I really liked this book, could have had more dialogue though. Leonidas and Susannah lost each other due to no fault of their own. They found each other again and there are many ups and downs but loved conquers all, or so I've heard. I recommend this book.

L.O.V.E.D this story! From the beginning which i have to give a triple A plus for originality to the unique conclusion,
i was hooked! I had xmas and my daughters bday to interrupt my reading flow and couldnt wait to get back to it! LOVED!!!

This was not one of my favorites. The cult thing at the beginning was strange.

An enjoyable short read that had enjoyable characters in the story and a storyline that I loved reading. I enjoyed this story from start to finish.

I LOVED how proactive Susannah is (love the name!) at the beginning, despite her Presents’ ivory tower for heiresses awaiting arranged marriages. I loved how heroic she comes across in searching for her missing husband. I was unsure about the hero being missing for 4 years, but the amnesia works here, and the cult is a prison for him, too.

Leonidas having been celibate, untempted, and then his bride waltzes up and they have their wedding night 4 years after the wedding works well! I didn’t know how Crews would pull that off, but she does.

There’s an intensity about them being married, about her looking out for his interests, and using her widowhood as her armour, about the wedding night 4 years late, and how she’s been looking for him all that time, and the lengths she’s gone to to survive in his rich man's world, that I loved. They’re married, they’ve consummated the marriage, there’s lots of intensity, so it gets going really well, and really quickly. The external stuff is also intriguing enough to keep you turning the pages.

The pace slows as they skate around the edges of a relationship, which started so powerfully but then doesn’t move forward for a little while. The pregnancy bombshell breaks this and is nicely played from a dialogue, emotion, characterisation and voice point of view and I'm immersed more deeply in this relationship and loving it.

As the relationship progresses, the plot injects pace into backstory, characterisation and emotion and fits the relationship. Weaving together fast-paced plot with enough character-driven elements works.

I love the high emotion that culminates in another ungeneric love scene that's right for the characters.

The kidnapping felt unnecessary. Maybe page 157 is too late for forced proximity? Or maybe there are quite a few tropes without needing another? The heroine sleeping through being transferred from the townhouse and not waking til on the plane was another off note; I would have preferred her to have continued to have agency here, for me to stay connected to her feelings and motivations. Leonidas also loses some heroic points as his place in the cult is represented slightly differently later in the story and is a bit unPresents and overdone.

Four stars for heroic, proactive heroine, ruthless alpha hero, relationship depth and intensity, fab beginning and passion-fuelled, emotionally satisfying ending and epilogue

3.5 “...he might really be a god after all” Stars

This may be my first time reading Caitlin Crews but I doubt it’ll be my last as on the whole I enjoyed A Baby to Bind his Bride.

“You married me four years ago and left me on our wedding night, charmer that you are.”

Both these characters are strong and stubborn and whilst Leonidas definitely has the attributes I’d expect of a Harlequin hero, he has a softer side that I really did like. But Susannah surprised me hugely and if anything, her husband’s disappearance created a strong, independent lady more than capable of standing on her own two feet.

“You are the perfect gift.”

The amnesia part was pitched perfectly for me as I have something of a love/hate relationship with the trope, however I will admit to being disappointed over conflict/resolution heading into the end as it was rushed and fell a little flat. But with great chemistry between a couple who were as endearing as they were sexy, and an epilogue which really does leave you satisfied, I can sort of forgive that.

The story has a fascinating start with strong characters and a nicely romantic end. It's a little soft in the middle but for a person who's been off on a lot of stories lately it makes for good reading.

Leo Betancur is presumed dead in a helicopter crash shortly after his marriage to virginal Susannah. Susannah dons the mantle of the widow Betancur and takes over the running of the company fending off all the suitors who lust after her wealth and status while continuing to secretly search for Leonidas.
Susannah's private investigators finally run him down to earth in a remote compound close to where his helicopter crashed leading a cult. Susannah arrival brings back some shards of his memory especially after finally consummating his marriage. T
Get set for a lot of twists and turns and as the two find that their delayed wedding night has consequences. Leo has come to rely on this new incarnation of Susannah who only wants a divorce and a life in peaceful obscurity. As the story moves along readers get a ringside view into the troubled childhood of both protagonists.
I skipped over parts of the middle but overall I enjoyed this tale.

A Baby to Bind His Bride
by Caitlin Crews

A superb start to a book that seemed like it was going to be one of the most fascinating I have read in a long time. I started losing interest when finding the hero was the cult leader... then it seemed to just lose all of its interest to me as I turned the pages. I had to back up and reread this book again to make a fair rating.

Fantastic start, and characters that are strong , a semi believable plot line at the start of the book that goes to unbelievable and trite in the middle. A writer that has an incredible gift shown in the way the book starts off, however, the twists were a little too far for me to make this a great read. All in all with the elements I give this three stars for the overall review. I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna Swedenmom

Leonidas married Susannah and then left her. In his haste his helicopter went down leaving Susannah an instant widow. However, she isn't convinced. With her in-laws all trying to either marry her or steal her husband's company out from under her, she hires a private investigator to find out what happened to him. When the novel opens, Suzanna is going to pick her husband up. He's become the leader of a cult who has no memory of his life before the crash. But when Leonidas' memories come back and Susannah makes her demands, he'll have to find a way to keep her at his side.

I absolutely loved the beginning of this novel. It was different with a funny twist. Our hero is a cult leader?! What?! But as soon as things settled down again and the novel moved to Rome it seemed to loose my interest. The rest of the novel is very formulaic and I found myself rushing to finish it. It's an incredibly easy read, but not really what I'm after.

