Dervla is a dedicated, warm-hearted nurse who considers herself something of a plain Jane. She met gorgeous Italian Gianfranco while nursing his badly injured son after a terrorist bombing. From the start their passion was intense and Gianfranco wanted her enough to propose marriage with one proviso: no babies. Dervla accepted knowing she could never conceive, but after a year of marriage she craves a baby and wants to try a new IVF treatment. That is where the story begins.
Secret Baby, Convenient Wife
by Kim Lawrence
Harlequin Presents #2724
May 2008
Miniseries: Italian Husbands
ISBN: 9780373234882
Setting: Italy, London
This was a strange one, because so much of the story took place in the past. The book starts with a couple who are happily married except for Dervla's intense desire for a baby. Then we read of their meeting and early marriage in flashbacks that cover multiple chapters. They're good chapters mind, because both Dervla and Gianfranco are engaging characters and their passion burns up the pages. G's son, Alberto, is quite the character too. And very mature and wiley for his age. There is another woman, a real snake, who complicates matters. I SO wanted to shake some sense into both Dervla and Gianfranco for not seeing her true nature. But despite their shortsightedness and the strange leaping timeline, I enjoyed this book. I can really see them growing old together, a truly loving and well-matched couple surrounded by family.
Bronwyn Jameson:
My blog; My website; Diamonds Down Under
TYCOON'S ONE-NIGHT REVENGE: Sil Desire, Apr 08
gee
now I know why I do my book shopping BEFORE I visit these blogs.
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
Hi Christa!
You could go broke shopping AFTER reading about all the great books. This one I described as interesting -- I liked it DESPITE some elements and character actions that drove me mad at the time. Oh, and I didn't mention in the review: the title = very misleading.
Bron
Bronwyn Jameson:
My blog; My website; Diamonds Down Under
TYCOON'S ONE-NIGHT REVENGE: Sil Desire, Apr 08
title
yeah the title sounded like he wed her because she was pregnant or he wanted a child.
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
Hey Bron... I noticed the
Hey Bron... I noticed the same thing about the chronology of this book. It didn't go point A to B. I don't have anything against flashbacks or manipulating the chronology for effect, but yeah, some pretty important moments were told in flashbacks and the impact the order of events had would have been the same or better if the chronology was more natural.
Copying and pasting my review in here, just for my two cents;
This book made me go "aww". The hero's a filthy rich businessman with a 13 year old son. The heroine's a 26 year old virgin nurse that can't have kids. They meet because his son is injured in a terrorist act and hospitalized. The attraction flares between the H/h after the dust settles with the son, and when he realizes she's a virgin and doesn't want to continue on in the indignant role of "rich man's mistress", he won't let her go. He's possessive and he wants her. He proposes marriage, offering her a long-term committment, but saying straight from the beginning that love isn't part of their marriage. The heroine loves him though, but can't tell him. Then they argue over babies: she finds out about a fertility treatment that could make babies possible for her, but he doesn't want more kids, making her choose babies or him. Seems like the choice may be taken away from her though, given the title! I thought this was a great premise for a book, there were no ick factors, the characters were charming and in love even if the words weren't said at first. The only negative thing about this book is that the chronology was odd: a lot of important events were told in flashbacks, which made sense but the story could just as easily have been told going from A to B to C to D rather than C - A - B - D. Rating: 4/5 stars, a really enjoyable read, with a great loving passionate relationship between the hero/heroine.
Christa and Janet
Christa, yes, that is what the title indicates to me as well and couldn't be further from the truth.
Janet, terrific review. Seems we liked this book for the same reasons.
Bron
Bronwyn Jameson:
My blog; My website; Diamonds Down Under
TYCOON'S ONE-NIGHT REVENGE: Sil Desire, Apr 08
heehee
I stopped at the Goodwill that I passed today and I got this and the Liz Fielding
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
Christa
Hope you enjoy them!
Bron
Bronwyn Jameson:
My blog; My website; Diamonds Down Under
TYCOON'S ONE-NIGHT REVENGE: Sil Desire, Apr 08