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The Scandalous Brunetti Brothers #2
A Deal to Carry the Italian's Heir
Her scandalous baby bargain!
With her chances of finally having a family in jeopardy, Neha’s taking drastic action! Approaching billionaire Leonardo Brunetti with her outrageous request to father her child by IVF is step one. Step two? Ignoring her deep desire for the alluring Italian!
Leo is the ideal choice because he doesn’t do romantic attachments. His parents’ less than stellar example cemented that. And the last thing Neha needs is yet another man dictating her life. Her terms are straightforward, until Leo turns the tables by showing Neha how pleasurable indulging her desire can be…
With her chances of finally having a family in jeopardy, Neha’s taking drastic action! Approaching billionaire Leonardo Brunetti with her outrageous request to father her child by IVF is step one. Step two? Ignoring her deep desire for the alluring Italian!
Leo is the ideal choice because he doesn’t do romantic attachments. His parents’ less than stellar example cemented that. And the last thing Neha needs is yet another man dictating her life. Her terms are straightforward, until Leo turns the tables by showing Neha how pleasurable indulging her desire can be…
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2019
About the author
Tara Pammi
535 books200 followersTara Pammi can't remember a moment when she wasn't lost in a book, especially a romance which, for a teenager, was much more exciting than mathematics textbook. Before long, she was hiding romance novels within bigger textbooks, smuggling them into the home through her unsuspecting younger cousin’s school bag, and cycling more than a few miles to her favorite library to borrow more.
Through numerous ‘true’ loves :-) and traveling thousands of miles from family and friends, her attachment to books and especially romance novels stayed constant.
One fine day, toiling away as a grad student in a basement lab, Tara started typing the beginning of a story instead of her thesis. But it wasn’t until years later, encouraged by her real life hero, Tara realized what she truly wanted to do was to write.
Tara lives in Texas with her real life hero and her two little girls. When she isn't writing or reading, Tara can be found failing in the kitchen, watching TV or making resolutions to exercise more, or even a little.
Through numerous ‘true’ loves :-) and traveling thousands of miles from family and friends, her attachment to books and especially romance novels stayed constant.
One fine day, toiling away as a grad student in a basement lab, Tara started typing the beginning of a story instead of her thesis. But it wasn’t until years later, encouraged by her real life hero, Tara realized what she truly wanted to do was to write.
Tara lives in Texas with her real life hero and her two little girls. When she isn't writing or reading, Tara can be found failing in the kitchen, watching TV or making resolutions to exercise more, or even a little.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 21, 2019
I found this book really disappointing. It was boring and cliched and mechanical. The first chapter was like wading through treacle. What happened to ‘show, not tell’? I struggled to actually read it and it was only the fact that I had actually bought it, that made me at least skim read to the end.
The original premise sounded different, (use Leo’s sperm to father her child using IVF) but the execution was boring and predictable and totally unoriginal. Leo behaved as a sensible adult for most of the book and then turned into a different person entirely. I know Mills and Boon offers escapism but it does need to be rooted in credible characters and plots. This book failed miserably for me.
I found the heroine was so annoying and unbelievable. She was no teenager, but a successful professional adult and I simply could not buy in to her inability to deal with her mother and step-father for so many years - nor her easy acceptance of her mother’s turnabout after so many years of abuse. Because that’s what it was - abuse by mother and step-father.
One thing which I found utterly irritating was the heroine’s and the constant use of “yeah ”and “y’know”in her speech:- it was beyond annoying as it made her sound like a dopey Sloane ranger type and that was such a huge negative for me, not to mention, a really annoying distraction.
I dislike books that have too many characters in them and as Mills and Boon books are relatively short, I found that this one had far too many and some of them never even appeared but were simply referenced. I understand that this book is one of a set, but the cast of characters were a distraction from the main story and the constant references to the ‘plot’ by Vincenzo Cavalli to bring down the company and the missing Alessandra were simply another annoying distraction.
The original premise sounded different, (use Leo’s sperm to father her child using IVF) but the execution was boring and predictable and totally unoriginal. Leo behaved as a sensible adult for most of the book and then turned into a different person entirely. I know Mills and Boon offers escapism but it does need to be rooted in credible characters and plots. This book failed miserably for me.
