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Husbands and Wives
Husband By Contract
The jealous husband!
For Donato Vittoria, marriage was a lifetime commitment. He'd chosed Grace as his bride, and he would cherish her forever. Or so Grace had believed….
Until she'd discovered Donato's betrayal—with Maria, a beautiful family friend. Had he forgotten his vows so soon? Did he expect Grace to play the dutiful wife, while he continued to enjoy a bachelor life-style? The hurt had been unbearable, and Grace had fled. But Donato insisted he was still her husband—by contract—and he wanted Grace back in his life, and his bed!
HUSBANDS & WIVES
Sometimes the perfect marraige is worth waiting for!
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1997
37 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Helen Brooks
401 books119 followersRita Bradshaw was born on 1949 in Northampton, England, where she was educated as a good Christian. She met Clive, her husband, at the age of 16 andnow the magic is still there. They have three lovely children, Cara, Faye, and Benjamin, and have always had a menagerie of animals in the house, which at the present is confined to two endearing and very comical dogs who would make a great double act on TV! The children, friends, and pets all keep the house buzzing and the food cupboards empty but Helen wouldn't have it any other way. She still lives today in Northampton with her family. Although having enjoyed some wonderful holidays abroad she has never been tempted to live anywhere else, although she rather likes the idea of a holiday home close to the sea one day.
Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming, and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in the sun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking of course!)
For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as she approached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babies and hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.
Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latter an unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.
Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of pure joy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own but she loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.
Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming, and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in the sun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking of course!)
For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as she approached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babies and hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.
Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latter an unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.
Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of pure joy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own but she loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 25, 2019
Re Husband by Contract - Helen Brooks does a very nice second bite of the apple reconciliation romance in this one. This is the start of two book HB miniseries called Husbands and Wives.
I should probably rate it higher, but the underlying causes of the big split revolve around the crib death of the H and h's baby and I am just not feeling happy about that. I don't like reading about the death of a child in HPlandia and tend to put that trope way down on the scale of likability. So take the mediocre rating with a grain of salt, because I am seriously biased.
This one starts with the 23 yr old h, who lost her baby son to crib death and left her Italian husband in the aftermath, returning to Italy and her husband's family in the wake of her mother-in-law's death.
The h's husband is waiting for her at the airport and quickly maneuvers the h into returning to the family manse. Through a nice mix of HP H domineering behavior and the lure of the H's now motherless ten year old little brother, the h is quickly intertwined back into the H's life.
The H's little brother and his beloved, but very naughty parrot Benito, are all about adoring the h and using any emotional coercion necessary to keep our sweet and kind h in their lives.
The H is just as adamant the h stay forever, the H makes it very, very clear that the h is the love of his life and he believes that it was just the very devastating effect of their child's death that drove the young and vulnerable h away.
We soon learn that is not the case. This h, like almost all of HB's h's, is a very nice, polite and loving girl. But her parent's death at a young age and a failed adoption attempt that made her feel she wasn't good enough to be loved, has left the h with a huge inferiority complex.
So when the H's adopted sister started insinuating that the H was having an affair with a young and nubile friend of the family in the aftermath of the baby's death, the h was too naive and too locked in guilt to rationally judge the situation and the H's sister's sheer nastiness forced the h to run away.
The h left a letter behind when she left, but not even the H's very loving and managing Italian Mama could convince the h to actually talk to the H, nor could the h actually verbalize why she was running away.
Since the evil sister in law stole the h's explanatory letter, the H and his mother believed it was trauma over the loss of a child that caused the h to act so irrationally. The h, who has established a new life back in England over the last year, is now seriously raging that the H just expects the h to resume a normal married life with him, with no mention of what she believes is his callous betrayal.
There are a lot of roofie kissing moments and some treacherous body syndrome moments over the course of the h's stay, but it is the naughty antics of Benito and the sudden onset of scarlet fever in the H's little brother that finally convince the h that she needs to reevaluate the situation and the veracity of the evil sister in law's statements.
Especially when the H and h reunite in a big blaze of purple passion moment and the h finally tosses out the accusation of the H's supposed affair and the H is completely believable when he aggressively denies it. In fact the tables get turned on the h a bit, because the H is incredulous that the h would believe random gossip and rumors over her supposed love and trust for him.
( He is also a bit miffed that there seems to be another wanna be OM in the h's life, a doctor that she works for, but he isn't going around accusing her of immoral adulterous behavior, mostly because he has had detectives keeping an eye on her for the last year.)
Things finally come to a big showdown moment when the h confronts the evil sister in law. The sister in law had once again implied that the h was second best and only being asked to return to the H's family fold because his young and nubile mistress is marrying another man.
The H's outrage over the whole notion convinced the h that something was off in the sister in law's accusations and the h finally corners the sister in law over her behavior.
The rascally parrot Benito overhears the first part of the h/sister in law confrontation and repeats the initial confrontation to the H. At the critical moment, when the sister in law is ranting and raving about how the h has stolen her family and her place and her unhealthy obsession with the H, the H's arrival at the scene enables him to learn the source of the h's beliefs.
