Hello everyone!
Well, or you did and you're currently just shaking your head, smiling at your computer screens.
As you know - or if you don't, you're about to find out - I've been lucky enough to become a member of the Kiwi Birds ARC team, which is the team of people who get book copies from Serenity Woods in advance and then also leave reviews in advance so that others who are contemplating whether or not to buy the book might be persuaded.
Which means that I definitely end up with a new and exciting title to review on this blog every once in a while.
It's no different tonight either!
Despite venturing into cozy paranormal mysteries, Ms Woods remains one of the most beloved contemporary romance authors, and definitely my favourite either way you look at it.
So for her to announce a new contemporary series is a special treat.
And the introduction, The Irresistible Billionaire, is even better!
So as this book actually loosely connects to a few others of hers, I will be linking the pertinent ones down below in order, but I will say that you can read this one without those, too, you might just be a little bit confused as to who a handful of people are that are mentioned.
BUT that aside, everything is explained within the book itself, so let's hop right into it, shall we?
Heloise has hit a bit of a point in her life, and by point I mean low point, and she's interviewing to become a nanny so that she can get back onto her feet. The position she's applying for is with Ben Prince, the billionaire CEO of a toy company who is currently busy with opening an amusement park or ride, and needs help with his baby girl.
He also has trust issues, but we'll get to those in a little bit.
Ben and his brother call upon none other than Brock King (hero of The Perfect Gift in Ms Woods' Three Wise Men series) to give them some additional information on Heloise because Ben thinks he's heard her name before, and this is what comes out:
Heloise is a brilliant scientist and was married to someone who was maybe even more brilliant, but he was unfortunately diagnosed with ALS and passed away a few years back, leaving important research - which could allegedly cure cancer - unfinished.
And the scientific community crucified Heloise afterwards when she couldn't continue the research but dropped off the face of the Earth to grieve and do something else with her life after she was ready to sort of start living again, recovering from the fact her husband became totally different after the disease progressed.
Honestly, life is unfair to he max.
She's hired and moves to Kotare house to be the live-in nanny, which of course gives her AMPLE opportunity to spend time around Ben, his sister Kora who also lives there in the beginning, and Ben's beautiful baby daughter who is the most adorable person in the entire book, let me tell you.
And also, let me give you a short rundown about Kora: she just broke up with her boyfriend at the start of the book and goes through a push-and-pull with him throughout until the very end when she decides it's really over, though truth be told it's been over and done with for a WHILE given he cheated on her, but sometimes you just need the added time, I suppose.
She's also the gentlest champion for Ben and Heloise both once she clocks into the fact that they're attracted to each other, especially since she knows what happened to Ben's private life before.
Namely, that he ran into a gold digger named Rebecca who set out specifically to catch him, they got married, she showed her true colours and he regretted it, and she tried everything to make his life miserable but also to keep him tied to her, including pregnancy, but - and this is where gentler readers may look away - she ended up dying as a result of a car accident and the doctors barely managed to save the baby.
So as you can see, both Heloise and Ben deserve a little healing, and they start on the path together, taking it slow seeing as they're both in their thirties, there's a baby involved, and also Ben is officially still mourning.
But they spend time together during the grand opening of the amusement park, and Heloise is also invited along to visit the Prince's grandfather, who has sadly been diagnosed with cancer and probably won't be with them for much longer.
He's also super fixated on retrieving a doll that Queen Victoria bought from the shop back in the day - but the doll is in the hands of the man Rebecca cheated on Ben with, so the chances of them getting it are about nil, especially as he's also taking Ben to court for paternity of the baby, but Heloise goes with him to see this guy, Victor, and since she knows that he has a family member in need of treatment for - you guessed it again - cancer, she ends up negotiating their treatment because that's the kind of person she is.
And she does it without needing any assurance he'll give them the doll (which he wants to give Ben anyway BUT Ben needs to give him the baby, sooooo how about you take a hike, brother?).
Turns out, Heloise pegged him right and the doll arrives, along with a thank you note. And with that basically all settled, she and Ben can now look towards the future and a happy relationship together, a real relationship, which everyone has been rooting for since she started working for him.
The end!
As I've said before on Goodreads, I'm already in love with the Prince family and honestly can't wait to read more of their story. The introduction was lovely: a billionaire who's in desperate need of a nanny, and a scientist down on her luck who needs something new to pick herself back up, so she becomes a nanny.
It was, as the saying goes, a match made in heaven.
What I especially liked about this book is how it handled difficult situations, and as someone who was one of the primary caretakers for my ailing grandmother before we had to hospitalize her I could deeply sympathize with Heloise and connect with her. It also helped that she is my age and I really see a lot of myself in characters like that nowadays. She's incredibly strong and has a high moral code, which she shows at the end, not to mention she deserves some happiness!
Ben Prince deserves it too, especially after the ringer his deceased wife put him through. I liked that he was stoic and yet had a sense of humour hidden within, but mostly I loved how understanding he was - his words that you can't force people to do what you want them to resonate deeply.
This book also serves as introduction to the rest of the family and it ties us back to the Kings with a Brock cameo and mentions of Hal and Izzy - which I loved!
I can't wait to read more. Yet again, Ms Woods has hit it just right with this book, and the rest of the series promises to be just as wonderful as this first one.
10/10 recommend!
It was, as the saying goes, a match made in heaven.
What I especially liked about this book is how it handled difficult situations, and as someone who was one of the primary caretakers for my ailing grandmother before we had to hospitalize her I could deeply sympathize with Heloise and connect with her. It also helped that she is my age and I really see a lot of myself in characters like that nowadays. She's incredibly strong and has a high moral code, which she shows at the end, not to mention she deserves some happiness!
Ben Prince deserves it too, especially after the ringer his deceased wife put him through. I liked that he was stoic and yet had a sense of humour hidden within, but mostly I loved how understanding he was - his words that you can't force people to do what you want them to resonate deeply.
This book also serves as introduction to the rest of the family and it ties us back to the Kings with a Brock cameo and mentions of Hal and Izzy - which I loved!
I can't wait to read more. Yet again, Ms Woods has hit it just right with this book, and the rest of the series promises to be just as wonderful as this first one.
10/10 recommend!
xx
*image not mine
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