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The Unforgettable Husband
Is this stranger really her husband?
For a year, Samantha has been existing with no memory of her previous life. But when a dark, stunningly handsome Italian walks into her life, Sam's past is about to be revealed....
When Sam sees Andre Visconte, she faints clean away. Is her body's instinctive response to him telling her that she's recognized him? However, there are further shocks in store, the first of which is Andre's insistence that he is her husband!
For a year, Samantha has been existing with no memory of her previous life. But when a dark, stunningly handsome Italian walks into her life, Sam's past is about to be revealed....
When Sam sees Andre Visconte, she faints clean away. Is her body's instinctive response to him telling her that she's recognized him? However, there are further shocks in store, the first of which is Andre's insistence that he is her husband!
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2001
About the author
Michelle Reid
395 books639 followersHi, 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 authors but it sounds pretty good to me!
So what was I doing twenty years ago before I wrote books? Well, I did the all of the usual things, like growing up and attending school, finishing at secretarial college, which I hated, then spent the next several years wandering aimlessly from job to job. Eventually I met my husband, we married and produced two daughters who then grew up and between them presented us with two gorgeous grandsons and one beautiful granddaughter. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Somewhere in between my girls growing up and the grandchildren arriving on the scene, I started writing. To this day I don’t know why, unless it was a natural progression from my never being without a book close by—often several—because books have always been an important part of my life for as far back as I can recall.
So, I started to write, by hand at first, scribbling short stories in notebooks which never saw the light of day. At some point I discovered Mills & Boon Romance books and that was pretty much it for me. I’d found my new love, as in reading romantic fiction and inevitably writing it too.
So twenty years on and almost forty books on, here I am still writing and still loving it!
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 authors but it sounds pretty good to me!
So what was I doing twenty years ago before I wrote books? Well, I did the all of the usual things, like growing up and attending school, finishing at secretarial college, which I hated, then spent the next several years wandering aimlessly from job to job. Eventually I met my husband, we married and produced two daughters who then grew up and between them presented us with two gorgeous grandsons and one beautiful granddaughter. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Somewhere in between my girls growing up and the grandchildren arriving on the scene, I started writing. To this day I don’t know why, unless it was a natural progression from my never being without a book close by—often several—because books have always been an important part of my life for as far back as I can recall.
So, I started to write, by hand at first, scribbling short stories in notebooks which never saw the light of day. At some point I discovered Mills & Boon Romance books and that was pretty much it for me. I’d found my new love, as in reading romantic fiction and inevitably writing it too.
So twenty years on and almost forty books on, here I am still writing and still loving it!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
March 17, 2017
WELL THAT WAS DIFFERENT,
And not in the good way.
I could understand his dilemma but WTF he wanted her to forgive his brother who tried to rape her!!!!
What?
Did he want her to stick around for him to finish so that he could truly call her a whore again?
When she had only one lover!
They don't even mention kids or wanting a family or any kind of life pass sleeping in the same bed in which ever hotel they happen to be in.
I would give it negative stars but I cant.
Avoid this one!
It will mess with your mind.
And not in the good way.
I could understand his dilemma but WTF he wanted her to forgive his brother who tried to rape her!!!!
What?
Did he want her to stick around for him to finish so that he could truly call her a whore again?
When she had only one lover!
They don't even mention kids or wanting a family or any kind of life pass sleeping in the same bed in which ever hotel they happen to be in.
I would give it negative stars but I cant.
Avoid this one!
It will mess with your mind.
December 5, 2016
12 months ago, Samantha was pulled free of an horrific car accident. Six people died, and she was lucky to escape. She’s scarred, and has undergone multiple surgeries on her arm (now fixed) and her knee (still a problem). She has a job in a failing seaside hotel, but Samantha has no memory from before the accident. Her amnesia is not, her doctors assure her, related to the trauma of her accident. It has an altogether other cause.
I promised myself when I read Pregnesia that I would never again quibble over amnesia and its treatment in romantic fiction, so I won’t. However, I can’t help myself: there is a plot hole in Samantha as the lost girl, which only occurred to me once I’d finished the book. More on that later.
