The Italian Billionaire's Secret Love-Child

by Cathy Williams

Book Overview

After Charlie was seduced by gorgeous Riccardo di Napoli, she was shocked to find he was from an elite Italian family and was one of the country's wealthiest businessmen. Knowing the powerful tycoon could never love an ordinary English girl, Charlie fled, taking her precious secret with her. Now Riccardo wanted Charlie in his bed once more But Charlie was wary. She knew that once Riccardo discovered the truth, he would claim her child as his own...and...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373823797
• ISBN13: 9780373823796
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Harlequin Presents
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

A Romance Junkie

When I started reading this book. I couldn't stand Riccardo at all. He was a selfish, arrogant, shallow snob. It didn't make any difference that he was a rich, handsome sex god because his character was hard to take. Charlie was an innocent 18 year old who was quickly falling for him. She had lied to Riccardo and said she was 24, so he had no problem taking her virtue. Riccardo leaves his vineyard where he and Charlie were involved for a few weeks. He never told her that he was actually the owner of the place and when he leaves on the pretense of visiting his mother Charlie follows. At this point, she doesn't know she's pregnant with his child but when she arrives at his mothers palatial home both Riccardo and his mother treat her like trash, and she leaves. 8 years later she has to show a large estate to a client and guess who? It's Riccardo and she takes one look and passes out. That was disappointing because for someone who's been playing the radio loudly in the car for the last eight years of her life to block out the memories of Riccardo you would think she would have been thinking what she would do if she ever ran into him again. So she wakes up and yes she tortures the hell out of him but not nearly enough for the pain, he and his mother cost her. However, even with her having somewhat of a back bone and Riccardo being a block head the story and the book were extremely good and just to see Riccardo eat crow at the end was worth the price of the book. I recommend it highly.

This is the book where she actually tells him no!

The premise of this book is misleading. The story is really about english girl Charlie who was working at the vineyard in Italy before heading off to college. She meets wanderer Riccardo, also working at the vineyard doing this and that. They strike up a very steamy relationship that is built on a few lies. Charlie has let Riccardo think that she's 24 when she's actually 18 and Riccardo has let Charlie think that he's a wandering soul when in fact he owns the vineyard and is super rich. He's leaving to go visit his mother and his inability to speak about it makes Charlie think he's ashamed of his destitute circumstances. To prove to him that she loves him no matter what she finds out the address of his mother and goes to pay him a surprise visit. The surprise is mutual when she finds out the truth, not only is he super rich, but his life is all planned out before him. He never wanted anything serious with her and his mother took great joy in informing her exactly what kind of girl she really was. Nine years later Charlie is now making a living selling houses and raising a beautiful 8 year old daughter. She meets Riccardo again, and when he finds out about his daughter, his typical response is marriage! But Charlie, now known as Charlotte, is not going to find herself married to a man just because he happens to be the father of her child. I really love this book. Charlie is a funny adult woman. She does not fall all over Riccardo the moment he appears and she certainly doesn't fall for his sickening proposals. She knows her own mind and she's not afraid to enforce it. I actually didn't blame her for keeping the baby a secret. Usually it's a stupid reason why the girl doesn't tell the guy, but in this one, she's told basically that she's trash that he was playing with and he doesn't want her in any part of his life. Riccardo is the silver spoon firmly in mouth, puffed up, prideful guy who's had everything go his way. Through Charlotte he finds his puffed up image and pride stabbed repeatedly and then trampled into the ground by a stampeding herd of cattle. The writing style was great and the characters were fun and strong willed. Probably the only problems that I actually had with the book were the fact that Riccardo's mother never really has a good enough part in the book considering her part in the initial breakup, and the fact that we don't get a play by play of what exactly happened when she found his mother's house. I don't know if it's because it was so bad that as a reader it would be extremely hard to forgive the hero *and his mother* or if it was because the author figured that the reader's imagination would paint the picture of what happened better than she could. She does give pieces and parts of what happened, just not a full recount. All in all, this book was all around one of the best I've read. I had so much fun watching Charlotte knock Riccardo off his pedestal repeatedly, which was nothing less than what he deserved. I