What do you think?
Rate this book
A Sicilian Seduction
A most passionate revenge...
Giancarlo Cardinale was determined to have his revenge. He thought Natalia Deyton had slept with his sister's husband. His passionate Sicilian nature demanded a vengeful seduction -- and total surrender.
But Giancarlo wasn't prepared for the innocence shining out of Natalia -- or the sensual power of her stunning beauty. He knew he was falling in love for the first time -- but family came first. He had no choice but to carry out his plan....
Giancarlo Cardinale was determined to have his revenge. He thought Natalia Deyton had slept with his sister's husband. His passionate Sicilian nature demanded a vengeful seduction -- and total surrender.
But Giancarlo wasn't prepared for the innocence shining out of Natalia -- or the sensual power of her stunning beauty. He knew he was falling in love for the first time -- but family came first. He had no choice but to carry out his plan....
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2001
30 people are currently reading
285 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!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 22, 2023
This is a trope l like , but because it's a misunderstanding, the plot has to continue with that until the bitter end. Most of the time a misunderstanding plot doesn't work because the characters have to work hard to be that clueless for so long and it gets annoying. Michelle Reid manages the hero's misunderstanding masterfully. Because she doesn't let the reader in on the secret until late in the book (which is why I hid it under a spoiler), the hero's actions make sense. And because the heroine has no idea what's going on, her actions make sense as well.
There's also an anemic revenge plot that goes no where because the hero is so besotted with the heroine that he is grasping at all sorts of straws to delay hurting the heroine. There *is* hurt at the dark moment, though, and it's shared by the four main characters. The fact that we readers have never met the hero's sister until the hospital scene, but can be affected by her anguish says a lot about MR's writing skill.
This is a hot little romance that stays firmly focused on the H/h with the family intrigue adding the angsty spice. There is very little navel-gazing or psycho analysis so I can forgive the hero's sketchy grovel - especially since he really didn't enact any sort of revenge.
There's also an anemic revenge plot that goes no where because the hero is so besotted with the heroine that he is grasping at all sorts of straws to delay hurting the heroine. There *is* hurt at the dark moment, though, and it's shared by the four main characters. The fact that we readers have never met the hero's sister until the hospital scene, but can be affected by her anguish says a lot about MR's writing skill.
This is a hot little romance that stays firmly focused on the H/h with the family intrigue adding the angsty spice. There is very little navel-gazing or psycho analysis so I can forgive the hero's sketchy grovel - especially since he really didn't enact any sort of revenge.
December 5, 2014
I liked this, but didn't love it. YMMV, obviously. There was nothing wrong with it, it just didn't tick my HP boxes.
I like wallbangers, I admit it. I enjoy seeing the d-wad Hero act like a complete ass before getting his comeuppance and then be forced to grovel while crawling over broken glass. I know, I know - What is wrong with me? I'm a sick, sick puppy that's what.
If you're less twisted, you may love this because the hero is obviously besotted from day one and it's clear to everyone but him that he'll never take any vengeance whatsoever on the heroine as much as he'd like to tell himself otherwise.
What I often love about a Reid novel is that she jumps right into the action, so there is usually plenty of space to deal with the fallout from the "big conflict". In this, there is more of a slow build and then the ending is a bit rushed for my taste.
When it comes to a vengeance novel, my favorite part is the big reveal and the subsequent fallout. There wasn't much space for that here and we didn't get a grovel. I felt like it was all quickly swept under the carpet.
To be fair, the setup did make the heroine look guilty. Reid even keeps the truth a secret from the reader to add to that. However, I doubt anyone didn't figure out the truth very quickly. Yet, it was a good device to allow the reader to see the hero's side of things.
On the revenge. I'm a revenge novel junkie. So, I'm quite literal when it comes to what qualifies and what doesn't. Feeling vengeful doesn't cut the mustard with me. You actually have to act on it. I am beyond tired of reading HPs advertised as revenge novels when in reality the hero just thought about it real hard, but didn't actually do anything vengeful. This one barely qualified in my book for the label.
