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The Sicilian Marriage Pact #1
A Baby to Bind His Innocent
A marriage built on a lie…
Until her pregnancy test confirms the truth!
Claudia Buscetta is swept off her feet by Ciro Trapani. Their wedding night is everything she dreamed of—but then she overhears Ciro’s confession: the marriage was his way of avenging his father. Heartbroken Claudia prepares to walk away from him forever…only to discover she’s pregnant!
Driven Ciro is suddenly bound irrevocably to his enemy’s daughter! Claudia is far from the pampered “princess” he imagined. And living with her sparks a fierce battle…between his quest for revenge and his burning desire for his wife!
Until her pregnancy test confirms the truth!
Claudia Buscetta is swept off her feet by Ciro Trapani. Their wedding night is everything she dreamed of—but then she overhears Ciro’s confession: the marriage was his way of avenging his father. Heartbroken Claudia prepares to walk away from him forever…only to discover she’s pregnant!
Driven Ciro is suddenly bound irrevocably to his enemy’s daughter! Claudia is far from the pampered “princess” he imagined. And living with her sparks a fierce battle…between his quest for revenge and his burning desire for his wife!
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2020
131 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Smart
725 books258 followersMichelle Smart is a Publishers Weekly bestselling romance author with a slight-to-severe coffee addiction. With over four million copies of her books sold worldwide, Michelle is now embracing the indie book world to write the passionate romance books she knows her readers love whilst continuing to write for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She is also the author of Butterflies, a standalone romantic and humorous time travel novel set in the 1990s.
A bookworm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback.
Michelle loves hearing from readers and can be contacted directly via her website.
A bookworm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback.
Michelle loves hearing from readers and can be contacted directly via her website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
June 2, 2020
4.5 stars.
This is seriously my favourite novel by Michelle Smart ! Both MC's are amazing but I loved the heroine, Claudia.
"Yes, truly, for look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children."
Launcelot the Clown to Jessica. The Merchant of Venice. William Shakespeare.
"Alack, what heinous sin is it in me
To be ashamed to be my father's child?
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners."
Jessica to Lorenzo. The Merchant of Venice. William Shakespeare.
The vengeful H trope takes the spotlight, in this emotional tale of a heroine who's inadvertently forced to pay for the sins of her horrible father.
This is the H, Ciro:
When I finished the second chapter, I was immediately reminded of Jessica and her villainous dad Shylock, from The Merchant of Venice. Michelle Smart doesn't make any overt comparisons but I kept picking up a little intertextuality:
📚 Claudia, the heroine, is the daughter of Cesare: a rich, villainous Sicilian bully, with criminal connections, who's ruled by his unending need to acquire more wealth. This is a lot like the conscienceless Shylock, who lives to earn interest from his loans.
📚 Cesare had hired thugs and fraudsters to sabotage the H's dad's small family business. When the olive estate was near bankruptcy, Cesare bought it for a price below its real worth. The H's dad, who'd been too proud to ask his billionaire son for a financial bailout, died after losing his home and his business. He was only 60. Cesare reminds me of Shylock the money lender, from Shakespeare's play and Claudia is left, like Jessica, to atone for her father's sins.
This is the heroine, Claudia:
Personal point of contention: How on earth does the H's dad not pick up the phone and let his son know that he needs some money ? Ciro, the H, is a multi billionaire who could've easily made his dad's business solvent again. Is pride so important to some men, that they would refuse to consider seeking assistance from their offspring ?
Anyway, as mentioned earlier, this novel is about the vengeful H trope. It's a favourite trope of mine, that hasn't been excellently executed in recent HPlandia releases. In most ( of the few ) recent incarnations, of this trope, authors have played it safe; perhaps because they're wary of readers writing ranting reviews about *hateful* heroes...
As a result, recent vengeful H novels tend not to push the vengeance envelope. Today's authors usually pull back just before the H does or thinks something that is liable to make him a candidate for the dreaded *toxic masculinity* label. Unfortunately, while that makes the story more morally acceptable, it totally nullifies the angst factor, just when things are getting interesting.
In vintage HPlandia, there was the other extreme, that created fabulous trainwrecky stories that made some of us question if we're right in our heads for being entertained by that sort of toxic drama.
In order to justify my rating for this novel, I need to briefly examine the treatment of the vengeful H trope, in vintage HPlandia. It'll help you to understand why Ciro ( the modern vengeful H ) is lot more relatable, even though he'd broken the heroine's heart and destroyed her idealistic notions of true love.
Please bear with me...
VENGEFUL VINTAGE HEROES WERE INFAMOUS FOR:
📌 Relishing their vengeance, to the point where it's sometimes emotionally sadistic. Heroes like Blaze, from Bitter Revenge, displayed mild cases of Intermittent Explosive Disorder, where the H's punishment and reaction far outweighed the heroine's crime and the action. This IED could even manifest itself in heroines being slapped, shaken like rag dolls, dragged out of parties while the OW preened gleefully etc. That's a common theme with Lillian Peake's vengeful heroes.
📌 Blaming the heroine whenever they're tempted to pity her, when she's suffering, and for making them feel inconvenient bouts of animal lust. Those vintage heroes couldn't accept responsibility for their own attraction to a woman who's the pawn in a vengeance plan. It's never a case of heroes being too weak to fight their lust, but of heroines being too tempting and seductive, like sirens of Eve, luring them away from the path of righteousness.
📌 Rarely showing guilt for knowingly causing pain to the heroine, in their pursuit of vengeance. In fact, many vengeful vintage heroes seemed to enjoy playing puppet masters, feeding off their heroines' distress. Readers had to wait until the very last few pages, for a reconciliation that was reached with minimal to zero grovelling, and accompanied by a token assertion of love. In many cases, readers didn't buy into the HEA, or get adequate closure because there wasn't tangible evidence that the ( former ) rage filled H had conquered his anger management issues and borderline IED...
Additionally, vintage HPlandia didn't, to my limited knowledge, have epilogues that allowed us to see that the MC's were living in romantic harmony in the future. I guess Boogenhagen might know of any vintage HP that included an epilogue.
OK, after all that, it's time to explain why I enjoyed this specific vengeful H story.
