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Innocent Wives #2
Ruthlessly Bedded, Forcibly Wedded
Multimillionaire Vincenzo Valentini believed Cara Brosnan played a role in his sister's downfall. He sought her out to make her pay. He seduced her, revealed his identity—and cruelly discarded her.
But Cara has done no wrong. She's shocked and mortified that she gave her virginity so willingly to the ruthless Vincenzo. To make matters worse, she's just discovered she's expecting—and now the dark-hearted Italian is claiming her once more…this time as his wife!
But Cara has done no wrong. She's shocked and mortified that she gave her virginity so willingly to the ruthless Vincenzo. To make matters worse, she's just discovered she's expecting—and now the dark-hearted Italian is claiming her once more…this time as his wife!
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2009
232 people are currently reading
2,679 people want to read
About the author
Abby Green
891books586followersAbby Green spent her teens reading Mills & Boon romances. She then spent many years working in the Film and TV industry as an Assistant Director. One day while standing outside an actor's trailer in the rain, she thought: "there has to be more than this". So she sent off a partial to Mills & Boon. After numerous rewrites, they accepted her first book and an author was born.
She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here
She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
March 11, 2010
Revenge as a plot in a romance has a powerful allure for me. It's built-in tension. And I love tension in my romances. Vincenzo has every reason to hate Cara. He believes that she's partly responsible for his sister's death, and he plans to make her pay. When he meets Cara, he is affected in a way that he's not comfortable with, by her beauty and her appeal, her genuine nature. She doesn't seem like the heartless jade he believes her to be. But he goes ahead with his revenge plan, taking her back to his hotel, sleeping with her, revealing his identity and his revenge the next day, and walking away from her.
Cara is devastated to learn that the man of her dreams was out for revenge. She thought he was an angel to come to take her away from her troubles and her anguish at her brother's death, and the sweet woman he was dating in a car accident that she walks away from without a scratch. She thinks he's a dream come true, but it turns out to be a nightmare.
Two months later, she's back in Ireland, penniless, and pregnant. She goes to Vincenzo's restaurant opening to tell him she's pregnant. He thinks this is just another scam, until she shows him the papers written by her doctor. There's only one thing to be done, marriage. Vincenzo marries Cara with full intentions on keeping her at arms length, except in bed, and with plans to send her on her way with a generous settlement after the baby's born. Because he knows she'll do exactly that. Like his mother coldheartedly walked away to join her lover. But he is thrown for a loop by the genuine sweetness and wealth of spirit and heart that Cara has. He is blown away that she doesn't seem to want his money, when women wanted little but his skills in bed and his money. He is determined to seduce her into his bed and to keep her there. To penetrate the steel cage around her heart that he helped build. But he wants to keep his heart intact in the process.
This book was so intense, so emotional. I couldn't help but love it. I expected a few hours of entertainment, and I got that, but I was also moved. Cara suffered terribly, and I felt her pain. I also felt Vincenzo's confusion at trying to sort through what his past experience told Cara was, and what his eyes, senses, and his heart were determined for him to see. I wanted these two to find each other and to trust in their love for each other. To find peace together.
I have read a couple of other books by Abby Green, but this book put her on the map for me. Her writing in this book packed an emotional punch that made this book a keeper and a Grade A read for me. I came for revenge and passion, and I left with a tender heart. Highly recommended.
Cara is devastated to learn that the man of her dreams was out for revenge. She thought he was an angel to come to take her away from her troubles and her anguish at her brother's death, and the sweet woman he was dating in a car accident that she walks away from without a scratch. She thinks he's a dream come true, but it turns out to be a nightmare.
Two months later, she's back in Ireland, penniless, and pregnant. She goes to Vincenzo's restaurant opening to tell him she's pregnant. He thinks this is just another scam, until she shows him the papers written by her doctor. There's only one thing to be done, marriage. Vincenzo marries Cara with full intentions on keeping her at arms length, except in bed, and with plans to send her on her way with a generous settlement after the baby's born. Because he knows she'll do exactly that. Like his mother coldheartedly walked away to join her lover. But he is thrown for a loop by the genuine sweetness and wealth of spirit and heart that Cara has. He is blown away that she doesn't seem to want his money, when women wanted little but his skills in bed and his money. He is determined to seduce her into his bed and to keep her there. To penetrate the steel cage around her heart that he helped build. But he wants to keep his heart intact in the process.
This book was so intense, so emotional. I couldn't help but love it. I expected a few hours of entertainment, and I got that, but I was also moved. Cara suffered terribly, and I felt her pain. I also felt Vincenzo's confusion at trying to sort through what his past experience told Cara was, and what his eyes, senses, and his heart were determined for him to see. I wanted these two to find each other and to trust in their love for each other. To find peace together.
I have read a couple of other books by Abby Green, but this book put her on the map for me. Her writing in this book packed an emotional punch that made this book a keeper and a Grade A read for me. I came for revenge and passion, and I left with a tender heart. Highly recommended.
August 5, 2016
Haha, it's only been a little over a month since I read this book and already I've forgotten it. I wondered why I gave it 1 star, so I skimmed the ending just to jog my memory.
Ok, without regurgitating the plot (other reviews already give the basics), these are the reasons I didn't like it:
-- He's a jerkoff and she's a doormat who takes all that he dishes out with nary a complaint. Nothing new here, it's just tiresome.
-- He spends the entire book thinking she's one type of person even though she spends the entire book acting the complete opposite of the kind of person he thinks she is.
-- When he finally, fi...nuh...ly, accepts that she isn't at all the bad person he thought she was, he nobly gives her her freedom...cuz he loves her...so he sends her away. And does the author have the jerkoff chase after her?...give her some good grovelling?...put in some kind of effort?...you know, cuz, he should since he just spent the entire book being an a-hole to her. No, no, no, the author doesn't do anything as satisfying as that. No, the heroine gets to the airport only to turn around and go back to the house, put her arms around the jerk and apologize for leaving. I mean, wtf?? Where's his effort? He was still in the same room where she left him when she went to the airport. He didn't have to do anything.
Here's a summary of his efforts throughout the book -- sex her up, treat her like crap, sex her up more, still treat her like crap, let her go, wait for her to come back.
Lazy ass hero.
I'm surprised he didn't have her detail his car and make him a sammich.
In a nutshell, if you're going to have the hero treat the heroine like dirt for the whole book, I want my pound of flesh. He needs to go after her and he needs to grovel. Otherwise, I just wasted hours reading a book that left me irritated and grumpy...and my review and rating are going to reflect that.
May 27, 2021
I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t love this story until I realize that there are two types of revenge stories: cold revenge and hot revenge.
Cold revenge or hot revenge?
In a cold revenge story the hero starts out in control � if he wants the heroine married to him or kidnapped or pregnant � he takes steps to make this happen. There’s a logic* behind the action and a deliberativeness that is deliciously chilling.
