I read Jessica Gilmore’s first romance novel, The Return Of Mrs. Jones, and hailed her a romance-writer of great promise. I was disappointed in her second book and she dropped off my reviewing radar. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Some reviewing-Tinkerbell pushed me towards her latest, Baby Surprise For the Spanish Billionaire and the Gilmore magic was reinstated! Baby Surprise is conventional and uses some annoying conventions, BUT the writing is elegant and smooth, the dialogue clever, witty, funny, and moving, and the romance, well, so romantic, that I was reconverted to Gilmore.

Dr. Anna Gray, not medical, but an Oxford-trained historian, with a successful book in the world, arrives at her feckless mother’s Spanish island, La Isla Marina. Sancia has sent out “help” signals to her daughters: the resort Sancia inherited from her parents, one of Spain’s most beautiful tourist destinations, has gone to ruin, thanks to Sancia’s dreamy, negligent ways. But there is now a chance to restore its past splendor because one of the year’s great society weddings has booked the island as its venue. Practical, efficient, list-making daughter Anna (prodigal Rosa eventually also shows up) comes to the rescue, with begrudging resentment well in control, and one month to bring the resort up to Instagram-Twitter-hashtag-photo-snapping elegance.

Into Anna’s painting-repairing-throw-pillow-decorating plans sails (literally moors his yacht at La Isla Marina’s quay) Leo di Marquez y Correa, the bride’s devoted half-brother, playboy, billionaire, and as Anna quips, “over six feet of muscled pirate”. And that’s how Gilmore got me: while there are conventions at play here that I dislike, any romance can win me over when the writing, wit, and allusions work together to transcend conventions. Gilmore has such a great start using Old Skool romance and mythological references to describe her hero and heroine: to Anna, Leo’s shirtless sauntering and roguish grin makes him a pirate and Anna’s hair, build, and other-wordly determination have Leo seeing her as a nymph. Here is one of their first marvelous exchanges: “He fixed the nymph with a hard stare. ‘Pass me that notebook,’ he said. ‘We have a lot of work to do.’ The nymph clutched her notebook tightly and glared. ‘We?’ ‘We,’ Leo confirmed.” Leo and Anna’s meet-cute is a lot more than rom-com cute: it calls up romance tropes in the best possible way, with a gentle irony.

Or maybe I’m a sucker for an antagonistic couple that makes its way to friendship and love, as Anna and Leo do in the most moving, romantic way? But first, the fun of banter with an opposites-attract pairing, as Leo quips ” … he had a month’s work ahead of him and a hostile colleague. He couldn’t wait to get started.” How utterly delicious! But Gilmore doesn’t leave her protagonists in the purgatorial superficiality of witty, romcom banter, she makes them deeper and more interesting, though some of the conventions she uses to do so do not appeal. Leo is funny and loveable, but his psychic wound and vulnerability come from a poor, little rich boy backstory that made me roll my eyes.

Anna is more interesting in her loving, but kind of useless, clueless family. (Sadly, there’s a bad boyfriend and miscarriage in Anna’s backstory, for those who might find reading Gilmore’s book painful, be warned, please.) What I found unbelievable and equally unappealing is Anna’s attitude towards her work: research and teaching as an Oxford historian. A dream academic position is sloughed off as undesirable! Maybe it’s me, I’d love to do what Anna is doing and I’d love to see her keep her accomplishments and get the guy too. But that is not to be.

In the end, all my critiques are mere quibbles because I came to love and care for Anna and Leo, with their vulnerabilities and fears. Gilmore is that good a writer and their journey to the HEA one filled with delightful scenes, touching revelations, droll banter, heartfelt conversation, and such emotional honesty and poetry to their final avowals of love that I grew teary. I loved Baby Surprise For the Spanish Billionaire and it has ensured that I won’t be bypassing any Gilmore romances in future. And this, from me, given this “baby” is a closed-door romance is saying a lot. With Miss Austen, we say that Jessica Gilmore’s Baby Surprise For the Spanish Billionaire is indicative of “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Jessica Gilmore’s Baby Surprise For the Spanish Billionaire is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on March 1st and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-ARC from Harlequin, via Netgalley.

****
A definite four star read. I would of went five but felt it needed a little more action.
I truly enjoy the way the author set up the story as well as the characters and the way it was written. It is at a steady pace but I felt at times it could benefit from more action and friction. However, even with that, it was a very enjoyable read! I will look forward to more of these in the series. I received an arc from NetGalley. I voluntarily give a review that is my own opinion and choice. Regards, Anna Swedenmom

* Thank you NetGalley and the publisher *

I don’t normally read Harlequin but I decided to give this one a shot. I enjoyed it. It was a decent read. Nothing spectacular but I enjoyed it.

My biggest issue is that I went into this expecting it to be one type of story but it ended up being something else. I don’t want to spoil anything but yeah. I was just disappointed.

But overall it was fine. Nothing super original but that’s alright. I was looking for an easy romance and that’s what I got. It definitely hit the mark there.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It wasn’t 5 stars but it was enjoyable.

A nice read for a rainy day....

Baby Surprise For The Spanish Billionaire is an emotional and romantic read, filled with heart and sexual tension that will bring tears to your eyes as two lonely souls figure out this thing called love in the midst of preparing for the wedding of the year.
I loved this story. It has everything I have come to expect and love from a Harlequin Romance. Romantic. Emotional. Sweet and sensual. There were quite a few times as Leo and Anna interacted and navigated their feelings and pasts that I was moved to tears. I read through tears streaming down my cheeks as Leo and Anna work through their own hurdles to get to each other and their happy ending.
I loved both Leo and Anna. Leo is the antithesis of everything his father brought up to be quite intentionally. His carefully cultivated wastrel, playboy persona is meant to throw people off the scent of the man he really is. Underneath his shallow exterior is a man who cares deeply and is willing to right the wrongs of his father which he hides from the world. There's also the boy inside who has been neglected and hurt his entire life, who hasn't known love and doesn't know how to love. My heart broke for him as I watched him work through his feelings trying to reconcile the man he thought he was to the man he had become. Once you get past his veneer, Leo is hardworking, resourceful and willing to sacrifice for those he loves. Who wouldn't want a man like that?
Anna is the sensible one in her family. The organized one with lists and plans, looking after her father, coming to the rescue of her mother when their island resort falls into ruin. She carries so much weight on her shoulders. Having been hurt in the past, she hides behind her lists and her plans. Part of Anna's predicament comes from not being open with her family about her feelings and what happened to her which she needs to overcome. Anna needed to realise that she deserved happiness too. She deserved to be loved and cared for as much as the next person. I loved seeing Anna come to some important realisations about herself and her life and watching her take control of it.
This book is utterly romantic and worth the read. I highly recommend it.

I really liked this story. The characters were interesting and their relationship with each other as well as their relationships with others were complex and enjoyable.