The hero's original plan was to send his "cheating" brother-in-law and sister on a cruise so that he could come in and fire the mistress and put the neglected business back in order. He even had a check written out to pay her off. So, it wasn't so much vengeance as a way to get her out of the picture while brother-in-law was safely out of the country.
Then he sees the "mistress" and is instantly attracted to her and decides it would be more fitting for a true Sicilian to play the 'eye for an eye' game and get revenge on his brother-in-law by seducing his mistress away from him. And why should the slut go unpunished? He can also avenge his sister by making the girl fall in love with him and then drop her like a hot potato. *insert maniacal laughter*
Well, it's quite easy to see that most of the revenge plot is an excuse for the H to get with the h. Even before the big reveal he is trying to reason out a way to keep her that won't ruin the family and make his sister hate him. His hope is that he's accidentally made her pregnant and then he can play off marrying her as a 'honor' thing. It's obvious he's fallen in love with her and desperate to find a way out of his vengeance plot. Which is kind of cute. I did enjoy the book. It just wasn't my favorite Reid.
It was interesting for an HP that the heroine's sexual history was not discussed. She was obviously not promiscuous or highly experienced, but she wasn't a virgin. Which, for a beautiful woman of 25 is much more realistic in this day and age. I like the virgin h trope, but in this case felt her lack of virginity allowed the story to go in a direction it otherwise couldn't have. In other words, the hero didn't discover her innocence when they had sex the first time and she turned out to be a virgin. We've all seen that one a zillion times, not that I'm complaining. Still, it was a nice switch-up in that it allowed the hero to continue with his "vengeance" and get more and more sucked into the mess he'd created.
It was hard to want to murder him though, which made me sad (twisted freak that I am). In truth he did have some valid reasons for thinking what he thought about the heroine and the fact that he fell in love with her despite thinking what he did goes a long way toward redeeming him.
I like wallbangers, I admit it. I enjoy seeing the d-wad Hero act like a complete ass before getting his comeuppance and then be forced to grovel while crawling over broken glass. I know, I know - What is wrong with me? I'm a sick, sick puppy that's what.
If you're less twisted, you may love this because the hero is obviously besotted from day one and it's clear to everyone but him that he'll never take any vengeance whatsoever on the heroine as much as he'd like to tell himself otherwise.
What I often love about a Reid novel is that she jumps right into the action, so there is usually plenty of space to deal with the fallout from the "big conflict". In this, there is more of a slow build and then the ending is a bit rushed for my taste.
When it comes to a vengeance novel, my favorite part is the big reveal and the subsequent fallout. There wasn't much space for that here and we didn't get a grovel. I felt like it was all quickly swept under the carpet.
To be fair, the setup did make the heroine look guilty. Reid even keeps the truth a secret from the reader to add to that. However, I doubt anyone didn't figure out the truth very quickly. Yet, it was a good device to allow the reader to see the hero's side of things.
On the revenge. I'm a revenge novel junkie. So, I'm quite literal when it comes to what qualifies and what doesn't. Feeling vengeful doesn't cut the mustard with me. You actually have to act on it. I am beyond tired of reading HPs advertised as revenge novels when in reality the hero just thought about it real hard, but didn't actually do anything vengeful. This one barely qualified in my book for the label.
The hero's original plan was to send his "cheating" brother-in-law and sister on a cruise so that he could come in and fire the mistress and put the neglected business back in order. He even had a check written out to pay her off. So, it wasn't so much vengeance as a way to get her out of the picture while brother-in-law was safely out of the country.
Then he sees the "mistress" and is instantly attracted to her and decides it would be more fitting for a true Sicilian to play the 'eye for an eye' game and get revenge on his brother-in-law by seducing his mistress away from him. And why should the slut go unpunished? He can also avenge his sister by making the girl fall in love with him and then drop her like a hot potato. *insert maniacal laughter*
Well, it's quite easy to see that most of the revenge plot is an excuse for the H to get with the h. Even before the big reveal he is trying to reason out a way to keep her that won't ruin the family and make his sister hate him. His hope is that he's accidentally made her pregnant and then he can play off marrying her as a 'honor' thing. It's obvious he's fallen in love with her and desperate to find a way out of his vengeance plot. Which is kind of cute. I did enjoy the book. It just wasn't my favorite Reid.
