A Hidden Heir to Redeem Him

A Hidden Heir to Redeem Him felt more like a short story than a novel or novella. I knew it was going to be a pretty quick read at a little over 200 pages, but there are a lot of unanswered questions, at least for me. I think the main thing for me is that these characters don’t receive the development or growth they need for a successful relationship. I spent a good deal of this one really wanting Kiara to put Val in his place. I also had to keep reminding myself that this was based on a very different culture than my own. Otherwise, these women would’ve driven me a bit crazy. Nevertheless, this pair does make for some witty and fun banter, especially in the first half of the book, and we get a sweet and sassy little lady to keep them on their toes. I will say that the title is pretty perfect for this book because if anyone needs a bit of redemption, it would be Val. He doesn’t display too many redeeming qualities except for his reactions to his daughter, and I wasn’t sure he would figure the whole relationship thing out. It was near miss, and the author certainly held out until the final moments to get there, but for those who want to quit, I would suggest holding out until those last few pages. Val does have some redeeming qualities in there. It just takes a bit of digging. The epilogue does bring some resolution to the story as well as a smile and a sigh from any romance lover. To sum it up, this is a quick, instalove romance with surprisingly more after the insta part than before. I would say that anyone who enjoys a bit of instalove, secret baby romance will love this one.

When I first found out Dani Collins was writing a book/series about two brothers who didn’t get along with each other I was excited. I wanted to know why two brothers hated each other so much. The Harlequin Presents line isn’t a line I normally read however, I read an excerpt from A Hidden Heir to Redeem Him and knew with certainty I HAD to read the book.

Valentino “Val” Cascale and Javiero Rodriguez were both born into luxury and broken homes. Sharing the same father, the two were only born two days apart. Val, the oldest, was the result of an affair between Nikolai “Niko” Mylonas and fashion model Evelina Cascale. Javiero was the product of Niko’s marriage to Paloma Rodriguez. The brothers were each raised full time by their mothers with frequent visits to their father’s Greek island. Niko made sure that he treated each son and mother the same. Meaning that Val and Javiero went to the same boarding school and their mothers received the same allowance. But just because Niko treated the boys the same didn’t mean those around them or society did.

By pure serendipity, Val and Kiara O’Neill met three years ago in Venice. The two shared a night together full of passion and wonder, never to see each other again. Weeks later, Kiara not only realizes she’s pregnant but that Val is married and off on his honeymoon. As a starving artist, living hand to mouth Kiara jumps at the opportunity offered to her by Niko. Niko will take care of Kiara and her child as long as she moves to his Greek island with him and doesn’t tell Val he has a child. To give her child every opportunity she didn’t have and to continue creating art, Kiara agrees. She knows Niko is estranged from his sons but doesn’t know why. She also knows Niko is dying and that the secret of her having Val’s child will not remain a secret forever.

Val is a man who seems to like to live up the title of being born illegitimate. He’s cold, cruel, and borders on possibly being emotionally abusive. He lashes out before anyone can lash out at him. For at least 75% of the book, probably more, I didn’t like him. Kiara was a woman I wasn’t very fond of. She did things the way Niko wanted her to and didn’t seem to stand up for herself. It wasn’t until probably halfway into the book that I gave her the benefit of the doubt and saw things through her eyes. Though initially, I wasn’t fond of either character, I kept reading the book because I was mesmerized and knew Dani was going to show Val in a different light and redeem him in my eyes. She completely did by revealing his heartbreaking past which could be a trigger for some.

The title of the book, A Hidden Heir to Redeem Him, is perfect. Kiara and her daughter healed and redeemed Val by simply loving him for the man behind the mask the world sees. Val, in turn, gave Kiara the family and love she has always wanted and needed.

A Hidden Heir to Redeem Him shows the different dynamics of love. From its purity to its all-consuming passion. Dani has written a story you can’t put down, where she evokes feelings and emotions you aren’t expecting. I went from not truly caring about Val and Kiara to hoping and praying they found a way to be together, not because of their daughter, but for themselves.

A Hidden Heir to Redeem Him and Beauty and Her One-Night Baby featuring Javiero take place at the same time. Because of this, Javiero has already been introduced and some of his character has been revealed. I’m really looking forward to reading his story, and seeing if my thoughts about him are correct. I have a feeling I’m going to proclaim Dani as a being a master at what she does.

~ Favorite Quotes ~

“You’re adorable when you’re wrong.”

“A life without hope is a very dark place.”

**Received a copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed.**