Back Cover:
Alexandros Pavlidis always ended his affairs before he got bored. So he never expected to see his London mistress, Rebecca Gibbs, again—until she showed up with shocking news: she was pregnant with his twins! Xandros was intrigued when Rebecca didn't touch a penny of the substantial payoff he gave her. And when the babies were born, everything changed. These were Pavlidis heirs! Now he was on his way to London to bargain for his sons!
My Review:
Poor Rebecca, I felt so sad for her, the whole time she was dating the hero she was his mistress and along with that came constant insecurity. The hero was clearly cynical and she thought he doubted her and questioned her motivations, and the author showed enough of the hero's POV to make it clear that yup, he most definately was thinking every cynical thought the heroine worried he thought. When she announces her unexpected pregnancy, after the break up, he's cynical and clear that marriage and a HEA ain't on the cards. This man is so cynical, I don't think anything the heroine did would make him trust her or love her. He constantly thought she was playing a game, and I could see him ten years down the road still questioning her motives and thinking she was "playing" the role of loving soccer mom or something.
The heroine went through her pregnancy on her own, with barely ten words from the hero up until she was in labour. I got teary eyed, I hate to see women going through pregnancy all alone and so sad, with no hope of a HEA with their baby daddy.
Random personal rant of mine.... I was a little pleased that at least the author didn't torment me with references to the hero banging other women while his poor heroine was off suffering pregnant with his twins and alone. A hopeful and idealistic reader could read between the lines and say he wasn't with other women, lol.
As soon as she went into labour, from then on he was part of her life and the babies, nonstop, which was great. The post-pregnancy stuff was the best part of the book. I loved that the chemistry flared back to life even in the delivery room the moment the hero locked eyes on the mother of his children. There was a tenderness there. He was persistent in staying involved, but right up until the last ten pages he never had marriage in mind, the declaration of love came, then three months later in the epilogue the marriage proposal came. I still don't really see this as true to the hero's character.
Rating: 3/5 stars, awesome chemistry, but I felt so sorry for the heroine for the first half, and I don't trust that the hero is capable of trusting and loving a woman.... I can see him getting divorced. I hate to punish this book, there was nothing wrong with it, no ick factors, cleverly written, it was still pretty good despite the cynical hero.
Another thought... you
Another thought... you know, it would have been kinder of the author to leave us with LESS of the hero's POV. Leave a little air of mystery around him. Let us hope that occasionally he's NOT thinking the cynical thoughts the heroine suspects he is. Give the reader a little hope that the feelings of love have taken root, started to grow, and that he sees the heroine as a potential woman he could love.... to see the heroine as someone he HOPES is different... that he HOPES isn't motivated by greed like other women.
(this was a problem particularly during the first half of the book, during the second half of the book, he slowly started to see that the heroine wasn't playing games... but he kept trying to play the games with her anyway, testing her)
Hi Janet, This kind of story
Hi Janet,
This kind of story also makes me sad. If the heroine is going through the pregancy alone because the hero doesn't know or has a really good reason to doubt her, then I give him some slack. But the H will anger me if he is just being cynical. I also have a had time believeing that he has staying power.
You mentioned that maybe it would have been better to not know his thought if they were all going to be cynical. I would agree with that. I love reading the H's pov now in the Presents but not if it is always cynical.
I just read The Desert Lord's Baby by Olivia Gates. It is a Desire with an alpha H. I loved knowing his pov. He believed the heroine had deceived him but, when he learns there is a baby, he plans to get her back in his life for his childs sake. He still feels that attraction to her and his thoughts reveal how he hopes/wishes that he is wrong about her. That she had to have a good reason for her actions. He plans to use her but can't make himself do it. He is always hoping. I loved this book. Have you read it?
Nope, haven't read that....
Nope, haven't read that.... yet... but i'm hearing so many good things about it I think I might have to. lol. (I wasn't much of a Desire reader until this month, I've read about a dozen this month already, when I've only read a dozen in the last year probably before that... I'm more of a Presents girl)
And yeah.... there's just no good reason/excuse for the hero to leave his heroine to be pregnant with his child on her own. I mean what bugged me was that he didn't even investigate her or keep tabs to find out how she was doing! She got fired from her job because of her affair with him (he was a client and he dumped her company because their affair ended, she was blamed as the reason for losing his business). He never found out or asked her if she was even still working. He also had no problems letting her be preggers with his twins and living in a small/messy apartment, but as soon as his babies were outside of the womb, nothing but a fancy new house would do.
There shouldn't be a magical change as soon as the babies are outside the womb. He should have shown some care for welfare before then, some emotion, some choking up even... coldness and cynicism just is hurtful. Only when it's self-protective can we understand, and see it as an emotional issue that needs to be worked through, but the past emotional issues were never brought up or gotten over.
