Cinderella an the Brooding Billionaire by Michelle Douglas: Luca Viera was shocked to learn that he 
had a baby son as the result of a vacation fling in Australia. When he flew there to pick up his son, he met Monique who was the godmother of baby Benito and close friend of the now late mother of the baby. He wants to take his son home to Rome, but he knows nothing about caring for babies. He asks Monique if she will come to Rome to be Benito’s nanny for one year to have some continuity. Once he helps Monique out with a bad situation with her beloved niece, she agrees.
Luca had been engaged to a wealthy woman whose family would help him get on a better path for his family’s business after his parents and other relatives had almost run it into the ground with mismanagement and other issues. This woman didn’t want to marry Luca, so he feels he is pushed into finding someone else that will fit the bill. He decides Monique can be his plus one at some of the social events he must attend and can help check out potential candidates for good wife for him who will also be good to his son. Can the two stay boss and employee with so much extra time together?
I really admired Monique. She had to grow up in a very dysfunctional lifestyle with a mother who even pushed her younger sister down a disastrous pathway. Despite her past, Monique is a very loving person who has done her best to protect her niece, support her friend Anita during her pregnancy and then take care of baby Benito after Anita’s death. She is even protective of Luca in the fact she is afraid her family will be an embarrassment to his business and colleagues.
Luca grows throughout this charming story. He is driven to bring the family business back to stability. He loves his son, but has to learn how to be a good father and not get into the pattern that left him lonely so much as a child.
The author does a masterful job of showing Luca’s parents as true snobs and only worried about themselves and living a lavish life. It is easy to dislike them, but at the same time feel a little sorry for them at how they are missing out on the simpler, but important things in life.
One of my favorite parts is when Luca, Monique and children are in Tuscany. The vivid descriptions had me wishing I were there.
The love story is one of a slow simmer that takes a while to boil. It is very sweet overall. Who can resist a handsome Italian man?
I’ve had the privilege of reading another of Michelle Douglas’ novels not long ago. Cinderella and the Brooding Billionaire is just as lovely. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
Book Info:
Publication: September 28, 2021 | Harlequin Romance |
A baby in need of a mother…
A billionaire in need of…a wife?
Monique Thomas wants to protect her grieving godson, but she can’t do it alone—she’s penniless. When Italian billionaire Luca Viera arrives to meet his child for the first time, it’s clear he’s wildly out of his depth! Until he makes a temporary proposition—come with him to Italy as the boy’s nanny. Monique never anticipated her impulsive yes could be the start of something more permanent…!