*Okay � it’s crazy logic for all of us out here in the real world - but it makes sense to him and oftentimes it’s a plan that been in the works for a long time.
Hot revenge is a hero out of control, doing things he never imagined doing, because his emotions got away with him. It’s a different kind of revenge story because there’s no way for a reader/heroine to anticipate what he’s going to do or where it will backfire for him.
Part of the fun of revenge story (for me at least) is seeing the all-powerful, in control hero brought to his knees by the forces of not-so-logical love and innocence. If the hero’s corroding bitterness is transformed into mercy, forgiveness and love toward those who have wronged him, then all the better.
This is a hot revenge story. The hero acts out of emotion and lashes out at the heroine for his sister’s death. He knows that she isn’t directly responsible, but since her brother (the driver of the car) is dead, the heroine must take his place and be punished. The hero didn’t *plan *on having a one-night stand with her. He went with his emotions (and hormones) and only enacted his revenge of telling her who he was and what he thought of her when he thought of it the next morning. That the heroine reacts with such dismay isn’t based on his careful planning � he just lucked on to a 23 year-old virgin who had been abused by her brother since age 16.
I’m guessing that Abby Green wrote the hero not planning a one-night stand in order to lessen his sin of cruelty and make him more understandable (and forgivable) to the reader. Yes, it makes him more understandable but it also weakens him as an alpha. This is not a man in control � of anything - from what I can tell.
From that one night flows the rest of the story, with both the H/h reacting to events out of their control � her pregnancy, her miscarriage, their childhood backstories. About the only proactive action in this story was that the heroine got her business degree at Open University while she was being held as a virtual slave in her brother’s household. Good for the heroine � it shows some character and foresight. (Something woefully lacking in the rest of the story)
I don’t mean to run down this story. It’s a very emotional read that keeps you riveted to the page until the epilogue. Abby Green skilfully shows us the H/h’s pain and grief as life comes at them. She also does a good job of reforming the hero so that his love for the heroine doesn’t feel like an abrupt about-face. This is a story for the angst lovers out there.
Cold revenge or hot revenge?
In a cold revenge story the hero starts out in control � if he wants the heroine married to him or kidnapped or pregnant � he takes steps to make this happen. There’s a logic* behind the action and a deliberativeness that is deliciously chilling.
*Okay � it’s crazy logic for all of us out here in the real world - but it makes sense to him and oftentimes it’s a plan that been in the works for a long time.
Hot revenge is a hero out of control, doing things he never imagined doing, because his emotions got away with him. It’s a different kind of revenge story because there’s no way for a reader/heroine to anticipate what he’s going to do or where it will backfire for him.
Part of the fun of revenge story (for me at least) is seeing the all-powerful, in control hero brought to his knees by the forces of not-so-logical love and innocence. If the hero’s corroding bitterness is transformed into mercy, forgiveness and love toward those who have wronged him, then all the better.
This is a hot revenge story. The hero acts out of emotion and lashes out at the heroine for his sister’s death. He knows that she isn’t directly responsible, but since her brother (the driver of the car) is dead, the heroine must take his place and be punished. The hero didn’t *plan *on having a one-night stand with her. He went with his emotions (and hormones) and only enacted his revenge of telling her who he was and what he thought of her when he thought of it the next morning. That the heroine reacts with such dismay isn’t based on his careful planning � he just lucked on to a 23 year-old virgin who had been abused by her brother since age 16.
I’m guessing that Abby Green wrote the hero not planning a one-night stand in order to lessen his sin of cruelty and make him more understandable (and forgivable) to the reader. Yes, it makes him more understandable but it also weakens him as an alpha. This is not a man in control � of anything - from what I can tell.
From that one night flows the rest of the story, with both the H/h reacting to events out of their control � her pregnancy, her miscarriage, their childhood backstories. About the only proactive action in this story was that the heroine got her business degree at Open University while she was being held as a virtual slave in her brother’s household. Good for the heroine � it shows some character and foresight. (Something woefully lacking in the rest of the story)
I don’t mean to run down this story. It’s a very emotional read that keeps you riveted to the page until the epilogue. Abby Green skilfully shows us the H/h’s pain and grief as life comes at them. She also does a good job of reforming the hero so that his love for the heroine doesn’t feel like an abrupt about-face. This is a story for the angst lovers out there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2015
Abby Green does it again!!!
A fantastic revenge story with gorgeous and passionate characters and beautiful settings.
Vincenzo Valentini, gorgeous Sicilian heartbroken by his sister’s death.
Cara Brosnan is the sister of the man who caused Vicenzo’s sister’s death.
Vicenzo believes that Cara is responsibility for his loss and decides to take revenge on her by seducing her. After taking her virginity, he cruelly tells her why he slept with her and what a slut she really is. And then takes off without a backward glance!!!
Two months later Cara discovers that she’s pregnant and old Vicenzo is soon on the scene…he marries her because she’s carrying his heir and for nothing else.
But slowly he finds that Cara is nothing like he thought she was!!!! Uh!!!!! Idiot!!!!
Okay, so both have a lot of baggage and they have to sort that out if they are ever to find happiness together!!!!
Naturally, we know that in the end…�
I think I may have liked this book even more the second time I read it!!
A fantastic revenge story with gorgeous and passionate characters and beautiful settings.
Vincenzo Valentini, gorgeous Sicilian heartbroken by his sister’s death.
Cara Brosnan is the sister of the man who caused Vicenzo’s sister’s death.
Vicenzo believes that Cara is responsibility for his loss and decides to take revenge on her by seducing her. After taking her virginity, he cruelly tells her why he slept with her and what a slut she really is. And then takes off without a backward glance!!!
Two months later Cara discovers that she’s pregnant and old Vicenzo is soon on the scene…he marries her because she’s carrying his heir and for nothing else.
But slowly he finds that Cara is nothing like he thought she was!!!! Uh!!!!! Idiot!!!!
Okay, so both have a lot of baggage and they have to sort that out if they are ever to find happiness together!!!!
Naturally, we know that in the end…�
I think I may have liked this book even more the second time I read it!!
July 4, 2021
3 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Revenge to Vicenzo—and all Italian men in general—equals seducing the h he hates, making sweet passionate love to her, and then hurling one or two callous insults at her the next morning before promptly abandoning her…ONLY to propose marriage to her when he learns she is with his child!
Ah, the predictability of these salaciously foolish Italian men! Though I guess we should be grateful Vicenzo wasn’t in the habit of stalking unsuspecting girls in the darkness of the night, asking questionable things like, ‘ArE yOu lOsT, baBy gIrL?�
Thank God for small mercies!💀
Revenge to Vicenzo—and all Italian men in general—equals seducing the h he hates, making sweet passionate love to her, and then hurling one or two callous insults at her the next morning before promptly abandoning her…ONLY to propose marriage to her when he learns she is with his child!
