A Scandal, a Secret, a Baby: An Anthology

Both stories are very similar which makes me wonder if SK had 2 ideas for short stories, but couldn't make up her mind which one she wanted to submit. That's okay, I liked them both.A Scandal, a Secret, a Baby:The H was a shallow, petulant little boy who thought the h's life ought to revolve around him and his career. He knew her background, but made very little effort to understand and accommodate her b/c of it. When the h refused to bow down to his way of thinking, he dumped her and within a week was in bed with another woman. And believe me it was a very compromising position! Yikes. Off with his head! I found it interesting that the H expected her to forgive him b/c of the OW, but wondered how he would feel if the roles had been reversed. He basically told her he had "appetites" she wasn't meeting, so there was nothing wrong with him seeking out another woman to accommodate those appetites and needs. He then stated he wasn't cheating since he broke up with her the week prior. (True, but the h's response sums it up really nicely.) His attitude makes a person wonder what kind of husband he would've been - he must not have received the memo about the married lines of "...in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, etc...." because I don't think he would've cut it. It was all about him and only him.The h was a strong woman who stuck to her ideals and I admired her for it. I loved that she sold her jewelry and her comment to the H when he asked her what happened to it. Yeah - you go, girl! I thought the delivery of their baby was precious and love re-reading it. She gives several come back lines (zingers???) throughout the book that I enjoyed. She was who she was and she makes no apologies. Yes!I kept thinking while I was reading this book that it would've been great (as in revenge and really sticking it to the H) if SK had made the h pregnant with twins (I love when the h's have twins!) and that was one of the reasons why she sought the H out a week after he broke off their engagement. Wouldn't that have been something? I've never read a book where the h had a baby then got p.g again by the same man.4 stars because of him cheating with another woman and for being an a-hole!Marriage Scandal, Showbiz Baby:I think Harlequin must put out a list of do's and don'ts and on that list must be a "Don't use the word adultery (bad connotation, making a moral judgement)" and "Don't use the word dishonor (thereby making the H feel bad and less than)". Out of all the hundreds of HP's I've read, I don't think I've ever seen those words. You might see "unfaithful", "cheating", or "infidelity" (say the same thing, but have a different connotation than adultery, less judgmental, more acceptable???) and I've seen "lack honor" or "without honor" (again the connotation is nicer even though it's saying the same thing). BUT....the H in this book DID commit adultery and IS a dishonorable man. There are no two ways about it. He stated he didn't commit adultery until after they were living apart and was a free man, but my question to him is "Could you freely marry the OW at the time you were having sex with her?" No he couldn't b/c he was still legally married to the h, so yes it was adultery.I liked the fact she threw away her wedding ring and he was NOT happy! Oh, well, should've been faithful, huh?***SPOILER ALERT***In one H's POV he stated, "Had he meant so little to her that she could inquire after another woman as if she were asking the time?" I think it ought to be changed to "Had she meant so little to him that he could cheat on her and feel justified?"At one point in the h's POV she stated, "He needed sex like most men needed water." It sounded like she was excusing his behavior? WHAT???? Didn't like that at all. There is no excuse, wrong is wrong.Again, in one of the h's POV she stated, "...(he was an) egotistical sex maniac who can't resist chasing anything in a skirt!" Right on! He was furious and said she dishonored him with that. Well, it wouldn't be dishonorable if he had kept it in his pants, right?Anyway, lots of wonderful scenes. It is a very short book which is perfect for those times when you have only an hour and need a romance fix.3 stars b/c of the adultery.Would recommend both books.

I am just angry that I spent a lot of wasted hours on 2 books written with the same story line and the author could not get it right on either of them.There was no attraction, no love for either of the heroines or the hero. They were blah. I know Sharon Kendrick has well written books but nothing connected. Both of the stories were the same , she even gave the heroes the same surname! I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

Both of the two stories revolve around famous celebrities and their private lives. Each one has the heroine ending up pregnant. While the hero's have been caught with other females. How each couple deal with the hurt is different. And each unique in the story lines.

it is a good book . both stories were good . but the Hs in both stories cheated , and that was hard to accept . otherwise , it was an enjoyable read.

Didn't like that Dante found a replacement so quickly after the breakup with Justina. Loved that she stood up to him. This book is an ok read.

Its always sentimental to see most books that carries babies it makes for a happy house or when you are studying these books helps with vacationing

The H is a jerk...in both books but more so in the first. I'm still trying to figure out if either couple even likes each other...much less loves! If this had been free, it would have been too much money!

I'm a huge murder`mystery paranormal & erotic romance lover. I love reading book that get your adrenaline kicking, heart racing, and your mind engaged, but every once in a while i need to gear down and read something simple, for that I read simple romance like these, they are little bites that aren't too deep, too drastic or too overwhelming It's like sniffing coffee beans after smelling lots of perfumes, it just cleanses the palate.I liked this book, it's simple and it's actually two books in one. I believe the male characters are related they both have the same last name anyway, but there was no real mention in the second book of relatives. so I can't be sure. Each book is about famous people and the rigors of that fame. Personally it did kind of make me feel sorry for those in the spotlight but then I thought about it, you choose that life. The first story really pulled me in because these were two headstrong people who just didn't know the meaning of the word "compromise". The situation that they found themselves in could have been prevented if they talked about it, but you know hindsight being what it is, they never realized how much they had until it was gone. Dante' believed women should have their lives then marry and then their lives become their husbands and their children, Justina is a woman who grew up with a broken mother who found herself through the men she snagged from their wives, so Justina swung the other way trying not to be like that AT ALL. Control became her savior and her success kept her together. I get why she was like that, I understand her fear, but I just don't understand Dante' hard line, like did you not grow up in the 21st century?? I get it your old school but umm my man, no, just no.As for the second book??? Once a cheater always a cheater, I don't care how or why you cheated. You made the decision to step out on your partner, that makes you the bad guy. As for Jennifer, she wanted to prove that she wasn't just there because of her husband's fame, and she then took her great relationship and threw it away. Just because other women are idiots and disrespect your marriage doesn't mean you have to blame your partner, he choose you, and he's here with you, so what if the waitress is giving him the eye balls?? Stop being an idiot.I love these books because they are small and quick to read, but because they also remind of what the heck not to do. Both of these women had me rolling my eyes at their stupidity then sympathizing because let's be real, how many of us have done the same thing?? *raises hand* I'm not sure if I like Matteo, he was a bit of an ass, but i did like Dante' because he really strives to change when he realized he lost the woman he loved because he was archaic in his views, Matteo?? he cheated I'm not sure I can forgive that. Although his panic at the end?? Yeah I totally liked him a little better since he wasn't so damn sure of himself.I do however give mean O_o to the mothers of both the women in the story, lets just say broken women raise broken children. Get your stuff together and stop passing that crap on. Grrr also one to Dante's mother too but for being such a know it all.So there you have it, I liked the book, it's a check it out when you have a chance, and if you love little romance books that are quick reads; then this is perfect.Happy Reading

Dante and Justina had been engaged five years ago but split up due to Justina wishing to continue her career as a member of a girl group called the 'Lollipops' (I cringed at the bands name). As soon as they split, Justina realised it wasn't what she wanted and she returned to tell Dante but caught him in bed with another woman. Dante has always maintained that they were over at this point but because it is mentioned early on in the story, it made me feel that Justina could hardly have been the love of his life that he makes her out to be if he could think to sleep with another woman so soon. As usual with a Mills & Boon story, in the five years since they have been apart Dante has obviously been with other women but Justina has remained celibate although she leads Dante to believe otherwise and of course he is jealous.The story starts a the wedding of Justina's bandmate and Dante and Justina meeting again after not seeing each for five years. We don't learn much about how they fell in love in the past and the only part of the past we know is that his family didn't approve of her and Dante wanted her to give up work when they married as her career was keeping them apart. Their attraction to one another is still there and they are soon back in bed but it was a very predicatable storyline and obvious due to the book title but I was surprised at how the story jumped ahead and how Dante wasn't as angry as I expected.I normally like this authors books but this plot felt lazy. It lacked something and so I wasn't really convinced this couple were as in love as we're led to believe by the end.

Normally Mills and Boon are better at matching titles to their books, if there was a scandal and a secret in this book I missed it. There was however a baby and if this was a real life couple then I would feel very sorry for it. The book is set as a reunion romance, five years have passed since the main couple ended their engagement and relationship. I'm fine with this concept however I never managed to find it in me to like the character of Dante and found myself in the unusual position of wanting the character of Jessica to come to her senses, grow a back bone and tell him there would be no relationship between them. Normally a reunion romance works because the couple have grown up and learned from past mistakes. Dante however seems to be even more overbearing, more controlling and more chauvinistic than the impression of his five year younger self. And he never accepts that Jessica should feel hurt he 'moved on' so quickly when she finds him in bed with another woman a week after they had an argument and ended their engagement. The story is fuzzy on whether they actually break up but the impression is that he decided they had and she cooled down, came back and was going to talk through their problems. I had problems with that fuzziness, I also just felt that they weren't very nice to each other and it was a very unbelievable romance. I also found the pop group angle challenging. Dante and Jessica meet again at the wedding of one of her old band members, the third isn't there and we are told that Jessica and Roxie haven't seen each other or spoken to each other for years. No explanation for this is given. To facilitate Dante finding out about the pregnancy (I assume the question over the babies father is supposed to be the scandel) we are told that The Lollipops released a greatest hits CD and Jessica is promoting this. But again, she's on her own doing this not with her band members. The book also felt very insular and could have done with some kind of real world interaction to make the story just a little bit believable.

A great read for a relaxing evening, with great characters and a lovely ending.The story begins with Dante and Justina re-united at a friends wedding. The chemistry that was there 5 years ago when they separated is still there and they give in to one night together. However, months later Dante reads the Justina is pregnant and goes to confront her. This is where we see whether or not they can re-connect their previous happiness to become a family or whether Justina's independence will win out.A strong alpha male, a independent female, misunderstandings and a happy ending

I really enjoyed this book. The history between dante and Justina means that they are cagey and enigmatic with each other making it hard to put their guard down even though they still have a electric chemistry. I liked the up and down and final hea.

This was okay. Usual, arrogant bulldozing hero riding roughshod over the heroine. Too many pages given over to overt sexual content. I didn't particularly like Justina but it was a quick, easy read with HEA as expected with a Mills and Boon.

A very sweet second Chance romance. I really did enjoy reading this book. I can't wait to read more of this author work.

A story of vulnerability and pride. The heroine is independent and vulnerable. Both main characters come across as believable people. The theme of forgiveness would appeal to a more mature reader. A delightful story.

Enjoyable light reading. A tried and tested format that stays true to M &B style. You know exactly what you are getting and can enjoy it. Unlike a lot of writers this author has ensured the editing was excellent and the book was also well-written. Recommend to lovers of this genre.

Well done to the author. Could not put it down. Will definitely recommend to family and friends in the hope they enjoy as much as I did

Well balanced love story fairly predictable but none the worse for that. You find yourself warming to the characters as you read and the ending is happy, of course, with all the ends neatly finished off.

I like this it was good

Great book great story well written loved the characters loved reading how they were trying to find each other and how they ended up with each other

Good Book

I enjoyed the book it was a good holiday read. It was a true to life read for some people.

Nice storyline although bit slow story eventually gets a happy ending . Characters were quite realistic & storyline readable.Good holiday read