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A Mediterranean Marriage
Lily couldn't believe her luck when she met Rauf Kasabian in the exclusive London bar where she worked and found herself the object of this charming, wealthy Turkish tycoon's affection. But when Rauf witnessed Lily leaving a hotel with another man, his fierce jealousy drove him back to Turkey, with a vow never to see her again.
Two years later, Lily finds Rauf and together they discover that their passion still burns. Even though he has his suspicions about this outstandingly beautiful woman, Rauf decides that she must become his bride....
Two years later, Lily finds Rauf and together they discover that their passion still burns. Even though he has his suspicions about this outstandingly beautiful woman, Rauf decides that she must become his bride....
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
58 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Graham
1,792 books1,457 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
January 19, 2018
This fairly typical LG story earned an extra star because she conveyed a type of sexual harassment that did great harm to the heroine when she first met the hero. However, the heroine actually went to counselling and worked on her fears of intimacy so that when they met again three years later she was able to respond to him as she wanted to. There was no magic penis - just ordinary penis* and a year's worth of therapy. :)
The hero in this one was Turkish and he had a great-grandmother, a grandmother, and a mother who were all eager to see him married. He is also an Olympics-caliber jumper to conclusions. I hope Turkey recruits him - he will be a gold medalist.
Hero tried to get the heroine in bed when he first met her. He didn't really believe she was a virgin or that she covered up out of modesty sake. He believes the poison her brother-in-law drops in his ear - that she is sleeping with her sister's husband. Hero breaks it off without confronting her.
The brother in law is the sexual harasser who has so messed up the heroine. He was a womanizer and he made all kinds of threats and suggestions against the heroine while she was living in his house as a teenager. Heroine didn't want to upset her sister so she kept her mouth shut. The brother in law took over her father's travel agency and then embezzled a bunch of money and also forged the heroine's name on damning documents. The hero had invested in the travel agency when he was in the throes of infatuation and now, three years later, he wants his money back.
Heroine travels to the Turkey to explain the situation to the hero and it's only then that she realizes what her (now ex) brother-in-law has done. The hero the engages in chapter after chapter of believing the worst about the heroine and then having to readjust his opinion.
It's rather amusing and he's never that mean to the heroine since he just can't be mean when he looks into her baby blues.
Suffice it to say, it all works out - although the brother-in-law is
I enjoyed all the wedding preparations and how well the heroine fit in with the H's family.
*I'm sure the hero would beg to differ.
The hero in this one was Turkish and he had a great-grandmother, a grandmother, and a mother who were all eager to see him married. He is also an Olympics-caliber jumper to conclusions. I hope Turkey recruits him - he will be a gold medalist.
Hero tried to get the heroine in bed when he first met her. He didn't really believe she was a virgin or that she covered up out of modesty sake. He believes the poison her brother-in-law drops in his ear - that she is sleeping with her sister's husband. Hero breaks it off without confronting her.
The brother in law is the sexual harasser who has so messed up the heroine. He was a womanizer and he made all kinds of threats and suggestions against the heroine while she was living in his house as a teenager. Heroine didn't want to upset her sister so she kept her mouth shut. The brother in law took over her father's travel agency and then embezzled a bunch of money and also forged the heroine's name on damning documents. The hero had invested in the travel agency when he was in the throes of infatuation and now, three years later, he wants his money back.
Heroine travels to the Turkey to explain the situation to the hero and it's only then that she realizes what her (now ex) brother-in-law has done. The hero the engages in chapter after chapter of believing the worst about the heroine and then having to readjust his opinion.
It's rather amusing and he's never that mean to the heroine since he just can't be mean when he looks into her baby blues.
Suffice it to say, it all works out - although the brother-in-law is
I enjoyed all the wedding preparations and how well the heroine fit in with the H's family.
*I'm sure the hero would beg to differ.
January 21, 2015
These were the two dumbest main characters I've ever read...and I've found a lot of idiots. The hero is incredibly simple-minded, I would say he is borderline special needs, but I have tremendous respect for those challenged by special needs and don't think they deserve the insult of such a comparison. this hero has no excuse, he's just stupid. He has no capacity for logical thinking and leaps to inexplicable and overtly non-sensical, moronic conclusions, on at least 3 different occasions. Major double standard, Madonna/whore bullshit. He's a slimy player...he gave me the distinct impression of one of those gross men who leave the virginal wife at home and rub up against Western women on the dance floor.
