What do you think?
Rate this book
The Innocent's Emergency Wedding
His name might save her…
But his touch will undo her!
Katie Collins can’t believe she’s standing in front of notorious playboy Alessandro Zetticci asking him to marry her—immediately! She’s frantic to escape the unwanted wedding her ruthless foster father is planning for her. Her solution? Finding her own husband!
Alessandro can’t ignore Katie’s desperation—he’ll agree to marry her if it’s strictly temporary. Yet when their self-imposed boundaries are tested, one delicious caress at a time, Alessandro must ask Will walking away from his virgin bride really be possible?
But his touch will undo her!
Katie Collins can’t believe she’s standing in front of notorious playboy Alessandro Zetticci asking him to marry her—immediately! She’s frantic to escape the unwanted wedding her ruthless foster father is planning for her. Her solution? Finding her own husband!
Alessandro can’t ignore Katie’s desperation—he’ll agree to marry her if it’s strictly temporary. Yet when their self-imposed boundaries are tested, one delicious caress at a time, Alessandro must ask Will walking away from his virgin bride really be possible?
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 17, 2019
96 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Anderson
611 books545 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Natalie Anderson is a USA TODAY bestselling author. She writes emotional contemporary romances full of sparkling banter, sizzling heat and uplifting endings—perfect for readers who love to escape with everyday empowered heroines and arrogant alphas who are too sexy for their own good.
With over five million books sold, her stories are translated into more than a dozen languages, she’s been a Romantic Times Award nominee and a finalist for the R*BY (Romantic Book of the Year).
When she’s not writing, you’ll find her wrangling her four fab kids, walking Alfie, the mini schnauzer and laughing with her husband at the end of the day–unless they’ve taken Romeo, the Campervan for a spin. She lives in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Natalie Anderson is a USA TODAY bestselling author. She writes emotional contemporary romances full of sparkling banter, sizzling heat and uplifting endings—perfect for readers who love to escape with everyday empowered heroines and arrogant alphas who are too sexy for their own good.
With over five million books sold, her stories are translated into more than a dozen languages, she’s been a Romantic Times Award nominee and a finalist for the R*BY (Romantic Book of the Year).
When she’s not writing, you’ll find her wrangling her four fab kids, walking Alfie, the mini schnauzer and laughing with her husband at the end of the day–unless they’ve taken Romeo, the Campervan for a spin. She lives in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 5, 2019
‘Brian says he’s made a deal. If I marry Carl Westin, Carl will absorb our debt and Susan and Brian can stay at White Oaks.’
https://bookshout.com/store/books/220...
A heroine is forced to take extreme action after Brian, her manipulative, amoral foster father uses emotional blackmail to make her marry a rich old man. Katie's begged Brian to find another solution, but he's never been fond of the heroine and has always put his selfish interests first, turning a deaf eye to her her frantic pleas.
Fairly enjoyable but not fabulous and I definitely would've appreciated a nice, heart-warming epilogue.
Katie is a sheltered heroine, who's been bullied and cowed by her unprincipled foster father, Brian. Her foster mom has been the shining light in her life, but even that good lady is afraid of the emotionally brutal Brian.
The story opens with Katie waiting to see if the H, Alessandro, will assist her with her big problem: Brian owes a lot of money and is coercing Katie to marry his rich, old friend, who'll help them save the farm.
This is the heroine, Katie:
But as he studied her closer he discovered more—her delicate chin, her high cheekbones—... Elfin-featured, fine-boned…she was stunning when he teased that worry from her eyes and replaced it with excitement.
The people pleasing heroine knows that if they lose their farm, her ailing foster mom would be devastated. The sly and grasping Brian, uses this ammunition to destroy Katie's objections:
‘Do you want to watch her devastation?’
And that was the problem. She did owe Susan, her foster mother. She more than owed her—she loved her, and she had to protect her. https://bookshout.com/store/books/220...
The first quarter of the story was great and the MC's witty banter was very entertaining - especially the H's tendency to use sexual puns and innuendos to unnerve the shy heroine. But, the storyline settled into a repetitive routine after they're married, particularly during the final quarter of the book.
Alessandro was a playboy billionaire who'd known Katie when they were younger. His late dad had married Brian's golddigging sister, Naomi and the H had spent his teen years visiting the heroine's foster parents' farm. Katie had always had a childish crush on the H, but he'd been older and had viewed her as just a skinny, quiet child.
