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The Ranieri Bride
When Enrico Ranieri discovers that Freya has hidden the existence of his son, he demands her hand in marriage. Enrico won't give Freya his heart, but he will give her his special brand of bedroom pleasure….
Now Freya must convince Enrico she's innocent, because she can't survive as just his bride of convenience….
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2006
42 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Reid
388 books637 followersHi, my name is Michelle Reid and I’ve been writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon for the last twenty years, and the crazy part about it is that I only realised it had been twenty years while updating this page!
So, hang on for a minute while I take this huge milestone in....
Twenty years with almost forty books published or in the pipeline ... I know it isn’t a great average when compared with some authors but it sounds pretty good to me!
So what was I doing twenty years ago before I wrote books? Well, I did the all of the usual things, like growing up and attending school, finishing at secretarial college, which I hated, then spent the next several years wandering aimlessly from job to job. Eventually I met my husband, we married and produced two daughters who then grew up and between them presented us with two gorgeous grandsons and one beautiful granddaughter. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Somewhere in between my girls growing up and the grandchildren arriving on the scene, I started writing. To this day I don’t know why, unless it was a natural progression from my never being without a book close by—often several—because books have always been an important part of my life for as far back as I can recall.
So, I started to write, by hand at first, scribbling short stories in notebooks which never saw the light of day. At some point I discovered Mills & Boon Romance books and that was pretty much it for me. I’d found my new love, as in reading romantic fiction and inevitably writing it too.
So twenty years on and almost forty books on, here I am still writing and still loving it!
So, hang on for a minute while I take this huge milestone in....
Twenty years with almost forty books published or in the pipeline ... I know it isn’t a great average when compared with some authors but it sounds pretty good to me!
So what was I doing twenty years ago before I wrote books? Well, I did the all of the usual things, like growing up and attending school, finishing at secretarial college, which I hated, then spent the next several years wandering aimlessly from job to job. Eventually I met my husband, we married and produced two daughters who then grew up and between them presented us with two gorgeous grandsons and one beautiful granddaughter. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Somewhere in between my girls growing up and the grandchildren arriving on the scene, I started writing. To this day I don’t know why, unless it was a natural progression from my never being without a book close by—often several—because books have always been an important part of my life for as far back as I can recall.
So, I started to write, by hand at first, scribbling short stories in notebooks which never saw the light of day. At some point I discovered Mills & Boon Romance books and that was pretty much it for me. I’d found my new love, as in reading romantic fiction and inevitably writing it too.
So twenty years on and almost forty books on, here I am still writing and still loving it!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 30, 2019
Only have myself to blame for reading this crap when I could have been reading other crap.
He's a pig.
She's a doormat.
They have lots of cataclysmic sex because she can't help herself. And has no self-respect at all.
She's a lying, cheating whore, but she carried the golden spawn of Satan and she's good in bed so ...MOC.
She protests her innocence, but she's a lying, cheating whore, but she carried the golden spawn of Satan and she's good in bed so...lots of sex.
It's really rather depressing as he only believes her because he now has proof, and even then doesn't say anything to her about her innocence until after the marry and she makes a food of herself.
I hate you Ranieri.
And tiny h, I hate you too.
SHOULD HAVE LISTENED!!!
He's a pig.
She's a doormat.
They have lots of cataclysmic sex because she can't help herself. And has no self-respect at all.
She's a lying, cheating whore, but she carried the golden spawn of Satan and she's good in bed so ...MOC.
She protests her innocence, but she's a lying, cheating whore, but she carried the golden spawn of Satan and she's good in bed so...lots of sex.
It's really rather depressing as he only believes her because he now has proof, and even then doesn't say anything to her about her innocence until after the marry and she makes a food of herself.
I hate you Ranieri.
And tiny h, I hate you too.
SHOULD HAVE LISTENED!!!
January 26, 2013
This book left me wanting to take a shower, and not in the good way. The hero Enrico is just… gross. First, just because Freya calls him on a bathroom break, he assumes she's actually peeing right then, and this puts the memory of her giving him a blow job into his head. That's a juxtaposition of ideas I could do without. He also keeps having memories in porn-worthy detail of catching her being unfaithful with his cousin. And then there's his argument for why Freya's secret baby is most likely his and not the cousin's:
"'Rumor has it that Luca is so vain in the bedroom, he can only perform if there is a mirror in which he can see himself,' Enrico's hateful voice resonated on. 'There was no such mirror in our bedroom, cara, so the chances are that he could not have kept it up long enough to have been any good at the seed-sowing stuff. Unless you held a hand mirror over your face while he did it, of course.'"
Excuse me a sec… I need another shower.
Besides being slimy, he's also generally a douchebag: "While it is my money, you're using to pay for every item you put on your back, you will wear what I tell you to!" (This, by the way, after he fired her from her job.) I find that kind of behavior unforgivable in either fantasy or real life, but he never apologizes or gives any indication that he'll change in future.
The plot goes in an utterly bizarre direction at the end, and there's no asshole hero payoff worthy of the name. The story is completely unsatisfying in just about every respect.
"'Rumor has it that Luca is so vain in the bedroom, he can only perform if there is a mirror in which he can see himself,' Enrico's hateful voice resonated on. 'There was no such mirror in our bedroom, cara, so the chances are that he could not have kept it up long enough to have been any good at the seed-sowing stuff. Unless you held a hand mirror over your face while he did it, of course.'"
Excuse me a sec… I need another shower.
Besides being slimy, he's also generally a douchebag: "While it is my money, you're using to pay for every item you put on your back, you will wear what I tell you to!" (This, by the way, after he fired her from her job.) I find that kind of behavior unforgivable in either fantasy or real life, but he never apologizes or gives any indication that he'll change in future.
The plot goes in an utterly bizarre direction at the end, and there's no asshole hero payoff worthy of the name. The story is completely unsatisfying in just about every respect.
June 15, 2020
Needs more grovel.
H/h had been living together for a year when H's jealous cousin set up the heroine to make it appear she was cheating. H wouldn't listen when the heroine told him she was pregnant. He kicked her out and then took up with a string of women. Meanwhile, the h had a son, got a job, and was making her life happen.
Story opens with the H takes over the company where the h works and sees his two year-old son escaping from the daycare. He summons the h to his office, has sex with her, and then blackmails her into moving in with him.
The story then sags as they continue to have sex and argue and plan for a white wedding. When the hero finally realizes he was wrong about the heroine, he doesn't apologize - he just puts a blackmail plan against his cross-dressing cousin into motion. After their wedding, he presents this plan to the heroine as his wedding gift. No grovel - nothing.
Three stars because it's Michelle Reid and she does bring moments of intensity.
H/h had been living together for a year when H's jealous cousin set up the heroine to make it appear she was cheating. H wouldn't listen when the heroine told him she was pregnant. He kicked her out and then took up with a string of women. Meanwhile, the h had a son, got a job, and was making her life happen.
Story opens with the H takes over the company where the h works and sees his two year-old son escaping from the daycare. He summons the h to his office, has sex with her, and then blackmails her into moving in with him.
The story then sags as they continue to have sex and argue and plan for a white wedding. When the hero finally realizes he was wrong about the heroine, he doesn't apologize - he just puts a blackmail plan against his cross-dressing cousin into motion. After their wedding, he presents this plan to the heroine as his wedding gift. No grovel - nothing.
Three stars because it's Michelle Reid and she does bring moments of intensity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2023
He finds her in bed with his cousin while she’s being raped and of course thinks she’s willing.
I wonder if she was really willing or not, because if a woman is being raped I think she would scream no no and bite and kick so it’s impossible to mistake it for willing sex if you’re not into very hard bdsm…
Whatever.
Maybe the heroine wasn’t protesting too much as it is…
So the hero kicks her out of his life and even when she tells him she’s pregnant he relents.
Three years later.
She’s broke because he had her fired and she’s got his son, he’s happy screwing women and having the time of his life. He sees her and sees his son and he’s so angry because bitch! She kept his son from him.
Hey, are you Alzheimer??? Don’t you remember that you kicked her out when she told you she was pregnant?
So, as the varmint he is, he blackmails her into marriage after firing her.
I hoped that he died of a brain hemorrhage.
Fast and hard.
But he didn’t.
The poor woman suffered from severe tbs and had sex with the bastard who ruined her life like they have always been bff and lovers.
Disgusting.
Aaannnddd of course she’s been celibate for thee years and I’m wondering why since she’s such a slut that she had sex with that bastard sob she didn’t have sex with other men that maybe- maybe- could have been less bastard and more decent than him.
Why? It doesn’t make sense.
Then of course he realizes that his cousin was lying all the time and does he grovel or apologize?
Does he?
No, nope. Nothing nada zilch.
She marries in the end and he doesn’t even say ily.
And he admits that maybe he wasn’t ready to commit himself to marriage so he exploited the cousin’s affair to kick her out of his life and have fun with dozens of ow while she struggled with his son.
Now of course he’s ready because he’s got Alzheimer and his d**k is shriveling so the heroine can have his sorry leavings. The pathetic silly bitch!
Aaaarrrgggggg!
One of the worst MR.
I’m ashamed of being a woman if women behave like the heroine in this book. She should have dosed him with gasoline and lit a match.
And watched him burning alive.
This is no less than he deserved.
Yuck yuck yuck.
I wonder if she was really willing or not, because if a woman is being raped I think she would scream no no and bite and kick so it’s impossible to mistake it for willing sex if you’re not into very hard bdsm…
Whatever.
Maybe the heroine wasn’t protesting too much as it is…
So the hero kicks her out of his life and even when she tells him she’s pregnant he relents.
Three years later.
She’s broke because he had her fired and she’s got his son, he’s happy screwing women and having the time of his life. He sees her and sees his son and he’s so angry because bitch! She kept his son from him.
Hey, are you Alzheimer??? Don’t you remember that you kicked her out when she told you she was pregnant?
So, as the varmint he is, he blackmails her into marriage after firing her.
I hoped that he died of a brain hemorrhage.
Fast and hard.
But he didn’t.
The poor woman suffered from severe tbs and had sex with the bastard who ruined her life like they have always been bff and lovers.
Disgusting.
Aaannnddd of course she’s been celibate for thee years and I’m wondering why since she’s such a slut that she had sex with that bastard sob she didn’t have sex with other men that maybe- maybe- could have been less bastard and more decent than him.
Why? It doesn’t make sense.
Then of course he realizes that his cousin was lying all the time and does he grovel or apologize?
Does he?
No, nope. Nothing nada zilch.
She marries in the end and he doesn’t even say ily.
And he admits that maybe he wasn’t ready to commit himself to marriage so he exploited the cousin’s affair to kick her out of his life and have fun with dozens of ow while she struggled with his son.
Now of course he’s ready because he’s got Alzheimer and his d**k is shriveling so the heroine can have his sorry leavings. The pathetic silly bitch!
Aaaarrrgggggg!
One of the worst MR.
I’m ashamed of being a woman if women behave like the heroine in this book. She should have dosed him with gasoline and lit a match.
And watched him burning alive.
This is no less than he deserved.
Yuck yuck yuck.
October 21, 2021
‘I don’t deserve you,’ he responded roughly.
Exactly!
Exactly!
September 29, 2014
I didn't like the hero, so that ruined it for me. I couldn't deal with his inability to trust and I don't feel that was ever truly resolved. I feel he'll always be suspicious and have the heroine watched, etc. Most HP tycoons are asses, but this one was a crude piggish ass who didn't have much respect for women. Perhaps I'd have liked the book and him better if he'd handled the eureka moment differently. He never really gave her the apology she deserved and went on manipulating the situation and insisting that she trust him.
The secret baby wasn't such a secret, so I couldn't hold that against the heroine as a cause for the H's anger. She told him she was pregnant when he kicked her out under false accusations. I suppose he chose not to believe her and then when he sees the proof 2-years later he feels betrayed and angry that she didn't contact him and beg him to believe her again.
Still it was an MR and kept me reading, so 2 stars instead of 1.
The secret baby wasn't such a secret, so I couldn't hold that against the heroine as a cause for the H's anger. She told him she was pregnant when he kicked her out under false accusations. I suppose he chose not to believe her and then when he sees the proof 2-years later he feels betrayed and angry that she didn't contact him and beg him to believe her again.
Still it was an MR and kept me reading, so 2 stars instead of 1.
Read
March 7, 2018Holy carumba!
LOLOLOLOL!
The first 85-90% of the book is normal and entertaining and I really enjoyed it.
And then...something happened and it all fell apart, including the bride tackling someone during her wedding (heeeeee!) and the crowning glory of weirdness--the villain is actually a cross-dresser who is dressed up like the heroine to cause trouble.
I...am...speechless.
What did I just read?
Grade: A for first 90% of the book
Grade: F for "freakin' out of control" for the final 10%
LOLOLOLOL!
The first 85-90% of the book is normal and entertaining and I really enjoyed it.
And then...something happened and it all fell apart, including the bride tackling someone during her wedding (heeeeee!) and the crowning glory of weirdness--the villain is actually a cross-dresser who is dressed up like the heroine to cause trouble.
I...am...speechless.
What did I just read?
Grade: A for first 90% of the book
Grade: F for "freakin' out of control" for the final 10%
November 23, 2010
what happened to the grovelling?? what happened to the bad guy??
July 13, 2014
Although I enjoyed the read, it infuriated me that he acted like she never told him about the baby, and then we learn towards the end that she did tell him she was pregnant! Also, he dumped her and moved on the other women while she went three years alone...infuriating. At least there is some acknowledgment that he can't just take the child away from her...she feels she can't get public assistance but of course, she could get child support! So her giving in just doesn't make sense after the way he treated her. He rejected her after an attempted rape instead of rushing to help her....really hard to come back from that for me. I did love the more realistic than usual portrayal of a difficult toddler and mother-child relationship. And his love for her was understandable, she was lovely...I just never understood her love for him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2016
Definitely not a favorite. H is a huge jerk. He believes his male cousin when H catches him with h. Cousin set it up - he is jealous of H. This is not Reid's best - a little bit of a trainwreck. Some great lines - and could have been pretty good - can't put my finger on what was missing. 2 stars.
July 30, 2017
I normally like Michelle Reid books...but this was pretty shit.
May 23, 2018
2.5 stars ⭐️
April 1, 2018
***2.5 STARS***
This story just missed the mark for me. It started out so strong too. Hero acts like an asshole, kicking out his falsely accused girlfriend. Pregnant girlfriend moves on after being cast out so hatefully, and then raises the little boy by herself, just barely scraping by with her meager wages. Such great angst. Totally my kind of story. But then it started going downhill after Hero discovers h had his son and never let him know about the baby. And then the ridiculous story twist that was thrown in about the cousin. Ah well, it was so close.
This story just missed the mark for me. It started out so strong too. Hero acts like an asshole, kicking out his falsely accused girlfriend. Pregnant girlfriend moves on after being cast out so hatefully, and then raises the little boy by herself, just barely scraping by with her meager wages. Such great angst. Totally my kind of story. But then it started going downhill after Hero discovers h had his son and never let him know about the baby. And then the ridiculous story twist that was thrown in about the cousin. Ah well, it was so close.
July 12, 2013
awesome book..very intense emotions involved. it was gonna be a 4 or 5 star 4 me until we got 2 the end. i was expecting some bad grovelling but there was none. enrico did not even apologize. he just got back wid her. i was damn disappointed n dat was it. i did not like the book at all then. n dats a first bcoz michelle reid's an awesome writer n her books r always a 4 or 5 star...4 me at least;)
March 24, 2013
Very satisfying and with intense emotions. Very recommendable!
May 13, 2020
When Enrico Ranieri discovers that Freya has hidden the existence of his son, he demands her hand in marriage. Enrico won't give Freya his heart, but he will give her his special brand of bedroom pleasure….
Now Freya must convince Enrico she's innocent, because she can't survive as just his bride of convenience….
Now Freya must convince Enrico she's innocent, because she can't survive as just his bride of convenience….
May 22, 2014
Good book but not enough chemistry...
September 22, 2018
like it
July 9, 2021
The beginning of this book is great, awesome angst, emotional craziness as the H accidently crosses paths with the h and their son he didn't believe was his in the foyer of a London office block. Reid has the skill to keep you locked into the novel as the H and h clash and try to hurt each other all over again as they rake over the past. But I wish MR hadn't written the sex scene in his office. Yes they could have kissed and run their hands over each other but then h should have pushed H away, run out the door, grabbed her son and bolted. H and his horrid cousin deserved to be water tortured. Also if I could go back three years to when H caught h in bed with his cousin and write the story from there I would have the pregnant h having laid an attempted rape charge against the cousin and in court battling it out with the H and his horrid cousin. Because h would know she had to lay an attempted rape charges against the cousin because he would go on to rape some other woman, and probably had raped other woman in the past and she couldn't let him get away with that.
This book was published in 2006 so shame on M&B editors for not addressing the issue of attempted rape. I know this is fiction but I am tired of these attempted rape plots and the men getting away with it. It could have been address in the novel by h saying she was too traumatized to
lay charges with police three years ago but she was strong enough to do it now. What about in the
last chapter the H supporting the h to press charges against the horrid cousin?