Andre is angry and miserable and angry about being miserable. Twelve months ago his beautiful wife stormed out after an argument and disappeared. Why didn’t he move heaven and earth to find her? Andre is having layered and conflicting emotional trauma over it, which he calls hell. He’s mid-misery spiral when he gets the call. Samantha’s been found. He rushes back to England to see her, and make a real mess of dealing with her, her amnesia, and his feelings.
I really can’t go any further without calling out that Andre in no way works for me as a romantic hero name. This is because of a classic movie: ‘My Dinner with Andre.’ I have never seen this movie. I think it’s probably something like ‘Waiting for Godot,’ or ‘Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,’ in that characters have loaded conversations that reveal deeper meanings that they can’t quite grasp, but the audience can. I have, however, experienced it in parody. There’s a Far Side cartoon called ‘My Dinner with Andy.’ It’s impossible to find legitimate links to Larson cartoons – I think copyright infringements are assertively pursued, so I’ll have to describe it. The cartoon shows a disgruntled man sitting across from his dinner partner, Andy. Andy is wearing a propeller cap, making a face, and making a mess with food. I cannot think Andre without thinking ‘My dinner with Andre’ without thinking ‘My dinner with Andy.’ The Unforgettable Andre would never be caught dead in a propeller cap, but I cannot fight a Larson cartoon, and there he is, in my head.
However: I really got both Andre and Samantha and thought this was a really decent and emotionally intense amnesia story. Andre is very angry. He says and thinks a lot of things that make it seem as though he hates Samantha. But it’s so well done because he’s fooling himself and his anger reads as intense emotional pain. He’s horrified by what Samantha went through, he’s helpless because he’s not sure that the return of her memory will reconcile them (which he both desperately wants and rejects), he’s experiencing an incredible amount of guilt over their final argument, but he can’t let go of the uncertainty he felt throughout their courtship and marriage. He never felt that she was as in love with him as he was with her. And to protect his heart, he kept trying to convince her, and convince himself, that he wasn’t as involved and vulnerable as he was. And I loved the way Reid got me to this point with this hero – because very little of this comes out directly in his point of view, but it’s so beautifully obvious in everything that he says and does.
And I thought Samantha was equally interesting. A lot of the time, amnesia is an opportunity to present significant character change. And Samantha has changed, but her maturity can also be attributable to how the accident has tested her, as well as the test of not knowing who she is. What I really liked about her was that she didn’t automatically become saintly as a result of her experiences. She was still fundamentally the same person. And then what I also really liked was, not so much that she fainted when Andre came near her, but that her bitterness and anger towards him, and her actions, stemmed from the emotional pain of their failed relationship, but without the real understanding of what had set it off.
The mystery behind Samantha’s trauma and the mystery of why Andre didn’t find her earlier are both satisfyingly resolved. There are sexy times because these two are so into each other that they can’t not get it on. There’s plenty of friction around Samantha’s resentment of Andre’s take charge approach. That works so well though, because by the time she’s telling him off it’s so clear she’s working through underlying past resentment. He’s not a stranger to her, and she’s not scared of him.
The problem that I had with this book is that it makes no sense that Samantha spends 12 months as a lost girl. It’s only by chance that one person recognises her and reports to Andre. This book was published in 2001, but even if it had come out much earlier, I still would have been sceptical that no one came forward to identify her. The accident was national news when it happened: a tanker lost control, hit three cars and caused six deaths. This kind of accident, and the story of a beautiful mystery lady, captures attention. People will engage because they want, on some level, to be a part of this story. There would have been hundreds of leads. Samantha lived and worked in London, she was a popular girl, rich, well-known. When Andre met her she was dating three men. She isn’t the kind of person who wouldn’t be recognised.
Or maybe it is plausible, and I’m making a fuss over nothing.
As I said above, I only really noticed this well after I’d finished the book, so it didn’t at all detract from my enjoyment. I really liked this book for its restraint – it definitely gave the emotional punches the right amount of impact when they came.
I promised myself when I read Pregnesia that I would never again quibble over amnesia and its treatment in romantic fiction, so I won’t. However, I can’t help myself: there is a plot hole in Samantha as the lost girl, which only occurred to me once I’d finished the book. More on that later.
