The Maid’s Spanish Secret is the second installment in The Montero Baby Scandals. Poppy is a wonderful woman that lost her innocence with the man she had been dreaming of. One wonderful passionate night had consequences but she needed to move on with her life so she went to live with her grandparents. She was a photographer and someone had posted a picture of her daughter so that is when Rico comes back into the picture. Rico is furious when he finds out that he has a daughter and Poppy never told him about her. She has his eyes and from the moment that he lays eyes on her he knows that she is his daughter. He knows what he needs to do and now it’s time to convince Poppy that marriage is the best choice. This story was wonderful and I couldn’t put the book down I wanted to know how they would make their relationship work. I can’t wait to read the first book in this series.

The Maid's Spanish Secret is the first of this series I have read, but not the first book by this author. I loved reading and following Rico and Poppy's story. I love how the author create characters with depth and various emotions. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Ugh, no. Hero ruined it for me. He was too pathetic & stupid. If I can't stand a character, no way can I enjoy the story. He ends up impregnating the heroine and dropping her to marry the ex who told him she was pregnant with his kid (but in fact was OM's) and he doesn't ask for a DNA test to make sure or offer shared custody? Nope. I don't care if he was celibate in his marriage, he dropped heroine to marry OW & for monetary reasons. That is a jerk in my book - not a Hero. DNF.

After a work-week from hell, a well-done HP is exactly what can set the mood right and tilt the world back towards HEA in one intense, short take. Dani Collins, a fellow-Canuck, is becoming one of my favourite HP authors. With category romance out of its Golden Age, and taking one step forward and two back trying to remake itself, the good ole HP, as practised by Collins, Smart, Hayward, maybe Hewitt, still stands sentinel to the category virtues.

Collins’s The Maid’s Spanish Secret is open to Romancelandia’s cognoscenti’s derision: secret baby! virginal heroine! emotionally-stunted bazillionaire hero! exotic locales! (Saskatchewan’s Northern Lights!) yet Collins manages to make it fresh, endearing, intense, with tongue-in-cheek banter and wit.

On a European vacation, Poppy Harris, aspiring photographer, loses her money and takes a job as a maid for a Spanish billionaire’s mother. Said billionaire, Rico Montero, the day his arranged-marriage fiancée breaks their engagement, gives in to the attraction he’s had for the maid and the maid for him and they make passionate love in the solarium.

A year and a half, one broken engagement, and one dead cheating ex-fiancée later, Rico unearths Poppy and daughter, Lily, living in Saskatchewan with Poppy’s grand-mother. He shows up for a why-didn’t-you-tell-me-I-had-a-daughter showdown, lays down the HP “You must marry me” stricture, and seals his heart’s fate. Strictly a marriage-of-convenience for the strictly-rational Rico and, for Poppy, a hoped-for father for Lily and opportunity to be with the man she’s never forgotten, or replaced in heart, mind, or body.

All the HP trappings in a package uniquely Collins’s: who loves a dichotomy of rational-hero (not in touch with the feels) and all-feels-heroine, spilling over, brimming, simmering, boiling, and exploding. The love scenes are baroque; the arguments, a maelstrom. Rico is overwhelmed by affection, care, protectiveness and he fights the feels; Poppy won’t settle for anything less that being loved inconveniently, no matter how conveniently she wed. Lily is cute as a button and Collins sure can write a great scene and couple it with wonderful dialogue/banter.

Unlike many romance authors, who focus on too many internal musings, Collins sets scenes and beautifully contextualizes the budding relationship within them: there is a framing device! (music to an English major’s heart) set during Northern Lights’s magnificence and two wonderful scenes set on vacation in Thailand, with one of the two serving as the romance’s “dark moment,” which doesn’t involve a Big Mis, or OW, but Rico’s realization of his love for Poppy (everyone’s a goner for Lily pretty much from the get-go).

Moreover, Collins delights with metaphor. Who can resist man-scent metaphor: “His boots were alligator, his cologne nothing but crisp, snow-scented air and fuming suspicion.” Who can resist heroine-chin-defiance coupled with hero-heart-effect simile: “Poppy lifted her chin and pretended her heart wasn’t whirling like a Prairie tornado in her chest.” And my favourite, primal pupils: “His pupils were huge. Atavistic. Skeptical” Collins’s Maid’s Spanish Secret is a blast, fun, funny, and ornately written. In turn, I was immersed in and moved by Rico and Poppy’s journey to their HEA. I don’t read as many HPs as I used to, but I’ll always read a Collins. And if you read one this year, make it The Maid’s Spanish Secret.

Dani Collins’s The Maid’s Spanish Secret is published by Harlequin Books. It released on July 16 and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-galley from Harlequin, via Netgalley.

This is a typical Harlequin romance. Strong foreign male and girl who gets pregnant and hides the truth. Poppy has a one night stand with Rico and has a baby. When he discovers he has a daughter he insists they marry and raise her. This makes his parents very happy. Could be a book from the 70's, the storyline is very common. Good ending and a nice read. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Poppy fell for Rico long ago while working as a maid for his mother to make income after being robbed during a European tour.

After a dramatic breakup scene with his fiancee, Rico and Poppy share a single interaction of true passion. Afterwards, she went back home to Canada while he was forced into marriage after his former fiancee after she announced she was pregnant. Both Rico and his wife knew that the child was hers with her parents chauffeur. Sadly, his pregnant wife and her lover died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

He learns from his brother's wife (who learned it from one of the maids) that a former maid in his mother's house has an adorable daughter....who is a spitting image of Rico.

Their love unfolded slowly as they both had to fight through their own and each other's scars and thoughts to find each other. The scene at the beach had me glued to my screen every second, dying to see what would happen next.

Definitely would read more by this author.

A seductive red-hot romance that is sensuous, sparkling and scintillating, The Maid’s Spanish Secret is an intensely emotional Harlequin Presents novel that should not be missed.

Spanish aristocrat Rico Montero had had no choice but to harden his heart and erect impenetrable walls around himself after an acrimonious and devastating split. Despite his mother’s frequent protestations that it’s high time he finds a wife, Rico is determined to do whatever it takes to ensure that he remains single. Although his brother is happily married, Rico knows that marriage and babies are not in his future…or so he thinks! It turns out that Rico had once spent a night of love with innocent Poppy Harris – who had then proceeded to have his baby!

Sweet maid Poppy Harris had been absolutely bowled over by suave and sophisticated Rico Montero. Despite the vast chasm that divided them, Poppy had been unable to resist succumbing to his seduction. Although their attraction was forbidden and their passion for each other illicit, temptation had been absolutely impossible to resist. Poppy had known that she didn’t dare hope to even dare contemplate a future with Rico, so she had thought that their one-night affair was a temporary indiscretion – until Poppy had realized that she was pregnant with Rico’s baby. Poppy knew that she did not belong in Rico’s aristocratic world, so she had vowed to bring her child up by herself. But Rico has tracked her down and wants his baby – and he is not about to let anyone or anything stand in the way between him and his child!

Rico will not miss another moment from his child’s life – even if it means having to marry the mother who kept his baby’s very existence a secret from him. A marriage of convenience between him and Poppy is the only sensible solution – only there is nothing remotely sensible about his feelings for Poppy.

When their convenient marriage gives way to a love that simply cannot be denied, will Poppy and Rico grasp this second chance at happiness? Or will they continue to be held hostage by the past?

A sizzling marriage of convenience story packed with passion, pathos, emotion and intensity, The Maid’s Spanish Secret is a brilliant romance with a gorgeous Spanish hero readers will fall for and a strong and intelligent heroine they will cheer for.

Romantic, searingly emotional and dramatic, The Maid’s Spanish Secret is a must-read for Presents fans everywhere!

This is one of those that makes you want to shake the H and yell "took you long enough".
Rico is trapped between duty and well... Poppy.
It seems that duty may have won out.
Poppy wants to do the right thing and in my opinion, little Lily is not only the right thing but perfect as well.
I enjoyed the overall story and I really enjoyed Poppy.
Her character is vibrant and she is not afraid to do what needs to be done or what she feels is the right thing! ... unlike our H.
Not really impressed with Rico I think he should have stood up for what he believed and what he wanted, not just belly up-ed to his parents' demands.
Hello, you are old enough to make your own choices.
Things eventually work themselves out but the loss of time and the heartache suffered while Rico was finding his spine was completely avoidable.
This does end with a HEA - it's a Harlequin folks

The Maid's Spanish Secret by Dani Collins is the story of Rico Montero and Poppy Harris.
Poppy is working as a maid to get enough money to return home. While working she meets the son, Rico. There is a immediate attraction between the two but Rico is promised in a marriage of convenience. When he thinks that he is free of his fiancee he ends up sleeping with Poppy. Poppy then learns that Rico is actually engaged still and leaves. Poppy soon learns that her time with Rico is leaving more than just memories with her. But Rico comes for her when he learns that she left him with more than just herself.
True Harlequin Romance.. enjoyed their story.

This proved to be a surprising story with great characters and some surprises along the way.


Poppy Harris was working as a maid for an aristocratic Spanish family in an attempt to try to save enough money to fly back home again. She's attracted to her employers' son, Rico Montero and, after a dramatic day for him, they succumbed to that attraction. She returned home and the unexpected consequence was their daughter, Poppy. She never expected him to discover about their daughter, nor did she expect him to follow her and demand she marry him so their child will have both their mother and father. How will their lives change? Will their marriage of convenience ever have the chance to be more? You'll have to read this dramatic story to discover what happens for yourself.


This is a story filled with expectations, manipulations, secrets and surprises. It is an eclectic mix of drama, romance, attraction and betrayal and an engaging read. The past of Rico and the expectations for him were my main surprise in this story - but you need  I have no hesitation in highly recommending this to anyone who enjoys contemporary romances.


I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

I liked the premise of this one-a one night stand a secret pregnancy. But it went off kilter for me. The hero is a bit wishy washy-he needs his parents' approval for all things in his life. He has a cheating fiance, breaks up with her, sleeps with the heroine. Then the cheating fiance comes back, and says she's pregnant. Of course it's not his.

His marriage is not a happy one, and his wife dies. He finds out she was pregnant by another. Biggest shock-his sister finds Poppie (the one night stand) has a baby. Hero puts one and one together and finds her.

Now he was a little alph here, but not enough for me. I think he could have been so much stronger and appealing if he had more back bone

I liked this story and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Harlequin Presents line. The "secret baby" trope is one of my favorites in this line, and this one is well done.

Poppy Harris takes a job as a maid to earn her way home from her trip abroad after her money is stolen. On her last day of work, she encounters Rico Montero, a man so far out of her reach that she doesn't think he'll ever notice her. He's been engaged the entire time she's known him, but it can't hurt to enjoy the view, right?

When Rico's fiance dumps him, he feels nothing but relief. He was only marrying her because his mother was pressuring him to marry and provide the family with an heir. He celebrates his freedom with his mother's beautiful maid. Their one night together ends with the news that his fiance made a mistake and wants him back. Poppy runs home with a broken heart, and an unforeseen consequence. She's pregnant.

Several years later, Rico's faithless wife has died, pregnant with another man's child. His family is again applying pressure to marry, but he has no desire to enter that institution. When he discovers that he already has a child, a daughter, he rushes out to find her. Insisting that Poppy marry him to give his daughter a family is part of the deal. Rico knows he can't love her but their passion and chemistry are off the charts. Shouldn't that be enough?

Can Poppy live with Rico, knowing he doesn't trust her with his heart? Will Rico see that she is as different from his unfaithful wife as she can be?

This was an OK story. A little bland since the dramatic parts that pull your emotions into their situation happened in the past with a mention rather than being immersed in their feelings at that point. I put down and restarted this book a few times. There just didn't seem to be enough drama or conflict to move this story in the typical HR manner. Those that appreciate a relatively nice hero may like this one. Overall, not one of my favorite DC books. *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin romance for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I really enjoyed this book. The title is a smidge misleasing, as it's a temp job. Rick and Molly's story is different and beautiful. They aren't perfect, but they learn to compromise and communicate. Fun read 4 stars. I think most romance readers would enjoy.

Poppy Harris has spent most of her life unwanted by her parents and thankfully she had her grandparents to give her the love she was missing. When she meets Rico Montero it was under strange circumstances as he was to be married and she sees him alone and finds that his fiancée called off the wedding. She has such a soft heart and attempts to sympathize with him which turns out to be a one night. When she finds out the wedding is back on she feels some sadness but soon finds out that one time has consequences . Rico's marriage ends quickly when his wife dies, everyone feels he needs to move on and his aristocratic parents only want it to be to some one of substance. When his sister in law finds a photo of a child of a former maid she brings it to Rico's attention. Seems he has a daughter and nothing will stop him from claiming her. Ms. Collins always delivers a fantastic story and this one is another showing her amazing talent. All Poppy wants is the love like her grandparents and can she be happy with less living in a foreign country? Can Rico give her what she needs and does he even know what love is. Its all here with a wonderful HEA.