I found the heroine was so annoying and unbelievable. She was no teenager, but a successful professional adult and I simply could not buy in to her inability to deal with her mother and step-father for so many years - nor her easy acceptance of her mother’s turnabout after so many years of abuse. Because that’s what it was - abuse by mother and step-father.
One thing which I found utterly irritating was the heroine’s and the constant use of “yeah ”and “y’know”in her speech:- it was beyond annoying as it made her sound like a dopey Sloane ranger type and that was such a huge negative for me, not to mention, a really annoying distraction.
I dislike books that have too many characters in them and as Mills and Boon books are relatively short, I found that this one had far too many and some of them never even appeared but were simply referenced. I understand that this book is one of a set, but the cast of characters were a distraction from the main story and the constant references to the ‘plot’ by Vincenzo Cavalli to bring down the company and the missing Alessandra were simply another annoying distraction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2020
Boring ... H who seemed flat, supposedly businesswoman h who was scared of her own shadow ...
and my pet peeve ... why do authors have an Asian h if they cannot characterize her properly ... like, what happened to using a characters cultural background as a plus point to make them unique ... why give her an Asian background if the author plans to endow her with all the characteristics of a British or American h? why not stick with a British or American h then?
And no, I don't have any cultural issues ... I just miss the old authors ... who may not have had internet facilities to Google any place or culture and who did their research the old way, by going to a library, but they got the characterization spot on ... If the H was Italian or Spanish or a Sheikh, you could be sure the book would have a name, endearments and a mind set to match ... same with h's ... authors generally didn't have many non British or American h's but the ones who did made sure they had mannerisms and values to match ...
This is the second time this author has used an Asian h ... who was so far from Asian, it was not funny ... she characterizes her Asian h's by having them wear a lehenga (traditional outfit) and attend a function to showcase their Indianness ... this h went to a table hearing ... *sigh* ...
and my pet peeve ... why do authors have an Asian h if they cannot characterize her properly ... like, what happened to using a characters cultural background as a plus point to make them unique ... why give her an Asian background if the author plans to endow her with all the characteristics of a British or American h? why not stick with a British or American h then?
And no, I don't have any cultural issues ... I just miss the old authors ... who may not have had internet facilities to Google any place or culture and who did their research the old way, by going to a library, but they got the characterization spot on ... If the H was Italian or Spanish or a Sheikh, you could be sure the book would have a name, endearments and a mind set to match ... same with h's ... authors generally didn't have many non British or American h's but the ones who did made sure they had mannerisms and values to match ...
This is the second time this author has used an Asian h ... who was so far from Asian, it was not funny ... she characterizes her Asian h's by having them wear a lehenga (traditional outfit) and attend a function to showcase their Indianness ... this h went to a table hearing ... *sigh* ...
August 31, 2020
Neha Fernandez turns to one of her oldest friends to help her out. The desire for a family of her own has driven Neha to select Leonardo Brunetti to be the father of her child. IVF has her preferred method, but Leo decides to do it the old fashioned way.
Leonardo has a lot on his mind, and Neha's request to father a child helps to bring his life and goals into perspective.
Very nice story.
Leonardo has a lot on his mind, and Neha's request to father a child helps to bring his life and goals into perspective.
Very nice story.
December 1, 2019
I didn’t fall in love with this book immediately but Neha grew on me. She fought for her independence from her manipulative, overbearing stepfather who kept trying to marry her off.
To escape the his control Neha decided that she would have a baby. A baby with her BFF, Leo. Leo was her stepfather’s nemesis, so believing that she was involved with him would keep her stepfather at a distance. She just had to get Leo to agree to be a donor.
I enjoyed the book but had to push myself to finish it. I felt the Neha, while independent, allowed the men in her life to run roughshod over her. Leo was no exception. There were moments when I seriously disliked him.
It turned out to be an ok read but not one I’d visit again.
To escape the his control Neha decided that she would have a baby. A baby with her BFF, Leo. Leo was her stepfather’s nemesis, so believing that she was involved with him would keep her stepfather at a distance. She just had to get Leo to agree to be a donor.
I enjoyed the book but had to push myself to finish it. I felt the Neha, while independent, allowed the men in her life to run roughshod over her. Leo was no exception. There were moments when I seriously disliked him.
It turned out to be an ok read but not one I’d visit again.
May 17, 2023
4.25 stars
it’s been quite a while since I’ve read a Harlequin Presents. Just these have been slowly vanishing from my reading repertoire, which was ironic since this was the only thing I was reading for quite a while. I just found myself getting bored with the same old plod send troops that I needed to step away from this line for a while. Coming back to it, my viewpoint has definitely changed of how I think about these, and review them because I compare it to all the other types of books that I have been consuming as of late.
However, this was a nice one to get back to because it didn’t have the typical tropes that Harlequin Presents usually have. Now some more familiar tropes like a fake relationship and awful family situations that lead to actions of the characters, but this also had the friends to lovers trope, which was very rare for a Harlequin Presents. Plus friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes ever so that was another win.
At first I was a little underwhelmed about it because I wasn’t quite feeling the chemistry between Leo and Neha. Even though there was that theme of unrequited love between both of them, there was just some thing missing that didn’t quite connect to them as a couple. As friends yes, but not as a romantic couple. They just had some thing that just didn’t quite connect for me.
But then once the first time scene kicked in then the book really took off. Partly it was due to the fact that Neha really took charge in the bedroom and she seduced Leo. I liked seeing that attitude that was on display very confidentially. Secondly, there was so much good intimacy and affection that really brought home the fact that they had feelings for each other for years that they had been battling. And it was finally all that unrequited love come to fruition in that scene as they made love. It was intimate and special and beautifully written. That was when I truly felt the chemistry between these two and believed in their love story.
And as they got closer, emotionally things got complicated and complex as they tried to admit their feelings to each other, which wasn’t easy. The conflict at the end was heartbreaking, and created all that angst that I really enjoy. The last third of this book was great and really made this book what it was.
it’s been quite a while since I’ve read a Harlequin Presents. Just these have been slowly vanishing from my reading repertoire, which was ironic since this was the only thing I was reading for quite a while. I just found myself getting bored with the same old plod send troops that I needed to step away from this line for a while. Coming back to it, my viewpoint has definitely changed of how I think about these, and review them because I compare it to all the other types of books that I have been consuming as of late.
However, this was a nice one to get back to because it didn’t have the typical tropes that Harlequin Presents usually have. Now some more familiar tropes like a fake relationship and awful family situations that lead to actions of the characters, but this also had the friends to lovers trope, which was very rare for a Harlequin Presents. Plus friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes ever so that was another win.
At first I was a little underwhelmed about it because I wasn’t quite feeling the chemistry between Leo and Neha. Even though there was that theme of unrequited love between both of them, there was just some thing missing that didn’t quite connect to them as a couple. As friends yes, but not as a romantic couple. They just had some thing that just didn’t quite connect for me.
But then once the first time scene kicked in then the book really took off. Partly it was due to the fact that Neha really took charge in the bedroom and she seduced Leo. I liked seeing that attitude that was on display very confidentially. Secondly, there was so much good intimacy and affection that really brought home the fact that they had feelings for each other for years that they had been battling. And it was finally all that unrequited love come to fruition in that scene as they made love. It was intimate and special and beautifully written. That was when I truly felt the chemistry between these two and believed in their love story.
And as they got closer, emotionally things got complicated and complex as they tried to admit their feelings to each other, which wasn’t easy. The conflict at the end was heartbreaking, and created all that angst that I really enjoy. The last third of this book was great and really made this book what it was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
December 1, 2019Categories
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
The Scandalous Brunetti Brothers (Book #2)
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
The Scandalous Brunetti Brothers (Book #2)
Read
December 1, 2019Categories
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
The Scandalous Brunetti Brothers (Book #2)
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
The Scandalous Brunetti Brothers (Book #2)
October 3, 2020
This book was seriously boring.
June 23, 2024
Felt as if there is a book missing. Some of the plot points not explained regarding Alexandra, the company etc.