Ah, the predictability of these salaciously foolish Italian men! Though I guess we should be grateful Vicenzo wasn’t in the habit of stalking unsuspecting girls in the darkness of the night, asking questionable things like, ‘ArE yOu lOsT, baBy gIrL?�
Thank God for small mercies!💀
February 19, 2014
This inhabits the same shelves as quite a number of my guilty pleasure HPs. The plot, on the surface, is also very familiar.
Greek or Italian tycoon hero believes heroine and/or heroine's family are responsible for the death of a family member. He tracks her down, seduces her out of her virginity and then drops the bomb that it was just hate sex to satisfy the HP tycoon Gods of family honor, vengeance, yada yada. Heroine turns up pregnant and the tycoon then forces her to marry him through some sort of blackmail scheme. Enough said. We all know the score.
This was essentially that, but it had more depth. I didn't just enjoy it because of the OTT craziness of it all. I actually teared up a few times, something I rarely if ever do when reading an HP.
I don't want to spoil it all, but suffice it to say that this was different. The hero, though arrogant and powerful, had some depth and seemed more human. For one thing, he didn't set out to seduce the heroine. Sometimes that doesn't even make sense beyond the sheer naughty/kinkiness of it.
His plan was to meet her, feel her out, then reveal his identity and force her to spill the entire story of how she and her dead brother had set out to fleece his sister and were both responsible for her death. He just wanted someone to lash out at. He wanted someone to admit responsibility for the death of his sister. There really was no big, complicated, sexy scheme of revenge.
Problem was, Vincenzo found himself very attracted to Cara. They both were in pain and grieving, so they tried to lose themselves in a night of passion. It was only afterwards (disgusted with himself for sleeping with the enemy) that he told her his full name and how much he hated her.
Like I said we all know the score on the rest of the plot, but be prepared for some surprises and some genuine angst/emotion. Highly recommended if you enjoy the revenge HPs.
Greek or Italian tycoon hero believes heroine and/or heroine's family are responsible for the death of a family member. He tracks her down, seduces her out of her virginity and then drops the bomb that it was just hate sex to satisfy the HP tycoon Gods of family honor, vengeance, yada yada. Heroine turns up pregnant and the tycoon then forces her to marry him through some sort of blackmail scheme. Enough said. We all know the score.
This was essentially that, but it had more depth. I didn't just enjoy it because of the OTT craziness of it all. I actually teared up a few times, something I rarely if ever do when reading an HP.
I don't want to spoil it all, but suffice it to say that this was different. The hero, though arrogant and powerful, had some depth and seemed more human. For one thing, he didn't set out to seduce the heroine. Sometimes that doesn't even make sense beyond the sheer naughty/kinkiness of it.
His plan was to meet her, feel her out, then reveal his identity and force her to spill the entire story of how she and her dead brother had set out to fleece his sister and were both responsible for her death. He just wanted someone to lash out at. He wanted someone to admit responsibility for the death of his sister. There really was no big, complicated, sexy scheme of revenge.
Problem was, Vincenzo found himself very attracted to Cara. They both were in pain and grieving, so they tried to lose themselves in a night of passion. It was only afterwards (disgusted with himself for sleeping with the enemy) that he told her his full name and how much he hated her.
Like I said we all know the score on the rest of the plot, but be prepared for some surprises and some genuine angst/emotion. Highly recommended if you enjoy the revenge HPs.
December 15, 2017
***FOUR STARS***
I'm a total sucker for Harlequin Romances done right, and aside from the crappy Title, I totally flipped for this one.
Vincenzo was horrific in his treatment of Cara, and Cara endured it the best she could. She might come off a bit of a doormat to some, but her guilt, self loathing, and low self esteem from years of mistreatment from her brother, worked well in this story for me. I loved Vincenzo's father and the pup that immediately took to Cara, and then eventually loved Vincenzo when he finally pulled his head out of his ass and did his bit of groveling. I read this all in one sitting and hated that it ended.
July 9, 2018
"Ruthlessly Bedded, Forcibly Wedded" is the story of Cara and Vincenzo.
Basically a classic tale of HQN revenge where a
-Cruel hero blames gullible sister's death on h's brother and herself- why? because she did not die in the accident
-Stupid heroine is sooooo overwhelmed that the hot dude gave her attention, that she gives him her hymen..only for him to not give 2 f*cks and discard her
-PREGNANCYYYYYYYY
-"My baby deserves to know his father even though he's a cruel, narcisstic prick who called me a whore"
-Denial, media drama, forced marriage
-Slut shaming, taunts, mental harassment
-
-Draaamaaaaa
-Some sort of deranged/delusional HEA
I did NOT like this one at all. How the hell did this make into a list of best HQNs beats me.
Someone kindly donate a backbone to this heroine, and some brains to this hero.
SWE
1/5 (being generous, it was a zero IMO)
Basically a classic tale of HQN revenge where a
-Cruel hero blames gullible sister's death on h's brother and herself- why? because she did not die in the accident
-Stupid heroine is sooooo overwhelmed that the hot dude gave her attention, that she gives him her hymen..only for him to not give 2 f*cks and discard her
-PREGNANCYYYYYYYY
-"My baby deserves to know his father even though he's a cruel, narcisstic prick who called me a whore"
-Denial, media drama, forced marriage
-Slut shaming, taunts, mental harassment
-
-Draaamaaaaa
-Some sort of deranged/delusional HEA
I did NOT like this one at all. How the hell did this make into a list of best HQNs beats me.
Someone kindly donate a backbone to this heroine, and some brains to this hero.
SWE
1/5 (being generous, it was a zero IMO)
December 29, 2015
Another cruel bastard presented as a hero. I like the alpha male hero as much as the rest, but when the verbal and emotional abuse is so intense it's not much fun.
The hero (hero?) believes that the Cara is partly responsible for the death of his sister so he seduces her. Of course.
His incredibly potent little guys get her pregnant; she finds him, so he marries her and proceeds to treat her like dirt. She kind of holds her own, but his magic penis is too much for her.
He gets a grip and realizes that m-a-a-a-y-y-y-b-e-e-e- she's not an evil woman.
The hero (hero?) believes that the Cara is partly responsible for the death of his sister so he seduces her. Of course.
His incredibly potent little guys get her pregnant; she finds him, so he marries her and proceeds to treat her like dirt. She kind of holds her own, but his magic penis is too much for her.
He gets a grip and realizes that m-a-a-a-y-y-y-b-e-e-e- she's not an evil woman.
May 5, 2016
One of those stories that pulls you into the characters' lives and leaves you wanting more. I really couldn't put it down. Sweet and romantic and the chemistry was electrifying. The happy parts and the sad parts bought tears to my eyes and so did the happy ending!