Heat Factor: The have an amazing sex life but it’s not very explicit
Character Chemistry: All the yearning!
Plot: Widowed billionaire Spanish nobleman finds out about secret love child, marries beautiful baby momma
Overall: Somewhat lackluster, but serves its purpose

I have not read a Harlequin romance in years, but something about this one caught my eye, and after a few weeks of ignoring the voice in my head, I requested the ARC.

The interlude that creates the secret baby happens before the story begins, so there's basically none of that drama. In fact, there's very little of any kind of drama in this book. I realized I was about 70% through it and was like, "What even happened that this book is almost done?"

The scene opens with Rico, our studly Spanish hero, visiting his brother's Mediterranean villa, where he soothes his adorable nephew and puts him to bed. He is obviously going to be a great dad. Then his sister-in-law (who had a secret love child with his brother, so I guess it runs in the family?) shows him a photo of a baby and asks if the baby might be his. Yes. The answer is yes. So he jets off to Canada, confronts his one night stand, demands that they marry, and we're off!

I might need to read more of this trope to have a better understanding of it, but I was surprised at how little their daughter featured. Other than bringing them back together, she's pretty irrelevant. There were multiple opportunities for other conflicts to arise: issues with his former in-laws, issues with a secret he's keeping, issues with his company, issues with her social acceptance in his world, issues with the kid. But the only conflict is that Poppy (that's our heroine, BTW) has abandonment issues from her parents and can't deal with Rico not loving her, while Rico is emotionally shuttered because his family are a bunch of emotionless robots. You know, as Spaniards are known to be. I once met a particular Spanish guy while backpacking in Indonesia, and he was basically a stereotype. He exuded a magnetic sexiness. That's what I thought Rico would be, and I was totally bummed that Rico was not that at all. We started off well with crocodile boots and hot cars, but that quickly fell by the wayside. He was basically the same as every emotionally stunted aristocratic English hero for infinity.

Poppy was relatively flat and static, but I guess that makes sense in the context of a marry-me-because-of-our-baby-but-learn-you-can't-love-without-me sort of trope. A lot of the narrative took place in Poppy's head as she examined her feelings.

This book has a job to do and that's the job it does. You'll probably find no surprises here. And part of me just wants to read Harlequin romances henceforth. 🤫

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

This book was ok. I mean it is good for when you want to read a quick easy light read.
I found it a bit dull but maybe that is because I am a little tired of the secret baby trope.

*ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Rich, handsome Spanish nobleman Rico gets sheltered housemaid Poppy pregnant after a one time fling. When Rico discovers he's fathered a child he flies across the world and proposes to Poppy. Overall a solid 4 stars for The Maid's Spanish Secret.

#TheMaidsSpanishSecret #NetGalley

Over the past year or so, I've come to rely on these quick Harlequin romances quite a bit. I keep finding myself in these strange little reading funks and for whatever reason, a short burst of slightly domineering foreign men and the women who teach them that it's okay to fall in love, get me out of those said funks.

I usually know what to expect from them but that's okay, they still never fail me. Even when they aren't my most favorite, they still do the trick. It's a weird thing but I've quit questioning it.

The Maid's Spanish Secret came to me at a perfect time, for me, and it mostly delivered what I needed.

Poppy had a one night stand while working in Spain. She ended up pregnant but didn't find out until the father, Rico, was already married to another and Poppy was back home in Canada. It's nearly two years past before Rico - now widowed - finds out about his child.

I mean...who doesn't love a secret baby?

All the usual ensues: Man comes to claim his family. Man's parents/friends don't think new wife measures up. New wife struggles to fit in and find happiness. Etc, etc... Everything I wanted.

With one exception. The climax was really lackluster for me. I needed more drama. I felt like I was on the kiddie roller coaster instead of the grown up one with the giant hill that always makes your heart drop.

Rico handsome sexy noble Spanish rich man gets a young housemaid pregnant - Poppy. This was a one time encounter but she had always stayed on Rico’s mind. So when he discovered that Poppy had a baby girl named Lily he went across the world to find her - in Canada. It was a good story but it lacked something. In trying to show Rico’s cold heart and that of his extra chilly family it just made the story a bit dull. The ending was good but the book was disappointing.