February 1, 2020
Neha (half-Indian -Hindustani ) is a successful baker, owner of So Sweet .She started at 16, backed by her stepfather, Mario Fereli. Now she is 31-33 (not clear, as different periods are mentioned since she started :15-17 years ). Neha works impossible hours, she has anxiety attacks and chronic fatigue.She plans to retire and raise her future child.For that she needs her friend, Leo Brunetti.
Leo is the elder brother of Massimo (An Innocent to Tame the Italian , a book I haven't read yet ). They are half- brothers. Leo's mother left when he was 5 yo . Silvio, the father, married again and had
Massimo. Lately Silvio has embezzled the family business .He is currently in a clinic for detoxing -he is alcoholic.
Neha's stepfather ,Mario, is on board of the Brunetti company and is connected somehow to Vicenzo
Cavalli, Leo's enemy and rival.
Padma, Neha's mother, is influenced by her second husband. She doesn't want Neha to be connected in any way to Brunettis. This hurts Neha.
Leo proposes to Neha upon learning she is pregnant. But she gets an anxiety attack and backs off the wedding .
Interesting name -Neha- what's the origin ? In Hebrew Neha is short for Nehama (Nechama ) , meaning consolation.She wants to have her own life, not dictated by Mario. Eventually Neha stands up to him , but pays a price- a rift between her and Padma. She also isn't used to delegate or ask for help.
Leo is still hurt by his mother's desertion .In his heart he is still a 5 yo boy, seeking his mother.
When Silvio dies, the last opportunity to ask him about mother is gone..
Greta, Silvio's octogenarian mother, isn't a warm person. She likes her stepdaughter,Alexandra (Alex ) , who has some relatrionship with Vicenzo...
This is a friends to lovers story. Leo and Neha know each other for 15 years (or more ). Then Neha comes to Leo with her request to father her child and everything changes. But they have issues and have to overcome the problem of parents and children in their families.
Massimo and his wife Natalie (Nat ) are prominent characters in the book.
The story goes from Milan to London to Lake Como.
What I didn't like in the epilogue, was that we dodn't know whether Neha retired or not and what she is doing ,besides raising two kids.We also don't know whether Massimo and nat have any children .
To be continued with Vicenzo's story ? wait and see.
Leo is the elder brother of Massimo (An Innocent to Tame the Italian , a book I haven't read yet ). They are half- brothers. Leo's mother left when he was 5 yo . Silvio, the father, married again and had
Massimo. Lately Silvio has embezzled the family business .He is currently in a clinic for detoxing -he is alcoholic.
Neha's stepfather ,Mario, is on board of the Brunetti company and is connected somehow to Vicenzo
Cavalli, Leo's enemy and rival.
Padma, Neha's mother, is influenced by her second husband. She doesn't want Neha to be connected in any way to Brunettis. This hurts Neha.
Leo proposes to Neha upon learning she is pregnant. But she gets an anxiety attack and backs off the wedding .
Interesting name -Neha- what's the origin ? In Hebrew Neha is short for Nehama (Nechama ) , meaning consolation.She wants to have her own life, not dictated by Mario. Eventually Neha stands up to him , but pays a price- a rift between her and Padma. She also isn't used to delegate or ask for help.
Leo is still hurt by his mother's desertion .In his heart he is still a 5 yo boy, seeking his mother.
When Silvio dies, the last opportunity to ask him about mother is gone..
Greta, Silvio's octogenarian mother, isn't a warm person. She likes her stepdaughter,Alexandra (Alex ) , who has some relatrionship with Vicenzo...
This is a friends to lovers story. Leo and Neha know each other for 15 years (or more ). Then Neha comes to Leo with her request to father her child and everything changes. But they have issues and have to overcome the problem of parents and children in their families.
Massimo and his wife Natalie (Nat ) are prominent characters in the book.
The story goes from Milan to London to Lake Como.
What I didn't like in the epilogue, was that we dodn't know whether Neha retired or not and what she is doing ,besides raising two kids.We also don't know whether Massimo and nat have any children .
To be continued with Vicenzo's story ? wait and see.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews