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The Bellini Bride (A Mediterranean Marriage #1)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 270 ratings · 19 reviews

Marco Bellini thinks he has it all: success, wealth...and Antonia--his beautiful, sensual mistress. Then his father becomes ill, and Marco feels bound to marry and produce an heir to the famous Bellini fortune.

But who should Marco choose as a bride? Antonia isn't suitable, but she's the "only" woman he wants in his life and his bed. Dare he take his mistress to be his lawf...more

ebook, 192 pages

Published August 23rd 2010 by Harlequin Presents (first published November 2nd 2001)

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Sep 24, 2011 willaful rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angsty-goodness, got-up-my-nose, ick-factor, relationship-on-the-rocks, other-side-of-tracks-or-misalliance

Grrr, this book ticked me off so much! The man who won't marry his mistress is one of my favorite tropes, because it's such a juicy source of pain, and this one started off particularly well, with a conventional HP scenario that included a very unconventional twist. But then Reid had to go and (quite ridiculously) undo the whole thing, putting us right back into same-old/same-old land. (view spoiler)...more

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Mar 30, 2012 LuvGirl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: heroine-mistress, kin-p, contemporary, ow-mistress-involved, kindle, suitor-hero-triangle, 3-stars

The heroine mistress theme is one of my favorite tropes, so I was eating this up in the beginning. I loved that the leads argued and fight like real couples. They were an interesting pair that had lots of chemistry together. By the middle though, the hero was a little too insecure for my taste and the heroine never gave me the satisfaction of leaving him after he would put her down in the worst ways and say some really hurtful things to her. When did she decide to walk away? When he was ready to...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, genre-contemporary-romance, genre-serial-romance, guilty-pleasure, heroine-is-a-doormat

I'm in one of those moods where all I want to do is sit around watching campy 1950's horror movies, like Them!, and reading ridiculous melodramatic serial romances. It’s why I spent close to two hours trolling for Harlequin Presents titles that tickled my fancy. (Even though I'm convinced that nothing can beat Lightning That Lingers which featured a male stripper with a heart of gold who owned a pet owl and used his g-string dollars to fund a nature preserve.) However, The Bellini Bride managed...more I'm in one of those moods where all I want to do is sit around watching campy 1950's horror movies, like Them!, and reading ridiculous melodramatic serial romances. It’s why I spent close to two hours trolling for Harlequin Presents titles that tickled my fancy. (Even though I'm convinced that nothing can beat Lightning That Lingers which featured a male stripper with a heart of gold who owned a pet owl and used his g-string dollars to fund a nature preserve.) However, The Bellini Bride managed to stray spectacularly into crazy soap-opera territory mid-way through the story.

Antonia once posed nude for a painting that became famous and brought billionaire Marco Bellini to her door. When the book opens it’s been a little over a year since they got together and things look to be going a little sour. Marco's father is dying and wants to see his son married before he kicks the bucket, so Marco is trying to work up the courage to either break things off with Antonia or grow a pair of balls and marry her.

Marco, of course, is a douche nugget. The way he handles the stress coming from family and society is to verbally lash out at Antonia. His favorite barb is to constantly remind her that everyone thinks she's a big ole' ho-bag because she's naked in some fine art painting drawn by her ex-lover. His other favorite thing to throw out is that pretty women are a dime a dozen and he can replace her with a snap of his fingers. Such a dreamboat, eh?

For the first half of the book I didn't find Marco's ass-y behavior all that infuriating because Antonia bit back just as hard and made him apologize for being a dick. And for a terrifying moment I thought that I had accidentally stumbled across a Presents title that lacked the wonderful flavor of absurdity that I had been looking for. After all, I had an awesome heroine who was experienced and unashamed of her past despite the fact that everyone around her seemed to want to shame her, including the hero. That was until I hit the halfway point and Reid pulled the rug out from under Antonia’s character.

The crazy hits the fan when Antonia and Marco attend her ex-lover's newest art exhibition. Suddenly it’s revealed that (view spoiler) Hahaha... awesome.

After the craziness that was this art exhibition, Antonia turns into a wishy-washy mess of a woman who can’t seem to dredge up any self-respect and leave Marco’s ass. Even though she does think about it frequently and (view spoiler) After this, the plot is basically all about Antonia groveling for Marco’s forgiveness for not trusting him and for making an aborted attempt at leaving him. Hahaha, seriously? Marco’s sense of entitlement knows no bounds. I love how we’re supposed to believe that Marco deserves Antonia’s trust and commitment despite him never having done anything to earn it. At one point Antonia is close to leaving Marco when she thinks this: “He wanted her. What more could she ask of him, for goodness’ sake?” Uhhh… maybe his respect or, you know, love? But nah, she’ll settle for him just wanting her around. Girl needs to find that self-esteem she lost somewhere around the halfway point.

Honestly, I really enjoyed this one. I was in the right mood for the ridiculousness that this book managed to dish out in spades. The only thing that could’ve made this book better is if Reid had decided to pursue the melodrama that Marco’s catty ex-lover could’ve dished out.
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May 15, 2011 RomReader rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harlequin-silhouette

Wealthy Italian businessman's mistress of 1 yr, who's infamous for being the woman in nude paintings of new artist, believes that her r/s with H is at an end. It's no secret that hero thinks she's not appropriate wife material for him b/c of his elite family & her scandalous reputation. But its a struggle for both of them b/c of the passion they feel for each other & heroine has been honest about her love for him. Their r/s is tested when her artist friend comes back in town & hero's...more

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Sep 03, 2010 Jane Litte rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story opens with Marco Bellini, a wealthy member of the elite Italian society, contemplating his mistress and the fact that he needs to marry. Marco thinks to himself that he loves everything about her but what she is. Marco views his mistress, Antonia, as a woman lacking in certain moral value. She's not good enough to be wife material because Antonia has been the lover of a famous painter, Stefan Kranst who immortalized her nude body in several paintings.

Antonia throws out to him that half...more The story opens with Marco Bellini, a wealthy member of the elite Italian society, contemplating his mistress and the fact that he needs to marry. Marco thinks to himself that he loves everything about her but what she is. Marco views his mistress, Antonia, as a woman lacking in certain moral value. She's not good enough to be wife material because Antonia has been the lover of a famous painter, Stefan Kranst who immortalized her nude body in several paintings.

Antonia throws out to him that half the reason he is with her is because of her noteriety.

'You got what you came looking for, Marco,' she told him. 'You got the woman in the painting. You had no interest in me as a living breathing human being!'

Two streaks of colour hit his cheekbones, his whole body stiffened in affront. 'That's not true,' he denied.

'Yes, it is,' she insisted. 'Take away the kudos in being able to lay claim to Stefan Kranst's notoriously sexy model, and it would take away the desire; I always knew that.'

While some may be frustrated that Antonia stays with Marco despite the fact she knows that he doesn't love her and despite the fact that he does not view her as an equal. But Antonia is a woman who has loved unwisely, at most, and through the story we begin to see her gain agency. Part of Marco's failure to perceive her as anything but a bedmate, as his mistress, is in part due to his own myopia, but also because Antonia does not trust Marco to share with him insights that might make her seem more real to him. True, he should have sought this information out, but he does not until he begins to acknowledge that losing Antonia would be worse than any public shame.

Marco wants to believe he is a decent and honorable man and certainly he has not bought Antonia's affections. He won her affections but in reality, Marco has to come to grips with the cavalier way he has been treating Antonia and his own complicated feelings toward her and her public face. The themes in the book could have gone wildly wrong and the payoff begins to come out half way through the book when Marcos begins to realize the depth of his hipocrisy. He loved the art and the art form of the nude and loved the painting of Antonia and the idea Antonia. Once he had her, possessed her like the painting, he began to like the painting less and less because he viewed the exposure of nudity of someone he knew as something of which to be shameful. He was ashamed of Antonia. A bigot. A hypocrite.

But his mother had admired the woman in the painting before she had known Antonia had moved in with him. Now all she saw was a woman willing to expose herself for all to see and who possessed no conscience about doing it. She also despaired, because her son had not yet assuaged what she saw as his obsession with both the painting and the woman.

And because he was a proud man, he could not acknowledge that he was in love within someone that he felt shame about; that those he cared about would feel shame about. Marco then realizes that it is he who should be ashamed. He realizes that here he is, this supposed connoisseur of art, placing moral judgments on the subject of that art. My complaints about the book are not the prose which Robin has called rough (I didn't notice) but that I wish the story arc for Antonia had been a little stronger. I think part of this was due to space constraints. But what I love is that this story takes the idea of the purity of the heroine as a commodity and challenges the hypocritical views toward that. In order for Marco to win Antonia back, he must accept that others will always perceive her to be less than moral, that others may always look down on her as he had once had. Marco does and faces down that cynosure in a spectacular way.(less)

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Aug 06, 2012 HÜLYA YILMAZ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Aynadaki Kadın Michelle Reid

Michelle reid'de çok sevdiğim yazarlardan gün geçtikçe kalemini daha çok sevmekteyim..Bu ay ki
Classic serisinin ikinci hikayesi ona aitti..Çok gizemli,egzotik bir hikaye idi..

Marco Bellini İtalyan Cemiyetinin en ünlü ailelerinden birinin bir feri ile bir yıldır birlikte olduğu sevgilisine çok düşkündü..Onunla her bakımdan tamamlandığını hissediyordu..Ama iş evliliğe gelince bu durum biraz karışıktı..Çünkü Antoinia'nın geçmişi evliliğe izin vermeyecek cinstendi..
İkisi...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Karla rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: category-romance

I am frequently frustrated by category romances and this book, because it is better than average, represents why.