A very moving story of two damaged souls who will completely steel your heart. Both Leonidas & Susannah have a dysfunctional and sad family. When they first meet & marry (an arranged marriage), Leonidas makes it clear that they will live separate lives. After the wedding, Leonidas leaves and she is told that he died in a plane crash. Flash forward 4 years, Susannah has become a strong & powerful woman and Leonidas has been living in a cult. After finding him in order to get a divorce, the story begins and it is one that you won't soon forget! I love a good angst and a strong heroine. At first, I didn't care much for Leonidas but as the story progressed, he grew on me and I ended up loving him too and my heart broke for him with his tragic past. This is a must read for all!

this is the type of women characters that Caitlin Crews writes the best: strong, can hold her own with her male counterpart. I liked the story line. Susannah could have a happy and successful life on own if she wanted to. She found the way to make her life better by looking for him even though the aim was her freedom. He of course was all take-charge but a good take-charge guy

This was an interesting read. Even though it had the common Harlequin Presents formula, Crews incorporated some very original elements that make the story fresh. The book starts with a husband suffering amnesia and living within a cult without any idea of his past life. Meanwhile, his wife has been looking for him, but not because she wants to be reunited with him but because she wants to divorce him. From there you can see that you are going to have fun reading this book that brings in the familiar HP ingredients along with some interesting twists. Have a great read!

This book was so disappointing, The plot was weak, the characters mundane, the story was a snooze. Almost became a DNF for me.

Rating 4.5

Great character development and storyline.

Couple points before I go into my review.
~This author does have a tendency to go over board on dialogue (inter dialogue), but I found this one more balanced and hopeful her writing is improving in that one area.
~The hero's disappearance/didn't return is a little far fetched (not the amnesia but the Cult storyline), but yet the overall storyline and character development was so well done that it was a small issue in the whole scheme of the story, for me anyway.

Leonidas was one of the most powerful and wealthiest CEO. His parents and family are a vile bunch of vultures . His upbringing was horrible and abusive. He learned to become the best business man and CEO. But he also closed his heart and learned it was best not to feel too much.

Susannah, grew up with Mommy dearest and a Father who was greedy and only wanted to advance in the social ladder as well as wealth and connections. So Susannah was groomed from an early age to become the means for the best connection for advancement for her parents. Sent away to boarding school she lived a very lonely and solitary life. When Susannah was fairly young she was promised to Leonidas to unite the two families and further their power and status.

Susannah found she was drawn to Leonidas, his strength and stature gave her a sense that there would be stability and a hopeful future and family for her. On her wedding day that dream was shattered as Leonidas made it clear they would live separate lives and this was more a business venture. He spent more time talking about and with his business associates then he did Susannah. He left her right after the reception to fly to a business venture he was pursuing. The next day Susannah learns he died in a plane crash somewhere in the American Rockies but no body was recovered.

Susannah becomes a widow at nineteen. Her dear sweet Mother (sarcasm) said some horrible things to Susannah that invigorated and challenged her. Susannah decided she would not be ruled or dictated to from that point on, by anyone. She became the face and CEO of Betancur. Susannah was then known as the Widow Betancur. She became one of the most powerful women in the business world. A woman who was determined and strong, one of the most successful woman CEO's! Susannah closed herself off emotionally, especially her horrible family as well as Leonidas family, who tried to control and dictate what she should or shouldn't do. But Susannah was her own person and what she never believed or gave up on was finding her husband. She believed he was still alive as no body was every recovered from the crash site. She had investigators and detectives that were searching for him and now it looks like there was a possible lead that Leonidas was alive.

We thaen open with Susannah tracking up a mountain side with a guide who had information about a possible cult that lived up in the mountains with a leader who was called The Count. The pictures, though grainy looked just like him, Leonidas and the description's that Susannah had been given fit her husband to a tee.

The story continues as you guessed, it was Leonidas. He was badly injured and took a year and a half to recover as well having lost his memory. He was found by the people who lived in the compound they rescued him and tended too his recovery and return to full health He became their leader.

The meeting and confrontation between the two main characters brings the slow return of Leonidas memory. What also happens is a combustible physical attraction, that each can’t resist. Susannah deep down has always been drawn to Leonidas and the fairytale dream she harbored for both of them. Leonidas evolved and had found something deeper and more meaningful about/in himself those four lonely years. Hisperspective on life did change. Susannah and Leonidas learn to lean on each other, as well as begin to peel away the years, decades of hurt, pain and loneliness that they both feel. They find in each other goodness and fulfillment, as well as possible dreams of love and family.

Susannah and Leonidas are two wounded souls that you just want to cheer for. Both display this cool, controlled outward person. But inside they are both hurt and lonely. I found these two character multi dimensional and they had such wonderful character growth as the story progressed. My heart ached for each of them. Susannah came across as controlled but you see her hurt and love for Leonidas even thought she doesn't really fully comprehend or acknowledge it to herself. And Leonidas, with his horrible upbringing, ugh you just wanted to hug him. He slowly realized what Susannah did/ sacrificed for him and what a beautiful heart she had. And that she was a gem he wanted to keep forever.

I was cheering for the HEA and boy did I get it. I did find towards the end that the final ILU could have been done somewhat smoother and devoted more pages as it seemed abrupt and clunky. But the epilogue was FANTASTIC, absolutely loved, loved it.

This HP shows that this author has improved and is working on the dialogue issue I've had with her past books.