Bride by Day

by Rebecca Winters

Whirlwind Weddings

Beauty and the beast?

Cynical millionaire Perseus Kostopoulos is no Prince Charming—his Greek-god features are marred by a two-inch scar above his jaw. But Samantha can't help but find her boss attractive, especially when, in return for a simple favor, he offers to grant her three wishes! All she had to do is become his temporary wife.

But this is to be a purely practical marriage; Samantha his bride by day alone. Only she hasn't been bought by the promise of wishes. Perseus himself is the prize she seeks—if only he'd make her his wife for real!

Who says you can't hurry love?

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Romance, Marriage Of Convenience

Mass Market Paperback

First published December 5, 1997

About the author

aka Rebecca Brown Burton, Rebecca Burton

Rebecca Winters, born Rebecca Brown Burton, was the author of over 175 romance novels published with Harlequin, delighting readers worldwide for more than 35 years. Her stories, translated into many languages, have sold nearly thirty million copies. A French teacher turned novelist, she combined her love of language, family, and storytelling into a remarkable literary legacy.

Reviews

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rebecca Winters always seems to include something that is so ludicrous and bizarre that I find myself laughing. In this case, it's really the only reason to read the book, because the h is a bit of a dim bulb and the H is a non-malicious game-player, and there are too many books out there that do the same thing more adeptly. So, it's your choice about reading this book just for this one plot element:

The H marries the h as an MOC because his former fiancee and stepsister is coming back to Greece and he wants protection from her. They separated 20 years before when the OW inexplicably stabbed him in the face and left him.

The OW returns to town and it turns out that the OW had a reason, which is that if she didn't hurt him and break off the engagement, she knew her father (the H's stepfather) would kill him. The h thinks this is a perfectly reasonable explanation, and that the H will break off their MOC and marry the OW, a recent widow, as soon as her period of mourning is over. (Also, although the superficial aspect isn't supposed to be important, considering that the H was drawn to the h because of her familiar beauty -- she resembled a portrait he had purchased that haunted him, it's significant that the OW is 38 and looks like she's had a rough life, although she's still beautiful. It's written kindly, but the implication is that she looks quite haggard and unhappy.)

The H says he has forgiven the OW, but that's it. The h doesn't believe him and works to get them back together. She persists in that logic throughout the rest of the book, which is tedious in the extreme. However, I got great enjoyment from periodically saying aloud, "SHE STABBED HIM IN THE FACE. THAT'S A DEAL-BREAKER, LADY."

[Lucimar]

O Romantismo passou longe. Enredo razoável, sem grandes arroubos como costumamos ver em romances com gregos.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Convoluted story; tries too hard to incorporate Perseus mythology with a bit of Beauty-and-the-Beast theme. C'mon, when was the last time a romance writer named her hero Perseus?

Combined with the multiple subplots: a) the first girlfriend's troubled life, b) the Greek hero's mother marital woes, c) the heroine's father issues, d) her artistic journey and e) her own mother's love story gone wrong, and the result is just an underdeveloped mess.

Too bad because it started out promising with a feisty office-cleaning-lady cum art-student being called to task for messing around with the big boss's papers. I liked the Picasso tidbit about artists finding inspiration from various sources even an insignificant scrap of paper (the boss's paper) but the plot went downhill from chapter 3 onwards.

As I would say to my kids, KISS. (Keep It Simple, Sweetie.)

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Samantha & Perseu

I must say I was looking forward to reading this book, it started so good, but unfortunately it didn't lived up to my expectations. There was to much going on, little stories within the story, witch didn't left any time for the actual story to develop and go deeper and allow the reader to connect with the characters. Perseu comes out very cold and close off up until the last 2 pages. For most of the book, the H was more interested in reconnect with his ex girlfriend ( she was the reason he marry Samantha ) and meet with her dying father. While The h was left in the cold. No a good one for me

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bride by Day

This was a courtship that had several twists and turns. He gave her the impression that he wanted someone else. Who had left more than a scar on his face. She fell for him at first sight. But she had secrets and hurt that closed her off from believing that she could be loved. Two souls searching for their mates. Can she open up to him? Will he come clean with his true feelings?

[Roub · Rating 1 out of 5]

i found it very boring ! arrogant greek whisked beautiful mermaid nymph on his island 2 meet his childhood sweetheart n his stepfather when all along he had been in love wid samantha herself ! n it was obvious though he was quite the cold fish, did not show much emotion. neway i usually like plots wid besotted fools but not this one ! i was bored n did not feel any attraction bet them

[AlohaMyPikachu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Rebecca Winters and have read quite a few of her books in the last few weeks. Most of them were great. Unfortunately, this one didn't really pull me in. I think there was so much sadness, anger and misunderstanding between main and minor characters for me to close the book on a good note. If you want a story that'll really touch your heart, read Ms. Winters book The Vow.

[Paolita Arce · Rating 1 out of 5]

Booooring