This is the H, Alessandro:
His sculpted cheekbones were emphasised by the razor-sharp edge of a perfectly
symmetrical, masculine jaw. Lightly stubbled rather than clean-shaven, he looked as if it wasn’t long since he’d left his bed. Long black lashes and dark eyebrows framed his arresting eyes. Powder blue, they were brightly backlit by fierce burning intensity.
He's spent years cultivating his sarcastic, distant, loner type of personality.
Everyone thinks he's living the perfect life, because he's the gorgeous, self made billionaire. But, on closer examination, it's obvious that he's a very unhappy individual. And, like many super wealthy people, he's good at projecting the public image that's expected of him, all the while masking his personal demons.
Good points:
1. I liked both MC's. Katie was very introverted but not a pushover, while Alessandro was her gallant knight, albeit a reluctant one, at first. He'd been unwilling to enter a temporary marriage of convenience, because that would've hindered his active playboy lifestyle. Nevertheless, he did it because he cared about the heroine and didn't want to see her pimped out to a lecherous old man.
2. Both MC's backstories were sad and I understood why the H felt the way he did, about love and marriage. I also enjoyed seeing how he helped Katie to emerge from her shell, gain some self esteem and confidence in herself as a passionate, productive woman.
3. The love scenes were sweet and sexy. The H knew that she was a virgin, before they consummated their relationship, so it was nice to see him make it special for her. Alessandro was also always concerned about not hurting her feelings. He knew he didn't want a permanent marriage and he never fuelled her hopes. But it was hilarious to see his jealous, possessive side emerge whenever other men ( and even a bisexual woman ! 😂 ) pay attention to her.
4. The H's grovelling scene was adorable, because he'd followed her to her new job and was very humble and sincere. It was a huge difference from his earlier cockiness.
What I wished could've been included:
1. Naomi and Brian got away with not much comeuppance. I'd hoped that the H would've, at the very least, buy back his late father's food company so that the evil stepmom would've received her just punishment. Maybe the author felt that these things don't really occur to bad people, in real life, but this isn't real life.
2. The lack of an epilogue was a total bummer ! This is something I've been complaining about for a while, with Natalie Anderson's novels. That's why I just can't rate this higher, even though it's a lovely, sweet little book.
Safety: No cheating, no OM, no OW and both MC's were celibate during their very short ( a couple of months ) separation. I don't categorize this as a second chance romance, because the heroine had been 12 years old the last time she'd seen the H.
A heroine is forced to take extreme action after Brian, her manipulative, amoral foster father uses emotional blackmail to make her marry a rich old man. Katie's begged Brian to find another solution, but he's never been fond of the heroine and has always put his selfish interests first, turning a deaf eye to her her frantic pleas.
Fairly enjoyable but not fabulous and I definitely would've appreciated a nice, heart-warming epilogue.
Katie is a sheltered heroine, who's been bullied and cowed by her unprincipled foster father, Brian. Her foster mom has been the shining light in her life, but even that good lady is afraid of the emotionally brutal Brian.
The story opens with Katie waiting to see if the H, Alessandro, will assist her with her big problem: Brian owes a lot of money and is coercing Katie to marry his rich, old friend, who'll help them save the farm.
This is the heroine, Katie:
But as he studied her closer he discovered more—her delicate chin, her high cheekbones—... Elfin-featured, fine-boned…she was stunning when he teased that worry from her eyes and replaced it with excitement.
The people pleasing heroine knows that if they lose their farm, her ailing foster mom would be devastated. The sly and grasping Brian, uses this ammunition to destroy Katie's objections:
‘Do you want to watch her devastation?’
And that was the problem. She did owe Susan, her foster mother. She more than owed her—she loved her, and she had to protect her. https://bookshout.com/store/books/220...
The first quarter of the story was great and the MC's witty banter was very entertaining - especially the H's tendency to use sexual puns and innuendos to unnerve the shy heroine. But, the storyline settled into a repetitive routine after they're married, particularly during the final quarter of the book.
Alessandro was a playboy billionaire who'd known Katie when they were younger. His late dad had married Brian's golddigging sister, Naomi and the H had spent his teen years visiting the heroine's foster parents' farm. Katie had always had a childish crush on the H, but he'd been older and had viewed her as just a skinny, quiet child.
This is the H, Alessandro:
His sculpted cheekbones were emphasised by the razor-sharp edge of a perfectly
symmetrical, masculine jaw. Lightly stubbled rather than clean-shaven, he looked as if it wasn’t long since he’d left his bed. Long black lashes and dark eyebrows framed his arresting eyes. Powder blue, they were brightly backlit by fierce burning intensity.