BTW I am a big MR fan.
This book was published in 2006 so shame on M&B editors for not addressing the issue of attempted rape. I know this is fiction but I am tired of these attempted rape plots and the men getting away with it. It could have been address in the novel by h saying she was too traumatized to
lay charges with police three years ago but she was strong enough to do it now. What about in the
last chapter the H supporting the h to press charges against the horrid cousin?
BTW I am a big MR fan.
December 11, 2024
Reread: managed to read it, intense but the H is an unredeemed jerk who gleefully manipulates h - he even rejoices in being able to manipulate her. I can tolerate a rapey H more than a manipulative one. Raising from 1 star to 2. MR usually redeems her H but doesn’t do so this time. Hard to respect a h who lets him do this to her.
Original: Couldn’t read more than a few pages, then skipped ahead, kept looking for H to realize he’s been cruel, vicious, vindictive, disgusting and for h to wake up and walk out. Did it happen? Nope. They went to bed again. H will never trust h and is going to get their son all to his greedy self and kick h out.
KatieV has excellent summary.
I was disgusted that H first of all refused to believe his revolting cousin was trying to rape h, then refused to believe she was pregnant, then had audacity to get angry that h hadn't told him about his son.
Original: Couldn’t read more than a few pages, then skipped ahead, kept looking for H to realize he’s been cruel, vicious, vindictive, disgusting and for h to wake up and walk out. Did it happen? Nope. They went to bed again. H will never trust h and is going to get their son all to his greedy self and kick h out.
KatieV has excellent summary.
I was disgusted that H first of all refused to believe his revolting cousin was trying to rape h, then refused to believe she was pregnant, then had audacity to get angry that h hadn't told him about his son.
September 12, 2024
I hated the H big time. Also, h is so idiot at the end.
I was so pissed that I wrote my own ending to make me feel good.
The Ranieri Bride: Alternate Ending
Freya stood in the grand villa, staring out at the shimmering Italian countryside, feeling nothing but an overwhelming sense of emptiness. Once, the sight had filled her with dreams of a happy future with Enrico, but now those dreams felt like distant memories. She turned to Enrico, her voice steady but cold.
“I won’t forget what you did, Enrico. I can’t,” she said quietly, holding his gaze. “Don’t touch me again, or I swear, I’ll end this—my life, all of it. But for Nicky, I’ll stay. A few months, no more. After that, we’re done.”
Enrico’s face hardened, his pride stung by her rejection, but something in her voice stopped him from arguing. He knew she meant every word.
The next few months passed in a tense stalemate. Freya stayed true to her word—cordial, distant, and focused solely on Nicky. She maintained a façade of a perfect family, but behind closed doors, she and Enrico barely spoke beyond what was necessary for their son. Each evening, after putting Nicky to bed, she retired to a separate room, leaving Enrico alone with his thoughts.
For Enrico, the situation was maddening. He had always believed that Freya would come around, that her love for him would overpower her anger, but this new Freya was different. She was no longer the passionate woman he had known, but someone resolute, determined to protect her heart from further pain. He watched her closely, trying to find a way to break through the wall she had built, but every attempt was met with cold indifference. It was as though she had shut him out completely, and the realization gnawed at him.
As Freya settled into her new life, she reflected on the chaos Luca, Enrico's cousin, had brought into their lives. After his attempt to kidnap Nicky in a desperate bid for more money, disguised as a cross-dresser, Freya had predicted his return. True to her instincts, Luca tried to blackmail her again, but this time, Freya was ready. She made sure he was swiftly arrested, ensuring he would spend his time where he belonged—behind bars, far away from her and Nicky.
By the end of their agreed time, Freya and Enrico filed for divorce. The process was swift, and when the papers were signed, Freya felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Though part of her heart still mourned the loss of what could have been, she knew she could never return to the life she had with Enrico. She packed her bags and took Nicky back to England, determined to start anew.
In England, Freya threw herself into rebuilding her life. She found a small, comfortable house where she and Nicky could live peacefully. Away from the shadow of Enrico, she began to heal. Slowly, she allowed herself to believe that happiness was still possible. It was during this time that she reconnected with a kind and gentle professor, someone she had known briefly before her marriage to Enrico.
The professor was everything Enrico was not—steady, thoughtful, and caring. He didn’t see Freya as a prize to be won but as a person to be cherished. He adored Nicky, playing with him, teaching him, and offering the kind of love and stability that Nicky had never known from his father. Freya, who had always feared she would never find love again, found herself falling for him in a way that felt safe and natural. It wasn’t the intense, fiery passion she had experienced with Enrico, but something much deeper—a love built on respect and understanding.
Months passed, and Freya’s life transformed into something she had only dreamed of during those lonely nights in Italy. One day, as she sat in the garden, watching the professor and Nicky play together, she realized that she had found what she had always wanted: a home, a family, and a man who truly cared for her and her son.
Meanwhile, Enrico’s life in Italy had taken a different turn. At first, he thought he would be relieved by the end of his marriage to Freya. He threw himself back into his work, believing that the distractions of his business empire would fill the void she had left. But as the months passed, he realized that nothing could fill that emptiness. The women he dated meant nothing to him, the deals he brokered brought him no joy, and the villa, once filled with Nicky’s laughter, now felt cold and hollow.
He found himself looking at old photos of Nicky and Freya, wondering what had gone wrong, wondering why he hadn’t fought harder for them. It wasn’t until too late that Enrico realized the truth: he had lost the woman he loved because of his pride, and now he had nothing left but regrets. One evening, driven by guilt and loneliness, Enrico reached out to Freya, not to win her back but to apologize. He confessed how deeply he regretted the way he had treated her, admitting that he had failed her and their son.
Freya listened, her heart heavy but calm. She appreciated the apology, but the words didn’t touch her the way they once would have. She had moved on, not with bitterness but with acceptance. Her life was in a different place now, and there was no going back. She thanked him, wished him well, and hung up the phone, feeling a strange sense of closure.
A year passed since Freya had left Italy, and her life had blossomed into something she could never have imagined. The professor had proposed to her, and though she had hesitated at first, unsure if she was ready, she now felt a quiet certainty that this was the right path for her and Nicky. The love she had found was different from what she had known with Enrico—calmer, more stable, but no less real.
Standing in her garden, Freya watched as the professor chased Nicky around the lawn, the sound of their laughter filling the air. The evening sun bathed the garden in a warm glow, and Freya felt a deep sense of peace settle over her. She had finally found the life she deserved—a life filled with love, respect, and the quiet joy of family.
As she took a deep breath of the crisp English air, Freya knew her past with Enrico was behind her. She had made her peace with it, and now she was ready to embrace the future with a man who cherished her for who she was. She smiled softly, watching the two people she loved most in the world.
And with that, Freya knew—her story had come full circle.
The End.
I was so pissed that I wrote my own ending to make me feel good.
The Ranieri Bride: Alternate Ending
Freya stood in the grand villa, staring out at the shimmering Italian countryside, feeling nothing but an overwhelming sense of emptiness. Once, the sight had filled her with dreams of a happy future with Enrico, but now those dreams felt like distant memories. She turned to Enrico, her voice steady but cold.
“I won’t forget what you did, Enrico. I can’t,” she said quietly, holding his gaze. “Don’t touch me again, or I swear, I’ll end this—my life, all of it. But for Nicky, I’ll stay. A few months, no more. After that, we’re done.”
Enrico’s face hardened, his pride stung by her rejection, but something in her voice stopped him from arguing. He knew she meant every word.
The next few months passed in a tense stalemate. Freya stayed true to her word—cordial, distant, and focused solely on Nicky. She maintained a façade of a perfect family, but behind closed doors, she and Enrico barely spoke beyond what was necessary for their son. Each evening, after putting Nicky to bed, she retired to a separate room, leaving Enrico alone with his thoughts.
For Enrico, the situation was maddening. He had always believed that Freya would come around, that her love for him would overpower her anger, but this new Freya was different. She was no longer the passionate woman he had known, but someone resolute, determined to protect her heart from further pain. He watched her closely, trying to find a way to break through the wall she had built, but every attempt was met with cold indifference. It was as though she had shut him out completely, and the realization gnawed at him.
As Freya settled into her new life, she reflected on the chaos Luca, Enrico's cousin, had brought into their lives. After his attempt to kidnap Nicky in a desperate bid for more money, disguised as a cross-dresser, Freya had predicted his return. True to her instincts, Luca tried to blackmail her again, but this time, Freya was ready. She made sure he was swiftly arrested, ensuring he would spend his time where he belonged—behind bars, far away from her and Nicky.
By the end of their agreed time, Freya and Enrico filed for divorce. The process was swift, and when the papers were signed, Freya felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Though part of her heart still mourned the loss of what could have been, she knew she could never return to the life she had with Enrico. She packed her bags and took Nicky back to England, determined to start anew.
In England, Freya threw herself into rebuilding her life. She found a small, comfortable house where she and Nicky could live peacefully. Away from the shadow of Enrico, she began to heal. Slowly, she allowed herself to believe that happiness was still possible. It was during this time that she reconnected with a kind and gentle professor, someone she had known briefly before her marriage to Enrico.
The professor was everything Enrico was not—steady, thoughtful, and caring. He didn’t see Freya as a prize to be won but as a person to be cherished. He adored Nicky, playing with him, teaching him, and offering the kind of love and stability that Nicky had never known from his father. Freya, who had always feared she would never find love again, found herself falling for him in a way that felt safe and natural. It wasn’t the intense, fiery passion she had experienced with Enrico, but something much deeper—a love built on respect and understanding.
Months passed, and Freya’s life transformed into something she had only dreamed of during those lonely nights in Italy. One day, as she sat in the garden, watching the professor and Nicky play together, she realized that she had found what she had always wanted: a home, a family, and a man who truly cared for her and her son.
Meanwhile, Enrico’s life in Italy had taken a different turn. At first, he thought he would be relieved by the end of his marriage to Freya. He threw himself back into his work, believing that the distractions of his business empire would fill the void she had left. But as the months passed, he realized that nothing could fill that emptiness. The women he dated meant nothing to him, the deals he brokered brought him no joy, and the villa, once filled with Nicky’s laughter, now felt cold and hollow.
He found himself looking at old photos of Nicky and Freya, wondering what had gone wrong, wondering why he hadn’t fought harder for them. It wasn’t until too late that Enrico realized the truth: he had lost the woman he loved because of his pride, and now he had nothing left but regrets. One evening, driven by guilt and loneliness, Enrico reached out to Freya, not to win her back but to apologize. He confessed how deeply he regretted the way he had treated her, admitting that he had failed her and their son.
Freya listened, her heart heavy but calm. She appreciated the apology, but the words didn’t touch her the way they once would have. She had moved on, not with bitterness but with acceptance. Her life was in a different place now, and there was no going back. She thanked him, wished him well, and hung up the phone, feeling a strange sense of closure.
A year passed since Freya had left Italy, and her life had blossomed into something she could never have imagined. The professor had proposed to her, and though she had hesitated at first, unsure if she was ready, she now felt a quiet certainty that this was the right path for her and Nicky. The love she had found was different from what she had known with Enrico—calmer, more stable, but no less real.
Standing in her garden, Freya watched as the professor chased Nicky around the lawn, the sound of their laughter filling the air. The evening sun bathed the garden in a warm glow, and Freya felt a deep sense of peace settle over her. She had finally found the life she deserved—a life filled with love, respect, and the quiet joy of family.
As she took a deep breath of the crisp English air, Freya knew her past with Enrico was behind her. She had made her peace with it, and now she was ready to embrace the future with a man who cherished her for who she was. She smiled softly, watching the two people she loved most in the world.
And with that, Freya knew—her story had come full circle.
The End.
July 29, 2019
Holy shit this is garbage. I only kept reading because I was desperate for the man to face some sort of justice, but of course not. The woman only barely stood up to him near the end of the book and even then he kept abusing her.
Three years ago his cousin attempted to rape her, when the man walks in on them he accused the woman of being a slut and threw her out, even after she told him she was pregnant. When he finally sees her kid, and realizes he's the daddy, he instantly invades her life, takes away her job, displaces her from her child's life by hiring a nanny and moving them in with him. It's hideous.
AND THEN! AND THEN! As if all that wasn't enough! The evil rapist cousin is ALSO a transvestite.
Ms. Reid should actually be ashamed of herself for writing this hateful garbage.
Three years ago his cousin attempted to rape her, when the man walks in on them he accused the woman of being a slut and threw her out, even after she told him she was pregnant. When he finally sees her kid, and realizes he's the daddy, he instantly invades her life, takes away her job, displaces her from her child's life by hiring a nanny and moving them in with him. It's hideous.
AND THEN! AND THEN! As if all that wasn't enough! The evil rapist cousin is ALSO a transvestite.
Ms. Reid should actually be ashamed of herself for writing this hateful garbage.
April 14, 2020
Lots of angst, strong heroine and a hero that evolves into a decent human being. Heroine set up and attacked by jealous cousin of H. She attempts to inform him of what happened and also tells him she is pregnant. Hero throws her out, fires her and refuses a job recommendation. Five years later, they meet again and he is shocked that she has a son (?) and that the child is his (?). Naturally he sets out of 'get his son' and she is part of the package deal.
Lots of feelings and angst later. Hero really starts to question his earlier beliefs and to be embarrassed by his treatment of the h. He does evolve, states his love for them both and even admits that he wrong 5 years earlier...and the world did not stop spinning.
Lots of feelings and angst later. Hero really starts to question his earlier beliefs and to be embarrassed by his treatment of the h. He does evolve, states his love for them both and even admits that he wrong 5 years earlier...and the world did not stop spinning.
October 7, 2025
Im so much tolerant to dominant, cold, harsh Hero in Harlequin fantasy. Yet, this kind of hero, in this era, would definitely be labeled as toxic, a red flag, and probably in need of therapy.
If the heroine lived in our time, people would tell her to seek help from a psychologist.
People don’t change overnight. If a man is that arrogant, stubborn, and let’s be honest, stupid, those traits will come back sooner or later.
There’s too much angst caused by both the hero and the heroine’s poor decisions, yet the author doesn’t seem to give him any real remorse or growth.
Even if you’re a die-hard Harlequin fan in your 50s, please remember, there’s no love in this kind of man.
Honestly, you’d be better off marrying Fredo or Sonny.
If the heroine lived in our time, people would tell her to seek help from a psychologist.
People don’t change overnight. If a man is that arrogant, stubborn, and let’s be honest, stupid, those traits will come back sooner or later.
There’s too much angst caused by both the hero and the heroine’s poor decisions, yet the author doesn’t seem to give him any real remorse or growth.
Even if you’re a die-hard Harlequin fan in your 50s, please remember, there’s no love in this kind of man.
Honestly, you’d be better off marrying Fredo or Sonny.
April 20, 2018
Both the heroine and hero were in the wrong here, but instead of reacting like rational adults (or like slightly-more-sane Michelle Reed characters) they doubled and tripled and quadrupled down on their bullshit. It got very tiresome.
Loses one star for Freya calling Enrico while on the toilet. Ew.
Loses one star for Freya calling Enrico while on the toilet. Ew.
August 9, 2020
The Ranieri Bride
Freya and Enrico had been lovers three years ago. Until he caught her with another man. He is back and found out that she had a child. Is the boy his? If it turns out that the child is his he wants him. Anyway possible. But what about the other man? What happened three years ago? When the truth comes out who will be left standing?
Freya and Enrico had been lovers three years ago. Until he caught her with another man. He is back and found out that she had a child. Is the boy his? If it turns out that the child is his he wants him. Anyway possible. But what about the other man? What happened three years ago? When the truth comes out who will be left standing?
May 27, 2024
"The Ranieri Bride" is the story of Freya and Enrico.
Another terrible tale of the heroine kicking the heroine out, believing his evil cousin when she's pregnant and years later, destroying her life and blackmailing her into marriage to get his son.
Terrible hero, hope he falls into a deep ditch.
Unsafe
1/5
Another terrible tale of the heroine kicking the heroine out, believing his evil cousin when she's pregnant and years later, destroying her life and blackmailing her into marriage to get his son.
Terrible hero, hope he falls into a deep ditch.
Unsafe
1/5
October 14, 2019
would have made a lovelier read if the heroine had been a bit more assertive and the hero a tad less confident... not a very satisfying read, to be frank.. one star for the little boy and the other for this book being authored by Michelle Reid, one of my favourite authors
May 10, 2020
Porque é que em todas as histórias de milionários gregos eles são todos uns parvos arrogantes que acham que podem mandar nas mulheres, lindos de morrer, deuses do sexo e elas caem que nem tordos aos pés deles? Curiosamente o enredo segue sempre a mesma linha...
January 17, 2022
Love a good misunderstood/revenge trope but only when it's accompanied by grovelling. The ending didn't satisfy this. I was left feeling sorry for the h being unable to enjoy her wedding day, simply because the H wanted her to trust him (he hadn't exactly given her much reason to, either).
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