A Cinderella to Secure His Heir is the first installment in the Cinderella Seductions. I loved the storyline and how creative Ms. Smart was with this romance story. The characters were easy to fall in love with. Alessio and Beth were very different they were raised different and I could tell that Beth came from a loving family and Alessio didn’t have the same upbringing. Alessio was raised by nannies and then boarding school he didn’t have the parents that raised him with their own hands. Then there was Beth even though she lost her parents at a very young age she knew what love was and that is exactly what she wanted for her bestfriend or should I say sister’s son. Dom was a beautiful little boy that deserved everything a little boy could want but what he should have is unconditional love and an upbringing by loving parents. Beth is willing to leave everything behind and be Alessio’s wife if that means she can be with Dom. The only part of Alessio’s plan was not to fall in love with Beth and his brother’s son Dom. That little boy melted his heart and, in the process, he also realized that he fell in love with his wife. He didn’t think he deserved her so what does he do he spews so many lies that Beth runs. I truly enjoyed this read and I can’t wait to read more books by Ms. Smart.

As I've learned to expect, a beautifully written and fun read. Smart writes wonderfully believable stories with flawed but truly good heroes and heroines

Another engrossing romance from Michelle Smart, she is really on a winning streak now. I liked Buying His Bride of Convenience and Marriage Made in Blackmail, but this story was a lot more emotional and I felt a real kinship with the heroine's yearning to find a home and a family.

Unlike a lot of newer Harlequins, there wasn't as much 'blinging' it seems like a third of a book can be taken up with shopping trips, jewelry and spa makeovers. It's tiresome and never really has the payout it deserves.

I wish there had been a bit more after story. Since the relationship was so dramatic, I was left a little worried that the characters might really mess up and not have their storybook ending, I mean one where you are absolutely sure that people rode off into the sunset, deeply in love and supportive of each other to their dying days.

.

Who are Beth and Alessio? What are each of their lives like? Who is Giannis? How do Giannis and Alessio know one another? What are the two of them planning? Who is Valente? What happens when the Palvetti family meets Beth? How is she treated by them and why? When she talks about an exclusive party, what is the response? Read and see what happens when she is given her freedom!

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

A fiery contemporary romance packed with pathos, intensity and emotional tension, A Cinderella to Secure His Heir is a sizzling tale of secrets, sacrifice and seduction from Michelle Smart.

Events manager Beth Hardingstone is absolutely thrilled when she lands the job of a lifetime: organizing a masked ball in a majestic palace in Vienna for some of the world’s richest and most successful people. After a rough couple of months, this is the break Beth has been waiting for. After her best friend had tragically died, Beth became the legal guardian to her baby son Dom and things have been anything but easy for her. With money being tight and her savings almost depleted, Beth had wondered how she was going to make ends meet, so this job was an absolute godsend. With baby Dom’s uncle, Italian billionaire Alessio Palvetti determined to bring his nephew into the family fold, Beth realizes that she soon might need to secure the best legal defense money can buy to continue to honor the promise she made her best friend, so this job couldn’t come at a better time. However, little does Beth realize that Alessio Palvetti is a man who doesn’t take no for an answer. He wants his nephew Dom and he will go to any lengths to ensure that he gets what he wants – even marriage.

For Alessio, family means everything and the Palvetti empire is absolutely paramount to him. Alessio had worked hard to become the CEO of the family’s enterprise and he now wants his late brother’s baby son, Domenico, to be a part of the Palvetti legacy. When he had learned that his nephew was now Beth Hardingstone’s responsibility, he had thought that a million pounds would be enough to convince her to hand the baby over. However, he had not counted on Beth’s determination to honor the promises she had made to her friend. Realizing that the only way he is going to persuade Beth to acquiesce to his demand is by showing her how important Dom is to the Palvetti dynasty, he calls in a favor to a childhood friend and gets Beth the job of a lifetime. Only, Alessio hadn’t counted on finding himself attracted to her!

Beth wants what’s best for Dom and although she knows that the Palvettis can provide him with all that money can buy, she is adamant that she will not let Alessio take the child that has come to mean the world to her. Although Beth cannot deny that she finds herself attracted to Alessio, she must give him as wide a berth as possible – but that proves to be easier said than done! When Alessio proposes a marriage of convenience, Beth finds herself with no other option but to accept his proposal – even though there is nothing convenient about her feelings for the Italian billionaire!

As passions are awakened and emotions intensify, Alessio and Beth realize that they have fallen head over heels in love with another. But are they ready to admit the truth about the depth of their feelings for one another? Or will old wounds and past fears condemn them to a lifetime of loneliness and despair?