Hero was going to marry heroine 3 years before but only resentfully and only because that was the only way he could have her, and to him, having her means sleeping with her because that's the only worthwhile thing he can see from a woman. He basically got hurt at 19 and even though he has many familial examples of fidelity and honor in sexual practices by men and women, he proceeded to become a slut and use women for sex, anyone who gave it to him would then be deemed a "success". he planned never to marry, despite having been raised with the family values of sexual morality and monogamy, he rejects those deeply ingrained values of his family, to become a whore and play around with many women, using them and moving on immediately after scoring. He's really just garbage who belongs in the gutter, there is no redemption because unlike the manwhore who is abused or can't connect because of severe familial dysfunction and/or attachment disorder, this guy is from a loving family. he has no excuse, he's just an arrogant, slimy piece of poop who should know better but decides to indulge his basest perversions and thinks his own sexual promiscuity does not reflect on his character at all.
Heroine is virginal and sweet nursery school teacher at 21 and puts off hero because she is a bit afraid (bad treatment by jerk cheating brother-in-law). because he sees her enter a hotel where her brother-in-law is and stay for a while, he decides she is sleeping with brother-in-law and abandons her with no explanation. No evidence or discussion.. (Giant leap of stupidity number 1). He later claims his love for her was "lurking" in his heart but he managed to suppress his love to continue fucking other women for 3 more years and never would have come back for heroine. (So his love is a really valuable thing...he'll marry and be out whoring around in a few years.)
Then he deflowers the heroine and of course, her virginity vindicates her. She didn't sleep with her brother-in-law and now his whole Madonna/whore pathology kicks in and suddenly he "loves" her again, and must marry her and not "dishonor" her. Oh, but then he hears her tell her brother-in-law on the phone not to threaten her, and takes a giant leap of logic (or illogic) to decide she must have loved the brother-in-law. (Giant leap of stupidity 2). I won't go into details on giant leap of stupidity 3 but he decides she is a thief on really flimsy evidence. He has the worst view of her character which is why the only thing he could find to love about her is the fact that he pierced her hymen.
He's too stupid and weak to man up, and has no moral character, but that doesn't stop him from being a self-righteous prig. He is not even sexy enough to make his loose sexuality interesting. The heroine is also a moron, she actually thinks when he throws out the word mistress that it would be a grand lark to be the mistress of a user who sleeps around...she conflates sexual desire with love and is so starry eyed stupid about him it's really sad. She can't even figure out that he's garbage who thinks he's above the very rules he lays down for women while pretending to have old fashioned family values. He's a total loser and one of the least hot HP heroes I've ever read.
Hero was going to marry heroine 3 years before but only resentfully and only because that was the only way he could have her, and to him, having her means sleeping with her because that's the only worthwhile thing he can see from a woman. He basically got hurt at 19 and even though he has many familial examples of fidelity and honor in sexual practices by men and women, he proceeded to become a slut and use women for sex, anyone who gave it to him would then be deemed a "success". he planned never to marry, despite having been raised with the family values of sexual morality and monogamy, he rejects those deeply ingrained values of his family, to become a whore and play around with many women, using them and moving on immediately after scoring. He's really just garbage who belongs in the gutter, there is no redemption because unlike the manwhore who is abused or can't connect because of severe familial dysfunction and/or attachment disorder, this guy is from a loving family. he has no excuse, he's just an arrogant, slimy piece of poop who should know better but decides to indulge his basest perversions and thinks his own sexual promiscuity does not reflect on his character at all.
Heroine is virginal and sweet nursery school teacher at 21 and puts off hero because she is a bit afraid (bad treatment by jerk cheating brother-in-law). because he sees her enter a hotel where her brother-in-law is and stay for a while, he decides she is sleeping with brother-in-law and abandons her with no explanation. No evidence or discussion.. (Giant leap of stupidity number 1). He later claims his love for her was "lurking" in his heart but he managed to suppress his love to continue fucking other women for 3 more years and never would have come back for heroine. (So his love is a really valuable thing...he'll marry and be out whoring around in a few years.)
