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By Royal Command #5
مرايا الزمن العائد
Seria sua esposa durante um ano, contudo o casamento nunca se consumaria…
O aristocrata italiano Lorenzo, duque de Montesavro, tinha de se casar, porém apaixonar-se não fazia parte dos seus planos.
A turista inglesa Jodie Oliver parecia a candidata ideal para ser a sua esposa por conveniência. Lorenzo gostava do aspecto vulnerável dela. E quando viu que estava a acordar para a sensualidade, começou a lamentar a ideia de não consumar a sua união…
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2006
46 people are currently reading
536 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,125 books668 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
September 10, 2020
"The Italian Duke's Wife" is the story of Jodie and Lorenzo.
Very pleasant surprise!
The book begins with our heroine getting dumped a month before her wedding, and her "friend" informing her that her fiance pities her because she has a limp. Dejected, but not broken, she decides to travel to Italy alone on what should have been her honeymoon. As her car breaks down, she meets the hero, an Italian Duke, who is in desperate need of a wife. He kinda blackmails her to enter a marriage of convenience, and she agrees. His condition is that there would be no consummation, all she wants is for him to accompany her to her ex's wedding..neither of those things happen.
Things that were different and what made this good
-The absolutely psychotic and desperate OW- but the hero knows the WHOLE truth about her and openly shuns her
-The honesty between the hero and heroine- she gives zero Fs about his money- all she wants is someone to save her pride- and he is so caring towards her and her leg
Ofcourse, this has many "almost" sex scenes, and the pushing away was kinda tiring- however, I will always appreciate honest characters! I also enjoyed the "friend" takedown at the end.
Recommended!
Safe
3.5/5
Very pleasant surprise!
The book begins with our heroine getting dumped a month before her wedding, and her "friend" informing her that her fiance pities her because she has a limp. Dejected, but not broken, she decides to travel to Italy alone on what should have been her honeymoon. As her car breaks down, she meets the hero, an Italian Duke, who is in desperate need of a wife. He kinda blackmails her to enter a marriage of convenience, and she agrees. His condition is that there would be no consummation, all she wants is for him to accompany her to her ex's wedding..neither of those things happen.
Things that were different and what made this good
-The absolutely psychotic and desperate OW- but the hero knows the WHOLE truth about her and openly shuns her
-The honesty between the hero and heroine- she gives zero Fs about his money- all she wants is someone to save her pride- and he is so caring towards her and her leg
Ofcourse, this has many "almost" sex scenes, and the pushing away was kinda tiring- however, I will always appreciate honest characters! I also enjoyed the "friend" takedown at the end.
Recommended!
Safe
3.5/5
Want to read
May 8, 2012"I WILL PAY YOU ONE MILLION POUNDS TO BECOME MY WIFE FOR ONE YEAR. THE MARRIAGE WILL NOT BE CONSUMMATED...
He he he. She should have said, I'll bet you two million pounds that it will be. :D Double or nothin', hunkster!
He he he. She should have said, I'll bet you two million pounds that it will be. :D Double or nothin', hunkster!
April 8, 2018
A cheerless MOC romance between a distrustful Duke with Mommy issues that won’t quit and the dumped and slightly damaged heroine.
The hero isn’t a bad sort, but neither he nor the heroine are a lot of laughs, but we are talking Penny Jordan here. At least he’s an honorable guy that emits mucho purple prose about flowers unfolding and so forth. The heroine is an unfolded flower.
Read this for not one but two evil OW getting a pretty good comeuppance by both the hero and the heroine.
The heroine actually stands up to the witch that stole her fiancee, and the hero dispatches his hanger on as well as the fiancee stealer.
The hero isn’t a bad sort, but neither he nor the heroine are a lot of laughs, but we are talking Penny Jordan here. At least he’s an honorable guy that emits mucho purple prose about flowers unfolding and so forth. The heroine is an unfolded flower.
Read this for not one but two evil OW getting a pretty good comeuppance by both the hero and the heroine.
The heroine actually stands up to the witch that stole her fiancee, and the hero dispatches his hanger on as well as the fiancee stealer.
April 9, 2018
Sometimes I get tired of all the angst in HP books. When I do, I love books where the H is not an a** to the h.
In this case, English tourist Jodie Oliver is touring Italy on what should have been her honeymoon, but has a car breakdown. Enter Lorenzo, Duce di Montesavro who needs to marry soon to save his ancestral home from his evil sister-in-law (aka former lover). In the only act of a**ship, Lorenzo pretty much blackmails Jodie into marrying him.
