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Expectant Bride
Ellie Morgan hoped to buy the bookshop where she worked, so evenings she moonlighted as a cleaner at Alexiakis International... Until she overheard Dio Alexiakis discussing a top-secret deal, and he insisted that Ellie was an industrial spy! Ellie was unnerved by her confrontation with Dio Alexiakis. However, Dio knew just how he would deal with her....
Ellie found herself on her way to Dio's island, and two days and nights of perfect passion... followed by an unexpected pregnancy. Dio had the perfect solution -- they'd marry for the baby's sake. By now, Ellie was in love with Dio, but could he learn to love his expectant bride?
Ellie found herself on her way to Dio's island, and two days and nights of perfect passion... followed by an unexpected pregnancy. Dio had the perfect solution -- they'd marry for the baby's sake. By now, Ellie was in love with Dio, but could he learn to love his expectant bride?
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1999
109 people are currently reading
792 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Graham
1,763 books1,450 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
July 19, 2012
This is actually my favorite Lynne Graham. I loved the hero, the heroine, the friction with OW...the intensity of their passion, and the "big misunderstanding". Unlike her other books, this heroine is quite feisty, gives as good as she gets, and can stand up and walk out when she says she is.
The grovel was great. I would just change one thing.
At one point the hero, says.. No you listen to me! You don't own me, You don't tell me what I can do, where I can go or who I can be with. It that understood? And when you've got this jealousy jag under control, call me. But don't leave it too long. After all Helena is a lot of things you're not.
I don't know about you, but it would take me at least a century to forgive that line. He should have had to wait a few more months for a HEA!
The grovel was great. I would just change one thing.
At one point the hero, says.. No you listen to me! You don't own me, You don't tell me what I can do, where I can go or who I can be with. It that understood? And when you've got this jealousy jag under control, call me. But don't leave it too long. After all Helena is a lot of things you're not.
I don't know about you, but it would take me at least a century to forgive that line. He should have had to wait a few more months for a HEA!
December 5, 2018
Review of book read years ago.
Ellie is one of Lynne G's more strong minded and independent heroines. She's learnt the hard way to depend only on herself because her mother's tragic life as the mistress of a man ( Ellie's sperm donor "dad" ) who never respected or acknowledged her in public, has left her with emotional scars. What I loved about Ellie is the fact that she is also feminine and sweet and isn't waiting on a man to solve all her problems. She works hard at two jobs to save money to buy her own little bookshop. Ellie is quite beautiful and sexy and could have easily found some gullible guy to pay all her bills but she has far too much pride for that. Lynne G manages to create a strong, independent heroine who isn't a raging dragon or a shrewish harpy. She is downtrodden like most of LG's heroines but she isn't stupid or helpless. I loved Ellie.
Dio. What can I say about this tall specimen of virility and male beauty? Is it just me or does a lot of Lynne Graham's heroes have "golden eyes" or eyes that look golden in certain settings? Anyway back to Dio: he's a typical alpha billionaire manwhore who has the supercilious socialite fiancee waiting on him to finish pleasuring himself with his hordes of empty headed anorexic supermodel bimbos, so he can marry her and create prudish, snobby, and entitled billionaire babies.
Well, unfortunately for the ice queen Helena ( the aforementioned socialite fiancee ), Dio encounters Ellie and that just changes his whole life. They end up getting hot and heavy and Ellie becomes pregnant. Dio immediately proposes marriage but the snake Helena manages to infuse her poison into their marriage in many many many evil ways. The crux of the problem is that Dio believes everything Helena says about Ellie. Helena is the queen of all soul stealing, lying two faced succubi. Does Ellie take it lying down like a spineless wimp ? Nope. Ellie loves Dio with all her heart but she has her dignity and won't stay and let Helena's poison destroy her and her unborn child's life. Therefore, after Dio believes all Helena's lies and castigates Ellie for daring to point fingers at his pious and perfect ex-fiancee, Ellie dumps his ass and departs.
In the end, Dio discovers he can't live without Ellie and his investigation into Helena proves that she's a lying weasel toad bitch ( I know I am getting really senselessly inarticulate with my jumbled up metaphors here but I really hate Helena ! ). It also takes the interference of a kindly third party for Dio to believe that Helena has been lying and manipulating him to cause trouble. Dio then washes his hands off Helena ( who has to find some other asshole to look after her investments ) and rushes off to kneel and grovel before Ellie. That part was perfect ! Unlike many other LG heroes, Dio really grovels and begs Ellie's forgiveness. However one thing irritated me a little and that was that Helena did not get enough of a comeuppance. What would have been more perfect would be for Helena to end up marrying a short, obese, old, no neck bald man with a penis that's only 3 inches when erect. Instead the prudish ice bitch marries a young British peer of the realm. None of the aristocrat's relatives attended the wedding, though, because Helena's nouveau riche and foreign status wasn't good enough for their blue blooded legacy. I guess that was a fairly good case of karma for a snobbish bitch wasn't it ?
Ellie is one of Lynne G's more strong minded and independent heroines. She's learnt the hard way to depend only on herself because her mother's tragic life as the mistress of a man ( Ellie's sperm donor "dad" ) who never respected or acknowledged her in public, has left her with emotional scars. What I loved about Ellie is the fact that she is also feminine and sweet and isn't waiting on a man to solve all her problems. She works hard at two jobs to save money to buy her own little bookshop. Ellie is quite beautiful and sexy and could have easily found some gullible guy to pay all her bills but she has far too much pride for that. Lynne G manages to create a strong, independent heroine who isn't a raging dragon or a shrewish harpy. She is downtrodden like most of LG's heroines but she isn't stupid or helpless. I loved Ellie.
