in guilt and self-pity over what he sees as his failure to protect his sisters. His guilt is because he found out the family secret when he was a kid, but never told them. His self-pity is because he's afraid that if he tells them now, they will never forgive him, and he will lose them. All of these feelings get wrapped up in the winery to the point where he feels he must sell it to escape the memories.

Sylvie has been through a lot in her life. The daughter of a single mother, Sylvie's father died before she was born. She and her mother didn't have it easy, but they had each other. When her mother got sick, Sylvie cared for her as best she could but was frequently overcome with guilt over not doing enough. But through it all, she kept a smile on her face.

I liked the development of Enzo and Sylvie's relationship. They went from friends to one-night lovers, then Enzo pulled back. Sylvie is hurt, but soldiers on. When she finds out about Enzo's plan to sell the winery, she is puzzled. Sylvie knows he loves the place and used to have great plans for it, so she decides to remind him of that love. I enjoyed her attempts and seeing their effect on Enzo. Unfortunately, Enzo's self-disgust overrides all of the good memories she stirs up. Also stirred up are his growing feelings for Sylvie, but his issues keep him from doing anything about it. Once they discover that Sylvie is pregnant, Enzo's emotions are all over the place. His guilt pushes him away, but his heart wants Sylvie in his life. Should he sell the winery, or keep it? Sylvie loves him but doesn't want to be an obligation, so she also does her share of pushing away. It takes a threat to the winery itself to open Enzo's eyes, and a conversation with his sisters to finally dissolve his guilt. His big moment at the end was sweet and romantic. I liked the epilogue and the way it brought the series full circle.

While it can be read as a stand-alone, reading the previous two books makes this a richer story.

 

The Prince and the Wedding Planner - Jennifer Faye (HR #4703 - Mar 2020)

Series: Bartolini Legacy (Book 1)

When different worlds collide……sparks fly!

With her family name on the line, wedding planner Bianca Bartolini needs this royal wedding to go perfectly -- she can't afford distractions. Too bad the bride's dashing brother has other plans! Duty-bound Crown Prince Leo has mere weeks to announce his own engagement, but none of the candidates measure up to Bianca. They're the most unlikely match, but might that just make them perfect for one another. 

Good book. Bianca's life has been upended. Her parents' recent death left her and her brother and sister reeling. The terms of their parents' will state that the sibling whose business prospers most will inherit, pitting the siblings against each other. Then Bianca discovers an entry in her mother's journal, revealing that one of the siblings is the product of an affair. Bianca, who frequently feels out of step with her family, believes that she is the one. All three agree that a DNA test is the only way to know for sure.

Meanwhile, Bianca is determined to grow her wedding planning business. While working at her most recent wedding, Bianca meets Prince Leo, who asks her to assist in the planning of his sister's wedding. Doing well at this wedding would give her business a tremendous boost.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Bianca and Leo develop. There were sparks between them from the moment they met. Leo whisks Bianca away to his home, counting on her to help bridge the gap between his sister and his mother's ideas of the perfect wedding. He also hopes to get to know Bianca better. But Leo is caught between a rock and a hard place. To become king, he must be married, something he has been putting off. To gain his mother's cooperation in working with Bianca, he agrees to pick a bride by Giselle's wedding, or his mother will choose one for him. Leo doesn't want a political marriage; he wants one like his sister's. He can't stop thinking about Bianca and finds any excuse to spend time with her.

Bianca is equally attracted to Leo, but with her possibly questionable heritage, she is sure that a fairy-tale ending is not possible. That doesn't stop her from dreaming. There are some sweet scenes between the two of them walking in the garden, private dinners disguised as business, and my favorite, a hot-air balloon ride. I loved seeing Leo able to share his deepest secret with Bianca and how she helped him see it in a new way. I liked seeing Leo realize the depth of his feelings for Bianca and wanted to shake him when he allowed her fears to send her running. He redeemed himself quite nicely, standing up to those who might come between them. His big moment at the end was fantastic.

The secondary characters were terrific too. Bianca's brother and sister were equally devastated by the loss of their parents and the questions raised by their mother's journal. Even so, they were steadfast in their support of Bianca. I loved seeing them close ranks around Bianca after her return, and their protectiveness when Leo came looking for her. On Leo's side, I loved his sister Giselle. She clearly adores her big brother and worries about him even amid her own happiness. She is strong-willed, which enables her to stand up to her mother in defense of her preferences. The queen was hard to like at first. Her strict adherence to tradition and her attitude toward Bianca made me wonder how anything would get done. I also didn't like the way she manipulated Leo into picking a wife. I did soften toward her at the end when Leo talked to her about his father and Bianca.

 

The CEO, the Puppy and Me - Jennifer Faye (HR #4715 - June 2020)

 

Series: Bartolini Legacy (Book 2)

Has the search for her past…

…guided her toward her future?

Gia Bartolini's determinedly searching for her real father. First stop on the enchanting Italian island of Lapri? A mysterious abandoned mansion…where, rescuing a trapped puppy, she falls straight into the arms of alluring Riccardo Moretti! Her passion for the all-business CEO burns bright, leaving Gia with a question: In uncovering her true roots, has fate led her to true love?

A sweet story of love and family. Gia is reeling from two blows. First is the loss of her beloved parents in an accident. Second is the revelation that she does not share the same father as her two siblings. Suddenly she doesn't know who she is. An entry in her mother's journal sends Gia off to the island of Lapri in search of her biological father. While investigating an abandoned mansion, Gia found a trapped puppy and the property's owner, Ric.

Ric is a CEO and software genius. He keeps to himself as much as possible and avoids relationships altogether. When he gets a call about a strange woman poking about the property, he expects to find a thief or someone out for what they can get. Instead, he encounters an attractive young woman and an injured puppy.

I loved the first meeting between Gia and Ric. He arrives, ready to toss her off the property, only to find himself falling under her spell. It never crossed Gia's mind that Ric wouldn't help; she simply included him in her efforts, and he followed along. He thought of all the things he should say to get rid of her, but what came out of his mouth were offers to help.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Gia and Ric. They began as cautious acquaintances, bonding over the care of the puppy, which quickly grew into friendship. Ric offered to help Gia with her search, as he is empathetic to her cause. Not one to take without giving something in return, Gia puts her talents to use helping Ric with the renovation of his uncle's house. The more time they spend together, the more their feelings for each other change. There are some sweet scenes of them together. Gia's thoughts frequently wander to what a future with Ric would be like. Ric's do likewise, but those thoughts scare him, thanks to the issues from his past. I ached for Gina when those fears made him push her away. I thought he deserved every bit of the misery he felt after she left until he realized that he didn't like the look of his future without her. I thoroughly enjoyed how he had to get past Gia's protective siblings before he made his peace with her. His reunion with her was sweet and romantic.

Family was a big part of this book. It wasn't just Gia's search for her father, but also Ric's feelings about his family. His mother was a piece of work and never missed a chance to make the young boy feel like he was a mistake. She finally dumped him on his uncle. Ric's life was more stable, but he never thought that he was truly wanted. I liked how Gia opened his eyes when helping him go through his uncle's papers.

Meanwhile, Gia was desperate to find her father and hoped that would restore her sense of family. I loved that Ric worked so hard to help and support her along the way. While her search didn't turn out the way she hoped, on her return home, she realized that blood doesn't always mean family. Family is what you make of it.