He's spent years cultivating his sarcastic, distant, loner type of personality.
Everyone thinks he's living the perfect life, because he's the gorgeous, self made billionaire. But, on closer examination, it's obvious that he's a very unhappy individual. And, like many super wealthy people, he's good at projecting the public image that's expected of him, all the while masking his personal demons.
Good points:
1. I liked both MC's. Katie was very introverted but not a pushover, while Alessandro was her gallant knight, albeit a reluctant one, at first. He'd been unwilling to enter a temporary marriage of convenience, because that would've hindered his active playboy lifestyle. Nevertheless, he did it because he cared about the heroine and didn't want to see her pimped out to a lecherous old man.
2. Both MC's backstories were sad and I understood why the H felt the way he did, about love and marriage. I also enjoyed seeing how he helped Katie to emerge from her shell, gain some self esteem and confidence in herself as a passionate, productive woman.
3. The love scenes were sweet and sexy. The H knew that she was a virgin, before they consummated their relationship, so it was nice to see him make it special for her. Alessandro was also always concerned about not hurting her feelings. He knew he didn't want a permanent marriage and he never fuelled her hopes. But it was hilarious to see his jealous, possessive side emerge whenever other men ( and even a bisexual woman ! 😂 ) pay attention to her.
4. The H's grovelling scene was adorable, because he'd followed her to her new job and was very humble and sincere. It was a huge difference from his earlier cockiness.
What I wished could've been included:
1. Naomi and Brian got away with not much comeuppance. I'd hoped that the H would've, at the very least, buy back his late father's food company so that the evil stepmom would've received her just punishment. Maybe the author felt that these things don't really occur to bad people, in real life, but this isn't real life.
2. The lack of an epilogue was a total bummer ! This is something I've been complaining about for a while, with Natalie Anderson's novels. That's why I just can't rate this higher, even though it's a lovely, sweet little book.
Safety: No cheating, no OM, no OW and both MC's were celibate during their very short ( a couple of months ) separation. I don't categorize this as a second chance romance, because the heroine had been 12 years old the last time she'd seen the H.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2020
There were three main characters in the book. Hero, heroine and hero’s very sordid, se*ual past!
The constant referring of his past conquests was like lead in my stomach.
Still I liked him... somewhat. Heroine was ok as was the plot and setting.
The constant referring of his past conquests was like lead in my stomach.
Still I liked him... somewhat. Heroine was ok as was the plot and setting.
September 17, 2019
I liked his confession of love and grovel.
September 22, 2019
The Innocent’s Emergency Wedding by Natalie Anderson is a sexy and entertaining modern marriage of convenience romance.
Katie Collins has lived under the thumb of her authoritarian foster father Brian for years and is reluctant to leave as it will abandon her ill foster mother Susan without an advocate for her care. When she finds out that an arranged marriage is being planned for her by Brian, she takes matters into her own hands and seeks out the one man whom she hopes will help her – her step cousin Alessandro Zetticci.
Alessandro remembers the shy girl whom he’d seen when he’d visited White Oaks Hall with his father and new step-mother, Brian’s sister. He’d not thought much of Brian then, and having separated himself from that family after his father’s death, he doesn’t think any better of them now. When Katie comes to him as a last resort, being the only person with enough money who might be able to blunt Brian’s plans, he decides to acquiesce to her request, partly in sympathy of her position and for a bit of revenge. With a short term plan to support Katie and her foster mom, he’s not averse to pursuing the attraction that flares up between them. But can their marriage of convenience turn into the real thing?
Alessandro is a very likable romance hero! He’s rich but not arrogant, flirtatious but also passionate when it comes to defending Katie’s right to choose things for herself. He agrees to marry her to help her gain her independence from Brian and lets her make the decisions for how far their relationship will go in terms of intimacy. He’s attracted to her and the feeling is mutual though Katie has a hard time convincing herself that Alessandro’s interest in her is real since she knows he agreed to their marriage out of pity. Alessandro is adamant that she doesn’t owe him anything for his help, least of all any sexual favours.
Alessandro gives Katie plenty of opportunities to consent to their lovemaking and this helps Katie gain confidence with him. Their love scenes are sexy and foster deeper feelings between them.
There’s a bit of a Cinderella theme in this romance too, as Katie has always been aware of how much of a ‘burden’ she was on her foster father. Alessandro takes the opportunity to lavish her with clothing and food, a lovely honeymoon location and the chance to experiment with some cooking and consider making a small sauce company that she’s developed on her own at White Oaks into something bigger. But giving his heart is another matter after experiencing his own losses in life and only when he realizes he could lose Katie does he take the steps to make their marriage permanent. It’s a lovely romance that will leave you smiling.
