Carrying the Lost Heir's Child - Jules Bennett (HD # 2352 - Jan 2015)

Series: Barrington Trilogy (Book 3)

"I'm pregnant."

Two words that will rock one man's world forever.

On location for a film about a horse-racing dynasty, Lily Beaumont is drawn into a sizzling affair with sexy stablehand Nash James. Now she has to trust him with the truth about their baby.

Even though the undercover millionaire is on a mission against his hated rival, he won't walk away from Lily or their unborn child. It will mean coming clean about his true identity--and the decades-old secret that brought him to Virginia horse country. But will the truth cost him the woman and family he now craves?

I thought this was the most emotional one of the three books in the series. When Nash first appeared in Single Man Meets Single Mom, I suspected he was going to play a big part in the series. I wasn't even surprised at his relationship with the family, as secret babies aren't unusual. But there was so much more than that to who Nash was and what he was looking for.

Nash and Lily have been indulging themselves in a steamy affair. The movie she's filming is due to end soon, and that is when they planned to end their affair. Nash expected that Lily would be long gone before he was ready to reveal his identity to Damon Barrington. Lily's news brings a whole new level of complications to his plans. 

Nash and Damon had been business rivals for a couple years before Nash found out about his relationship with him. His plan had originally been to learn what Damon's plans for the future are, figure out how to acquire some of Damon's horses for his own breeding program, then leave. Once he learned of their connection, he also wanted to see what Damon was like on a personal level. Though he loved his mother, he had always felt the lack of family in his life, and he found himself envying the relationship between Damon and his daughters.

Nash had not expected Lily to become such an important part of his life. With the news of her pregnancy, he knew he wanted to stay involved with her. He wasn't going to walk away from their child or from Lily. I loved when he told her "I think you're everything I didn't know I was looking for, and more than I deserve." I loved seeing how determined he was to take care of her. His deception was eating him up, but he was having a hard time getting up the courage to confess, fearing what her reaction would be. His fears were well founded, and the pain he went through as he tried to win her back was intense. This part had me going through several tissues. I liked that he owned up to his mistakes and didn't try to weasel out of the consequences. 

Lily had started the affair with Nash knowing that it would end. She hadn't planned to fall in love with him, and a baby definitely wasn't in her plan either. Her biggest fears right now are that the media would somehow find out. At the beginning of her career she had fallen for a man who had lied to her and embroiled her in a media firestorm. She dreads the idea of it happening again and is afraid of what would happen to her relationship with Nash. She's happy that he's not upset about the baby, but she can't figure out how they can make a continued relationship work. She's surprised by his take charge attitude regarding her well being and fights it a bit. She's an independent woman who is used to being in control of her life, but soon finds leaning on Nash a little isn't so bad.

With the pregnancy comes a desire to know more about Nash. She realizes that neither of them has done much talking when they're together. It doesn't take her long to realize that he's hiding something from her and that starts to work on her fears. When he confesses his parentage, she's upset that he hadn't told her before, but they move on pretty quickly. It's not long before she gets the feeling that there is something more, and that confession devastates her. She had had bad experiences with her stepfather, another rich man, and to find out that Nash shared some of those same characteristics broke her heart. She wasn't sure she could ever trust him again, even though she couldn't stop loving him. I liked the way that she cared enough to give him a chance to show her how he had changed. The epilogue was great, with an unexpected twist at the wedding.

Single Man Meets Single Mom - Jules Bennett (HD #2325 - Sept 2014)

Series: Barrington Trilogy (Book 2)  Billionaires and Babies (Book 49)

From player to…daddy?

Hollywood agent Ian Schaffer could have his pick of gorgeous women. So he's totally thunderstruck by the intensity of his attraction to horse trainer Cassie Barrington. The single mom, with her luscious curves and unadorned beauty, is so much hotter than the bombshells he's used to. But it's her vulnerability and passion that the jaded player finds utterly irresistible -- and that sets off alarm bells, because Ian's as commitment-shy as they come. A woman with a child is absolutely off-limits! Too bad the voluptuous mom has Ian aching to break all his old rules….

Fantastic book that starts out with a sizzle and just keeps getting better. Ian has come to Stony Ridge Farms to check in on one of the actors he's the agent for, and to try to sign the actress s her who is his costar. He just happens to be in the right place to catch Cassie as she falls from a broken ladder. Both are hit with an instant attraction, but each has a different reaction to it. Ian is immediately interested in pursuing her, with the intention of indulging in a bit of a fling while he's there. Cassie has every intention of resisting, as she's a single mom whose daughter is her whole life. But fate has them trapped together in a locked attic overnight, and the chemistry is just too hard to resist.

Morning brings rescue, but also shines some light onto the issues that both Ian and Cassie have. Ian is confronted with the fact that Cassie has a child, something that he avoids at all costs. He initially thinks that Cassie is like his mother, palming her child off on others so that she can do what she wants. He quickly learns the truth, but the damage is done and he has to decide if he's willing to try to fix things. Cassie has her own baggage to deal with. Her husband walked out on her shortly after the baby was born, after cheating on her and blaming her for it. She also feels less than attractive, as she still has some "baby weight" she hasn't been able to get rid of. To top it all off, Ian is five years younger than she is. She's sure that there's no way he'd actually be interested in her.