Andre is angry and miserable and angry about being miserable. Twelve months ago his beautiful wife stormed out after an argument and disappeared. Why didn’t he move heaven and earth to find her? Andre is having layered and conflicting emotional trauma over it, which he calls hell. He’s mid-misery spiral when he gets the call. Samantha’s been found. He rushes back to England to see her, and make a real mess of dealing with her, her amnesia, and his feelings.
I really can’t go any further without calling out that Andre in no way works for me as a romantic hero name. This is because of a classic movie: ‘My Dinner with Andre.’ I have never seen this movie. I think it’s probably something like ‘Waiting for Godot,’ or ‘Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,’ in that characters have loaded conversations that reveal deeper meanings that they can’t quite grasp, but the audience can. I have, however, experienced it in parody. There’s a Far Side cartoon called ‘My Dinner with Andy.’ It’s impossible to find legitimate links to Larson cartoons – I think copyright infringements are assertively pursued, so I’ll have to describe it. The cartoon shows a disgruntled man sitting across from his dinner partner, Andy. Andy is wearing a propeller cap, making a face, and making a mess with food. I cannot think Andre without thinking ‘My dinner with Andre’ without thinking ‘My dinner with Andy.’ The Unforgettable Andre would never be caught dead in a propeller cap, but I cannot fight a Larson cartoon, and there he is, in my head.
However: I really got both Andre and Samantha and thought this was a really decent and emotionally intense amnesia story. Andre is very angry. He says and thinks a lot of things that make it seem as though he hates Samantha. But it’s so well done because he’s fooling himself and his anger reads as intense emotional pain. He’s horrified by what Samantha went through, he’s helpless because he’s not sure that the return of her memory will reconcile them (which he both desperately wants and rejects), he’s experiencing an incredible amount of guilt over their final argument, but he can’t let go of the uncertainty he felt throughout their courtship and marriage. He never felt that she was as in love with him as he was with her. And to protect his heart, he kept trying to convince her, and convince himself, that he wasn’t as involved and vulnerable as he was. And I loved the way Reid got me to this point with this hero – because very little of this comes out directly in his point of view, but it’s so beautifully obvious in everything that he says and does.
And I thought Samantha was equally interesting. A lot of the time, amnesia is an opportunity to present significant character change. And Samantha has changed, but her maturity can also be attributable to how the accident has tested her, as well as the test of not knowing who she is. What I really liked about her was that she didn’t automatically become saintly as a result of her experiences. She was still fundamentally the same person. And then what I also really liked was, not so much that she fainted when Andre came near her, but that her bitterness and anger towards him, and her actions, stemmed from the emotional pain of their failed relationship, but without the real understanding of what had set it off.
The mystery behind Samantha’s trauma and the mystery of why Andre didn’t find her earlier are both satisfyingly resolved. There are sexy times because these two are so into each other that they can’t not get it on. There’s plenty of friction around Samantha’s resentment of Andre’s take charge approach. That works so well though, because by the time she’s telling him off it’s so clear she’s working through underlying past resentment. He’s not a stranger to her, and she’s not scared of him.
The problem that I had with this book is that it makes no sense that Samantha spends 12 months as a lost girl. It’s only by chance that one person recognises her and reports to Andre. This book was published in 2001, but even if it had come out much earlier, I still would have been sceptical that no one came forward to identify her. The accident was national news when it happened: a tanker lost control, hit three cars and caused six deaths. This kind of accident, and the story of a beautiful mystery lady, captures attention. People will engage because they want, on some level, to be a part of this story. There would have been hundreds of leads. Samantha lived and worked in London, she was a popular girl, rich, well-known. When Andre met her she was dating three men. She isn’t the kind of person who wouldn’t be recognised.
Or maybe it is plausible, and I’m making a fuss over nothing.
As I said above, I only really noticed this well after I’d finished the book, so it didn’t at all detract from my enjoyment. I really liked this book for its restraint – it definitely gave the emotional punches the right amount of impact when they came.
August 27, 2014
I usually love a Michelle Reid HP, but this one did nothing for me. As the rating indicates it was simply 'OK'.
I'm not sure what was lacking. It had a couple of my favorite HP tropes - amnesia and second chances. Regardless this one fell flat for me. Perhaps it was the mystery element of the story. There was so much buildup to the 'why' the heroine ran out on the H and almost died in a wreck that when it all came to light it just kind of seemed anti-climatic and was quickly swept under the rug. Personally, I'd have preferred a prologue that laid out the blowup in real time and ended with the h getting in the car wreck. Then jump to a year later with a miserable H and a h who had no memory working in a crap hotel.