It was interesting for an HP that the heroine's sexual history was not discussed. She was obviously not promiscuous or highly experienced, but she wasn't a virgin. Which, for a beautiful woman of 25 is much more realistic in this day and age. I like the virgin h trope, but in this case felt her lack of virginity allowed the story to go in a direction it otherwise couldn't have. In other words, the hero didn't discover her innocence when they had sex the first time and she turned out to be a virgin. We've all seen that one a zillion times, not that I'm complaining. Still, it was a nice switch-up in that it allowed the hero to continue with his "vengeance" and get more and more sucked into the mess he'd created.
It was hard to want to murder him though, which made me sad (twisted freak that I am). In truth he did have some valid reasons for thinking what he thought about the heroine and the fact that he fell in love with her despite thinking what he did goes a long way toward redeeming him.
July 28, 2020
One of my favorite tropes ever is the foiled revenge trope because it shows how powerful love is and how it can trump even the most negative of emotions. It's executed well here in A Sicilian Seduction which contains adequate doses of tension and passion. The tension comes from Natalia's inability to reveal a secret which would clear her reputation (especially with Giancarlo), while Giancarlo's secret quest for vengeance is to make Natalia pay for her sins. So it's only natural then that these two would be attracted to one another, right?
Giancarlo easily seduces Natalia, but it's not long before the seducer is the seduced. At one point he admits honestly to himself that he's become her "sex slave" (mmm)—even while believing her to be an amoral deceiver. Natalia has no clue the depths Giancarlo has stooped to on the behalf of his sister and falls for him fast and hard, in bed and out of it. She's wary at first, but is soon won over by his charms.
Giancarlo's deception is eventually revealed. He had ruthless intentions to hurt Natalia, but he wasn't a bad person, just protective. There's a nice grovelific grovel scene at the end which was full of persistent charm and romantic declarations of undying love. The ending alone made this book a good read!
Giancarlo easily seduces Natalia, but it's not long before the seducer is the seduced. At one point he admits honestly to himself that he's become her "sex slave" (mmm)—even while believing her to be an amoral deceiver. Natalia has no clue the depths Giancarlo has stooped to on the behalf of his sister and falls for him fast and hard, in bed and out of it. She's wary at first, but is soon won over by his charms.
Giancarlo's deception is eventually revealed. He had ruthless intentions to hurt Natalia, but he wasn't a bad person, just protective. There's a nice grovelific grovel scene at the end which was full of persistent charm and romantic declarations of undying love. The ending alone made this book a good read!
April 17, 2012
Oh my, this was one hot read! I stayed up till 1:30 in the morning to finish it. Giancarlo is just one tall, sexy Sicilian who is out for revenge believing that Natalia is his brother-in law's mistress. He sends his sister and brother-in law off on a six week cruise while he steps in to not only fix the company but get rid of the mistress. He is appalled at the sexual attraction that immediately consumes both of them. So instead of booting her out, he goes for the ultimate in revenge to make her his mistress and then discard her like trash. The twist, you can see coming a mile long but the author does a great job in playing it out.
The chemistry and sexual tension are hot. But what is really amazing is how much you can actually feel them falling in love, especially Giancarlo. I felt as if I was standing at a scene of an accident watching him get caught out in his own cruel game and just waiting for it to explode right in front of him.
I also loved the way he works to get her past the big misunderstanding...it was all so in character in the way they interacted. Though I wanted him to GROVEL a whole lot more, it just wouldn't have worked. So many times I complain about how the ending is too rushed and just didn't seem to fit with the characters. This one fit perfectly!
If you are a fan of Michelle Reid, and have missed this book...you should run out now and get it! If you never have read an HP by Michelle Reid, you should start with this one. You will not be disappointed.
The chemistry and sexual tension are hot. But what is really amazing is how much you can actually feel them falling in love, especially Giancarlo. I felt as if I was standing at a scene of an accident watching him get caught out in his own cruel game and just waiting for it to explode right in front of him.
I also loved the way he works to get her past the big misunderstanding...it was all so in character in the way they interacted. Though I wanted him to GROVEL a whole lot more, it just wouldn't have worked. So many times I complain about how the ending is too rushed and just didn't seem to fit with the characters. This one fit perfectly!
If you are a fan of Michelle Reid, and have missed this book...you should run out now and get it! If you never have read an HP by Michelle Reid, you should start with this one. You will not be disappointed.
September 22, 2019
A Sicilian Seduction is pretty mild on the Revenge Cause You're My Brother in Law's Mistress trope.
But the h is NOT a unicorn groomer, so she doesn't get to use the HP unicorn grooming get out of jail free card and the H is pretty massively into her from the first moment on.
For all the story's lack of real HP H revenge antics, it is a very passionate story in MR's usual intense style.
The big reveal of the h's true parentage in hospital is a moment fraught with delicious HP drama and tho the H never really apologizes for his mistaken belief - he was so devoted to the h from the first time that they met that it was hard to see much of anything to make him say sorry for.
KatieV's review and StMargaret's review have additional details and insights.
Overall this is a nice little HPlandia outing and worth the read if you run into it.
But the h is NOT a unicorn groomer, so she doesn't get to use the HP unicorn grooming get out of jail free card and the H is pretty massively into her from the first moment on.
For all the story's lack of real HP H revenge antics, it is a very passionate story in MR's usual intense style.
The big reveal of the h's true parentage in hospital is a moment fraught with delicious HP drama and tho the H never really apologizes for his mistaken belief - he was so devoted to the h from the first time that they met that it was hard to see much of anything to make him say sorry for.
KatieV's review and StMargaret's review have additional details and insights.
Overall this is a nice little HPlandia outing and worth the read if you run into it.
March 11, 2016
Aptly named book. The H creates quite the seduction scene with champagne. You should read it just for that.
That said, this was quite a tropey little Harlequin. Brother out for revenge on the evil woman who is having an affair with his BIL. Apparently Sicilian's are all about revenge. Who figured?
I'll let you guess the actual relationship between the H and Edward, the boring BIL.
The H is the typical H, leaping from one ridiculous conclusion to another, and he certainly is overwhelmed by the heroine. We read how enslaved she is, but I just didn't feel it.
After the climax (so to speak) she should have run the other way especially after her Sicilian step-mother takes after her with a nauseating vengeance and the H reveals he seduced as part of the, let's say it together, Sicilian revenge. Once again, these bland little heroines are too forgiving because there is not enough grovel in the universe that the H or the soon to step-mother/sister-in-law could ever do to make up.
If you like angst, you'll love this.
That said, this was quite a tropey little Harlequin. Brother out for revenge on the evil woman who is having an affair with his BIL. Apparently Sicilian's are all about revenge. Who figured?
I'll let you guess the actual relationship between the H and Edward, the boring BIL.
The H is the typical H, leaping from one ridiculous conclusion to another, and he certainly is overwhelmed by the heroine. We read how enslaved she is, but I just didn't feel it.
After the climax (so to speak) she should have run the other way especially after her Sicilian step-mother takes after her with a nauseating vengeance and the H reveals he seduced as part of the, let's say it together, Sicilian revenge. Once again, these bland little heroines are too forgiving because there is not enough grovel in the universe that the H or the soon to step-mother/sister-in-law could ever do to make up.
If you like angst, you'll love this.
December 4, 2021
I really like Michelle Reid's approach towards writing how her heroines think of sexual relationships. Every book I've read of hers h gets sexually involved with H willingly and open eyed about the affair being all about shared passion. They are no innocents indulging in ONS or forced mistresses and wives. They are usually working women exercising their sexual agency. Kudos to that.
Despite the premise being revenge, interesting passages of the book revolver around well written seduction and developing feelings between the MCs. Overall a soothing, steamy read with little angst.
Despite the premise being revenge, interesting passages of the book revolver around well written seduction and developing feelings between the MCs. Overall a soothing, steamy read with little angst.
April 7, 2019
"A Sicilian Seduction" is the story of Natalia and Giancarlo.
Plot: H suspects h is his BIL's mistress. His sister and BIL recently lost their grown up son, and when he suspects the BIL is having an affair, he sends them away on a cruise, to seduce the h and teach her a lesson.
Conflict: h seems very attached to the BIL and is bent on protecting his secrets. The h manages to convince her to boink and soon they embark on a full on passionate/ sexual relationship, while the H still suspects the h is a giant hoe.
Resolution: The very OBVIOUS truth is soon revealed when the BIL returns . The H then beats the h down with his insistence and proposal, and without grovel or apology, she agrees and they have some delusional HEA. So WHAT if he thought she was a slut and sleeping with a man who is old enough to be a father? He finds her super attractive and wants to bang her- which definitely proves he loves her- so definitely she should give in to his insanity.
Angst: Minimal
Characters: Unlikable, especially the hero
Extremely disappointed in this one. Did not like it at all.
Safe
1.5/5
Plot: H suspects h is his BIL's mistress. His sister and BIL recently lost their grown up son, and when he suspects the BIL is having an affair, he sends them away on a cruise, to seduce the h and teach her a lesson.
Conflict: h seems very attached to the BIL and is bent on protecting his secrets. The h manages to convince her to boink and soon they embark on a full on passionate/ sexual relationship, while the H still suspects the h is a giant hoe.
Resolution: The very OBVIOUS truth is soon revealed when the BIL returns . The H then beats the h down with his insistence and proposal, and without grovel or apology, she agrees and they have some delusional HEA. So WHAT if he thought she was a slut and sleeping with a man who is old enough to be a father? He finds her super attractive and wants to bang her- which definitely proves he loves her- so definitely she should give in to his insanity.
Angst: Minimal
Characters: Unlikable, especially the hero
Extremely disappointed in this one. Did not like it at all.
Safe
1.5/5
January 19, 2025
I absolutely loved this book!Reid are from now on one of my favourite romantic author
when it comes to sizzling and passionate romance like this one,
and it totally blew me away.
Michelle Reid writes with such a passion that it`s easily becomes so fascinating when you at least swing yourself in the magical world the second the story begins.
And it begins with the Hero,the dazzingly sexy Sicilian business man Giancarlo Cardinale giving an intense i had-love to-fuck-and-then-kill you-look to the Heroine,the beautiful blond secretary of his brother-in-law Natalia Deyton.
Their chemistry are EXPLOSIVE and their story so intruging and sexy and i just love the two of them together.Giancarlo Cardinale was a sooo arrogant type of man with his macho-ism and his crave for revenge to Natalia and how arrogantly he assumed how fast he will get her to bed were so funny,and i both wanted to hug and slap him.He was too arrogant and so full of himself,but his love to Natalia will make him vulnerable,so i loved him even more for it.
I love the ending and this story.Reid has never dissapointed me.
when it comes to sizzling and passionate romance like this one,
and it totally blew me away.
Michelle Reid writes with such a passion that it`s easily becomes so fascinating when you at least swing yourself in the magical world the second the story begins.
And it begins with the Hero,the dazzingly sexy Sicilian business man Giancarlo Cardinale giving an intense i had-love to-fuck-and-then-kill you-look to the Heroine,the beautiful blond secretary of his brother-in-law Natalia Deyton.
Their chemistry are EXPLOSIVE and their story so intruging and sexy and i just love the two of them together.Giancarlo Cardinale was a sooo arrogant type of man with his macho-ism and his crave for revenge to Natalia and how arrogantly he assumed how fast he will get her to bed were so funny,and i both wanted to hug and slap him.He was too arrogant and so full of himself,but his love to Natalia will make him vulnerable,so i loved him even more for it.
I love the ending and this story.Reid has never dissapointed me.
March 14, 2013
Even though I hate begging in general, in this story it made a huge difference, so I give it 4 stars instead of 3.5. I basically have guessed within the first 10 pages what the lead female's relationship was to Edward aka the brother in law. I couldn't believe it took the lead male character 95% in to the story to finally understand what was going on and only after his sister explained it.
January 28, 2013
That was a fun and engaging read. I liked it but didn't love it.
July 27, 2016
(Read Vintage and KC's reviews, I agree completely with both of them)
It actually was an okey read because I didn't like the h much but I really enjoyed the angst.
It actually was an okey read because I didn't like the h much but I really enjoyed the angst.
February 5, 2017
I really REALLY need to stop reading these revenge plots where an Italian brother thinks heroine is his brother in Law's mistress and the only way to solve problem is seduction.
In case you haven't realised it yet, this is called abuse. You are clinically mathematically setting out to seduce someone to punish them. In what warped sense Is that romance, I don't know. From where I come from this is rape and sexual abuse.
I don't care if you're Sicilian or Italian or whatever honourbound nationality there is, it is NOT ok to punish someone for someone else's sin. You cannot punish a mistress for a married man's sins, because most of the time they are socially and financially inferior. And they are not related to you, you really need to take care of your homestead first not punish others because it suits you.
After all that she's not even the mistress, and he's excuse was "what else was I supposed to think?" Well, you fucker, you don't think anything, you don't act upon it, you talk to your asshole of a brother in law. Even if she was the home wrecker, your brother in law had to agree for her to wreck your home!
He didn't even apologise, he offered marriage! What is marriage these days? A magical cure? And then he had the audacity to justify his action by saying "you lied to me as well" to the heroine! Are you fucking kidding me? She hadn't sort out you or your sister and deliberately lied to destroy your life. Which is exactly what you did. Whereas she was only protecting someone else's secret, which was not for her to share. His sister also called her "the trouble". And a Sicilian proud man doesn't see the problem there, the woman doesn't feel the need to apologise. I mean what was her fault? She didn't ask him to father her. She didn't ask to be brought to the world with his DNA, Allegra KNEW who she was yet she lashed out on her. She had every right to be with her father as Allegra had right to be with her husband. These two Sicilian siblings were absolute shit. Only they are important, no body else matters! What made giancarlo's sister so important that he could justify abusing another woman? She could have been someone else's sister. How is she less important than Allegra.
This book is pretty much like "painted the other woman" and exactly like "the greek's ultimate revenge" where Greek hero did exactly the same thing to his brother in law's daughter. Only difference was in the second book heroine actually spelt out that this was abuse and she was aware of it.
I feel the authors really need to think hard and understand that abuse and rape in name of honour and revenge is not an ok plot for romance novels!
In case you haven't realised it yet, this is called abuse. You are clinically mathematically setting out to seduce someone to punish them. In what warped sense Is that romance, I don't know. From where I come from this is rape and sexual abuse.
I don't care if you're Sicilian or Italian or whatever honourbound nationality there is, it is NOT ok to punish someone for someone else's sin. You cannot punish a mistress for a married man's sins, because most of the time they are socially and financially inferior. And they are not related to you, you really need to take care of your homestead first not punish others because it suits you.
After all that she's not even the mistress, and he's excuse was "what else was I supposed to think?" Well, you fucker, you don't think anything, you don't act upon it, you talk to your asshole of a brother in law. Even if she was the home wrecker, your brother in law had to agree for her to wreck your home!
He didn't even apologise, he offered marriage! What is marriage these days? A magical cure? And then he had the audacity to justify his action by saying "you lied to me as well" to the heroine! Are you fucking kidding me? She hadn't sort out you or your sister and deliberately lied to destroy your life. Which is exactly what you did. Whereas she was only protecting someone else's secret, which was not for her to share. His sister also called her "the trouble". And a Sicilian proud man doesn't see the problem there, the woman doesn't feel the need to apologise. I mean what was her fault? She didn't ask him to father her. She didn't ask to be brought to the world with his DNA, Allegra KNEW who she was yet she lashed out on her. She had every right to be with her father as Allegra had right to be with her husband. These two Sicilian siblings were absolute shit. Only they are important, no body else matters! What made giancarlo's sister so important that he could justify abusing another woman? She could have been someone else's sister. How is she less important than Allegra.
This book is pretty much like "painted the other woman" and exactly like "the greek's ultimate revenge" where Greek hero did exactly the same thing to his brother in law's daughter. Only difference was in the second book heroine actually spelt out that this was abuse and she was aware of it.
I feel the authors really need to think hard and understand that abuse and rape in name of honour and revenge is not an ok plot for romance novels!
April 26, 2015
i absolutely loved this one! AWEsome read! from the moment giancarlo set eyes on natalia, he was doomed! it was actually funny reading about him plotting the revenge bcoz it was so very obvious he was fooling himself ! he was insanely in lust, then fell insanely in love and proceeded to behave most outrageously! he was really justifying his behaviour bcoz it was unforgivable; his wanting his brother-in-law's mistress, the woman breaking his sister's marriage. so he went off after what he wanted in the name of revenge! the chemistry was palpable, off the charts!!! i also enjoyed the drama at the end tremendously (when edward had his heart attack lol).
August 13, 2017
I actually didn't mind the H in this one I likes that he said the L word first but what drove me nuts was either the h or H mention he's Sicilian so many god damn times I get it so stop mentioning it ever time you open your mouth 😒
November 12, 2011
Another sizzling tale from Michelle which features tough Sicilian Giancarlo who is convinced his brother-in-law Edward is cheating with his beautiful assistant Natalia and aims to split them up by sending Edward on a cruise and him taking over the business for a few weeks. But his best-laid plans upend themselves when he ends up falling for Natalia and moving her in to live with him. Very passionate book and refreshing to see her hero he admits to be love long before the heroine can do so herself.
October 6, 2022
This was a hot and sexy pairing with a very equal vibe. I was surprised how well MR managed to spin this plot out given how quickly they fell for each other. The h's relationship with her 'boss' was not clarified until well into the book but was blindingly obvious to anyone familiar with the tropes. Still, it kept the H jealous and gave an arbitrary limitation to the relationship so...
Nicely done with a sweet epilogue.
Nicely done with a sweet epilogue.
November 23, 2010
Okay..so way she a virgin or not? 'Cause the description led one to believe that as did her actions but it was not actually referred to or spoken about in the book. It really is annoying. Aside from that, a good read with mistaken identities, a secret baby all grown up, and one hot as heck Sicilian lover. Mrow!
January 21, 2015
Maybe I was just not in the mood for this one.....
June 23, 2021
MR is my most favourite alpha H writers and she doesn’t fail here. The H is stubborn and vindictive but the h didn’t match up to his aggression. She’s too tall at five ten - sorry but that’s my personal trigger. She’s also quite the office charmer and her apparent secret love for her ex-boss is extremely repugnant once revealed.
I had a bit of a doubt about who this elderly mystery boss person would turn out to be for the h, the one she’s bending backwards to defend, and once you know, wasn’t an easy one to swallow. I couldn’t reconcile with their romance while the h is pretending to love her .... cringe.
Also endless monologue. Have read way wayyy better from MR.
I had a bit of a doubt about who this elderly mystery boss person would turn out to be for the h, the one she’s bending backwards to defend, and once you know, wasn’t an easy one to swallow. I couldn’t reconcile with their romance while the h is pretending to love her .... cringe.
Also endless monologue. Have read way wayyy better from MR.
January 28, 2022
For scenarios such as this to work you need to have all the works for a suitably long clear up scene and a respectable amount of humble grovel
January 18, 2025
I have upgraded it by two stars to five stars.