I have to say that I loved Ian. He's good looking, successful, has a sense of humor and underneath the Hollywood reputation he's actually a pretty nice guy. One of my favorite things about him was that he liked Cassie just as she was. He preferred her curves to the stick thin Hollywood types and he had no trouble showing her so, over and over. I also loved seeing him with little Emily. Once he got over the shock and admitted to himself that there was more to what he and Cassie had than sex, he really got into the whole baby gig. It was adorable to see him really enjoying the little moments. He was falling and falling hard, when Cassie's ex showed up and started to make trouble. My heart just broke as he tried to do what he thought was right for Cassie and Emily.

One of the best things about Cassie was that she felt so real. She's a single mom dealing with the same things that moms everywhere deal with. She has the body issues from being pregnant. She deals with the exhaustion of being the only parent, even though she has the support of her family. But through it all she is giving Emily all the love and care she has to give. I loved seeing those sweet moments, like taking Emily for her first ride, and the quiet rocking of putting her to sleep, balanced out by the other side such as the screaming teething times. I loved the strength she showed in doing what she had to do. When Ian came into her life, she wasn't quite sure what to do with him. The attraction she felt was unlike anything she had felt for her ex, but she wasn't going to allow herself to fall for another charmer. That night in the attic she allowed herself to be someone she'd never been before, and while she certainly enjoyed it, it also scared her. Ian's actions the next morning hurt her, but she couldn't help but accept his apology later. When he continued to pay attention to her, and made her feel special in a way she never had, her heart started to get involved. But when it became clear that Emily was becoming just as important to him, her heart became his. Her ex's reappearance created a huge problem, but Cassie dealt with it beautifully. The ending was fantastic.

I also enjoyed seeing couples from previous books. Cassie's sister Tessa plays a pretty good part in helping Cassie and Ian along, as well as being a great example to Cassie. Max is there because of the movie and his wife makes a brief appearance, as do Bronson and Anthony and their families. All of them are examples to Ian that it is possible to have a family life and a Hollywood career.

When Opposites Attract... - Jules Bennett (HD #2316 - July 2014)

Series: Barrington Trilogy (Book 1)

"When I want something, I find a way to make it mine."

After a near-fatal accident, Hollywood hotshot Grant Carter never imagined returning to the equestrian world. But producing a movie about a racing dynasty means he has no choice. Luckily Tessa Barrington, star jockey, provides the distraction he needs--feisty attitude, stunning looks...and a surprising innocence he can't resist.

Tessa won't give herself to just any man, especially a smooth-talking player like Grant. Once filming wraps, how can she trust he'll stick around? He's already keeping secrets. Besides, Tessa has her eye on bigger prizes...unless falling in love is the biggest prize of all, for both of them.

Another terrific movie-world story from Jules Bennett. This time we have Grant Carter, who is co-producing a movie with Bronson Dane (Caught in the Spotlight) and Anthony Price (Whatever the Price). Being back in the equestrian world is hard on him, but if he wants his chance he has to do it. Meeting Tessa helps get his mind off his issues there, but opens up a whole different set of problems. Tessa isn't interested in getting involved with Grant. She's too intent on her own dreams, plus she just ended a relationship with another charmer.

I admit it took me a few chapters to warm up to Grant. He has enough of a reputation that there is a clause written into his contract that forbids him from getting involved with anyone involved in the movie. But the first thing he does when he gets there is hit on Tessa, ignoring her when she tells him she's not interested. Tessa is in the middle of training for the racing season and has no time to waste on a guy like Grant. Though she can't deny the attraction she feels for him, she's very wary of getting involved.

Grant and Tessa are extremely different. Thanks to his work and the past he is running from, Grant is very much a city oriented man. Tessa knows this about him (I love the way she calls him Slick). He also carries a tremendous amount of guilt over something that happened years earlier. That event affects his relationship with Tessa as he tries to deal with what she does. As his feelings for her grow, he has to face his past or risk losing her. He also has to deal with that contract clause, which forces the two of them to keep their relationship secret. I loved seeing some of the things that Grant did for Tessa as he got to know her better. There were times when he was really sweet.

Tessa is a country girl. Nothing makes her happier than being out on the track with her horses or riding across their land. She'd had a relationship with a man who was more interested in what she could do for him than in who she was. He had tried to make her change to suit what he needed. When she met Grant she didn't want to get involved with another city guy. She tries to fight her attraction to Grant, but it's just too strong. She knows he won't be sticking around after the movie is done but she's willing to risk her heart. She can tell that there is something bothering him, but he resists opening up to her. Once he does, she knows what is driving him and she doesn't want it to come between them, but it does. 

Grant's emotions during those later scenes were intense and seeing what he went through was heart wrenching. It really made me root for him getting everything he wanted. I loved the support he got from Bronson and Anthony, and the part they played in the final scene.

In the "Dear Reader" letter at the beginning, Jules alludes to a big surprise in the third book. There is some foreshadowing of it in this book. I have a suspicion and I am looking forward to seeing if I am right.