Then he deflowers the heroine and of course, her virginity vindicates her. She didn't sleep with her brother-in-law and now his whole Madonna/whore pathology kicks in and suddenly he "loves" her again, and must marry her and not "dishonor" her. Oh, but then he hears her tell her brother-in-law on the phone not to threaten her, and takes a giant leap of logic (or illogic) to decide she must have loved the brother-in-law. (Giant leap of stupidity 2). I won't go into details on giant leap of stupidity 3 but he decides she is a thief on really flimsy evidence. He has the worst view of her character which is why the only thing he could find to love about her is the fact that he pierced her hymen.
He's too stupid and weak to man up, and has no moral character, but that doesn't stop him from being a self-righteous prig. He is not even sexy enough to make his loose sexuality interesting. The heroine is also a moron, she actually thinks when he throws out the word mistress that it would be a grand lark to be the mistress of a user who sleeps around...she conflates sexual desire with love and is so starry eyed stupid about him it's really sad. She can't even figure out that he's garbage who thinks he's above the very rules he lays down for women while pretending to have old fashioned family values. He's a total loser and one of the least hot HP heroes I've ever read.
January 10, 2018
Another lovely sweet HEA romance by Lynne Graham. This was a second chance romance where the H Rauf had planned on marrying the heroine Lily but had dumped her because he thought she was having an affair with her brother in law. Rauf is an uber sexy Turkish H. He is one of my all time favorite LG heroes ( but he still can never usurp Sergei's # 1 position. Sergei was the H from Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife. NOBODY can usurp that scrumptious hottie Sergei in my list of Harlequin P heroes) . Lily was the quintessential beautiful blue eyed blonde who doesn't have a vain bone in her sexy body. Lol. These two were a really dynamic hot couple. They met when Lily was working at a cafe as a waitress. Rauf had turned up there with a bitchy date and the woman had noticed him staring at the sexy Lily and had a vicious she-bitch jealous catty meltdown. Rauf had apologized to Lily, given the she-bitch her walking papers and turned his smoldering charm on to sweet innocent heroine. Their relationship had developed quickly and Rauf had been extremely respectful of Lily's virgin status and had not pressured her into having sex with him.
Then their happy bubble of love was broken after Rauf was introduced to Lily's family. The problem was Lily's nasty, adulterous and lecherous brother in law Brett. The brother in law was about 8 yrs younger than Lily's big sister Hilary and the latter had believed she had won the husband lottery when a handsome younger guy like Brett had proposed to her. Brett was never faithful to Hilary and had bullied and threatened Lily should she ever tell Hilary of his affairs. The dumbest thing was that Lily's retired dad had already put his house and his small travel agency business into the full control of Brett and Hilary. Brett was the one running the agency since Hilary stayed home with her 3 young daughters. Lily's dad was angry at her when she revealed Brett's adultery to him; her dad was afraid that any divorce would make him lose his home and his business since half of each now belonged to Brett legally. Brett used his smarmy con man charm to get Lily's dad to accept a loan from Rauf for the expansion of their business. Lily had been against it but Rauf had loaned them the money anyway because he was going to marry Lily. Everything might have worked out well had it not been for the fact that Rauf ended up dumping Lily.
There were so many damn misunderstandings that caused the H to dump the heroine years ago. As is the usual convention in HP romances, the misunderstandings and heart break could have been avoided if Rauf had simply told Lily what he had observed and had asked for an honest explanation. What he had done was to ask Lily where she had been at a certain time on a certain day and she had lied ( because she had been ashamed to admit that Brett was cheating on Hilary ). Rauf assessed her lie to mean that she was the duplicitous whore who was shagging Brett and so he very coldly dumped her. Now, years later, the poor heroine ( literally poor, in the true fashion of many of Lynne G's leading ladies ) has to meet with the H once again to resolve a financial debt incurred by her relatives. I don't wan't to give out details but this story includes the disgusting villainous thief, who happens to be Brett. Brett had embezzled the entire loan received from Rauf and had made it appear as if no installments had been repaid. The dirty lecher had also been stealing the installment money that Lily's sister thought was being paid each month. I couldn't get over how gullible and stupid Lily's sister had been about her husband. Brett even made it appear as if Lily had been a party to the theft.