Dio. What can I say about this tall specimen of virility and male beauty? Is it just me or does a lot of Lynne Graham's heroes have "golden eyes" or eyes that look golden in certain settings? Anyway back to Dio: he's a typical alpha billionaire manwhore who has the supercilious socialite fiancee waiting on him to finish pleasuring himself with his hordes of empty headed anorexic supermodel bimbos, so he can marry her and create prudish, snobby, and entitled billionaire babies.
Well, unfortunately for the ice queen Helena ( the aforementioned socialite fiancee ), Dio encounters Ellie and that just changes his whole life. They end up getting hot and heavy and Ellie becomes pregnant. Dio immediately proposes marriage but the snake Helena manages to infuse her poison into their marriage in many many many evil ways. The crux of the problem is that Dio believes everything Helena says about Ellie. Helena is the queen of all soul stealing, lying two faced succubi. Does Ellie take it lying down like a spineless wimp ? Nope. Ellie loves Dio with all her heart but she has her dignity and won't stay and let Helena's poison destroy her and her unborn child's life. Therefore, after Dio believes all Helena's lies and castigates Ellie for daring to point fingers at his pious and perfect ex-fiancee, Ellie dumps his ass and departs.
In the end, Dio discovers he can't live without Ellie and his investigation into Helena proves that she's a lying weasel toad bitch ( I know I am getting really senselessly inarticulate with my jumbled up metaphors here but I really hate Helena ! ). It also takes the interference of a kindly third party for Dio to believe that Helena has been lying and manipulating him to cause trouble. Dio then washes his hands off Helena ( who has to find some other asshole to look after her investments ) and rushes off to kneel and grovel before Ellie. That part was perfect ! Unlike many other LG heroes, Dio really grovels and begs Ellie's forgiveness. However one thing irritated me a little and that was that Helena did not get enough of a comeuppance. What would have been more perfect would be for Helena to end up marrying a short, obese, old, no neck bald man with a penis that's only 3 inches when erect. Instead the prudish ice bitch marries a young British peer of the realm. None of the aristocrat's relatives attended the wedding, though, because Helena's nouveau riche and foreign status wasn't good enough for their blue blooded legacy. I guess that was a fairly good case of karma for a snobbish bitch wasn't it ?
April 8, 2023
I read a lot of books, over 400 this past year. This book had the absolute best groveling scene I have ever read. He had mistrusted the heroine and treated her terribly and she deserved the major govel fest that he presented her. It was great, one of the very best.
Safety: For those of you who like safely info...this is a safe book and neither one was with anyone else during the whole book. There is what I would loosely call the ‘other woman’ who brought about a new level of evil and unfortunately our hero believed her continuously over his new bride. It was almost the death of their marriage and was quite frustrating that he thought so highly of the OW. Men can really be dense when it comes to conniving women and he certainly was.
Ellie Morgan and Dio Alexiakis are the main characters. Ellie Morgan dreams of buying the bookshop where she works, so her evenings were spent moonlighting as a cleaner at Alexiakis International in hopes of saving enough money for a down payment on the bookstore. It was working out beautifully until she accidentally overheard Dio Alexiakis discussing a top-secret deal. Dio saw her and was certain she was an industrial spy and basically held her captive, not letting her out of his sight. He was afraid she would somehow pass along the information to which he was certain she would be paid handsomely for. He accused her of so many things I won’t take the time to list them but let me tell you if a man had done that to me he would've been missing a manly part of his anatomy. He was pretty bad...you know those alpha types and how they are never wrong in their own opinion. It turned out to be a great book that I highly recommend!
Safety: For those of you who like safely info...this is a safe book and neither one was with anyone else during the whole book. There is what I would loosely call the ‘other woman’ who brought about a new level of evil and unfortunately our hero believed her continuously over his new bride. It was almost the death of their marriage and was quite frustrating that he thought so highly of the OW. Men can really be dense when it comes to conniving women and he certainly was.
Ellie Morgan and Dio Alexiakis are the main characters. Ellie Morgan dreams of buying the bookshop where she works, so her evenings were spent moonlighting as a cleaner at Alexiakis International in hopes of saving enough money for a down payment on the bookstore. It was working out beautifully until she accidentally overheard Dio Alexiakis discussing a top-secret deal. Dio saw her and was certain she was an industrial spy and basically held her captive, not letting her out of his sight. He was afraid she would somehow pass along the information to which he was certain she would be paid handsomely for. He accused her of so many things I won’t take the time to list them but let me tell you if a man had done that to me he would've been missing a manly part of his anatomy. He was pretty bad...you know those alpha types and how they are never wrong in their own opinion. It turned out to be a great book that I highly recommend!
June 22, 2021
This is the one with the cleaner who accidentally overhears the hero talking about taking over a company. (Not the one where the cleaner is playing chess.) So he decides the best way to make sure no corporate secrets are revealed is to keep her with him 24/7. This means going to Greece for his father's funeral, buying the h lots of designer clothes (at the airport?), hanging out on the beach together, having great sex with the virgin heroine and then dumping her when the stock prices of the company in question go up.
But the hero can't quit the h and returns for more sex and promises of a mistress position, which the h soundly rejects. Meanwhile she's pregnant and is going to lose her job and flat over the bookshop because of the old man owner is handing it off to his son. But she still has that job as a cleaner! Luckily she faints and the hero is there to catch her and browbeat her into accepting his marriage proposal.
There is an OW (friend of the family) who lies and then lies some more causing trouble before, during and after their marriage. It's only when the heroine finally leaves the H and he confronts the OW does he realize how she has been manipulating everyone.(This was off page) He grovels a bit to the heroine and HEA.
This one was cute. The heroine wasn't living in abject poverty (she was working two jobs to buy the book shop) and stood up for herself as much as LG heroine can.
The hero is a typical afraid-of-his-feelings alpha. The whole funeral things was weird, though. The hero had been close to his father and was estranged - but he gets over his guilt after one conversation with the heroine - and doesn't seem to mourn at all. (Too busy having sex with virgins, I guess) One good thing about this hero is that while he is quick to have a temper, he holds no grudges and he did apologize for thinking the h had sold out his corporate secrets.