Hi Janet
Hi Janet
I am a long time Desire reader. This last year they changed some things about the Desire's. Mostly it is that the H must be Alpha and rich. So now many of the Desire books feel like Presents. So maybe that is why you like them more now. The Desert Lords Baby was really good. I hope you enjoy it when you check it out.
I didn't think that I read very many Presents but last year I checked and they were high on my list of reads. I don't branch out a lot because I am not really familiar with a lot of the authors. My favorites are Emma Darcy, Miranda Lee, Lucy Monroe, Annie West and I've recently discovered some others that I really enjoy. You seem to like a lot of the things I do in the Presents so I know I'll be finding more authors through your recommendations.
Margie :)
I am a long time Desire
I am a long time Desire reader. This last year they changed some things about the Desire's. Mostly it is that the H must be Alpha and rich. So now many of the Desire books feel like Presents. So maybe that is why you like them more now.
Oh, they did that? Hmmm. What were the hero's like before? I can't picture a non-alpha hero for some reason. I didn't come to the Desire line seeking out alphas, though I do enjoy 'em I guess! They are yummy. Most of the Desires I've read this May are ones that I've seen reviewed here at eHarlequin, so the readers are getting me hooked by describing books that I suppose appeal to me! (and it doesn't hurt that my library has tons of Desires stocked, so I've got loads of choice there! I've read pretty much all my library's HPs)
I didn't think that I read very many Presents but last year I checked and they were high on my list of reads. I don't branch out a lot because I am not really familiar with a lot of the authors. My favorites are Emma Darcy, Miranda Lee, Lucy Monroe, Annie West and I've recently discovered some others that I really enjoy.
Yeah, I branched out into Desires the same way, by looking at authors I was familiar with.
You seem to like a lot of the things I do in the Presents so I know I'll be finding more authors through your recommendations.
Looking at my Presents keepers, here are some other HP authors I read, and what I love about them:
Susan Napier - she is tops at blending romance and humour, I always grin while reading her books.
Carole Mortimer - sometimes I need a book where the hero doesn't have a sordid sex life, it can get pretty depressing seeing the hero swan in and out of bed with women! CM's heroes tend to be faithful.
Michelle Reid - she writes such passion, so sensually, it's visceral for the reader! I've also been pleasantly surprised to find a bunch of heroes staying faithful to and intensely loving their heroines.
Lynne Graham - she's written so many books, and they are all classic Presents reads. Just make sure you don't read "Mistress Wife" by her, I wanted to burn that book and every time I think of it it makes me sad. (Heroine was so disillusioned by her hero, who had sex with other women)
Kim Lawrence - Very similar to Desire books I think. Modern stories, often the heroine and hero both have had sex lives, but these books still make the love/passion between them seem unique and incredibly sensual/special.
I believe the main change
I believe the main change was that the H has to be alpha and he has to be rich. It is not that the older Desires didn't have alpha and rich H's, it is just that now the must be. Many of the Desires that I love have ranchers, doctors, just regular guys and some rich ones too. I think that the first batch of New Desire's were a bit too harsh. The H's were too mean or something. I don't know. I kind of stopped reading them but now i am back to reading more. Just like the Present's, you just have to find the authors that appeal to you.
I've read Michelle Reid in the past and enjoyed hers. I've also just discovered Carole Mortimer and really like her. I've read a few of Lynne Graham too and her books are ones that I have to be in the mood for. And I do get in the mood sometimes for a H that I want to hit. Maybe I've just picked up her more intense books all the time. I'm not sure it is one of her books or not but it may be. . .I read a book about a husband/wife and he leaves her for his secretary. Then comes home to have sex with wife and goes back to secretary. Wife gets pregnant but hides the fact that it is his. Then he wants her back after he's been with the other woman months! I hated that. So I guess I would really hate Mistress Wife.
I've never read Susan Napier that I know of but I'll check her out. I also have the Kim Lawrence book you recommended on my list.
What I really enjoy in a book is a heroine that is not a doormat no matter what line I am reading.
Margie :)
.I read a book about a
.I read a book about a husband/wife and he leaves her for his secretary. Then comes home to have sex with wife and goes back to secretary. Wife gets pregnant but hides the fact that it is his. Then he wants her back after he's been with the other woman months! I hated that. So I guess I would really hate Mistress Wife.
Seriously?? WHAT AN ASS.... I haven't read that book. I've read books before where the heroine THINKS he's having an affair with a secretary/other woman and then doesn't tell him when she's pregnant... but grrr... that sounds absolutely unforgiveable.
Stay clear of Mistress Wife for sure... I still want to CRY anytime I think of that book it was just that sad and disillusioning.... grr!!!
I'll try to remember you like books with heroine's of the non-doormat variety. :) I like them fiesty too!
