The Billionaire's Christmas Revenge

The Casacelli Family Saga #1

by Clare Connelly

When Niko Casacelli learned of his wife's affair, he had no choice but to end their marriage. Niko was not the kind of man to play second fiddle to anyone. He might have loved her once, but her deception put an end to that, and he was glad to see her go. So, when Bianca Scott-Lee arrives on his doorstep begging him to pretend to be married for one last Christmas, he wants to tell her to go to hell. Only he doesn't. Their marriage was a mistake, but Niko discovers he's willing to go to any lengths to get her back in his bed, even if it is just for the holidays.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Second Chance, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance

191 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 12, 2014

About the author

For all things Clare Connelly, please see www.clareconnelly.co.uk, the official home of Clare Connelly on the web.

Clare Connelly grew up in a small country town in Australia. Surrounded by rainforests, and rickety old timber houses, magic was thick in the air, and stories and storytelling were a huge part of her childhood.

From early on in life, Clare realised her favourite books were romance stories, and read voraciously. Anything from Jane Austen to Georgette Heyer, to Mills & Boon and (more recently) 50 Shades, Clare is a romance devotee. She first turned her hand to penning a novel at fifteen (if memory serves, it was something about a glamorous fashion model who fell foul of a high-end designer. Sparks flew, clothes flew faster, and love was born.)

Clare has a small family and a bungalow near the sea. When she isn't chasing after energetic little toddlers, or wiping fingerprints off furniture, she's writing, thinking about writing, or wishing she were writing.

Reviews

[Nikki ღ Navareus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stories of Asshole Heroes punishing their wrongly misjudged heroine are pretty much my addiction. I love when these guys kick out their girlfriends/fiancées/wives over a total misunderstanding, and then have to come back and grovel like crazy to get them back.

I KNOW. It’s a real sickness.
Well it was, until this story.
The entire premise of this story was ridiculous and unbelievable. Bianca was a world class dumbass, letting her husband believe she met up with a man multiple times to cheat on her husband, destroying her entire marriage to this amazing hero, rather than telling him the truth.

Bianca was being blackmailed for money by the slimy guy at the hotel, who was threatening to tell Niko she had an abortion years ago before she met him. She allowed Niko to keep believing she cheated until divorce papers were signed, effectively ending their marriage, instead of telling her husband the truth about something she had done as a very young woman. Deciding her husband could never approve of her abortion, Bianca instead let Niko believe she’s a total slut who fucked around on him multiple times, completely devastating him. I don’t understand how Bianca could possibly think that letting her sweetheart husband believe that she was a slutty, marriage destroying whore, could possibly be the better of the two stories for him to believe.
If that wasn't bad enough, when Niko finally learns the truth he doesn't judge her at all, and instead has much sympathy for her situation. When he begs his wife to come back to him, she actually punishes him for his low opinion and belief of her.

I wanted to throat punch Bianca so bad. She LET him believe the worst of her through the entire story and when he finally discovers the truth (BY HIMSELF), she wants him to beg and grovel after all she put him through. I hated Bianca, I hated this story and its lame ending, and I wish I could get my time back.

[Raffaella · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was good, a revenge story where the husband thinks his wife cheated on him and when she asks him a favour, he plans to have sex with her and then dump her. Obviously he is still in love with her and eventually finds out she never cheated on him so they can have their HEA. What was unbelievable is the premises. The heroine lets her husband think that she has cheated on him and agrees to divorce him because she doesn’t want to tell him that there’s a man who is blackmailing her. And the reason of this blackmailing is that when she was younger she had an affair with this man, got pregnant and decided to have a termination. Well I understand this could be something a woman is not proud of, but even if she regretted it, even if she was ashamed of it and afraid of what her husband would think of her, is it better to let him believe she has cheated on him? That is, would he prefer that she committed some ugly act like adultery actually offending and hurting him than know she did something-maybe- not good in the past when she didn’t know him? Even after he sent her away and asked for divorce she still didn’t tell him the truth. This really spoiled the book for me because it’s stupid and without any logic. The hero was a dear and the man who blackmailed her deserved life sentence. She preferred to lose her husband than to risk telling him the truth. After this, I couldn’t really enjoy the reading.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this book was good. If you like some family revenge that is.