In this case, English tourist Jodie Oliver is touring Italy on what should have been her honeymoon, but has a car breakdown. Enter Lorenzo, Duce di Montesavro who needs to marry soon to save his ancestral home from his evil sister-in-law (aka former lover). In the only act of a**ship, Lorenzo pretty much blackmails Jodie into marrying him.
January 9, 2010
I liked this book and mostly because the heroine got a little of her own back at the people who treated her horribly by walking in with a prince on her arm. Vindictive and spiteful of me but true. It was a bit nice. :-)
No worries there is still a love story to truly enjoy.
No worries there is still a love story to truly enjoy.
April 27, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up.
Love that the heroine gets back at the other woman and former finance.
Love that the heroine gets back at the other woman and former finance.
January 26, 2019
What's a dude duke to do when he needs a wife as soon as possible but is short on time? Why, pick her off from the side of the road, of course! LOL. Jodi, who is stranded, has no choice to listen to Lorenzo's outrageous proposition as she's made his unwilling captive. Almost any woman will do, even a stranger like herself. While the circumstance of Lorenzo and Jodi's first meeting is unromantic it does add some comic relief.
My favorite part is when Lorenzo swoops in and supports Jodi while she is being verbally attacked. I love it when the hero champions the heroine, acting like a knight-in-shining-armor to the heroine's damsel-in-distress. Now that's romantic.
Lorenzo's impromptu offer of marriage may have been unflattering to Jodi, but it worked out happily for both of them in the end.
My favorite part is when Lorenzo swoops in and supports Jodi while she is being verbally attacked. I love it when the hero champions the heroine, acting like a knight-in-shining-armor to the heroine's damsel-in-distress. Now that's romantic.
Lorenzo's impromptu offer of marriage may have been unflattering to Jodi, but it worked out happily for both of them in the end.
July 22, 2018
3.5 Star rating
A quick easy read about a jilted h whose trip to Italy led her to a Duke who needed an immediate MOC to inherit his grandmother’s castle.
There is also a greedy, grasping, vindictive OW and the weak ex-fiancé and his bitchy new bride to be.
The story is a pretty standard MOC story. The H denies his love for the h. She is left feeling insecure in the MOC until the H has to save her from whatever imagined or real peril and realizes that he loves her.
It was a fun read. PJ writing is on point, as always and her characters are interesting and likeable. There is a bit of angst from the H because of parental issues from childhood and the h has her own drama from being left with a physical challenge after a car accident that also left her an orphan.
A lovely, easy read.
A quick easy read about a jilted h whose trip to Italy led her to a Duke who needed an immediate MOC to inherit his grandmother’s castle.
There is also a greedy, grasping, vindictive OW and the weak ex-fiancé and his bitchy new bride to be.
The story is a pretty standard MOC story. The H denies his love for the h. She is left feeling insecure in the MOC until the H has to save her from whatever imagined or real peril and realizes that he loves her.
It was a fun read. PJ writing is on point, as always and her characters are interesting and likeable. There is a bit of angst from the H because of parental issues from childhood and the h has her own drama from being left with a physical challenge after a car accident that also left her an orphan.
A lovely, easy read.
December 19, 2013
Heroine spends her time pining nonstop for her ex-fiance and being mean to the hero. Pathetic, insecure, whiny and self centered.
August 16, 2016
The Italian Duke’s Wife AKA : The Dick And The Doormat.
Well… Here is how it went. I took back books to the library yesterday. I am doing research on the human brain, and how we could turn into wild animals. So far, I have not had much success in proving that theory. But.. They have a little book nook where they sell books. A quarter for paperbacks, so I am all over that. I got this little gem. I also got 25 more little gems, but that is for another time. Anyway, I liked the cover. I am a cover slut. So as my husband dove into ‘Occult Paris’, I dove into ‘The Italian Duke’s Wife’. By Penny Jordan.
First, the story.. “‘I will pay you one million pounds’, (use the Austin Powers’ Dr. Evil little finger while you say it) ‘to become my wife for one year. The marriage will not be consummated…'” (Said the man selling you waterfront property in Arizona).