Because we never see any interaction between the H and the OW, the OW just doesn't seem like that much of a threat. It was annoying the hero kept sticking up for her, but he didn't seem at all interested in her.
This is another solid story in LG's canon.
But the hero can't quit the h and returns for more sex and promises of a mistress position, which the h soundly rejects. Meanwhile she's pregnant and is going to lose her job and flat over the bookshop because of the old man owner is handing it off to his son. But she still has that job as a cleaner! Luckily she faints and the hero is there to catch her and browbeat her into accepting his marriage proposal.
There is an OW (friend of the family) who lies and then lies some more causing trouble before, during and after their marriage. It's only when the heroine finally leaves the H and he confronts the OW does he realize how she has been manipulating everyone.(This was off page) He grovels a bit to the heroine and HEA.
This one was cute. The heroine wasn't living in abject poverty (she was working two jobs to buy the book shop) and stood up for herself as much as LG heroine can.
The hero is a typical afraid-of-his-feelings alpha. The whole funeral things was weird, though. The hero had been close to his father and was estranged - but he gets over his guilt after one conversation with the heroine - and doesn't seem to mourn at all. (Too busy having sex with virgins, I guess) One good thing about this hero is that while he is quick to have a temper, he holds no grudges and he did apologize for thinking the h had sold out his corporate secrets.
Because we never see any interaction between the H and the OW, the OW just doesn't seem like that much of a threat. It was annoying the hero kept sticking up for her, but he didn't seem at all interested in her.
This is another solid story in LG's canon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2018
I think this is my favorite Lynne Graham story by far!!!
Ellie is an office cleaner at night a job she needs since she is is saving up to buy her own bookstore. When Dio Alexiakis sees her hiding in his offices he thinks she is an industrial spy and takes her with him to Greece to have her under surveillance. Their attraction is crazy and their night of passion results in pregnancy. Ellie accepts to marry Dio but Helena the woman the hero was expected to marry is doing everything in her power to tear them apart and she almost succeeds.
I adored Ellie's character. A lovable underdog from the start. She kept fighting no matter what was thrown her way. And a lot came her way! She was very strong and never gave up without a fight. She is a great heroine who is unfailingly honest to herself and those around her. She has had a difficult childhood and isn't sure that she can ever truly give herself to someone, but Dio awakens feelings deep inside her that she never knew she was capable of. She made me smile and broke my heart (more than once).
Dio trusts Helena more than his own wife and I was furious he couldn't see her for the cold vicious bitch that she was. He is not cold or unfeeling just really oblivious when it comes to women and true love. I enjoyed his grovel and how he was drown in buckets of booze and self-pity when Ellie left him. The way he treated her towards the end and the things he said to her made my heart melt. He was so sweet! And his love for her was pure.
I loved the dynamic between Dio and Ellie. I really felt throughout the story that they were meant to be together. They had to earn their happily ever after but it was well worth it. I loved both characters so I was rooting for them all along!
Ellie is an office cleaner at night a job she needs since she is is saving up to buy her own bookstore. When Dio Alexiakis sees her hiding in his offices he thinks she is an industrial spy and takes her with him to Greece to have her under surveillance. Their attraction is crazy and their night of passion results in pregnancy. Ellie accepts to marry Dio but Helena the woman the hero was expected to marry is doing everything in her power to tear them apart and she almost succeeds.
I adored Ellie's character. A lovable underdog from the start. She kept fighting no matter what was thrown her way. And a lot came her way! She was very strong and never gave up without a fight. She is a great heroine who is unfailingly honest to herself and those around her. She has had a difficult childhood and isn't sure that she can ever truly give herself to someone, but Dio awakens feelings deep inside her that she never knew she was capable of. She made me smile and broke my heart (more than once).
Dio trusts Helena more than his own wife and I was furious he couldn't see her for the cold vicious bitch that she was. He is not cold or unfeeling just really oblivious when it comes to women and true love. I enjoyed his grovel and how he was drown in buckets of booze and self-pity when Ellie left him. The way he treated her towards the end and the things he said to her made my heart melt. He was so sweet! And his love for her was pure.
I loved the dynamic between Dio and Ellie. I really felt throughout the story that they were meant to be together. They had to earn their happily ever after but it was well worth it. I loved both characters so I was rooting for them all along!
June 30, 2019
Re Expectant Bride - There are lots of spoilerizations on this one, so I did not do one. But I really, really like the last part of this one.
The evil OW makes one incursion too many on the h and H's marriage and the h has had enough. When the H tells the h that his OW is better than she is, the h leaves and I was cheering her on all the way.
Time passes while the h has her mopey moment and the H gets a short, sharp kick in the hiney about what the OW has been up to all this time.
The H has to do a huge "I am really sorry" moment and it is one of LG's best. So I vote this one as one of the better LG HP outings and highly recommend reading it.
The evil OW makes one incursion too many on the h and H's marriage and the h has had enough. When the H tells the h that his OW is better than she is, the h leaves and I was cheering her on all the way.
Time passes while the h has her mopey moment and the H gets a short, sharp kick in the hiney about what the OW has been up to all this time.
The H has to do a huge "I am really sorry" moment and it is one of LG's best. So I vote this one as one of the better LG HP outings and highly recommend reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2017
No plot review as it has been done and better than I would do justice..
All I want to say is the hero deserved a skillet upside the head for ALWAYS believing the other woman and consistently blaming the heroine. I see a divorce in the future when he steps over the line one too many times, and the heroine shows him and the reader that when she's says she's going she means business.
Scraped to three stars because heroine actually stood up for herself.
All I want to say is the hero deserved a skillet upside the head for ALWAYS believing the other woman and consistently blaming the heroine. I see a divorce in the future when he steps over the line one too many times, and the heroine shows him and the reader that when she's says she's going she means business.
Scraped to three stars because heroine actually stood up for herself.
January 8, 2018
Ellie is probably the strongest heroine Lynne Graham has ever written. Life has taught her some hard lessons, yet she is not bitter. She's beautiful, a hard worker (holding down 2 jobs) and could easily have used her beauty to make life easier for herself. She's not some unaware heroine who doesn't know she's beautiful; she knows she is and plays down her looks. She's saving money to purchase a bookstore and is fully prepared to take care of her unborn child herself, after Dio, the hero of this book, falsely accused her of corporate espionage literally right after taking her virginity and telling her he essentially went "slumming" when he slept with her.
Dio is the type of super alpha hero that I love however, he jumps to conclusions way too quickly regarding Ellie and he has this horrible belief in the goodness of the evil 0W and she was evil. Yes, Ellie was pregnant with his child however, why marry her if he couldn't trust her!?!? Yes, Dio actually tells Ellie that he doesn't believe her when it comes to the evil OW and that he believes the OW over her!....WTF!?!? As strong as Ellie was I was kind of surprised she still married him yet, I understood her reasons for doing so. Her pregnancy wasn't the easiest of one's, thus making work difficult and her plans for the bookstore went belly-up, so she did what was best for her baby and she did really love Dio.
I applaud Ellie for taking a stand and finally leaving Dio. Yes she loved him, but she wasn't going to be his doormat. Did Dio grovel? You bet he did. He also spent 2 weeks in hell unable to find his missing wife. I appreciate Lynne Graham for making Dio go through some of the torment Ellie had to go through.
What saved this book for me was Ellie's strength and the fact that Dio had to suffer and then really grovel to win his wife back. Instead of titling this book "Expectant Bride" Lynne Graham should have named it "The Heroine with a Backbone." I took away 1 Star simply because I'm still bitter Dio said he trusted the word of the evil OW over Ellie's and for that comment about him going "slumming." When Dio is upset he strikes to hurt and he indeed hurt Ellie. Overall great read!
Dio is the type of super alpha hero that I love however, he jumps to conclusions way too quickly regarding Ellie and he has this horrible belief in the goodness of the evil 0W and she was evil. Yes, Ellie was pregnant with his child however, why marry her if he couldn't trust her!?!? Yes, Dio actually tells Ellie that he doesn't believe her when it comes to the evil OW and that he believes the OW over her!....WTF!?!? As strong as Ellie was I was kind of surprised she still married him yet, I understood her reasons for doing so. Her pregnancy wasn't the easiest of one's, thus making work difficult and her plans for the bookstore went belly-up, so she did what was best for her baby and she did really love Dio.
I applaud Ellie for taking a stand and finally leaving Dio. Yes she loved him, but she wasn't going to be his doormat. Did Dio grovel? You bet he did. He also spent 2 weeks in hell unable to find his missing wife. I appreciate Lynne Graham for making Dio go through some of the torment Ellie had to go through.
What saved this book for me was Ellie's strength and the fact that Dio had to suffer and then really grovel to win his wife back. Instead of titling this book "Expectant Bride" Lynne Graham should have named it "The Heroine with a Backbone." I took away 1 Star simply because I'm still bitter Dio said he trusted the word of the evil OW over Ellie's and for that comment about him going "slumming." When Dio is upset he strikes to hurt and he indeed hurt Ellie. Overall great read!
January 9, 2018
Just as good the second time
I almost took it down a point for that last fight and the horrible things he said but I am a sucker for a man who grovel. And he did believe me. I loved that the heroine stood up for herself and would not let anyone out her down. She was amazing without being a shrew. I hated the OW with a passion. I really hated that Dio took her word over Ellies every time. It just made me so mad. I honestly wanted her to leave him when he said those final hateful words to her. He deserved it and I am totally glad he suffered. I know I am blood thirsty. He did redeem himself but insist he would have believed in the h before he found out the truth. It's so easy to say it after the fact but I wanted him to totally trust the h over the OW without proof. I will probably re-read this again as it is one of my favorites. Lovely story.
I almost took it down a point for that last fight and the horrible things he said but I am a sucker for a man who grovel. And he did believe me. I loved that the heroine stood up for herself and would not let anyone out her down. She was amazing without being a shrew. I hated the OW with a passion. I really hated that Dio took her word over Ellies every time. It just made me so mad. I honestly wanted her to leave him when he said those final hateful words to her. He deserved it and I am totally glad he suffered. I know I am blood thirsty. He did redeem himself but insist he would have believed in the h before he found out the truth. It's so easy to say it after the fact but I wanted him to totally trust the h over the OW without proof. I will probably re-read this again as it is one of my favorites. Lovely story.
October 2, 2011
Okay, I’ll bite. I’ll pretend that there’s no evident ground here for a lawsuit, either for kidnapping or sexual harassment, and that Gloria Allred wouldn’t be salivating to take on the girl’s defense against Gio the Greek Tycoon.
I’m giving this book three stars. One for the girl because she followed through and actually left him after giving him an ultimatum: her or the Helena, his long-standing “friend.” Two for the girl again because even when he had contrived to find her and they had returned to their apartment for a talk of some sorts, she was still going to pack away her suitcase with the intention of leaving him. And three for the delicious mental picture of him being distraught, pleading, helplessly watching her readying to leave which is in stark contrast to his stance a few pages back when he was savagely taunting her to get over her jealousy over the Other Woman because nobody could dictate what he could or couldn’t do.
If I were the heroine, after he finished explaining about Helena and her machinations, I would have quietly repeated his own derisive parting words to me then -- that Helena was a lot of things I wasn’t –and made him stew in his apology.