But, unlike many of Lynne's baddies, Brett gets exactly what's coming to him. He pays the ultimate price for his crimes against the H, h and her family. The epilogue is beautiful too. All sugary sweet with a chubby little baby boy called Themsi. I liked the inclusion of the hero's family too. His great grandmother Nelispah was so damn funny ! And, unlike many HP romances, these relatives of the H's loved the heroine. His great grandmother had adored her from the first meeting. I also enjoyed seeing the way Rauf was willing to defend his honor against the lies of an evil former OW called Kasma. If Rauf had been celibate during their separation, I'd have given this novel 5 stars. However, I didn't hate Rauf at all for his lack of celibacy during this period because he had honestly thought that Lily was a cheating slut and had moved on with his life ( and the guy had bought her an engagement ring all those years ago too, so his intentions then had been honorable ). Oh yeah, before I forget: Hilary got married to Rauf's chief accountant Serhan. That poor woman deserved a happy new marriage after the shit storm she'd been through with Brett.
This is one of LG's novels that are great for a re-read now and again !
Then their happy bubble of love was broken after Rauf was introduced to Lily's family. The problem was Lily's nasty, adulterous and lecherous brother in law Brett. The brother in law was about 8 yrs younger than Lily's big sister Hilary and the latter had believed she had won the husband lottery when a handsome younger guy like Brett had proposed to her. Brett was never faithful to Hilary and had bullied and threatened Lily should she ever tell Hilary of his affairs. The dumbest thing was that Lily's retired dad had already put his house and his small travel agency business into the full control of Brett and Hilary. Brett was the one running the agency since Hilary stayed home with her 3 young daughters. Lily's dad was angry at her when she revealed Brett's adultery to him; her dad was afraid that any divorce would make him lose his home and his business since half of each now belonged to Brett legally. Brett used his smarmy con man charm to get Lily's dad to accept a loan from Rauf for the expansion of their business. Lily had been against it but Rauf had loaned them the money anyway because he was going to marry Lily. Everything might have worked out well had it not been for the fact that Rauf ended up dumping Lily.
There were so many damn misunderstandings that caused the H to dump the heroine years ago. As is the usual convention in HP romances, the misunderstandings and heart break could have been avoided if Rauf had simply told Lily what he had observed and had asked for an honest explanation. What he had done was to ask Lily where she had been at a certain time on a certain day and she had lied ( because she had been ashamed to admit that Brett was cheating on Hilary ). Rauf assessed her lie to mean that she was the duplicitous whore who was shagging Brett and so he very coldly dumped her. Now, years later, the poor heroine ( literally poor, in the true fashion of many of Lynne G's leading ladies ) has to meet with the H once again to resolve a financial debt incurred by her relatives. I don't wan't to give out details but this story includes the disgusting villainous thief, who happens to be Brett. Brett had embezzled the entire loan received from Rauf and had made it appear as if no installments had been repaid. The dirty lecher had also been stealing the installment money that Lily's sister thought was being paid each month. I couldn't get over how gullible and stupid Lily's sister had been about her husband. Brett even made it appear as if Lily had been a party to the theft.
But, unlike many of Lynne's baddies, Brett gets exactly what's coming to him. He pays the ultimate price for his crimes against the H, h and her family. The epilogue is beautiful too. All sugary sweet with a chubby little baby boy called Themsi. I liked the inclusion of the hero's family too. His great grandmother Nelispah was so damn funny ! And, unlike many HP romances, these relatives of the H's loved the heroine. His great grandmother had adored her from the first meeting. I also enjoyed seeing the way Rauf was willing to defend his honor against the lies of an evil former OW called Kasma. If Rauf had been celibate during their separation, I'd have given this novel 5 stars. However, I didn't hate Rauf at all for his lack of celibacy during this period because he had honestly thought that Lily was a cheating slut and had moved on with his life ( and the guy had bought her an engagement ring all those years ago too, so his intentions then had been honorable ). Oh yeah, before I forget: Hilary got married to Rauf's chief accountant Serhan. That poor woman deserved a happy new marriage after the shit storm she'd been through with Brett.