May 26, 2017
Guilty pleasure satisfied. Innocent sweetheart falling in love with a hard-hearted, cruel, vengeful bastard at first sight to the point of having a one-night stand before everything comes crashing around her as tells her why he seduced her in the first place: she got to walk away without a scratch in that same car crash which killed his little sister and her good-for-nothing drunk-driving brother and he wants to teach her a lesson. Only in romance land would this involve a nice romp in the sack. But I like how the characters developed and and how he slowly realises how wrong he is about her. I got caught up with their angst and drama without going Oh puhleeess. Nice read when you have to stay indoors on a stormy weekend.
December 21, 2009
As much as I read, I'd never heard the term "category romance" until a few days ago, when I discovered the eHarlequin bookstore.. Oh, how my pocketbook is going to regret that discovery lol
There's just something about a short novel that's easy to read, easy to pick back up from where you left off, and that costs less than that Starbucks latte you're sipping on.
Oh how I will regret this discovery lol
So, about the book.
Was our hero all angsty and stubborn and unnecessarily cruel at times? Oh yes.
Was our heroine more than just a little bit of a ? She sure was.
Was it predictable? Full of cliches? More cheesy than a plate full of nachos? Yes indeed.
Did I love it anyway? Absolutely!
As the synopsis says, Vincenzo Valentini believed Cara Brosnan was responsible in part for his sister's death, and sets out to get his revenge.
Things don't go quite as he planned, and he ends up sleeping with her, only to be disgusted by his intense attraction to her and for falling for what he believes to be her black-hearted, whoretastic ways.
So he turns the tables and cruelly reveals his identity, calls her all sorts of nasty names and accuses her of horrible things, then throws her away like the trash he believes her to be.
Poor Cara though, still recovering from grief over her brother's death, is humiliated by Vincenzo's ruthless behavior and betrayal. We fast forward two months and find out that even though Vincenzo used a condom, Cara is uber-fertile and got pregnant.
She confronts Vincenzo (who conveniently happens to be in Dublin celebrating some business something or other -- and where she somehow manages to get past Security to crash a black-tie party in her ratty jeans and t-shirt) and tells him about the pregnancy. He, of course, assumes that this little gold-digger somehow set out to get knocked up and trap him , so he very viciously forces her to marry him (through emotional blackmail) and truly believes that once the baby is born, he'll be able to "buy her off" and have her just walk away from their child.
There were a couple of surprises in there... Don't look at my keywords if you don't want to know.. Ahh, you looked, didn't you? Just couldn't resist, could ya? Well, I warned you :P
Overally I enjoyed it. It was angsty enough to keep things interesting, but nothing too deep. Even the "dark" parts were relatively easy to get through, which makes this an ideal stocking stuffer or escapist read. 3 1/2 Stars
There's just something about a short novel that's easy to read, easy to pick back up from where you left off, and that costs less than that Starbucks latte you're sipping on.
Oh how I will regret this discovery lol
So, about the book.
Was our hero all angsty and stubborn and unnecessarily cruel at times? Oh yes.
Was our heroine more than just a little bit of a ? She sure was.
Was it predictable? Full of cliches? More cheesy than a plate full of nachos? Yes indeed.
Did I love it anyway? Absolutely!
As the synopsis says, Vincenzo Valentini believed Cara Brosnan was responsible in part for his sister's death, and sets out to get his revenge.
Things don't go quite as he planned, and he ends up sleeping with her, only to be disgusted by his intense attraction to her and for falling for what he believes to be her black-hearted, whoretastic ways.
So he turns the tables and cruelly reveals his identity, calls her all sorts of nasty names and accuses her of horrible things, then throws her away like the trash he believes her to be.
Poor Cara though, still recovering from grief over her brother's death, is humiliated by Vincenzo's ruthless behavior and betrayal. We fast forward two months and find out that even though Vincenzo used a condom, Cara is uber-fertile and got pregnant.
She confronts Vincenzo (who conveniently happens to be in Dublin celebrating some business something or other -- and where she somehow manages to get past Security to crash a black-tie party in her ratty jeans and t-shirt) and tells him about the pregnancy. He, of course, assumes that this little gold-digger somehow set out to get knocked up and trap him , so he very viciously forces her to marry him (through emotional blackmail) and truly believes that once the baby is born, he'll be able to "buy her off" and have her just walk away from their child.
There were a couple of surprises in there... Don't look at my keywords if you don't want to know.. Ahh, you looked, didn't you? Just couldn't resist, could ya? Well, I warned you :P
Overally I enjoyed it. It was angsty enough to keep things interesting, but nothing too deep. Even the "dark" parts were relatively easy to get through, which makes this an ideal stocking stuffer or escapist read. 3 1/2 Stars
December 27, 2014
Cara has been living in London with her evil brother since she was sixteen, basically Cinderella~ing for him, in between working as a nightclub hostess and getting herself educated. She’s been a busy girl, but now that evil brother is dead, she’s getting ready to take herself off home to Dublin, where she’ll get herself a decent job and begin her life as an untarnished nice person.
But not so fast. Cara’s brother died in a car accident, his fiancée died too, and only Cara walked away from because she was wearing her seatbelt (like all good hearted heroines do, unless they are in the backs of limos with the hero and he’s getting rather intimate with bits that are usually more safely restrained). Seatbelts save lives.
Cara’s brother’s fiancée (yes, this would be easier with names, sorry) was Vincenzo’s baby sister, and he thinks Cara was in on the evil brother’s plot to take his baby sister’s fortune by eloping with her to Las Vegas, and then brutally divorcing her, leaving her with nothing. It’s an interesting plan. I mean, he could also have brutally stayed married to her, and brutally enjoyed her company as they brutally spent the money together on all sorts of lovely excess and debauchery. They were already drugging together, and either this book was being progressive and it was no big thing to get a little bit high, or: drugs are bad, then you die. Evil brother was also doing hacking and take over bids and evil business stuff against Vincenzo’s company to keep Vincenzo too busy to ride to his sister’s rescue, so Vincenzo is super-furious and wants to get revenge on Cara.
Unless they are relatives or loyal family retainers, women are so evil. When Vincenzo meets Cara she seems particularly dastardly, what with her sitting around in a night club, wearing a dress and chatting to the bartender. Yes, clearly acts of extreme wickedness, and her ability to blush and stammer like a normal girl when a man flirts with her are further evidence of her studied sinisterness.
Vincenzo is not a very rational creature, but then I was hardly expecting him to be, because just look at that title. Ruthlessness and force and rhymes � Cara and Vincenzo are destined to be completely over the top about everything. Vincenzo is immediately super into Cara, even though he spends most of the story telling her that she’s the most evil creature alive, and although Cara doesn’t consider this to be his most attractive feature, he’s got others that are pretty difficult to resist.