Here's one recommendation for a fiesty Presents heroine...
2711
Taken by her Greek Boss
Cathy Williams
Harlequin Presents
Delightful! Fiesty little spitfire of a heroine, so protective of her little sister, putting the rich hero in his place! She's great at keeping his ego in check. He loves having her around because she's like no one he's met before. They start having sex and she wants more: marriage eventually. They break up. Then he sees her starting to date others and gets jealous, confronts her, and they have unprotected sex. She shows up 2 months later to tell him she's pregnant. He's got the fear of god in him once he sees her white face and how scared she looks: he thinks she's ill and he's terrified and realizes he loves her and tells her so. He's so happy to hear she's pregnant! She thought he'd be upset, but he GRINS at her! Lovely story. Rating: 5/5 stars, a PURE KEEPER. My absolute favourite Cathy Williams book.
Janet!
Janet!
Stop! You are bad for my wallet. :)
Oh no, another one I must find. It sound great and just like one I would enjoy.
Thanks,
Margie :)
*blushes* Don't you have
*blushes* Don't you have a local library? My library carries loads upon loads of Presents and Desires! Lucky me! (If I can resist long enough, at the end of the month that month's HP/SDs arrive)
But yes.... you should check out that one! Fiesty heroine, lovely verbal sparring. Sometimes Cathy Williams stories get to be a little stereotypical (always secretary-and-her-boss) but this one really stood out for me.
Margie and Janet!
Margie
I'm so glad you enjoyed The Desert Lord's Baby, and loved seeing everything Farooq was thinking/feeling from his POV.
It's really imperative to me to love my hero, to respect and admire him, to understand his actions and emphathize with his motives, to root for him. It's the only way I can rationalize having my heroine fall desperately in love with him, and be able to write the process in which she does so convincingly. And I'm happy this came across with Farooq!
Janet
I hope you enjoy my book if you come to read it!
Desire
Throne of Judar
THE DESERT LORD'S BABY—Waldens/eHarl Bestseller—RT TOP PICK—May 08
THE DESERT LORD'S BRIDE—eHarl Bestseller—RT TOP PICK—Jul 08
THE DESERT KING—Sep 08
Medical
THE SHEIKH SURGEON'S PROPOSAL—Apr 08
http://www.oliviagates.com
It's definately a matter of
It's definately a matter of when! I'll read it eventually. I've got a TBR pile to high heaven, it's constantly rotating, with new books in!
I'm sure by the sounds of it that i'll enjoy it. :)
Olivia, I am working my way
Olivia, I am working my way towards doing my blog on The Desert Lord's Baby. I absolutely loved it. It is a keeper for me.
LOL, Janet, Just kidding. . .keep the recommendations coming. I love it.
My library is rotten. They hardly carry any of these books. I sometimes go to the library in another county which is about 20 minutes away but they also do not carry the Harl/Sil either. I would love to be able to suppliment my purchases. However, there is a friends of the library sale once a month and I will go a few times a year. They "sometimes" have Harl/Sil.
This reminds me that I did purchase a huge bag of Presents for about $2.00 about a year ago. I haven't got to many of them because the authors are unfamiliar and I just haven't had time. Now I will need to dig through those and see if any that you mentioned are in there. Crossing fingers.
Margie :)
Hi Janet
I just read an excerpt for Taken By Her Greek Boss and I loved it. It is in my cart now.
Thanks,
Margie :)
Margie... Hope you
Margie...
Hope you enjoy that CW book!
My library is rotten. They hardly carry any of these books. I sometimes go to the library in another county which is about 20 minutes away but they also do not carry the Harl/Sil either. I would love to be able to suppliment my purchases. However, there is a friends of the library sale once a month and I will go a few times a year. They "sometimes" have Harl/Sil.
You poor, poor thing! My library is pretty much within visual distnace of my house. And it stocks at least 4-6 of the HP line each month, same for the SD line as well. And they arrive by the end of the month (so the May books show up by June 1st). Relying on such rare sales for HP/SD books... poor thing!
This reminds me that I did purchase a huge bag of Presents for about $2.00 about a year ago. I haven't got to many of them because the authors are unfamiliar and I just haven't had time. Now I will need to dig through those and see if any that you mentioned are in there. Crossing fingers.
I buy books off of eBay and Kijiji. I have bought them by the box... smallest box I ordered had 40 books, biggest one had almost 130. *dreamy grin* Talk about being in TBR heaven.... buried under never ending books.... mmm....
You should check out ebay, kijiji, and craigslist. If you buy from someone within driving distance of your house, you can get a really good deal. With older HPs, I've paid around 15-75 cents per book. With eBay the shipping can raise the price, but if you're buying 50 books at a time, the shipping is worth it. Kijiji or craigslist, you can buy boxes of books from people in your area and avoid shipping entirely.