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Secretary Mistress, Convenient Wife
He's her boss…
Italian tycoon Fabian Moritzzoni needs to marry—but not for love. He'll take a convenient bride, and his new assistant fits the bill. She's pale, shy and skinny, but delicate English rose Laura Greenwood fires his hot Italian blood like no woman has before.
…so he'll make her his bride!
Laura has come to Tuscany to rebuild her shattered life. She blossoms under the heat of Fabian's desire, but will he ever see her as more than his suitable wife?
Italian tycoon Fabian Moritzzoni needs to marry—but not for love. He'll take a convenient bride, and his new assistant fits the bill. She's pale, shy and skinny, but delicate English rose Laura Greenwood fires his hot Italian blood like no woman has before.
…so he'll make her his bride!
Laura has come to Tuscany to rebuild her shattered life. She blossoms under the heat of Fabian's desire, but will he ever see her as more than his suitable wife?
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
17 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Cox
478 books71 followersMaggie Cox loved to write almost as soon as she learned to read. Her favorite occupation was daydreaming and making up stories in her head, and this particular pastime has stayed with her through all the years of growing up, starting work, marrying and raising a family. No matter what was going on in her life, whether joy, happiness, struggle or disappointment, she'd go to bed each night and lose herself in her imagination. Through all the years of her secretarial career she kept on filling exercise books and the "joy oh joy" her word processor with her writing, never showing anyone what she wrote and basically keeping her stories for her own enjoyment alone.
It wasn't until she met her second husband and the "love of her life" that she was persuaded to start sharing those stories with a publisher. She settled on Mills & Boon (Harlequin) as she had loved romance novels since she was a teenager and read at least one or two paperbacks a week. After several rejections, the letters that were sent back from the publisher started to become more and more positive and encouraging, and in July 2002 she sold her first book A Passionate Protector. Since then she has continued written.
The fact that she is being published is truly a dream come true; however, each book she writes is still a journey in "courage and hope," and a quest to learn and grow and be "the best writer she can." Her advice to aspiring authors is: "Don't give up at the first hurdle, or even the second, third or fourth, but keep on keeping on until your dream is realized because if you are truly passionate about writing and learning the craft, as Paulo Coehlo states in his book The Alchemist: "The Universe will conspire to help you make it a reality."
It wasn't until she met her second husband and the "love of her life" that she was persuaded to start sharing those stories with a publisher. She settled on Mills & Boon (Harlequin) as she had loved romance novels since she was a teenager and read at least one or two paperbacks a week. After several rejections, the letters that were sent back from the publisher started to become more and more positive and encouraging, and in July 2002 she sold her first book A Passionate Protector. Since then she has continued written.
The fact that she is being published is truly a dream come true; however, each book she writes is still a journey in "courage and hope," and a quest to learn and grow and be "the best writer she can." Her advice to aspiring authors is: "Don't give up at the first hurdle, or even the second, third or fourth, but keep on keeping on until your dream is realized because if you are truly passionate about writing and learning the craft, as Paulo Coehlo states in his book The Alchemist: "The Universe will conspire to help you make it a reality."
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 16, 2013
This book was dreadful... The relationship progressed very quickly and there seemed to be very little chemistry between the two characters. I didn't really buy that they fell in love so quickly. I would skip this one if you like this genre i.e forced/convenient marriages.
June 23, 2011
Lackluster writing, lackluster plot.
6/23/11 Wow. I just read the first 55 pages of this and skimmed the rest, without the slightest memory of having read it before.
6/23/11 Wow. I just read the first 55 pages of this and skimmed the rest, without the slightest memory of having read it before.
October 9, 2015
No pude seguirla y eso que hasta he seguido malos libros sólo por el hecho de no dejar una lectura a medias. Pero no pude con esta autora ni con la falta de química entre los personajes.
May 27, 2017
Laura takes a job as temporary assistant to her friend's boss, sexy Italian, Fabian. She's reserved and especially wary about the attractive man because of an abusive husband and a horrible car accident that killed him and nearly took her life. Fabian is fairly cynical about things - most especially love. His father was abusive, his mother died and his ex-wife whom he loved very much turned out to be an adulterous bitch. But Fabian still longs for a family of his own, just without all those nasty emotional entanglements. Laura appreciates family and seems a trustworthy, reliable sort - so he proposes they marry so they can have some spectacular sex, a family and solid friendship - no love of course. Laura initially agrees, but soon remembers how short life is...too short to settle for a life without love.