The problem is he was too quick to cast the blame on the OW, when in reality, the bigger culpability rests on his failure to believe and side with his wife who had repeatedly asked for his trust and support. Each time, he held the welfare of the OW in higher regard than his own wife, perhaps out of guilt and habit. I’d daresay that although he didn’t have sexual intimacy with the OW during his marriage, he could be accused of emotional cheating. He ignored that crucial part in the marriage vow: forsaking all others.
The good news is his blinders were totally off at the end so there could be reasonable expectations of an HEA.
I’m giving this book three stars. One for the girl because she followed through and actually left him after giving him an ultimatum: her or the Helena, his long-standing “friend.” Two for the girl again because even when he had contrived to find her and they had returned to their apartment for a talk of some sorts, she was still going to pack away her suitcase with the intention of leaving him. And three for the delicious mental picture of him being distraught, pleading, helplessly watching her readying to leave which is in stark contrast to his stance a few pages back when he was savagely taunting her to get over her jealousy over the Other Woman because nobody could dictate what he could or couldn’t do.
If I were the heroine, after he finished explaining about Helena and her machinations, I would have quietly repeated his own derisive parting words to me then -- that Helena was a lot of things I wasn’t –and made him stew in his apology.
The problem is he was too quick to cast the blame on the OW, when in reality, the bigger culpability rests on his failure to believe and side with his wife who had repeatedly asked for his trust and support. Each time, he held the welfare of the OW in higher regard than his own wife, perhaps out of guilt and habit. I’d daresay that although he didn’t have sexual intimacy with the OW during his marriage, he could be accused of emotional cheating. He ignored that crucial part in the marriage vow: forsaking all others.
The good news is his blinders were totally off at the end so there could be reasonable expectations of an HEA.
May 15, 2019
"Expectant Bride" is the story of Ellie and Dio.
One of the better LG reads for sure!
It has an insanely absurd but very HQNish plot, in which our book-keeper heroine, who moonlights as a cleaner finds herself being whisked off to Greece when she mistakenly eavesdrops on a sensitive conversation! The reason for the upheaval in her life is the super masculine, sexy and rich billionaire Dio Alexiakis, who believes she is an industrial spy, and to make sure she does not leak out secrets kidnaps her!
Then we have attraction- hot hanky panky- pregnancy- OW drama followed by a sweet HEA!
What I really liked about this book was the heroine, especially her sass, independence and ability to fight for her rights. She is neither meek, nor docile, but is passionate, loving and spirited. She was the perfect Ying to the overly-suspicious-and-OW-trusting Yang hero. I was kinda pissed with him because of belief in the OW, and conjectures about the heroine- but his grovel at the end made up for it.
Safe
4/5
One of the better LG reads for sure!
It has an insanely absurd but very HQNish plot, in which our book-keeper heroine, who moonlights as a cleaner finds herself being whisked off to Greece when she mistakenly eavesdrops on a sensitive conversation! The reason for the upheaval in her life is the super masculine, sexy and rich billionaire Dio Alexiakis, who believes she is an industrial spy, and to make sure she does not leak out secrets kidnaps her!
Then we have attraction- hot hanky panky- pregnancy- OW drama followed by a sweet HEA!
What I really liked about this book was the heroine, especially her sass, independence and ability to fight for her rights. She is neither meek, nor docile, but is passionate, loving and spirited. She was the perfect Ying to the overly-suspicious-and-OW-trusting Yang hero. I was kinda pissed with him because of belief in the OW, and conjectures about the heroine- but his grovel at the end made up for it.
Safe
4/5
December 10, 2018
The rich tycoon and the poor working girl who cleans his office.
It could have been a nice adaptation of the Cinderella's fairytale.
Unfortunately Dio is ruthless and unforgiving and Ellie is misunderstood from the beginning and misjudged as a treacherous industrial spy who hides at Dio's office to listen to his secret deals and sell him to the highest bidder.
The good thing is that Ellie gets to fly to Greece so that she will not betray Dio. The bad thing is that she is blackmailed to fly to Greece by Dio.
Expect an over the top romance story, an unexpected pregnancy, a stupid evil ex girlfriend, lots of misunderstandings and of course lots of grovelling by delusional Dio who finally sees the light.
‘Didn’t it occur to you that I'd be going out of my mind with worry?' he demanded with sudden force.
'Why should it have?' Ellie sighed. 'I've been looking after myself for a heck of a long time. I'm not the helpless type.’
The silence seemed to thunder.
'No,' Dio conceded gruffly. 'But you can make me feel helpless.’
It could have been a nice adaptation of the Cinderella's fairytale.
Unfortunately Dio is ruthless and unforgiving and Ellie is misunderstood from the beginning and misjudged as a treacherous industrial spy who hides at Dio's office to listen to his secret deals and sell him to the highest bidder.
The good thing is that Ellie gets to fly to Greece so that she will not betray Dio. The bad thing is that she is blackmailed to fly to Greece by Dio.
Expect an over the top romance story, an unexpected pregnancy, a stupid evil ex girlfriend, lots of misunderstandings and of course lots of grovelling by delusional Dio who finally sees the light.
‘Didn’t it occur to you that I'd be going out of my mind with worry?' he demanded with sudden force.
'Why should it have?' Ellie sighed. 'I've been looking after myself for a heck of a long time. I'm not the helpless type.’
The silence seemed to thunder.
'No,' Dio conceded gruffly. 'But you can make me feel helpless.’
January 1, 2022
4.5 stars
April 1, 2020
She shouldn't have married to him after he believed the OW but I liked the way she first dumped and then made him suffer while he was groveling.
January 9, 2017
Its a great book with all the right amount of Angst-MU's-Stuff . Not my favourite LG though .
June 4, 2020
There are so many great reviews already so I will just give a few thoughts.
The h in this book is amazing. She knows herself and she doesn't take crap from anyone. I love how she is honest and blunt but still sweet and vulnerable. She sticks up for herself when it matters most and has the strength to walk away.
The romance in the book just grabbed me and carried me along. I can't gush enough about this book. And the central conflict was angsty without going too far. LG is such a good writer that she could pull this off and still have me loving the H. It all boiled down to loyalty. And Dio was putting his loyalty in the wrong place and Ellie was 100% right to react the way she did.
The grovel/reconciliation scene at the end was spectacular. The h knows she's right and, in the end, the H knows it too. He's gutted by the way his own behavior drove his wife away, but she still gets a few good jabs in there.
This was a breath of fresh air and a swoony romance that I loved every minute of.
Safety
The h in this book is amazing. She knows herself and she doesn't take crap from anyone. I love how she is honest and blunt but still sweet and vulnerable. She sticks up for herself when it matters most and has the strength to walk away.
The romance in the book just grabbed me and carried me along. I can't gush enough about this book. And the central conflict was angsty without going too far. LG is such a good writer that she could pull this off and still have me loving the H. It all boiled down to loyalty. And Dio was putting his loyalty in the wrong place and Ellie was 100% right to react the way she did.
The grovel/reconciliation scene at the end was spectacular. The h knows she's right and, in the end, the H knows it too. He's gutted by the way his own behavior drove his wife away, but she still gets a few good jabs in there.
This was a breath of fresh air and a swoony romance that I loved every minute of.
Safety
November 18, 2022
Expectant Bride was a good read. I enjoyed it. Ms. Lynne Graham never ceases to amaze me.
Ellie was accused of spying and getting information regarding Dio's work on an important deal, so he whisks her off to his Greek island home. The sexual passion between them couldn't be ignored, so they shared one hot, steamy night. There was a lot of misunderstanding between them before Ellie discovered she was pregnant and agreed to marry Dio. But their union was short-lived when a jealous ex came between them and threatened Ellie. And when she told Dio, he refused to believe her and defended the other woman instead.
Will Dio learn to trust Ellie, his wife? Will they be able to hold on to each other when everything stands against them?
I wasn’t sure what kind of guy Dio was; I mean, one minute he's sweet, caring, loving, and all, then the next he's saying insults and hurtful words to Ellie, comparing her to other women, which is, by the way, a big NO-NO for me. Honestly, I thought that there was no way I would like the hero. But I ended up liking Dio. Yes, I did. He's the perfect mix of alpha and beta.
I loved Ellie's character. She's independent, feisty, gave as good as she got; she stood up for herself; and she didn't let the hero walk all over her. She isn't afraid to jump right in and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She was exactly what Dio needed. She was there for him, loving and supporting him when he needed it but also being able to put him in his place when need be. I admired her strength and the way she handled herself.
And I loved the scene where Ellie gave Dio an ultimatum: her or the other woman. And leave when she says she will, causing the hero to pursue her.I also enjoyed and found great comfort in seeing him distraught, pleading, and helplessly watching her pack her things. I wanted him to grovel and show how he drowned in buckets of booze and self-pity when Ellie left him.
I like this kind of book! I thought it was well-written and flowed pretty smoothly. The story itself was romantic, passionate, and swoon-worthy!
Ellie was accused of spying and getting information regarding Dio's work on an important deal, so he whisks her off to his Greek island home. The sexual passion between them couldn't be ignored, so they shared one hot, steamy night. There was a lot of misunderstanding between them before Ellie discovered she was pregnant and agreed to marry Dio. But their union was short-lived when a jealous ex came between them and threatened Ellie. And when she told Dio, he refused to believe her and defended the other woman instead.
Will Dio learn to trust Ellie, his wife? Will they be able to hold on to each other when everything stands against them?
I wasn’t sure what kind of guy Dio was; I mean, one minute he's sweet, caring, loving, and all, then the next he's saying insults and hurtful words to Ellie, comparing her to other women, which is, by the way, a big NO-NO for me. Honestly, I thought that there was no way I would like the hero. But I ended up liking Dio. Yes, I did. He's the perfect mix of alpha and beta.
I loved Ellie's character. She's independent, feisty, gave as good as she got; she stood up for herself; and she didn't let the hero walk all over her. She isn't afraid to jump right in and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She was exactly what Dio needed. She was there for him, loving and supporting him when he needed it but also being able to put him in his place when need be. I admired her strength and the way she handled herself.
And I loved the scene where Ellie gave Dio an ultimatum: her or the other woman. And leave when she says she will, causing the hero to pursue her.I also enjoyed and found great comfort in seeing him distraught, pleading, and helplessly watching her pack her things. I wanted him to grovel and show how he drowned in buckets of booze and self-pity when Ellie left him.
I like this kind of book! I thought it was well-written and flowed pretty smoothly. The story itself was romantic, passionate, and swoon-worthy!
June 1, 2017
3.5 stars.
I enjoyed it.
I liked Ellie. I liked her feistiness. She has a backbone which most of the Lynne Graham heroines lack and she does what she says. I liked the fact, despite their differences Ellie tries to work their marriage.
And Dio, that stupid jerk say some unforgivable things which are very hard to forgive. But, I liked his Groveling part.
I enjoyed it.
I liked Ellie. I liked her feistiness. She has a backbone which most of the Lynne Graham heroines lack and she does what she says. I liked the fact, despite their differences Ellie tries to work their marriage.
And Dio, that stupid jerk say some unforgivable things which are very hard to forgive. But, I liked his Groveling part.
January 4, 2015
In many ways a very typical LG.
A short, virginal, mega fertile, plain spoken, poor working girl heroine with no family meets arrogant Greek tycoon who expects to marry a society ice princess and keep a piece on the side. Why are these chicks always orphans?
In this case the formula worked. There was angst and humour. The hero was sometimes a terrible jerk, but also often hilarious with the way he stuck his foot in his mouth and quoted a pregnancy manual at the worst moments. Plus the heroine had a real backbone, even if it sometimes bordered on a bickerfest. She actually left or lashed out rather than just thinking about it real hard.
Nice ending grovel too.
A short, virginal, mega fertile, plain spoken, poor working girl heroine with no family meets arrogant Greek tycoon who expects to marry a society ice princess and keep a piece on the side. Why are these chicks always orphans?
In this case the formula worked. There was angst and humour. The hero was sometimes a terrible jerk, but also often hilarious with the way he stuck his foot in his mouth and quoted a pregnancy manual at the worst moments. Plus the heroine had a real backbone, even if it sometimes bordered on a bickerfest. She actually left or lashed out rather than just thinking about it real hard.
Nice ending grovel too.
July 1, 2020
I’m going to make this brief; there’s several reviews with spoilers out there if that’s your thing. Dio Alexiakis is six foot three feet of drop-dead gorgeous Greek billionaire. He’s a good mix of being broody, judgmental and clueless without being overly cruel. Ellie Morgan is pretty tough for a HP h without being a bitch. The blurb lays out the bones of plot, but skips the juicy part of OW Helena Teriakos. She’s a family friend that are expected to marry someday, and is a great catty meddling OW. Dio plays his part perfectly by being completely blind to her antics, and always assuming the worst of Ellie. ** There were a few reviews that said he was engaged and cheating. The marriage is expected, but they have never dated/had sex or even talked about getting engaged.**
Bottom Line- I liked this one, and gobbled it up. It’s not OTT angsty, but kept me interested. I LOVED how Ellie demanded more, and wouldn’t settle with Helena’s BS.
Bottom Line- I liked this one, and gobbled it up. It’s not OTT angsty, but kept me interested. I LOVED how Ellie demanded more, and wouldn’t settle with Helena’s BS.
May 12, 2012
I really wanted to like this book, especially because Ellie, the heroine, is a hardworking type who is saving up to buy her own bookstore. I liked the fact that she wasn't some poor waitress or someone without ambitions.
Ellie started off strong but once she slept with the hero it was like all her convictions about avoiding bad relationships went out the window. Which, as a romance, I guess is what's supposed to happen but it was really hard to buy into the fact that she fell in love with the hero after meeting and sleeping with him in one weekend. She then spends the rest of the book convincing herself that she's strong and that she doesn't need a man - only to marry the hero the minute he proposes, even though all the reasons why she shouldn't marry him were still there.
Dio, the hero, is a real ass. His only saving grace is that he's really good at groveling and making you want to forgive him for his mistakes. He's refreshingly honest for a hero. He admits when he's wrong and even when he's confused. Yes, he's bossy, but it's almost sweet because he really does it because he cares about Ellie and her well-being - he's just really bad at being smooth about it.
Overall, the book was okay. If you like books where the heroine and hero fall for each other almost right away, unexpected pregnancies, and conniving third parties to throw obstacles in the path of the heroine and hero, then this book might be good for you.
Ellie started off strong but once she slept with the hero it was like all her convictions about avoiding bad relationships went out the window. Which, as a romance, I guess is what's supposed to happen but it was really hard to buy into the fact that she fell in love with the hero after meeting and sleeping with him in one weekend. She then spends the rest of the book convincing herself that she's strong and that she doesn't need a man - only to marry the hero the minute he proposes, even though all the reasons why she shouldn't marry him were still there.
Dio, the hero, is a real ass. His only saving grace is that he's really good at groveling and making you want to forgive him for his mistakes. He's refreshingly honest for a hero. He admits when he's wrong and even when he's confused. Yes, he's bossy, but it's almost sweet because he really does it because he cares about Ellie and her well-being - he's just really bad at being smooth about it.
Overall, the book was okay. If you like books where the heroine and hero fall for each other almost right away, unexpected pregnancies, and conniving third parties to throw obstacles in the path of the heroine and hero, then this book might be good for you.
May 23, 2019
Like wow. I'm totally smiling ear to ear and I can't believe my good luck on landing such a fabulous five star read while randomly picking a book from my massive TBR pile!!
I've read it once but I've added it to my read-a-million-times book shelf. Such a caveman, grump ball of a dreamy Greek billionaire and a perfectly sweet and peachy heroine that had enough spunk to tell him off! Their slaying banter was hilariously spot on and I couldn't believe the guts of this girl!! She has to be one of my favorite h's ever in an HP!!
The H was described to be boorish and he totally was and it took very little to work him up and get his thick headed assumptions to throw everything down hill. This girl Ellie was a young twenty one year old and she was definitely the more sensible out of them.
Eventually after the OW issues got resolved the H is just about down on his knees to grovel and bring his woman back to him. The epilogue was also sweet and cute.
I'm also depressed that this book has already ended. How will I find another great one to match my current high...
Fabulous fabulous fabulous!!!!!!!
I've read it once but I've added it to my read-a-million-times book shelf. Such a caveman, grump ball of a dreamy Greek billionaire and a perfectly sweet and peachy heroine that had enough spunk to tell him off! Their slaying banter was hilariously spot on and I couldn't believe the guts of this girl!! She has to be one of my favorite h's ever in an HP!!
The H was described to be boorish and he totally was and it took very little to work him up and get his thick headed assumptions to throw everything down hill. This girl Ellie was a young twenty one year old and she was definitely the more sensible out of them.
Eventually after the OW issues got resolved the H is just about down on his knees to grovel and bring his woman back to him. The epilogue was also sweet and cute.
I'm also depressed that this book has already ended. How will I find another great one to match my current high...
Fabulous fabulous fabulous!!!!!!!
January 27, 2016
Not one of my favorites but an enjoyable Lynne Graham HP. The limited number of pages in HP format didn't do this one justice. I would have liked more interaction between the characters, especially in the beginning. Almost fiancée OW is a POW who interfered and caused quite a bit of problems. Overall, I liked it. 3.5 rounded stars.