This is one of LG's novels that are great for a re-read now and again !
February 15, 2022
The synopsis didn't do the book justice. It was more romantic than it seemed, and Rauf wasn't the alpha ahole I was afraid he would turn out to be. In fact he was a sweet, smitten hero who was so blinded by jealousy that he couldn't see how his many misperceptions of Lily were just that, misperceptions. Thankfully, they were cleared up one after the other and Rauf redeemed himself to become Lily's staunch protector. The plot surrounding Lily's scheming relative (there's almost always one in a Lynne Graham book) concluded on a satisfying, if rather convenient, conclusion.
January 28, 2018
SPOILERS abound
GR reviewers prepare me for this besides it’s Lynne Graham (side eye to her rare creeps Virgin on Her Wedding Night, the vicious Bride for Real, the unlovingGreek Tycoon, Inexperienced Mistress, etc).
There are many of the standard issues from an LG romance, but the anomalies far outweigh the tropes. The basics: the H sees the h after several years and goes into eviltycoon wealthy businessman revenge mode because he thinks she’s a big tease, a crook and probably had sex with her beloved older-sister-like-a-mother’s smarmy needs-to-die husband despite claiming she’s a virgin. Except he is TERRIBLE at revenge.
He plots his revenge, but once he finds out that she’s a virgin and is so overwhelmed with guilt he is unavailable to complete the act, a first in HarleyLand. Boogenhagen, could you weigh in on erectile disfunction and Harley heroes? Then he marries her, see virgin. Then he sees a bank fax with her name and the evil BIL’s names on it and accuses her of fraud AGAIN.
Her reaction is non-standard Harley heroine. She doesn’t cry, she tells the fathead she’s fed up with his caca and take her to poky now and she’ll get the police to investigate the fraud since he is so bad at it. She’s gonna take down her evil BIL that she hates beyond the beyond, and the H can stick it and love on his self-involved self.
Hoisted by his own petard, the H does a 180, panics and grovels his way back into her good graces. They were on his way to see his, sorry but no other term will do, cock-blocking mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. He may look like a six -something Turkishtycoon wealthy businessman, but at heart he’s a nice boy that sneaks kisses behind granny and great-granny’s backs.
I enjoyed this, but didn’t love, love it. The best scene is where she turns the tables on the hero, and he realizes he is going to lose the best thing that ever happened to him.
Sadly, the horrible, terrible, POS evil BIL doesn’t get tortured in a Turkish prison the rest of his sorry life , but he does die which England and Turkey gave a sigh of relief over. Side note: did you know the author of Midnight Express actually apologized to the Turkish government for the portrayal of the prison system in Turkey? Turns out he was treated pretty decently.
GR reviewers prepare me for this besides it’s Lynne Graham (side eye to her rare creeps Virgin on Her Wedding Night, the vicious Bride for Real, the unlovingGreek Tycoon, Inexperienced Mistress, etc).
There are many of the standard issues from an LG romance, but the anomalies far outweigh the tropes. The basics: the H sees the h after several years and goes into evil
He plots his revenge, but once he finds out that she’s a virgin and is so overwhelmed with guilt he is unavailable to complete the act, a first in HarleyLand. Boogenhagen, could you weigh in on erectile disfunction and Harley heroes? Then he marries her, see virgin. Then he sees a bank fax with her name and the evil BIL’s names on it and accuses her of fraud AGAIN.
Her reaction is non-standard Harley heroine. She doesn’t cry, she tells the fathead she’s fed up with his caca and take her to poky now and she’ll get the police to investigate the fraud since he is so bad at it. She’s gonna take down her evil BIL that she hates beyond the beyond, and the H can stick it and love on his self-involved self.
Hoisted by his own petard, the H does a 180, panics and grovels his way back into her good graces. They were on his way to see his, sorry but no other term will do, cock-blocking mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. He may look like a six -something Turkish
I enjoyed this, but didn’t love, love it. The best scene is where she turns the tables on the hero, and he realizes he is going to lose the best thing that ever happened to him.
Sadly, the horrible, terrible, POS evil BIL doesn’t get tortured in a Turkish prison the rest of his sorry life , but he does die which England and Turkey gave a sigh of relief over. Side note: did you know the author of Midnight Express actually apologized to the Turkish government for the portrayal of the prison system in Turkey? Turns out he was treated pretty decently.
July 25, 2013
Rauf and Lily are the sweetest couple you'll read. I couldn't believe this book was written by LG. Rauf is not your typical LG hero. He is romantic, tender, sensitive and just swoon worthy. He adores Lily and he will do anything to protect her. Both hero and heroine are honest and communicate so all misunderstandings are resolved at once. Not an angst fest just a sweet jealous and possessive hero who wants to save the woman he loves from a vicious creep who also happens to be her brother in law. Adorable epilogue as well!
November 7, 2018
"A Mediterranean Marriage" is the story of Lily and Rauf.
The book begins like a typical LG novel- an angry multimillionaire Turkish hero reunites with his ex, whom he thought was a hoe having an affair with her BIL. She has to make him realize that their has been a misunderstanding in their company's dealings with one another, he doesn't believe her- but that doesn't stop him from kissing or propositioning her.
However, once they bang, he realizes that things might not be how they seem- because hymen was penetrated. But does this stop him from being paranoid AF and accusing the heroine for further shit? Nope.
A very interesting read which I eventually did end up liking- because though the hero was 99% of the time suspicious, he was also repentful and caring. The heroine was occasionally a damsel, but she had her spurts of backbone growth. Their lovemaking was passionate, secondary characters interesting and HEA was sweet.
Enjoyed it!
Safe??
4/5
The book begins like a typical LG novel- an angry multimillionaire Turkish hero reunites with his ex, whom he thought was a hoe having an affair with her BIL. She has to make him realize that their has been a misunderstanding in their company's dealings with one another, he doesn't believe her- but that doesn't stop him from kissing or propositioning her.
However, once they bang, he realizes that things might not be how they seem- because hymen was penetrated. But does this stop him from being paranoid AF and accusing the heroine for further shit? Nope.
A very interesting read which I eventually did end up liking- because though the hero was 99% of the time suspicious, he was also repentful and caring. The heroine was occasionally a damsel, but she had her spurts of backbone growth. Their lovemaking was passionate, secondary characters interesting and HEA was sweet.
Enjoyed it!
Safe??
4/5
June 17, 2021
Lily couldn't believe her luck when she met Rauf Kasabian in the exclusive London bar where she worked and found herself the object of this charming, wealthy Turkish tycoon's affection. But when Rauf witnessed Lily leaving a hotel with another man, his fierce jealousy drove him back to Turkey, with a vow never to see her again. Two years later, Lily finds Rauf and together they discover that their passion still burns. Even though he has his suspicions about this outstandingly beautiful woman, Rauf decides that she must become his bride..
December 14, 2011
It was a disaster, but at least I had fun groaning and saying "oh nooo!", "he didn't say that!" or other assorted remarks :D
February 17, 2015
My Goodreads buddy Becky gave the book a scathing review. I mentioned it to a friend who had read this book and she said it wasn't all that bad and suggested I read it for myself. Well, I did. While it wasn't all that bad, it wan't all that good either!
Rauf is a Neanderthal. There are alpha males and there are controlling bullies who need to be kept separate from society. Raul falls into the latter category. There were so many time I wanted to reach out and smack him. Lily was the ultimate in pushovers. She would find a way to justify this bully's treatment of her, making it her fault. I just didn't understand that. I know that there are women like this in the world, because I worked with one, but I just do not understand how they are like this. It is baffling.
This book seemed much longer that it actually was because I wanted it over and done with. I understood some of Lily's fears and could sympathize and I also understood some of Rauf's anger. However what I didn't understand was the author's decision to make Rauf take his anger out on Lily the way he did, and why she kept allowing it.
If these two people were real, their marriage would be one that could turn badly very quickly. I was also surprised that this book was originally published in 2001. The characters seemed like they belonged in a mid-1970's type story. This wasn't the worst book I ever read, but it was right up there in my top ten worst books. Reader beware....read with caution!!
PS...i meant to mention Lily's family. Her fathers reaction when Lily told him about the cheating she witnessed...Really? Seriously? Hell no!
The brother in law...a knife to the gonads would have fixed him right up!
