Everyone believes the headlines, why shouldn’t they?

Synopsis

In Rachael Stewart’s latest Harlequin Romance, the second in her Claiming the Ferrington Empire duet, an invitation to Paris with a billionaire is on the cards, but only if Bree is brave enough to take it…

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…

My review

Theo Ferrington/ Dubois comes at the rescue when his brother Sebastian returns back to the Ferrington Manor to claim it.
He didn’t do it only to help out his brother, but also to escape Paris where his reputation is that of being a billionaire player.
The last thing he expected was to meet Bree, Flick’s best friend who escaped from London herself after getting her heart broken.
But spending time together at the B&B, Theo doesn’t only enjoy being just Theo, not the billionaire again, but he surely enjoys the company.
However, with no interest in any kind of relationship, and Bree not letting her guard down, will something come from spending all that time together? And will they also turn into a cliché, like they say themselves, or is just enjoying themselves for the time being enough? 

Soooooo… Theo…. Where shall I start?
Theo is not the complete stranger, as we have got some glimpses of him in the first book of this series already. And even if he wasn’t the main protagonist there, sparks already flew around him and Bree, so yes, I absolutely had to read their story!!!!  

Bree is the kind of woman everyone wants to have as a best friend. Not only would she do everything for Flick, but she is also very protective of her, and Flick’s daughter Angel.
Poor who dares to hurt any of her loved ones!
But Bree also got burned in the past, and her ex made her feel unworthy, which in my opinion is just utter nonsense!
Because Bree is just amazing! She is kind, caring, loving, funny, and also hilarious whenever she accidentally says out loud what she is thinking!
I also appreciated how she didn’t start reading online abut Theo or Sebastian, but wants to get to know the person in front of her all by herself. 

So obviously, for Theo, Bree is like a breath of fresh air. Because Theo has his reputation against him, and the headlines surely enjoy to point out what a player he is.
But Theo isn’t just a billionaire player… And Bree sees easily, just like us, behind the façade. Can it be any more clearer than the way he looks after Becca?
It surely made my ovaries explode! 

While being back home, his guilt only increases as he realizes what consequences his past actions had. But guilt is something ugly, because it comes even when it is not applicable… 

I absolutely loved seeing Bree and Theo together. They go from being wary, to give in the attraction, fighting of not becoming a cliché (you’ll know what I mean when you read this book!) yet obviously becoming one! 

Both characters are fighting against growing feelings, but don’t we all know that is an impossible task? Because the heart doesn’t take orders from the head. And even if the heart got broken, that doesn’t mean it cannot be healed anymore.
And no matter how hard we try to hide our true selves, the right person sees right behind that mask (and headlines) and sees who we really are.

Rachael Stewart managed again to write a captivating story, with maybe less heated described in it. But the heat sparks from the pages anyway. And that is a talent this author has, with a few words, you completely turn into a puddle, imagining smouldering looks, innuendos and just great characters!