In this book, you will meet Nico and Bianca. Their love was rare and beautiful. They had such chemistry and sparks that you wouldn’t think that they would ever divorce. Well, spoiler alert: they were thinking about it.

Of course these two were torn up about it. They loved each other with everything they had. The smut was still amazing even when they were pretending that they were still a happily married couple over Christmas. Bianca had some secrets and Niko just assumed the worst of her.

He thought he caught his wife having an affair. Little did he know that she was being blackmailed by someone from her past. Now once he found out, which was unfortunately towards the end of this book, he made sure that she would never be blackmailed again.

No, he didn’t murder him. I wish he did but now. He paid the slime ball all the money that he wanted. Then there was the whole winning her back thing that nico had to do.

He hurt her. She hurt him. But in the end, they got their happiness back. Being a family once again, and I was happy for them. Their story was good and definitely kept this a page turner. I can’t wait to dive into the second book.

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 1 out of 5]

When you want to do the 'new' in 'cheating-or-not/mu-separation' trope.
And end up icking the hell out the reader.
And not because of the 'A' thing.

So, Stupida here thinks that her secret is worth more than her blissful marriage to a great guy - whom she purportedly loves? Meh!
So, yes she did 'that' many, many years ago.
And now is getting blackmailed by her slime-ball ex, beginning few weeks after her wedding.

BUT why does she have to agree to give him the money in hotel rooms, over and over again?
Are there no other clandestine places to do that???
Could she not have found the balls to do things differently, in all this time?
Was she planning to let the s-b leech off her for life?

And when the husband confronts her, she prefers to let him think the worst, destroys his trust/their marriage and lets the divorce go on.
Then, it is her who needs him to show her family that her marriage is till on - and so comes begging back for a little show. How will that help in the long run? And how come the family knows nothing about her divorce - him being s big-shot etc?
Later, when things get revealed, SHE goes into a snit!
Needing him to grovel.
Talk of the sheer guts!

Absolute F*ckery - with the reader.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebecca is just another pretty face in the crowd of aspiring actresses in Hollywood. Then on her way to work one morning she stops a fight between a utility worker and a gorgeous guy. That afternoon, her roommate talks her into going to a party at a billionaire’s estate that the agency has set them up to attend. Once at the party, one lie leads to another and she’s made the host her boyfriend. Of course, now somehow she needs to extract herself from the situation but instead the host shows up and she’s trapped. Well you guessed the gorgeous guy with the ocean eyes is the host, and instead of the humiliation of a lifetime, he plays along with the rouse.

Marcus was known as a playboy who partied hard and left a long trail of women in the wake. Suddenly, Rebecca has put herself in his path, accidentally creating a perfect cover for him to have the pretend life that his investors want. One of a traditional relationship, one without the trail of women, booze and drugs.

Marcus propose a deal, Becca pose as his girlfriend and help him clean up his image and win back a very important client. As this story progresses, there is one problem with this arrangement. They both develop feeling for each other and are no longer able to tell the fake from the real. Then Marcus pulls the biggest surprise of all….he proposes at a huge event, on stage, in front of everyone. Now, is it real or is it fake…..read book 2 to find out.

I really enjoyed this book after I got past the preposterous first 6 chapters or so. I actually put the book down, thinking I can’t read this but knowing from a friend that it was a decent book I plowed ahead. It was well written and had me smiling. The characters are strong and independent with big hearts and a sensitive side that is well hidden from the world around them. And of course that cliffhanger sucked me into book 2.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been my favourite read by this author so far. Sweet story and one for fans of the happy ever after.

Likely if you enjoy story's by Melody Anne, Elizabeth Lennox you would enjoy this author's story's.

[Mudpie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

I'd really have rated Clare Connelly books higher if they were better edited!

My Kindle Unlimited copy has so many typos! "KitcheAid" instead of "KitchenAid"; "Stamford" when I think she meant "Stanford" the prestigious American school; "sisters in law" when it should be hyphenated.

I'm no Italian but shouldn't it be "dio mio"? She wrote "mio dio" which is a literal translation of "my god"?!

