Claiming His Own by Olivia Gates

 

Reviewed by Desere

A hot sexy Russian hero, a super fabulous plot with lots of twists and turns and an explosive ending that will leave you in complete awe, yes this book had it all and so much more.

Definitely one of the most intense reads of the year! The book tells the story of Caliope and Maksim, brought together by a fierce attraction their raging passionate nights leads to Cali becoming pregnant but instead of the normal he will do anything to be with her and the baby the author took this read in a whole other direction.

Maksim will claim the child as his heir but does not want to be part of it's life, but he will be around for Cali as long as she will have him.

So when he suddenly disappears Cali is convinced something terrible happened to him, after all he said he would be with her till their passion fades with the baby only in the background
( yes I know this sounds incredible and believe me it was the plot of the year).

A year goes by and suddenly Maksim is back, but standing on Cali's doorstep is not the man she fell in love with, he is only half the man she knew, when he reveals the reason for leaving Cali is not only in shock but also a state of utter confusion., Maksim wants her and the baby and a marriage. Why now and not before? And how is she meant to make this decision without it being a direct reflection to her mother's past?

The character of Maskim was truly mind blowing-ly fascinating! I truly could not get enough of this hero. Strong, sexy and confident the one minute and helpless and a heap of sorrow the next. His reasoning for taking off then just popping back up made him a very intriguing hero and his kind and caring nature touched my heart.

But what I found most fascinating was the inner battle he fights with himself in wanting to be with Cali but not wanting to hurt her. This reminded me that in real life it is what each and everyone of us do, we want, need and crave but in an attempt to not face failure we try to control the future and of course this is impossible and in the process our attempts cause more damage.

The character of Cali was brilliant. Strong and always ready to push for what she wants and needs, but also always alert to know when it is time to stop pushing and rather start re-directing those in her life ready to meddle in her happiness. I absolutely adored how the author let Cali have this hangup with her mother and the actions she takes in life, it showed her as I think most woman are, afraid to turn into their mothers yet when faced with similar circumstances the true understanding into their mothers actions becomes a clear and very vivid reality, opening the road to understanding.

The backdrop settings were simply amazing! Each and every setting was mouthwatering, laced with so much vivid description it left me in a state of wonder and wanting to be right there to see what was being described, but with the exquisite descriptions it was as if I truly was!

The dialogue was filled with such heartbreaking emotion and intensity it left me in tears more than once both of sorrow and joy. The most amazing of all was the twists and turns of this read, just when I thought I had it figured out the author would take it to a whole new level which reminded me that this is exactly what real life is like, it is never the perfect road , and therefore this read was as real as it gets and I found it simply brilliant.

But it did also leave me with quite a number of stares in my direction when a twist happened and I would shout out a big ear piercing "NO!" yes I truly believe the others in the room thought me completely mad. For me this just meant that the author truly wrote a masterpiece and I was completely entranced.

I am taking away a message of  tragedy can strike at any time and our perfect happy lives can become bleak and meaningless but we have no control of the when or where or what and for this reason it is of the highest importance to always live each day to the fullest and be with the ones we love for tomorrow they may be gone.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance so intense and filled with the wonder of life, you will be in trapped in world of pure brilliant romance! Sensual, sexy, passionate, spicy and simply beautiful!

5 star review

" Claiming his family brings him back to life" 

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Reviewed by Nancy Crocker

In Olivia Gates latest book Claiming His Own: We find Maksim and Caliope who first meet across a crowded room. And agree to a friend’s with benefits type relationship. Neither one is interested in anything serious, for personal reasons.

When Cali accidently becomes pregnant a year into their relationship she has already managed to fall in love with Maksim. When she confesses she is pregnant she is shocked by his reaction, but agrees to his terms. She just was not prepared for him to walk away without a word.

Maksim had what he believed to be very good reasons for walking away from Cali. One year later he is back. But this is where the story really takes off. And we learn why Maksim made the choices he did. Maksim is back and he wants to be a father to their son.

Just when you believe all will end well between these two, this story takes a very emotional rollercoaster ride. And this reader was holding her breathe and praying for a great outcome. Then Maksim once again breaks Cali’s heart.

Olivia does any amazing job of writing characters with deep emotions. She was able to showcase their strengths and weaknesses and the passionate obsession with each other. She also was able to take this reader along on the trip to Russia. Without giving too much away Olivia described a special occasion that took place while in Russia with great detail.