Ciro's plan was to make Claudia fall in love with him, marry her and seduce her into signing over the deeds to his family's old homestead. Her father had gifted the home to her and there was no way that the old villain would sell it back to the H.
This was a delightful tale, because the H had just the right blend of the following ingredients:
♦️ Machiavellian manipulation and the seductive cunning of a smooth operator who knows exactly what to do and say to make a sheltered, virginal Sicilian girl fall for him;
♦️ Guilt ridden remorse whenever he got glimpses of Claudia's shy, sweet innocence and kindness;
♦️ Attacks of conscience, which any inherently good person feels when he knows he's compromising his integrity;
♦️ Male traitorous body syndrome, which he'd not anticipated would happen, since he's the jaded man of the world and she's just a 21 year old country girl.
♦️ Frequent re-affirmation that the end result of his vengeance, is more important than breaking the heroine's heart. After all, she's the child of the man responsible for his dad's untimely death.
♦️ Bitter glory, after he gets what he wants and is still unhappy because 1. His mother refuses to return to the homestead, since it reminds her of her beloved dead husband. Just like Jessica, from The Merchant of Venice, Claudia atones for her father's sins by returning the homestead's deeds to the H.
2. The heroine dumped him the morning after their sexy wedding night, after she overheard him leaving a voicemail for his partner in crime - his brother, Vincenzu.
♦️ Much emotional suffering after the pregnant heroine recognizes her self worth and he's forced to grovel and literally beg her for the opportunity to be her husband:
You deserve so much more than life has given you and I will regret my treatment of you to my dying day. I am here to ask—beg—you to give me one more chance. Please. I can’t breathe without you. I’ll accept whatever terms you make but, please, I beg you, let me share your life as well as our baby’s life.’
I don't want to write more specific details, but what I enjoyed most was seeing the heroine accomplish something that's rare in HPlandia: grow a backbone and develop from an insecure, borderline illiterate ( due to severe dyslexia ) young woman, who's afraid of her own shadow, into a female who isn't willing to accept crumbs and stay in a relationship where the male is the power broker partner.
At the same time, it was refreshing to experience the gradual humbling of the H, when he's forced to face up to his mistakes and misconceptions. Ciro went from being a 💯 % scheming, uncaring and vengeful ass to a man willing to admit where he went wrong. There are a few of his early inner monologues that will annoy some readers, but I found it added a more genuine depth to the vengeful H trope.
The epilogue, with their 3 kids, was short and sweet and the highlight of it all, was the heroine's ongoing commitment to improving her literacy and coping with her dyslexia.
I was going to rate this with 4 stars, because the villain, Cesare, appeared not to get any significant comeuppance. But the author left a note, after the epilogue, stating that there's a next novel to come. It's the second vengeful H tale and the MC's are Ciro's brother Vincenzu and Claudia's sister, Immacolata. Their story is actually set in Sicily, I think, so maybe Cesare will get his greater comeuppance there ?
That novel will be written by Louise Fuller and I really hope it's just as good as this one.
Safety: No OW, no OM, no cheating and both MC's are celibate during their 2 short separations.
This is seriously my favourite novel by Michelle Smart ! Both MC's are amazing but I loved the heroine, Claudia.
"Yes, truly, for look you, the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children."
Launcelot the Clown to Jessica. The Merchant of Venice. William Shakespeare.
"Alack, what heinous sin is it in me
To be ashamed to be my father's child?
But though I am a daughter to his blood,
I am not to his manners."
Jessica to Lorenzo. The Merchant of Venice. William Shakespeare.
The vengeful H trope takes the spotlight, in this emotional tale of a heroine who's inadvertently forced to pay for the sins of her horrible father.
This is the H, Ciro:
When I finished the second chapter, I was immediately reminded of Jessica and her villainous dad Shylock, from The Merchant of Venice. Michelle Smart doesn't make any overt comparisons but I kept picking up a little intertextuality:
📚 Claudia, the heroine, is the daughter of Cesare: a rich, villainous Sicilian bully, with criminal connections, who's ruled by his unending need to acquire more wealth. This is a lot like the conscienceless Shylock, who lives to earn interest from his loans.
📚 Cesare had hired thugs and fraudsters to sabotage the H's dad's small family business. When the olive estate was near bankruptcy, Cesare bought it for a price below its real worth. The H's dad, who'd been too proud to ask his billionaire son for a financial bailout, died after losing his home and his business. He was only 60. Cesare reminds me of Shylock the money lender, from Shakespeare's play and Claudia is left, like Jessica, to atone for her father's sins.
This is the heroine, Claudia:
Personal point of contention: How on earth does the H's dad not pick up the phone and let his son know that he needs some money ? Ciro, the H, is a multi billionaire who could've easily made his dad's business solvent again. Is pride so important to some men, that they would refuse to consider seeking assistance from their offspring ?
Anyway, as mentioned earlier, this novel is about the vengeful H trope. It's a favourite trope of mine, that hasn't been excellently executed in recent HPlandia releases. In most ( of the few ) recent incarnations, of this trope, authors have played it safe; perhaps because they're wary of readers writing ranting reviews about *hateful* heroes...
As a result, recent vengeful H novels tend not to push the vengeance envelope. Today's authors usually pull back just before the H does or thinks something that is liable to make him a candidate for the dreaded *toxic masculinity* label. Unfortunately, while that makes the story more morally acceptable, it totally nullifies the angst factor, just when things are getting interesting.
In vintage HPlandia, there was the other extreme, that created fabulous trainwrecky stories that made some of us question if we're right in our heads for being entertained by that sort of toxic drama.
In order to justify my rating for this novel, I need to briefly examine the treatment of the vengeful H trope, in vintage HPlandia. It'll help you to understand why Ciro ( the modern vengeful H ) is lot more relatable, even though he'd broken the heroine's heart and destroyed her idealistic notions of true love.
Please bear with me...
VENGEFUL VINTAGE HEROES WERE INFAMOUS FOR:
📌 Relishing their vengeance, to the point where it's sometimes emotionally sadistic. Heroes like Blaze, from Bitter Revenge, displayed mild cases of Intermittent Explosive Disorder, where the H's punishment and reaction far outweighed the heroine's crime and the action. This IED could even manifest itself in heroines being slapped, shaken like rag dolls, dragged out of parties while the OW preened gleefully etc. That's a common theme with Lillian Peake's vengeful heroes.