Such distractions aside I love how angsty her books are. This is no exception and even though I felt like killing both Bianca and Niko at times.

Initially when Nico discovered her infidelity and confronted her she just kept quiet. ..I wanted to scold her for being TSTL: too stupid to live! What could be worse than letting your husband know you were cheating on him when you DID NOT?!

THEN she told us readers her secret...as she said "the truth was worse than the lie" so I could feel her pain. But as their sham holiday reunion carried on I really wanted her to just tell Niko the truth already!

Niko was such an awesome hero...the way he wooed Michelin-starred Bianca and during their marriage he was so sweet a lover...until he thought she cheated on him. Then his ruthless business persona came to the fore and his private "Christmas Present" gutted me as the reader...

I can understand based on what he had seen it made Bianca looked bad. But if he had looked into his heart he might have had more faith and maybe not be so quick to judge Bianca. He didn't even let her explain and just cut her off when she wanted to tell the truth. Then again coming from parents like his it's amazing he even loved and married Bianca at all.

I'm glad he owned up to his mistake and was quick to apologise and seek her forgiveness. Really if Bianca had a bit more faith and confidence in Niko and their love the heartaches could have been avoided.

SPOILERS!!!




When Bianca was 18 she had a crush on this Simon guy and they had a one night stand. She suspected he spiked her drink! Unfortunately she got pregnant and chose abortion. She told him about it after the fact and that was that. But as her star rose as a chef culminating in marrying the rich and successful Niko, Simon crawled out of the woodworks to blackmail her. So Bianca had been paying for expensive meals and hotel stays for Simon and HIS WIFE the past few years! Scum...I hated that Niko had to pay him even MORE to silence him argh...

Niko gave Bianca their signed divorce papers as a private Christmas present! But later on he revealed it's to give her the divorce he thought she wanted but he was willing to remain in an open relationship with her. Yeah right. First he chased her out of their marital home and demanded a divorce; when she did as he asked he acted all hurt and angry accusing her of walking away from the marriage heartlessly.

[MaryD · Rating 2 out of 5]

Major trigger - The h has had an abortion before she met & married the H- before the story starts. I have to say that the h's & H's attitude toward abortion really bothered me.

The "father" is blackmailing her, but the H thinks she's having an affair. The entire story is about the H and his revenge on the h. Some parts were really intense.

One of the positives for me was that Bianca was successful in her chosen career & even had "groupies".

Note: This was a bonus book in Clare Connelly's book "The Sheikh's Inherited Bride"

[T from Istria 💛💚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredibly stupid heroine who rather let her husband believe she was cheating and kick her out than tell him her secret. 1.5.

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dislike stories based on a lie or misunderstanding which could have been removed by a simple conversation. That is very much the case in this story.

In this case, the marriage of Bianca and Niko ended when he was presented with overwhelming evidence that she was unfaithful with the vile Simon. Of course she hadn’t but instead was being blackmailed by the ex because she’s been pregnant by the ex.

So, instead of telling him the truth, she went with letting him believe she’d been unfaithful. What an utter idiot. these TSTL heroines really irritate me.

I rather enjoyed this book despite the ‘misunderstanding’ which could have so easily have been cleared up at the very beginning - but of course, then there would have been no book.

One puzzle that was never satisfactorily explained was why it was necessary for Bianca and Simon to meet at Claridges at 2pm in the afternoon. The suggestion that her credit card had something to do with it made no sense to me. I don’t think Claridges operate like a bank!

Clare Connelly writes a good story with interesting characters and great sex scenes. I would have liked the villain Simon to have got a proper comeuppance rather than being bribed into submission, but altogether I enjoyed this one in the series the most.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a sad begining of a story of deceit and betrayal of a marriage. Nico is given evidence that his wife of three years is having an affair with another man since they came back from their honeymoon. He kicks her out and proceeds with a divorce. Now ten months later she comes to him pleading that he participate with her families Christmas celibration. He agrees but with the stipulation that she also share his bed for the duration. Bianca agrees. There is more going on than she can tell him without letting all of her dark secrets into the light. Am waiting to find more of Clare Connelly works here.