Vincenzo seduces Cara by managing to restrain his desire to call her a demoness, and she goes back to his hotel room with him, and oh what bedtimes are had. There is the breeching of the virgin barrier, a burst condom and snuggle times that come to a rather ruthlessly abrupt conclusion. Vincenzo is too busy enjoying wallowing in the irresistible filth that is himself seducing his enemy to notice that there was a hymen at some stage (he’ll remember it later) and uncontained emissions. After it’s all over, he reveals his true identity to Cara, she’s satisfyingly horrified, and they each go their separate ways.
A couple of months later Cara’s pregnant, and she’s in a grotty flat in Dublin, and she can’t get a job. It’s all getting rather desperate really, when she finds out that Vincenzo is in town on rich people business, and she goes to confront him at a rich people function. Vincenzo tells her she’s a liar, that her grotty flat is grotty, and that she must either immediately sign something saying she’s a liar, or come to Italy and get married. Oh, and there’s some complicated stuff about how her evil brother had done something shonky with money and it was in an account in her name, and this sleazy guy in London had made it go away, and was now demanding that Cara pay him back with sex, and Vincenzo will somehow do something about it and then Cara will end up in prison, probably.
I didn’t really get it, but it helped make the high moral ground of ‘not denying my baby its father� into an additional practical ground of ‘avoiding starving in a gutter until I am maybe hauled off to prison, which is probably not good for a baby either. I mean, I’m thinking for two now, it’s big noble obligations for a plucky young redhead.� Cara chooses marriage. To a man who despises her! To a man she would despise herself if he didn’t make her heart beat faster! Gasp!
There’s the obligatory shopping trip once they hit Italy, because Cara has been making do with the good-hearted girl capsule wardrobe of ten painfully drab items. Cara is in mourning, so while she is forced to purchase designer, she buys all these sombre colours, and Vincenzo grits his teeth about it really audibly. It’s all a ploy anyway, to make him think she’s a nice girl, as is her whole acting like a nice girl thing which she just won’t let up on. Honestly, she’s been 24/7 with this being nice BS. Such an evil, sexy, evil gold digging witch. He is going to say something nasty real soon and then immediately demand a night of snuggles, because those are his rights!
Oh these two crazy kids and their moral high grounds. It’s never just the sex with these people, oh no, they have so much in common, are they blind? (yes) They prefer family run restaurants to posh celebrity hang outs. They both think night clubs are the domains of Satan, but know that they must reluctantly pass through their profane portals on legitimately noble business once in a while. They have similar tastes in women’s fashions, jewellery and makeup, they like families and putting the glass in the dishwasher rather than leaving it out for the maid. They also have the intrinsic knowledge that everything that they like is right and proper and good, and everything that they don’t like is the work of nasty pernicious devil people.
I liked them both heaps for being such complete dafties about each other. With the action I have described I’ve barely skimmed the surface of what happens in Italy � as well as pool-side retreats in gorgeous locations, there’s a lot more heartache and emotional wreckage going on. And my eyes most certainly did not tear up in those bits, it was just allergies.
But not so fast. Cara’s brother died in a car accident, his fiancée died too, and only Cara walked away from because she was wearing her seatbelt (like all good hearted heroines do, unless they are in the backs of limos with the hero and he’s getting rather intimate with bits that are usually more safely restrained). Seatbelts save lives.
Cara’s brother’s fiancée (yes, this would be easier with names, sorry) was Vincenzo’s baby sister, and he thinks Cara was in on the evil brother’s plot to take his baby sister’s fortune by eloping with her to Las Vegas, and then brutally divorcing her, leaving her with nothing. It’s an interesting plan. I mean, he could also have brutally stayed married to her, and brutally enjoyed her company as they brutally spent the money together on all sorts of lovely excess and debauchery. They were already drugging together, and either this book was being progressive and it was no big thing to get a little bit high, or: drugs are bad, then you die. Evil brother was also doing hacking and take over bids and evil business stuff against Vincenzo’s company to keep Vincenzo too busy to ride to his sister’s rescue, so Vincenzo is super-furious and wants to get revenge on Cara.
Unless they are relatives or loyal family retainers, women are so evil. When Vincenzo meets Cara she seems particularly dastardly, what with her sitting around in a night club, wearing a dress and chatting to the bartender. Yes, clearly acts of extreme wickedness, and her ability to blush and stammer like a normal girl when a man flirts with her are further evidence of her studied sinisterness.
Vincenzo is not a very rational creature, but then I was hardly expecting him to be, because just look at that title. Ruthlessness and force and rhymes � Cara and Vincenzo are destined to be completely over the top about everything. Vincenzo is immediately super into Cara, even though he spends most of the story telling her that she’s the most evil creature alive, and although Cara doesn’t consider this to be his most attractive feature, he’s got others that are pretty difficult to resist.
Vincenzo seduces Cara by managing to restrain his desire to call her a demoness, and she goes back to his hotel room with him, and oh what bedtimes are had. There is the breeching of the virgin barrier, a burst condom and snuggle times that come to a rather ruthlessly abrupt conclusion. Vincenzo is too busy enjoying wallowing in the irresistible filth that is himself seducing his enemy to notice that there was a hymen at some stage (he’ll remember it later) and uncontained emissions. After it’s all over, he reveals his true identity to Cara, she’s satisfyingly horrified, and they each go their separate ways.
A couple of months later Cara’s pregnant, and she’s in a grotty flat in Dublin, and she can’t get a job. It’s all getting rather desperate really, when she finds out that Vincenzo is in town on rich people business, and she goes to confront him at a rich people function. Vincenzo tells her she’s a liar, that her grotty flat is grotty, and that she must either immediately sign something saying she’s a liar, or come to Italy and get married. Oh, and there’s some complicated stuff about how her evil brother had done something shonky with money and it was in an account in her name, and this sleazy guy in London had made it go away, and was now demanding that Cara pay him back with sex, and Vincenzo will somehow do something about it and then Cara will end up in prison, probably.
I didn’t really get it, but it helped make the high moral ground of ‘not denying my baby its father� into an additional practical ground of ‘avoiding starving in a gutter until I am maybe hauled off to prison, which is probably not good for a baby either. I mean, I’m thinking for two now, it’s big noble obligations for a plucky young redhead.� Cara chooses marriage. To a man who despises her! To a man she would despise herself if he didn’t make her heart beat faster! Gasp!
There’s the obligatory shopping trip once they hit Italy, because Cara has been making do with the good-hearted girl capsule wardrobe of ten painfully drab items. Cara is in mourning, so while she is forced to purchase designer, she buys all these sombre colours, and Vincenzo grits his teeth about it really audibly. It’s all a ploy anyway, to make him think she’s a nice girl, as is her whole acting like a nice girl thing which she just won’t let up on. Honestly, she’s been 24/7 with this being nice BS. Such an evil, sexy, evil gold digging witch. He is going to say something nasty real soon and then immediately demand a night of snuggles, because those are his rights!
Oh these two crazy kids and their moral high grounds. It’s never just the sex with these people, oh no, they have so much in common, are they blind? (yes) They prefer family run restaurants to posh celebrity hang outs. They both think night clubs are the domains of Satan, but know that they must reluctantly pass through their profane portals on legitimately noble business once in a while. They have similar tastes in women’s fashions, jewellery and makeup, they like families and putting the glass in the dishwasher rather than leaving it out for the maid. They also have the intrinsic knowledge that everything that they like is right and proper and good, and everything that they don’t like is the work of nasty pernicious devil people.
I liked them both heaps for being such complete dafties about each other. With the action I have described I’ve barely skimmed the surface of what happens in Italy � as well as pool-side retreats in gorgeous locations, there’s a lot more heartache and emotional wreckage going on. And my eyes most certainly did not tear up in those bits, it was just allergies.
September 28, 2012
Se que no debo leer este tipo de novelones xDD pero están buenos, para pasar el rato y se leen en un suspiro. Es chatarra editorial pero deja buen sabor de boca xD
September 8, 2018
1.5 stars
December 22, 2011
Wanting vengeance for his sister's death, Vincenzo Valentini seeks out the one person he believes had a hand in her demise, Cara Brosnan. Cara is the sister to the man who corrupted and caused the accident that claimed his sister's life.
Cara has never allowed herself to be seduced before, but something about "Enzo" calls to her, maybe it is the thought of easing the pain of the crash or maybe it is the need to be in someones arms. After a night of passionate lovemaking, Cara is blindsided by the cold man who cheapens the loss of her virginity and accuses her of vile acts that are untrue.
Two months later, Cara is pregnant. When Vincenzo finds out he forces a marriage to claim his heir. With animosity running rampant, cracks begin to present themselves as Cara is nothing like the person he has accused her of being and Vincenzo wonders if he has made a grave mistake, hurting the one person who has ignited any passion in him in years.
Vincenzo is an ass throughout half the story, very cold and calculating when it comes to Cara. On the flipside of this though, his lust for her runs rampant and you see the steel wall he has sheltered around himself begin to dent, you eagerly turn the page to see when he is going to finally realize what he has done. Cara tries to be strong throughout the whole ordeal, you see a vulnerable, lonely person who has only ever wanted acceptance. You become invested in this story between Vincenzo and Cara, hoping that they can forgive each other for laying blame where it is not deserved.
Cara has never allowed herself to be seduced before, but something about "Enzo" calls to her, maybe it is the thought of easing the pain of the crash or maybe it is the need to be in someones arms. After a night of passionate lovemaking, Cara is blindsided by the cold man who cheapens the loss of her virginity and accuses her of vile acts that are untrue.
Two months later, Cara is pregnant. When Vincenzo finds out he forces a marriage to claim his heir. With animosity running rampant, cracks begin to present themselves as Cara is nothing like the person he has accused her of being and Vincenzo wonders if he has made a grave mistake, hurting the one person who has ignited any passion in him in years.
Vincenzo is an ass throughout half the story, very cold and calculating when it comes to Cara. On the flipside of this though, his lust for her runs rampant and you see the steel wall he has sheltered around himself begin to dent, you eagerly turn the page to see when he is going to finally realize what he has done. Cara tries to be strong throughout the whole ordeal, you see a vulnerable, lonely person who has only ever wanted acceptance. You become invested in this story between Vincenzo and Cara, hoping that they can forgive each other for laying blame where it is not deserved.
December 13, 2023
I raised the star on reread. When it first started it killed me how he treated her but you could see him falling in love with her all throughout the book. His sister died with her evil brother and Enzo just wanted to lash out someone and he thought the h was cut from the same cloth. But she wasn't. He seduced her and then was vile to her the next morning. She was an innocent Virgin and was not like her brother at all. It was sad. There were some scorchy love scenes too. You could feel the passion. When she confronted him about her pregnancy he forced her to marry him but she lost the baby. That was heartbreaking. I loved the ending though of course and it made me go ahhhhhhhhh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2018
The storyline hooked me in, but I felt there could have been more emotion (angst, passion and romance) than what existed. Luca and Cara certainly lusted after one another, but the falling-in-love part seemed slightly less convincing. My opinion was reinforced by the lack of significant exploration into their romantic feelings and Luca's troubled past.
Luca has to be one of the most cynical heroes I've encountered recently. He thought the worst of Cara. All. The. Time. Once boarded upon The Misunderstanding Train the man stubbornly refused to disembark, dismissing information confirming Cara's innocence because they didn't fit his cynical beliefs about women. So it was really satisfying to see Luca eat humble pie after discovering he'd been so wrong about Cara. Beneath the cynicism lay a decent man after all.
I felt bad for Cara. Not only did Luca hurt her, but she couldn't even rely on her brother. Cara did stand up for herself in some ways, displaying a steely will when it concerned her future.
Luca wasn't the only one to get a second chance. I really disliked the first book I read by Abby Green, so I'm glad I gave her another try!
Luca has to be one of the most cynical heroes I've encountered recently. He thought the worst of Cara. All. The. Time. Once boarded upon The Misunderstanding Train the man stubbornly refused to disembark, dismissing information confirming Cara's innocence because they didn't fit his cynical beliefs about women. So it was really satisfying to see Luca eat humble pie after discovering he'd been so wrong about Cara. Beneath the cynicism lay a decent man after all.
I felt bad for Cara. Not only did Luca hurt her, but she couldn't even rely on her brother. Cara did stand up for herself in some ways, displaying a steely will when it concerned her future.
Luca wasn't the only one to get a second chance. I really disliked the first book I read by Abby Green, so I'm glad I gave her another try!
April 4, 2011
I like Abby Green's books. She's one of better (i.e, imaginative) writers in the new generation of HP writers. But I honestly think she needs work with her finales.
If one was to view HPs like chess (I know, a sacrilege to grandmasters everywhere but I wonder if Polgar sisters read HPs), Ms. Green has excellent openings and riveting middlegames but her endgames can be the bland king and pawn checkmates. I want a king and QUEEN endgame. In this book, Cara the heroine is like a lowly pawn trotting back to the king and apologizing to the king for daring to gasp! walk away. Up until this dumb move, I liked the heroine. He's already wallowing in self-pity for wronging her. What's the point in further enabling that? She should walk away and continue to plod on until he makes up his mind that their relationship is worth fighting for. That SHE is worth fighting for. And he should pursue her instead of drinking into stupor. The heroine has more spine than the hero.
And so it is, the story ends curiously unsatisfactory -- so much like a draw.
If one was to view HPs like chess (I know, a sacrilege to grandmasters everywhere but I wonder if Polgar sisters read HPs), Ms. Green has excellent openings and riveting middlegames but her endgames can be the bland king and pawn checkmates. I want a king and QUEEN endgame. In this book, Cara the heroine is like a lowly pawn trotting back to the king and apologizing to the king for daring to gasp! walk away. Up until this dumb move, I liked the heroine. He's already wallowing in self-pity for wronging her. What's the point in further enabling that? She should walk away and continue to plod on until he makes up his mind that their relationship is worth fighting for. That SHE is worth fighting for. And he should pursue her instead of drinking into stupor. The heroine has more spine than the hero.
And so it is, the story ends curiously unsatisfactory -- so much like a draw.
September 17, 2013
i did not like it though the book was good, entertaining. it's the storyline i did not like at all. vincenzo was such an ass n cara was just a plain doormat, so pitiful her fascination wid him while he humiliated n insulted her. he had the most awful thoughts n intentions towards her haha xd miss abby green tried 2 explain our hero's behaviour at the end. clearly it's traumatic 4 a kid dat his mum left him like dat but it's pathetic dat this can explain his kind of behaviour. he was simply awful n i did not buy dat book.i mean it does not appeal 2 me on any level. der was no grovelling, no forgiving at the end. just he learnt the truth n he says i love u. n dats it ! very very annoying
June 4, 2021
Multimillionaire Vincenzo Valentini believed Cara Brosnan played a role in his sister's downfall. He sought her out to make her pay. He seduced her, revealed his identity--and cruelly discarded her.But Cara has done no wrong. She's shocked and mortified that she gave her virginity so willingly to the ruthless Vincenzo. To make matters worse, she's just discovered she's expecting--and now the dark-hearted Italian is claiming her once more...this time as his wife!
March 20, 2011
A very enjoyable Abby Green. The hero is a jerk in the beginning, loads of mis-understanding, seduction leading to a pregnancy, the usual HP fare. He marries her for family's sake and then gradually starts noticing that she doesn't behave the way he expected her to. Tries to let her go when he realizes the extent of his mistake. As I said a standard HP story-line but well written.
November 11, 2015
قراتها بعنوان الضحية البريئة بترحمة منتدى روايتي
November 25, 2020
*** I am behind on reviews. These questions help me to better organize my thoughts.***
* How did the book make you feel?: I look for angsty reads and this fit the bill.
* How do you feel about how the story was told?: Silly title, entertaining read
* What did you think about the main characters?: The H is a supreme jerk to the h. The h is a bit of a doormat, but it’s a HP!
* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: OTT drama and good groveling
* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: Revenge seduction, virgin h, unplanned pregnancy, MOC
* What did you think about the ending?: hard-won HEA
* What is your impression of the author?: I enjoy this author’s style!
Triggers: death of a sibling, abandoned prego, pregnancy loss, sex
* How did the book make you feel?: I look for angsty reads and this fit the bill.
* How do you feel about how the story was told?: Silly title, entertaining read
* What did you think about the main characters?: The H is a supreme jerk to the h. The h is a bit of a doormat, but it’s a HP!
* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: OTT drama and good groveling
* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: Revenge seduction, virgin h, unplanned pregnancy, MOC
* What did you think about the ending?: hard-won HEA
* What is your impression of the author?: I enjoy this author’s style!
Triggers: death of a sibling, abandoned prego, pregnancy loss, sex
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2020
Re-read June 2020
Upgrading this bad boy to 4 stars, because I’m in an angsty kind of mood. Italian tycoon Vincenzo (Enzo) Valentini is devastated by the death of his beloved sister (Allegra) who died in an accident with her devious lover Cormac. Enzo is hellbent on getting revenge on Cormac’s sister, Cara, whom he believes was part of her brothers scheming, deceiving plans to steal his sis’s inheritance.
Enzo’s revenge goal wasn’t too devious; his BIG plan consisted of seeking Cara out, having her come onto him (because she’s a gold digger and will jump at the chance of a rich mark) then after leading her on; he’d say “Aᴡ nice try, but I know who you are�. Unfortunately, they both got a bad case of “betraying body syndrome� and ending up in bed together. Enzo cruelly rejects her the next morning, and months later she confronts him preggers. This begins the angsty roller coaster of their path to HEA.
Bottom Line- This is a pretty good one; lots of gut-wrenching angst with little OTT drama. It’s safe from cheating and OW drama.
Upgrading this bad boy to 4 stars, because I’m in an angsty kind of mood. Italian tycoon Vincenzo (Enzo) Valentini is devastated by the death of his beloved sister (Allegra) who died in an accident with her devious lover Cormac. Enzo is hellbent on getting revenge on Cormac’s sister, Cara, whom he believes was part of her brothers scheming, deceiving plans to steal his sis’s inheritance.
Enzo’s revenge goal wasn’t too devious; his BIG plan consisted of seeking Cara out, having her come onto him (because she’s a gold digger and will jump at the chance of a rich mark) then after leading her on; he’d say “Aᴡ nice try, but I know who you are�. Unfortunately, they both got a bad case of “betraying body syndrome� and ending up in bed together. Enzo cruelly rejects her the next morning, and months later she confronts him preggers. This begins the angsty roller coaster of their path to HEA.
Bottom Line- This is a pretty good one; lots of gut-wrenching angst with little OTT drama. It’s safe from cheating and OW drama.
September 25, 2010
All in all, a pretty good book. Cara is wrongfully accused and has to add a ruthless seduction on top of that,
and all the other stuff suffered at her brother's hands.
Vicenzo has a slow burn of a learning curve when he discovers how badly he'd misjudged her and hurt her because of this.
Though at first annoyed to not get the rudimentary big reveal (everything is kind of slowly uncovered as the hero learns his mistake) I must say that it made sense and had a certain odd sort of vindication that he hadn't needed some huge peremptory piece of evidence to see her for what she was.
and all the other stuff suffered at her brother's hands.
Vicenzo has a slow burn of a learning curve when he discovers how badly he'd misjudged her and hurt her because of this.
Though at first annoyed to not get the rudimentary big reveal (everything is kind of slowly uncovered as the hero learns his mistake) I must say that it made sense and had a certain odd sort of vindication that he hadn't needed some huge peremptory piece of evidence to see her for what she was.
October 26, 2021
The title is way more interesting than the contents.
Standard plot. Standard characters. 🥱😴
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW or OM drama
- no dubcon
- the H forces the h to marry him because she’s pregnant after a ONS
- miscarriage
- h is a virgin
- H is not a virgin
*yawn*
Standard plot. Standard characters. 🥱😴
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW or OM drama
- no dubcon
- the H forces the h to marry him because she’s pregnant after a ONS
- miscarriage
- h is a virgin
- H is not a virgin
*yawn*
April 1, 2020
Vengeance plot.
Virgin heroine.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
During separation both celibate.
HEA.
Virgin heroine.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
During separation both celibate.
HEA.