📌 Blaming the heroine whenever they're tempted to pity her, when she's suffering, and for making them feel inconvenient bouts of animal lust. Those vintage heroes couldn't accept responsibility for their own attraction to a woman who's the pawn in a vengeance plan. It's never a case of heroes being too weak to fight their lust, but of heroines being too tempting and seductive, like sirens of Eve, luring them away from the path of righteousness.
📌 Rarely showing guilt for knowingly causing pain to the heroine, in their pursuit of vengeance. In fact, many vengeful vintage heroes seemed to enjoy playing puppet masters, feeding off their heroines' distress. Readers had to wait until the very last few pages, for a reconciliation that was reached with minimal to zero grovelling, and accompanied by a token assertion of love. In many cases, readers didn't buy into the HEA, or get adequate closure because there wasn't tangible evidence that the ( former ) rage filled H had conquered his anger management issues and borderline IED...
Additionally, vintage HPlandia didn't, to my limited knowledge, have epilogues that allowed us to see that the MC's were living in romantic harmony in the future. I guess Boogenhagen might know of any vintage HP that included an epilogue.
OK, after all that, it's time to explain why I enjoyed this specific vengeful H story.
Ciro's plan was to make Claudia fall in love with him, marry her and seduce her into signing over the deeds to his family's old homestead. Her father had gifted the home to her and there was no way that the old villain would sell it back to the H.
This was a delightful tale, because the H had just the right blend of the following ingredients:
♦️ Machiavellian manipulation and the seductive cunning of a smooth operator who knows exactly what to do and say to make a sheltered, virginal Sicilian girl fall for him;
♦️ Guilt ridden remorse whenever he got glimpses of Claudia's shy, sweet innocence and kindness;
♦️ Attacks of conscience, which any inherently good person feels when he knows he's compromising his integrity;
♦️ Male traitorous body syndrome, which he'd not anticipated would happen, since he's the jaded man of the world and she's just a 21 year old country girl.
♦️ Frequent re-affirmation that the end result of his vengeance, is more important than breaking the heroine's heart. After all, she's the child of the man responsible for his dad's untimely death.
♦️ Bitter glory, after he gets what he wants and is still unhappy because 1. His mother refuses to return to the homestead, since it reminds her of her beloved dead husband. Just like Jessica, from The Merchant of Venice, Claudia atones for her father's sins by returning the homestead's deeds to the H.
2. The heroine dumped him the morning after their sexy wedding night, after she overheard him leaving a voicemail for his partner in crime - his brother, Vincenzu.
♦️ Much emotional suffering after the pregnant heroine recognizes her self worth and he's forced to grovel and literally beg her for the opportunity to be her husband:
You deserve so much more than life has given you and I will regret my treatment of you to my dying day. I am here to ask—beg—you to give me one more chance. Please. I can’t breathe without you. I’ll accept whatever terms you make but, please, I beg you, let me share your life as well as our baby’s life.’
I don't want to write more specific details, but what I enjoyed most was seeing the heroine accomplish something that's rare in HPlandia: grow a backbone and develop from an insecure, borderline illiterate ( due to severe dyslexia ) young woman, who's afraid of her own shadow, into a female who isn't willing to accept crumbs and stay in a relationship where the male is the power broker partner.
At the same time, it was refreshing to experience the gradual humbling of the H, when he's forced to face up to his mistakes and misconceptions. Ciro went from being a 💯 % scheming, uncaring and vengeful ass to a man willing to admit where he went wrong. There are a few of his early inner monologues that will annoy some readers, but I found it added a more genuine depth to the vengeful H trope.
The epilogue, with their 3 kids, was short and sweet and the highlight of it all, was the heroine's ongoing commitment to improving her literacy and coping with her dyslexia.
I was going to rate this with 4 stars, because the villain, Cesare, appeared not to get any significant comeuppance. But the author left a note, after the epilogue, stating that there's a next novel to come. It's the second vengeful H tale and the MC's are Ciro's brother Vincenzu and Claudia's sister, Immacolata. Their story is actually set in Sicily, I think, so maybe Cesare will get his greater comeuppance there ?
That novel will be written by Louise Fuller and I really hope it's just as good as this one.
Safety: No OW, no OM, no cheating and both MC's are celibate during their 2 short separations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2020
Incredible, I really loved a new Harlequin even if h was unbelievably mature.
July 17, 2020
Short review.
So appreciated the communication and honesty (hero was deceitful at the beginning) the two characters displayed in their relationship.
Sweet heroine who evolved into a strong and capable woman. Put her childs welfare first.
Hero was alpha but the heroine and love brought out the sweet and tender side of him.
Short epilogue but loved the look into their further and their HEA.
So appreciated the communication and honesty (hero was deceitful at the beginning) the two characters displayed in their relationship.
Sweet heroine who evolved into a strong and capable woman. Put her childs welfare first.
Hero was alpha but the heroine and love brought out the sweet and tender side of him.
Short epilogue but loved the look into their further and their HEA.
July 2, 2020
Ciro and Claudia's book.
Several years ago when this author wrote her first HP novel,she broke the mold of HP heroines and tropes.For this reader,it was not a good thing! I said that I would not read her books if this was the type of storylines and heroines she would write.Well,needless to say,one of her later books caught my attention and I have not looked back since that debut .
The heroine of this story is severely dyslexic, she can neither read nor write,but she can verbatim repeat what was said to her,her memory is crystal clear.I loved this heroine ,she was an amazing person and life had dealt a bad hand in the worid that is now.I am hard on my heroines and she is a five star heroine.
The hero was especially cruel,I disliked him till towards the end.
This story is one of revenge on the hero's part as he felt that the heroine's father drove his beloved father to his early death thus depriving his Mamma of her beloved,the loss of the family home,and business.
There are 2 brothers,and Ciro' s target was the younger ,more vulnerable sister.He will marry her,get her to sign over the house that she now owns and lives in,then dump her a few months later.
Ciro quickly puts his plan to action and within the month is married to the heroine.
After a night of wedded blissfull sexxing,Claudia overhears Ciro on his phone leaving his brother a message. All is revealed in the phone call and she is stunned and devasted.She calls her sister and they form a plan.She confronts Ciro with his actions and gives him some demands,she will sign over the family home in exchange for 20,000 euros.Money given and she disappears for one month.
But there is a consequence of that night,and after a month with no contact ,she calls Ciro to tell him she has news and ready to come to him.
This was definitely a five star read,mostly because of the heroine.There was a beautiful epilogue with their 3 children ,family life,and baby #4.
Looking forward to the other brother and heroine's sister story.
Several years ago when this author wrote her first HP novel,she broke the mold of HP heroines and tropes.For this reader,it was not a good thing! I said that I would not read her books if this was the type of storylines and heroines she would write.Well,needless to say,one of her later books caught my attention and I have not looked back since that debut .
The heroine of this story is severely dyslexic, she can neither read nor write,but she can verbatim repeat what was said to her,her memory is crystal clear.I loved this heroine ,she was an amazing person and life had dealt a bad hand in the worid that is now.I am hard on my heroines and she is a five star heroine.
The hero was especially cruel,I disliked him till towards the end.
This story is one of revenge on the hero's part as he felt that the heroine's father drove his beloved father to his early death thus depriving his Mamma of her beloved,the loss of the family home,and business.
There are 2 brothers,and Ciro' s target was the younger ,more vulnerable sister.He will marry her,get her to sign over the house that she now owns and lives in,then dump her a few months later.
Ciro quickly puts his plan to action and within the month is married to the heroine.
After a night of wedded blissfull sexxing,Claudia overhears Ciro on his phone leaving his brother a message. All is revealed in the phone call and she is stunned and devasted.She calls her sister and they form a plan.She confronts Ciro with his actions and gives him some demands,she will sign over the family home in exchange for 20,000 euros.Money given and she disappears for one month.
But there is a consequence of that night,and after a month with no contact ,she calls Ciro to tell him she has news and ready to come to him.
This was definitely a five star read,mostly because of the heroine.There was a beautiful epilogue with their 3 children ,family life,and baby #4.
Looking forward to the other brother and heroine's sister story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2020
Finally. A book that hit home run and was a long time coming! I will go for an instant re-read because the first time was a fleeting flip of pages to know what happens next. I read it in one go and was truly surprised to read an uncommon plot come together so smoothly.
Claudia has an MOC with Ciro who has deep sated vengeance against her father. Unbeknownst to her, she signs ownership papers to a new property her father gives her which in reality were snatched from Ciro’s family illegally.
While Claudia is all starry eyed and hopelessly halfway in love with her new husband, Ciro is planning revenge and the downfall of Claudia’s father. And all of that falls apart when Claudia overhears Ciro on day one (night one) on how he’s waiting for all the cards to play out.
Claudia who has some disability (which she owned like a freaking queen) is able to focus on her other strengths phenomenally. She devises a clever plan in the few hours her new husband is getting some shut eye. Come morning, Claudia is a woman scorned and her fury isn’t from hell. She’s calm, quietly forbidding and her flowery feelings for her husband have frozen.
Ciro is stunned speechless. He can barely gather his thoughts while Claudia is moving about, her plan under action and he’s left to talk to her hand.
Claudia’s integrity and sweet control of her emotions had me floored. She’d been taken advantage of all her life thanks to her disability and she was ready to fight this time and not play a martyr. She has to be one of my favourite heroines by far in HPland in a long time!
I loved how Ciro and Claudia live through this set back so early in their marriage. Claudia who was trying to unlove her husband and Ciro who couldn’t help falling in love with her. Ciro was ruthless and mean but he met his match in Claudia.
I will go for a re-read but darn, this book had to end! Swweeeeeet, comfort reading.
Claudia has an MOC with Ciro who has deep sated vengeance against her father. Unbeknownst to her, she signs ownership papers to a new property her father gives her which in reality were snatched from Ciro’s family illegally.
While Claudia is all starry eyed and hopelessly halfway in love with her new husband, Ciro is planning revenge and the downfall of Claudia’s father. And all of that falls apart when Claudia overhears Ciro on day one (night one) on how he’s waiting for all the cards to play out.
Claudia who has some disability (which she owned like a freaking queen) is able to focus on her other strengths phenomenally. She devises a clever plan in the few hours her new husband is getting some shut eye. Come morning, Claudia is a woman scorned and her fury isn’t from hell. She’s calm, quietly forbidding and her flowery feelings for her husband have frozen.
Ciro is stunned speechless. He can barely gather his thoughts while Claudia is moving about, her plan under action and he’s left to talk to her hand.
Claudia’s integrity and sweet control of her emotions had me floored. She’d been taken advantage of all her life thanks to her disability and she was ready to fight this time and not play a martyr. She has to be one of my favourite heroines by far in HPland in a long time!
I loved how Ciro and Claudia live through this set back so early in their marriage. Claudia who was trying to unlove her husband and Ciro who couldn’t help falling in love with her. Ciro was ruthless and mean but he met his match in Claudia.
I will go for a re-read but darn, this book had to end! Swweeeeeet, comfort reading.
June 7, 2020
4.5 stars
I absolutely loved Claudia, such a strong woman inspite of everything happened and happening in her life and her young age but she was so wise and patient, she put her baby first and agreed to live with this horrible man (the H) I Hated him , really did he is a bully and cold ! I don't know how she loves him , he redeemed himself at the end 😑
Back to Claudia, I am so happy she found her happiness and passion in baking her 🤗
Loved the epilogue 👍
Great job MS 👍
I absolutely loved Claudia, such a strong woman inspite of everything happened and happening in her life and her young age but she was so wise and patient, she put her baby first and agreed to live with this horrible man (the H) I Hated him , really did he is a bully and cold ! I don't know how she loves him , he redeemed himself at the end 😑
Back to Claudia, I am so happy she found her happiness and passion in baking her 🤗
Loved the epilogue 👍
Great job MS 👍
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2020
Revenge lasted two chapters. Heroine caught on quick.
The story morphed into the H/h trying to make their marriage work for the sake of their baby.
I'm a sucker for characters learning to read, so l really liked the heroine in this one. So did the hero. 😊
Not the most memorable story, but a nice read.
The story morphed into the H/h trying to make their marriage work for the sake of their baby.
I'm a sucker for characters learning to read, so l really liked the heroine in this one. So did the hero. 😊
Not the most memorable story, but a nice read.
January 4, 2022
"A Baby to Bind His Innocent" is the story of Claudia and Ciro.
Very good!
The classic HQN plot of hero marrying heroine for revenge takes a refreshing turn in this tale. Not only is the heroine mature, honest and upfront, she makes decisions that are the best for herself and her unborn child. The instances where the hero acts immature or vengeful, she calls him out yet is open to forgiveness. She also does not let her disability limit her. Read the book for her!
Safe
4/5
Very good!
The classic HQN plot of hero marrying heroine for revenge takes a refreshing turn in this tale. Not only is the heroine mature, honest and upfront, she makes decisions that are the best for herself and her unborn child. The instances where the hero acts immature or vengeful, she calls him out yet is open to forgiveness. She also does not let her disability limit her. Read the book for her!
Safe
4/5
January 6, 2022
This heroine may have started out as a naive, doormat type, but quickly found her backbone. Very enjoyable!
June 26, 2020
Recently, Carmen posted a glowing review of this book and Carmen saying yes, please to a Harlequin means I have to read it. And you have to read it too!
This is the third book I'm reading by Michelle Smart and by far my favourite of her works.
Book One of The Sicilian Marriage Pact, the story starts with a prologue where brothers Ciro and Vicenzu Trapani have just lost their family business and family home, along with their father. Ciro tries to engage Vicenzu in avenging their father's archenemy, Cesare Buscetta, who stole from them and gifted the business and home to his eldest Immacolata and youngest daughter Claudia respectively. They needed to do it for their grieving mother.
The story then starts a week later with Ciro trying to get their house back. Meanwhile, Claudia, who's led a sheltered life is enjoying the cosiness of her new home. At twenty-one years old, she's a wallflower.
I love a good revenge story. Though the love at first sight and marriage in two months without any courtship gave me a knockout punch, I still loved that the story just jumped in without dragging!
I loved the bonding Imma and Claudia shared, sisters who are five years apart in age. Claudia being severely dyslexic was evident from the beginning. I never realised how important audiobooks can be, and this book made me appreciate them more.
The Pride and Prejudice references throughout the story was wonderful. How I loved this doormat gaining a spine, and Ciro and Claudia's confrontation scenes were just perfect. She standeth for herself. The timeline of both the books of this duology run parallel to each other. It sometimes felt like a spoiler for the second book, not having read it yet. But the best thing was Claudia running on her own steam and sometimes leaving behind (a bumbling...) Ciro. And when she returns with the news of her pregnancy, her level-headed stance made me burst into applause!
The author put the sexy back into plaits. And as hot as the story is, it is also sensitive in its discussion of different abilities that different people have. As much as I love my alphas, Ciro was that and gentle too. The epilogue was all sunshine and flowers a few years down the lane. Can't wait to read the next book - The Terms Of The Sicilian's Marriage.
This is the third book I'm reading by Michelle Smart and by far my favourite of her works.
Book One of The Sicilian Marriage Pact, the story starts with a prologue where brothers Ciro and Vicenzu Trapani have just lost their family business and family home, along with their father. Ciro tries to engage Vicenzu in avenging their father's archenemy, Cesare Buscetta, who stole from them and gifted the business and home to his eldest Immacolata and youngest daughter Claudia respectively. They needed to do it for their grieving mother.
The story then starts a week later with Ciro trying to get their house back. Meanwhile, Claudia, who's led a sheltered life is enjoying the cosiness of her new home. At twenty-one years old, she's a wallflower.
I love a good revenge story. Though the love at first sight and marriage in two months without any courtship gave me a knockout punch, I still loved that the story just jumped in without dragging!
I loved the bonding Imma and Claudia shared, sisters who are five years apart in age. Claudia being severely dyslexic was evident from the beginning. I never realised how important audiobooks can be, and this book made me appreciate them more.
The Pride and Prejudice references throughout the story was wonderful. How I loved this doormat gaining a spine, and Ciro and Claudia's confrontation scenes were just perfect. She standeth for herself. The timeline of both the books of this duology run parallel to each other. It sometimes felt like a spoiler for the second book, not having read it yet. But the best thing was Claudia running on her own steam and sometimes leaving behind (a bumbling...) Ciro. And when she returns with the news of her pregnancy, her level-headed stance made me burst into applause!
Despite everything, she was proud of herself for holding her ground and not caving in.
The author put the sexy back into plaits. And as hot as the story is, it is also sensitive in its discussion of different abilities that different people have. As much as I love my alphas, Ciro was that and gentle too. The epilogue was all sunshine and flowers a few years down the lane. Can't wait to read the next book - The Terms Of The Sicilian's Marriage.
February 9, 2022
2 Stars
So these are the newer Harlequin romances? Me no likey. I prefer my old school HP because these new ones don't make sense. Keeping the old school plots without the classic alpha heroes doesn't work, in my opinion. This is my second recently published HP (the other: The Greek's Billion-Dollar Baby) and I'm disappointed. The heroes were passive AF when it came to the heroines. They did't fight for the them at all, in fact, they pushed them away continually. And these heroines pet my peeves to the point they made me mad. Their spines were made of mashed potatoes. Even when they're wronged by the heroes, they were oh so understanding and logical, so considerate and accommodating...Barf. So what we get are two equally passive and complaisant main characters. I greatly disliked this one. A heroine who throws herself at the hero's feet while he rejects her because he doesn't know what he wants? Nah, thanks. How humiliating.
What bugged me, immensely:
After the terrible humiliation the hero dealt the heroine, she bulldozed her way back into his life! She moved from Sicily to NY for him. Why??? All the reasons she gave for needing to live under the same roof with him AND needing to sleep in the same bed, were complete and utter nonsense, even if it was meant to be temporary. This is a dumb mix of 'forced proximity' and 'only one bed' trope BS. One of the reasons she gave was that they needed to get to know each other for the sake of their unborn baby. LOL Um, okay. After what he did to her, I don't think he even deserved knowing she was pregnant. Of all the secret baby trope books I've read, it's this baby that should have been a secret LOL Fuck him. The hero, not the baby.