[Cathy Zaramba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niko grew up mistrusting women due to his mother's behavior so he is quick to believe in his wife's infidelity. When Bianca said he had it wrong, Niko asked for a divorce. Nearly a year later, Bianca asked him to pretend they were still a happily married couple for the sake of her parents. I love a good second chance story. I found it hard to put down. Very well written story.

[L H · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As several other reviewers have stated this came across as an "angry" book. The h is caught between a lie which is something that realistically she should not have to share, but maybe should, and her husband. The H just can't decide to be extremely brutal or, at times, almost supportive of her feelings. I understand that this may be realistic, but it made for a dark read. Usually, this author navigates difficult subjects and pushy H with ease, still providing lustful romantic situations but this one missed the mark a little which is why I gave it three stars. Also, some of the past that the h experienced with a previous "relationship" if you can call it that, I felt should have had more importance. A serious subject was mentioned and almost rushed into an already rushed ending.

Again, not a favorite of mine by this author who I usually love, but I will definitely still continue to be a fan of this author.

[Kyle Hakim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Niko divorced Bianca because he had evidence she spend money and went to hotel with a Simon Cave. She weakly explaining it’s not like what he thinks blablabla and kept her secret. 10 months later, she asked a favor from him to pretend they’re still married while her family came visiting. Her father had a heart attack recently. He agreed and in return he got to use her for sex and call her a liar. Hmmm. Her sister got married and she was down. He saw Simon calling her phone at xmas night and left. 3 weeks later, Simon came asking for money from Niko telling him about the abortion Bianca did at 18. Niko felt guilty and went to Bianca. Bianca gave him a sass but readily forgives him. She told him she haven’t file their divorce paper and she is pregnant.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was surprisingly enjoyable. I would have given it more stars but the angst over the 'secret' of the heroine was not, to me, worth losing her marriage over. Her ex was definitely a piece of work. She was intelligent and respected but there were obvious insecurities much deeper than were apparent if she would allow herself to be so manipulated. I could understand the conclusions drawn by the H and the h did nothing to dispel them. Fortunately, eventually, they were reunited and achieved their HEA. Whew.

[Reader_for_LifeTLG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it

Niko is thrown by his wife Bianca's affair and all too ready to collect his pound of flesh when she asks him for help. A couple of weeks with her family might be just enough time to torture her. How dare she betray him? Her reason for her actions is flimsy at best, nothing to be proud or ashamed of. Young people don't always make the best decisions and sometimes they come back to haunt you. A generally good story but I expected more emotion from a hot-blooded Italian.

[E Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. The whole premise of this book made me so irate.

🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦

Of all the TSTL heroines I have read in romance fiction,this woman takes the biscuit. She behaves like a complete and utter dimwit.

Who in their right mind would hide a guilty secret that isn't nearly as bad as the guilty secret her husband thinks she has? He quite rightly chucks her out and wants to divorce because of what he thought she did. She could have sorted all this out in five minutes.

He should actually divorce her for her stupidity. He deserved better.

[Maureen Amicone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional rollercoaster

Wow, I cried and laughed I felt terrible for Nick and my heart also bled for Bianca, however she really should have trusted her husband.

[Diane Pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misunderstood

What else could be believe? He had proof. Bianca held a secret that she could not share. How could this ever be made right?

[Kathi Rutherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story to pass the time.Surprise ending.Hot @ times😂

[Courtney Klein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Leading man arrogant piece of work who repeatedly tells leading lady she is a lier/cheat etc then the have sex-over and over.

[Aswathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story... Captivating and beautifully written...

[Sharon L. Friend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billionaires Christmas Revenge

This was a great story. Believing his wife cheated on him Nick divorces his wife. Then he finds she did not Cheat on him.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing story. This author pulled at my heart strings and had my heart pounding with emotion.
Narration in the first was amazing.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so more of a novella that I read in three hours but. Not the best. Not the worst. I think they definitely have some issues but hopefully their marriage will work. A nice quick flashy read.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This...

Is a conflicting and heart-breaking story, that has a really cute HEA ending. Distrust and misinformation does it again. Very happy with the ending though.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

I liked this book. I liked the characters and their story line. I only wish it was longer to read.

[Ruhm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. What a cop-out ending.

[Sheryl C. Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*