June 29, 2017
why can't I stop rereading this book? I think I read it more than 10 times ,iam serious , I can't get enough of Dio and Ellie , I adore them ♡♡♡
October 11, 2022
I doubt I’ve ever rated a romance novel as many as four stars, but this one earned it. I read this because there’s a corporate espionage element and I’m always looking for novels with that topic. The cover was odd to me and I didn’t really understand how corporate spying was going to meld with a Greek billionaire romance and a pregnancy. Yet it all blended together as the pages turned.
What made it effective? In a word, honesty. This novel was realistic in terms of the thoughts and reactions of Ellie and Dio. Ellie tends to overthink and overreact while Dio, business-minded, tends to be controlling or dismissive even with those closest to him. While the circumstances of a cleaning lady swept off her feet by a Greek tycoon is fanciful, their emotions and ups and downs of their burgeoning relationship seemed highly authentic to me.
From my limited experience with romance novels, the male is often an outwardly tough guy, but once he gets in a relationship with the heroin, he turns into a puddle of mush; but here, the author is totally uncompromising in that she maintains character consistency and Dio pretty much stays a dick throughout. Sounds harsh but she kept it real, people!
What made it effective? In a word, honesty. This novel was realistic in terms of the thoughts and reactions of Ellie and Dio. Ellie tends to overthink and overreact while Dio, business-minded, tends to be controlling or dismissive even with those closest to him. While the circumstances of a cleaning lady swept off her feet by a Greek tycoon is fanciful, their emotions and ups and downs of their burgeoning relationship seemed highly authentic to me.
From my limited experience with romance novels, the male is often an outwardly tough guy, but once he gets in a relationship with the heroin, he turns into a puddle of mush; but here, the author is totally uncompromising in that she maintains character consistency and Dio pretty much stays a dick throughout. Sounds harsh but she kept it real, people!
February 28, 2018
"
I'm 64% done with Expectant Bride: So I’m glad this made one of my GR friends glad, but UNLESS there’s blood and some kind of bodily harm involved THIS is not moving past fucking 2 stars! Noting short of actual divorce with the OW charged as participant adulterer pasted on first page of every fucking tabloid is going to make me happy.
Well, it's suffice to say it didn't make me happy.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm 64% done with Expectant Bride: So I’m glad this made one of my GR friends glad, but UNLESS there’s blood and some kind of bodily harm involved THIS is not moving past fucking 2 stars! Noting short of actual divorce with the OW charged as participant adulterer pasted on first page of every fucking tabloid is going to make me happy.
Well, it's suffice to say it didn't make me happy.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 1, 2021
Major points for the h raking the H over the coals.
November 3, 2016
5 Stars! ~ Dio must leave for Greece to attend his father's funeral, and taking the office cleaner who had been hiding in his offices while he conducted a highly sensitive meeting with him was his only choice to prevent her from divulging what she had heard. Ellie is outraged by his arrogance and doesn't hesitate to tell him so. Their attraction to one another is intense and their passion over comes them. When morning comes Dio learns that the information did leak and he blames Ellie and sends her away in distaste. Ellie's innocence is soon apparent, and Dio wants to resume their affair but Ellie doesn't want anything more to do with him, until she discovers she's pregnant. When Ellie accepts Dio's proposal she has a visit from the woman Dio was expected to marry and bitter words and threats are spoken. To Ellie's devastation Dio believes Helena is the one wronged and when Helena continues to come between them, Ellie has to make some tough decisions.
Oh I loved this one! This is by far my favourite by Ms. Graham. Ellie is an extraordinary heroine. Blunt almost to a fault, she isn't afraid to jump right in and speak her mind. This very fearlessness is what has the powerful Greek billionaire charmed. Dio finds Ellie to be a breath of fresh air and he can't seem to get enough of her. Sizzling chemistry, emotional intensity, and scenes so witty you smile and smile. I read this one in one sitting and then had to read it again!
Oh I loved this one! This is by far my favourite by Ms. Graham. Ellie is an extraordinary heroine. Blunt almost to a fault, she isn't afraid to jump right in and speak her mind. This very fearlessness is what has the powerful Greek billionaire charmed. Dio finds Ellie to be a breath of fresh air and he can't seem to get enough of her. Sizzling chemistry, emotional intensity, and scenes so witty you smile and smile. I read this one in one sitting and then had to read it again!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2021
4.5 stars
This was pretty delightful. It was just the antidote I needed after reading a truly horrible HP yesterday.
The heroine was adorable - cute, sweet, fiesty, spirited, strong. She wasn't a doormat but could stand up for herself whenever the hero behaved like an asshat.
The hero's name (Dio) means God in Italian - thankfully he's Greek and doesn't have too much of a god-complex. He was actually pretty decent for an alpha and he gave a quite respectable grovel.
Thank God the heroine didn't have loathsome relatives who stomped all over her like in other LG books. I could have done without the accidently pregnancy trope, but I can't have everything.
It did just what I want an HP to do - give me a happy little escape for a couple of hours. It did that beautifully.
Gorgeous little story.
This was pretty delightful. It was just the antidote I needed after reading a truly horrible HP yesterday.
The heroine was adorable - cute, sweet, fiesty, spirited, strong. She wasn't a doormat but could stand up for herself whenever the hero behaved like an asshat.
The hero's name (Dio) means God in Italian - thankfully he's Greek and doesn't have too much of a god-complex. He was actually pretty decent for an alpha and he gave a quite respectable grovel.
Thank God the heroine didn't have loathsome relatives who stomped all over her like in other LG books. I could have done without the accidently pregnancy trope, but I can't have everything.
It did just what I want an HP to do - give me a happy little escape for a couple of hours. It did that beautifully.
Gorgeous little story.
June 24, 2025
1. The word "taut" occurs no less than a zillion times in this book.
2. The hero is a tool.
3. The heroine has no real goals outside of making that tool chase her all over England and Greece.
2. The hero is a tool.
3. The heroine has no real goals outside of making that tool chase her all over England and Greece.
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