September 4, 2015
For an HP, this was remarkably progressive. Please note the qualification at the beginning of that sentence because it is relevant. It doesn't mean the MMC wasn't an alpha douche or that the FMC couldn't have done a better job of standing up for herself, but it does mean in the parameters of a Harley, this was better than most.
Vicenzo is out for Alpha Male Revenge against Cara, who he believes assisted her brother in a con scheme to manipulate his sister, which resulted in the deaths of both of their siblings. Of course Cara was just as much of a victim of her brother as Vicenzo's sister was, but Vicenzo also has Alpha Male Mother Issues which causes him to see all women as scheming, manipulative hussies (it always boggles my mind that these men somehow manage to reach their 30s holding on to these rigid beliefs until they meet one woman who causes them to doubt a lifetime of misogyny). Vicenzo stands out from many of his Alpha Male Revengers because in carrying out his scheme, he actually did not intend to seduce Cara. He "just" wanted to make her feel like shit for trying to take advantage of his sister and subsequently causing her death and they both got carried away by grief and chemistry.
Of course because this is a Harley, no prophylactic can stand against the MMC's mighty semen and Cara gets pregnant, resulting in the dreaded Marriage of Convenience. Of course there's the usual prenup yada-yada and the "I'm taking the baby once you have it" blah blah.
One of the things that impressed me about this one is that even though Cara was a virgin, that didn't buy her some She's Gotta Be Innocent of Everything hall pass. I will never understand how sexual innocence so often equates with innocence of everything in Harleys, but anyone who's read more than a few of these know that it frequently does. Sure, it causes Vicenzo to question some of his beliefs about her, but it doesn't cause him to suddenly throw them aside. Even though that still makes him a douchecanoe, the way he struggled for so long to hold on to his prejudices against Cara at least made him seem more... believable, I guess? That's not the word I'm looking for, but it's the closest one I can think of right now. I liked the fact that he didn't set out to seduce her
As for Cara, I wish she would have done a better job of standing up for herself at times (if your options are "Marry the guy you don't know except that he's a misogynistic asshat and watch him take away your baby" or "sign a document that says you'll never see him or his money again", I'd probably shrug it off and take Door Number 2), but I also got where she was coming from. (Also in her favor? She sees the standard "I'm stealing the baby once it's born" threat as the windbag bullshit that it always is in these books. Kudos her.) You can't really stand up for yourself with someone always determined to believe the worst about you and she got her digs in where she could. Eventually, she and her plucky ways managed to wear down Vicenzo without even trying (and it mostly worked because she wasn't trying) and we got a decent HEA at the end.
As always with Harleys, I don't really recommend them as I consider them all guilty pleasures, but I'm not sorry I spent the money on this one. Vicenzo managed to be more than the normal 2 dimensional HP Alpha Male and while there was some angst and drama, the two of them seemed more real and less like caricatures than a lot of their HP peers.
Vicenzo is out for Alpha Male Revenge against Cara, who he believes assisted her brother in a con scheme to manipulate his sister, which resulted in the deaths of both of their siblings. Of course Cara was just as much of a victim of her brother as Vicenzo's sister was, but Vicenzo also has Alpha Male Mother Issues which causes him to see all women as scheming, manipulative hussies (it always boggles my mind that these men somehow manage to reach their 30s holding on to these rigid beliefs until they meet one woman who causes them to doubt a lifetime of misogyny). Vicenzo stands out from many of his Alpha Male Revengers because in carrying out his scheme, he actually did not intend to seduce Cara. He "just" wanted to make her feel like shit for trying to take advantage of his sister and subsequently causing her death and they both got carried away by grief and chemistry.
Of course because this is a Harley, no prophylactic can stand against the MMC's mighty semen and Cara gets pregnant, resulting in the dreaded Marriage of Convenience. Of course there's the usual prenup yada-yada and the "I'm taking the baby once you have it" blah blah.
One of the things that impressed me about this one is that even though Cara was a virgin, that didn't buy her some She's Gotta Be Innocent of Everything hall pass. I will never understand how sexual innocence so often equates with innocence of everything in Harleys, but anyone who's read more than a few of these know that it frequently does. Sure, it causes Vicenzo to question some of his beliefs about her, but it doesn't cause him to suddenly throw them aside. Even though that still makes him a douchecanoe, the way he struggled for so long to hold on to his prejudices against Cara at least made him seem more... believable, I guess? That's not the word I'm looking for, but it's the closest one I can think of right now. I liked the fact that he didn't set out to seduce her
As for Cara, I wish she would have done a better job of standing up for herself at times (if your options are "Marry the guy you don't know except that he's a misogynistic asshat and watch him take away your baby" or "sign a document that says you'll never see him or his money again", I'd probably shrug it off and take Door Number 2), but I also got where she was coming from. (Also in her favor? She sees the standard "I'm stealing the baby once it's born" threat as the windbag bullshit that it always is in these books. Kudos her.) You can't really stand up for yourself with someone always determined to believe the worst about you and she got her digs in where she could. Eventually, she and her plucky ways managed to wear down Vicenzo without even trying (and it mostly worked because she wasn't trying) and we got a decent HEA at the end.
As always with Harleys, I don't really recommend them as I consider them all guilty pleasures, but I'm not sorry I spent the money on this one. Vicenzo managed to be more than the normal 2 dimensional HP Alpha Male and while there was some angst and drama, the two of them seemed more real and less like caricatures than a lot of their HP peers.
June 25, 2012
Wow! This was a really good book that I read straight through in one sitting without putting it down.
On the surface this is a typical Harlequin Presents with the very alpha hero and virgin heroine complete with an unplanned pregnancy leading to a forced marriage trope. Very quickly it becomes evident that there is much more below the surface. Right away I felt an emotional connection to both the heroine and hero within the first couple of paragraphs. The heroine hadn't even been introduced yet and I felt for her and wanted to know more about her.
The heroine has been through a lot in her short life and a lot of it in a short span of time. She weathers it all well and still manages to have some spunk in her.
Yes, the hero was a major a-hole who appeared at times to have his head up his backside. The author did a great job making me at least understand where he was coming from, so even if I didn't like his behavior, it made sense.
I felt the connection between the hero and heroine and truly believed that the were meant to be together.
On the surface this is a typical Harlequin Presents with the very alpha hero and virgin heroine complete with an unplanned pregnancy leading to a forced marriage trope. Very quickly it becomes evident that there is much more below the surface. Right away I felt an emotional connection to both the heroine and hero within the first couple of paragraphs. The heroine hadn't even been introduced yet and I felt for her and wanted to know more about her.
The heroine has been through a lot in her short life and a lot of it in a short span of time. She weathers it all well and still manages to have some spunk in her.
Yes, the hero was a major a-hole who appeared at times to have his head up his backside. The author did a great job making me at least understand where he was coming from, so even if I didn't like his behavior, it made sense.
I felt the connection between the hero and heroine and truly believed that the were meant to be together.
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