Italian Aristocrat (and castle asshole)Lorenzo,Duce di Montesavro, needs to marry,and English (Doormat)Tourist Jodie Oliver seems the ideal candidate of this convenient arrangement. (Her car broke down on his driveway, that’s pretty convenient, don’t you think? An eligible heartbroken doormat breaks down on your drive, as you race your black Ferrari down, angry because you are being forced to find a quick easy woman who will marry you so you can keep your fortune away from the money hungry hands of your uncle’s widow, who has slept with you and broke your heart in the past.) (That is a super long sentence!! ) – her vulnerability is especially appealing to Lorenzo. (yeah, this is a dream come true. A woman appears in the nick of time, and she has a gimp leg that she constantly uses as an excuse for her inability to keep a man. And well…. she has nothing really more to offer except that she doesn’t want his money. Perfect!) – But when he unleashes a desire Jodie never knew she possessed, Lorenzo,(The Italian Stallion) is soon regretting his no-consummation rule….
Just admit it Lorenzo, you had no desire to ever fulfill the no consummation rule that you put forth. The moment he found out she was a virgin he did everything he could to make her feel stupid and “untutored in the ways of love.” I am getting ahead of myself. The entire story unwraps on his driveway where the two love birds scream and yell at each other telling their life story in the process. Really? When I get into an almost fatal crash with a stranger in a Ferrari I will make sure I use this tactic to get things rolling. He goes in, and yes, asks her to marry him, right there on the spot. He sees her slumped shoulders, her sad forlorn features and says,.. this is the girl for me!
So after they yell and scream and set wedding arrangements, What? They head on back to Castle Asshole… (Castle Castillo). So anyway, the story progresses to lots of scenes where Lorenzo, our hero, spouts off about how awesome he is and how totally subservient and uneducated in the art of love, she is. Then, if she begins to get a backbone, he picks her up and carries her off to a bed to show her how dominant he is.
I am usually not this picky, the problem is, I liked the book. Penny Jordan kept me reading the story. She is a damn good writer, as in keeping you interested, and It pissed me off that this one was obviously smashed together to make it less than 200 pages. She made the Italian Stallion overly rude, aggressive and plain mean. But that does not mean she couldn’t keep your eyes glued to the pages, mine were! Glued! Agh! So frustrating! I feel like I did the women of the world a disservice for reading the way he treated her. But, I could not look away! Like a bad car accident. You just keep staring!!
Here is one of my favorite quotes.There were a lot, but writing them down makes me angry.”‘A skilled lover has it in his power to create a full flowering of even the most tightly closed bud.’ (This takes place on the driveway, mind you…)
A shock of tingling awareness quivered through her belly as Jodie absorbed the meaning of his astoundingly arrogant statement.
‘Not that many young women are tightly closed buds in this day and age’. Lorenzo added sardonically, as he watched the colour come and go in the pale face that was so shadowed with tiredness.
‘Modern women have claimed the right to their own sexuality,’ Jodie responded fiercely. ‘They do not-‘
‘It doesn’t sound to me as though you have been very effective in claiming yours,’ Lorenzo told her derisively. ‘In fact,if I were to make an assessment of it, I would guess that your experience is extremely limited–otherwise you would not have lost your man to another woman.'”
Again… That is in the driveway. He just met the poor doormat!
So the story goes on….in the driveway as you learn all about the hows and whys of both of their lives… in the driveway….
Does he start to become nicer? A little towards the end of the book when he finally decides she is not a whore like all women are, and that he will let her have the privilege to father his children. Gosh.. Thanks you wonderful wonderful man!
I didn’t see where he grew up much during the story. Penny tried to redeem him by telling us that he helps poor children with programs, gives prosthetic legs out like candy, and that he gives money to lots of charities. That is why Jodie decides he is an okay guy. Neither of these two seem interesting. Lorenzo will be bored to death with Jodie before the months end unless it becomes a fifty shades thing,and then I give it a month and a half before he runs out and gets himself a mistress, while Jodie learns the art of flower arranging. Jodie will probably drown in a puddle of her own self loathing tears in less than a year, at the rate she is going. Hey, maybe he deserves her.
To put a cap on this review, Penny… I hope you keep writing. I am sure that Jodie was much more interesting before Harlequin cut your story into shards. ( I am guessing here). I still loved to hate this one. But… Lorenzo, you are still a dick.
I have been told that Penny Jordan passed away in 2011. Thank you so much,Vml Wong for letting me know the sad news.
Well… Here is how it went. I took back books to the library yesterday. I am doing research on the human brain, and how we could turn into wild animals. So far, I have not had much success in proving that theory. But.. They have a little book nook where they sell books. A quarter for paperbacks, so I am all over that. I got this little gem. I also got 25 more little gems, but that is for another time. Anyway, I liked the cover. I am a cover slut. So as my husband dove into ‘Occult Paris’, I dove into ‘The Italian Duke’s Wife’. By Penny Jordan.
First, the story.. “‘I will pay you one million pounds’, (use the Austin Powers’ Dr. Evil little finger while you say it) ‘to become my wife for one year. The marriage will not be consummated…'” (Said the man selling you waterfront property in Arizona).
Italian Aristocrat (and castle asshole)Lorenzo,Duce di Montesavro, needs to marry,and English (Doormat)Tourist Jodie Oliver seems the ideal candidate of this convenient arrangement. (Her car broke down on his driveway, that’s pretty convenient, don’t you think? An eligible heartbroken doormat breaks down on your drive, as you race your black Ferrari down, angry because you are being forced to find a quick easy woman who will marry you so you can keep your fortune away from the money hungry hands of your uncle’s widow, who has slept with you and broke your heart in the past.) (That is a super long sentence!! ) – her vulnerability is especially appealing to Lorenzo. (yeah, this is a dream come true. A woman appears in the nick of time, and she has a gimp leg that she constantly uses as an excuse for her inability to keep a man. And well…. she has nothing really more to offer except that she doesn’t want his money. Perfect!) – But when he unleashes a desire Jodie never knew she possessed, Lorenzo,(The Italian Stallion) is soon regretting his no-consummation rule….
Just admit it Lorenzo, you had no desire to ever fulfill the no consummation rule that you put forth. The moment he found out she was a virgin he did everything he could to make her feel stupid and “untutored in the ways of love.” I am getting ahead of myself. The entire story unwraps on his driveway where the two love birds scream and yell at each other telling their life story in the process. Really? When I get into an almost fatal crash with a stranger in a Ferrari I will make sure I use this tactic to get things rolling. He goes in, and yes, asks her to marry him, right there on the spot. He sees her slumped shoulders, her sad forlorn features and says,.. this is the girl for me!
So after they yell and scream and set wedding arrangements, What? They head on back to Castle Asshole… (Castle Castillo). So anyway, the story progresses to lots of scenes where Lorenzo, our hero, spouts off about how awesome he is and how totally subservient and uneducated in the art of love, she is. Then, if she begins to get a backbone, he picks her up and carries her off to a bed to show her how dominant he is.
I am usually not this picky, the problem is, I liked the book. Penny Jordan kept me reading the story. She is a damn good writer, as in keeping you interested, and It pissed me off that this one was obviously smashed together to make it less than 200 pages. She made the Italian Stallion overly rude, aggressive and plain mean. But that does not mean she couldn’t keep your eyes glued to the pages, mine were! Glued! Agh! So frustrating! I feel like I did the women of the world a disservice for reading the way he treated her. But, I could not look away! Like a bad car accident. You just keep staring!!
Here is one of my favorite quotes.There were a lot, but writing them down makes me angry.”‘A skilled lover has it in his power to create a full flowering of even the most tightly closed bud.’ (This takes place on the driveway, mind you…)
A shock of tingling awareness quivered through her belly as Jodie absorbed the meaning of his astoundingly arrogant statement.
‘Not that many young women are tightly closed buds in this day and age’. Lorenzo added sardonically, as he watched the colour come and go in the pale face that was so shadowed with tiredness.
‘Modern women have claimed the right to their own sexuality,’ Jodie responded fiercely. ‘They do not-‘
‘It doesn’t sound to me as though you have been very effective in claiming yours,’ Lorenzo told her derisively. ‘In fact,if I were to make an assessment of it, I would guess that your experience is extremely limited–otherwise you would not have lost your man to another woman.'”
Again… That is in the driveway. He just met the poor doormat!
So the story goes on….in the driveway as you learn all about the hows and whys of both of their lives… in the driveway….
Does he start to become nicer? A little towards the end of the book when he finally decides she is not a whore like all women are, and that he will let her have the privilege to father his children. Gosh.. Thanks you wonderful wonderful man!
I didn’t see where he grew up much during the story. Penny tried to redeem him by telling us that he helps poor children with programs, gives prosthetic legs out like candy, and that he gives money to lots of charities. That is why Jodie decides he is an okay guy. Neither of these two seem interesting. Lorenzo will be bored to death with Jodie before the months end unless it becomes a fifty shades thing,and then I give it a month and a half before he runs out and gets himself a mistress, while Jodie learns the art of flower arranging. Jodie will probably drown in a puddle of her own self loathing tears in less than a year, at the rate she is going. Hey, maybe he deserves her.
To put a cap on this review, Penny… I hope you keep writing. I am sure that Jodie was much more interesting before Harlequin cut your story into shards. ( I am guessing here). I still loved to hate this one. But… Lorenzo, you are still a dick.
