Un Natale dolce e sensuale

by Sandra Marton

Il milionario Dante Russo è un uomo che si è fatto da solo e che non conosce pietà, nemmeno per Taylor Sommer. Lei ha lasciato il lavoro e Dante tre anni prima per intraprendere una carriera indipendente, ma Dante non è mai riuscito a dimenticarla e farebbe di tutto per riaverla nel suo letto.

Tally ha un segreto che gli ha taciuto e che non fa altro che rendere ancora più duro il cuore di Dante, intensificando il suo desiderio di possesso. Ma, si sa, i miracoli succedono, soprattutto a Natale, e questa volta sembra essere proprio Dante il prescelto.

Genres: Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Second Chance, Contemporary

140 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

I've been a writer, one way or another, all my life. Before I could read, I made up poems and my mom wrote them down for me. In elementary school, my teachers almost always let me write poems or stories instead of requiring me to do art projects. Always, I dreamed of becoming a published writer...and that dream came true! I write novels about sexy, powerful men and independent-minded women, and what happens when they find each other and fall in love. My books are sexy and romantic, and they've very often full of romantic suspense. I write the kinds of books I love to read, and I hope that makes my readers happy.

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man-baby hero who can't handle love is still upset, three years later, that his mistress left him before he could leave her. It's so bad, it's interfering with his current mistress who opens the book with a pout and baby talk.

Not an auspicious opening, I agree.

The hero finally sends a private investigator to find the heroine and immediately leaps to all kinds of conclusions. (Like "Sam" is the heroine's current lover and not her daughter) He doesn't bother to read the report, he just slams down the phone and then buys the bank in Vermont where the heroine has a loan and then goes to confront her.

He was hoping this would accomplish what???

It was a stupid plan which leads to the heroine being foreclosed upon and the hero feeling guilty for turning a little girl out into the streets.

But the hero has another stupid plan which includes the heroine moving into his penthouse so that she can interior decorate something. It's all pretty vague - and stupid. She's right back in his bed.

Also, stupid, for the black moment, is the heroine who doesn't tell the hero her daughter is his until 90% in the story. He reacts - like the man baby he is - and threatens to take her away from the heroine forever.

I was tired of both of them by the end. He never bothered to look for her for three years. It wasn't love then and it isn't love now. He's a selfish man-baby, but he's her baby's daddy so h has to put up with him. I could live with a cynical ending like that - but no, SM had the audacity to tack on a Hallmark ending with Christmas bells ringing to soften his hard heart. Hurl.

[MelissaB · Rating 4 out of 5]

** 3 1/2 stars **

I enjoyed reading this Harlequin Presents because it was drama filled and kept my interest. The hero was a jerk most of the book, he was borderline too rough sometimes and was a complete ass and self-absorbed but he was also sort of magnetic and compelling. There is a secret baby theme but I didn't really blame the heroine at first for not telling him because he was such a jerk but she should have told him earlier than she did. Also, the kid was only 2 when he found out about her, I have more trouble forgiving the mom when the kid is old enough to ask where their daddy is. The story had a revenge theme at first (although the hero had no real reason to need revenge except in his own self-absorbed head) which for some reason is a favorite trope of mine in Presents books - lots of drama always ensues when the inevitably innocent heroine learns about the hero's duplicity.

So this fulfilled my Presents needs of drama, quick exciting storyline, asshole rich and studly hero and the nice heroine who was hurt by him.

[KatieV · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some may enjoy this as a sweet Xmas story. Definitely YMMV on that. Sweet isn't really my cuppa.

It was okay, but I read it because it was advertised as a vengeance story. Unfortunately it was another of those where the Hero doesn't quite pull the trigger. I'm so tired of that. What happened to the crazy HP days when the Hero usually went through with his batsh# t Greek or Italian vendetta no matter how twisted his logic and then realizes how WRONG he was?

In this he basically took with one hand, but gave with the other - essentially cancelling out the revenge. Yawn.

Also I really couldn't buy the heroine's reason for keeping the pregnancy a secret. I don't always agree with that decision, but I like to at least understand her POV.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been on a Sandra Marton kick these last few days. There is a definite formula to her writing which is okay since it's a formula I don't mind. This was a reuniting lovers story with a secret baby thrown in. I do enjoy having POV from both the hero and the heroine. Here as is generally the case it seems with SM it is fun to watch the hero fall back in love with the heroine and then realize that he's never fallen out of love but has only been denying it to himself. With SM it seems as if the heroes are more well defined than the heroines but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Other writers do it the other way and both work as long as it's well done.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the hero Dante's POV and struggle as he came to grips with his feelings was exciting, his notion of revenge was really stupid (needing to avenge the great wrong done to him just because a woman left him, even though he had made it clear to her she was just a fling and he planned to dump her? So she scooped him and 3 years later, even though he's sleeping around, he decides he has to financially destroy the poor woman?)

It makes me crazy when a man who is supposed to be in love with a woman but can't bring himself to recognize it sleeps with other women while the same pathetic woman pines away for a man she never expects to see again. When Tally had to confront the most recent mistress and Dante self-righteously gets to think he did nothing wrong since he was single, I had to really question the value of his "love". Whenever he is angry he feels justified in brutality like foreclosing on her childhood home and planning to take her child from her, and he can pretend he couldn't get her out of his mind but had plenty of sex with other women. What's to say life's difficulties won't get him angry enough that he'll decide to have "just sex" with someone in a decade? Also, the Christmas bell thing at the end was silly. Sad because it could have been a 5 star read.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dante and Tally had a passionate affair but the heroine all of a sudden run out on him. Three years later and Dante is still very much obsessed with her. His pride is hurt because no woman rejects him and he's out for revenge. He finds out she is broke and that she is the mother of a two year old baby girl. The heroine tells him that the child is not his. She makes him believe she cheated on him while they were still together but only once and that's how she became pregnant.

He offers her job because he feels compassion for her daughter and he wants her to be happy. Tally and Sam move in with him but Dante is still jealous and tormented by thoughts of Tally's cheating and her secret lover. Very quickly he realizes that he is still in love with Tally and comes to adore his cute daughter even if he doesn't know she is his.

Very well written full of passion and angst! I didn't like that the heroine didn't reveal her daughter's paternity until the end and that there was not a future epilogue. Still it's a beautiful love story!

[AvidReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though the angst was high and it had all the drama and ingredients I love in a HP, I couldn’t get past the hero being not celibate during separation.

[Analia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐


A Sandro Marton la leí hace unos años con “El guardián de su corazón”, solo porque quería leer un Harlequín y luego “Un jeque despiadado”. Es una autora prolífica y que se ha hecho un nombre en éste sello.
Boda en Navidad me encantó. De prosa muy sencilla de leer la sentí medio culebrón de telenovela porque estamos ante una historia de reencuentro, de segundas oportunidades. Él, Dante Russo, es un arrogante siciliano (NO VA de mafias peeeero su forma de actuar me recuerdan a las novelas románticas de éstas épocas. Y eso que Boda en Navidad se publicó en el 2008) de treinta y dos años, dirige un emporio internacional, posee casas en dos continentes, tiene un Mercedes y un avión privado, y puede elegir a las mujeres más bellas. Muchas de ellas dicen que “es bello”. Alto y fornido, con el cuerpo de un atleta y un rostro estilo el David de Miguel Ángel, tiene la fama de ser tan excitante en la cama como excepcional en la sala de juntas.
Dante tiene todo lo que un hombre pudiera desear, incluyendo el convencimiento de que su vida podría haber sido muy diferente, y eso le permite ser quien es y le mantiene en alerta. Él es un hombre centrado, no sólo en cuestión de negocios o de mujeres, sino en referencia a todo lo que sucedía a su alrededor. Él pone sus propias reglas; Él no es un hombre que se enamore a ciegas porque tiene un ego y por momentos es un rudo y completo idiota, pero Taylor Sommers es quien lo bajará a la realidad.
Al principio la novela se nos presenta como un tema de venganza, pero como Taylor carga con una bebé de dos años, el giro es otro porque Dante terminará por aceptar que en realidad sigue enamorado de ella, desde que lo abandonó dejándole solo una nota. Lo de Dante con Taylor es una obsesión. (¿Lo ven? Sandra Marton es una de las pioneras en éste tipo de romances SOLO QUE la protagonista femenina se pone firme y conoce las red flags)
A Taylor ya le habían cerrado el negocio de decoración que llevaba desde su casa. Sin el préstamo, perdería la tienda que había alquilado en el pueblo, antes de inaugurarla, porque, para ser sinceros, estaba arruinada. Cuando Dante se entera, le ofrece trabajo, no por ella, sino porque siente compasión hacia esa niña, de la que creé es de un amante que tuvo Taylor mientras era a su vez amante de Dante. ¿Será verdad? Tienen que leer la novela. Solo decir que Dante se vuelve más furioso y aumenta su deseo de venganza, pero la navidad obra milagros.

[Shatarupa Dhar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have joined Manali Dey, a friend on Bookstagram, for the #MillsandBoonReadathon for which we are reading 18 books, coz it's '18! This is Book 2.

It is three weeks till Christmas, and Dante Russo is at a charity ball, where he finally decides to dump his current "mistress". He is remembering Taylor Sommers, who left him three years ago (another mistress?). He, who grew up in poverty, but now at thirty two, almost ruled the world. How dare Taylor leave him like that and make a fool of him? So, he decides to take revenge, after he finds her, of course. And when the P.I. he hired comes up with the details about her new life, he is furious! She is living with one Sam Gardner, and Dante thinks that she left him for Samuel?

Taylor Sommers (Tally) is broke. The interior decorating business she started isn't working as well as she wanted it to. Three years ago, she had fled from Dante as she had had a secret, a secret which Dante would surely have felt burdened with. She gave birth to their baby, Sam, all alone.

Quite a thing Dante pulled off to rope in Taylor. He bought the bank where she had applied for a loan to help her ailing business, a loan she had taken against her house. But, their fist confrontation after all these years ends in Taylor saying to Dante that she was never his concern, which Dante conceded as the truth. And when a blizzard coops them up in her home, Dante is faced with his daughter, Samantha Gardner Sommers, not that he knows about it, yet. And when Tally tries to tell him, instead of listening to her/believing her, he assumes that the baby isn't his but someone else's! And to make matters worse, Tally agrees with him in order to 'protect' herself and Sam. The story seemed illogical after that.

I felt sad for the childhood Dante had had to live through, and Tally too. But the writing felt emotionally detached. And, blackmailing Tally into moving in with him, along with their daughter; always blaming her for sleeping with someone else; all that left a bad taste in my mouth. And that too in spite of him agreeing to this fact:

That was why he’d decided to end their affair three years ago. He hadn’t been bored. Who could be bored by a woman who could discuss the stock market and football statistics without missing a beat?

All this is followed by an 'almost rape' scene after which Dante says that he could never hurt her! Cringeworthy... And double cringeworthy when they have sex immediately after that! She says yes to living in with him, and tells him about Sam being his, and Dante tries get sole custody, and it's an abrupt The End with them marrying. Ugh...

Also, there were too many repetitions like this:

All that mattered was this. This... This.

Which made it reading a bit childish.

The only redeeming thing about this book were the little scenes of Dante and Sam, together, towards the end.

P.S. I have read three other books by Sandra Marton, which I loved. But, this just didn't sit well with me.

[LLC · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely story. Dante the hero is a typical HQN over the top arrogant, ruthless, Alpha male. Taly the h had the umitigated gall to leave him a note and run out on him three years ago, and he's enraged because she walked out on him before he could break it off with her. His pride is hurt and he's out for revenge. He's not willing to look too closely at why he's waited three years and has to hire a detective to track her down. Both the h/H have trust issues based on childhood abandonment by their parents. The H has dealt with this by never allowing anyone, especially women, to ever get close. When he tracks her down to a small New England town, he finds she has a two year old daughter. He never even considers this could be his child he immediately thinks she cheated on him while they were together. He sets out to ruin her financially but then he realizes that if he ruins Taly's life he will hurt her daughter too. So he sets out to make things right. He very quickly realizes that he cares for Taly and comes to love her/his daughter. This story is about growing past your childhood traumas, taking emotional risks, forgiving, and falling in love. HEA.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that Taylor Sommer ended their affaire meer hours before he could, has always made Dante Russo angry. So when he learns that she is in money issues he thinks this is the perfect oppertunity to show her just who has the control. What he doesn't expect is to find she is the mother of a beautiful 2 year old daughter, Sam. Thinking her cheated on him with another man, he starts forecloser proccedings on her house, only to realizes he is not only punishing Taylor but also Sam. So, he offers her a job as a decorator. As thier attractions burns through them he comes to realize what the feelings for her might actually mean. But taylor is keeping one big secret and when she tells him, he might not want anything to do with her.

[Amara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weirdly cheesy like a Hallmark movie, but with sex and whiny little bitch hero.

[Mary Simmons · Rating 1 out of 5]

WHAT THE DAMN HELL?!
This book is not okay. Really not! I read it years ago (yeah it took me while to write reviews) and Istill get mad about it!
I expected a cute fluffy Christmas Story to enjoy. It was a christmas story, but it was neither cute nor fluffy. Instead I got a rapy duchebag and a dumb heroine that ran away from said duchebag years ago cause she knew he wasn't good and would dumb her anyway sooner or later. So when finding out she's pregnant she bolted.
Duchebag left seezing and after years he found her and set out to destroy her. Instead he started to get feelings for her and the little kid (which he thought was from another man) but never stopped rambling about how she wronged him and left him for another guy (She didn't) and practically rapes the heroine of the story.
Buuuuuuuut instead of kicking his balls and call the cops on him and get THE HELL AWAY... she cares for him, for fucks sake. Grow a spine, girl.

But things got pretty ugly when duchebag found out who's the babys daddy.He got all mad and heroine is heartbroken cause he's her one true love... bleeeegh

Well do I really need to add that they live happily ever after in the end? Cause if I have to I start throwing stuff around!

[iamGamz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Sweet Christmas Story Stars

Dante and Taylor (Tally) were lovers and with the writing on the wall, Tally walked from Dante before he could end the relationship.

Three years later Dante tracks her down and believing she's living with another man(Sam), he decided to get revenge on her by demanding payment of the loan that she has taken out to build up her business. The loan was secured using her home so this would leave her without and income and without a home. Even learning that Sam is a child and not a man, Dante was still bent on revenge.

Dante was a selfish, jaded alpha male who had a dog in the manger attitude where Talky was concerned. I completely understand why Tally walked away from him. Tally tried to hold her own but he steamrolled over her at every turn.

Although you want to beat him over the head through most of the book, you can't help but love him as he begins to fall in love with little Sam. That trip to the hospital almost did him in.

It was wonderfully sweet the way that Tally and Dante both came together at the end. I will read this again next Christmas.

[RomLibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sicilian tycoon Dante Russo has become rich and successful the hard way. So there's no mercy in his heart when he hears that Taylor Sommer's business is struggling. She's the woman who ended their affair three years ago, and her present plight is perfect--for Dante to blackmail her back into his bed and get his desire for her right out of his system. Tally's now the mother of a lovely little girl, news which only serves to harden Dante's heart further and intensify his need to possess. But rich and ruthless though he may be, even Dante isn't immune to the magic of Christmas and the miracles it brings

[Calysta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. The man was a violent mess (like trying to choke her, forcing himself on her multiple times), the woman clearly was suffering from childhood abandonment issues. They got over their final fight because xmas bells rang? Just no.

[Mari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Skumläste bara de sista sidorna, handlingen blev inte bättre, snarare sämre tyvärr

[Yu Li · Rating 1 out of 5]

there must be a specific term in clinical-psychology to call the hero acts and thoughts. you dont exact a revenge to someone that hasnt any effect in your life for three years; without a big cause; because you are bored; just because that person dared to leave you before you do the deed; then plan an elaborate sceme to destroy that person life so she become dependant to you--unless you suffer some mental disorders

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uhhhh what was with that slapped together ending? Huge fight! Huge problem before fight. Christmas....we all good. No. No!!! They needed only one more conversation to air out everything but they didn't so it was like a bandaid ending. But this hero kinda sucked and Christmas was bearly in it.

[Cyeba Alcala · Rating 1 out of 5]

...What a pile of BS was this.
The plot is all over the place, the characters are completely obtuse (BOTH OF THEM BUT HIM... OMG HE IS JUST AN ASSHOLE), badly paced and absurd on so many levels I am baffled as to how this was even published.

[Helen Moulden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of dicey bits but I suppose they nearly fitted the story but would not have made a difference if they were left out.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dulce/Amargo (en ciertas partes) y sencillo :3

[Jane Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun, but not special.

[TheMadHatter · Rating 2 out of 5]

These books seem to pop up in my reading when I am usually over worked, tired and feeling brain dead :-). They provide the escapism, with only having to invest a few hours of time.

This book was cute enough, but there were aspects to it that annoyed the crap out of me.

1) A baby that sleeps ALL the time. Seriously? I can accept fairies and vampires and elves in my reading as that is plausible. A sleeping baby? Please. Does not exist.

2) A leading man who is supposedly a successful billionaire who falls into a "I will crush you tantrum" every time things go wrong, but then retracts when he is more emotionally in control. How did he make his fortune?

3) A scene that is suppose to show passion, but has the leading guy basically (and literally) doing a bodice ripping all the while the lady is screaming no. She then retracts this statement and falls into his arm. Do NOT get me started on the ways that this is wrong. When did abuse = romance?

4) The annoying bloody bells at the end of the book that made me laugh quite loudly at the end by how cheesy the author went. Seriously? Bells at Xmas that made them realise they truly, madly, deeply loved each other. "OH Dante....the bells...the bells". Eeek.

Look, these books are what they are. However, they use to give me a small amount of enjoyment and light reading relief. Now they just leave me baffled. Have these books gotten bad in the last 5 years or have I grown out of them since I found more edgier romance reads? A mystery for the ages....

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s amazing how some category romances stand the test of time and how others fail and are really dated.

This book was published in 2006 and was in a trilogy which I bought because it had a story by one of my favourite authors in it.

This is so dated that parts of it made me laugh and others made me cringe.

I thought this was an unpleasant story. The hero was awful at the beginning but very swiftly turned into mr softy. But the heroine lied for 95% of the story and seemed unable to take any responsibility for what had happened until the last pages.

I cannot abide stories where the heroine keeps secret the fact that the hero is a dad. In this case, she kept it a secret while they were separated, when they met again and throughout the book. Then, when she tells him and he reacts as he does, she has the audacity to hate him and say it’s all his fault?

It’s about 4=pages from the end before she realises she was wrong, she’s hurt him and he’s responded from his pain.

And then - the Christmas bells bring them together in one of the most vomit-inducing endings I have had the misfortune to read. Talk about a saccharine, sentimental ending. Totally unbelievable, melodramatic tosh. The author can write, and there were some delightful passages in here. Shame about the execution.

[Maraea · Rating 2 out of 5]

short story.was quite gut wrenching actually. he was a bit of a dominating bully who was mad at Taylor for leaving him 3 years ago. but he made it clear she was just his mistress. he's been sleeping with lots of woman and says he'll never b faithful. he tracks her down and goes about punishing her for getting pregnant while they were together but the dB thing is its his baby and she doesn't tell him till the end. he goes all mental and wants custody blah but they had a HEA

[Modesty_b · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book... the hero is soo pig headed that everything revolves around him... I came close to killing him or at least banging his head with a very thick book.. and I didn't like the ending i.e. after all the drama it seemed so bland .

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

three and a half stars

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unforgettable holiday romance, Buon Natale!!!

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!