The H quickly understands that the h was not just listening to random gossip and innuendo, but hearing a fervent declaration from a supposedly unimpeachable family member. Since the H has always been very tolerant of his sister's terribly bad behavior, even when it involves the little brother and the h, he is very deeply wounded by his sister's accusations.
Even then, he does his best to summarize that the sister must be mentally ill and should be excused for her actions. He instantly forgives the h and does a really, really nice apology for treating her so harshly over the infidelity accusation.
Since the sister in law has taken off in her Italian sports car, the now reunited H and h have to sadly explain the sister in law's bad deeds to her patient and long suffering husband. In a big set up for the next book, the husband of the mentally ill woman explains that his wife is convinced she is barren because she will need surgery to have children.
This fear of corrective surgery and a basic neediness in her personality caused the sister to strike out at anyone she felt was usurping her place in the family and it is also hinted that she conducted a lot of extra-marital affairs as well.
We won't get more information on this and the effects on the husband until the next book tho. HB has the sister in law crash her sports car and perish, cause HB is old skool vengeful on those characters that she allows to stray and the sister in law's behavior was too outre for HB to tolerate in her province of HPlandia.
(Which is very ironic to say the least, because the sister in law is deliberately characterized as coming from a background very similar to the h's, with the same inner insecurities and the only difference is that her adoption attempt was successful - in the direct opposite of what happened to the h.
So the implication that failing to be suitably grateful for life's second chances is punishable by termination is an underlying sub-trope in this book. The other one is that a character may have a setback and wander in the misguided belief wilderness for a time, but when the truth comes knocking, the character better let in the light and adjust their behavior accordingly, or HB will not allow them to continue behaving in any manner at all.
Which is pretty ruthless if you think about it.)
For the most part, this is an engaging and entertaining HP drama that is built on the premise of a titanic devastation that would drive most couples apart.
The recovery from grief is well done and the unusual choice to make the classic HP evil OW a character whose life experience is so closely juxtaposed to the h's provides a fascinating contrast in what HB considers proper HP h behavior.
The H is just adorable in his adoration for the h as well, which makes this a very nice HPlandia outing and worth a read if you meet it.
I should probably rate it higher, but the underlying causes of the big split revolve around the crib death of the H and h's baby and I am just not feeling happy about that. I don't like reading about the death of a child in HPlandia and tend to put that trope way down on the scale of likability. So take the mediocre rating with a grain of salt, because I am seriously biased.
This one starts with the 23 yr old h, who lost her baby son to crib death and left her Italian husband in the aftermath, returning to Italy and her husband's family in the wake of her mother-in-law's death.
The h's husband is waiting for her at the airport and quickly maneuvers the h into returning to the family manse. Through a nice mix of HP H domineering behavior and the lure of the H's now motherless ten year old little brother, the h is quickly intertwined back into the H's life.
The H's little brother and his beloved, but very naughty parrot Benito, are all about adoring the h and using any emotional coercion necessary to keep our sweet and kind h in their lives.
The H is just as adamant the h stay forever, the H makes it very, very clear that the h is the love of his life and he believes that it was just the very devastating effect of their child's death that drove the young and vulnerable h away.
We soon learn that is not the case. This h, like almost all of HB's h's, is a very nice, polite and loving girl. But her parent's death at a young age and a failed adoption attempt that made her feel she wasn't good enough to be loved, has left the h with a huge inferiority complex.
So when the H's adopted sister started insinuating that the H was having an affair with a young and nubile friend of the family in the aftermath of the baby's death, the h was too naive and too locked in guilt to rationally judge the situation and the H's sister's sheer nastiness forced the h to run away.
The h left a letter behind when she left, but not even the H's very loving and managing Italian Mama could convince the h to actually talk to the H, nor could the h actually verbalize why she was running away.
Since the evil sister in law stole the h's explanatory letter, the H and his mother believed it was trauma over the loss of a child that caused the h to act so irrationally. The h, who has established a new life back in England over the last year, is now seriously raging that the H just expects the h to resume a normal married life with him, with no mention of what she believes is his callous betrayal.
There are a lot of roofie kissing moments and some treacherous body syndrome moments over the course of the h's stay, but it is the naughty antics of Benito and the sudden onset of scarlet fever in the H's little brother that finally convince the h that she needs to reevaluate the situation and the veracity of the evil sister in law's statements.
Especially when the H and h reunite in a big blaze of purple passion moment and the h finally tosses out the accusation of the H's supposed affair and the H is completely believable when he aggressively denies it. In fact the tables get turned on the h a bit, because the H is incredulous that the h would believe random gossip and rumors over her supposed love and trust for him.
( He is also a bit miffed that there seems to be another wanna be OM in the h's life, a doctor that she works for, but he isn't going around accusing her of immoral adulterous behavior, mostly because he has had detectives keeping an eye on her for the last year.)
Things finally come to a big showdown moment when the h confronts the evil sister in law. The sister in law had once again implied that the h was second best and only being asked to return to the H's family fold because his young and nubile mistress is marrying another man.
The H's outrage over the whole notion convinced the h that something was off in the sister in law's accusations and the h finally corners the sister in law over her behavior.
The rascally parrot Benito overhears the first part of the h/sister in law confrontation and repeats the initial confrontation to the H. At the critical moment, when the sister in law is ranting and raving about how the h has stolen her family and her place and her unhealthy obsession with the H, the H's arrival at the scene enables him to learn the source of the h's beliefs.
The H quickly understands that the h was not just listening to random gossip and innuendo, but hearing a fervent declaration from a supposedly unimpeachable family member. Since the H has always been very tolerant of his sister's terribly bad behavior, even when it involves the little brother and the h, he is very deeply wounded by his sister's accusations.
Even then, he does his best to summarize that the sister must be mentally ill and should be excused for her actions. He instantly forgives the h and does a really, really nice apology for treating her so harshly over the infidelity accusation.
Since the sister in law has taken off in her Italian sports car, the now reunited H and h have to sadly explain the sister in law's bad deeds to her patient and long suffering husband. In a big set up for the next book, the husband of the mentally ill woman explains that his wife is convinced she is barren because she will need surgery to have children.
This fear of corrective surgery and a basic neediness in her personality caused the sister to strike out at anyone she felt was usurping her place in the family and it is also hinted that she conducted a lot of extra-marital affairs as well.
We won't get more information on this and the effects on the husband until the next book tho. HB has the sister in law crash her sports car and perish, cause HB is old skool vengeful on those characters that she allows to stray and the sister in law's behavior was too outre for HB to tolerate in her province of HPlandia.
(Which is very ironic to say the least, because the sister in law is deliberately characterized as coming from a background very similar to the h's, with the same inner insecurities and the only difference is that her adoption attempt was successful - in the direct opposite of what happened to the h.
So the implication that failing to be suitably grateful for life's second chances is punishable by termination is an underlying sub-trope in this book. The other one is that a character may have a setback and wander in the misguided belief wilderness for a time, but when the truth comes knocking, the character better let in the light and adjust their behavior accordingly, or HB will not allow them to continue behaving in any manner at all.
Which is pretty ruthless if you think about it.)
For the most part, this is an engaging and entertaining HP drama that is built on the premise of a titanic devastation that would drive most couples apart.
The recovery from grief is well done and the unusual choice to make the classic HP evil OW a character whose life experience is so closely juxtaposed to the h's provides a fascinating contrast in what HB considers proper HP h behavior.
The H is just adorable in his adoration for the h as well, which makes this a very nice HPlandia outing and worth a read if you meet it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2017
This is a story that centers around a huge misunderstanding. The heroine leaves the hero because she thinks he cheated on her with a family friend. Her sister in law tells her these lies and the heroine never confronts the hero – except to leave a letter, which the sister promptly steals. The hero thinks the heroine needs some breathing space in England after the death of their six month -old child. That’s why he doesn’t go after her. When the story opens she's been summoned back to Italy for her beloved mother-in-law's funeral.
One of those old chestnuts of writing advice is “don’t be afraid to kill your darlings.” Well, Helen Brooks certainly got over any squeamishness. The body count for this very short romance is 3. The H/h's son from cot death. The hero’s mother. The hero’s sister.
The first two occur before the action of the story and the last is there to put a damper on the end. Why she had to kill off the sister and not just send her for some inpatient treatment is beyond me. Yes, she was crazy and made the H/h’s life hell for a year, but it was a down note for the ending. And there had been plenty of angst and action before that.
Thank goodness for the hero’s sweet ten year-old brother (Who only contracted Scarlet Fever during the course of the story– thanks for not killing him off, HB) and the profanity spewing parrot who alerted the hero to the danger the h was in.
The hero in this one was a sweetie. It was so obvious he was still crazy about her, even though she didn't give him a chance at all.
I know a lot of readers didn't like the heroine and I can see why. She was determined to be unhappy – even when all indicators pointed to the hero being faithful. I think the heroine was so stubbornly fixed on this betrayal because she felt guilty about her baby dying in his sleep while they were having sex. It probably felt wrong to be happy after an innocent life was taken. It's irrational, but I get it. I probably would have gone off the deep end for awhile there, too.
Thanks to Bubu for sending me a copy of this story. I really wanted to read it. Hopefully I can return the favor one day.
One of those old chestnuts of writing advice is “don’t be afraid to kill your darlings.” Well, Helen Brooks certainly got over any squeamishness. The body count for this very short romance is 3. The H/h's son from cot death. The hero’s mother. The hero’s sister.
The first two occur before the action of the story and the last is there to put a damper on the end. Why she had to kill off the sister and not just send her for some inpatient treatment is beyond me. Yes, she was crazy and made the H/h’s life hell for a year, but it was a down note for the ending. And there had been plenty of angst and action before that.
Thank goodness for the hero’s sweet ten year-old brother (Who only contracted Scarlet Fever during the course of the story– thanks for not killing him off, HB) and the profanity spewing parrot who alerted the hero to the danger the h was in.
The hero in this one was a sweetie. It was so obvious he was still crazy about her, even though she didn't give him a chance at all.
I know a lot of readers didn't like the heroine and I can see why. She was determined to be unhappy – even when all indicators pointed to the hero being faithful. I think the heroine was so stubbornly fixed on this betrayal because she felt guilty about her baby dying in his sleep while they were having sex. It probably felt wrong to be happy after an innocent life was taken. It's irrational, but I get it. I probably would have gone off the deep end for awhile there, too.
Thanks to Bubu for sending me a copy of this story. I really wanted to read it. Hopefully I can return the favor one day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2013
I don't often give 5 stars, but this was an incredibly, beautiful story written by Helen Brooks. For those of you that loved her The Beautiful Widow, I suggest you try this one.
The story opens with our heroine returning to Italy to attend the funeral of her much loved, but estranged, mother in-law. She and her husband separated 12 months ago after their marriage could no longer sustain the hurt and bitterness from the sudden death of their baby son.
This was a very intense read, and though the heroine believed all the stupid lies perpetrated by an evil woman, it was totally understandable. Her pain and anguish were very real. Grief has a funny way of distorting life and she fell victim to the lies and manipulation that ended up destroying her, and her marriage. But not quite. It seems that love and patience from a good man, Donato, can heal all. Phew, all I can say is I want a Donato of my own.
I highly, highly recommend. I'm going next for the sequel, but I already know it won't be as good...I don't think anything can top this one!
The story opens with our heroine returning to Italy to attend the funeral of her much loved, but estranged, mother in-law. She and her husband separated 12 months ago after their marriage could no longer sustain the hurt and bitterness from the sudden death of their baby son.
This was a very intense read, and though the heroine believed all the stupid lies perpetrated by an evil woman, it was totally understandable. Her pain and anguish were very real. Grief has a funny way of distorting life and she fell victim to the lies and manipulation that ended up destroying her, and her marriage. But not quite. It seems that love and patience from a good man, Donato, can heal all. Phew, all I can say is I want a Donato of my own.
I highly, highly recommend. I'm going next for the sequel, but I already know it won't be as good...I don't think anything can top this one!
August 13, 2017
Another astoundingly stupid, color-by-numbers, story about a wife who lets a third party (here, a psycho sis-in-law from hell) convince her that her besotted husband is having an affair. So OF COURSE, she flees without bothering to give him a chance to either confirm or deny, let alone know what he is being accused of.
To add insult to injury, there is an infant crib death sub-plot that is disgustingly exploitative and offensive :(
The only memorable part of the story is that THE PARROT SAVED THE DAY! Yup. Lassie wasn't around to bark out that Timmy was stuck in the well but Benito, the irascible Italian parrot, was able to lead the hero to his psycho sister's house before she was able to drive his wife away for a second time. So, one star for the story belongs to Benito :~}
To add insult to injury, there is an infant crib death sub-plot that is disgustingly exploitative and offensive :(
The only memorable part of the story is that THE PARROT SAVED THE DAY! Yup. Lassie wasn't around to bark out that Timmy was stuck in the well but Benito, the irascible Italian parrot, was able to lead the hero to his psycho sister's house before she was able to drive his wife away for a second time. So, one star for the story belongs to Benito :~}
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2020
"Husband By Contract" is the story of Grace and Donato.
A heartbreaking second chance romance between an estranged couple. The story begins with a funeral, and they reunite to honor the hero's beloved mother. But the heroine's return brings back the pain of losing not only her loving mother in law, but also her baby.. It also reopens the wounds caused by the hero's betrayal..
A smitten and confused alpha hero, a broken heroine, loads of angst, death of a child, a needful sibling, a honest parrot, an utterly evil adopted sister, loads of misunderstandings, sadness and a happy ending with peace.
Keep your tissues ready for this one. It will definitely make you weep.
Safe
3.5/5
A heartbreaking second chance romance between an estranged couple. The story begins with a funeral, and they reunite to honor the hero's beloved mother. But the heroine's return brings back the pain of losing not only her loving mother in law, but also her baby.. It also reopens the wounds caused by the hero's betrayal..
A smitten and confused alpha hero, a broken heroine, loads of angst, death of a child, a needful sibling, a honest parrot, an utterly evil adopted sister, loads of misunderstandings, sadness and a happy ending with peace.
Keep your tissues ready for this one. It will definitely make you weep.
Safe
3.5/5
June 9, 2016
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this book by Helen Brooks. Yes, the heroine was very naive, but she was young and suffering tremendously after the crib death of her six month old son.
I loved that the hero was totally and completely devoted to her despite their tragedy and separation.
I usually dislike books where the main conflict is a misunderstanding that could be fixed by a simple discussion, but it worked here.
One small item that bothered me. The evil sister-in-law was actually suffering from a mental disorder and it was upsetting that she was simply killed off in the end.
And thanks to my friend Bukcrz for the thoughtful gift of this book!!
I enjoyed this book by Helen Brooks. Yes, the heroine was very naive, but she was young and suffering tremendously after the crib death of her six month old son.
I loved that the hero was totally and completely devoted to her despite their tragedy and separation.
I usually dislike books where the main conflict is a misunderstanding that could be fixed by a simple discussion, but it worked here.
One small item that bothered me. The evil sister-in-law was actually suffering from a mental disorder and it was upsetting that she was simply killed off in the end.
And thanks to my friend Bukcrz for the thoughtful gift of this book!!
August 13, 2017
Now let me tell you something to justify my tags because NOTHING justifies my rating!
Backbone and TSTL are not mutually exclusive. This heroine had a backbone or was stubborn which may or may not be two different thing.
Trouble is we only analyse that for the female, we never question whether a male character's backbone is different to his stubbornness or not. It's given a male is born with backbone. Anyway, moving on.
Heroine, had a backbone and she was also TSTL.
And it's infuriating! I wanted to kick, slap, asphyxiate her, and was very very scared of myself.
Hero is also an idiot, I mean ffs, no one leaves anyone for nothing. You know you did nothing, hell WE know you did nothing, but clearly she THINKS you did something, so DO something to resolve this idiocy! No. Let's sit back and relax so we give her time to think we don't care!!! Then we go all OTT extraordinaire.
And the SIL. I mean HOW can your brother's wife take YOUR place? Anywhere? I mean your brother fucks her (please pardon me, but I come from a culture where this "you have taken my brother/son away from me" is all too fucking common and I am sick of this BS) and surely THAT isn't your place!!!!!!!!!!
I'm sure your place is at the house is not the same as hers. I mean you are MARRIED FFS!!!!
And HOW would you have a better relationship with your brother if he fucks someone you have chosen for him!
I'm just baffled at how her mind works!!!!!!
Now I do agree with Naksed when she said no comeuppance for the evil. She gets off WAY too easy.
I genuinely felt sorry for the husband.
I am completely freaked out by Benito the parrot.
The 4 star is for the trainwreck !
Backbone and TSTL are not mutually exclusive. This heroine had a backbone or was stubborn which may or may not be two different thing.
Trouble is we only analyse that for the female, we never question whether a male character's backbone is different to his stubbornness or not. It's given a male is born with backbone. Anyway, moving on.
Heroine, had a backbone and she was also TSTL.
And it's infuriating! I wanted to kick, slap, asphyxiate her, and was very very scared of myself.
Hero is also an idiot, I mean ffs, no one leaves anyone for nothing. You know you did nothing, hell WE know you did nothing, but clearly she THINKS you did something, so DO something to resolve this idiocy! No. Let's sit back and relax so we give her time to think we don't care!!! Then we go all OTT extraordinaire.
And the SIL. I mean HOW can your brother's wife take YOUR place? Anywhere? I mean your brother fucks her (please pardon me, but I come from a culture where this "you have taken my brother/son away from me" is all too fucking common and I am sick of this BS) and surely THAT isn't your place!!!!!!!!!!
I'm sure your place is at the house is not the same as hers. I mean you are MARRIED FFS!!!!
And HOW would you have a better relationship with your brother if he fucks someone you have chosen for him!
I'm just baffled at how her mind works!!!!!!
Now I do agree with Naksed when she said no comeuppance for the evil. She gets off WAY too easy.
I genuinely felt sorry for the husband.
I am completely freaked out by Benito the parrot.
The 4 star is for the trainwreck !
September 13, 2021
This started good and angsty, and I thought that I was going to give it four stars. Then it just went steadily downhill, dropping all the way to two stars. But I love, love, loved Donato! He's the only reason why I gave this book a 3-stars. He is simply everything a woman can want from a man. My heart broke for him, for everything he'd been through for the past twelve months.
"Since the first day I met you, I have never looked at another woman. You filled my days and my nights; there was no room for anyone else. I thanked God every day that you came into my life. Do you know that, Grace? And all the time, you were watching me, expecting me to fail you."
I don't like Grace at all. Okay, with her background, I'm supposed to feel sorry for her for everything she'd been through as a child and when her son died. I guess I am. But what happened to her marriage? Nope. I am not. I'm all for Donato. I don't feel any sympathy for her. She had brought all those heartaches on herself. She kicked him in the teeth in this story many times, but does she ever notice? Nope! She's too busy trying to protect her own heart to notice she's stomping all over his. I hated her for that. And her continuous monologue about the same thing over and over again grated on my nerves! Ugh! I wished he would give up and divorce her and get on with his life.
Overall, Husband by Contract was a very emotional, compelling read about second chance at love. And I still enjoyed it even though I don't like the heroine.
June 6, 2019
'I love you, Grace,' he said softly. 'I have always loved you and I always will. Nothing you can do or say will ever make me love you less. You are my reason for living, the heart of me. Without you there is nothing. Can you understand this, believe what I say?' He moved her slightly from him so he could look deep into her eyes which were brilliant with unshed tears. 'Do you really believe it?'
Yes, I believe that you are impossibly perfect husband.
Yes, I believe that you are impossibly perfect husband.
December 16, 2012
While much of the length of the story relied on the heroine trusting someone that she repeatedly identifies as evil, which really makes her seem like an idiot, I still quite enjoyed this. Probably this was due to the hero, who sometimes goes through the motions of being macho but ultimately seems rather sweet. 3.5 stars
September 16, 2017
This is a beautiful story. I loved the hero and i loved the heroine. Even if she believed all the lies it's understandable. At the end it was a touching story
September 19, 2021
Sad story with trigger.
The couple lost his baby of 6 months due to death cot. It’s one of the most painful situations for a couple of parents. Maybe the most painful because unexpected and sudden. The young heroine was depressed (of course) and her evil sister in law told her the hero was cheating on her. She run away.
When her mil dies the hero calls her back for her funeral and tries to win her back.
It’s obvious to everybody except that stupid heroine that the poor man is very much in love with her and couldn’t ever cheat on her.
He only wanted to wait until she felt better and got over the death of their son.
He didn’t know she went away because she thought he cheated on her.
All the book is about the poor guy trying to win her back and she rejecting him, I was so annoyed because even if she thought he cheated she had at least to give him the chance to talk about it.
She closed up instead and didn’t want to talk, refused to talk with him even if he asked her.
I don’t know how the poor man could be so patient, he truly loved her and she didn’t deserve him.
Moreover, she believed her sil who was evil and hated her and she knew it. She believed her lies instead of asking her husband some explanation.
She didn’t trust him at all, her loving and faithful husband of three years.
This in one of the few books where the hero deserved better and should have found another woman.
The couple lost his baby of 6 months due to death cot. It’s one of the most painful situations for a couple of parents. Maybe the most painful because unexpected and sudden. The young heroine was depressed (of course) and her evil sister in law told her the hero was cheating on her. She run away.
When her mil dies the hero calls her back for her funeral and tries to win her back.
It’s obvious to everybody except that stupid heroine that the poor man is very much in love with her and couldn’t ever cheat on her.
He only wanted to wait until she felt better and got over the death of their son.
He didn’t know she went away because she thought he cheated on her.
All the book is about the poor guy trying to win her back and she rejecting him, I was so annoyed because even if she thought he cheated she had at least to give him the chance to talk about it.
She closed up instead and didn’t want to talk, refused to talk with him even if he asked her.
I don’t know how the poor man could be so patient, he truly loved her and she didn’t deserve him.
Moreover, she believed her sil who was evil and hated her and she knew it. She believed her lies instead of asking her husband some explanation.
She didn’t trust him at all, her loving and faithful husband of three years.
This in one of the few books where the hero deserved better and should have found another woman.
October 27, 2018
Wow psycho relatives are a pain!!! Spoilers
What an OTT melodrama this was! His sister was truly evil! It bordered on incest almost. She was obsessed with her brother who is the H. I swear he is probably one of the best heroes I've read about for awhile. I could tell the whole time that he loved her. It was so obvious. The heroine annoyed me mainly because she never brought up the elephant in the room, why she left?!? I would have hit him over the head with it every day. She simply needed to say I left because you took a mistress. But no that is too easy. She hemmed and hawed and I wanted to smack her. Luckily she just blurted it out in the end. And everything was cleared up in five minutes. It was that simple! And then she went to that evil woman's house and didn't tell anyone because she asked you not to. She was going to kill her I am sure. I was so glad the parrot squealed! By the way I loved the bird Benito! So funny. i loved how the H went there and overheard her ramblings. It was awesome! But I did wonder what happens to her husband Romano. I really felt for him. He was such a great guy. I really liked this story.
What an OTT melodrama this was! His sister was truly evil! It bordered on incest almost. She was obsessed with her brother who is the H. I swear he is probably one of the best heroes I've read about for awhile. I could tell the whole time that he loved her. It was so obvious. The heroine annoyed me mainly because she never brought up the elephant in the room, why she left?!? I would have hit him over the head with it every day. She simply needed to say I left because you took a mistress. But no that is too easy. She hemmed and hawed and I wanted to smack her. Luckily she just blurted it out in the end. And everything was cleared up in five minutes. It was that simple! And then she went to that evil woman's house and didn't tell anyone because she asked you not to. She was going to kill her I am sure. I was so glad the parrot squealed! By the way I loved the bird Benito! So funny. i loved how the H went there and overheard her ramblings. It was awesome! But I did wonder what happens to her husband Romano. I really felt for him. He was such a great guy. I really liked this story.
June 5, 2015
Grace regresa a la casa de su ex por la muerte de su suegra. Ella se separó de Donato,luego de haber perdido a su hijo por la conocida "muerte de cuna",ahí entró en una especie de depresión de la cual abandona al esposo y se aleja de él y ella cree que por su depresión y crisis nerviosa él la engañó con una mujer que siempre estuvo enamorada de él.
Ella no sólo regresa a la casa si no que se queda un tiempo para cuidar al hermano huerfano de Donato. El siempre piensa que ella ha estado en una relación con un compañero de su nuevo trabajo.
Como es lógico,él no la engañó todo fue un plan de la hermana de él por celos hacia Grace. Obvio ella tampoco lo engaña. Pero igual me result> un poco sosa y aburrida.
Ella no sólo regresa a la casa si no que se queda un tiempo para cuidar al hermano huerfano de Donato. El siempre piensa que ella ha estado en una relación con un compañero de su nuevo trabajo.
Como es lógico,él no la engañó todo fue un plan de la hermana de él por celos hacia Grace. Obvio ella tampoco lo engaña. Pero igual me result> un poco sosa y aburrida.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2020
The jealous husband!
For Donato Vittoria, marriage was a lifetime commitment. He'd chosed Grace as his bride, and he would cherish her forever. Or so Grace had believed....
Until she'd discovered Donato's betrayal--with Maria, a beautiful family friend. Had he forgotten his vows so soon? Did he expect Grace to play the dutiful wife, while he continued to enjoy a bachelor life-style? The hurt had been unbearable, and Grace had fled. But Donato insisted he was still her husband--by contract--and he wanted Grace back in his life, and his bed
For Donato Vittoria, marriage was a lifetime commitment. He'd chosed Grace as his bride, and he would cherish her forever. Or so Grace had believed....
Until she'd discovered Donato's betrayal--with Maria, a beautiful family friend. Had he forgotten his vows so soon? Did he expect Grace to play the dutiful wife, while he continued to enjoy a bachelor life-style? The hurt had been unbearable, and Grace had fled. But Donato insisted he was still her husband--by contract--and he wanted Grace back in his life, and his bed
October 14, 2013
A beautifully written story....they have a lot of sorrow & evil working against them but they manage to grow & evolve past it all....saving their love & family...very touching read.
July 27, 2019
3.5 stars
January 30, 2018
18th read of 2018
What can I say....Helen Brooks writes the cutest, sweetest reads. Devoured this in 2 hours. However, this is the prime example of a "she thinks he is cheating, leaves the country without telling him, if they had just communicated all the issues would have gone away" troupe which is really quite frustrating.
However, 3 stars for a wise-cracking parrot who just steals every scene he is in :-P
What can I say....Helen Brooks writes the cutest, sweetest reads. Devoured this in 2 hours. However, this is the prime example of a "she thinks he is cheating, leaves the country without telling him, if they had just communicated all the issues would have gone away" troupe which is really quite frustrating.
However, 3 stars for a wise-cracking parrot who just steals every scene he is in :-P
September 19, 2015
Wonderful husband, annoying wife.
The story was good, but I got fed up with the heroine's continuous internal monologues about the same thing over and over, along with the repeated miscommunication long after it became obvious where the plot was heading. The hero was pretty darn awesome but I felt like the heroine didn't deserve him.
The story was good, but I got fed up with the heroine's continuous internal monologues about the same thing over and over, along with the repeated miscommunication long after it became obvious where the plot was heading. The hero was pretty darn awesome but I felt like the heroine didn't deserve him.
May 14, 2016
I know it would not be a story without outside influence...ie spoiled sister of H. And add insecurities of the h. So it goes without saying that this story has several twists and turns. It was a good read. And I will read it again.
January 19, 2025
This is one with parrot who swears. Good emotional story. The h was foolish to believe sister in law without asking H and she should have brought up the putative OW immediately when she came home. The H is wonderful.
September 19, 2015
I got annoyed with the heroine. The villain and how the problem was some what solved was bit depressing
May 19, 2021
3-4 stars...for some reason I wasn’t able to read this one in 1 sitting...It was a good read, but this is a case where I think reading the spoiler reviews may have tainted it for me. Since I was greedy and wanted details on the plot I read a couple of reviews (the reviewers warned it had spoilers) and their reviews were great! However, since I was forewarned about certain events I found myself getting impatient. So I would skip ahead to be like when is this happening? Then I’d go back to where I was because I didn’t want to miss out.
So....
Heroine(23) English orphan, Grace and Donato are each other’s 1/2...their marriage faces tragedy and then betrayal(or is everything as it seems)
Hero- 30ish, tall dark and Italian...besotted with the h...devoted...but faced with his own hurts/betrayals...I really loved the hero. The book centers around the h’s pain and her POV. Once everything comes together, I really feel the H was the one to warrant more sympathy.
Family:
Liliana- H’s mom, her sweetness is revealed in flashbacks...her funeral is at the beginning of the story
Lorenzo - little brother to H(10) he was a miracle baby...he loves his SIL the h like a 2nd mom...good kid
Bianca- she is the adopted sister of the H and Lorenzo...the name Bianca has Italian origins, but I feel like anytime I read about a Bianca they are very bitchy...Like the Bianca in this book...she caused all sorts of problems ....Um you could say her elevator doesn’t quite go to the top.....
Romano-married to Bianca...seems decent...he gets his own book next
OW-we learn about her, but never meet her
Wannabe OM- We hear about him, and we hear him on the phone...he may have a thing for our h, but she doesn’t notice or entertain it
Drum roll please....now I have heard certain reviewers refer to our last character as one of their all time favorites...I was finally able to meet him...🦜yes, Benito the parrot! He is Lorenzo’s pet and best friend...Benito has a sense for people...he truly rules the roost and even has the help quaker in his presence....the description of the fruit incident had me chuckling....
We get a satisfying HEA, no epilogue but the last 2 chapters are dedicated to our h and H being one again!
So....
Heroine(23) English orphan, Grace and Donato are each other’s 1/2...their marriage faces tragedy and then betrayal(or is everything as it seems)
Hero- 30ish, tall dark and Italian...besotted with the h...devoted...but faced with his own hurts/betrayals...I really loved the hero. The book centers around the h’s pain and her POV. Once everything comes together, I really feel the H was the one to warrant more sympathy.
Family:
Liliana- H’s mom, her sweetness is revealed in flashbacks...her funeral is at the beginning of the story
Lorenzo - little brother to H(10) he was a miracle baby...he loves his SIL the h like a 2nd mom...good kid
Bianca- she is the adopted sister of the H and Lorenzo...the name Bianca has Italian origins, but I feel like anytime I read about a Bianca they are very bitchy...Like the Bianca in this book...she caused all sorts of problems ....Um you could say her elevator doesn’t quite go to the top.....
Romano-married to Bianca...seems decent...he gets his own book next
OW-we learn about her, but never meet her
Wannabe OM- We hear about him, and we hear him on the phone...he may have a thing for our h, but she doesn’t notice or entertain it
Drum roll please....now I have heard certain reviewers refer to our last character as one of their all time favorites...I was finally able to meet him...🦜yes, Benito the parrot! He is Lorenzo’s pet and best friend...Benito has a sense for people...he truly rules the roost and even has the help quaker in his presence....the description of the fruit incident had me chuckling....
We get a satisfying HEA, no epilogue but the last 2 chapters are dedicated to our h and H being one again!
April 10, 2019
Está bien para leerlo en una tarde... El personaje de Grace me ha gustado bastante, aunque en ocasiones me ha parecido demasiado cabezota ya que emperra con el mismo tema una y otra vez (sin pruebas) y de ahí no hay quien la saque, pero aun así otra de las protagonistas es peor, bien ganado el título de Mala de la novela. Donato me ha gustado, a él quizás lo he entendido mejor que a ella, porque en ningún momento sabe qué es lo que le pasa a su esposa, aunque mira que lo intenta el hombre en un montón de ocasiones y ella nada que nada... De los personajes secundarios, están la hermana del protagonista (a la que he llamado la Mala de la novela porque es bien perra y sin ninguna razón) y el hermano pequeño de Donato, Lorenzo que es un encanto al igual que su mascota, Benito el loro.
De todos modos tiene un final bastante duro para el cuñado de Donato aunque para la pareja es un buen final...
De todos modos tiene un final bastante duro para el cuñado de Donato aunque para la pareja es un buen final...
August 26, 2019
A lot of melodrama, a simple plot over complicated to the extent the author had to kill off the evil adopted sister! The H and h are separated and brought together on the death of H's mother and the need for h to help with H's little brother who loves h. They meet and discuss about everything but h's misconception. When it turns out to be untrue H feel betrayed and h feels terrible to have accused him and the whole thing is resolved when the house pet - parrot who is obviously plays what the modern version of the gay best friend does n as is typical knows what the evil sister is upto and curses her in italian n ultimately is responsible for the h and H reconciling by getting H to observe the evil sister in action :)
February 23, 2022
Long and a bit repetitive, but alright. Did anyone else think the sister was the younger brother’s REAL mom? That would make much more sense to why she was fucking insane. Liked the heroine, she was normal and sweet. Hero was fine, if not very clear on needing answers and just repeating himself. And the villain was very evil and got her comeuppance. Kinda thought she killed the couple’s baby too. Read it.
November 12, 2017
Incredibly frustrating
I hate it when stories are based around one long winded misunderstanding. Or in this case, a presumption. There were numerous opportunities to just spell out what actually happened, get it out in the open so the story can continue. But it didn't, so there was no story. No real character development and no chemistry. Therefore boring.
I hate it when stories are based around one long winded misunderstanding. Or in this case, a presumption. There were numerous opportunities to just spell out what actually happened, get it out in the open so the story can continue. But it didn't, so there was no story. No real character development and no chemistry. Therefore boring.
September 5, 2017
it was a little boring at first but i loved it..
January 15, 2018
3.5 Stars
3.5 Stars. This was an angst filled book that was a little sad with lots of drama from a crazy sil.
3.5 Stars. This was an angst filled book that was a little sad with lots of drama from a crazy sil.
January 20, 2020
This was a good marriage reconciliation story—a tragedy, miscommunication, and an interfering family member make this work.
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