I have been told that Penny Jordan passed away in 2011. Thank you so much,Vml Wong for letting me know the sad news.
July 1, 2012
This was an enjoyable enough read (for someone who is a sucker for Harlequin Presents, at least), but the following lines at the end of the book almost single-handedly lowered my rating from 3.5 to 3 stars:
"‘I didn’t use a condom,’ he told her quietly.
Jodie swallowed. ‘You mean you forgot?’
‘No, I mean I chose not to. Because I wanted our pleasure to be skin to skin, with no barriers between us, and because I can’t think of anything more wonderful than knowing we could have created our child.’"
I mean, WTF? Sweet sentiments aside, not asking before intentionally skipping the condom is just not kosher (how Jodie didn't notice is a different question entirely). Also, the necessity for a condom was discussed in the SAME SCENE.
Don't get me wrong, I liked this book (hence the 3 stars). These little things just tend to mute my reading pleasure and detract from the "fantasy", as it were.
"‘I didn’t use a condom,’ he told her quietly.
Jodie swallowed. ‘You mean you forgot?’
‘No, I mean I chose not to. Because I wanted our pleasure to be skin to skin, with no barriers between us, and because I can’t think of anything more wonderful than knowing we could have created our child.’"
I mean, WTF? Sweet sentiments aside, not asking before intentionally skipping the condom is just not kosher (how Jodie didn't notice is a different question entirely). Also, the necessity for a condom was discussed in the SAME SCENE.
Don't get me wrong, I liked this book (hence the 3 stars). These little things just tend to mute my reading pleasure and detract from the "fantasy", as it were.
July 2, 2015
2.5*... Virgin/heartbroken heroine meets philanthropist/emotionally constipated hero and falls in love. Most of the book was about Jodie - the heroine's curiosity about sex (along with an injury that she believes makes her undesirable) and the hero's attempt at abstinence and refusal to face up to his true feelings... Naturally they do get around to 'doing it' at some point, but not before teaching the h's ex fiancé a lesson and sending the other women (who had a very minor role in the plot) packing. Nonetheless, this was a very ok read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2025
EPA EPA, novela rosa picante???
Adelantada la Penny Jordan
Adelantada la Penny Jordan
August 9, 2020
Encontraron el amor...
May 17, 2019
4 stars
sweet and cute story for me. Typical hp story with HEA and I love the H and the h is great too. a very short epilogue, wish it to be a bit longer that tell us about their baby and all that.
sweet and cute story for me. Typical hp story with HEA and I love the H and the h is great too. a very short epilogue, wish it to be a bit longer that tell us about their baby and all that.
Read
July 27, 2011A great story. Jodie and Lorenzo are a good couple.
November 3, 2022
As Penny Jordan romances go, this isn't as bad as some of the others I've read recently.
Jodie, the heroine is annoyingly a stunningly beautiful and skinny virgin (so far so stereotypical) but she has scarring on her legs due to a car crash - While I didn't think there was nearly enough realism here - she's still stunningly beautiful and not handicapped in any real way, I did like what it brought out in the hero. Never underustimate a man who can give a good massage - that's more of a reason for our heroine to genuinely fall in love with Lorenzo than Jordan's usual (he's impossibly handsome, rich and titled, so of course the heroine must adore him, even when he's been a complete autoratic bastard). Indeed other than sort of blackmailing Jodie into marriage at the beginning, Lorenzo is a far more sympathetic hero than usual. He loves art, does a lot of charity work, turns his ancestral home into a help centre for disabled war orphans, gives good massages and is attentive to the heroine - too good to be true, certainly, but I didn't dislike him as I have with many of her other heroes.
The story is a bit dull - Jodie jilted by her fiancee because of her scars goes to Italy, gets lost, meets Lorenzo who blackmails her into marriage (he has to marry or forefit his ancestral home to a gold digging harpy who wants to trap him into marriage) - The pair marry and fall in love, with very little impediment other than slight mistrust on both sides, that each of them still love their exes. I was quite trimphant went Jodie turns up at her exes wedding with her new Ducal husband. And I liked how cutting Lorenzo was and stood up for her.
Of course this doesn't do much for Jodie's character - She's still fairly passive and spineless, having gone from one manstraight to another and having to have her man stand up for her. I'd much rather she'd have stood up for herself and become empowered off her own back rather than through the power of love, but still its not as bad as it could have been.