So this was pretty boring for me. I struggled through the first 40% of the story...it just didn't seem to hook me. It wasn't until Laura finally agrees to marry Fabian that I finally felt interested, and I think that was mostly because Laura started showing a little more backbone and really insisting that Fabian reveal some of his past. But for the majority of the story, Laura was just bland. She had no outstanding characteristics (other than perhaps her appearance) and all of her responses felt too Mary Sueish...like even her commentary on the environment was perfectly middle of the road. And she was also a doormat as well, especially when faced with Fabian's rather traditional male attitude. She mentions wanting to work (as an elementary music teacher) once they've been married and he says, "...you may work up until such time as you are pregnant with my child. But after that the situation will have to be reviewed." Instead of railing at him or reminding him that she should have a lot more input about when and how long she works, especially as she's not exactly exerting herself in her job, she simply agrees. And this is the essence of their interactions. Not until the last part of the book does she stop responding with the perfectly diplomatic answer. I also didn't care for how quickly Fabian decides he loves Laura and how quickly she believes him. There seemed to be plenty of backstory for the characters (although I still have no idea what Fabian did for a living), but there seemed to be lacking some sort of emotional depth with them...or perhaps just complexity. I don't know. It wasn't a horrible story or anything, certainly not offensive or angering or anything. It was readable, but just didn't have the angst, drama and changeable attitudes that I read this genre for. This is still a romantic story, so YMMV.
So this was pretty boring for me. I struggled through the first 40% of the story...it just didn't seem to hook me. It wasn't until Laura finally agrees to marry Fabian that I finally felt interested, and I think that was mostly because Laura started showing a little more backbone and really insisting that Fabian reveal some of his past. But for the majority of the story, Laura was just bland. She had no outstanding characteristics (other than perhaps her appearance) and all of her responses felt too Mary Sueish...like even her commentary on the environment was perfectly middle of the road. And she was also a doormat as well, especially when faced with Fabian's rather traditional male attitude. She mentions wanting to work (as an elementary music teacher) once they've been married and he says, "...you may work up until such time as you are pregnant with my child. But after that the situation will have to be reviewed." Instead of railing at him or reminding him that she should have a lot more input about when and how long she works, especially as she's not exactly exerting herself in her job, she simply agrees. And this is the essence of their interactions. Not until the last part of the book does she stop responding with the perfectly diplomatic answer. I also didn't care for how quickly Fabian decides he loves Laura and how quickly she believes him. There seemed to be plenty of backstory for the characters (although I still have no idea what Fabian did for a living), but there seemed to be lacking some sort of emotional depth with them...or perhaps just complexity. I don't know. It wasn't a horrible story or anything, certainly not offensive or angering or anything. It was readable, but just didn't have the angst, drama and changeable attitudes that I read this genre for. This is still a romantic story, so YMMV.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2025
-1 star because the author’s (or h’s) apparent foot fetish kept making me laugh during otherwise intense moments. LOL.
But seriously, Fabian had my heart fluttering throughout the book, and he was a perfect gentleman, especially in the first chapters (unlike so many Harlequin Heroes!). Laura is kind, capable, and passionate about music, children, and her work as a teacher. They both have very real damage to work through, and despite some heartbreak along the way, they do it together. The sex scenes are hot, but the romance is so sweet it almost made me wish the book were closed-door.
3/5 spiciness level
But seriously, Fabian had my heart fluttering throughout the book, and he was a perfect gentleman, especially in the first chapters (unlike so many Harlequin Heroes!). Laura is kind, capable, and passionate about music, children, and her work as a teacher. They both have very real damage to work through, and despite some heartbreak along the way, they do it together. The sex scenes are hot, but the romance is so sweet it almost made me wish the book were closed-door.
3/5 spiciness level
September 12, 2023
Upped rating from 1 star because I did finish. Romance just happens.
February 8, 2017
Leído el 28/03/2010
April 22, 2016
Mio Dio!
This was really rushed....straight into a marriage of convenience!!
Found the parts of the book the author chose to describe strange!
She glossed over the wedding and the wedding night, but spent pages and pages talking about her working for him, resulting in a lack of chemistry.
This was really rushed....straight into a marriage of convenience!!
Found the parts of the book the author chose to describe strange!
She glossed over the wedding and the wedding night, but spent pages and pages talking about her working for him, resulting in a lack of chemistry.
October 18, 2011
always do, happy happily aver after
May 7, 2013
Quick read. It had a good plot with likeable characters.
September 30, 2012
J'ai beaucoup aimé. L'héroïne était très sympathique et avait beaucoup de courage.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews