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The Italian's Suitable Wife (DiRinaldi Brothers #1)

by Lucy Monroe (Goodreads Author)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 275 ratings · 17 reviews

Enrico DiRinaldi still wants a wife and children, even though an accident has left him unable to walk. So he proposes a marriage of convenience to Gianna Lakewood. Having always longed for a baby herself - and having secretly loved Rico since she was a teenager - Gianna can't say no...

The passion Rico ignites in his innocent bride leaves her breathless. But when she reali

...more

Paperback, Harlequin Presents #2425, 192 pages

Published October 2004 by Harlequin

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Apr 14, 2012 Tracie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: harlequin-presents, read-in-2012

A more appropriate title for this book would have been The Asshat's Doormat Baby Machine.

I had so many issues with this book. It only merited 2 stars because of the paralysis which was something different

Problem number one: the H. He was a selfish asshat caveman. I kept hoping for some groveling at the end to make up for how awful he was. Towards the end it only got slightly better although he still came across as a caveman.

Problem number two: the h. She was such a pathetic doormat. Anything the...more A more appropriate title for this book would have been The Asshat's Doormat Baby Machine.

I had so many issues with this book. It only merited 2 stars because of the paralysis which was something different

Problem number one: the H. He was a selfish asshat caveman. I kept hoping for some groveling at the end to make up for how awful he was. Towards the end it only got slightly better although he still came across as a caveman.

Problem number two: the h. She was such a pathetic doormat. Anything the asshat asked of her she did. Sure she went through the motions of trying to have a mind of her own, but that only lasted like 5 seconds.

Problem 3: The premise behind the marriage. The asshat actually tells the doormat that because he broke it off with his fiancee that his mother is expecting a daughter-in-law and grandchildren so the doormat can fill the now empty spot. First of all he was never going to have get a baby out of the selfish fiancee.

Problem 4: Asshat stuck up for selfish fiancee well after he was married when his family showed him how they really felt about the former fiancee.

Problem 5: The sex scenes were so awkward and painful to read. I understand that the paralysis brought a new dimension to it, but I found myself skipping a lot of it. My main issue was in the way the h was "deflowered". (view spoiler)

There was yet another glaring issue I had about them having sex after she underwent a very painful IUI. I'm sorry it went on for pages how much pain it caused her and they are going to have sex? Not believable or just stupid. I can actually see the doormat going along with it.

Problem 6: The h's innocence. I get that she was a 23 y/o virgin. But she apparently had no knowledge of how a penis works. Sorry not buying that in a book written in 2000's.

Problem 7: By the end of the book we find out that the H has been in love with the h the whole time, but instead of just telling her this he decided to be an asshat.(less)

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Feb 05, 2012 Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: print

4 1/2 Stars! ~ From the time 13 year old Enrico di Rinaldo comforted five year old Gianna Lakewood at the death of her mother, Gianna held Rico forever in her heart. And as she grew up she remained close to the di Rinaldo family, as Rico’s mother had been her mother’s long life friend. When Andre called in the middle of the night to announce to Gianna that his brother had been in a horrible accident, Gianna drove all night to be at Rico’s side. During the agonizing days of his coma, she declared...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Marajean rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Family friend who has always loved the hero basically abandons her job at a college to rush the bedside of the hero when he's involved in an accident.

The hero is in a coma because he rescued someone somewhere and wound up yeah.

Heroine spends the days he's in a coma telling him how much she loves him and why he can't leave the family and most especially her, now. Hero also happens to be engaged to a supermodel who saw him in the hospital, asked for drugs to help her sleep and disappeared into the...more Family friend who has always loved the hero basically abandons her job at a college to rush the bedside of the hero when he's involved in an accident.

The hero is in a coma because he rescued someone somewhere and wound up yeah.

Heroine spends the days he's in a coma telling him how much she loves him and why he can't leave the family and most especially her, now. Hero also happens to be engaged to a supermodel who saw him in the hospital, asked for drugs to help her sleep and disappeared into the night after about 5 minutes by his bed. She only returns when he wakes up.

This disgusting excuse for a man and supposed love of the heroine's life has fallen hard for a shallow selfish but extremely beautiful and talented in bed woman. Despite the fact that the heroine is basically one of the family, when her father dies, he doesn't even attend the funeral, because his girlfriend/fiancee had other things to do. He's basically cut the heroine out of his life, but it's not his fault, he was led astray by this evil woman who doesn't even care about him.

When the hero wakes up from his coma, he's paralyzed.

He spends his time at the hospital using the heroine's love in order to make his fiancee jealous. So he sends horrible mixed signals to the heroine that he wants her when really it's all about sticking it to his fiancee for ignoring him. Isn't he just the greatest?

Finally he decides to ditch the fiancee, or she ditches him, whichever, and decides that he'll marry the heroine because she's such a pushover, she'll agree to anything he says, worship him, and he doesn't have to worry about the fact that he can't get it up anymore.

So the poor heroine marries the hero like a TSTL insert other bad words here. She loves him, she knows he knows she loves him. She knows he is not above using her love for him to make her do what he wants.

So he wants kids and he knows he can get them from her because she'll do IVF so they can have them.

She marries him and he still defends the other woman, blames her for chasing the other woman away, but the heroine loves him so so much.

Finally the other woman actually comes into her house and tells her that she's taking her man back because they have such spectacular sex together, and the heroine grows a backbone and tells her to vacate her house and if she wants to see her husband she'll have to make an appointment with his secretary. And then the hero walks in and basically usurps the heroine's declaration by saying the other woman can stay and talk. The heroine's new spine wavers a bit and instead of telling him off, she does the next best thing, which is to leave his sorry butt to go think about how horrible her life is.

If you read from after they settle in with marriage to the end, you can believe in the HEA. If you read from the beginning, there's no getting over how horrible all the characters are. You can't like Gianna because she's just too martyr for my love, and wait, let me lay down so you can walk all over me without putting yourself out too much. And you really can't like Rico that much because apparently he's so prideful that he refuses to ever accept that he was wrong. And because of that, he refuses to accept that he was wrong in picking his fiancee or any of his decisions. He uses Gianna horribly knowing perfectly well how she feels about him. I just couldn't like him at all, and Gianna for loving him made me not like her either.(less)

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Jun 02, 2011 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance

A tragic accident put Enrico (Rico) DiRinaldi into a coma. His brother had no way of contacting their parents, and it would take Andre DiRinaldi many hours to reach him. Calling long time family friend Gianna (Gia) Lakewood was the easiest way to make sure someone was with Rico in the hospital. Gia never waited to find out what had happened, she heard that Rico was in need so she jumped in her car and made the 2 hour drive to New York as quick as she could. Finding out that Rico's fiancé had onl...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Alexis-Morgan Roark rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Alexis-Morgan by: alexisroark@sbcglobal.net

Shelves: audiobook, virgins, one-time-read

Blech! The heroine was a doormat for the most part until practically the end. The hero was a jealous, demanding, control freak who excels at sending mixed signals. She should have gone for the brother!

I should mention that even though I despise the H and h, I keep re-reading this darn book. Sick, I know. I increased the rating because it is a good book for what it is: an HP. I may not AGREE, but it is still well written.

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Jul 25, 2012 Virginia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Liked it, but didn't love it. Gianna never felt like a real woman, just the manifestation of utter devotion. Normally I'm a big fan of the finally requited love trope, but I couldn't invest myself in a woman with no interests outside of Rico. She was a strange mixture of oblivious and perceptive. Supposedly Enrico is this great guy, but most of the good things he has done don't take place in this book. Mostly I see him toying with Gianna or lashing out at her, but the way he cared for her when s...more

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Jan 05, 2013 McKenna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: backbone-surgically-removed, contemporary-romance, definitely-not-for-everyone, not-so-perfect-hero

Okay this is definitely not for everyone. The heroine is by nature a doormat, letting everyone from her Stepmother, boss to her now husband walk all over and push her around. But she is in love with the hero and is there for him throw thick and thin. When an accident gives her the chance to marry the one man she has ever loved she grabs the chance with both hands.

If you like your heroines strong (I usually do) then this one might be a pass but there were some very touching moments that had me gr...more

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Apr 08, 2012 thadine rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book begins with Enrico DiRinaldi in a coma after coming to the rescue of a woman who was being mugged, and ending up getting shot and hit by a car. Gianna Lakewood has loved him since she was a child but he has always treated her as a little sister. Rico wakes from his coma to discover that he is paralysed from the waist down, with an uncertain prognosis. He shortly dumps his sexy model fiancée and bullies Gianna into a quickie marriage.

Rico's paralysis makes him impotent, which is highly...more This book begins with Enrico DiRinaldi in a coma after coming to the rescue of a woman who was being mugged, and ending up getting shot and hit by a car. Gianna Lakewood has loved him since she was a child but he has always treated her as a little sister. Rico wakes from his coma to discover that he is paralysed from the waist down, with an uncertain prognosis. He shortly dumps his sexy model fiancée and bullies Gianna into a quickie marriage.

Rico's paralysis makes him impotent, which is highly unusual in a category romance hero. Of course the reader knows he will have a happy ending (in every way) and will eventually be restored to full functionality, but we have some unique love scenes including a digital deflowering. I can't help but think the author has little knowledge (and performed no research) on lower body paralysis and rehabilitation. Rico seems to have no trouble getting changed, bathing, and hopping in and out of bed even though he is paralysed. He uses a rowing machine as part of his rehabilitation; I can't even begin to picture how you're supposed to use a rowing machine when you can't use your lower body. It's not important, but missed details like this were a little jarring.

The other thing that makes this story different is that both the hero and heroine know from the start that she is in love with him. Gianna is willing to lose her job and home because she loves Rico. She doesn't follow the usual, and inexplicable, reaction of most category romance heroines of trying to protect herself and deny her feelings. It's quite refreshing.

My main complaint was Rico's feelings. I just didn't really get the feeling that he really does love Gianna. He claims that he heard her telling him she loved him while he was in a coma, and that is what convinced him that he needed her to be his wife, rather than his fiancée Chiara. Well, I can certainly see that he was disillusioned by Chiara and decided he wanted a doting supportive wife who loves him, which he would get in Gianna. I couldn't believe that he actually loves her though, and is anything but selfish in his reasons for marrying her. He gets what he wants, and he supposes she will be happy because she gets him. He does admit this at the end and feels guilty about it, but I still wasn't convinced that he really loves Gianna. Nevertheless, this was a lovely story and I highly recommend it.(less)

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Apr 05, 2009 Rachel Brand rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: 2009, romance, harlequin-category-romances, contemporary

This was so awful that I couldn't even finish it. It actually made that M&B Historical Romance that I read seem like it was written by the Bard himself. It's clear now that I'm definitely not a M&B girl. I like light reads, I like happily-ever-afters and true love - but dominating alpha males and pathetic women who pine after men who they barely know for seven years? Not so much. Sex scenes with agonising screaming in them don't do much for me either.

On the bright side, I could definitel...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars

Note to self:

1. Not only lame but incapable in bed. What the...? What kind of alpha hero is that? Merits two stars just for the innovative sex.

2. Twins? In vitro plus natural conception.

3. Turnaround: The evil model of a girlfriend's place at the bedside of the ailing dude is usurped by the supposedly doormat heroine.

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Feb 11, 2013 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Liked it but I thought the plot was a bit flat. I felt like it had lots of potential though...

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Sep 20, 2010 KarenH rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, ugh, tortured-reader, what-does-he-see-in-her

All I can say is the heroine needed some serious psychiatric help. TSTL is putting it mildly.

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May 15, 2010 Christy Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gimpy, chick-lit, fiction, female-authors, romance, contemporary, books-i-own, historical, historical-romance, ugly, reviewed

I'm listing this under historical-fiction because one of the leads uses a modem.

You know what I liked about this book? Monroe wrote some pretty horrible archetypal couple that fans of romance always bitch about but no one really writes anymore; the totally cold and should-call-the-police-on hero and pussy heroine. It was so old school cliche that it totally came off as avant-garde to me. I knew what was going to happen but I was interested in seeing how these characters go about it.

It's one of t...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Leona rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: hqn-presents

A disappointing read from Lucy Monroe.

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May 27, 2011 Carolinareader rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not the most likeable of heros

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Feb 16, 2012 Lenore Kosinski rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harlequin, kindle

Rico was kind of adorable in all his macho confusion....and despite Gianna's insecurities, couldn't help but like her devotion and spunk.

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Jul 06, 2010 Anja rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook

Audiobook.

The title should actually be The Asshole's Doormat Wife.

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May 15, 2013 Damla marked it as to-read

May 14, 2013 Brandy added it

May 11, 2013 Sarah Hoffman rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 10, 2013 Christine Hatfield marked it as to-read

May 09, 2013 Ep marked it as to-read

May 04, 2013 Dee Erzedt marked it as to-read

May 04, 2013 Ammy Myers rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 02, 2013 Maria added it

May 02, 2013 Reem Fikrit marked it as to-read

May 01, 2013 Tanzia Scott marked it as to-read

May 01, 2013 Theresa rated it 2 of 5 stars

May 13, 2013 Giovanni rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: marriage-of-convenience, possessive, serious-to-boring-hero, sibling-in-love, stupid-heroine, vulnerable-heroine, tortured-hero

Apr 30, 2013 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Lucy Monroe

Award winning author Lucy Monroe had her first book published in September 2003. Since then she has sold more than 50 books to four publishers and hit national bestsellers lists in the US and England. She writes sexy category romance for Harlequin Presents including her own ongoing mini-series, The Royal Brides. If you prefer a longer book, but want to keep it steamy, try her Mercenary trilogy or...more

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Books by Lucy Monroe

Ready (Mercenary/Goddard Project, #3) (Mercenary Trilogy, #1)

Moon Awakening (Children of the Moon, #1)

Willing (Mercenary/Goddard Project, #4) (Mercenary Trilogy, #2)

And Able (Mercenary/Goddard Project, #5) (Mercenary Trilogy, #3)

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The Italian's Suitable Wife (DiRinaldi Brothers #1)

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