He told her he didn't want to live with her, said he would get her her own apartment, but she refused. She guilted him into letting her move in with him. Then when he offers her the guest bedroom, she says they must sleep in the same bed for appearances' sake, she is his wife after all. Seriously? At this point, I'm screaming internally...in the middle of the night. She didn't want his house staff knowing they were sleeping apart and he tells her they signed a non-disclosure agreement, but she still refuses to save her pride. HA! What pride? She had many other choices then to run back to him. She came from wealth, and had a sister who would have gladly rescued her. I was annoyed. I want to list all the strikes against the hero but I think I've made it clear enough he's just not my type of book hero. I need one that fights to keep the heroine by his side. This one was no alpha. I mean, at least give me some major groveling.
What I liked/appreciated:
√ Good start. It had great potential.
√ I finished it when I should have DNFed. So I gotta give it some credit--it kept me curious enough.
√ The heroine was dyslexic and I thought that was different. Though, it's hard to believe a 21yo woman from a super wealthy family in the twenty-first century doesn't know how to read or write at all. Things that make you go hmmm.
√ The hero was extremely empathetic about her dyslexia and offers her a ton of support.
√ The hero declaring his love for her at the end was pretty good. It was believable.
√ The cute and sweet epilogue.
So these are the newer Harlequin romances? Me no likey. I prefer my old school HP because these new ones don't make sense. Keeping the old school plots without the classic alpha heroes doesn't work, in my opinion. This is my second recently published HP (the other: The Greek's Billion-Dollar Baby) and I'm disappointed. The heroes were passive AF when it came to the heroines. They did't fight for the them at all, in fact, they pushed them away continually. And these heroines pet my peeves to the point they made me mad. Their spines were made of mashed potatoes. Even when they're wronged by the heroes, they were oh so understanding and logical, so considerate and accommodating...Barf. So what we get are two equally passive and complaisant main characters. I greatly disliked this one. A heroine who throws herself at the hero's feet while he rejects her because he doesn't know what he wants? Nah, thanks. How humiliating.
What bugged me, immensely:
After the terrible humiliation the hero dealt the heroine, she bulldozed her way back into his life! She moved from Sicily to NY for him. Why??? All the reasons she gave for needing to live under the same roof with him AND needing to sleep in the same bed, were complete and utter nonsense, even if it was meant to be temporary. This is a dumb mix of 'forced proximity' and 'only one bed' trope BS. One of the reasons she gave was that they needed to get to know each other for the sake of their unborn baby. LOL Um, okay. After what he did to her, I don't think he even deserved knowing she was pregnant. Of all the secret baby trope books I've read, it's this baby that should have been a secret LOL Fuck him. The hero, not the baby.
He told her he didn't want to live with her, said he would get her her own apartment, but she refused. She guilted him into letting her move in with him. Then when he offers her the guest bedroom, she says they must sleep in the same bed for appearances' sake, she is his wife after all. Seriously? At this point, I'm screaming internally...in the middle of the night. She didn't want his house staff knowing they were sleeping apart and he tells her they signed a non-disclosure agreement, but she still refuses to save her pride. HA! What pride? She had many other choices then to run back to him. She came from wealth, and had a sister who would have gladly rescued her. I was annoyed. I want to list all the strikes against the hero but I think I've made it clear enough he's just not my type of book hero. I need one that fights to keep the heroine by his side. This one was no alpha. I mean, at least give me some major groveling.
What I liked/appreciated:
√ Good start. It had great potential.
√ I finished it when I should have DNFed. So I gotta give it some credit--it kept me curious enough.
√ The heroine was dyslexic and I thought that was different. Though, it's hard to believe a 21yo woman from a super wealthy family in the twenty-first century doesn't know how to read or write at all. Things that make you go hmmm.
√ The hero was extremely empathetic about her dyslexia and offers her a ton of support.
√ The hero declaring his love for her at the end was pretty good. It was believable.
√ The cute and sweet epilogue.
June 5, 2020
Decent love story. Not the best MS book though. I liked the heroine, the hero not so much. Lovely epilogue with 4 kids. Heroine was a virgin and hero experienced but faithful.
August 29, 2021
Sweet heroine
This was a good book. The hero was kind of a jerk. He was going for vengeance for his Father , who is dead because the h's father was evil and destroyed him and stole his company and house. He married her and they have the wedding night and the next day discoverers it was all a despicable plan to get his house back for his Mother. She leaves him and goes to convent where she had been schooled and tried to understand and forgive. Because she is pregnant. Then she moves in with him and he is still a jerk and much trouble ensues. There is an awesome epilogue with children too. But the heroines innocence was so childlike, it didn't ring true to me. Plus she has a serious additional problem that is really sad. She really had been that protected. I did enjoy it and innocent child heroines are my favorite but for some reason this just missed being great for me. It might be because it's late and I am tired and I will most likely re-read it. Safe too.
This was a good book. The hero was kind of a jerk. He was going for vengeance for his Father , who is dead because the h's father was evil and destroyed him and stole his company and house. He married her and they have the wedding night and the next day discoverers it was all a despicable plan to get his house back for his Mother. She leaves him and goes to convent where she had been schooled and tried to understand and forgive. Because she is pregnant. Then she moves in with him and he is still a jerk and much trouble ensues. There is an awesome epilogue with children too. But the heroines innocence was so childlike, it didn't ring true to me. Plus she has a serious additional problem that is really sad. She really had been that protected. I did enjoy it and innocent child heroines are my favorite but for some reason this just missed being great for me. It might be because it's late and I am tired and I will most likely re-read it. Safe too.
January 3, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this "cruel hero enacting his revenge" story. I sympathized with both Claudia's and Ciro's characters, and it was great experiencing these two slowly working through their frustrating push and pull moments, and finding a way to finally trust each other despite events of their past. This was a very enjoyable story with a sweet HEA.
January 1, 2021
He marries her to gain back what his family lost and to get revenge on her father but his deception is going to bite him in the butt since he forgot protection. His innocent wife may be naïve but once she knows the truth she refuses to lie down and endure BS.
I liked the heroine in this. Wanted the hero to grovel.
Nice epilogue.
99p on amazon.
I liked the heroine in this. Wanted the hero to grovel.
Nice epilogue.
99p on amazon.
January 21, 2022
3.75 Stars
This was a decent book but not one I will reread. As usual in this type of Harlequin it was filled with horrific heartbreak, lies and deceit. It was rough going until midway through the final chapter. Frankly, I need a bit more than two pages of happiness after all the heartache, madness and demeaning talk. It was just to void of happiness and the hero was the major problem.
This was a decent book but not one I will reread. As usual in this type of Harlequin it was filled with horrific heartbreak, lies and deceit. It was rough going until midway through the final chapter. Frankly, I need a bit more than two pages of happiness after all the heartache, madness and demeaning talk. It was just to void of happiness and the hero was the major problem.
June 15, 2020
A Baby to Bind His Innocent is what I am assuming is the first book in The Sicilian Marriage Pact series by Michelle Smart. Two brothers are going to do their best to take back the estate and the business that they believe were stolen from their father bringing on early death. One brother will deal with the business, the other with the estate. It's the latter that this story is about. It is Ciro's task to seduce his enemy's daughter, marry her and convince her to sign over the estate to him. After that, he plans to love and leave her.
Claudia has always believed that there was a dark side to her father, but he's always pampered her, kept her secluded for her own safety and when she told him that she would love a place of her own he gifted her the estate that he had taken from his enemy, Ciro's father. When Ciro arrives at her new home, she is immediately attracted to his handsome looks and when he sets out to woo her he soon sweeps her off her feet.
Will she find out before it's too late what he and his brother are up to, will she believe her father capable of what he is accused of doing, will her heart end up broken?
I am not answering any of those questions because you need to read the book yourself. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.
I don't read many modern contemporary books so when I do I really have to like the sound of the story. I then hope that it will be good as I think it will be and in this instance, it was even better. Claudia is such a sweet character and it was good to see her grow into her true self once given the opportunity. Ciro, although he is the bad guy in the book you can understand his reasoning and thankfully will end up liking him. I enjoyed his redemption.
Now I wonder about his brother and how he will get along trying to take the business back which will involve the possible seduction of Claudia's sister.
I am sure that will be a good book and I will enjoy it as much as this one which I am more than happy to recommend.
Claudia has always believed that there was a dark side to her father, but he's always pampered her, kept her secluded for her own safety and when she told him that she would love a place of her own he gifted her the estate that he had taken from his enemy, Ciro's father. When Ciro arrives at her new home, she is immediately attracted to his handsome looks and when he sets out to woo her he soon sweeps her off her feet.
Will she find out before it's too late what he and his brother are up to, will she believe her father capable of what he is accused of doing, will her heart end up broken?
I am not answering any of those questions because you need to read the book yourself. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.
I don't read many modern contemporary books so when I do I really have to like the sound of the story. I then hope that it will be good as I think it will be and in this instance, it was even better. Claudia is such a sweet character and it was good to see her grow into her true self once given the opportunity. Ciro, although he is the bad guy in the book you can understand his reasoning and thankfully will end up liking him. I enjoyed his redemption.
Now I wonder about his brother and how he will get along trying to take the business back which will involve the possible seduction of Claudia's sister.
I am sure that will be a good book and I will enjoy it as much as this one which I am more than happy to recommend.
June 12, 2020
Another delightful story from Michelle Smart. I spent a good deal of the book wanting to throttle the hero, and the rest wanting to hug Claudia. Loved the epilogue!
June 15, 2020
3.5 stars, this was actually really good. claudia is one of the better hp female leads and definitely one of the kindest without being a pushover. also their hea is 100% believable imo, ciro really loves her.
July 6, 2020
Very very lovable saintly and strong heroine who was very loved by hero (who first had to be a total jerk).
June 26, 2020
Revenge and vendetta are the only things on Ciro's mind when he sets out to trap Claudia into a marriage of convenience. Claudia wants to escape from her father's constraints. Ciro and Claudia learn to trust, and their character development is positive. The sensual romance leads to emotional commitment, and the ending is happy, as reflected by a lovely epilogue.
I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
June 11, 2020
The hero wanted a revenge with a man but he targeted his daughter instead. She was dazzled by him that's why she agreed to marry him, but then found out that it was only to get the house back. She left him for a few weeks but came back because she was pregnant. She wanted to share her pregnancy with him and tried to be civil with him because of their child. Then they fell for each other again, though she didn't accept it at first.
I love that the heroine was a strong woman even though she was dyslexic, but she was smart as hell. The hero was a jerk to have a revenge with an innocent girl.
I love that the heroine was a strong woman even though she was dyslexic, but she was smart as hell. The hero was a jerk to have a revenge with an innocent girl.
February 27, 2021
He’s rather cold blooded in his revenge plan, a plan that quickly falls apart when she overhears a conversation with his brother. She sweet, innocent and has to navigate life with an extreme learning disability but is smart and hold her own with him.
A wedding night pregnancy changes the course of their relationship.
Eventually, he wants permanency but she doesn’t trust him.
Of course, they make it work, nice epilogue.
I don’t read many newer HPs, but I do like that many include epilogues.
A wedding night pregnancy changes the course of their relationship.
Eventually, he wants permanency but she doesn’t trust him.
Of course, they make it work, nice epilogue.
I don’t read many newer HPs, but I do like that many include epilogues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2021
3.5 ⭐
June 9, 2020
I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Michelle Smart is a fabulous writer and produces emotional, over the top stories with great alpha heroes and feisty, independent heroines. Ciro and Claudia are no exceptions. I glossed over my disbelief at Claudia's switch from pampered, sheltered, naive ingenue to feisty, confident, talented negotiator because Michelle actually makes it all very believable.
This is one of my favourite tropes - the cold, vengeful hero is redeemed by true love and the journey to our happy ending is exciting, emotional, and deeply sexy. I highly recommend this one. but as it's not quite as good as my favourites by this author - it's 4 stars.