A red-hot contemporary romance that sizzles with heat, emotion and heart, A Cinderella to Secure His Heir is a must-read for Harlequin Presents fans everywhere! With a smart, courageous and intelligent heroine to root for, a gorgeous Alpha hero to swoon over and drama, passion and conflict aplenty, A Cinderella to Secure His Heir is scintillating contemporary romance at its finest!

If you like a good old-fashioned romance, you’ll enjoy this story from Harlequin. It was ok, not the best I’ve read from this author or this publisher, but it was good enough to get 3 stars from me. On one hand you’ve got the over-worked billionaire used to getting his own way on everything in both life and career, and on the other you have the hard-working orphan who is attempting to stand up for her rights and beliefs. The couple does have chemistry, it’s evidenced from the beginning, but I would’ve liked a little more steam once they married. The characters are a little one dimensional and you know what’s coming early on, but it was a quick, enjoyable read.
*I received an ARC from Netgalley and this is my voluntary review

When Beth’s best friend and foster sister passes away, she is determined to ensure that Dom, the son she loved so much, is raised knowing that he is loved and wanted. Dom’s father had passed away previously, and he was adamant that he wanted Beth to be Dom’s guardian and not his estranged family.

Alessio comes from wealth and he wants his nephew Dom back in the family fold. He believes that anyone can be bought and that includes Beth but when that doesn’t work, he moves on to subterfuge. Once he has her where he wants her it comes down to an ultimatum to either marry him or he will take Dom away.

These two couldn’t be different but once they really get to know each other and open their hearts they realize that what they really want is love and each other.

A Cinderella to Secure His Heir by Michelle Smart is book 1 in the Cinderella Seductions Series. This is the story of Beth Hardingstone and Alessio Palvetti.
Beth's best friend died which gave her guardianship of her friends son Dom, due to that the father has also past also. Alessio is Dom's Uncle and would like custody of the child. When Alessio uses another name to go under the radar to build trust and get to know Beth they start to fall for each other until the truth is found out.
Classic Harlequin Romance...loved it.

I’m enjoying Michelle Smart’s conceit in her latest HP series: “Cinderella” heroine and wealthy hero, especially because the Cinderella brings the “prince” to his feet. In Smart’s latest, A Cinderella To Secure His Heir, the Cinderella in question is 24-year-old Beth Hardingstone, a product of the foster system who made a career out of event planning. She has fallen on hard times, however, because she had to leave her job to care for baby Dom, entrusted to her after the death of best friend and fellow fosteree, Caroline Palvetti. Dom’s father, Domenico, also dead, in a motorcycle accident, is the hero’s, Alessio Palvetti’s, estranged older brother “RIP”.

When the novel opens, Alessio has deceived Beth into coming to Vienna, for quite a sum of money, to organize a Viennese ball for Alessio’s business partner and friend. Under the guise of working as Alessio’s assistant, Valente Cortada, aka Alessio himself, arranged for Beth’s job and transport, with baby Dom in tow. Thankfully, Valente reveals his identity pronto and moves to Phase 2 of his plan: threaten Beth with fighting her for Dom’s custody (a nebulous claim, but hey, it’s an HP and I’ll bypass laws and last wishes if I want to) unless she marry him.

Alessio is a workaholic, devoted, like all the Palvettis, except for Dominic Sr., to the success and expansion of their exclusive perfumery and jewelry empire. Family and a place in the family business mean everything. Alessio wants to claim Dom, groom him, as all Palvettis are, for a future in the business, and marry a competent, career-minded woman, who can easily integrate into the family ethos. With Beth, he can kills many birds: mommy for Dom, loyal employee for the Palvetti empire, sexy wife between the sheets. Possibly, Beth will refuse and leave Dom to Alessio. She doesn’t. Alessio is surprised at Beth’s love for and devotion to Dom and glad to have found a wife so motherly, sexy, and event-planner-extraordinaire.

In Smart’s usual and sympathetic insouciance, Alessio and Beth follow HP conventions, but on Smart’s terms. Beth may be a virgin, but I found her and Alessio’s wedding night tender and realistic, honest and trope-upending. Stars may burst and the earth may shake, but there’s a candour to Beth and Alessio’s conversation that I loved. I was also delightfully surprised at the work-home-life conflict that arose in Alessio and Beth’s young marriage. Alessio expected Beth to become a full partner in his business and, like his and his siblings’ childhoods, leave the child-rearing to nannies. I thought Beth’s holding out for work-life balance and her desire to spend time with Dom, to nurture and mother, made for a compelling conflict, which is, btw, organically and believably resolved because of who Alessio and Beth are.

Smart created a hero and heroine who are reasonable and thoughtful. They evolve in their relationship because they’re able to listen to the other, take in their point of view, admit when they’re wrong, and change. Alessio and Beth are still glamorous and sexy, but it’s not the most important thing about them or this HP. The glamor and luxury are trappings for two flawed, vulnerable people working out their relationship. Unfortunately, the dark moment arrives when Alessio turns himself into a sacrificial lamb without consulting Beth on whether she wants to partake of his particular feast of self-flagelation. Fortunately, Beth’s cooler head prevails — after she delivers Alessio a glorious dressing down.

I think Smart’s previous Cinderella, The Sicilian’s Bought Cinderella might out-good the present volume. There might’ve been more compelling development between the characters? Aislin and Dante might have been more vibrant? What I do know and can say is that Smart, whose only matches are Lynne Graham and Sarah Morgan in HP incarnation, is writing clever, funny, tender, and emotionally savvy romances, within a category too often rife with emotional shortcuts, cardboard cut-out characterization, and trite thematic treatment. With Miss Austen, we agree A Cinderella to Secure His Heir offers “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Michelle Smart’s A Cinderella To Secure His Heir is published by Harlequin Books. It releases today, April 16, and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC from Harlequin Books, via Netgalley.

Growing up in foster care, all Beth Hardingstone ever wanted was to be loved and part of a family, so when her foster sister names her guardian of her infant son before she dies, she is determined to give him all of the love she never got as a child. She is also determined to keep her son out of the clutches of his birth father's family, no matter how much money they offer her to walk away.

Alessio Palvetti is stunned to learn that, not only has has younger brother been dead for a year, but he left a son behind. When he discovers that the child has been left in the care of a guardian, and that the mother is also dead, he assumes she will be more than happy to give him the responsibility of the boy. When she turns down every overture, he begins to look at her differently. He works out a scheme to get her and the boy onto his home turf, then proposes marriage as the only viable solution. He knows he's getting a woman he desires, but can he convince her that life with him is a prize to be excited about?

I really liked this one. Beth is fierce in her love for baby Dom, and Alessio is basically clueless to what makes her tick. He's never really felt love, so doesn't recognize it when it smacks him between the eyes. What happens when Beth opens his heart and makes him see that blackmail isn't really the way to a girl's heart?

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin romance for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This was a fun book. Alessio lied about his identity, which caused a lot of problems! Interesting, and I liked it. 4 stars.

This is my second book by Michelle Smart and she seems to write characters that really appeal to me. Rather than tempestuous or arrogant characters, this book is full of people who are sweet but flawed, people who learn to change in order to be happy.

The heroine is very sweet and maternal, and her backstory in the foster system has shaped her into the kind of personality she has, making her fiercely protective of her son and able to accept the difficulties life deals her.

The hero was really rather sweet, too, despite the fact he lied to her in order to get her and her son out of the country, and he essentially blackmailed her into marriage. He had noble intentions to marry her rather than just taking her son away from her, and he seemed willing to really make an earnest go of their marriage of convenience. His difficult relationship with his dead brother made a good point of contention between the hero and heroine.

The sexual chemistry between the two of them was off the charts right off the bat, although it had been built up from weeks of working together and getting to know each other, so it wasn’t insta-lust, and their falling in love seemed very natural.

The midpoint of the book was a little slow-moving for my taste, but the conflict later in the book kept me reading until late into the night, and I enjoyed this love story.

Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book.

*I RECEIVED AN ARC COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

Beth is an event planner based out of London, England. When her best friend passes from cancer, she is appointed legal guardian of her infant son, Dom. Beth then takes it upon herself to guard him from his foul paternal family, namely his uncle Alessio, whom she has never met.

When Beth is hired by Valente to orchestrate a large masquerade ball in Vienna, she packs her bags and Dom's to set out on the biggest adventure of her career. Once there she is introduced to a life of luxury and finds herself falling for Valente. However, when the truth reveals that Valente is actually Alessio, Beth’s world crumbles. It is left to Alessio to convince her that a life with him if best for Dom before he loses them both.

I thoroughly enjoyed, "A Cinderella to Secure His Heir." It plucks at the heart strings of every women who has ever been burned by a man. However, I felt the characters were rather lacking. Aside from Beth's relationship with Dom's parents, the readers didn't get a real sense of who she was prior to Dom entering her life. I felt the same way with Alessio; I was left wondering why he was so hard and grumpy. I also felt the book was not long enough, at the end I wanted more.

Though I did not absolutely love this book, I look forward to reading more of Michelle Smart's books.