Favorite line:

“ Ya ocheen skoocha po tebyeh, moya dorogoya.”

I missed you so terribly, my darling.

5/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.

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Reviewed by Nas

CLAIMING HIS OWN by Olivia Gates is a Harlequin Desire release for November 2013.

Caliope Sarantos and Maksim Volkov discover their scorching hot passion for each other. And get into a no-commitment fling.

But with Cali getting pregnant, it would of course have to change. Yet Maksim walks away from her and her baby. So would Cali take him back when he comes?

Would Cali let him meet his son?

CLAIMING HIS OWN is a lively contemporary romance with a strong heroine you will love and want to cherish and a gorgeous bad boy hero you are sure to swoon over. Author Olivia Gates brings to live this sparkling tale of second chance romance with all the sensuality and tension which is her trademark!

Highly recommended and well worth reading!

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 Review by TashNz

Claiming His Own by Olivia Gates is one of the most intense-est, highly emotional and gripping reads I've had the pleasure in reading in quite a while.  The opening chapter alone took me on a ride from complete and utter happiness to sheer devastation in a heartbeat.  And that's just the start.  Olivia has done a fantastic job of taking me on a total roller-coaster of a ride.  One minute I'm happy Caliope is feeling on top of the world, next minute I'm almost throwing myself on the floor sobbing at the unfairness of life, thru to wide eyed wonder and what Maksim has been thru (both past and present).

I heap the praise on Olivia Gate's writing.  I think Olivia has done an outstanding job at making the Russian language sound so beautiful and romantic.  The words just roll off Maksim's lips and they just sound devine. Olvia's skill at describing feelings is so realistic.  I could feel the pain each person suffered.  A couple of words made me clearly remember what it was like to have a newborn baby and no Daddy in the picture and the utter loss and uselusness one feels when this occurs due to no fault of your own.  The descriptions of Maksim as he told his stories, oh wow!  The heart dropping moments and the happy moments, brilliantly written.

Absolutely LOVED the way the first chapter opened.  Wow!  It was a fantastic set up because it really did portray Maksim as a king on top of the world, what he wants he gets, he's fearless and strong with a massive presence about him.  Caliope was a great female character, she knows the score with Maksim and the moment leading up to her telling Maksim she's pregnant had my heart pounding in wonder of how he'd react.

Dont let the cover fool you, this is not a sweet and lovey-dovey baby mama romance book, it's a powerful and passionate ride where your heart is torn in two with every flick of the page.  If you're a fan of Sweet Romance this is not the book for you.  If you love depth, angst, emotion, mixed in with sheer pleasure, happiness and wonder, then this IS the book for you :)

Royal Baby Collection by Various Authors ~~ Overview

                                                             Series Overview                      
                                                    The Royal Baby Collection 
                                              The Celebration of Royal Babies From 
                                                              All Over The World

Overview by Desere

Babies, babies and more babies! The series is all about how the royal's from around the world find themselves suddenly thrown together by the power of a new life.

From the the very far corners of the world six talented authors bring us the short stories of six couples who all have each have one incredible night that leads to a lifetime of happiness, but only after all obstacles have been cleared, and there are many, tradition, laws, arranged marriages, no talk of love, past hurt and anger it's all there!

In Sheikh's Baby Bombshell by Melanie Milburne we meet Abby, out on the prowl for one night of incredible hot sex with a stranger to ward of old memories and pain, what she finds is Talib. He turns her life upside down in and out of bed. But Abby is not up for settling for marriage without love.

In His Pregnant Mistress by Maisey Yates we see how Princess Alys who one night gathers all her courage and goes after the man she loves, only her bodyguard Liam is not interested in her heart he is only there for her body, and this princess will have to offer up everything to prove a point.

In Scorsolini Baby Scandal by Lucy Monroe Kiki and Mich each hide their royal titles in order to be loved for who they really are, but when the truth is revealed it might destroy or cement their relationship , only their love for each other will show the way forward.

In The Queen's Nine Month Scandal by Abby Green the pure pressure of being ruler of a country since the age of nine and always being guarded and never truly alone leads Queen Analia to run for one night straight into the arms of Daniel. The no names mask remains on game of incredible sex turns to a very real problem instead of a memory when the Daniel opens the newspaper to find a headline : Virgin Queen Pregnant.

In The Accidental Heir by Susan Stephens we meet Princess Astrid, she went from barely getting by every month to luxuary beyond her wildest dreams. But with her new found magical life comes responsibility to bare a heir, the royal council does not care how or with who , she just needs to get it over with. So when Prince Karl comes along she can hardly resist but will he think she trapped him just because she had no choice or does the Princess truly care?

In His Royal Love Child by Lynn Raye Harris tells the story of young lovers being reunited. But Charlotte is not her mother and being mistress to Prince Luca, she simply will not share the man she loves with another woman, only when she is carrying a part of Luca how can she not take him anyway she can have him. Love is  the strongest emotion.

The books can be read as stand alone's in any order and do not link into each other. In some of the reads I found the author used secondary characters from previous books. Each book contains between five to nine chapters, very short chapters and therefore does not take longer than twenty to thirty minutes to read.

Very entertaining, passionate, sensual and sexy reads, each one great for a afternoon pick me up read!


                                    


                                             

The Queen's Nine Month Scandal by Abby Green -Royal Baby Collection

Reviewed by Desere

Being Queen I am sure must be one of the worst responsibilities to have, you have an entire country depending you. Yes it must be the same for a King but when you are female and something goes wrong chances are a remark such as "If she were a man, none of this would have happened" are bound to pop up, and I think it will take a exceptionally strong woman to handle it, without tumbling to the ground.

In the new read from Abby Green she delves in the world of Queen Analia . She has been the country's ruler since the age of nine. She has always stuck the rules, putting her people and their needs first, never taking any time for herself. And because she has always been guarded with a bodyguard not less than five feet from her, she has also never had the chance to find passion in the arms of a man.

Soon she will marry her selected Prince, the mere thought of him kissing her turns her stomach inside out. But she has no choice, it is for her people. Suddenly she realises how trapped she feels and sneaks out to a masked ball. No one will recognise her with her mask and she wants just one night of freedom. Her freedom comes in the form of in-my-arm-you-will-find-heaven Daniel.

They share a few hours of incredible passion together, however they go by the names of Sasha and Alexandra and the Queen keeps her mask in place. Making love with a stranger seems easier for Queen Analia , she can simply walk away from any feelings this man is able to create, and before the night is through she is gone and Daniel wakes up to a empty bed feeling none of the peace he did when she was in his arms. He has to find her, but how do you find a nameless, masked dream lover? The answer hits him as a international newspaper headline, Virgin Queen pregnant!".

The character of Queen Analia was very well written and I felt true compassion and sadness for her. Having to rule a country your entire life, being watched, and all your personal decisions made for you by a royal board of advisers, not to mention having to ensure that your country is always placed first ahead of yourself. I would not be able to do this, as I am sure most woman would not even want to try, and I truly felt like erupting into tears are her loneliness!

Analia was not as fearless as I would have expected a Queen to be, but the author showed this is due to her always being watched and her every move controlled , I understood why she feels she needs to remain perfect. I loved that she finds the courage to step away from her nickname even if just for one night and never to be revealed to the world.

The character of Daniel was a total swoon worthy hero. He is hot and powerful, arrogant and a force to be reckoned with , yet he also has his heart firmly guarded against pain. He does not trust anyone and never will. I loved that the author made him a badboy with a past of hurt, and that she lets his restlessness shine through the way he lives. Reckless and seeking, until he finds the peace he has been craving. I adored that the author lets him take what he wants and go where he wants , it made him almost more of action hero and he brought to the read that certain edginess needed to hotten up the lonely guarded Queen.

The backdrop settings was hot and passionate, from the hotel room where the real world fades away and the characters are simply two strangers finding pleasure and a connection stronger than life it self in each others arms right up to the moment of truth with the entire world watching. The dialogue was mysterious, sexy and emotional, the author made sure to include as many various lines as possible in a five chapter read.

I received the message of when you seek peace and cannot find it , don't stop keep going you never know, your peace might just come walking through the door and straight into your arms. Believe in love it will teach you how to trust again and most importantly never let the world forget you are still human even if you are the Queen, you do need some time to simply be you.

I highly recommend this read for all Abby Green fans and for those who love a good royal scandal. A very sexy twenty minute read guaranteed to leave you wanting to very much be Queen just to be in the arms of this badboy.

4.5 star review
"Going from virgin to scandal in just one night"