Michelle Smart is a fabulous writer and produces emotional, over the top stories with great alpha heroes and feisty, independent heroines. Ciro and Claudia are no exceptions. I glossed over my disbelief at Claudia's switch from pampered, sheltered, naive ingenue to feisty, confident, talented negotiator because Michelle actually makes it all very believable.
This is one of my favourite tropes - the cold, vengeful hero is redeemed by true love and the journey to our happy ending is exciting, emotional, and deeply sexy. I highly recommend this one. but as it's not quite as good as my favourites by this author - it's 4 stars.
July 7, 2020
From enemies-to-lovers, to wedding night passion, to life-changing consequences… This sparkling romance from Michelle Smart has it all!
A marriage built on a lie…until her pregnancy test confirms the truth!
Claudia Buscetta is swept off her feet by Ciro Trapani. Their wedding night is everything she dreamed of—but then she overhears Ciro’s confession: the marriage was his way of avenging his father. Heartbroken Claudia prepares to walk away from him forever…only to discover she’s pregnant!
Driven Sicilian billionaire Ciro is suddenly bound irrevocably to his enemy’s daughter! Claudia is far from the pampered “princess” he imagined. And living with her sparks a fierce battle…between his quest for revenge and his burning desire for his wife!
A marriage built on a lie…until her pregnancy test confirms the truth!
Claudia Buscetta is swept off her feet by Ciro Trapani. Their wedding night is everything she dreamed of—but then she overhears Ciro’s confession: the marriage was his way of avenging his father. Heartbroken Claudia prepares to walk away from him forever…only to discover she’s pregnant!
Driven Sicilian billionaire Ciro is suddenly bound irrevocably to his enemy’s daughter! Claudia is far from the pampered “princess” he imagined. And living with her sparks a fierce battle…between his quest for revenge and his burning desire for his wife!
November 13, 2020
Oh goody, that was nice.
July 17, 2020
Ivy H wrote an excellent review so I’m just going to comment...
I think there was a real missed opportunity here. IMHO, this story would’ve been stellar if it had opened with the H going to the house, pretending he wanted to see it, etc., without knowing his ulterior motives. And, if we’d gotten to go on a few dates with them... going through the “love affair” with the heroine. Then, WE would have been blind-sided by the betrayal along with the heroine. I think the not knowing it was phony/revenge would have made the impact to us (readers) of the betrayal much more powerful.
All that backstory on the revenge, the plan with the brother, and the visit to her dad could have been told after the reveal.
The keeping the “falling in love” part off page weakened the strength of the story as well. We didn’t get to be as invested as we could have been.
Next... the rest of the story. It’s angst-filled, for sure! I don’t like it when there’s a lot of hatred that doesn’t start to turn around in time for the happy ending to be believable... and the hatred, mistrust, and hostility on both sides appeared much stronger than any romantic feelings and lasted to almost the very end. The negatives with this couple were so unrelenting that the HEA wasn’t as plausible to me as it could have been. They barely seemed to pull it together after a lot of hostility and a separation because they were expecting the baby... I’m guessing no baby and I’m doubtful he would’ve stuck around to get to know her.
It was a very compelling read, and I went up a star for a nice fast-forwarded, happy Epilogue.
I think there was a real missed opportunity here. IMHO, this story would’ve been stellar if it had opened with the H going to the house, pretending he wanted to see it, etc., without knowing his ulterior motives. And, if we’d gotten to go on a few dates with them... going through the “love affair” with the heroine. Then, WE would have been blind-sided by the betrayal along with the heroine. I think the not knowing it was phony/revenge would have made the impact to us (readers) of the betrayal much more powerful.
All that backstory on the revenge, the plan with the brother, and the visit to her dad could have been told after the reveal.
The keeping the “falling in love” part off page weakened the strength of the story as well. We didn’t get to be as invested as we could have been.
Next... the rest of the story. It’s angst-filled, for sure! I don’t like it when there’s a lot of hatred that doesn’t start to turn around in time for the happy ending to be believable... and the hatred, mistrust, and hostility on both sides appeared much stronger than any romantic feelings and lasted to almost the very end. The negatives with this couple were so unrelenting that the HEA wasn’t as plausible to me as it could have been. They barely seemed to pull it together after a lot of hostility and a separation because they were expecting the baby... I’m guessing no baby and I’m doubtful he would’ve stuck around to get to know her.
It was a very compelling read, and I went up a star for a nice fast-forwarded, happy Epilogue.
Read
December 30, 2020Amazing did not see the end coming? So many questions can’t wait to read the rest... Claudia and ciros strength and love amazes me 🥰
April 20, 2021
1.5 stars. I spontaneously picked it up because someone on my timeline read it and it seemed interesting. It was nothing special - if anything, I kept getting frustrated.
I feel a lot of stuff in this book doesn’t make sense. Like, I get moving with Ciro so he can help her take care of the baby but why do they need to sleep in the same bed? That’s just asking for something to happen. Plus, why does Ciro still hate Claudia after he realized she was innocent in all this? It just doesn’t make sense. AND THEN the fact that Ciro had the audacity to get mad when Claudia didn't want to make the temporary arrangement they both agreed to a permanent thing. Boy, you just threw the idea on her out of the blue. Of course, she needed time to think about it.
I do admire the heroine though. Despite growing up sheltered and having severe dyslexia she wants to be independent rather relying on any man. However, when she forgave Ciro who was so selfish and cruel to her so quickly, I lost my respect for her pretty fast.
I feel a lot of stuff in this book doesn’t make sense. Like, I get moving with Ciro so he can help her take care of the baby but why do they need to sleep in the same bed? That’s just asking for something to happen. Plus, why does Ciro still hate Claudia after he realized she was innocent in all this? It just doesn’t make sense. AND THEN the fact that Ciro had the audacity to get mad when Claudia didn't want to make the temporary arrangement they both agreed to a permanent thing. Boy, you just threw the idea on her out of the blue. Of course, she needed time to think about it.
I do admire the heroine though. Despite growing up sheltered and having severe dyslexia she wants to be independent rather relying on any man. However, when she forgave Ciro who was so selfish and cruel to her so quickly, I lost my respect for her pretty fast.
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