This review also appears at Harlequin Junkie: https://harlequinjunkie.com/review-th...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
Katie Collins has lived under the thumb of her authoritarian foster father Brian for years and is reluctant to leave as it will abandon her ill foster mother Susan without an advocate for her care. When she finds out that an arranged marriage is being planned for her by Brian, she takes matters into her own hands and seeks out the one man whom she hopes will help her – her step cousin Alessandro Zetticci.
Alessandro remembers the shy girl whom he’d seen when he’d visited White Oaks Hall with his father and new step-mother, Brian’s sister. He’d not thought much of Brian then, and having separated himself from that family after his father’s death, he doesn’t think any better of them now. When Katie comes to him as a last resort, being the only person with enough money who might be able to blunt Brian’s plans, he decides to acquiesce to her request, partly in sympathy of her position and for a bit of revenge. With a short term plan to support Katie and her foster mom, he’s not averse to pursuing the attraction that flares up between them. But can their marriage of convenience turn into the real thing?
Alessandro is a very likable romance hero! He’s rich but not arrogant, flirtatious but also passionate when it comes to defending Katie’s right to choose things for herself. He agrees to marry her to help her gain her independence from Brian and lets her make the decisions for how far their relationship will go in terms of intimacy. He’s attracted to her and the feeling is mutual though Katie has a hard time convincing herself that Alessandro’s interest in her is real since she knows he agreed to their marriage out of pity. Alessandro is adamant that she doesn’t owe him anything for his help, least of all any sexual favours.
‘My payment is the pleasure I get from seeing you like this.’ He gazed into her eyes. ‘Confident and smiling,’ he explained softly. ‘ Nothing more. You don’t have to please me. You only have to please yourself.’
Alessandro gives Katie plenty of opportunities to consent to their lovemaking and this helps Katie gain confidence with him. Their love scenes are sexy and foster deeper feelings between them.
There’s a bit of a Cinderella theme in this romance too, as Katie has always been aware of how much of a ‘burden’ she was on her foster father. Alessandro takes the opportunity to lavish her with clothing and food, a lovely honeymoon location and the chance to experiment with some cooking and consider making a small sauce company that she’s developed on her own at White Oaks into something bigger. But giving his heart is another matter after experiencing his own losses in life and only when he realizes he could lose Katie does he take the steps to make their marriage permanent. It’s a lovely romance that will leave you smiling.
This review also appears at Harlequin Junkie: https://harlequinjunkie.com/review-th...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
September 22, 2019
If someone I knew slightly as a teen and had absolutely no contact with in YEARS suddenly shows up to my office asking for my help and saying they needed me to marry them ... they’d be out the door before they knew what hit them.
The H, Alessandro didn’t react the way I would and thanks for that or we wouldn’t have a story to tell. It wasn’t a fabulous story, but it was a well written, well told story with really likable main characters.
My only complaint was that there was no real punishment for the villains. I wanted them to pay for what they did. The H was a bit too forgiving. I expected that from the h not the H.
A decent read that left me happy.
The H, Alessandro didn’t react the way I would and thanks for that or we wouldn’t have a story to tell. It wasn’t a fabulous story, but it was a well written, well told story with really likable main characters.
My only complaint was that there was no real punishment for the villains. I wanted them to pay for what they did. The H was a bit too forgiving. I expected that from the h not the H.
A decent read that left me happy.
September 17, 2019
A good book, but there were a few loose ends in the story for me. I liked the MCs but some stuff was not resolved. ... like the villainous foster father and his awful sister were not dealt with after some pretty awful deeds. This story needed an epilogue!
June 8, 2022
Κάτι λιγότερο από 4* για να είμαι ακριβής.
September 17, 2019
3.5 stars. I actually enjoyed the story more than what I expected from a Harlequin romance. This is actually a well thought book, and I love the communication flow between the 2 main leads.
Highly recommended even though it is a no brainer book. The writer wrote sensitively and I love it
Highly recommended even though it is a no brainer book. The writer wrote sensitively and I love it
September 28, 2019
A nice read , needed a couple of things to be a great read like more angst and an epilogue !
March 7, 2022
חתונה לא רצויה| נטלי אנדרסון
הוצאת שלגי
איך אני אוהבת את הממתקים של שלגי!
