The Christmas Love-Child

Jennie Lucas has to be one of the best new harlequin authors out there. The way her writing and storylines go reminds me of early Lynne Graham. This book starts off grabbing your attention and holds it all the way through. The hero, Maksim, is typical Presents alpha male/jerk, but Grace is someone that I was rooting for through the whole book. All she is trying to do is help out her family, and try her best to make ends meet with a jerk boss. When these two are brought together you can feel the chemistry, and hope for the best for these two. What I love best about this book is the ending. Jennie Lucas has a way of making you feel happy and satisfied. If you are looking for a sweet story to just curl up with I would definitely recommend The Christmas Love-Child.

The Christmas Love-Child is the most perfect and romantic love story for the Holidays. Of course, it's brilliantly crafted by author Jennie Lucas and this time her hero is the most sensual, ruthless and handsome Russian alpha with the most incredible name, Prince Maksim Rostov. Maksim is known for being ruthless and will stop at nothing to seal a deal. What he now wants he can't have because his mistress has gone to his competition, is engaged to the CEO and has guaranteed him the oil deal with her father. However, like all successful businessmen, Maksim knows that Alan Barrington has a secretary who worships him, one that he believes if he can get her to tell him Alan's secrets, then he'll get the deal back. Grace Cannon is secretly in love with her boss, and he uses her in the most inappropriate way, over works her, uses his charm on her, she's underpaid, plus she lives in the basement of his home and she pays him rent. On top of everything else, she an innocent and is devoted to her family. So much so, she's trying to earn money to save their home back in California. Its Christmas time and Alan sends Grace on an errand to purchase lingerie for his fiancé, the lovely and beautiful redhead Francesca who is Maksim's past mistress. Maksim stages a meeting and absolutely sweeps her off her feet. However, it's not one sided as Maksim sees not the plain woman before him, he actually sees her inner and physical beauty. He actually likes her, he shares with her things he's never told anyone and I personally thought he just might have fallen in love with her. I know that Grace fell hard for this handsome prince. Of course, as all powerful and handsome ruthless billionaires, he seduces her and then the worst thing happens, Grace believes he's betrayed her when her boss fires her, leaves her without anything and so on Christmas Eve she returns home heartbroken to her family in California. She's devastated and knows that they will now loose their home. On top of everything she finds out she's expecting Maksim's baby. Christmas becomes an unhappy time for the couple, he demanding she marry him and return to Russia with him, plus the accusations they both hurl at each other were painful to read. And just when one doesn't think it can become worse, he leaves her at his mansion, ignores her, they speak horribly to each other and just can't seem to get past it all. Where has this man gone, the man she loved, the man she swore they could see into each others souls? The Christmas Love-Child has it all, emotions, misunderstandings, miscommunication, mistrust and such passion, it consumes them both. What disappeared from their relationship was trust However, so many lessons this couple would learn especially Maksim as he would remember he's always taken care of his own and he'd let Grace down by not being there for her, not protecting her and leaving his bride on her own. And for sweet Grace her journey is a little more painful but in the end so worth it all.

Shy and broke secretary Grace knows that it's a bad idea to be attracted to her boss's enemy. But after meeting Russian billionaire Prince Maksim in person she just can't forget him. He's the first man that makes her feel beautiful instead of plain and boring. But even though she spends one night playing Cinderella with Maksim Grace stays loyal to her boss Alan. For Prince Maksim it's all about revenge against the man who stole an important merger for him. He plans to use Grace to get the information he needs to take Alan Carrington down. But after meeting Grace he realizes that he found an extraordinary jewel he doesn't want to loose. Soon they are in a relationship that makes them happy, but Maksim's plans of revenge and his lies at the beginning of their relationship stand in the way of their future and in the end break them up. When Grace realizes that she is pregnant and Maksim forces her to marry him there seems to be no love left between them. To have a happy end both have to work on trusting each other again. "The Christmas Love-Child" by Jennie Lucas is one of my favourite Harlequins this year. Grace is a lovely character and I enjoyed how she got stronger during her time with Maksim. She's hard working and does everything to help her family survive. But even though she needs money desperately she doesn't let herself be bought. Maksim on the other hand is a hard character that at the beginning does everything to make more money because he was dirt poor in his childhood. I like that soon after meeting Grace he decides to not use her and even let's go of his revenge through her. Of course the books ends with a beautiful happy end and I will for sure check out the next book by Jennie Lucas.