So this is a by-the-numbers M&B modern romance, using all the tropes (beatiful virgin, rich, titled hero, Italian setting, marriage of convenience leads to love) - I've seen every one of these used to far better effect, but this one hums along merrily enough. At 3 hours it doesn't outstay its welcome and Jan Francis isn't a bad narrator. You could do worse.
Jodie, the heroine is annoyingly a stunningly beautiful and skinny virgin (so far so stereotypical) but she has scarring on her legs due to a car crash - While I didn't think there was nearly enough realism here - she's still stunningly beautiful and not handicapped in any real way, I did like what it brought out in the hero. Never underustimate a man who can give a good massage - that's more of a reason for our heroine to genuinely fall in love with Lorenzo than Jordan's usual (he's impossibly handsome, rich and titled, so of course the heroine must adore him, even when he's been a complete autoratic bastard). Indeed other than sort of blackmailing Jodie into marriage at the beginning, Lorenzo is a far more sympathetic hero than usual. He loves art, does a lot of charity work, turns his ancestral home into a help centre for disabled war orphans, gives good massages and is attentive to the heroine - too good to be true, certainly, but I didn't dislike him as I have with many of her other heroes.
The story is a bit dull - Jodie jilted by her fiancee because of her scars goes to Italy, gets lost, meets Lorenzo who blackmails her into marriage (he has to marry or forefit his ancestral home to a gold digging harpy who wants to trap him into marriage) - The pair marry and fall in love, with very little impediment other than slight mistrust on both sides, that each of them still love their exes. I was quite trimphant went Jodie turns up at her exes wedding with her new Ducal husband. And I liked how cutting Lorenzo was and stood up for her.
Of course this doesn't do much for Jodie's character - She's still fairly passive and spineless, having gone from one manstraight to another and having to have her man stand up for her. I'd much rather she'd have stood up for herself and become empowered off her own back rather than through the power of love, but still its not as bad as it could have been.
So this is a by-the-numbers M&B modern romance, using all the tropes (beatiful virgin, rich, titled hero, Italian setting, marriage of convenience leads to love) - I've seen every one of these used to far better effect, but this one hums along merrily enough. At 3 hours it doesn't outstay its welcome and Jan Francis isn't a bad narrator. You could do worse.
June 12, 2018
Chance encounter, marriage proposal on first meeting, marriage of convenience, love after sex after marriage. That's the gist of this plot line. Decent read.
The guy is an Italian duke who owns a crumbling mansion and a few invaluable paintings inside. And another item in the mansion is a bitchy vengeful ex who is his cousins' widow and now hopes to get back with the hero. He needs a wife asap to escape some weird clause in an inheritance will, and escape the ex.
He gets out on a stormy night and finds a stranded country bumpkin English miss outside his mansion. How did she land there ? Well, her almost husband jilted her at the altar so she takes off on a solo honeymoon, to Italy.
Our Duke proposes within milliseconds of meeting her. She takes a bit longer to agree - about 5 minutes !! They get back to the mansion and announce the happy alliance to the bitchy ex.
Of course, all hell breaks loose. But our girl is the calm, sensible one. She manages the ex, gets into the heroes bed, and finally turns out to the wife of his dreams!
What she gets in return for the bargain - is a revenge visit back to England to show off her Italian Duke stud to her dumb ass ex fiance. And she thoroughly enjoys the moment. Petty but sweet revenge !!
The guy is an Italian duke who owns a crumbling mansion and a few invaluable paintings inside. And another item in the mansion is a bitchy vengeful ex who is his cousins' widow and now hopes to get back with the hero. He needs a wife asap to escape some weird clause in an inheritance will, and escape the ex.
He gets out on a stormy night and finds a stranded country bumpkin English miss outside his mansion. How did she land there ? Well, her almost husband jilted her at the altar so she takes off on a solo honeymoon, to Italy.
Our Duke proposes within milliseconds of meeting her. She takes a bit longer to agree - about 5 minutes !! They get back to the mansion and announce the happy alliance to the bitchy ex.
Of course, all hell breaks loose. But our girl is the calm, sensible one. She manages the ex, gets into the heroes bed, and finally turns out to the wife of his dreams!
What she gets in return for the bargain - is a revenge visit back to England to show off her Italian Duke stud to her dumb ass ex fiance. And she thoroughly enjoys the moment. Petty but sweet revenge !!
December 4, 2019
I love these old alpha male stories
I love the slow burn of this story. Both characters have been hurt and are suspicious of the opposite sex.
There is a happy ever after.
My only complaint is that the Point of view changes back and forth without warning. It’s pretty easy to determine who’s POV you’re reading, but at first it was confusing.
Other than that, it’s lovely and I’m off to find another by this author.
Highly recommend if you want a slow building romance between two honorable people who deserve love
I love the slow burn of this story. Both characters have been hurt and are suspicious of the opposite sex.
There is a happy ever after.
My only complaint is that the Point of view changes back and forth without warning. It’s pretty easy to determine who’s POV you’re reading, but at first it was confusing.
Other than that, it’s lovely and I’m off to find another by this author.
Highly recommend if you want a slow building romance between two honorable people who deserve love
October 16, 2018
Love this book
It was a total roller coaster ride, it held me in it's grip from page one! An amazing love story!
It was a total roller coaster ride, it held me in it's grip from page one! An amazing love story!
November 17, 2018
رواية احلام
مرايا الزمن العائد
ممتعه حبيتها
مرايا الزمن العائد
ممتعه حبيتها
June 6, 2020
Much better than the title or blurb suggest with some character building and emotional involvement.
February 15, 2021
Really liked it and it was an easy read.
Read
January 17, 2022En vanlig chick-flick bok som får en att börja drömma. Lättläst på ett svep.
August 7, 2022
Very nice apart from the 'abortion is murder, and also for sluts' bits.
February 8, 2015
This is the story of Jodie – a girl who has been dumped by her obnoxious fiancé for someone else, but decides to go off on her honeymoon alone to Italy anyway. She then gets lost in her hire car and ends up stranded on a mountainside when her car breaks down. Enter Lorenzo, an Italian duke who finds himself in the unlikely position of needing a wife quick in order to fulfil the criteria of his grandma’s will and inherit her castle. As luck would have it, he runs across Jodie stuck on the mountainside and tells her that he’ll only rescue her if she becomes his wife for a year. Now, I must admit that it seemed strange to me at this point in time that Jodie would even consider this offer – why not just call the AA? After all, it might take them a bit of time to get to you but at least their engineers won’t demand that you marry them before fixing your car. I suppose one draw might be that Lorenzo is offering £1m severance payment after the fact – so it wouldn’t be so bad, except that he’s clearly an obnoxious arrogant man who freely admits that he despises women.
Of course, it’s a Mills and Boon, so this is all about how Jodie “saves” Lorenzo, stops him being an obnoxious, arrogant man and transforms him into a better person through his love for her. In fact, you can pretty much guarantee that no matter how much strutting he does on the side of the mountain when he’s issuing his unreasonable ultimatums, he’s going to end up on his knees by p. 181, driven insane by his own fevered desire and love for the unassuming heroine. I almost felt sorry for him.
This was a lovely book to read – there’s not much to it – but it’s a typical Jordanesque romance. I thought the character of Caterina was particularly interesting – she’s so much the bad female character in the book – the conniving, malicious, money-grabbing woman, who has driven her husband to an untimely grave. Lorenzo even terms her “an adventuress” at one point, despising her for wanting to marry well and “raise herself”. It struck me, what’s so bad about that? (apart from hounding the husband to an early grave, of course) – I mean there aren’t such negative connotations attached to the term “adventurer” are there – that just conjures up images of Indiana Jones, et al. However, to be an adventuress on the other hand – that’s clearly bad. Feminist literature this ain’t – still, it’s a good story.
Of course, it’s a Mills and Boon, so this is all about how Jodie “saves” Lorenzo, stops him being an obnoxious, arrogant man and transforms him into a better person through his love for her. In fact, you can pretty much guarantee that no matter how much strutting he does on the side of the mountain when he’s issuing his unreasonable ultimatums, he’s going to end up on his knees by p. 181, driven insane by his own fevered desire and love for the unassuming heroine. I almost felt sorry for him.
This was a lovely book to read – there’s not much to it – but it’s a typical Jordanesque romance. I thought the character of Caterina was particularly interesting – she’s so much the bad female character in the book – the conniving, malicious, money-grabbing woman, who has driven her husband to an untimely grave. Lorenzo even terms her “an adventuress” at one point, despising her for wanting to marry well and “raise herself”. It struck me, what’s so bad about that? (apart from hounding the husband to an early grave, of course) – I mean there aren’t such negative connotations attached to the term “adventurer” are there – that just conjures up images of Indiana Jones, et al. However, to be an adventuress on the other hand – that’s clearly bad. Feminist literature this ain’t – still, it’s a good story.
February 20, 2017
Quick weekend read
July 16, 2020
I WILL PAY YOU ONE MILLION POUNDS TO BECOME MY WIFE FOR ONE YEAR. THE MARRIAGE WILL NOT BE CONSUMMATED..."
Italian aristocrat Lorenzo, Duce di Montesavro, needs to marry, and English tourist Jodie Oliver seems the ideal candidate for this convenient arrangement --- her vulnerability is especially appealing to Lorenzo. But when he unleashes a desire Jodie never knew she possessed, Lorenzo is soon regretting his no-consummation rule ...She is jilted by Fiance for her bff. she has a lame leg He has to marry within 6 months or lose his castle because of his GM will. GM was manipulated by evil OW so he could turn to her. he doesn't like women because he thinks they are all greedy after his money. His mom would take him on her dates with her OM who was a race car driver and he liked him and he feels guilty about that and is the reason he doesn’t like women She decides to go on her planned honeymoon to Italy alone and gets lost her car gets stuck in his castle driveway and that is where they meet. She tells him her story and he asks her to marry him in exchange for hep with her car a million dollars and no consummation. She agrees to get revenge on her ex. Make over and shopping trip. Her engagement ring is clear which legend says it is proof she is pure of heart. . He watches her as an Italian young man tries to pick her up and is surprised when she rebufes him She licks his throat. He seduces her but he is not ready to commit to her. They return to englad for her ex's wedding . Her ex BF attacks her and he comes to her defense They admit they love each other and HEA.
Italian aristocrat Lorenzo, Duce di Montesavro, needs to marry, and English tourist Jodie Oliver seems the ideal candidate for this convenient arrangement --- her vulnerability is especially appealing to Lorenzo. But when he unleashes a desire Jodie never knew she possessed, Lorenzo is soon regretting his no-consummation rule ...She is jilted by Fiance for her bff. she has a lame leg He has to marry within 6 months or lose his castle because of his GM will. GM was manipulated by evil OW so he could turn to her. he doesn't like women because he thinks they are all greedy after his money. His mom would take him on her dates with her OM who was a race car driver and he liked him and he feels guilty about that and is the reason he doesn’t like women She decides to go on her planned honeymoon to Italy alone and gets lost her car gets stuck in his castle driveway and that is where they meet. She tells him her story and he asks her to marry him in exchange for hep with her car a million dollars and no consummation. She agrees to get revenge on her ex. Make over and shopping trip. Her engagement ring is clear which legend says it is proof she is pure of heart. . He watches her as an Italian young man tries to pick her up and is surprised when she rebufes him She licks his throat. He seduces her but he is not ready to commit to her. They return to englad for her ex's wedding . Her ex BF attacks her and he comes to her defense They admit they love each other and HEA.
March 29, 2016
Série: Força do Destino 01.2 - O Despertar do Desejo - Penny Jordan
Título original: The Italian Dukes Wife
Título: O Despertar do Desejo
Autor: Penny Jordan
Tradução: Marie Olivier
Série: Força do Destino 01.2
Editora: Harlequin
Ano: 2013
Um italiano aceitável é um verdadeiro milagre. Ainda estou chocada com a minha própria afirmação. Todos sabem da minha aversão aos latin lover, tenho que acrescentar alguns gregos na minha lista de repudio a esses homens preconceituosos e machistas.
Voltado ao italiano passável.
Lorenzo me surpreendeu, apesar de bilionário, arrogante e perigoso é um Duque moderninho. Se mostrou um homem voltado a causas humanitárias, preocupado com a humanidade como um todo e o melhor de tudo, antes, não podemos esquecer que ele despreza mulheres falsas e manipuladores.
Quer ler a resenha completa e muito mais, visite o blog Momentos da Fogui:
site: http://foguiii.blogspot.com.br/2016/0...
Título original: The Italian Dukes Wife
Título: O Despertar do Desejo
Autor: Penny Jordan
Tradução: Marie Olivier
Série: Força do Destino 01.2
Editora: Harlequin
Ano: 2013
Um italiano aceitável é um verdadeiro milagre. Ainda estou chocada com a minha própria afirmação. Todos sabem da minha aversão aos latin lover, tenho que acrescentar alguns gregos na minha lista de repudio a esses homens preconceituosos e machistas.
Voltado ao italiano passável.
Lorenzo me surpreendeu, apesar de bilionário, arrogante e perigoso é um Duque moderninho. Se mostrou um homem voltado a causas humanitárias, preocupado com a humanidade como um todo e o melhor de tudo, antes, não podemos esquecer que ele despreza mulheres falsas e manipuladores.
Quer ler a resenha completa e muito mais, visite o blog Momentos da Fogui:
site: http://foguiii.blogspot.com.br/2016/0...
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