Last but not least, her sister, you raised Lily from a baby and didn't notice the severe changes in her personality? Didn't question it? Let her live in terror, in her own home, without seeing it?!
Fifteen year old Lily was failed by every person who should have loved and protected her. The apologies at the end of the book just were not enough for me.
Ok..I'm done now. :)
Rauf is a Neanderthal. There are alpha males and there are controlling bullies who need to be kept separate from society. Raul falls into the latter category. There were so many time I wanted to reach out and smack him. Lily was the ultimate in pushovers. She would find a way to justify this bully's treatment of her, making it her fault. I just didn't understand that. I know that there are women like this in the world, because I worked with one, but I just do not understand how they are like this. It is baffling.
This book seemed much longer that it actually was because I wanted it over and done with. I understood some of Lily's fears and could sympathize and I also understood some of Rauf's anger. However what I didn't understand was the author's decision to make Rauf take his anger out on Lily the way he did, and why she kept allowing it.
If these two people were real, their marriage would be one that could turn badly very quickly. I was also surprised that this book was originally published in 2001. The characters seemed like they belonged in a mid-1970's type story. This wasn't the worst book I ever read, but it was right up there in my top ten worst books. Reader beware....read with caution!!
PS...i meant to mention Lily's family. Her fathers reaction when Lily told him about the cheating she witnessed...Really? Seriously? Hell no!
The brother in law...a knife to the gonads would have fixed him right up!
Last but not least, her sister, you raised Lily from a baby and didn't notice the severe changes in her personality? Didn't question it? Let her live in terror, in her own home, without seeing it?!
Fifteen year old Lily was failed by every person who should have loved and protected her. The apologies at the end of the book just were not enough for me.
Ok..I'm done now. :)
April 12, 2015
Una buena novela de Lynne Graham, pero no tan impactante...
November 22, 2011
Not bad. I liked at least that some of the biggest misunderstandings were resolved fairly early in the book so that the hero could behave positively toward the heroine -- sometimes it can get tedious with Lynne Graham when most of the book involves repeated reference to the same stupid misunderstanding that could be cleared up in about 30 seconds if either party was willing to talk/listen. But, Lynne Graham being Lynne Graham, when one misunderstanding is resolved, another pops up quickly to take it's place. And you end up pissed off at the hero for repeatedly assuming the worst of the heroine, despite his supposed chagrin each time he discovers he was wrong. But, regardless, I liked the characters and it was satisfying when they had their HEA.
May 18, 2015
From 1 to 10: 8.0
It needs to be re-read ñ_ñ
It needs to be re-read ñ_ñ
December 13, 2013
I hated that the guy was so overbearing yet she didn't seem to care or thought it was sweet.
August 7, 2025
Quick Summary: A he believes me/he believes me not romance
My Review: A Mediterranean Marriage by Lynne Graham is a 2003 Harlequin Presents novel.
About the Book: "Lily...found herself the object of this charming, wealthy Turkish tycoon's affection. But when Rauf witnessed Lily leaving a hotel with another man, his fierce jealousy drove him back to Turkey, with a vow never to see her again."
In My Own Words: A virgin is falsely accused of seducing a tycoon all while allegedly plotting against him.
My Final Say: This was an okay read. It was average, in terms of chemistry between the characters. The points of conflict were not totally believable. I'll sum it up with a "meh" rating.
Rating: 2/5
Recommend: +/-
Audience: A
Status/Level: 🫤
#libraryfind
My Review: A Mediterranean Marriage by Lynne Graham is a 2003 Harlequin Presents novel.
About the Book: "Lily...found herself the object of this charming, wealthy Turkish tycoon's affection. But when Rauf witnessed Lily leaving a hotel with another man, his fierce jealousy drove him back to Turkey, with a vow never to see her again."
In My Own Words: A virgin is falsely accused of seducing a tycoon all while allegedly plotting against him.
My Final Say: This was an okay read. It was average, in terms of chemistry between the characters. The points of conflict were not totally believable. I'll sum it up with a "meh" rating.
Rating: 2/5
Recommend: +/-
Audience: A
Status/Level: 🫤
#libraryfind
July 21, 2023
Lily met Rauf Kasabian when he attended the London bar where she worked; but they were driven apart by miscommunication. Three years later they meet again.
November 1, 2019
The dude was a moron and a nasty-spirited one at that. The woman was a naive fool.
August 1, 2021
3.5 stars. Second chance story about Rauf and Lily. Rauf had broken up with lily 2/3 years before start of the book because he thinks she’s cheating on him with her brother in law Brett(villain). Start of the book, Rauf discovers he hasn’t been paid for an investment he made in Lily’s fathers company, sends out scary letter demanding payment. Lily’s family thinks they have been making payments and lily is on her way to turkey for other purposes and requests a meeting with Rauf to sort the matter out. Of course when they meet again, Rauf decides he wants to keep her….3.5 stars - it’s pretty obvious very early on that Rauf is madly in love with lily but behaves badly cuz of trust issues. Loved how much he wants lily and wants to protect her. Didn’t rate the book higher because overall the plot didn’t have a lot to it and other characters who played some part in the story weren’t developed at all - not even Lily’s sister, father or even the villain.
September 2, 2025
I was ready to give up by page 43, at which point was the SECOND instance of breast swelling and hardened nipples by a dimwit FMC swooning while being completely disrepected by the piece of trash posing as our intrepid hero. By the time of the painful intimacy scene, which highlighted their complete inability to communicate like adults as well as his unfailing ability to leap to the wrong conclusion based on the flimsiest of evidence, I was convinced they barely had one working brain cell between the two of them. Page 104 ... do we really need to hear about swelling breasts yet AGAIN? But the point where I finally threw in the towel on this wretched couple was when the FMC was actually proud at the thought of being his side-piece mistress while his POV reveals he's going to propose because he wants her around 24/7 as a handy sperm receptacle. Ah, the romance!
November 7, 2019
Rauf and Lily
Rauf is Turkish millionaire that has fallen for Lily but when he sees her coming out of a hotel with a man he jumps to conclusions and without confronting her and the reasons behind it, he unceremoniously dumps her breaking her heart. Three years past and they seem to have another chance but his jealousy keeps getting in way. Really enjoyed this book. Great plot with likeable characters though I would have liked the heroine to have been more upset and disappointed with the H when he accused her of embezzlement. Maybe even question her love for such a man and seriously doubt the longevity of such a marriage. That would have stopped his craze jealousy on its trucks for sure.
Rauf is Turkish millionaire that has fallen for Lily but when he sees her coming out of a hotel with a man he jumps to conclusions and without confronting her and the reasons behind it, he unceremoniously dumps her breaking her heart. Three years past and they seem to have another chance but his jealousy keeps getting in way. Really enjoyed this book. Great plot with likeable characters though I would have liked the heroine to have been more upset and disappointed with the H when he accused her of embezzlement. Maybe even question her love for such a man and seriously doubt the longevity of such a marriage. That would have stopped his craze jealousy on its trucks for sure.
September 12, 2017
I've read it twice, pertama saat menemukan tidak sengaja novel ini perpustakaan sekolah (saat itu saya SMA kelas 3), dan kedua kalinya beberapa hari yang lalu -yeah, hanya karena saya bingung dengan banyaknya pilihan novel di iJakarta, lalu saya pilih baca ini kembali-.
November 29, 2021
Una historia con malos entendidos, que bueno suceden, porque casi todos hacemos lo que el hizo prejuzgamos por experiencia pasadas, es algo humano un error que cometemos y lo bueno es que se pudo aclarar todo, aunque con muchos años de retraso...
August 30, 2022
A sweet romance. The H is very distrustful but goes from thinking the worst of the h to regretting it almost immediately every occasion it happens. Liked that the h wasn't a doormat when she realised just how much the H distrusted her.
August 25, 2017
Masing-masih karakter utama berspekulasi sendiri tanpa menanyakan dengan jelas apa yang sebenarnya terjadi, membuat kesalahpahaman menjadi sangat fatal.
October 10, 2017
Also love this one 😊
January 3, 2021
Onder de Turkse zon
July 12, 2022
A Favorite
I have a huge crush on Turkish men , so I blame that because it's not an amazing story, just better than average.
I have a huge crush on Turkish men , so I blame that because it's not an amazing story, just better than average.
May 10, 2024
See Becky’s review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews