Back Cover:
The marriage barter
Rachel Vaile is still haunted by Vito Farneste's cruel public rejection of her, just hours after she surrendered her virginity to him. Now tragic circumstances mean that Rachel must contact Vito once more—she desperately needs a marriage of convenience.
She comes armed with Vito's most prized possession so surely he'll drop everything to be her bridegroom? But Vito won't be blackmailed by anyone, especially not a cheap little gold-digger like Rachel. The prey has been caught in his web at long last
Favourite Scene:
'I want you,’ she breathed. He smiled. The smile of a fallen angel.
"Then you shall have me, cara mia. You shall have me.' He led her away, to his bed, and she went with him.
At the threshold to his room he paused, and with a sudden sweep lifted her into his arms and carried her inside.
Another Fav Scene:
What the hell was she doing at a hospital?
Was she ill?
The shaft of fear came from nowhere.
My Review:
This book was an emotional roller coaster, which is a good thing! Great combination of grief, passion, and secrets/misunderstandings of the past (which are slowly and skillfully unveiled in big emotional moments). She was seduced by the hero at 18, was humiliated because her mother was his father's mistress and he used her to cause pain. He has a different interpretation of the past. Now in the present her mother is dying and she wants to let her mother die in peace. To die in peace, her mother wants to know that her daughter wasn't used like a whore by a Farneste as she herself was. So Rachel gets Vito to marry her by offering him a trade. The horror the hero feels at the end when he realizes how coldly he'd turned her away seven years ago... wow, it chills the heart! The way he reacts to her expecting him to be glad to get rid of her... man... this was a very very emotional read. I recommend it.
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars, hugely intense emotions. I'd call it a keeper, but if a book makes me cry I don't like to label it a keeper (I like to avoid painful sadness).
