CASTELLANO'S MISTRESS OF REVENGE - Melanie Milburne

Author: Melanie Milburne
Line: Mills and Boon Modern Heat/Harlequin Presents Extra
Release month: UK: JAN 2010 USA: NOV 2010
The S-Factor: Sensual

Back Blurb:

Men like Marc Castellano don't forgive. They get revenge…

Five years ago, Ava McGuire married Marc's business rival, causing a high-profile scandal. But no one knows that Ava was forced to say "I do." Now a widow, she's left with nothing but crippling debts and another scandalous proposition.

Marc is going to have Ava right where he wants her…not with a ring on her finger, not even in the palm of his hand. But in his bed for as long as he desires….

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Castellano’s Mistress of Revenge started out to be exactly that “revenge” at first but dramatically changed and it caused such an “ache” in my heart for this couple who had once been and it continued on through out the entire book, to the very end! This second chance romance, this happy ending was extremely enjoyable as only the very talented Melanie Milburne could write.

Normally I read a book of this size in one day but I realized I needed to take my time because of the intensity. Actually, it took me three days to digest this love story, such a strong intensity that required reading it and putting it down. You will cry, want to scream, maybe even through the book across the room, that’s how intense and extremely wonderful it was to read, with many tears shed.

How does one begin? She loved him from the first moment she met him. Loved him completely and he couldn’t commit, never wanting marriage nor children. He had his reasons because of what he experienced in his childhood but she loved and adored him. When Ava realized their relationship wasn’t going anywhere, she left him.

After their mother passed away she took care of her younger sister. Her sister was employed in accounting and made a huge error. In order to save her sister from being prosecuted, she went to her employer. She was literally blackmailed into a marriage by the owner, an older man who was ill and wanted to keep up appearances with being married to a young wife. And then her sister had married and was trying desperately to have a baby and the treatments were extremely expensive, so Ava was able to help her sister out. In the end, she also took care of her dying husband even though they didn’t share a bed.

Her husband ruined her ex-lover Marc Castellano and he took most of her life with him, five years of being at his side for appearances only. Now he was dead and had left a ton of debts behind. Now Marc was back in her life and owned everything and wanted her as his mistress. Again she was being blackmailed into a relationship in order to help her sister never giving any thought to herself.

No one walked out on him, and she was responsible for him being ruined, thanks to her husband. The press labeled her as a gold-digger and he believed them. However, he still wanted her with such a force it couldn’t be denied. For both of them, as much as they both fought it, it all came tumbling back, it was basic, it was sensual, it was need that couldn’t be denied. It tortured them both, it consumed them, it couldn’t be stopped even it they wanted it to

Marc moved into her villa and demanded she share his bed. He also made all sorts of accusations, breaking her heart but at the same time making her want him so much with an intensity that knocked her sideways. In fact, they both felt it every time they were near each other. And then, the tension finally got to them and they made love. On top of that there was a threat of a pregnancy. Physical, emotional and sensual pain is all I can say, so much so I had to put this book aside because I so wanted them to resolve things and get their second chance. However, learning about Marc’s childhood made me realize that Ava knew nothing about it and it would cloud any chance for them to move forward until Marc could come to terms with his past.

Did Marc want revenge? Honestly, I felt he fought it the entire time because he couldn’t get her out of his system and there were so many secrets he wasn’t aware of, so much he didn’t realize like how much she had sacrificed for her sister and her husband. They both had such strong feelings about each other, a strong love/hate relationship, one of such passion it lept off of the pages. But so did all of the mistrust and tension in their new relationship. Add to the fact that Marc didn’t trust her and manipulated their entire affair. Add to all that a possible pregnancy scare with a man who didn’t ever want a child or marriage? How I wondered, would they survive this false time together?

So much anger, sorrow and pain and I sincerely wondered if for a second they would survive it? Ava was such a vibrant and strong woman and gave the impression she was strong while she crumbled with her love for Marc. However, for Marc to come to terms with the past and present, he had to face his demons and realize how much he wanted, needed and loved this woman. In the end, this incredibly sexy man and this strong and amazing woman got that happy ending along with a most special prize. However, to learn about it, you’ll have to read this amazing, interesting and extremely entertaining love story by the very talented Melanie Milburne.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the book:

THE MELENDEZ FORGOTTEN MARRIAGE (Bride On Approval) - Melanie Milburne

Author: Melanie Milburne
Line: Mills and Boon Modern/ Harlequin Presents
Release month: North America/UK July 2010
The S-Factor: Sensational/Sensual

Back Blurb:

When fragile Emelia awoke from her coma she had no recollection of the strikingly handsome man before her, whose eyes glittered like fine-cut gems—hard and impenetrable. But he aroused something within her….

Javier Mélendez had wed Emelia for convenience and bedded her for pleasure. The rules in place during their marriage had suited him perfectly, and he'd ensured his trophy wife adhered to them…. But as Emelia's memory slowly returned, she seemed to be laboring under a misapprehension…that their marriage was based on love!

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Conflict, doubt, passion, mistrust, second chances…..trust me you’ll get it all by the very talented Melanie Milburne in The Melendez Forgotten Marriage. If you like books that make your pulse and heart race, you’ll definitely feel some of these emotions while reading this particular love story.

When their eyes met, the attraction was immediate. She was playing the piano, he was in the lounge and it was electric. It was simply crazy their attraction for each other. When they finally made love Javier knew he wanted Emelia in this life permanently so within only a few months they married. However, Javier was firm on his expectations, no children, plus numerous other things which Emelia accepted because in the end she loved her husband. She so wanted to please him, make him proud of her, be the perfect wife and hostess. However, everything backfired and it reminded her of her parents marriage when her mother had been alive, it also reminded her of her father, who went from wife to wife. For Emelia, all she ever wanted was to be loved and yes she had hoped for children and hoped she could change Javier’s mind. In the end it was way too much and she knew she had to leave him so she returned to London and her childhood friend Peter Marshall.

Both Emelia and Javier had similar childhoods. They both lost their mother’s at an early age and had similar father’s who were selfish, standoffish, went from one wife to another. Neither had felt loved. Because of this Javier was firm on not having any children because he had always feared he would not be a good father. However, Emelia felt differently but she married Javier anyway, because she loved him.

Javier Melendez was angry but he had been afraid that he would loose his wife of two years because she had been in a comma from a car accident. How could she leave him, run away to her childhood friend, betray their marriage , splash their name all over the press because she was leaving him for her lover? Her accident changed everything because he needed to take her home to recoup her memory, heal and then he could seek his revenge for her betrayal.

Patience was not a easy thing for Javier. He wanted his wife to remember everything, he wanted her back in his bed and he wanted answers. It took some time for Emelia to remember but it happened finally through Javier’s ministrations through touch, taste and determination. And then everything changes in their relationship and they resume their loving making. As the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit in Emalia’s mind she remembers how much of herself she gave up, how much she wanted to be loved and then everything changes due to a chain of events which I can’t say because it would ruin the romance for you. However, trust me on this, your tears will fall, you’ll feel Emelia and Javier’s pain and wonder if they will get their second chance and who would be the one to make it happen.

The Melendez Forgotten Marriage is definitely a keeper and one to be reread and a fabulous “second chance” sensual romance.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book

THE MEDITERRANEAN PLAYBOY – Melanie Milburne/Kate Hewitt

Author: Melanie Milburne/Kate Hewitt
Line: Harlequin Presents / Mills and Boon Modern
Release month: North America: April 2010

The S-Factor: Both Sizzling and Sensual

Back Blurb:

Two intense and passionate stories in one special volume by two fabulous Presents authors!

Mistress at the Italian's Command by Melanie Milburne

When a ruthless Italian tycoon appears on Ally Benton's doorstep her instinct is to protect her twin sister. But becoming gorgeous Vittorio Vassallo's mistress is more than she'd bargained for!

Italian Boss, Housekeeper Mistress by Kate Hewitt

A housekeeping job in a crumbling villa on Lake Como was a fresh start for Zoe Clark. But she hadn't bargained on her dangerously sexy boss—Leandro Filametti. As the blazing Mediterranean sun heats up, Leandro realizes his one desire is to claim Zoe….

Review: Mistress at the Italian's Command by Melanie Milburne ♥♥♥♥♥

Author Melanie Milburne again charms her readers with a very intense and emotional read with Mistress at the Italian’s Command with the dashing Italian Vittorio Vassallo and the lovely Australian girl Ally Benton who fiercely protects her twin sister. From an early age when their mother died because of a suicide, Ally took care of her twin sister. Ally would do anything for her twin Alex, even it it meant trading places in order to protect her and find out exactly what kind of trouble and scandal her sister has caused a prominent Italian family.

Never in a million years does Ally believe her sister stole money, caused a scene and destroyed her lovers brother-in-law’s new and very expensive automobile. When her sister was a teen she had to take medications because she was diagnosed with a mental illness; now she has tried to commit suicide. Ally has always taken care of her twin emotionally and financially and now she’s determined to get to the bottom of things when she’s confronted in Alex’s apartment by Vittorio Vassallo. He accuses her sister of many things and so Ally gives him the impression she’s Alex and agrees to go back with him to Italy where things can be sorted out. She also agrees to pretend to be his mistress because he won’t let her out of his sight. He tells her all sorts of hurtful things about her sister and keep her close. Ally’s determined to get answers! But as fate would have it, as they get to know each other, there’s an immediate and deep attraction between them even though they try to fight it.

Vito is immediately attracted to Ally but fights it because he doesn’t want his brother-in-laws “left overs”. They are constantly disagreeing about what happened yet there’s a definite attraction between them and then when he can no longer stand it, he takes Ally’s virginity and many feelings take place for this strong, virile alpha, she’s like no other woman! And then, he suggests out of the blue that they make a real marriage because out of sense of duty from his family, he doesn’t want his sister to get hurt by her cheating husband’s affairs. She’s under full bed rest because she soon to deliver her first child. It if makes theirs a real marriage, because of the scandal and because he and his brother-in-law look so much alike, the press might believe it was Vito who had the affair with Ally who he believes is Alex.

Then the nightmare begins, because Ally’s lost her heart to Vittorio, she meets her sister’s lover in the flesh and so much more comes out, not just the stolen money and the car incident, but a secret she couldn’t believe, and the reason why her sister fled and tried to take her life. When she realizes what a mess everything has become, Ally flees and goes to finally see her sister who was recovering beautifully in Switzerland.

Twin stories are some of my favorite and this one was so well written with all sorts of twists and turns and the passion between Ally and Vito absolutely lovely to read. In the end, this Italian certainly when learning the truth and realizing how much this selfless woman gave to her sister and him, brought him to his knees, giving the lovely Ally her happy eve rafter as well as his. This two in one romance is an excellent way for readers to sample a new author or a favorite as Ms. Milburne is for me! A fun, fast paced and beautiful romance!

Review: Italian Boss, Housekeeper Mistress by Kate Hewitt ♥♥♥♥♥

Kate Hewitt has written a heartwarming love story giving both of her characters love and in the end, a home. Emotions and belonging both Leandro Filametti and Zoe Clark were secretly yearning for and it took them time to sort it all out! A very sweet and beautiful love story set at Lake Como and in Leandro’s run down villa.

Leandro Filametti was a handsome and very determined man; he absolutely didn’t want to make the same mistakes his father made by seeking out cheap tarts who only wanted one thing, money. His father had not only done that and created a scandal for his family he had also gambled away his fortune and caused Leandro, his mother and sister shame and embarrassment. Now Leandro was at the Filametti villa, working and trying to get it ready to sell. He placed an ad in a newspaper seeking a housekeeper, someone who would not know of his families history.

Zoe Clark is a spirited young woman, who is used to not having a home, moving from city to city, job to job, with no sense of belonging. She’s very pretty, sensual and wants to take the job in Italy to get away and enjoy her self for the summer, trying to forget the mistake she recently made by giving herself to a man who used her and called her names, insulting and hurting her in the process.

Now she finds herself with the unfortunate responsibility of trying to get the dilapidated villa in order, cleaning and cooking for the surly Italian who literally accuses her of being as he refers to her “a girl like you” in which he’s implying she’s a tart. Zoe finds herself attracted to him and so does he to Zoe but he fights it every step of the way. A touch here and there, a look, his referring to her morals because it’s always in the back of his mind what his father did to his family. It goes on for weeks, him shutting himself in his study, Zoe cleaning, their swimming together, a few sightseeing trips and then wham! They can’t take it anymore and act on their passion.

They decide they can continue to act on their passion for the next two months until the renovations are done. In a way, life becomes easy, they work during the day and love each other at night. Then Zoe realizes she wants something more, her deepest secret……love, a home, a family. When it’s confirmed that won’t happen, she leaves in the middle of the night and returns back to New York. Will this stubborn Italian realize what he’s lost? As only Kate Hewitt can write, she pulls this short romantic story together in the most fantastic way, giving to her readers, a most charming and sweet happy ending.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

THE VENADICCI MARRIAGE VENGEANCE – Melanie Milburne (Latin Lovers)

Author: MELANIE MILBURNE
Line: Harlequin Presents Extra/Mills and Boon Modern
Release month: North Ameriica: Feb 2010/ UK: May 2009
The S-Factor: Sizzling and Sensual

Back Blurb:

Wedded for revenge, bedded for pleasure!

Gabriella St Clair is desperate: she and her family face financial ruin. One man can help her. But he’s the very man who wants to see her beg...

Merciless tycoon Vinn Venadicci had a heart once. But after an encounter with the young, spoilt hotel heiress Gabriella, any feelings he had were locked away for ever. Now she’s on his doorstep --- pleading. He could send her packing. Or finally have a little vengeance of his own. After all, Gabriella Venadicci has quite a ring to it.

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Melanie Milburne takes her readers on a sensual and emotional journey with The Venadicci Marriage Vengeance. It’s a very engrossing and emotional love story.

For Vinn Venadicci it was going to be a pleasure to tame the woman who he couldn’t seem to forget and now she was going to become his wife after seven long years. Vinn’s mother was the St. Clairs housekeeper and during her teenage years Gariella had taunted him and on the eve of her wedding when he asked her not to marry because he knew the truth about her husband, she refused but not before kissing him back. And then he knew someday they had to be together, even though she was marrying out of duty to her family and to a family friend.

He was ruthless, rich and had the power to save her father’s company and the choice was hers as Vinn gave her only one option……to marry him. Gabby agrees for her parents sake but she wasn’t going to give up without a fight. She might marry him but he was definitely not going to have her. In her youth she had been shallow and cruel to Vinn, had taunted him and now she thought he was going to get even with her. However, she needs Vinn to settle and save her father’s company as someone is calling in the loan and trying to take the company. What Gabby doesn’t know is who and the secrets concerning the takeover. All she knows is due to her father being hospitalized, he can’t take one more stressful event in his life.

The sexual chemistry between Vinn and Gabby leaps off the pages. She can’t seem to control her temper around him where Vinn controls his quite well. Is he out for revenge because of the way she treated him in the past? Has there always been an underlying attraction to this Italian bad boy by this spoiled rich girl? Yes to both but you will absolutely not believe how spectacular their love story is and how they work though their past, their present and their future.

Their marriage begins with all sorts of barbs, accussations and the honeymoon, well let’s just say, Ms. Milburne wrote one romantic masterpiece. My heart ached for them both because trying to read between the lines, I sincerely believed they must have loved each other all of those years ago when Vinn had visited her brother and his mother at their mansion. All of those years of Gabby teasing, taunting and making fun of him. And now, the tables are turned because their time honeymoon spent together at the St. Clair’s island resort had their emotions skyrocketing! When Gabby reveals about her abussive marriage and Vinn reveals a few things himself, you actually wonder how they can make this marriage work.

In the end, it was about forgiveness, understanding and accepting each other, loving each other. The Venadicci Marriage Vengeance is one incredible romance and gives one a new meaning to second chances.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book at I(Heart)Presents:

THE FUTURE KING’S LOVE-CHILD – Melanie Milburne (The Royal House of Karedes)

• Author:                    Melanie Milburne

Line:                        Mills and Boon Modern / Harlequin Presents

Release month         UK:  September 2009/North America: December 2009

The S-Factor:          SIZZLING

Back-Blurb:

Cassie Kyriakis was wrongly accused of murdering her father and jailed, leaving her wild-child roots and Seb, her one true love, behind her….

Now, the throne awaits Prince Sebastian Karedes!

Seb once loved Cassie so passionately he would have chosen her over his kingdom. But she rejected him. Now that she's been released from prison, he discovers that she may be innocent and that she gave birth to his baby in her cell! Sebastian must choose between honor and duty. He will claim his love-child—but what about Cassie?

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Author Melanie Milburne has captured and written an emotionally charged romance in The Future King’s Love-Child, the 6th book in The Royal House of Karedes series. This is Sebastian and Cassie story, Seb being the soon to be crowned king of Aristo when they find the missing coronation diamond.

Honestly, emotionally charged doesn’t even describe this book because it’s very intense, full of secrets and the biggest one of all that 6 years earlier Seb and Cassie conceived a child, a child that was born in a women’s prison. It’s such a wonderfully crafted story which had me sitting on the edge of my seat at times.

Seb has been groomed to be king and the woman he can’t seem to get out of his mind after six long years has been released from prison and is at the palace. The very same woman who was found guilty of killing her father, a respected mayor of their city. He runs into her, the very same woman who rejected him years ago, the same woman with an extremely bad reputation for being spoilt and a party girl who had many lovers. However, even though he knows nothing can come of being with her again, he can’t seem to help himself and makes excuses and then demands to see her because he can, because he’s the King. And being the powerful man that he is plus his desires for her he’s insistent they resume where they left off years ago, because he feels she owes him.

Cassie is working at an orphanage and finally has her beautiful son with her. She’s working until her parole is up so that she can take herself and Sam off the island of Aristo, getting away from her past and starting over again. She has two secrets, the obvious she’s had Seb’s son and what really happened on the night her father died. She know no matter what that she’s never gotten over Sebastian but there can be no future for them because he will need to marry someone respectable once he’s crowned King. She also knows she must keep Sam’s secret from Seb and that she’ll never been seen as anything other than the girl who murdered her father. All of those years ago, her father had influential friends, friends that believed what he told them about his daughter.

As I kept reading The Future King’s Love-Child I couldn’t help but admire Cassie’s character. Her love for her child, her secret love of this man who kept demanding her time, taking both she and her son away, somewhat keeping them captive so he could get to know his son, mistrusting her every step of the way but also wanting to see some good in her. And then when her secret is finally revealed as to the evening of her father’s death, it tore my heart out. And thinking back about Seb, I also realized how hard it was for him when he finally realized that Cassie’s son was also his and how that must have hurt as well for all he missed in his son’s life.

But like all love stories, this one had it’s happy ending and a second chance at love But to get there they both had to accept and trust and when the press gets wind of Sam’s existence and prints a story of the Prince’s love child, everything falls apart. That’s actually when I fell in love with Sebastian’s character, when he finally realized all that Cassie had been through with her father, her giving birth to their son in a prison call and that he had to let her go, it was heartbreaking. Melanie Milburne captured this future kings story in such away that she made this man groomed to rule his country human, caring, sensitive and a man who could understand, forgive, a King that could love!

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Author Post on I(heart)Presents:

“Lucky for me Sebastian Karedes and Cassie Kyriakis were perfect characters for me. They were both strong and protective of those they loved and they both had secrets they wished to keep.
Cassie’s secret was the most heart-wrenching of all. Not just of little Sam, her love-child by the royally born Sebastian, but the cruel details of her past that she had kept to herself for most of her life. While this was great material for me to work with, it was also challenging as I didn’t want to trivialize the painful and life altering experience so many people go through during childhood.” M Milburne

BOUND BY THE MARCOLINI DIAMONDS - Melanie Milburne

Author: Melanie Milburne

Line: Mills and Boon / Harlequin Presents

Release month UK: July 2009/North America: September 2009

The S-Factor: Sizzling and Sexy

Back-Blurb:

When the joint guardianship of baby Molly is threatened, Italian playboy Mario Marcolini knows there is only one option: Sabrina, the child's nanny, must surrender to his diamond-laden proposal….

Sabrina is wary of Mario, whose dark good looks and advances are as tempting as the devil. But marry him she will, for baby Molly's sake. The only problem is Mario thinks he's marrying an experienced gold digger—when in fact the young woman bought to be his bride is as pure and unblemished as the diamonds he has used to bind her to him!


Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

Bound by the Marcolini Diamonds is book two in Melanie Milburne’s The Marcolini Men. It will make the reader think how far and to what lengths one would go for a friend. It’s an incredibly moving and magnificent story with one hot Italian alpha and a sweet Australian nanny. Milburne has written an incredible love story, one with a battle of wills and temptation.

Sabrina is a sweet woman who adores children and in her profession as a nanny has been wrongly accused as to having an affair and breaking up a family. Now on top of everything else, she’s lost her best friend and her husband in an automobile accident. She and Mario Marcolini have been made co-custodians of their surviving baby Molly. Sabrina has only had one other experience with the sexy and ruthless billionaire Mario and wonders how she will carry out her friend’s wishes as she is now unemployed and lives in Australia while Mario resides in Italy. A short meeting with Mario after the funeral, she realizes he plans to take Molly to Italy and with his low opinion of her and all of his money, she wonders how she will play a part in Molly’s life.

It’s very obvious Mario has deep feelings for his departed friend Rick and feels an overwhelming responsibility to Molly. Even though he’s not to keen on Sabrina because of the scandal she’s caused, he realizes he needs someone to care for the baby and since she has all of the qualifications, the looks, and the body he decides the only option is a marriage of convenience. Of course it’s secretly one he’s looking forward and he’s hopeful theirs will be a physical marriage with all of the benefits. He’s also determined once Molly is older he will compensate Molly for her time and they will end the marriage. However, Mario realizes after a passionate kiss he’s never felt anything like it; the fire of the kiss and her touch. Even though his parents had a happy enough marriage, he wasn’t sure he wanted the responsibility or that sort of emotion in his life.

Can Sabrina survive this marriage? He constantly brings up the alleged affair and she can’t understand why he won’t try to understand that it was a set-up. Surely being in the press like he was should make him understand how things get twisted around? One thing she’s sure of is that women come and go in Mario’s life and he’s holding all the cards.

As one can well imagine, there’s a lot of emotion in this vibrant love story, loss of their best friends, loving Molly as they both do, their shared passion which taunts them both and the roller coaster emotions on top of everything else, a lot to take in and digest for them. So when they act on their desire and Mario realizes she inexperienced, can you imagine how he feels and that he got it wrong by believing the worst of Sabrina?

Both of the books in The Marcolini Men were exceptional and Mario and his brother learned valuable lessons about their women, valuable lessons we should all learn like trust and believing in each other because in the end both brother’s wanted it all…..love and marriage.

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Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book:

“The story behind Mario and Sabrina was more to do with the issue of what you would do for a friend. How far would you go to protect a young baby that you have been given guardianship of? For Sabrina this was a huge decision as by agreeing to marry Mario Marcolini she was effectively giving up her own dreams of a happy marriage and children of her own one day. It was a fun book to write as Mario and Sabrina struck sparks off each other right from the start.” M. Milburne

THE MARCOLINI BLACKMAIL MARRIAGE - Melanie Milburne

Author: Melanie Milburne

Line: Mills and Boon / Harlequin Presents

Release month UK: April 2009 as Mistresses by Blackmail/North America August 2009

The S-Factor: Sizzling

Back-Blurb:

No one asks a Marcolini for a divorce. Especially a gold digger who could walk away with the family's fortune! Antonio Marcolini will make Claire pay. And he has got the perfect plan for vengeance—he'll demand she spend the next three months living with him as his reconciled wife, and nothing will stop him from getting what he wants!

But Claire is innocent. Can she prove it before her husband blackmails her back into marriage…and the marriage bed?

Review: ♥♥♥♥♥

The magnificent Melanie Milburne has created one of the most emotional and beautiful love stories with The Marcolini Blackmail Marriage, the first book in her duo series The Marcolini. Reading this incredible love story I could actually visualize Antonio Marcolini, the proud and angry man determined to keep his wife, not giving in to her requested divorce. So he has a plan, he’ll stay in Australia for three months and see if there is any hope to save his marriage.

Claire can’t believe the news she receives from her lawyer. So when she receives the phone call from her husband who she hasn’t seen in five years and she meets him for dinner, she shocked when he insists she stay and live with him, giving them and chance to save their marriage. However, instead of asking, this proud Italian demands and blackmails her using her brother’s situation of being in trouble with the law as an excuse to keep her in line. He holds all the cards and is determined to have total control.

Emotionally, they were both at separate ends. She's still grieving for the loss of their daughter openly and he concealing his. This emotion plus the remembering for them both of the passion they once shared is absolutely combustible. Then the secrets and there are some. Antonio believed his mother that Claire was a gold digger as she gave her a check when she left Italy. Antonio is so very sure his mother was correct and determined that Claire with NOT get half of his inheritance. As for the most important emotion love, he’s sure he only felt lust for his wife when Claire clearly and deeply loved him. However, to be forced to marry because of a pregnancy, leave Australia and live in Italy with a busy surgeon husband and a new family who were not welcoming and the loss of a daughter, way too much!

What touched my soul was how the author dealt with grief and loss. Maybe to the reader who has not experienced it, they would have a different experience. However, personally I’ve had to deal with losing a husband and it was horrible but to loose a child I think would be devastating. And devastating it was for Claire whose baby died at birth. It wasn’t only loosing her it was how her husband Antonio dealt with it as well as his Italian family. All Claire wanted from Antonio was to be loved for her. On top of the loss it was way too much for her so she fled back to Australia.

Their months together were a tug of war but it’s obvious the passion is still there as they become reacquainted. It’s how they came to terms with their baby’s death, all of the secrets and the misunderstandings that tugged at my heart. It’s just a beautifully written love story and one I will long remember. I’m looking forward to Melanie’s September release, Bound by the Marcolini Diamonds and reading about another Marcolini brother an Italian alpha!


Hero Hotness Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Heroine Lovability Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Awww Factor♥♥♥♥♥
Stickability Factor ♥♥♥♥♥
Humour Factor♥
Weepy Factor♥♥♥

Reviewed by: Marilyn

Behind the Book from the author:

"With the Marcolini Men my editor wanted me to do a two book series and she suggested using a celebrity surgeon as the hero in the first book. I already had the idea having met a young lady a couple of years ago who poured her heart out to me one day as she was doing my nails about the death of her baby. It was one of those incredibly moving moments that touched me very deeply. Firstly that she chose me, a perfect stranger, to off load her grief. And secondly because it made me realize how everyone grieves in their own way, that there is not blue print for how you deal with loss. So many of this young lady’s friends and family skirted it around it not wanting to upset her but she really needed to talk.

I decided that my hero and heroine Claire and Antonio would have each dealt with their grief in different ways and in the heartache of their loss had somehow lost each other. Antonio sees his trip to Australia as a chance to see if they have a chance to rebuild their marriage or end it forever."