Tabs’ Duckies Do Series review of The Bound to a Billionaire Trilogy by Michelle Smart
Contemporary Romance published by Harlequin Presents
This series revolves around a family reeling from the death of the eldest brother and heir. Pietro Pellegrino was a world-renowned philanthropist who died suddenly in a helicopter accident off the coast of a small island country devastated by a hurricane. His surviving family members are working on preserving his legacy by building a hospital in his name on the island he was working to help recover. Of course, nobody’s perfect and some of Pietro’s secrets come out to wreak havoc later in the series…
Protecting His Defiant Innocent, Book 1
01 Aug 17
The heroine of this book is a little hard to handle. Francesca is very young and very impetuous and she often acts before she thinks. A lot of it is age and experience, a sheltered lifestyle, and dealing with the grief of her beloved brother’s death. She’s very single minded about getting his memorial hospital built and she has trouble seeing beyond that, even at the risk of her own safety. Sparks flying between her and her family-mandated bodyguard is the last thing she saw coming.
Felipe’s a nice change from the standard HP billionaire. He’s a billionaire, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not a wheeling and dealing businessman. He’s an ex-military security specialist and owner of his own company. He usually wouldn’t be personally guarding Francesca, but he is doing it as a favor to a friend. It’s really not much of stretch when Francesca’s and Felipe’s antagonism turns to sexy times.
Grade: B-
Summary:
Traveling to a dangerous Caribbean island to continue her late brother’s charitable work, Francesca Pellegrini finds herself under the protection of security tycoon Felipe Lorenzi. Independent Francesca is infuriated by his commands, but Felipe’s every look invites her to give up her innocence to him…
With his body and heart as hard as stone after his military career, Felipe has no time for Francesca’s seductive games. Until this captivating young woman entices him beyond all measure, and this lone wolf decides to throw away his strict rules and take her as his own!
Claiming His One-Night Baby, Book 2
01 Sep 17
I am finding it difficult, lately, to tolerate assholes, so this book was challenging for me pretty much right out of the gate. Matteo’s cousin (more like a brother) has suddenly died, but he finds himself at the funeral and wake unable to think about much besides how much he hates the man’s widow and how she’s a “gold-digging bitch.” Except he’s pissed that she broke his heart when he was a grown-ass man and she was a goddamn teenager. My patience for him and his slut-shaming and his insistence that their unplanned pregnancy ruined his life was non-existent.
Matteo’s a dick. Natasha’s a judgmental pain in the ass who thinks being a cosmetic surgeon is “selling out” and doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with repeatedly saying this out loud to said cosmetic surgeon. I pretty much wanted to toss this book out the window. By the time the ending rolled around, I didn’t give a flying fig about their happily ever after. I was just glad the whole thing was finally done.
Grade: D
Summary:
One night…
Seeing Natasha Pellegrini at her husband’s funeral propels Matteo Manaserro back to a time before she shattered his trust. Caught in a potent mix of emotion, they surrender to their explosive passion…
One secret…
Unable to share the truth about her passionless marriage, Natasha is a virgin until Matteo’s touch brands her as his.
One baby…
When Matteo discovers Natasha is pregnant, he knows they must present a united front. He may never trust her, but he’s intent on claiming his baby. Except he hasn’t bargained on their insatiable chemistry binding them together so completely!
Buying His Bride of Convenience, Book 3
01 Oct 17
This was the star in the series for me. Eva hates Daniele’s guts because he finagled her into a date that he swore up and down wasn’t a date and then proceeded to flirt shamelessly and proposition her. She promptly told him where he could shove his proposition and wrote him completely off. Luckily, while Daniele was definitely going through an a-hole phase at the time (because grief!), he’s really not an a-hole at heart.
When his cousin’s affair with his brother’s widow becomes public knowledge, Daniele needs a marriage of convenience to secure his family’s inheritance and ensure it won’t go to the betraying cousin. He decides that only Eva will do and he sweetens the deal with a massive donation to the aid organization she works for. Their marriage is supposed to be in name only, but things quickly escalate. Watching them both find love they never thought they would get is downright heart-warming.
Grade: A-
Summary:
Daniele Pellegrini must wed or lose his family inheritance. Eva Bergen is the perfect candidate for three reasons:
1. Her body is pure temptation.
2. She can’t reject his outrageous charitable donation in exchange for their vows.
3. Most important, she can’t stand him—this hard-hearted tycoon won’t risk his wife falling in love with him!
When Eva’s first youthful marriage ended in tragedy, she buried any hope of loving again. She’s certain she’ll have no problem keeping her second marriage on purely convenient terms…until her husband changes the rules with his expertly ruthless seduction!
