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Her Wedding Night Surrender
Pietro has strict rules for his marriage…
And he’s breaking every one of them!
Pietro Morelli is breaking his own rule—seducing his virgin bride! Heiress Emmeline is meant to be a wife of convenience, but the intense chemistry between them is more powerful than either can deny. But while Pietro hides a devastating secret, can they ever have more than a marriage in name only?
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2018
74 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Clare Connelly
517 books406 followersFor all things Clare Connelly, please see www.clareconnelly.co.uk, the official home of Clare Connelly on the web.
Clare Connelly grew up in a small country town in Australia. Surrounded by rainforests, and rickety old timber houses, magic was thick in the air, and stories and storytelling were a huge part of her childhood.
From early on in life, Clare realised her favourite books were romance stories, and read voraciously. Anything from Jane Austen to Georgette Heyer, to Mills & Boon and (more recently) 50 Shades, Clare is a romance devotee. She first turned her hand to penning a novel at fifteen (if memory serves, it was something about a glamorous fashion model who fell foul of a high-end designer. Sparks flew, clothes flew faster, and love was born.)
Clare has a small family and a bungalow near the sea. When she isn't chasing after energetic little toddlers, or wiping fingerprints off furniture, she's writing, thinking about writing, or wishing she were writing.
Clare Connelly grew up in a small country town in Australia. Surrounded by rainforests, and rickety old timber houses, magic was thick in the air, and stories and storytelling were a huge part of her childhood.
From early on in life, Clare realised her favourite books were romance stories, and read voraciously. Anything from Jane Austen to Georgette Heyer, to Mills & Boon and (more recently) 50 Shades, Clare is a romance devotee. She first turned her hand to penning a novel at fifteen (if memory serves, it was something about a glamorous fashion model who fell foul of a high-end designer. Sparks flew, clothes flew faster, and love was born.)
Clare has a small family and a bungalow near the sea. When she isn't chasing after energetic little toddlers, or wiping fingerprints off furniture, she's writing, thinking about writing, or wishing she were writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
March 8, 2018
The asshole H who redeems himself ! I never expected to end up actually liking Pietro.
I think this is one of Clare Connelly's better books to date because it deals with issues that go beyond the basic romance story line between the MC's. I didn't warm up to the H until after the MC's had consummated their relationship because he had come off as a 2 dimensional playboy jerk. I only warmed up to Pietro after the author shows the gradual improvement ( or humanizing ) in his character. Pietro starts off as an egotistical, womanizing swine who only agrees to the MOC as a favour to the heroine's father Col, because the latter is terminally ill with cancer. Pietro also makes annoying comments about keeping his playboy lifestyle after the marriage since it's only going to be a MOC. The heroine agrees because she doesn't actually like him or respect him at first, but neither character cheats on the other during the story. The heroine Emmeline is a more complicated character than Pietro because she has been emotionally scarred by her late mother's hateful bullying. Emmeline's mother had been a famous socialite who was unable to cope with the pitfalls of ageing, especially when faced with a daughter whose youthful beauty attracted lots of compliments. Vain old Mommy committed suicide but her bullying and demeaning comments continued to affect Emmeline's attitude to fashion and sex. Emmeline is one of the most sheltered heroines I've come across.
Pietro is a jerkish asshole in the beginning because he makes no attempt to understand why Emmeline dresses the way she does. He insults her clothing choices, tells her that she need to cultivate an image that's similar to his usual lovers and mocks her virginity. In the first half of the novel, Emmeline is utterly passive. She keeps saying that the MOC is her opportunity to finally be free from her father's controlling influence but she fails to assert herself. She has a few rare temper tantrums but still allows Pietro to push her around a little too much. The H's worst action is the presence of his former mistress at the wedding. He compounds this by flirting with the OW at the reception. Emmeline calls him out on it but she still ends up almost succumbing to the spell of the enchanted wood ( and I am not talking about the famous children's novel by Enid Blyton ). I really hated how this girl kept zoning out like a sex starved zombie, every time he touched her. It made him become far too cocky and this guy's ego could have done without additional massaging.
The MC's relationship is only consummated after Pietro has a jealous, possessive caveman moment when he sees 2 guys enjoying Emmeline's company at a party. Pietro undergoes a complete 180 degree change because he goes from being the guy who was mocking her virginity to wanting to be her first and only lover. He does make her first time extra special, though; their first sex scene was one of the better de-virginization situations I've come across in HPlandia. It wasn't freaky hot but it was exactly what a shy girl like Emmeline needed. The other big issue in the novel is the secret that Pietro is forced to keep from the heroine. Emmeline's dad Col ( who's a billionaire US senator ) has made Pietro promise not to reveal the truth about the terminal cancer situation to the heroine. When Pietro starts to fall in love with Emmeline, this secret becomes a burden. He is trapped by his promise to her dad and tormented because he thinks she deserves to be told the truth. He actually begs Col to let him tell Emmeline the truth but the dying man's obstinacy is unbending.
The MC's reach a beautiful point in their marriage where it actually looks like they're in love and filled with marital bliss. Pietro has also not cheated on Emmeline, despite all the shit he had said before their marriage. They've managed to deal with the issue of a jealous former OW trying to cause trouble and Pietro was actually quite caring in the way he dealt with that situation. I couldn't believe he could be so sensitive to Emmeline's needs. Then the big secret is dropped right when things are going so well for the MC's. Emmeline is traumatized, shocked, disillusioned and hurt when she discovers that Pietro has been keeping her dad's terminal cancer status from her. The entire dynamic in the MC's relationship shifts, suddenly and totally, at this point. Pietro is no longer the jerky asshole because he is now in love with Emmeline, but the heroine is the one who becomes stern and inflexible. I enjoyed seeing this happen because it really forced Pietro to grovel and work hard to earn the love and trust of the woman he used to mock. The guy was really put through an emotional ringer ! Emmeline's inflexibility and newfound cynicism hurt him unbearably and I even felt sorry for him. That's the only reason I can give this 4 stars. I honestly believe that Pietro's redemption was real and that his love for Emmeline was 100% sincere. He really had to change his entire belief system, about love and marriage, in order to become deserving of her and he did it because he wanted to. I know there are readers who probably won't view his redemption in the same manner, but I admired him at the end. Clare Connelly managed to redeem one of the biggest assholes in HPlandia.
I think this is one of Clare Connelly's better books to date because it deals with issues that go beyond the basic romance story line between the MC's. I didn't warm up to the H until after the MC's had consummated their relationship because he had come off as a 2 dimensional playboy jerk. I only warmed up to Pietro after the author shows the gradual improvement ( or humanizing ) in his character. Pietro starts off as an egotistical, womanizing swine who only agrees to the MOC as a favour to the heroine's father Col, because the latter is terminally ill with cancer. Pietro also makes annoying comments about keeping his playboy lifestyle after the marriage since it's only going to be a MOC. The heroine agrees because she doesn't actually like him or respect him at first, but neither character cheats on the other during the story. The heroine Emmeline is a more complicated character than Pietro because she has been emotionally scarred by her late mother's hateful bullying. Emmeline's mother had been a famous socialite who was unable to cope with the pitfalls of ageing, especially when faced with a daughter whose youthful beauty attracted lots of compliments. Vain old Mommy committed suicide but her bullying and demeaning comments continued to affect Emmeline's attitude to fashion and sex. Emmeline is one of the most sheltered heroines I've come across.
Pietro is a jerkish asshole in the beginning because he makes no attempt to understand why Emmeline dresses the way she does. He insults her clothing choices, tells her that she need to cultivate an image that's similar to his usual lovers and mocks her virginity. In the first half of the novel, Emmeline is utterly passive. She keeps saying that the MOC is her opportunity to finally be free from her father's controlling influence but she fails to assert herself. She has a few rare temper tantrums but still allows Pietro to push her around a little too much. The H's worst action is the presence of his former mistress at the wedding. He compounds this by flirting with the OW at the reception. Emmeline calls him out on it but she still ends up almost succumbing to the spell of the enchanted wood ( and I am not talking about the famous children's novel by Enid Blyton ). I really hated how this girl kept zoning out like a sex starved zombie, every time he touched her. It made him become far too cocky and this guy's ego could have done without additional massaging.
The MC's relationship is only consummated after Pietro has a jealous, possessive caveman moment when he sees 2 guys enjoying Emmeline's company at a party. Pietro undergoes a complete 180 degree change because he goes from being the guy who was mocking her virginity to wanting to be her first and only lover. He does make her first time extra special, though; their first sex scene was one of the better de-virginization situations I've come across in HPlandia. It wasn't freaky hot but it was exactly what a shy girl like Emmeline needed. The other big issue in the novel is the secret that Pietro is forced to keep from the heroine. Emmeline's dad Col ( who's a billionaire US senator ) has made Pietro promise not to reveal the truth about the terminal cancer situation to the heroine. When Pietro starts to fall in love with Emmeline, this secret becomes a burden. He is trapped by his promise to her dad and tormented because he thinks she deserves to be told the truth. He actually begs Col to let him tell Emmeline the truth but the dying man's obstinacy is unbending.
The MC's reach a beautiful point in their marriage where it actually looks like they're in love and filled with marital bliss. Pietro has also not cheated on Emmeline, despite all the shit he had said before their marriage. They've managed to deal with the issue of a jealous former OW trying to cause trouble and Pietro was actually quite caring in the way he dealt with that situation. I couldn't believe he could be so sensitive to Emmeline's needs. Then the big secret is dropped right when things are going so well for the MC's. Emmeline is traumatized, shocked, disillusioned and hurt when she discovers that Pietro has been keeping her dad's terminal cancer status from her. The entire dynamic in the MC's relationship shifts, suddenly and totally, at this point. Pietro is no longer the jerky asshole because he is now in love with Emmeline, but the heroine is the one who becomes stern and inflexible. I enjoyed seeing this happen because it really forced Pietro to grovel and work hard to earn the love and trust of the woman he used to mock. The guy was really put through an emotional ringer ! Emmeline's inflexibility and newfound cynicism hurt him unbearably and I even felt sorry for him. That's the only reason I can give this 4 stars. I honestly believe that Pietro's redemption was real and that his love for Emmeline was 100% sincere. He really had to change his entire belief system, about love and marriage, in order to become deserving of her and he did it because he wanted to. I know there are readers who probably won't view his redemption in the same manner, but I admired him at the end. Clare Connelly managed to redeem one of the biggest assholes in HPlandia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2018
This was a vintage HP with sex scenes. That's not a dig. I love vintage HPs, cruel heroes, catty OWs, controlling family members and clueless heroine. This one had them all!
The coddled, virgin heroine who had never been kissed until her wedding day could have fit neatly into a 1970's HP. She is 22, a virgin, and trying to be "independent" by going to college and not hanging around daddy's estate all day.
But daddy is dying of cancer and doesn't want heroine to know of his impending death or to be lonely, so he arranges a marriage for her to the hero, a man-ho. Hero, for his part, doesn't want to marry, as he explains to the heroine, but his house is close to the university where the heroine is to study and he can watch out for her in between bedding all his women.
Heroine agrees to the sexless marriage for her, cheating for him, the makeover, and anything else the hero suggests. She's obedient, beautiful and just learning to think for herself.
Hero for his part, is cruel to the heroine because he is in denial his attraction - like any good vintage hero. The only thing he doesn't do is force kisses or sex on the heroine. It is 2018 after all.
So that's the set up. And guess what? I ended up team hero by the end. The heroine was ridiculous after her father died and she blamed everything on the hero. He did some great groveling that took place over weeks of OTT heroine drama. But it all works out at the end. The barely sentient heroine tames the man-ho hero and all is well in HP land for a satisfying story.
The coddled, virgin heroine who had never been kissed until her wedding day could have fit neatly into a 1970's HP. She is 22, a virgin, and trying to be "independent" by going to college and not hanging around daddy's estate all day.
But daddy is dying of cancer and doesn't want heroine to know of his impending death or to be lonely, so he arranges a marriage for her to the hero, a man-ho. Hero, for his part, doesn't want to marry, as he explains to the heroine, but his house is close to the university where the heroine is to study and he can watch out for her in between bedding all his women.
Heroine agrees to the sexless marriage for her, cheating for him, the makeover, and anything else the hero suggests. She's obedient, beautiful and just learning to think for herself.
Hero for his part, is cruel to the heroine because he is in denial his attraction - like any good vintage hero. The only thing he doesn't do is force kisses or sex on the heroine. It is 2018 after all.
So that's the set up. And guess what? I ended up team hero by the end. The heroine was ridiculous after her father died and she blamed everything on the hero. He did some great groveling that took place over weeks of OTT heroine drama. But it all works out at the end. The barely sentient heroine tames the man-ho hero and all is well in HP land for a satisfying story.
March 18, 2018
ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The general synopsis of the story is a dying father wants his sheltered daughter taken care of when he's gone. So he goes to his younger friend of many years with the request that he marry her and watch over his daughter.
This was well written HP with just a few minor issues IMHO.
Pietro, a well off Italian playboy agrees to his dear friends request, as he's dying. He never had any intention of marrying but Col's had been there for him many years ago when his father died and felt he couldn't say no to his dear friend.
Emmeline adored her father and after the horrifying death of her mother she was all he had and he desperately needed her. So she lived a very cocooned and sheltered life ensuring her father was taken care of and happy. Emmeline also had a lot of baggage thanks to her Mommy dearest before she died. Emmeline's mother made sure she down played her beauty as it was competed and took eyes away from her. So after her death she continued in that same vein of living closed off to people.
Pietro and Emmeline marry and at first Emmeline seems weak and timid. She also learns that Pietro makes her feel things physically/sexually and experience things that she thought she was incapable of (this part I found overplayed in the beginning and somewhat cheesy.). Pietro, he comes across as arrogant and a jerk at times. But as the story progresses you find that underneath, buried under years of hurt, Emmeline is a strong and capable young woman. Pietro finds that she's bright, sweet and also spirited. She brings out a side of Pietro he didn't think he had in him, feelings he didn't think he was capable of feeling. Emmeline is determined to live her new life and attend a University for her desired degree. The two slowly let down their guards and give in to their strong attraction. But Pietro has the secret he promised Col, Emmeline's dad, that he wouldn't tell her he's dying. The guilt that Pietro struggles with weigh's heavy on the relationship.
The romance, for me started off a little over the top with Emmeline's "awakening". It evolved into a more mature and satisfying romance after the first chapter or two. It was a very sensual, sweet and romantic read. The ending was emotional and satisfying. Liked the epilogue as well.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The general synopsis of the story is a dying father wants his sheltered daughter taken care of when he's gone. So he goes to his younger friend of many years with the request that he marry her and watch over his daughter.
This was well written HP with just a few minor issues IMHO.
Pietro, a well off Italian playboy agrees to his dear friends request, as he's dying. He never had any intention of marrying but Col's had been there for him many years ago when his father died and felt he couldn't say no to his dear friend.
Emmeline adored her father and after the horrifying death of her mother she was all he had and he desperately needed her. So she lived a very cocooned and sheltered life ensuring her father was taken care of and happy. Emmeline also had a lot of baggage thanks to her Mommy dearest before she died. Emmeline's mother made sure she down played her beauty as it was competed and took eyes away from her. So after her death she continued in that same vein of living closed off to people.
Pietro and Emmeline marry and at first Emmeline seems weak and timid. She also learns that Pietro makes her feel things physically/sexually and experience things that she thought she was incapable of (this part I found overplayed in the beginning and somewhat cheesy.). Pietro, he comes across as arrogant and a jerk at times. But as the story progresses you find that underneath, buried under years of hurt, Emmeline is a strong and capable young woman. Pietro finds that she's bright, sweet and also spirited. She brings out a side of Pietro he didn't think he had in him, feelings he didn't think he was capable of feeling. Emmeline is determined to live her new life and attend a University for her desired degree. The two slowly let down their guards and give in to their strong attraction. But Pietro has the secret he promised Col, Emmeline's dad, that he wouldn't tell her he's dying. The guilt that Pietro struggles with weigh's heavy on the relationship.
The romance, for me started off a little over the top with Emmeline's "awakening". It evolved into a more mature and satisfying romance after the first chapter or two. It was a very sensual, sweet and romantic read. The ending was emotional and satisfying. Liked the epilogue as well.
April 28, 2018
This was a very strong 4 star read for me and the setting is beautiful Roma,one of my favorite places in the world.
Several of my Goodreads friends read this book and I was intrigued.The hero sounded like the quintessinal Romeo playboy who was a narcissistic pig and I was sure that I was not going to like him one bit!
The heroine on the other hand sounded like the typical HP martyr who has no spine and would be a doormat to everyone.But she was no doormat or meek lamb as I read on.
Well ,as I read and read,I totally fell into the hero's serving of grape kool aid......He came across as a total jackass to the heroine and this reader at first read,but as I read his thoughts and his actions,I saw where he was comming from.He was put into a very difficult spot when the heroine's father asked him to marry her and to not divulge that the father is imminently dying of cancer.....what was he supposed to do?..the heroine's father was like a second father to him when he lost his own and he felt that he owed the old man this favor,abliet a very difficult task for him.He implored the old man to tell the heroine every time they spoke,but he said no,he must marry her to protect her from the mean and gready people that will surface once he is dead.Tough spot he was in,but he agreed to the old man's request and he married the heroine.
What started out as an moc,soon became more and you saw the progression of the relationship until the truth of the reason for the marriage is revealed and the heroine leaves and goes back to the ancestral plantation in Georgia,U.S..
Yes,the hero had major,major faults...he did and said things to the heroine that was hurtful and painful,but as I said,I drank the kool aide and could see his pov.The heroine was a mixed bag of insecurity brought upon her by her deceased ,beautiful ,alcoholic momma .....who wouldn't be with all the nastiness that was thrown to her by said momma.
I really,really enjoyed this one.....the epilogue was well deserved for this couple and their soon to be family.They each grew in this book and was pleased by their HEA.
A big thank you to Ivy,Esther,Brenda,and my dear Jenny for their totally wonderful reviews that lead me to this HP.
A home run Clare Connelly,this book is what I needed after a particularly sad book that I recently read.
Several of my Goodreads friends read this book and I was intrigued.The hero sounded like the quintessinal Romeo playboy who was a narcissistic pig and I was sure that I was not going to like him one bit!
The heroine on the other hand sounded like the typical HP martyr who has no spine and would be a doormat to everyone.But she was no doormat or meek lamb as I read on.
Well ,as I read and read,I totally fell into the hero's serving of grape kool aid......He came across as a total jackass to the heroine and this reader at first read,but as I read his thoughts and his actions,I saw where he was comming from.He was put into a very difficult spot when the heroine's father asked him to marry her and to not divulge that the father is imminently dying of cancer.....what was he supposed to do?..the heroine's father was like a second father to him when he lost his own and he felt that he owed the old man this favor,abliet a very difficult task for him.He implored the old man to tell the heroine every time they spoke,but he said no,he must marry her to protect her from the mean and gready people that will surface once he is dead.Tough spot he was in,but he agreed to the old man's request and he married the heroine.
What started out as an moc,soon became more and you saw the progression of the relationship until the truth of the reason for the marriage is revealed and the heroine leaves and goes back to the ancestral plantation in Georgia,U.S..
Yes,the hero had major,major faults...he did and said things to the heroine that was hurtful and painful,but as I said,I drank the kool aide and could see his pov.The heroine was a mixed bag of insecurity brought upon her by her deceased ,beautiful ,alcoholic momma .....who wouldn't be with all the nastiness that was thrown to her by said momma.
I really,really enjoyed this one.....the epilogue was well deserved for this couple and their soon to be family.They each grew in this book and was pleased by their HEA.
A big thank you to Ivy,Esther,Brenda,and my dear Jenny for their totally wonderful reviews that lead me to this HP.
A home run Clare Connelly,this book is what I needed after a particularly sad book that I recently read.
May 31, 2021
An Okay 2.75*.
This is a bit of a mood swingy book.
An MoC between an American political heiress and an Italian playboy businessman. But why would an American senator want such a guy for his over-protected daughter? Yes, the two guys are good friends but that doesn't guarantee the h's future happiness.
The H starts out really mean and likes saying hurtful and demeaning things to her. Way to go, buddy. I always love to see such a guy flounder and grovel later but the author makes him change gears midway, quite abruptly.
So, we have trouble via secret-promises/betrayal for the the final Mu. And the biddable h suddenly over-reacts by several degrees and weeks to delay the hea.
And the ow. What's she doing in the book? Creates some mini trouble and is then suddenly swept off-pages while I was still stuck on his 'I-care-for-her' line or that they're still close after an acrimonious breakup.
This is a bit of a mood swingy book.
An MoC between an American political heiress and an Italian playboy businessman. But why would an American senator want such a guy for his over-protected daughter? Yes, the two guys are good friends but that doesn't guarantee the h's future happiness.
The H starts out really mean and likes saying hurtful and demeaning things to her. Way to go, buddy. I always love to see such a guy flounder and grovel later but the author makes him change gears midway, quite abruptly.
So, we have trouble via secret-promises/betrayal for the the final Mu. And the biddable h suddenly over-reacts by several degrees and weeks to delay the hea.
And the ow. What's she doing in the book? Creates some mini trouble and is then suddenly swept off-pages while I was still stuck on his 'I-care-for-her' line or that they're still close after an acrimonious breakup.
April 23, 2018
Hero is a giant, no, he is an immense...wait, wait, still no...Hero is a Gargantuan Manwhore of Epic Proportions. His rocket ship has blasted through every black hole in the universe without any sign of waning.
If that wasn't gross enough, he invited his ex-mistress that he is still "friends" with to his wedding, flirted with her in front of everyone, then went to dinner with her while still a newlywed, and confided in her that his marriage to heroine was nothing but a sexless sham, paving the way for her to gloat about it to the heroine and spread around the gossip to every willing ear.
He mercilessly shamed the heroine for her looks and made it a condition for her to have a complete make-over before he agreed to their marriage of convenience. Her psycho mom had bullied her into downplaying her looks and now this asswipe did the reverse bullying on her. His later apology for his treatment of her was that he wanted her to feel good about herself in pretty clothes. He did it for her own happiness!
Heroine was nothing but a doormat with leaky parts.
If that wasn't gross enough, he invited his ex-mistress that he is still "friends" with to his wedding, flirted with her in front of everyone, then went to dinner with her while still a newlywed, and confided in her that his marriage to heroine was nothing but a sexless sham, paving the way for her to gloat about it to the heroine and spread around the gossip to every willing ear.
He mercilessly shamed the heroine for her looks and made it a condition for her to have a complete make-over before he agreed to their marriage of convenience. Her psycho mom had bullied her into downplaying her looks and now this asswipe did the reverse bullying on her. His later apology for his treatment of her was that he wanted her to feel good about herself in pretty clothes. He did it for her own happiness!
Heroine was nothing but a doormat with leaky parts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2018
3.5 Stars
Emmeline agrees to marry the man of her father's choosing in order to gain some freedom from her very sheltered life. Pietro agrees to marry his mentor's daughter to grant the dying man's last wish to see his only child taken care after he is gone.
It was supposed to be a marriage in name only but it quickly becomes apparent to both Emmeline and Pietro, that there is more between them then they'd bargained for. Following the usual Harlequin formula we have an innocent heroine and a blunt emotionally distant Hero. But this author surprised me with her own twist to these MCs.
Personally I thought the reasons for the marriage of convenience between Emmeline and Pietro were a bit ridiculous but I was able to get past it pretty quickly. I found myself really enjoying this quickie read. I liked that Pietro wasn't a jerk for the majority of the book, he started off as disgruntled that he had to marry but after meeting Emmeline, the instant attraction he feels towards his in-name-only bride annoyed him to no end. His idea of protecting himself and in a around about way, the heroine was to push her away. He had his a**hole moments but thankfully they were short lived. He tries to keep things platonic but once his mind is made up, he pursues Emmeline and sets out to make their unconventional marriage the real deal. It was nice to see the H fall in love and declare himself to his h first rather than the other way around.
Emmeline was a likable MC, she was innocent and a bit naïve but she wasn’t a doormat or a push over. She also had a bit of a smarty pants attitude and she wasn’t afraid to go toe to toe with Pietro (when he was being his most arrogant) and it put them on equal footing. Their dynamic was tense at first but the easy friendship that grows between them made their romance more believable and more enjoyable to read.
It was a bit angsty because Pietro’s secret hangs over his head for quite a bit of the story and waiting for the other shoe to drop was nerve wrecking. Emmeline does make him work for her forgiveness and she holds out for a while before she gives them a second chance. Overall I really liked this read, it was a Harlequin that was a bit more modern than I expected. It still has some classic elements that I’m a sucker for but loved that it was so safe!
Memorable Moment :
When Pietro regrets his manwhore past. Not only does he think this about himself but he also comes right out and tells Emmeline that he regrets his past. I wish I had marked this passage in the book (might have to update the review later!) but I loved that part. He says something along the lines of not being good enough for her and that he regrets his careless lifestyle. I think he even apologizes to Emmeline because he knows his past behavior feeds her doubts and insecurities about him. This scene really cements the change in Pietro from the man we first got to meet.
I thought that was a big step up for him. It also helped that he went out of his way to boost Emmeline’s confidence and self esteem at every turn. It wasn’t an abrupt change in personality, we see how much he cares about her with every word and action throughout their storyline. Even when she pushes him away, he stays and fights for her. It was easy to believe he was truly devoted to her.
Favorite Line(s):
Would I recommend?
I would recommend if you’re in the mood for some angst and enjoy marriage of convenience tropes. I fell for both Pietro and Emmeline and surprised myself with how much I enjoyed reading this quickie :) Plus is was pretty safe for a Harlequin Presents!
SAFETY INFO:
Emmeline agrees to marry the man of her father's choosing in order to gain some freedom from her very sheltered life. Pietro agrees to marry his mentor's daughter to grant the dying man's last wish to see his only child taken care after he is gone.
It was supposed to be a marriage in name only but it quickly becomes apparent to both Emmeline and Pietro, that there is more between them then they'd bargained for. Following the usual Harlequin formula we have an innocent heroine and a blunt emotionally distant Hero. But this author surprised me with her own twist to these MCs.
Personally I thought the reasons for the marriage of convenience between Emmeline and Pietro were a bit ridiculous but I was able to get past it pretty quickly. I found myself really enjoying this quickie read. I liked that Pietro wasn't a jerk for the majority of the book, he started off as disgruntled that he had to marry but after meeting Emmeline, the instant attraction he feels towards his in-name-only bride annoyed him to no end. His idea of protecting himself and in a around about way, the heroine was to push her away. He had his a**hole moments but thankfully they were short lived. He tries to keep things platonic but once his mind is made up, he pursues Emmeline and sets out to make their unconventional marriage the real deal. It was nice to see the H fall in love and declare himself to his h first rather than the other way around.
Emmeline was a likable MC, she was innocent and a bit naïve but she wasn’t a doormat or a push over. She also had a bit of a smarty pants attitude and she wasn’t afraid to go toe to toe with Pietro (when he was being his most arrogant) and it put them on equal footing. Their dynamic was tense at first but the easy friendship that grows between them made their romance more believable and more enjoyable to read.
It was a bit angsty because Pietro’s secret hangs over his head for quite a bit of the story and waiting for the other shoe to drop was nerve wrecking. Emmeline does make him work for her forgiveness and she holds out for a while before she gives them a second chance. Overall I really liked this read, it was a Harlequin that was a bit more modern than I expected. It still has some classic elements that I’m a sucker for but loved that it was so safe!
Memorable Moment :
When Pietro regrets his manwhore past. Not only does he think this about himself but he also comes right out and tells Emmeline that he regrets his past. I wish I had marked this passage in the book (might have to update the review later!) but I loved that part. He says something along the lines of not being good enough for her and that he regrets his careless lifestyle. I think he even apologizes to Emmeline because he knows his past behavior feeds her doubts and insecurities about him. This scene really cements the change in Pietro from the man we first got to meet.
I thought that was a big step up for him. It also helped that he went out of his way to boost Emmeline’s confidence and self esteem at every turn. It wasn’t an abrupt change in personality, we see how much he cares about her with every word and action throughout their storyline. Even when she pushes him away, he stays and fights for her. It was easy to believe he was truly devoted to her.
Favorite Line(s):
"Don't let anyone come between us, cara. I cannot change the man I was, but you are changing everything about the man I am The man I want to be."
Would I recommend?
I would recommend if you’re in the mood for some angst and enjoy marriage of convenience tropes. I fell for both Pietro and Emmeline and surprised myself with how much I enjoyed reading this quickie :) Plus is was pretty safe for a Harlequin Presents!
SAFETY INFO:
March 6, 2018
I liked it, it was a decent read and I loved the sexy playboy hero but our heroine was such a drama queen! Hero didn’t deserve her bitterness.
December 18, 2020
The storytelling drags. The hero was sooo perfect he bored me. What really really really annoyed me was his reaction to her being a virgin. He shamed her for her decision then encouraged her to find another lover...he did that to honor her father...that was his thinking so his shaming her made him the white knight saving the damsel from distress.
I made myself finish Her Wedding Night Surrender. I did like the heroine. I was determined to read to the last page for her.
I made myself finish Her Wedding Night Surrender. I did like the heroine. I was determined to read to the last page for her.
March 28, 2018
3.5 stars.
Liked it from the second half, precisely after they'd consummated the marriage. Didn't care much for the first part. Felt the beginning all hotch-potch especially with Emmeline giving permission Pietro to sleep around with other women while they were married because she didn't want to have sex with him. I may sound old-fashioned but I don't like couples seeking sex outside the marriage or okay with their partner having sex outside of the marriage even if its a temporary marriage. It was a good thing Pietro didn't sleep with other women or it would've ruined it for me completely. And, I'm also getting annoyed with the virgin-shaming bit which is become regular with HPs. "How can you be twenty-two and still a virgin?" as if it's big crime if a woman doesn't want to put her body out there for experimenting and would like to wait until she's comfortable with a man no matter how long whether she's in her mid-twenties, thirties or forties. In this book, the hero went a bit too far when he kept harping he was not the right guy to take her virginity, that she should wait for the right guy when she suddenly felt the need to have sex with her husband. (Roll eyes) Then, after they'd consummated the marriage, she still sticks to, 'This is not a real marriage, so you're free to see whomever you wish to.' (Roll eyes again). So, I wasn't very comfortable reading the first part.
It's only after Pietro insisted he wanted to be married to Emmeline for real and sleep only with her that things changed for the better between the two and the story progressed nicely. There was no doubt, he was in love with his wife. I liked how they both talked about the OW --Bianca-- who was trying to create trouble between them and stemmed it immediately and how they got comfortable teasing each other. But, then poor Pietro was plagued with guilt for keeping a secret from her and he couldn't tell it to her because he'd promised her father he wouldn't and he was so torn between loyalty toward the wife he loved and man he loved as a father. Felt bad for him there. I liked how he confided in his brother, Rafe, about it. I liked how he didn't leave her side for nearly a month after her father's death, even though she was angry with him and not talking to him or talked to him only to tell him to leave and that she didn't love him or trust him anymore. I enjoyed the entire second part. The epilogue was sweet too.
Other than those few things that bothered me at the beginning, it was overall a very nice read.
Liked it from the second half, precisely after they'd consummated the marriage. Didn't care much for the first part. Felt the beginning all hotch-potch especially with Emmeline giving permission Pietro to sleep around with other women while they were married because she didn't want to have sex with him. I may sound old-fashioned but I don't like couples seeking sex outside the marriage or okay with their partner having sex outside of the marriage even if its a temporary marriage. It was a good thing Pietro didn't sleep with other women or it would've ruined it for me completely. And, I'm also getting annoyed with the virgin-shaming bit which is become regular with HPs. "How can you be twenty-two and still a virgin?" as if it's big crime if a woman doesn't want to put her body out there for experimenting and would like to wait until she's comfortable with a man no matter how long whether she's in her mid-twenties, thirties or forties. In this book, the hero went a bit too far when he kept harping he was not the right guy to take her virginity, that she should wait for the right guy when she suddenly felt the need to have sex with her husband. (Roll eyes) Then, after they'd consummated the marriage, she still sticks to, 'This is not a real marriage, so you're free to see whomever you wish to.' (Roll eyes again). So, I wasn't very comfortable reading the first part.
It's only after Pietro insisted he wanted to be married to Emmeline for real and sleep only with her that things changed for the better between the two and the story progressed nicely. There was no doubt, he was in love with his wife. I liked how they both talked about the OW --Bianca-- who was trying to create trouble between them and stemmed it immediately and how they got comfortable teasing each other. But, then poor Pietro was plagued with guilt for keeping a secret from her and he couldn't tell it to her because he'd promised her father he wouldn't and he was so torn between loyalty toward the wife he loved and man he loved as a father. Felt bad for him there. I liked how he confided in his brother, Rafe, about it. I liked how he didn't leave her side for nearly a month after her father's death, even though she was angry with him and not talking to him or talked to him only to tell him to leave and that she didn't love him or trust him anymore. I enjoyed the entire second part. The epilogue was sweet too.
Other than those few things that bothered me at the beginning, it was overall a very nice read.
March 20, 2018
2.5 stars
liked the second half more than the first ( totally agree with u Brenda ♡)
liked the hero more than the heroine
( totally agree with u Jenny ♡)
an ok read nothing special
liked the second half more than the first ( totally agree with u Brenda ♡)
liked the hero more than the heroine
( totally agree with u Jenny ♡)
an ok read nothing special
January 27, 2021
Poison in the well. Nothing good could come from a toxic start with a toxic H.
June 22, 2018
Clare Connelly is awesome!!
March 11, 2020
3.5 stars
July 4, 2018
Emmeline's father arranges for her to marry Pietro Morelli. An heiress to billions, she is finally getting the chance to be free and go to university and try to move past her traumatic childhood. Not sure why Pietro agrees to marry her, when he doesn't even seem to like her, Emmeline plans on being her own woman even though seh is Mrs. Morelli.
Pietro agrees to marry Emmeline as a way to protect her. Her father, his long time friend, is dying and not informing his daughter. It might not be what is best, but he finds that Pietro finds that Emmeline is not the frail woman she appears. And together, they both have a chance to actually establich and build a relationship. But can the secret Pietro is keeping prevent them both a lifetime of happiness?
A very nice story.
Pietro agrees to marry Emmeline as a way to protect her. Her father, his long time friend, is dying and not informing his daughter. It might not be what is best, but he finds that Pietro finds that Emmeline is not the frail woman she appears. And together, they both have a chance to actually establich and build a relationship. But can the secret Pietro is keeping prevent them both a lifetime of happiness?
A very nice story.
September 6, 2023
Pietro's friend Col shares a secret with him that devastates him. Col asks Pietro to marry his daughter, Emmeline as a way of protecting her from hardship and strife. Emmeline sees the marriage as a way of gaining freedom from her father's very protective smothering, but finds that she's just as controlled as ever.
Secrets have a way of coming out that can tear marriages and people apart and this story is no exception. It's intense with a huge learning curve between Pietro and Emmeline.
Secrets have a way of coming out that can tear marriages and people apart and this story is no exception. It's intense with a huge learning curve between Pietro and Emmeline.
September 12, 2018
Mijn eerste bouquetroman. Nou, dat heb ik geweten. Wat een rollercoaster. De schrijfstijl is een ramp. De verhaallijn slaat nergens op. Het is wel een leuk boek om met vrienden één voor één te lezen en uit te beelden. Met een slok op, of zo.
March 15, 2018
I really enjoyed this one I loved seeing heroine Emmeline show such strength when a lot of the people around her thought she was so vulnerable, she blossomed like a beautiful flower with the man that her father chose to be her husband in the beautiful city of Rome, this is one that flows delightfully and the hero Pietro well what can I say I loved him.
Emmeline is just twenty two she lost her mother when she was young and her father did everything he could to protect her he has kept her in a bubble, she is an Heiress and does have a few issues that had been caused by her mother, but Emmeline has never felt free never felt that she could do the things she wanted and then suddenly her father suggests that she marry a good friend of his and move to Rome so as she can attend university will this be her chance to live and what will come of the glow that sparks between Pietro and herself?
Pietro thinks the world of Col Bovington he has been like a father to him and now he has come to him asking a very big favour and that is to marry his daughter to protect her but it means keeping a big secret one that could cause a lot of problems. Pietro is a businessman a playboy he has no plans to marry and although he has known Emmeline since she was a teenager marrying her is a big ask, can they make a marriage of convenience work or will the spark that flares between them ignite into something much more?
There are a lot of ups and downs in this one the sensual pull between them is way too hard to deny for long and the seduction of Emmeline by Pietro is just so very sensual and moving, Pietro is a fabulous hero caring honest and feeling very guilty about the secret and Emmeline what a strong woman she is after the way her mother and father had treated her she truly thrived on the love that Pietro showered on her. This one is moving and wonderful, I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a good romance with all of the happy feels, thank you MS Connelly.
Emmeline is just twenty two she lost her mother when she was young and her father did everything he could to protect her he has kept her in a bubble, she is an Heiress and does have a few issues that had been caused by her mother, but Emmeline has never felt free never felt that she could do the things she wanted and then suddenly her father suggests that she marry a good friend of his and move to Rome so as she can attend university will this be her chance to live and what will come of the glow that sparks between Pietro and herself?
Pietro thinks the world of Col Bovington he has been like a father to him and now he has come to him asking a very big favour and that is to marry his daughter to protect her but it means keeping a big secret one that could cause a lot of problems. Pietro is a businessman a playboy he has no plans to marry and although he has known Emmeline since she was a teenager marrying her is a big ask, can they make a marriage of convenience work or will the spark that flares between them ignite into something much more?
There are a lot of ups and downs in this one the sensual pull between them is way too hard to deny for long and the seduction of Emmeline by Pietro is just so very sensual and moving, Pietro is a fabulous hero caring honest and feeling very guilty about the secret and Emmeline what a strong woman she is after the way her mother and father had treated her she truly thrived on the love that Pietro showered on her. This one is moving and wonderful, I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a good romance with all of the happy feels, thank you MS Connelly.
March 20, 2018
Her Wedding Night Surrender by Clare Connelly tells the sensual romance of a marriage of convenience between a virgin heroine looking to spread her wings and a man who marries as a favor, then finds himself falling in love.
One of Pietro’s best friends, an American senator is dying. Worth billions, Col worries about what will happen to his precious but innocent daughter Emmeline when he passes away. His best bet is to protect her by having her under the wings of Pietro. Accordingly, he’s made an arrangement with Emmeline, that she can go to Italy to study, as she has longed to do, but only if she enters into a marriage of convenience with Pietro. Pietro is willing to do anything for his friend but determined to keep his hands off the lovely Emmeline.
Emmeline will do anything for her father. She doesn’t know about his illness, only that he wants to see that she’s protected while away in Italy. Her mother committed suicide, and she knows the effect this had on both of them, and that he is obsessed with keeping her safe. Pietro and Emmeline have no plans to sleep together, at least not at first. But as they spend time together and learn more about each other, the sexual attraction they feel leads to more. Will they discover that their marriage can be a real one after all?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-her...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
One of Pietro’s best friends, an American senator is dying. Worth billions, Col worries about what will happen to his precious but innocent daughter Emmeline when he passes away. His best bet is to protect her by having her under the wings of Pietro. Accordingly, he’s made an arrangement with Emmeline, that she can go to Italy to study, as she has longed to do, but only if she enters into a marriage of convenience with Pietro. Pietro is willing to do anything for his friend but determined to keep his hands off the lovely Emmeline.
Emmeline will do anything for her father. She doesn’t know about his illness, only that he wants to see that she’s protected while away in Italy. Her mother committed suicide, and she knows the effect this had on both of them, and that he is obsessed with keeping her safe. Pietro and Emmeline have no plans to sleep together, at least not at first. But as they spend time together and learn more about each other, the sexual attraction they feel leads to more. Will they discover that their marriage can be a real one after all?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-her...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
March 31, 2018
Loved it! I was totally impressed with Prieto's loyalty and love for his wife and his dearest friend, her father. At first, I thought nothing could possibly redeem him for being such a jerk to Emmeline. Boy was I wrong! Thank you Ms Connelly for another wonderful story. Can't wait for the next :)
June 12, 2018
3.5 Stars
This was a quick read with lots of heat that really tugged at my heart strings.
This was a quick read with lots of heat that really tugged at my heart strings.
March 20, 2018
Pietro Morelli is put in a difficult situation. His mentor and a man he loves likes a father approaches him to ask him to marry his daughter. Pietro looks upon her as a child as there are years between them but it is impossible for him to refuse. This man he looks up to is dying and he doesn't want Emmaline to give up her dreams by having to take care of him. What starts out as a marriage of convenience turns into love but secrets kept can destroy what he has found in her arms. Ms. Connolly delivers again an amazing story and you will find yours so engrossed in the awakening of both Emmaline and Pietro. I would give it more than 5 stars if i could its a keeper.
July 10, 2021
I really hate it when you are at your wedding reception and your groom flirts with another woman(like he wants to lick her!)
Ok in all fairness this is a MOC and the h has told the H that he may still sample from the lady buffet as long as he is discreet. I guess the word discreet didn’t translate well in Italian…oh well.
If you are worried that he is going to sample throughout the book, then let me put your mind at ease. He is a true blue HP hero who doesn’t partake after meeting his h.
Heroin(Emmeline)is 22 year old super rich virgin who has been really really sheltered. Her dad is dying(she doesn’t know, and this is going to cause problems later) and he wants her protected from evil doers and ne’er -do -wells. She wants to go to school in Rome where the H lives. Since papa is concerned about letting her loose in the world, he proposes a marriage of convenience for the h to his Italian friend who is like a surrogate son to him.
Hero(Pietro)- 35(definitely not a virgin) He likes his freedom to sample the ladies, and doesn’t see marriage as an end goal in his life. He has lots of respect for the h’s dad and reluctantly agrees to the MOC. (Since he knows about the father’s impending death, he probably figures he will be able to divorce the h fairly quickly as long as she is set up to be successful on her own.) He criticizes the h’s fashion sense and tells her she needs to make changes. She does! Now, don’t worry this is not the “Oh wow you were so hideous and look at you now I must have you scenarios,” this was more of the H wondering why such a pretty thing is purposely setting out to detract from her looks. There is a reason for this, and the H is actually responsible for freeing her of this warped sense of penance.
The marriage happens. There is a lot of sexual tension building up between these two. After checking her husband flirting with one of his past(and serious flames) they leave the reception. The H at this point is really trying to treat the h as a job, or a promise to look after her. He (of course) doesn’t want to have any emotions for his wife. They go to their rooms and the h finds she can’t get out of her wedding dress(too many buttons). She has to go to the H’s room to ask for help. This is their first very intense moment. However, just as the H is getting the h worked up into a frenzy, he pushes her away and tells her he has no interest breaking in virgins. She leaves, humiliated of course.
So they avoid, avoid and avoid some more. She is pretty sure he is Tom-catting around. Then the father decides to come for dinner. H tells the h to wear a dress(and hoo boy was it a dress). She goes down to the dining room in her provocative dress where the H is mixing a drink. While waiting for her dad to arrive, the H has her against a wall, lifting the hem of her dress, and uses his hand for something other than mixing a drink. Suffice it to say he gives the heroine her first orgasm. (Daddy’s little girl is growing up!) He is shocked that she has basically lived in a sexual coma her whole life. However, he reiterates again that he is not into virgins and their lack of knowledge.
About a month later, they both cant sleep and end up in the pool together. They try and play keep away. Then he tells her he needs her to attend a banquet with him. She says sure, but then you need to sleep with me. He’s sticking to his no virgin, and no wife complications rule. So back to avoid, avoid, and avoid some more.
At the banquet, our h is stunning! She is quite the belle of the ball. The green eye of jealousy strikes the hero. He separates her from her fan club and whisks her away to a farmhouse out in the country. She falls asleep in the car, and he readies the room for seduction. She finally gets herself carried over a threshold, and our H overcomes his aversion to virgins.
However, there are still trust issues between them and secrets not being told. The biggest secret being that her dad is dying. Our H is torn between telling the h or keeping his promise to her dad not to tell. He tries to convince the dad but with no luck.
Life is good! The h opens up to him about her mother. The H listened, and she credits the h for helping her break out of her shell.
One night they go to a night club, and decide to leave. The evil OW Bianca(note to self, never name a child Bianca, they are ow’s quite a bit) corners the h and tells her she knows what a sham everything is and at least she and the H can carry on as the h is a shield. Our h is wondering if this could be true, but instead of slinking off quietly she addresses the ow. Once in the car the H clears it all up. (He so loves her!) He tells her that the ow will not be in the h’s orbit ever again(hopefully he doesnt have mafia ties 😬). All is good again. He confesses that since their wedding he doesn’t have the desire to seek anyone else out.
The hero makes romantic gestures. The passion they have for each other (and love) becomes evident page by page…Unfortunately, there are too many pages left in the book for our HEA yet. While hosting the hero’s mom and brother for dinner the brother thinks the h knows about her dad and slips up. Our head over heels in love h is now pissed.
Ok, I get it. I too lost my father to cancer. Once he was diagnosed, every day that he was alive was a blessing and I would have hated it had my husband known and didn’t tell me. So yes I will give heroine a little time for this anger. Except she took more and more time. As Stmargarets said in her review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... )I became team hero which doesn’t happen often. I joined his team when he made her first time magical. He definitely was a man in love(a player probably wouldn’t buy his wife a car with a license plate saying MrsM if he didnt want others to know that this woman was his!)
The h really put the H through the ringer and he only left as he thought he was making her pain worse(he left physically for her to come to her senses, but mentally he was all hers)
One of his final declarations before the HEA:
‘I am yours, Emmeline Morelli, for the rest of your life. Married or not, I will never not love you. I will never be with another woman. I will never marry again or have a family. Nothing. Because all that I am...all that I will ever be...is tied up in you.’ ( Damn, he’s soooo good!)
Our heroine has officially melted. It’s a HEA for everyone. There is a little epilogue 3 years in the future>>>>
3.5 stars. A very good read. I didn't like how the heroine became so sour on the H in the end. However, we do see that the H is totally devoted to her as he had to put up with lots of abuse from her during this time. So, in one way it served its purpose in showing the reader that he was in it for the long haul.
Ok in all fairness this is a MOC and the h has told the H that he may still sample from the lady buffet as long as he is discreet. I guess the word discreet didn’t translate well in Italian…oh well.
If you are worried that he is going to sample throughout the book, then let me put your mind at ease. He is a true blue HP hero who doesn’t partake after meeting his h.
Heroin(Emmeline)is 22 year old super rich virgin who has been really really sheltered. Her dad is dying(she doesn’t know, and this is going to cause problems later) and he wants her protected from evil doers and ne’er -do -wells. She wants to go to school in Rome where the H lives. Since papa is concerned about letting her loose in the world, he proposes a marriage of convenience for the h to his Italian friend who is like a surrogate son to him.
Hero(Pietro)- 35(definitely not a virgin) He likes his freedom to sample the ladies, and doesn’t see marriage as an end goal in his life. He has lots of respect for the h’s dad and reluctantly agrees to the MOC. (Since he knows about the father’s impending death, he probably figures he will be able to divorce the h fairly quickly as long as she is set up to be successful on her own.) He criticizes the h’s fashion sense and tells her she needs to make changes. She does! Now, don’t worry this is not the “Oh wow you were so hideous and look at you now I must have you scenarios,” this was more of the H wondering why such a pretty thing is purposely setting out to detract from her looks. There is a reason for this, and the H is actually responsible for freeing her of this warped sense of penance.
The marriage happens. There is a lot of sexual tension building up between these two. After checking her husband flirting with one of his past(and serious flames) they leave the reception. The H at this point is really trying to treat the h as a job, or a promise to look after her. He (of course) doesn’t want to have any emotions for his wife. They go to their rooms and the h finds she can’t get out of her wedding dress(too many buttons). She has to go to the H’s room to ask for help. This is their first very intense moment. However, just as the H is getting the h worked up into a frenzy, he pushes her away and tells her he has no interest breaking in virgins. She leaves, humiliated of course.
So they avoid, avoid and avoid some more. She is pretty sure he is Tom-catting around. Then the father decides to come for dinner. H tells the h to wear a dress(and hoo boy was it a dress). She goes down to the dining room in her provocative dress where the H is mixing a drink. While waiting for her dad to arrive, the H has her against a wall, lifting the hem of her dress, and uses his hand for something other than mixing a drink. Suffice it to say he gives the heroine her first orgasm. (Daddy’s little girl is growing up!) He is shocked that she has basically lived in a sexual coma her whole life. However, he reiterates again that he is not into virgins and their lack of knowledge.
About a month later, they both cant sleep and end up in the pool together. They try and play keep away. Then he tells her he needs her to attend a banquet with him. She says sure, but then you need to sleep with me. He’s sticking to his no virgin, and no wife complications rule. So back to avoid, avoid, and avoid some more.
At the banquet, our h is stunning! She is quite the belle of the ball. The green eye of jealousy strikes the hero. He separates her from her fan club and whisks her away to a farmhouse out in the country. She falls asleep in the car, and he readies the room for seduction. She finally gets herself carried over a threshold, and our H overcomes his aversion to virgins.
However, there are still trust issues between them and secrets not being told. The biggest secret being that her dad is dying. Our H is torn between telling the h or keeping his promise to her dad not to tell. He tries to convince the dad but with no luck.
Life is good! The h opens up to him about her mother. The H listened, and she credits the h for helping her break out of her shell.
One night they go to a night club, and decide to leave. The evil OW Bianca(note to self, never name a child Bianca, they are ow’s quite a bit) corners the h and tells her she knows what a sham everything is and at least she and the H can carry on as the h is a shield. Our h is wondering if this could be true, but instead of slinking off quietly she addresses the ow. Once in the car the H clears it all up. (He so loves her!) He tells her that the ow will not be in the h’s orbit ever again(hopefully he doesnt have mafia ties 😬). All is good again. He confesses that since their wedding he doesn’t have the desire to seek anyone else out.
The hero makes romantic gestures. The passion they have for each other (and love) becomes evident page by page…Unfortunately, there are too many pages left in the book for our HEA yet. While hosting the hero’s mom and brother for dinner the brother thinks the h knows about her dad and slips up. Our head over heels in love h is now pissed.
Ok, I get it. I too lost my father to cancer. Once he was diagnosed, every day that he was alive was a blessing and I would have hated it had my husband known and didn’t tell me. So yes I will give heroine a little time for this anger. Except she took more and more time. As Stmargarets said in her review (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... )I became team hero which doesn’t happen often. I joined his team when he made her first time magical. He definitely was a man in love(a player probably wouldn’t buy his wife a car with a license plate saying MrsM if he didnt want others to know that this woman was his!)
The h really put the H through the ringer and he only left as he thought he was making her pain worse(he left physically for her to come to her senses, but mentally he was all hers)
One of his final declarations before the HEA:
‘I am yours, Emmeline Morelli, for the rest of your life. Married or not, I will never not love you. I will never be with another woman. I will never marry again or have a family. Nothing. Because all that I am...all that I will ever be...is tied up in you.’ ( Damn, he’s soooo good!)
Our heroine has officially melted. It’s a HEA for everyone. There is a little epilogue 3 years in the future>>>>
3.5 stars. A very good read. I didn't like how the heroine became so sour on the H in the end. However, we do see that the H is totally devoted to her as he had to put up with lots of abuse from her during this time. So, in one way it served its purpose in showing the reader that he was in it for the long haul.
July 11, 2018
4.5 stars
This is the first Harlequin Presents that I have read by Clare Connelly, and I have to say that it gave me a tons of feels. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. It might not have the most modern plot line nor heroine or hero, but it was pretty fantastic on the fantastical romantic storyline that I want and deeply enjoy. It was fantasy on an immense scale, not so romantic in real life maybe, but definitely a win on the fantasy side, and that’s what I want when I read romance. Something that is beyond reality and just something to be enjoyed.
And I really enjoyed this because it gave me everything that I wanted. It was the perfect angsty read. It was so good, and I love me some angst and this one had it in an abundance of angst. I loved it. There was just the perfect amount of angst/tension between Pietro and Emmeline. The butted heads. They fought their attraction. There were a few misunderstanding along the way that led to that tension. There were some elements that fought against them. It was just great, and again gave me the perfect amount of feels. I loved they fought to be together.
What was really amazing about this story was seeing them fall in love with each other, which was really beautiful, and it was really a turning point of the entire story once they began to forge their relationship. It wasn’t easy to get to that point especially with Pietro being a big old jerk and told her he didn’t want to sleep with her and other rude things to her, but that was what made it so entertaining and good. He more than redeemed himself along the way. Hugely, and I love that. It was nice to see him fall deeper and deeper in love with her, and it was so obvious that he was in love with her. The proof was in the pudding, and it felt very natural, real and utterly genuine, which made the story even more beautiful. There was just that romance in there that was beyond what I was expecting. Lots of tenderness. Lot of love. Lots of swoony moments, and that was wonderful. I loved seeing their journey to falling in love. Again it was beautiful.
The turning point of the entire story was defiantly the moment when Pietro decided to finally give into his attraction to Emmeline, who was only supposed to be his convenient wife and nothing more, but his never planned on such an attraction to her. That’s when his entire attitude towards her changed as did his feelings for her, and again it was really beautiful. He knew that it was her first time and their first time together and he wanted to make it special for her and them. And he set up the romantic scene not as a seduction, but as the means of making it a special moment between them, and I loved that. I felt special during the moment.
The love scene that followed was utterly breathtaking and beautiful, and totally satisfying after the setup of the sexual tension that had been presented for a majority of the book. It was amazing. It was fulfilling and went beyond my expectations. It also showed that feelings were there on both of sides. The care that he went through during her first time to make it good for her showed his feelings for her, and from her side I could tell that she just wanted to be close to him and have that beyond with him. Very sweet, loving, tender, and very passionate. It was so good. It was one the better first time scenes that I have ever read. And the following up love scenes were just as good.
In the beginning of the story I never thought I would feel sorry for Pietro especially after the way he treated poor sweet Emmeline, but I did. I hurt for him not because of some tragic love story, but when it was revealed that he kept a secret from Emmeline that was really not his secret to tell, and only made a promise to her father. As he said in the book, he really was in a rock and hard place. I could tell that as they became intimate that he was deeply struggling keeping this secret from her, knowing that it was a big thing in the matters of trust. And he was right. When it was revealed the secret, it broke them as apart, and he was utterly devastated, and I could see and feel his pain as Emmeline put him at a distance. It broke my heart because his love was very clear and it broke his heart when Emmeline rejected him. I get why she did, but it was really clear that he wanted to be with her and would do anything to be with her. He was just sweet and loving, and I just loved him and sympathized with his hurt over loosing her. That was just so good.
As I mentioned above, this story gave me all the feels, but I didn’t expect to get as emotional as I got. Oh, my goodness. I teared up at various points in the book. Parts where she was feeling less than stellar especially when he didn’t treat her so kindly as well as dealing with her emotional issues surrounding her mom, and then I got emotional during their first time scene because of the amount of love and caring that went into the scene, and then I definitely got emotional when the secret was revealed and everything unraveled because I felt so bad for him, and I was on his side because he really was in an impossible situation. I love me some feels and this gave me plenty.
I might have found a new author that I really, really enjoy and love. If Clare Connelly is going to write these really angst, emotional with lots of sexual tension that produces lots of feels in her Harlequin Presents, then she’s going to have a new fan in me for life. This was the experience that I want when reading a Harlequin Presents. It had the angst I loved. It had the emotion that I love. It gave me immense feels on every different level. The pacing was really awesome that gave to a very natural and real as Pietro and Emmeline fell in love with each other. Nothing felt forced. Nothing was contrived, and I just believed it. It had a lot of intensity to it. The love scenes were superb. The passion was just good. I was pretty engrossed in the story once it really picked up and it consumed me. I couldn’t put it down. It was just awesome. I can see myself reading this story over and over again in the future. I want to relive it all over again.
Highly recommend for people who really love angsty reads with lots of emotion and intensity to that just totally consumes you.
This is the first Harlequin Presents that I have read by Clare Connelly, and I have to say that it gave me a tons of feels. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. It might not have the most modern plot line nor heroine or hero, but it was pretty fantastic on the fantastical romantic storyline that I want and deeply enjoy. It was fantasy on an immense scale, not so romantic in real life maybe, but definitely a win on the fantasy side, and that’s what I want when I read romance. Something that is beyond reality and just something to be enjoyed.
And I really enjoyed this because it gave me everything that I wanted. It was the perfect angsty read. It was so good, and I love me some angst and this one had it in an abundance of angst. I loved it. There was just the perfect amount of angst/tension between Pietro and Emmeline. The butted heads. They fought their attraction. There were a few misunderstanding along the way that led to that tension. There were some elements that fought against them. It was just great, and again gave me the perfect amount of feels. I loved they fought to be together.
What was really amazing about this story was seeing them fall in love with each other, which was really beautiful, and it was really a turning point of the entire story once they began to forge their relationship. It wasn’t easy to get to that point especially with Pietro being a big old jerk and told her he didn’t want to sleep with her and other rude things to her, but that was what made it so entertaining and good. He more than redeemed himself along the way. Hugely, and I love that. It was nice to see him fall deeper and deeper in love with her, and it was so obvious that he was in love with her. The proof was in the pudding, and it felt very natural, real and utterly genuine, which made the story even more beautiful. There was just that romance in there that was beyond what I was expecting. Lots of tenderness. Lot of love. Lots of swoony moments, and that was wonderful. I loved seeing their journey to falling in love. Again it was beautiful.
The turning point of the entire story was defiantly the moment when Pietro decided to finally give into his attraction to Emmeline, who was only supposed to be his convenient wife and nothing more, but his never planned on such an attraction to her. That’s when his entire attitude towards her changed as did his feelings for her, and again it was really beautiful. He knew that it was her first time and their first time together and he wanted to make it special for her and them. And he set up the romantic scene not as a seduction, but as the means of making it a special moment between them, and I loved that. I felt special during the moment.
The love scene that followed was utterly breathtaking and beautiful, and totally satisfying after the setup of the sexual tension that had been presented for a majority of the book. It was amazing. It was fulfilling and went beyond my expectations. It also showed that feelings were there on both of sides. The care that he went through during her first time to make it good for her showed his feelings for her, and from her side I could tell that she just wanted to be close to him and have that beyond with him. Very sweet, loving, tender, and very passionate. It was so good. It was one the better first time scenes that I have ever read. And the following up love scenes were just as good.
In the beginning of the story I never thought I would feel sorry for Pietro especially after the way he treated poor sweet Emmeline, but I did. I hurt for him not because of some tragic love story, but when it was revealed that he kept a secret from Emmeline that was really not his secret to tell, and only made a promise to her father. As he said in the book, he really was in a rock and hard place. I could tell that as they became intimate that he was deeply struggling keeping this secret from her, knowing that it was a big thing in the matters of trust. And he was right. When it was revealed the secret, it broke them as apart, and he was utterly devastated, and I could see and feel his pain as Emmeline put him at a distance. It broke my heart because his love was very clear and it broke his heart when Emmeline rejected him. I get why she did, but it was really clear that he wanted to be with her and would do anything to be with her. He was just sweet and loving, and I just loved him and sympathized with his hurt over loosing her. That was just so good.
As I mentioned above, this story gave me all the feels, but I didn’t expect to get as emotional as I got. Oh, my goodness. I teared up at various points in the book. Parts where she was feeling less than stellar especially when he didn’t treat her so kindly as well as dealing with her emotional issues surrounding her mom, and then I got emotional during their first time scene because of the amount of love and caring that went into the scene, and then I definitely got emotional when the secret was revealed and everything unraveled because I felt so bad for him, and I was on his side because he really was in an impossible situation. I love me some feels and this gave me plenty.
I might have found a new author that I really, really enjoy and love. If Clare Connelly is going to write these really angst, emotional with lots of sexual tension that produces lots of feels in her Harlequin Presents, then she’s going to have a new fan in me for life. This was the experience that I want when reading a Harlequin Presents. It had the angst I loved. It had the emotion that I love. It gave me immense feels on every different level. The pacing was really awesome that gave to a very natural and real as Pietro and Emmeline fell in love with each other. Nothing felt forced. Nothing was contrived, and I just believed it. It had a lot of intensity to it. The love scenes were superb. The passion was just good. I was pretty engrossed in the story once it really picked up and it consumed me. I couldn’t put it down. It was just awesome. I can see myself reading this story over and over again in the future. I want to relive it all over again.
Highly recommend for people who really love angsty reads with lots of emotion and intensity to that just totally consumes you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2021
The second part would have been 4 stars but the first part I was disappointed by the hero’s behavior. Ok it was a marriage of convenience at the beginning, he accepted because his bf asked him to protect his daughter from gold diggers. Anyway he was rude to her, telling that she was not beautiful enough for him and that she was drab and plain and she needed makeover. Then I really didn’t appreciate his behavior at their marriage party. Even if it’s a MOC you don’t flirt with another woman at your marriage dinner, it was crude and disrespect to his bride AND to his father in law, so I can’t forgive his behavior. Then he refused her because she was a virgin and simply told her he was accustomed to experienced lovers, this was crude and brutal. He should have been a gentleman because he did marry her to help his fil, and apparently he was a man of honor, so i found his behavior very inconsequential... the second part was ok, he fell in love with her and until the end he fought for their marriage. No cheating, even if he admitted he went to dinner with his ex ( the one he was flirting at the marriage party) and he thought to have sex with her(!!!) but then he didn’t because he was in lust only with his wife. Not the best of men anyway. The book was really good.
July 24, 2022
Pietro has strict rules for his marriage… He's breaking every one of them!Pietro Morelli is breaking his own rule – seducing his virgin bride! Heiress Emmeline is meant to be a wife of convenience, but the intense chemistry between them is more powerful than either can deny. But while Pietro hides a devastating secret, can they ever have more than a marriage in name only?
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March 3, 2019Rendida Al Destino (Versión)
August 10, 2018
I've never given a HP book 5 stars, and I've never not had just the tiniest bit of regret over purchasing a HP. Until now. I flippin loved this one. So. Much. Angst. The angst factor is ramped up by the utter unfairness of the situation the characters are in. On one hand you have a misguided, but loving father trying to protect his only child. Then you have Pietro who is trying to balance his loyalty to a close friend with his newfound loyalty to his wife. Our h, Emmeline, is caught in the middle when she very much should have had control over the choices made regarding her life. She was sheltered-- extremely so, but she wasn't stupid or incapable of making rational decisions. That's something that Pietro learns very quickly, and that's one of the reasons this book worked so well for me. It didn't take long for him to realize how intelligent and strong Emmeline is, and once he decided to stop fighting their attraction I really began rooting for him. Even knowing the horrible lie he was telling her every day that he didn't tell her the truth. You can get into the deeper implications of what Col and Pietro did, but ultimately I think it was a shitty combination of two people trying to protect someone they love. I completely believed how tortured Pietro was about keeping the secret, and now devastated he was by her words and actions after she found out. I believe the guilt he felt over some of the things he said to Emmeline and let her believe in the very beginning of their agreement/marriage. That went so far in humanizing Pietro for me. One of my least favorite things is how one dimensional HP heroes are. They're ruthless and cold, then BAM! They've seen the light and are hopelessly in love. Pietro is not like that. He was a little wary and cold in the beginning, but once he saw Emmeline as her own person he really turned that around and made so much effort at being a real husband.
I found Emmeline really refreshing. I liked that she knows how innocent she is, but she's not ashamed of it. She calls Pietro on his crap when he keeps going out of his way to turn her on, just to walk away. I loved that. I really felt her devastation over the dual betrayals by the two people she loved most. Her anger, doubts, and confusion over what's real and what's not-- I found all of that very realistic. She has some deep seeded issues from growing up with an unstable, overindulged mother. The guilt that Emmeline feels for her mother's suicide is pretty heartbreaking. Because of these issues she has a really hard time forgiving Pietro, she just can't accept that he would really love her or choose to be with her.
Now I love a great grovel scene, and we definitely get some grovelling in this one, but not much and that's ok. It's ok because I didn't think Pietro had that much to be sorry for. He was put in an impossible situation by someone he loved, and then fell in love with the very person he was supposed to be "protecting". I loved their reunion scene.
No cheating, some ow/om drama, but there is no cheating. The H was stupid enough to invite his ex to his wedding, then tell his jealous ex that his marriage wasn't conventional. That causes some drama between our couple but it's not a huge, drawn out thing. Pietro gets a little jealous when he sees a couple University professors chatting with Emmeline. It's innocent on her part, but he gets jealous and that's the catalyst for them being together as a real married couple.
Loved it. So glad I read this one.
I found Emmeline really refreshing. I liked that she knows how innocent she is, but she's not ashamed of it. She calls Pietro on his crap when he keeps going out of his way to turn her on, just to walk away. I loved that. I really felt her devastation over the dual betrayals by the two people she loved most. Her anger, doubts, and confusion over what's real and what's not-- I found all of that very realistic. She has some deep seeded issues from growing up with an unstable, overindulged mother. The guilt that Emmeline feels for her mother's suicide is pretty heartbreaking. Because of these issues she has a really hard time forgiving Pietro, she just can't accept that he would really love her or choose to be with her.
Now I love a great grovel scene, and we definitely get some grovelling in this one, but not much and that's ok. It's ok because I didn't think Pietro had that much to be sorry for. He was put in an impossible situation by someone he loved, and then fell in love with the very person he was supposed to be "protecting". I loved their reunion scene.
No cheating, some ow/om drama, but there is no cheating. The H was stupid enough to invite his ex to his wedding, then tell his jealous ex that his marriage wasn't conventional. That causes some drama between our couple but it's not a huge, drawn out thing. Pietro gets a little jealous when he sees a couple University professors chatting with Emmeline. It's innocent on her part, but he gets jealous and that's the catalyst for them being together as a real married couple.
Loved it. So glad I read this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2018
I didn’t like it at first. Pietro was approached by Emmeline’s father so that he agrees to marry her. This was to distract her from pain and heartache over her father’s impending dying due to cancer. So they did marry despite the age gap of 13 years. She was only 22 naive girl. She was insecure because her late mom was a mean mother who did suicide and berating her for being beautiful. I disliked the fact that she begged to be fucked by her husband and simply agree to the arrangement that he can sleep with other women but she cannot. Duh.. when she did change her dressing and follow him to an event, he was jealous when men noticing her. He brought her home and against his standing not wanting to take care of her virginity before, he sure enjoyed popping her cherry and became addicted. He was in guilt of hiding about her father’s sickness. She found out about it when her younger brother misslipped about it. She missed seeing her dying father and was so furious at Pietro. She felt betrayed and assumed he lied to her for everything. For a month she ignored his presence and he left. She did found her father’s letter saying Pietro tried to persuade him to tell about his sickness. She then mail the divorce petition to him. He flew from Rome to her place. She was swimming and said she wanted to release him from all the burden. He pleaded with her and said he truly loves her. 3 years later, she graduated and told him she was pregnant.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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