The Italian Groom

by Jane Porter

The Italian Solution...

Soon Meg's secret would show -- she was pregnant! However, she was determined to keep it to herself while she visited her hometown in California and came to terms with her future as a single mom.

But there was no fooling Niccolo Dominici, darkly handsome winery owner and longtime family friend. In true Italian style, he insisted that he should take care of her and the baby. But Meg knew that marriage to Nicco didn't mean just in name only....

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin Presents, Hqn, Harlequin, Harlequin Romance, Fiction

182 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 2, 2001

About the author

Born in Visalia, California, I'm a small town girl at heart. I love central California's golden foothills, oak trees, and the miles of farmland. In my mind, there's nothing sweeter in the world than the heady fragrance of orange blossoms on a sultry summer night.

As a little girl I spent hours on my bed, staring out the window, dreaming of far off places, fearless knights, and happy-ever-after endings. In my imagination I was never the geeky bookworm with the thick coke-bottle glasses, but a princess, a magical fairy, a Joan-of-Arc crusader.

My parents fed my imagination by taking our family to Europe for a year when I was thirteen. The year away changed me (I wasn't a geek for once!) and overseas I discovered a huge and wonderful world with different cultures and customs. I loved everything about Europe, but felt especially passionate about Italy and those gorgeous Italian men (no wonder my first very Presents hero was Italian).

I confess, after that incredible year in Europe, the travel bug bit, and bit hard. I spent much of my high school and college years abroad, studying in South Africa, Japan and Ireland. South Africa remains a country of my heart, the people, the land and politics complex and heart-wrenching.

After my years of traveling and studying I had to settle down and earn a living. With my Bachelors degree from UCLA in American Studies, a program that combines American literature and American history, I've worked in sales and marketing, as well as a director of a non-profit foundation. Later I earned my Masters in Writing from the University of San Francisco and taught jr. high and high school English.

I now live in Seattle and Hawaii with my three sons. I never mind a rainy day, either, because that's when I sit at my desk and write stories about far-away places, fascinating people, and most importantly of all, love. I like a story with a happy ending. We all do.

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heroine came on to her brother’s friend (hero) when she was 16. Hero was horrified he was attracted to an underage girl and her treated her with contempt for the next ten years. To complicate matters, the heroine’s brother died in a drunk driving accident and the heroine insisted everyone in the community (including her parents) think it was her fault. Hero was also in the car and kept her secret. This twisted logic was to protect her parent’s image of their golden boy.

Heroine had to leave town for NYC where she was lonely for ten years and finally had sex one time with a sleazy investment banker. She ended up pregnant and he finally told her was married with two kids.

Pregnant heroine returns home while her parents are on a cruise and has to ask the hero for a key to their Napa Valley farmhouse. Hero, who owns land next door and is part of a prosperous Italian family wine-making enterprise, won’t give it to her because there had been break ins. He insists she stay with him while consulting with her clients. (She is a landscaper – based in NYC – ok)

Heroine’s pregnancy eventually is revealed. Hero swoops in to marry her and to adopt her unborn child etc. . .

He sounds like a great guy on paper – but he was an ass throughout the entire story. JP hadn’t got the hang of writing a wounded alpha who feels betrayed that his innocent love isn’t so innocent and it’s probably his fault. JP tries to give that impression – but this hero slut-shamed too much and didn’t show enough vulnerability/regret – especially in his role of having the heroine run out of town and out of her own family because of his secrets.

Heroine was deeply annoying. She screeched and said things she didn’t mean and was generally an idiot all around.

I suppose they are meant for each other.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah that was just plain not good. I can get behind a mean hero but only if he has some reason for it and the author has set it up well and rationally. Here not so much. This guy was a misogynistic asshole. He humiliated and insulted her over and over. Like somehow it was her fault that some sleazy guy and lied to her that he wasn't married and knocked her up and then demanded she get an abortion. He made it all her fault and belittled her for it.

[Caro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Queda embarazada de otro y el protagonista se hace cargo, desde los tres meses de embarazo. No es un argumento que tenga ganas de leer en una novela, y menos tan mal escrita.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 Stars ~ Since a teen Meg had adored her big brother's best friend, Niccolo. One night when she was barely sixteen she made a pass at Nic and he brutally rejected her, a rejection that still hurts her now that she's 28. Through college and most of her career in New York she'd managed to stay clear of men, but then she met Mark, whose handsome good looks reminded her of Nic. When she discovers she's pregnant, Mark insists she have an abortion and lets her know he already has a wife and three kids. Returning to Napa for a landscape design contract is just what she needs but being under Nic's eagle eye is something she hadn't anticipated. Nic may live in California but he certainly has Italian old school ideas. When he learns of Meg's pregnancy, he leaves her little choice but to marry him so he can give her baby a name and at the same time honour a debt he feels he owes to her dead brother. But this marriage seems doomed from the start, with Meg constantly battling wills with Nic's takeover of her life and Nic's feelings of betrayal when she innocently has contact with Mark.

This is Ms. Porter's debut with Harlequin and while I was quickly engaged in the story, I must say I could find little in redeeming qualities in Nic. Meg is struggling to overcome her teenage reputation of wild child, and the one scene where Nic stands up to the community when they spew gossip is about the only time I felt he had potential as a hero. He quickly becomes verbally abusive and extremely judgmental when he learns of her pregnancy leaving Meg feeling cheap and worthless. His Italian heritage is no excuse for this behaviour and I found myself not really buying into his humble pie apologies in the end. Sadly for me the cringing moments continually over powered all my ability to buy into these two. I did enjoy Ms. Porter's voice and look forward to reading another of her books.

[MasterSal · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book supposedly follows a romance between our heroine and our "hero", Niccolo, who she has grown up with. I think it's meant to be a friend-to-lovers romance but I could barely see the friendship here let alone the romance.

We meet our heroine at the beginning of the book when she is pregnant by her ex-boyfriend. She returns home for some reason I didn't follow because ... well she has to for plot reason meet Niccolo again. I mean, like other HQ heroines, she has no bff's to crash with or any humans in her life who would be nice to her, so she has to go home.

Our hero is pretty rude to her throughout the book - so much so that I am convinced he was hit in the head (probably by an ex girlfriend). There is also some side plot with her parents which made me roll my eyes but then I stopped - because my eyes hurt. This wasn't a tranwreck like some HQ books - just that it didn't make sense. There were plot points which I did not follow - and for making me feel stupid I am giving this book a 1 star (and the fact that I didn't like it)

I understand that this book is Ms Porter's debut - so good news, she gets better. Skip this one IMO

----

Aug 2020: So it turns out I have this book on my Kobo - hmmm, I don't remember this at all. Probably should read it .. sometime soonish

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read several of this author’s books and liked them All; but sadly, if this had been the first - I wouldn’t have read anymore. It was so bad I gave up half way through and skimmed to the end. The heroine is an unsympathetic, shrieky, whining misery. Her behaviour is simply annoying and I could not like her. The hero is a total jerk. He allowed her to take the blame for her brother’s death through drink driving because she wanted to save her parents learning their golden boy had feet of clay. She’s now pregnant by a married man who wants her to have an abortion. She didn’t know he was married but seriously, at 28 could she not have found someone better? The hero forced her into marriage and then after a totally unbelievable journey we get the happy ending. By which time, I really didn’t care. JP can write well, but this first book was a train wreck. Later books show she can produce nuanced and sympathetic protagonists and plot a credible and entertaining story. Sorry but I really disliked this one.

[Tia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chemistry of the hero and heroine in this book was really amazing. You could tell their angry lead to unmistakable passion. It was amazing reading what all unfolded between them and how such a man could adopt a baby who wasn't even biologically his or even born yet. I felt the emotions scorch me as I read further. Especially near the end when the heroine is ignored and hurt by the hero and then goes into premature labor. I was so touched by the ending and who the hero was in the book, there needs to be more men like him out there in the world.

[NMNL7]

Soon Meg's secret would show--she was pregnant! However, she was determined to keep it to herself while she visited her hometown in California and came to terms with her future as a single mom.

But there was no fooling Niccolo Dominici, darkly handsome winery owner and longtime family friend. In true Italian style, he insisted that he should take care of her and the baby. But Meg knew that marriage to Nicco didn't mean just in name only....

[Brittney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember loving this book a few years ago but I was disappointed when I bought it to re-read!

[3houd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it was moderately bad. Not too hideous.

I'm going back to Harlequin novels with one thought in mind "Someday I will read a semi-worthy novel" lol
Let's hope for the best.

[A · Rating 1 out of 5]

The h is an idiot who when abandoned by her married lover marries H. The married lover comes back to blackmail H when asked to adopt the kid he abandons and gets payoff money and then goes to h and cons her out of her entire live savings to pay for his mortgage and keep his wife and she does that readily despite being told by H not to. The author having realized that uses it as a plot twist and I still feel sorry for the H for having married a disloyal woman like h.

[Carolina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lo único que puedo decir es que con un novio italiano así...mejor me quedo sola. Gracias pero no gracias.
Todas las muestras de machismo y mujer desesperada están plasmadas en este libro.
Está entretenido porque se lee en un par de horas pero eso no es romance; creo que muchas de nosotras no estaríamos dispuestas a que nos trataran así.

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in 2001, and liked it. Viewed through the romance genre lens, this book has the anti-hero, angst, passion, and dramatic elements that most romance readers are interested in. Though not a light read, it is satisfying.

[Kes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meg is pregnant, and the father wants nothing to do with it. She flies back home, meets her family friend, and after a series of events, decides to marry him. I wasn't keen on how forceful Niccolo was, so 1/5 stars

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a great fan of author Jane Porter, and her writing speaks to a woman's heart! I recently read her first book, "The Italian Groom". I was delighted, but not surprised, that Jane's voice as an author has always been strong and true. "The Italian Groom" is a touching, passionate romance between two old friends who take the long way around to find happiness. When Meg Buckner returns to her home area in California to accept the job assignment of her dreams, she brings along a secret and must also confront hidden truths from her past. Niccolo Dominici, the best friend of Meg's late brother, is also the man with whom Meg has always been in love. Niccolo tries to dominate Meg's stay in California, insisting that he knows what is best for her and persisting in calling her "Maggie". After Niccolo learns that Meg is pregnant by a married man, he insists upon marrying her as a matter of honor and to protect and provide for her future and that of her child. After much protesting and soul-searching, all the while acknowledging her growing attraction to Niccolo, Meg agrees to the marriage. Niccolo must admit to himself that he is not only attracted to her, but he has some very deep feelings for "his Maggie". Old friendships, family secrets, and newfound passions all come together for a beautifully told romantic tale in "The Italian Groom".

[AlexandraB95 · Rating 1 out of 5]

But she didn't want to think about Mark, didn't want to be reminded that she'd fallen for Mark partly because he'd reminded her so much of Niccolo(THE HERO). The fact that even after ten years Meg still desired men like Nic confounded her. Nic might be sinfully attractive, but he was also insufferably high-handed.

As it turned out, Mark and Nic were really nothing alike. Whereas Nic had scruples, Mark had none. Mark wasn't just any old wolf, but a married wolf with three kids and a wife tucked in an affluent Connecticut neighborhood. Greenwich , to be precise.

Her stomach heaved at the memory. Mark had insisted she get rid of the baby, going so far as to make an appointment at a clinic, but Meg refused, and used the opportunity to head to California to get a start on her new landscape renovation.

Her stomach gurgled again, a squeamish reminder that it had been a long day and promised to be an equally long night. She was four and a half months into this pregnancy and still quite sick. She'd been prepared for nausea, but this ... it .felt like a flu that wouldn't end.

[Tonya Warner]

Once again, Maggie is in need of help from Niccolo Dominici. The sister of his best friend, Maggie had tried to seduce him at sixteen. Rejecting her, she had left town for school and not returned for ten years. Now, grown-up and pregnant by a man who had lied to her, Maggie is once again turning to NIc.



Niccolo has lived with the fact that Maggie took the blame for her brother's death.



There are a lot of issues that seem to not be answered. Did Nic take responsiblity for the accident, when it was actually Jared's fault? Why does he distance himself from Maggie. No real explaination about why she doesn't meet his family.

[Fabiola Chenet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cette histoire a été publiée il y a quelques années et ça se voit, même si l'intrigue est un peu différente des azur classiques. Le fait quel'héroïne soit enceinte d'un autre, et que le héros propose immédiatement le mariage est ce qui change. Le classique vient de la relation entre nos héros, typique de la collection. Soyez prévenues lol

[Elektragedia · Rating 4 out of 5]

el titulo lo dice todo

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The man is an abusive ass. He should be shot. The girl is clearly a victim of abuse. He was nice to her as a child and now she can't see how much he is hurting her

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like it but did not hate it. The Hero just way too egotistical. The Heroine was an idiot imo for what she did. His pride hurt them both.

[Andrea Moreno · Rating 2 out of 5]

☆1.5☆