The hero falls madly for her from the beginning. He overlooks every bad thing he assumes she is doing just so he can be with her.
She falls too.
I didn’t like it that much when I had read it earlier several years ago.
This time around I thought they were both rather sweet.
The hero falls madly for her from the beginning. He overlooks every bad thing he assumes she is doing just so he can be with her.
She falls too.
I didn’t like it that much when I had read it earlier several years ago.
This time around I thought they were both rather sweet.
December 10, 2019
Giancarlo and Natalia don't meet under the most auspicious of circumstances: he thinks she's his brother-in-law's mistress and she has a secret she must keep from him. There are several misunderstandings (but, to be fair to the H, what he overheard could have been misinterpreted). There's not much drama until the end, when it all comes out in the open. The book is basically a portrayal of two people falling in love despite their wariness of each other.
I've just recently started reading Harlequin novels. Their heroes are too alpha, too rich, too everything and so they have no qualms about jumping to (often wrong) conclusions. Their groveling is sometimes very subtle, but I find that I like it like that, too. There's just something about reading how the H turns pale and gray when he finds out how wrong he was, hahaha. But I digress - Giancarlo doesn't grovel too much, but he is relentless in his pursuit of the heroine, even before he knows how wrong he'd been.
I've just recently started reading Harlequin novels. Their heroes are too alpha, too rich, too everything and so they have no qualms about jumping to (often wrong) conclusions. Their groveling is sometimes very subtle, but I find that I like it like that, too. There's just something about reading how the H turns pale and gray when he finds out how wrong he was, hahaha. But I digress - Giancarlo doesn't grovel too much, but he is relentless in his pursuit of the heroine, even before he knows how wrong he'd been.
May 9, 2019
LOVED IT SO MUCH. A perfect story with perfect characters. The hero, Giancarlo, is a truly lovable man. All his emotions were so believable and he was so perfect for this story. The heroine, Natalia, is a super cute and lovely. She is a real fighter with a fragile heart. Perfect, That's all I can say about this great book. Recommend it to all who wants to read a great book.
July 6, 2019
There were parts of this I really enjoyed. Like when the dude is all caught up in his angsty thoughts to the point that he forgets he's got water not wine in his glass, so he takes a big gulp and then makes a face because of the unexpected flavor. But he was also an unrelenting ass so that wasn't as much fun.
January 2, 2019
So, she is technically sleeping with her step uncle.
Her child is his step-great-nephew and son. His sister is its step-grandparent/ auntie. AH SO CONFUSING poor fictional kid.
Its a fun and nice romance all the same.
Her child is his step-great-nephew and son. His sister is its step-grandparent/ auntie. AH SO CONFUSING poor fictional kid.
Its a fun and nice romance all the same.
July 17, 2013
review to come
December 14, 2025
Giancarlo Cardinale thought Natalia Deyton was his brother in law's mistress and wanted revenge.
March 2, 2022
Enjoyable. Too much reference to "I'm Sicilian". Not enough grovelling by H.
July 23, 2021
Too much pages about how weak in the knees she gets every time she sees him. It was over the top thinking about sex and about him naked when she hardly knows the guy.
She wasn’t a virgin. That was very disappointing.
I feel like I should like this book better than I did. I think it’s because all the descriptions felt over the top. She was more beautiful than all the Miss Worlds in the past, present and future. And she was apparently so sexy that a whole room of men were at her feet.
Anyway, the typical HP h has red hair or blonde hair and a perfect body. This h is exactly that (red hair).
And the extensive descriptions of what she felt each time she saw him. She came across as a hot mess.
She wasn’t a virgin. That was very disappointing.
I feel like I should like this book better than I did. I think it’s because all the descriptions felt over the top. She was more beautiful than all the Miss Worlds in the past, present and future. And she was apparently so sexy that a whole room of men were at her feet.
Anyway, the typical HP h has red hair or blonde hair and a perfect body. This h is exactly that (red hair).
And the extensive descriptions of what she felt each time she saw him. She came across as a hot mess.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews