Scandal and the Runaway Bride - Donna Alward (HR #4732 - Oct 2020)

Series: Heirs to an Empire (Book 1)

The tycoon's forbidden flirtation…

With the heiress!

Will Pemberton's plan was simple: find Gabi, his brother's runaway bride, and protect his famous family from the press. Until their dangerous attraction threatens a bigger scandal! Gabi's wedding might have been fake, but Will's growing feelings for the misunderstood heiress are dangerously real. Falling for Gabi risks his family and the life he's worked hard to turn around… Is it one risk he's willing to take?

Very good book that I read in one sitting. I loved the depth of the conversations between Will and Gabi, the wonderful supporting characters, and the vivid descriptions of the setting. It opens at the wedding of Will's brother Stephen and his fiancée Gabi. Except that the bride didn't show up. Determined to protect his family, Will comes up with a cover story and then takes off searching for the missing bride. He's the only one in the family who knows the truth of their engagement.

Gabi's arrangement with Stephen was purely business. Stephen's father recently died, putting him at the head of the family and business. Gabi's father is ill, and she is in charge of their family business while he recovers. Stephen makes a business proposal that includes Gabi marrying him and providing an heir. Gabi panicked on the wedding day and realized that she couldn't marry a man she didn't love, even to help her family. So she ran.

When Will catches up with Gabi, he is extremely angry with her. Not so much for what she did but because of the timing. Because he knows the truth and disapproved, he understands Gabi's feelings. I loved watching him come up with a plan that would protect both Stephen and Gabi. However, he never expected the turn his plan would take.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Will and Gabi. Will is determined to protect the family, and Gabi feels guilty enough to go along with his plans. Will spirited her away to the family chateau in France where they planned to wait out the media frenzy. Once Will got over his anger, he respected Gabi's bravery in doing the right thing by calling off the wedding. During the time they spent together "hiding out," Will and Gabi became friends. Neither expected the growing attraction that sprung up between them. Though both of them fought their feelings, it was no use.

I ached for them both because of the obstacles that made a relationship difficult, if not impossible. The biggest was Gabi's former engagement to Stephen. Both she and Will felt that it would be disloyal to him to pursue their feelings. On Will's side, there is the gratitude he feels toward Stephen for saving him from a destructive path when he was younger. There is also the business relationship between the two families' companies. Gabi's fears about her abilities to run the family business were a motivating factor of her actions during the book. I loved how Will's support helped bolster her confidence. It also made her love him even more. When their relationship is discovered before they are ready, both Will and Gabi decide to face it head-on.

The scenes at the Pemberton estate were heartbreaking. I hurt for both Will and Gabi as they dealt with his family's attitudes. It was especially painful to witness Stephen's actions as they struck at the heart of Gabi's insecurities. I didn't blame her for what she did then and loved the strength that she showed. The ending was fantastic. Once the truth was out, I loved how Will's sisters got involved in bringing them back together in a sweetly romantic scene.

It was interesting to see the differences between Will's family and Gabi's family. There was no doubt about the love that existed, but the differences in the expression of that love were significant. I much preferred Gabi's family and their exuberance to the more reserved Pemberton's. And I ended up detesting Stephen. It will be interesting to see if and how he redeems himself.

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 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.