For more information about “A Cinderella to Secure His Heir,” click here

3.5 Stars

Ok read, I thought it ran out of steam about half way through the book. But I will say towards the end, there is some great drama and hearbreak (especially when he tells her he is divorcing her!) and that redeemed it for me...just a bit.

I read this book in one day and I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to get to the happy ending I knew was coming and at the same time I didn’t want this book to end. Dante was awesome, perfect really but at the same time a little cold hearted. He was rich, handsome and had a sister he knew nothing about. Aislin was poor, beautiful and just an amazing woman, he met his match. They had a combustible chemistry and when they got together it was explosive. Really it was hard to catch my breath, hot hot hot. My only complaint was the lose end that should have been taken care of. Orla and Tonino should have been united, also told of his son. But this is the only reason I didn’t give this book five stars. I recommend it highly.

Alessio is going to have so much learning to do about his woman, she's not intimidated by him what so ever, ‘me?’ He’d never held a child in his life. That was what nannies and other childcare workers were for. She gave him a look that showed how unimpressed she was and thrust his nephew forward to him.' Alessio is always willing to give his woman reassurance, ‘listen to me,’ he said quietly. ‘You look beautiful. Your dress is perfect. Your hair is perfect. Nothing is going to go wrong.’ I liked this book, I really like Alessio

Even though I was able to figure out the storyline within the first few pages I still enjoyed A Cinderella to Secure His Heir. This is a well written and enjoyable quick read.

This was such a romantic, sweet, sexy and beautiful love story. The characters in my book were perfect.

Beth has been given custody of baby Dom. Dom's mother was Beths best friend and died of cancer (her husband died in a car crash). Dom's uncle, Alessio Palvetti has been harassing her for custody, offering large amount of money, but she turns down all his offers and tell him to stop harassing her.

Beth has been off work for almost a year taking care of Dom, her funds are being to run out. She has been asked to do a special event in Viennese for a gentleman named Giannis, it was to be an outlandish masquerade ball for a large sum of money. Her contact is "Valente". They communicated daily with emails and video calls. Beth was drawn to him immediately. The worked well together and even developed somewhat of a friendship.

Beth and Dom travel to Vienna. Valente picks her up and immediately Beth realizes that she is VERY drawn to Valente and that it will take a lot of will power to keep this professional and business like. As the ball draws near the attraction only intensifies and Valente is nothing but helpful and attentive. Everything runs smoothly and the day of the ball her and Valente definitely know there is something between them and sparks are flying. Beth is given a beautiful gown to wear for the ball (she questions her uniform but was told this was requested). Valente is by her side during the majority of the evening and towards the end lets her know is she is now "off duty" and asks her to dance. The magic begins for the two. But as they head out to the terrace for the fire works later that evening Beth learns a shocking and frightful truth, a gentlemen comes up to them and calls Valente Alessio.

Alessio is Dom's brother. Dom was estranged from the family and Alessio didn't know of his death till months later. He learned also that he had a nephew and that he was given custody to a woman name Beth (he was furious and hurt). Alessio had Beth investigated (he investigated the last 5years of her life throughly) and what he learned about her intrigued him. So he had his friend Giannis plan this ball and asked that Beth plan it. He wanted to find out who this woman really was that refused the large amounts of money he offered and seems to truly care and love his nephew. So he devised the plan of being the go between and used an alias name (Alessio family was very secretive. They are a wealthy family that create and sell perfume and jewelry). But the more time he spent with Beth and got to know her he came up with a plan that would benefit them all. Alessio needed to marry here soon and Beth was a perfect fit for the Palvettis. But Alessio was finding that his emotions and the physical attraction was strong and Palvetiss do not marry for love, he needed to keep reminding himself that. He felt terrible that Beth learned the truth in the shocking manner that she did. He wanted to present his plan in a calm and reasonable manner, believing she would see it was a win for all.

I'm not going to go into great detail from this point on because I'll pretty much tell the whole story at the rate I'm going here LOL. But I will say the two came to a mutual agreement to marry. Beth knowing that she could never lose or leave Dom. And she realized that Alessio presentation made sense and he was being accommodating to her request. The two really respected each other and their relationship was very adult like for an HP and I mean that in a good way. Allessio was an alpha male but yet the way he treated and cared for Beth melted my heart, he was an absolute hero in my book. And Beth was about the best heroine I read in a long time. She had a heart of gold.

The entire flow of the book was excellent, the storyline was very well written and the character development was very good. I loved both these two and their respect and caring for each other. The ending was emotional and so well done. But the epilogue was the best. So as you can see, I loved this HP. Highly recommend!!!!!! I still have a happy smile 24hours later after reading this.