This book was a bit deeper than I would expect from a category romance. The reader begins with certain assumptions, which the author neatly turns on their ends halfway through the book. The author's plot offered a few enjoyable surprises. However the characters were very stereotypical for category romance -- a jerky, arrogant billionaire, and a weak, spineless, silly heroine -- and he...more

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Oct 28, 2010 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: purchased-obtained, e-book, contemporary-romance, harlequinpresents

The hero is the Italian scion of a wealthy family, whose mistress (the heroine) was the model for a famous artist who painted her many times in the nude. His father is ill, and pressure is mounting for him to marry. He can't bring himself to give up the heroine, but he can't bring himself to marry her either, because of that scandalous past. Their relationship is full of those fights Italians are famous for--he insults her because of her past, she reacts, they fight, he apologizes-very nicely-an...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Fiona Marsden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Angsty romance fans

Recommended to Fiona by: Author preference

Marco Bellini is the typical gorgeous millionaire Italian alpha male Michelle Reid does so well. Antonia is his mistress, note that is mistress not lover, clearly defined. The reason for this is that Antonia is notorious for being the artists model and presumed mistress of Stefan Kransky who is known for his nude portraiture. She is therefore not suitable as a potential bride for a Bellini. Unfortunately Marco is under pressure to marry and he seriously doesn't want anyone else. But he knows Ant...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Bridie Coleman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this book up following my reading of Sharon Kendrick's The Sicilian's Passion as recommended in a short series called Passion. Well passion is definitely what you get together with emotion and complex characters and a story that will make you cry (well it made me cry which isn't hard!) but with a fabulous ending as befits M&B. Great writing and I just have to read more of Michelle's books based on this. Recommended

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Jan 27, 2012 Tracie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: category-romance, harlequin-presents, read-in-2012

This book was intense. For about 2/3 of the book I wanted the H/h to be apart. I honestly couldn't see any love or romance between them. The writing was still very good and I was invested in finding out what would happen to both of them and how it would work out.

By the end I was sufficiently satisfied that the H was in love with the h and loved his groveling. Great book!

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Dec 23, 2011 Booklover rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cheating-grovel, baby-children, blackmailed-deal, cruel-abusive-hero, divorce-separated-reunion-2nd-chanc, italian-greek-spanish-tycoons-royal, love, misunderstanding, mistress-secretery-lover, obssessed-jealous-exes-ow, parents, part-of-a-series, secrets-past-tragedy-abusive-childh, seduced-seduction, sibblings-best-friends

Wonderful Intense story,enjoyed it from pg 1 till the end,wanted to smack Marco sometimes but he did redeem himself and all my anger melted.Antonia adored her one strong woman who stood for whatever she believed and way she fought fair with Marco what ever cruel things for way he treated Antonia made sure she gave him back the taste of his won medicine:)

Wanted to

Anton Gabrielli specially the way she hurted and said those cruel words to his own daughter and not a remorse he has for the way he t...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Maandoe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 22, 2010 Alexis-Morgan Roark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: virgins, painter, italian-hero

Wow! Again! What a story! Talk about pulling no punches, in your face drama, passion, and intriuge. I really disliked the hero at the beginning with his claims of not loving her given her past. Idiot! I found myself, however, cheering for him, for them. A beautiful love story.

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Jul 07, 2011 Reinita Afif Aulia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-e-book, harlequin-books, romance, fiction

Not a lover, but a mistress. Marco hadn't married yet but he's not sure about his feeling to Antonia though she really loved him.

This story is about how important truth and communication is. But, well, it's just not my thing.

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Mar 19, 2012 Carmen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harlequin, hp-saucing-up-2012

It took a long time for the hero Marco to relnquinsh his insecurities regarding Antonia's past. Almost too long. I gave the extra star to Antonia for being such a lovely, caring heroine.

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Jan 05, 2013 McKenna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, not-so-perfect-hero, not-your-average-heroine, tall-dark-and-brooding-hero

I have to say I loved this book. I know the hero can be an arrogant jerk but lets face it most Presents heroes are that way. But this heroine thought not perfect in her own right finds more and more strength through out the story.

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Jun 29, 2012 marilyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good book. Mistress becomes wife.

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Jan 24, 2013 Vain Desi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: modern

19 August 2012
23 January 2013

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May 19, 2013 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 17, 2013 Irene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 15, 2013 K. Bell marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: books-on-ibooks-and-nook

May 14, 2013 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 13, 2013 Tessa marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 13, 2013 Hanisah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: harlequin

May 10, 2013 Nina marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 08, 2013 Firewater07 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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About Michelle Reid

Hi, my name is Michelle Reid and I’ve been writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon for the last twenty years, and the crazy part about it is that I only realised it had been twenty years while updating this page!

So, hang on for a minute while I take this huge milestone in....

Twenty years with almost forty books published or in the pipeline ... I know it isn’t a great average when compared with some...more

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The Bellini Bride (A Mediterranean Marriage #1)

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