Both books were engaging and I generally enjoyed them. Followed. the usual tropes but well written, fun and enjoyable

Every time Harlequin releases titles with LGBTQIA main characters, it makes me so happy. This is a great double anthology.

I had high hopes for Tempted by the Bollywood star and tragically, I was disappointed. I hoped, based on the cover, that both main characters were South Asian, but actually, one lead is a white American TV producer and the other is an Indian actress trying to make her name in America. The main conflict revolves around the white main character's disappointment that the Indian main character won't come out publicly, despite her extremely real fears that it will ruin her career and endanger her and her family. I'm glad there's a South Asian main character and authored sapphic romance, because it's a sub-genre I've sought out before and found little to nothing. I'd probably try one more sapphic romance by this author, but this book didn't live up to my hopes.

Both books were engaging and I generally enjoyed them. For Secret Heir for Christmas I might want to read the rest of the series now, and liked the couple and family. For Tempted by the Bollywood Star, I think it was harder for me to engage because one of the leads was hard to engage with.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.

I was enjoying the whole 2 stories. It was typical but enjoyable

Loved the meet cute for the Secret Heir. These two met each other at the right time though there were complications and they had a sad past that they were recovering from. Loved this mm story of holiday joy and family.

Tempted by the Bollywood Star was a fun behind the scenes with a former lovers who are now a producer and talent and one of them is now in a hetero relationship to protect her family from backlash. Though shes never forgotten about the other woman and the time they spent together. Her marriage is a cover and her husband helps her to see that she would be happier with her long ago love. There was a lot of discussions of social injustice and media in their lives. But this was a cute sapphic love story.

Thank you harlequinbooks for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

3.75 stars.

SECRET HEIR FOR CHRISTMAS:

Stephan Deveraux-Smith comes back to New York to be with his uncle Ace in his last days. Ace wants Stephan to live life, so he asks Stephan to organize Deveraux family’s traditional Christmas party. That’s how he meets his neighbor Carter Jiménez, former Hollywood actor who left his prominent career behind to live away from the paparazzi. Carter makes clear his dislike for public life, so Stephan has to hide the fact that he’s part of one of the most famous and wealthiest families in the world. What will happen when their attraction gets stronger to the point Stephan has to tell Carter the truth?

I LOVE Carter and Stephan. They’re fabulous-fantastic-wonderful-incredible-and-all-that’s-in-between together. Their intimacy and sexual tension are so real you can feel it, and their teasing is delightful.

The fourth and last installment of the Deveraux, Inc. series gives a proper closure to the family and brings a fascinating, well written story of two men who have to deal with their issues to get their second chance to have their happily ever after.

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

FULL REVIEW (and ALL the reasons for my rating) IN MY BLOG:
https://aishasbookworld.wordpress.com/2023/10/24/review-secret-heir-for-christmas-deveraux-inc-4-by-laquette/

TEMPTED BY THE BOLLYWOOD STAR:

Mia Strome and Saira Sethi had a brief affair in Fiji that ended in heartbreak. Ten years later, Mia has become the producer of a show that could be a game changer for her career. The catch, and what a catch!, is that the star of the show is her former lover, who needs the show to be successful enough to launch her career in Hollywood. Unfinished business from their past together in the form of anger and regret, resurfaces, threatening to jeopardize not only their show, but their happiness. Could they overcome the obstacles to be openly together with all that entails?

The best thing about Mia and Saira is their off the charts chemistry. The way they interact with each other is fantastic! There’s sexual tension, angst, drama, small doses of anger, sensitivity, vulnerability, passion… you name it! The author not only created a very attractive story with well developed characters and a plot that goes in crescendo until the happily ever after Mia and Saira deserved.

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

FULL REVIEW IN MY BLOG:
https://aishasbookworld.wordpress.com/2023/11/02/review-tempted-by-the-bollywood-star-by-sophia-singh-sasson/

• ARC given by Harlequin Books via Netgalley. Thanks for your trust.

Secret Heir For Christmas

This is an entertaining read that has a holiday vibe theme, family drama, action packed and is definitely a page turner, great characters, steamy romance, and an old so good plot. This is the 4th book in the “Devereaux Inc. Series.” Stephan is one of the Devereaux billionaires and has been living in Paris for the past two years. Stephen comes home to NY after learning that his uncle Ace the family matriarch doesn’t have much time before he passes on. Stephan has been harboring a family secret that only he and his uncle Ace knows about. Before Ace pass on he wants Stephen to reveal the secret and set his free to move on and find a love interest and be happy. Carter is a A-list heart throb actor, widow and single father and now owns a restaurant bar in NY. After the death of his wife, he finds solace in NY with his daughter, mother and mother-in-law. Stephan and Carter meet and for the two of them there is an instant attraction and great chemistry. Thru a series of events things get complicated. Pick up your copy to find out the secret that Stephan has been harboring.

What is the family secret that Stephan is harboring, when the secret is revealed how will the Devereaux family feel, how will things work for out for Stephan and Carter? For answers pick up your copy of “Secret Heir For Christmas.”

Tempted By The Bollywood Star

This is my first time reading a book by Sophia Singh Sasson and I will be reading more of her work. Saira is a Bollywood star and Mia is a Hollywood producer. The two met and become secret lovers. Saira broke it off with Mia to protect her career that left the two heartbroken. 10 years have pasted and Mia and Saira find themselves working together in Hollywood as Mia being the producer of Saira’s movie. The two are still very much attracted to each other and the chemistry is still there front and center. Mia is not being very nice to Saira as she is trying to keep her feelings at bay. The longer the two are around each other there is constant camaraderie and Mia’s walls begin to crumble. I am a fan of HEAs and this was oh so good.
I received an ARC via NetGalley and Harlequin and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Secret Heir for Christmas by LaQuette

In Secret Heir for Christmas, we follow Actor Carter Jiménez, who avoids fame to protect his daughter. He stumbles upon his neighbor, Stephan Devereaux-Smith, who returned to Brooklyn to spend time with his dying Uncle Ace. Unknown to Carter, Stephan is a part of the Deveraux family, a successful Black multi-billion dollar corporation. Although Stephan offers Carter another chance at love, he’s not interested in the attention that comes from being associated with such a famous family.

I really liked Carter and Stephan together, and I rooted for them during all the family-related struggles that they both had to overcome.

Tempted by the Bollywood Star by Sophia Singh Sasson

This emotional sapphic romance follows Saira Sethi, a Bollywood star, and the fallout from the whirlwind she had with Mia Strobe, one of her former producers. As Saira is gearing up for a Hollywood breakout, she reunites with Mia, and immediately sparks fly. Despite their feelings, Saira’s reality hasn’t changed. She’s still closeted and doesn’t want to risk their new TV show in jeopardy.

The writing is very well done and Sophia does a great job of tackling the more serious topics regarding culture and homophobia.

This is my first read from Sophia and I’m looking forward to checking out more of her work!

Thank you to HARLEQUIN - Romance (U.S. & Canada) and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Secret Heir for Christmas is the fourth book in the Devereaux Inc. series, and although there are a number of siblings/cousins/friends from previous books making cameos, I don’t think it’s necessary to have read their books in order to jump into this one. It’s a quick read featuring a couple in their late thirties who both have good reason to want to steer clear of emotional entanglement, but some heavy-handed storytelling, the overly dramatic tone and a pointless third act break-up don’t do it any favours.

Stephan Devereaux-Smith has returned home to Brooklyn after an absence of two years in order to spend some time with his dying uncle, Ace. Ace is the patriarch of the Devereaux family and, until recently, was CEO of Devereaux Inc., a multi-billion dollar corporation and one of the very small number of successful Black-owned businesses in the world. Stephan has always been close to Ace and the thought of losing him is unbearable, but his canny uncle isn’t going to let Stephan mope around just waiting for him to die. He insists Stephan should take some time for himself, time to find joy outside the business and te family, to be “out there, living and experiencing life.” – and then he asks Stephan to plan the traditional Devereaux family Christmas party – one that hasn’t taken place during the two years of Stephan’s absence. Party planning isn’t exactly Stephan’s thing, but he’ll do anything if it makes Ace happy.

Stephan has been living and working in Paris for the past two years in a kind of self-imposed exile, following the death of his older brother, Randall, and it’s clear – well, it’s hammered home several times, really – that Something Awful Happened and Stephan is now burdened with a Terrible Secret that Could Destroy The Family. The only other person to know what that secret is is Ace, but Stephan refuses to allow Ace to set him free of the weight of guilt he bears.

Carter Jiménez was a Hollywood megastar until the death of his wife some five years earlier (she was killed after being chased into traffic by the paparazzi) and he decided that the constant public scrutiny and intrusion that came with fame was no longer something he was prepared to put up with. He’s determined to protect his six-year-old daughter, Nevaeh,from the spotlight and has recently moved back to his Brooklyn to make a more normal life (albeit a very privileged one!) for her and to pursue a different career as the proprietor of The Vault – an exclusive club where the elite can kick back and relax without having to worry about their every move being caught on camera and sold to the tabloids.

Stephan and Carter meet when Nevaeh’s dog gets away from her and manages to run into Stephan’s house just as he’s opened the front door. There’s a definite frisson of attraction zinging between them as they talk for a short while before Stephan retreives the errant pup, and before Carter leaves, he invites Stephan to visit The Vault later that evening. Stephan thinks that spending some time with the gorgeous Carter might be just the distraction he needs.

No stranger to grief himself, Carter tries to tell himself that he’d issued his invitation simply because he’d seen some deeply rooted sadness in Stephan’s dark eyes and wanted to do something nice for him. The fact that he’s strongly attracted to him is secondary; he’s not looking for a relationship (he insists his late wife was ‘it’ for him) and between running his business and caring for his daughter, he doesn’t have time for one anyway.

When Stephan arrives at The Vault later that night, Carter can’t deny that he’s delighted to see him – or that he wouldn’t at all mind taking Stephan up on what he’s clearly offering. But Stephan is so clearly troubled and weary, Carter thinks that perhaps he needs a friend more than he needs sex. Stephan is surprised to find himself opening up to Carter in a way he hasn’t with anyone else, telling him a little about what’s facing his family and about his situation – although he’s careful not to name names or be too specific; he’s learned the hard way not to trust too easily. In the course of their conversation, Stephan tells Carter about the Christmas party, and Carter immediately offers to help with the planning.

The romance between Stephan and Carter is nicely done, and there’s plenty of chemistry and heat between them. Having been in a relationship with someone who then tried to blackmail him has made Stephan naturally cautious about trusting people, the death of Carter’s wife in such an awful way turned his life upside down, and they’re both very family oriented; keeping their loved ones out of harm’s way is their number one priority. But because Stephan has kept his true identity secret from Carter, once he knows Carter’s distaste for being in the public eye and about his determination to avoid it at all costs, he decides that Carter won’t want to be with him once he knows he’s a member of such a prominent – and frequently papped – family. I admit that I found it difficult to believe that Carter wouldn’t have worked out who Stephan was – not least because his best friend is married to one of Stephan’s cousins!

The intimate scenes between Stephan and Carter, where they’re discussing food – for the party and their own likes and dislikes – their deep affinity for Brooklyn and love for their respective families – are lovely, and the sex scenes are well-written. You’ll see the crisis moment coming a mile away; the author doesn’t let things fester, which is good, but the speed with which the resolution follows makes it feel as though the argument was completely unnecessary. I liked the romance, despite it feeling a bit rushed, but there’s some really clunky dialogue and much of the story is so melodramatic that my eyes hurt from the rolling. Carter tells his mother that he can’t imagine loving anyone else the way he loved his late wife – then has to chastise himself for his “foul thoughts” about Stephan (seriously? Being attracted to someone is foul?) a few pages later. Stephan’s mother is a stereotypical Grade-A Bitch – until she has a complete personality transplant near the end, and when The Big Secret is finally revealed, my reaction was ‘is that it?’ I mean, it wasn’t a great thing to find out about someone you were close to, but you’d have thought they were a serial killer from the constant references to it being something that could destroy the family.

I’m pleased to see a slowly increasing number of queer romances in the Harlequin stable, so I’m sorry to say that Secret Heir for Christmas wasn’t the winner I’d hoped for.

Note: This title is also available in a “twofer” with Tempted By the Bollywood Star by Sophia Singh Sasson.

"Secret Heir for Christmas"
After the death of his wife, actor Carter goes into hiding to protect his daughter from the downsides of fame. Neighbor Stephan makes Carter hope for a second chance at love. Can Carter overcome the risks of being associated with Stephan's high-profile billionaire family?

Carter and Stephan are good together but have a lot of baggage to overcome. This steamy gay romance is full of emotion and family drama.

"Tempted by the Bollywood Star"
Saira was forced to abandon love to maintain her Bollywood star image. But a Hollywood reunion with producer Mia rekindles the intense bond they once shared. Their unresolved issues resurface, jeopardizing their new TV show and their chance to find happiness together.

This is an emotional romance that deals with the potential dangers of coming out as LGBTQ. I liked the characters and felt for the strain of the difficult circumstances they found themselves in.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Four and a half stars

SECRET HEIR FOR CHRISTMAS is the fourth in LaQuette’s Devereaux series. Stephan Devereaux and Carter Jimenez end up as neighbors and start to get to know each other as such, though they both recognize a spark of mutual chemistry that if circumstances were different, they’d be eager to explore. LaQuette writes these two beautiful, strong, wounded, fiercely protective men well, bringing to life their pain and hope and hearts. All readers will be able to relate to their desire to love and be loved for being truly themselves.

I read this as a stand alone, and look forward to going back to read the rest of the series!

* * * * * * * * * * *

TEMPTED BY THE BOLLYWOOD STAR is a beautifully written story by Sophia Singh Sasson. Producer Mia Strome and Bollywood star Saira Sethi seem like they’re on opposite sides of a fight... while they shared a passionate time in Fiji a decade ago, they haven't been able to find a way to bridge the literal and figurative distance between them since. And now that they are to work together on a pilot that could be a turning point in their careers, finding common ground is not just a matter of personal satisfaction, it is of utmost importance professionally.

Sophia Singh Sasson writes Mia and Saira compassionately. Their backgrounds are vastly different, and they've each faced daunting challenges in trying to live authentically. Ms Singh Sasson portrays their struggles in a way that feels very real, and the pain they cause as they stumble through is also quite genuine. Saira's viewpoint as an Indian woman also felt very realistically portrayed.

This is the first story I've read by Sophia Singh Sasson, and I plan to read more of her work. Tempted by the Bollywood Star is a stellar sweep-your-heart-away read!

Love stories come in various ways with different tropes that drive them.. Secret Heir for Christmas is a bold character-driven story that features Stephan Devereaux-Smith and Carter Jimenez. Stephan is a member of the Brooklyn, New York Devereaux's. As a matter of fact, this book is the 4th one that highlights the Devereaux family.
I enjoyed this story of second chance at love. Both Carter and Stephan are so deserving of another stab at love.
Stephan is carrying the weight of the Devereaux family on his shoulders. So many secrets. You’ll understand when you read the story.
I enjoyed the side characters in this story. From Carter’s daughter, Nevaeh to Ace, Stephan’s favorite uncle. The Devereaux family members were also present who supported Stephan and added to the intrigue of the storyline. The Epilogue secures the reconciliation that Stephan needed with his family. It also presents a picture of a family that experiences the cycle of life. And yes, the Epilogue gives us a wonderful HEA for Carter and Stephan.
This was a great story, and I recommend it for your reading pleasure..

Yeahhhh my Harlequin era has not begun. I DNFed both of these novels, the first after four chapters and the second after three. The stories had promise but the writing was just too corny for me to take.

The DL, “formally known as the Down Low”??

“Red envelope emails”??

The biggest insult this Hollywood producer could come up with was calling a creepy exec “a financial weenie”??

It really read like it was written 20-30 years ago.

This book has two marvelous stand alone stories together in one book. In the first story Secret Heir for Christmas we meet Stephan and Carter and see them try to navigate falling in love while dealing with issues from their pasts that impact how they deal with the present. In Tempted by the Bollywood Star we meet Mia and Saira and see them try to figure our if what they had for a brief period ten years ago is still there while they also deal with how their choices will impact their present and future. I highly recommend this book and both excellent stories.

Unfortunately, this was a pdf file which makes it impossible for me to read it on my e-reader. I have therefore not reviewed the book.