REVIEW: Claiming his Pregnant Innocent by Maggie Cox

Claiming his Pregnant Innocent by Maggie Cox is a romance set in Italy featuring an illustrator and her landlord who find themselves in a fix when an episode of passion leads to pregnancy.

Bastian Carrera is determined to have a portion of his land certified for use to grow organic olives but first he must find places for the tenants renting cottages on the property that will be torn down to make way for the olive groves. When he approaches Lily, a recently divorced woman who is six months into a two year lease to convince her to find a new place, their first meeting becomes much more significant when they succumb to a mutual passion. Bastion leaves for Brazil on a six week trip while giving Lily time to decide her next move, during which time she discovers she is pregnant.

Upon Bastian’s return, Lily has moved on to a new place to make way for his plans, but also shares with him her surprising news. While Bastian doesn’t believe in love, he is firm that he plans to support her and her child and proposes marriage. Lily is accepting of his desire to support the child, but she’s not sure that a loveless marriage is the answer. Can Bastian convince her to give him a chance? And will it lead to a future even better than they’d both hoped?

I found the plot pacing of this novel to be a bit odd, as well as their first encounter. It’s one thing to expect a one night stand out of a blind date or a hookup at a bar – it’s quite another to have your first meeting with a landlord in mid-day end up with a roll in the sheets, and in the case of the heroine, a loss of her virginity to a stranger as well. I’m not discounting her choice to be involved with Bastian though he does come across quite forcefully, but it’s a strange start. By the 20 percent mark the pregnancy is well on its way, and marriage is proposed, leaving a large portion of the story to work out the details of the wedding (which Lily at first protests) and deal with other small plot points. It seemed as though the story could have been half as long and come to the same end.

While Bastian and Lily share some heated scenes together, the falling in love part takes a bit more time, which is at least a more realistic outcome. Bastian had a cheating ex-wife which has soured him on love in relationships. Lily was also married to a man who viewed her more as a friend. She discovered he was gay on their wedding night and they never had sex, explaining how she was still a virgin when she met Bastian. Both have encounters with their exes that provide the fuel for some jealously laden scenes as they sort out their true feelings for each other. They get their happy ending, complete with a sweet epilogue. The Italian setting is quite lovely and makes for a nice backdrop to what ends up being a pleasant but not overly exciting romance.

Book Info:

Publication: May 22, 2018 | Harlequin Presents |

I’m expecting your baby.”
Lily has no choice–she must marry Bastian!
When Lily meets the landlord threatening to evict her, she doesn’t expect gorgeous tycoon Bastian Carrera! Heated antagonism leads to an extraordinarily sensual encounter, and shocking consequences. To claim his child–and the woman with whom he found such bliss–Bastian demands Lily meet him at the altar. But with only his ring to give, can she ever truly be his?