ספרים שכיף לקרוא שאני במצב רוח רומנטי במיוחד.
והספר הזה בטרופ של fake dating ונישואין מזוייפים שאני מאוד אוהבת.
הספר כתוב בגוף שלישי ועובר בין שתי נקודות מבט של אלכסנדרו וקטי לאורך כל הספר.
��טי קולינס היא אישה שכל חייה הרגישה בודדה והסביבה התייחסה אליה בצורה קרירה.
בצעד נואש על מנת להציל את האישה שהייתה כמו אימא בשבילה היא ניצבת לפני אלסנדרו זטיצ'י, הפלייבוי הידוע לשמצה, שבצעירותו גדל באחוזה שבה היא גדלה ואז עזב בפתאומיות.
היא מבקשת ממנו לשאת אותה לאישה באופן מיידי. היא נחושה להימלט מהנישואים הכפויים הלא רצויים שאביה החורג מתכנן עבורה, והפתרון שלה הוא להשתמש באלסנדרו על מנת להכתיב את עתידה.
ובתמורה אלכסנדרו יקבל את האחוזה שהייתה שייכת למשפחה שלו.
אלסנדרו לא יכול שלא להבחין במצוקתה של קטי. הוא לא גבר שדוגל במחויבות או התמסדות אבל הוא יודע שהנישואים האלה זמניים והוא נעתר לה.
הם מותחים את הגבולות שנבנים ביניהם והמשיכה המיידית שיש להם אחד לשנייה טורפת את כל הקלפים.
ספר מתוק וקליל על נישואין מזוייפים בין אישה שאין לה כלום ולגבר שחושב שיש לו הכול חוץ ממה שהוא באמת צריך.
אהבה.
הוצאת שלגי
איך אני אוהבת את הממתקים של שלגי!
ספרים שכיף לקרוא שאני במצב רוח רומנטי במיוחד.
והספר הזה בטרופ של fake dating ונישואין מזוייפים שאני מאוד אוהבת.
הספר כתוב בגוף שלישי ועובר בין שתי נקודות מבט של אלכסנדרו וקטי לאורך כל הספר.
��טי קולינס היא אישה שכל חייה הרגישה בודדה והסביבה התייחסה אליה בצורה קרירה.
בצעד נואש על מנת להציל את האישה שהייתה כמו אימא בשבילה היא ניצבת לפני אלסנדרו זטיצ'י, הפלייבוי הידוע לשמצה, שבצעירותו גדל באחוזה שבה היא גדלה ואז עזב בפתאומיות.
היא מבקשת ממנו לשאת אותה לאישה באופן מיידי. היא נחושה להימלט מהנישואים הכפויים הלא רצויים שאביה החורג מתכנן עבורה, והפתרון שלה הוא להשתמש באלסנדרו על מנת להכתיב את עתידה.
ובתמורה אלכסנדרו יקבל את האחוזה שהייתה שייכת למשפחה שלו.
אלסנדרו לא יכול שלא להבחין במצוקתה של קטי. הוא לא גבר שדוגל במחויבות או התמסדות אבל הוא יודע שהנישואים האלה זמניים והוא נעתר לה.
הם מותחים את הגבולות שנבנים ביניהם והמשיכה המיידית שיש להם אחד לשנייה טורפת את כל הקלפים.
ספר מתוק וקליל על נישואין מזוייפים בין אישה שאין לה כלום ולגבר שחושב שיש לו הכול חוץ ממה שהוא באמת צריך.
אהבה.
March 22, 2020
Likeable, empathetic, reasonable characters. Liked the story. Really liked the dialogue and chemistry between the two.
One of the better romance novels I've read and worth reading again at some point.
One of the better romance novels I've read and worth reading again at some point.
August 24, 2020
Alessandro Zetticci has long ago moved on from his traumatic childhood. At least, he believes so. Until Katie Collins comes back in to his life. Katie had been a quiet, shy young girl when his father and stepmother came in to contact with Katie and her foster parents, the uncle of his stepmother and his older wife. Now, Katie asks an impossible question and marriage that he has never wanted is it.
Katie has never been able to stand up for herself. A lifetime of being unwanted, and pushed aside, has led her to question her own worth. But marriage to Alessandro gives her far more than just the confidence to become her own person, it brings her a love she never expected.
Overall a nice story.
Katie has never been able to stand up for herself. A lifetime of being unwanted, and pushed aside, has led her to question her own worth. But marriage to Alessandro gives her far more than just the confidence to become her own person, it brings her a love she never expected.
Overall a nice story.
March 20, 2024
I loved this book. It completely blew my expectations for what a HP novel could be right out of the water.
There was a real quality to the characterization that was very refreshing. We spent equal amounts of time with both Alessandro and Katie, understanding not only their thoughts and actions but their feelings as well. So many HPs have cold, arrogant heroes and idiot heroines, whose only purpose in the book is to start having sex for some inexplicable reason and end up married (also usually for some inexplicable reason).
This novel couldn't be more different. The heroine, Katie, had a real reason to pursue this proposed marriage of convenience. A fostered child who had suffered emotional abuse at the hands of her father, she had a very strong sense of learned helplessness, a coping mechanism adapted so that she wouldn't lose the only family she's ever known. He finally pushes her to the breaking point, however, when he threatens to basically sell her to one of his creepy old cronies to land a cash injection into the businesses he's run into the ground. Katie won't have that, but there's only one person she can think of who could possibly help her: Alessandro, a "step-cousin" of sorts, whom she knew once upon a time when his father married her foster father's sister and they spent their summers on the estate.
Alessandro is your typical billionaire hero who works hard and parties hard, but for all his business acumen and cutthroat arrogance in the board room, he is a genuinely nice guy. Once he realizes why Katie is reacting to him the way she is (a mixture of no romantic experience whatsoever and the learned capitulation in order to avoid abandonment), he takes a step back and actually considers her feelings. He doesn't want to hurt her. He doesn't think less of her because she's so unworldly; he understands the precarious circumstances that have made her who she is today.
Katie had a puppy-love crush on Alessandro when they were teens, and she's confronted with that same torch when she approaches him with her proposal. However, she is acutely aware that in some ways, she's simply running from one all-powerful man to another, and she longs to break free and find her own spirit. She doesn't blindly accept her circumstances at any point in the story.
These two challenge each other. Alessandro teases her constantly with innuendo, but he also tells her that she has to vocalize what she wants, and coaxes her into understanding that she does deserve to be happy. Katie challenges him to face the fact that he's just as terrified of rejection as she is, having lost his parents the way he did. He realizes that while he has control of his life, it's not much of a life worth celebrating.
It was really wonderful to see these two push and pull with one another, to fall in love without realizing it, to slide into a sort of comfortable reality that has made them both better people. They spent a lot of time touching and kissing and exploring the emotional connection that's blossomed between them. This makes the sex scenes 1000% better, IMO, and the ones in this book were really, really good.
This book is a combination of my favorite tropes and excellent characterization. It is completely focused on the growth of the main characters, which is both rare and refreshing. This author has jumped onto my auto-read list, and I look forward to reading more of her work!
There was a real quality to the characterization that was very refreshing. We spent equal amounts of time with both Alessandro and Katie, understanding not only their thoughts and actions but their feelings as well. So many HPs have cold, arrogant heroes and idiot heroines, whose only purpose in the book is to start having sex for some inexplicable reason and end up married (also usually for some inexplicable reason).
This novel couldn't be more different. The heroine, Katie, had a real reason to pursue this proposed marriage of convenience. A fostered child who had suffered emotional abuse at the hands of her father, she had a very strong sense of learned helplessness, a coping mechanism adapted so that she wouldn't lose the only family she's ever known. He finally pushes her to the breaking point, however, when he threatens to basically sell her to one of his creepy old cronies to land a cash injection into the businesses he's run into the ground. Katie won't have that, but there's only one person she can think of who could possibly help her: Alessandro, a "step-cousin" of sorts, whom she knew once upon a time when his father married her foster father's sister and they spent their summers on the estate.
Alessandro is your typical billionaire hero who works hard and parties hard, but for all his business acumen and cutthroat arrogance in the board room, he is a genuinely nice guy. Once he realizes why Katie is reacting to him the way she is (a mixture of no romantic experience whatsoever and the learned capitulation in order to avoid abandonment), he takes a step back and actually considers her feelings. He doesn't want to hurt her. He doesn't think less of her because she's so unworldly; he understands the precarious circumstances that have made her who she is today.
Katie had a puppy-love crush on Alessandro when they were teens, and she's confronted with that same torch when she approaches him with her proposal. However, she is acutely aware that in some ways, she's simply running from one all-powerful man to another, and she longs to break free and find her own spirit. She doesn't blindly accept her circumstances at any point in the story.
These two challenge each other. Alessandro teases her constantly with innuendo, but he also tells her that she has to vocalize what she wants, and coaxes her into understanding that she does deserve to be happy. Katie challenges him to face the fact that he's just as terrified of rejection as she is, having lost his parents the way he did. He realizes that while he has control of his life, it's not much of a life worth celebrating.
It was really wonderful to see these two push and pull with one another, to fall in love without realizing it, to slide into a sort of comfortable reality that has made them both better people. They spent a lot of time touching and kissing and exploring the emotional connection that's blossomed between them. This makes the sex scenes 1000% better, IMO, and the ones in this book were really, really good.
This book is a combination of my favorite tropes and excellent characterization. It is completely focused on the growth of the main characters, which is both rare and refreshing. This author has jumped onto my auto-read list, and I look forward to reading more of her work!
May 31, 2020
Pretty standard: our plain Jane virgin heroine is fleeing a lightly-sketched arranged marriage and the only person she can think of to help her is a notorious and extremely wealthy Italian playboy. Sure, why not. Katie, the heroine, is a doormat with a sauce company (no really) which she produces out of her foster family's kitchen; she seems to have no goals and ambitions beyond staying at home and caring for her foster mother. Alessandro, our hero, is a lot more interesting, because he actually has a sense of humor and flirts with our heroine; he's an emotional void but would be the first to give you a witty quip about why he prefers it that way. Other than that everything proceeds basically as expected.
June 20, 2022
Well well,the heroine was insecure af at the beginning of the book but at the end,with his help she found her power.I did not like the fact that she was so insecure like damn girl.He was there to save her from her stepfather and an unhappy marriage but she doubted every desicion he made and everything that he said to her due to her low self esteem.The hero on the other hand was the famous playboy with a traumatic past.He was trying to escape from his traumas by doing one night stands but he managed to get over his traumas with her help.He was finally able to open his heart to love and express his feelings.Anyways I loved his confessions p.135 and p.156.
3.5/5
3.5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
hq-to-read
September 1, 2019His name might save her…
But his touch will undo her!
Katie Collins can’t believe she’s standing in front of notorious playboy Alessandro Zetticci asking him to marry her—immediately! She’s frantic to escape the unwanted wedding her ruthless foster father is planning for her. Her solution? Finding her own husband!
Alessandro can’t ignore Katie’s desperation—he’ll agree to marry her if it’s strictly temporary. Yet when their self-imposed boundaries are tested, one delicious caress at a time, Alessandro must ask himself: Will walking away from his virgin bride really be possible?
But his touch will undo her!
Katie Collins can’t believe she’s standing in front of notorious playboy Alessandro Zetticci asking him to marry her—immediately! She’s frantic to escape the unwanted wedding her ruthless foster father is planning for her. Her solution? Finding her own husband!
Alessandro can’t ignore Katie’s desperation—he’ll agree to marry her if it’s strictly temporary. Yet when their self-imposed boundaries are tested, one delicious caress at a time, Alessandro must ask himself: Will walking away from his virgin bride really be possible?
September 17, 2019
👊
2 stars
👎The book wasn’t bad 𝓅𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝑒 but the characters left much to be desired. I think that’s the thing that ruined it for me. Ugh! Katie, she was such a doormat. I couldn’t deal with her. One thing is to be a good person another to be stupid. Sorry! Alessandro was meh…nothing about him really stood out. I didn’t like any of them. 
December 8, 2019
Not what you think....
You might start this story thinking it's a tale of a devil-may-care rake meeting a mousey doormat but as the story unfolds it becomes a powerful love story. The hero is charming, funny, glib and knows his own worth. The heroine struggles to believe in herself and it's this that gives the story it's momentum as the hero takes up the fight for the girl "who used to hide in the kitchen". It deserves 5 stars if just for the hero's saucy snark.
You might start this story thinking it's a tale of a devil-may-care rake meeting a mousey doormat but as the story unfolds it becomes a powerful love story. The hero is charming, funny, glib and knows his own worth. The heroine struggles to believe in herself and it's this that gives the story it's momentum as the hero takes up the fight for the girl "who used to hide in the kitchen". It deserves 5 stars if just for the hero's saucy snark.
February 15, 2020
3.5 stars. I really enjoyed Katie and Alessandro’s characters, but I just felt like we missed out on their relationship developing. I wanted more arguments and just more drama between these two. This is one of my favorite tropes so I know what i want in these stories. I enjoyed it, but it could’ve been so much more.
May 24, 2020
2.5 stars, the mains were pretty likeable but this was a very standard moc to save the h's property harlequin and the progression of feelings wasn't gradual at all they came out of nowhere at the end.
June 11, 2022
Emotional rollercoaster
Sweet but an emotional rollercoaster of a story. I loved watching these two figure it out. Alessandro and Katie were from polar opposites in the beginning, and the chemistry between them was off the charts. Adult content, but the story was so sweet.
Sweet but an emotional rollercoaster of a story. I loved watching these two figure it out. Alessandro and Katie were from polar opposites in the beginning, and the chemistry between them was off the charts. Adult content, but the story was so sweet.
February 15, 2023
good book
This story in this book kept me interested until the very end. It had many storylines from romance to intrigue and emotional abuse so many are subjected to these days. It is a book you would would enjoy if you are interested in the topics.
This story in this book kept me interested until the very end. It had many storylines from romance to intrigue and emotional abuse so many are subjected to these days. It is a book you would would enjoy if you are interested in the topics.
April 19, 2023
I will wait for you
I read romances because of this! Every page held me in enthralled as Allesandro fought himself on what he thought he felt but always giving Katie everything but his love.
I read romances because of this! Every page held me in enthralled as Allesandro fought himself on what he thought he felt but always giving Katie everything but his love.
Read
October 1, 2019Categories
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Conveniently Wed!
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Conveniently Wed!
Read
October 1, 2019Categories
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Conveniently Wed!
Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Conveniently Wed!
December 7, 2019
Love it
January 8, 2020
Nice job with the imperialness without it feeling abusive.
These books are catnip to me and part of me questions myself about this fact!
These books are catnip to me and part of me questions myself about this fact!
November 15, 2019
😅 my checkout period ended while I was reading it 🤦🏻♀️
But! I was enjoying it enough to actually read it, which considering all the books I'd DNF'd is actually something! <3
November now - got the book back yesterday.
So I was kinda torn between 2 and 3 stars; maybe if I'd read it through I'd be confident it was 3 stars? Or maybe confidently 2...
I kinda skimmed - I think I was somewhere around fifty perfect fifty something percent when I picked the book up - and THAT was [other than their wedding night/trip which kinda happens the day they "meet [again]" so...] anyway - I picked up the book again when they go on their honeymoon. So still kinda the "start" of the relationship.
I liked the chemistry, their uncertainty made sense but it dragged a bit.
Here was a book with too much "will they or won't they get together" which I find disingenuous and annoying in romances because IT'S A ROMANCE. OBVIOUSLY THEY'LL GET TOGETHER. So don't give me a HFN[lite] - show me WHY they're going to be together and STAY TOGETHER.
C-- maybe C--- ...
But! I was enjoying it enough to actually read it, which considering all the books I'd DNF'd is actually something! <3
November now - got the book back yesterday.
So I was kinda torn between 2 and 3 stars; maybe if I'd read it through I'd be confident it was 3 stars? Or maybe confidently 2...
I kinda skimmed - I think I was somewhere around fifty perfect fifty something percent when I picked the book up - and THAT was [other than their wedding night/trip which kinda happens the day they "meet [again]" so...] anyway - I picked up the book again when they go on their honeymoon. So still kinda the "start" of the relationship.
I liked the chemistry, their uncertainty made sense but it dragged a bit.
Here was a book with too much "will they or won't they get together" which I find disingenuous and annoying in romances because IT'S A ROMANCE. OBVIOUSLY THEY'LL GET TOGETHER. So don't give me a HFN[lite] - show me WHY they're going to be together and STAY TOGETHER.
C-- maybe C--- ...
October 24, 2023
Puntuación Final: 3.8
Reseña:
Una historia muy bonita, fresca, entretenida, con buenos protagonistas, para pasar el rato esta de maravilla, ya que es una lectura que se lee muy rápido, y se comprende bien.
Este libro lo recomiendo 7 de 10, No olviden que, a la hora de leer, preparemos un delicioso té o un café, algunos bocadillos y sentémonos en buen espacio a leerlo con calma, paz y mucho amor.
Reseña:
Una historia muy bonita, fresca, entretenida, con buenos protagonistas, para pasar el rato esta de maravilla, ya que es una lectura que se lee muy rápido, y se comprende bien.
Este libro lo recomiendo 7 de 10, No olviden que, a la hora de leer, preparemos un delicioso té o un café, algunos bocadillos y sentémonos en buen espacio a leerlo con calma, paz y mucho amor.
December 31, 2024
I needed a proper comeuppance for the revolting Brian and Naomi.
I needed an epilogue.
Hence 4 stars instead of 5.
I needed an epilogue.
Hence 4 stars instead of 5.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews