Can a playboy billionaire…
…capture her heart?
Bree has escaped the big city to heal her heart in a village bakery. But when notorious billionaire Theo walks through the door, emotionally guarded Bree discovers it’s not just her toffee pudding that’s hot and sweet! The man behind the headlines is charming but intriguingly cynical about love. Accepting his invitation to Paris could be a mistake—or the best decision she’s ever made…
| Title: | The Billionaire Behind the Headlines |
| Author: | Rachael Stewart |
| Series: | Claiming the Ferrington Empire (Book 2) |
| Pages: | 256 |
| Category / Genre(s): | Harlequin / Mills & Boon True Love |
| Trope(s): | Forced / Close Proximity Opposites Attract Billionaire Romance |
| Point of View: | Third Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h) |
| Location: | Yorkshire, UK & Paris, France |
| HEA: | ✔️ |
| Release Date: | UK/AUS: 7th July, 2022 / USA/CA: 26th July, 2022 |
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Delicious, heart-warming romance
First off – this is the second book in a DUO of books about two brothers finding the loves of their lives. They each stand alone with a different brother / story for each book. I would hate to think that someone would see the word DUET and pass on this or the previous story (Secrets Behind the Billionaire’s Return) because they thought they were one story in two parts. And if you did that, you’d be missing out on a couple of excellent, top-notch stories from my bona-fide author girl-crush, Rachael Stewart.
Bree and Theo’s story takes place at the same time as the end of Felicity and Sebastian’s story which was nice as it reminded me of their lovely second chance romance. For Bree and Theo, it’s their first time meeting and there’s an instant spark between our pair. Bree is a former city girl who came to a small Yorkshire village to start afresh and help with her aunt and uncle’s bakery. While Theo is a successful, rich and deliciously hot playboy who has returned to the village where his family estate lies, pursued by the paparazzi. At first glance, our pair are very much opposites.
Although there is definitely a connection and chemistry between our couple, the romance starts off slowly as our pair really get to know each other. I loved this time, when they were pretty much stuck together alone (or with a cute little buddy) and they could show their real personalities.
At first I thought Bree was, despite her city-slicker past, a sweet and shy village girl, bowel over by the gorgeous playboy. And while she is much of that, she also had the guts to take what she wanted once she built up her confidence. It’s not something that I could necessarily identify with but I was cheering her on for being brave and believing in her own appeal.
“…had all the elements you could ever want from a Mills & Boon Romance.”
For all that he was a gorgeous playboy with a cheeky, charming personality, it’s clear quite early on that he has layers that put an onion to shame. He has some deep scars from his childhood and from some events in his life – in the past and more recently. I really felt for him and loved to see him opening up to Bree and becoming the best version of himself. His doubts felt honest and real, leading to the time that they break everything apart.
I’ve mentioned a lot about how much chemistry and tension I felt between Theo and Bree so I was gutted when the bedroom door stayed closed for us. Actually, I’m not even sure I saw the door leading to the stairs to where the bedrooms were located. Le sigh. The story was still fantastic without any sex scenes but I know how awesome Ms Stewart is at writing the good stuff so I know it would’ve been fab.
Like I said, this was a fantastic read and it had all the elements you could ever want from a Mills & Boon Romance; There’s chemistry, emotion, an engrossing and engaging story, obstacles for our characters to overcome, all leading to the kind of happily ever after that makes your heart sigh and little hearts float around your head. Rachael Stewart has once again penned a delight of a story that I am convinced you will love as much as I did. Grab it, along with the first in the series, for a really fab, satisfying time. 5 swoon-worthy stars.
*I received this book in exchange for my honest review.*
Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heartwarmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.
She’s been writing since she could put pen to paper as the stacks of scrawled on A4 sheets in her loft will attest to, and the lovingly bound short stories that her father would run off at work and proudly share out with his colleagues. Thinking it was a pipe dream to be published one day, she pursued a sensible career in business but she was really play-acting, achieving the appropriate degree and spending many years in the corporate world where she never truly belonged. Always happiest when she was sat at her laptop in the quiet hours tapping out a story or two. And so here she is, a published author, her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.
A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she’s not glued to her laptop, she’s wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.
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Claiming the Ferrington Empire Series
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