My recovery from Harari’s 21 Lessons continues in the form of romance-wallowing. What better than a dose of the HP’s uber-heightened-romance? Michelle Smart being a favourite author and with “baby” in the title (I like’em, what can I say?), I knew this would be a “Calgon-take-me-away” reading experience. And it was. I swallowed it in two evening sittings and it would’ve been one were it not for one drooly-sleep on night #1. As far as HPs go, it’s standard fare. Billionaire hero Javier Casillas is cold-hearted, ruthless, and angry, angry at his father who murdered his mother, angry at his brother for abandoning their business partnership to marry his enemy’s sister. He’s still raging at said enemy, his former best friend, whom Javier’d cheated in a business deal and who now sought his revenge by kidnapping and then marrying Javier’s fiancée, the prima ballerina of one of his and his brother’s many assets, a Madrid-based ballet company. Heroine Sophie Johnson walked into his life one night, on a mission to return certain important items to him from her best friend, Javier’s former fiancée. Sweet, innocent, tiny Sophie had been in love with her friend’s fiancé forever.

When they fell into bed together that night, Sophie having the requisite-hymen for the experience, Javier and Sophie had heart-shattering love-making, deep, meaningful transforming love-making. Javier, with his tiny, cold heart, dismissed it as being overwrought over the anger-inducing events in his life. For Sophie, a one-night dream come true with the man she loves, a night to cherish and remember … until she has evidence of a permanent reminder, a baby. At ten weeks pregnant, Sophie does the right thing and tells Javier she wants to give him a chance to share in their child’s life. Javier insists they marry and Sophie delightfully doesn’t “protest too much,” but agrees readily with ” ‘You don’t have to threaten me. I want us to marry.’ ” When they do, she insists Javier make their marriage “real”: share a bed, make love, get to know each other, converse and share. Javier’s worst nightmare to his deep-seated sense of self-loathing and undeservedness (there be reasons, of course).

I lapped Billionaire’s Baby like a cat with a bowl of milk. It hit all the right spots and echoed some of my most beloved romance reads. There is something very much Lord Of Scoundrels about Javier: he’s angry, impetuous, and dubious in his business and other dealings. He is both arrogant and capable of spectacular self-loathing. I do love a self-loathing hero. Sophie, on the other hand, reminded me of the heroine of one of my favourite HPs, Sarah Morgan’s Playing By the Greek’s Rules. She’s a vulnerable waif with a spine of steel, a deep moral core, and a bullshit metre so wide and powerful, it upends Javier’s world. She surprises Javier, challenges him, and calls him out on his behaviour, but she never condemns him or sees him as incapable of love, tenderness, affection, and care. And she lavishes all of those fuzzy feels on him until he can’t bear it. The stronger Sophie’s softness, the more confused and erratic Javier becomes. Frankly, I love an overwrought hero and where-angels-fear-to-tread heroine. Moreover, Smart’s witty, sharp dialogue and fine writing made this a sheer delight. With Miss Austen, we deem Billionaire’s Baby of Redemption “real comfort,” Emma.

Michelle Smart’s Billionaire’s Baby Of Redemption is published by Harlequin. It was released on September 18th and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC of Billionaire’s Baby from Harlequin Books, via Netgalley.

Javier and Luis are twins. They purchased the crumbling Madrid theater and ballet school where their prima ballerina mother had spent her childhood learning to dance at, buying the ballet company with it.in Europe.They renamed the company Compania de Ballet de Casillas in memory of their mother and set about turning it into the most eminent ballet company. Then the brothers bought another parcel of land close to it and built on it a brand new state-of-the-art theater and ballet school. Tonight was it’s grand opening. Javier had a sense of forbidding on seeing Benjamin’s sister Chloe. Chloe was the cause of all the tension between Javier and Luis. Javier knew in his bones something had happened between Chloe and Luis. Having more money than he could spend in a thousand life times was good for many things but leverage was it’s greatest gift. His wealth had bought Freya , the coldly perfect ballerina that held no passion for Javier as he didn’t have passion for her. Freya had been happy to be purchased. It was what made her so perfect for Javier and he felt she would be the perfect woman to bear his children. Then a week before they were to be married Benjamin kidnapped her and married her. Benjamin had been Javier oldest and closest friend and Benjamin’s sister Chloe helped him get Freya. Then he seen the woman his brother bumped into. The woman he had seen two months ago and had shown her to the door of his house. This was a face Javier had never wanted to see again- Sophie Johnson. She had been part of the corps de ballet. She told Javier he had quit two months ago. Sophie said she needed to Javier. Sophie had once thought herself in love with Javier. Freya had been Sophie’s closest friend as well as roommate. Sophie was going to leave and Javier said ‘you are carrying my child’ and Sophie said yes. Sophie had went to Javier with the prenuptial agreement between him and Freya after she found it. Sophie figured he didn’t want anyone to get a hold of it. Sophie asked how Javier was holding up and no one had asked him that. She showed no fear of him. Sophie had not told Javier she was a virgin before they had sex. Javier told Sophie they would marry since she was carrying his baby so the baby would carry his name. Sophie said all she wanted what was best for their child.
I couldn't get into this book as Javier was just to cold as well as cruel. Sophie was carrying his child and he couldn’t be decent to her. Just not my idea of a good man and definitely not a hero in the book more the devil in my opinion. I liked Sophie but felt she should have had more of a backbone and not put up with all he was putting her through even if she was pregnant by him. This was not my idea of a good read but I am sure there are others who will enjoy if not love this but it just wasn’t for me.

I really enjoyed this book. This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last.

It was a rather nice take on Beauty and the Beast, but what I really liked was the heroine. I like shy heroines, and she was surprisingly shy even for a professional ballerina, which was adequately explained in the story. She was so calm and sensible rather than flighty or naive. She was compassionate, but at the same time very practical about the baby. Her adoption backstory made her actions make a lot of sense—she can’t stand to see anyone or anything abandoned, even when that person (her husband) pushes those people out of his life first. The hero’s internal issues were also really well done, showing his flaws but at the same time making him very sympathetic once you understand his backstory and how he views himself.

The middle of the book, however, sagged a bit for me. But things started to pick up at the last quarter of the book and I was racing along to see how everything would end. It was a very satisfying and romantic ending, and I couldn’t have wished for more.

Overall, a good book and an excellent author. Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for providing an e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was probably more interesting than the others in this trilogy. The characters were more complex and not perfect. I thought the back stories were great and fit well with the motivations and actions of the characters.

Billionaire’s Baby of Redemption is not the easy afternoon romance I assumed it would be.

Javier is a pretty loathsome character. He is cold and abrasive. I kept wondering if he could be redeemed— kudos to Michelle Smart. She didn’t water this character down— he is a fractured man who has made some deplorable decisions. I appreciate the risk she has taken with this character and it certainly paid off.
On the one hand, the question of Javier’s redemption is in question up until the end of the book. Everything hinges on his ability to admit to his misdeeds and accept he must change or risk losing everything. Secondly, there is a hard fought love story. Sophie, a seemingly delicate wallflower has strength and backbone in spades. She discovers herself through fighting for this relationship that she wants to flourish. She neither condemns nor excuses Javier’s actions out of hand. She takes the time to consider the reasons behind his actions and carefully brings him around to a point where he can finally explore these issues himself. She also comes to recognize that she too must confront her past so can can make a better future for her baby.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was an OK story. I wish the heroine (Sophie) had been smarter and more assertive about what she wanted for her life. The hero was not great either. I was really expecting more from a Michelle Smart’s book. I received a free copy via NetGalley.

I started out really disliking the male lead in this one, but as his story came out, I realized it was amazing he wasn't more messed up than he was! I love stories where love conquers all, even childhoods that no child should be asked to endure. It's good Sophie was stronger and more resilient than she appears at first. She needs that strength to batter down Javier's defenses.

I enjoyed this story, and am always excited to see a new Michelle Smart book on the shelves.

When you have a Hero who is so loathsome to the heroine for majority of the book, how can you get invested or enjoy the story? I'm sorry but this was not a romance for me. I enjoy a little angst here & there, but when it is over 90/95% of the book? Nope. It didn't work for me at all.

This was an unusual read. I have never read a book with a hero that was so cold and calculating. He had moments of warmth then he switched to cold. It is hard for me to believe a woman would be that compassionate and endure that kind of treatment. I was a relief when she finally left him. I think the book would have been better if they had spent more time apart. The ending was a predictable ending but it was too rushed I felt.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I really really tried with this one but just couldn't finish. I even walked away and came back to it a week or so later. I skimmed the last quarter of the book and found it didn't improve.

The male hero in this book, Javier was about the coldest and complete jerk of a hero I've read in a long time. I've read the book series prior that had him as part of the story line and was hoping he could be redeemed somehow, didn't happen. He was a jerk to the heroine, he was cold, and was not just a dark character but to me emotionally cruel at times. He treated the heroine terrible and fought his feeling pretty much the whole book. Not much romance and mainly focused on his past and hang ups.

I didn't find the heroine to be that great herself. She came across more on the weak side. Sophie and how she was so infatuated with the hero was almost high schoolish and immature.

I found the scene of there first encounter at his home (where they had sex for the first time) to be very off putting and cold. The romance never really unfolded or evolved for me. The story line was more focused on the hero's issues and past.

I normally enjoy Michelle Smarts HP, but this one was very disappointing.

I really enjoyed this book even though I really didn't like Javier very much. Yes he was rich, handsome, and rich but he was such a jerk. Also other then Javier's problem there was little conflict and I was looking forward to Sophie leaving him because at least this way there was something going on. I don't know it was a good storyline but it was lacking. I still finished the book and the ending was good, and I'm a sucker for a good ending. I would still buy this book and recommend it.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I usually enjoy everything written by Michelle Smart but this one for me was over the top. The male character Javier is a creep!! Not anyone you would want your daughter to marry. A one night stand leads to marriage and poor Sophie tries everything to break through to Javier. The ending felt rushed and not very believable. I give this a 2.5 rating.. This is part of a series and reads okay as a stand alone. Maybe it would be better if you read them all not sure.

3.5 stars

I love harlequins, and I love a male lead who has a hard heart that eventually melts because of the heroine. But I have to say...Javier....this guy is made of stone. He not only cheats one of his friends out of money, disowns his own brother, but then he never gave a second thought to the girl he got pregnant.

I did think he was too harsh. Sophie-well she's a little firecracker and is determined to break thru to Javier. I am glad she finally got up the gumption to walk away from him. I don't think he would have seen the need to change if she hadn't have left him.

I've read quite a few books by Michelle Smart in the Harlequin Presents line and typically they're very good. Billionaire's Baby of Redemption however was something else. I understand the purpose of having emotional conflict in a story but this went way beyond that. The male hero was an emotional black hole for 95% of the book. The cruelty and nastiness toward the female heroine was just way to much for me. Sorry but this was a 1.5 stars for me.

Javier and Sophie had one night of passion. She becomes pregnant. They must marry. He holds himself in control. Sophie wants to have a real marriage. He has done things he is ashamed of. The book had a lot of good sex. I loved the whole series.