The Secret She Must Tell The Spaniard by Clare Connelly

The Secret She Must Tell The Spaniard is written by Clare Connelly and published by Mills and Boon Modern. The novel combines several themes including secret baby, young love, betrayal, abandonment and reconciliation. 

Alicia was 16 and Graciano, 18,  when they had an affair. Alicia’s father, a minister for the church, accuses Graciano of assaulting Alicia and she stays silent. Graciano leaves, lives on the streets for a while and then slowly builds a financial empire. Alicia is thrown out by her father and sent to live with her Aunt and has a baby. She rings Graciano to tell him that she is pregnant but he rebuffs her. Her father tells her that if she ever has contact with Graciano  he will have him arrested for sexual assault. She has established a charity and is a well known event planner.

They meet 10 years later at Alicia’s charity event. She is auctioning her services as an event planner to raise money for her charity. Graciano wins the auction and takes her to his private slabs to plan his event. 

The attraction between the pair is still there and as they compare notes over what happened in the past they realise both have made mistakes and misunderstandings are ironed out. They succumb to the attraction but Alicia has to rush home when her daughter has accident. This is when Graciano discovers he has a nine year old daughter. He threatens to take Anne away then he reads the baby book Alicia has made for him and declares his love for her. 

Reading back the synopsis I have just written I should have enjoyed this book but I didn’t. The characters weren’t particularly likeable. Even by the end of the book Anne (the daughter) didn’t know Graciano was her father. The daughter is hardly mentioned throughout the book which is strange considering it is a secret baby trope book. Alicia made one phone call to tell him he was going to be a father then for the next nine years didn’t bother making contact, but she thought about it every day. The ending seem very rushed without the characters properly processing the fact that all their lives had changed now Graciano was in the picture. I think this is the first one of her novels that I have struggled to reach the end of. 

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I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review. I am a #MillsAndBoonInsider #netgalley #gifted

#AD Book Review: The Greek’s Billion Dollar Baby (M&B) by Clare Connelly

The Greek’s Billion Dollar Baby is published by Mills & Boon Modern,  written by Clare Connelly and is the first novel in her Crazy Rich Greek Weddings series. .  Hannah May caught her fiancé in bed with her cousin. She flew to Chrysa Varchia in Greece to escape her controlling Uncle, Aunt and cousin,  met Leonidas Stakathis who had been making a pilgrimage to the island for the last 4 years in memory of his late wife, Amy, and their toddler son who were murdered due to Leonidas’ father’s criminal activities. They have a one night stand, Leonidas regrets it, leaves Hannah a note and departs. She moves to London  whereupon she realises she is pregnant with his child. 

She goes to Capri and tells Leonidas he is to become father in a few months time. He insists that they marry and that she move to his private island where he can protect them both.  Slowly they fall in love but will their pasts prevent a HEA? 

Leonidas and Hannah are lost souls. Hannah lost her parents at a young age, thought she had found love with Angus, only for him to extract her by falling into bed with her cousin. Leonidas blames himself for the death I his wife and baby son. He feels that he should have done more to protect them. He has remained celibate for 4 years and feels that he doesn’t deserve to be happy ever again. The author makes this book a romantic rollercoaster, it is the unborn baby. And the need to protect her, not love that brings the couple back together but slowly i develops from their initial attraction.    

I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review. I am a #MillsAndBoonInsider #netgalley

Book Review: Burn Me Once By Clare Connelly (M&B Dare)

Burn Me Once is written by Clare Connelly and is part of Mills and Boon's Dare series.  Set in New York Ally Douglas made a deal with Ethan Ash the famous rock star: "you, me, Sex. It's easy". Both of them are open to a no strings sexual relationship as they have both been burnt and hurt in the past.  Only  he changes his mind about the no strings, it's of hot sex rule   as he wants more!

This novel is the first person. Ally narrates most of the book whilst sometimes it is written from Ethan's perspective/voice. There is a lot of chemistry between the characters and the storyline is good, I just don't particularly enjoy books written in the first person whatever the genre. 

I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review. I am a #MillsAndBoonInsider #netgalley