I also didn't understand the H's attitude. I realize that anger is a natural reaction when someone dear leaves your life for whatever reason. However, once he realized what had happened I expected more understanding and support than the constant angry 'I wished you were dead or in hell' crap. She even said she suspected she'd done something horrible based on his attitude, which he denied.
She really didn't deserve the anger from him, especially not in her physical and mental condition. It wasn't like he didn't know the truth about how he'd hurt and falsely accused the heroine. It seemed childish for him to carry on with his anger after learning that she'd been in the wreck that took her memory the very night she took off. He even said he had expected her to return after cooling off and she admitted that was likely true. It just didn't happen that way due to the accident. Besides, he ran that night as well. He went sulking off to his office to get drunk and feel sorry for himself.
I'm not sure what was lacking. It had a couple of my favorite HP tropes - amnesia and second chances. Regardless this one fell flat for me. Perhaps it was the mystery element of the story. There was so much buildup to the 'why' the heroine ran out on the H and almost died in a wreck that when it all came to light it just kind of seemed anti-climatic and was quickly swept under the rug. Personally, I'd have preferred a prologue that laid out the blowup in real time and ended with the h getting in the car wreck. Then jump to a year later with a miserable H and a h who had no memory working in a crap hotel.
I also didn't understand the H's attitude. I realize that anger is a natural reaction when someone dear leaves your life for whatever reason. However, once he realized what had happened I expected more understanding and support than the constant angry 'I wished you were dead or in hell' crap. She even said she suspected she'd done something horrible based on his attitude, which he denied.
She really didn't deserve the anger from him, especially not in her physical and mental condition. It wasn't like he didn't know the truth about how he'd hurt and falsely accused the heroine. It seemed childish for him to carry on with his anger after learning that she'd been in the wreck that took her memory the very night she took off. He even said he had expected her to return after cooling off and she admitted that was likely true. It just didn't happen that way due to the accident. Besides, he ran that night as well. He went sulking off to his office to get drunk and feel sorry for himself.
July 30, 2020
Like the heroine I, too, will be suffering from amnesia but it will be a forced amnesia, because boredom. The book cruised along on the slow-mo setting, and remained that way until the most dramatic and tension-filled aspect of the story—the trauma responsible for Samantha's amnesia and the cause for her conflict with hero Andre—was finally revealed near the last quarter. In the interim, Andre and Samantha's arguments and sexcapades just weren't as interesting. I had a difficult time digesting these scenes because Samantha hadn't fully recovered her memory and was still wary around Andre, at least when she wasn't banging him.
Like most of Michelle Reid's heroes Andre was passionate about his woman and remorseful. However, it wasn't enough to save the story from being a real snooze.
Like most of Michelle Reid's heroes Andre was passionate about his woman and remorseful. However, it wasn't enough to save the story from being a real snooze.
March 12, 2017
This should have been a high drama story - the heroine had amnesia for a year and the hero was shocked to find she had been in a car accident the very day she fled from him. He's had a year to think about his own jealous behavior and she has had a year of pain and rehabilitation and relying on the kindness of strangers. So why wasn't this as intense as it should have been?
For one thing - all the drama and conflict was in the backstory. The hero's bad behavior was in the backstory. He's realized he was wrong about the scene he witnessed and that he was jealous to the point of insanity and that he had never told the h he loved her.
So in this story he is trying to make amends and not cause the heroine any more pain as her memory starts to come back. It's all told in fits and starts so even that drama is diluted. The road to full memory is all very interesting, don't get me wrong - but the backstory- including the family hotel business and why the heroine thought he married her was more interesting. I would have read that story rather than this one.
For one thing - all the drama and conflict was in the backstory. The hero's bad behavior was in the backstory. He's realized he was wrong about the scene he witnessed and that he was jealous to the point of insanity and that he had never told the h he loved her.
So in this story he is trying to make amends and not cause the heroine any more pain as her memory starts to come back. It's all told in fits and starts so even that drama is diluted. The road to full memory is all very interesting, don't get me wrong - but the backstory- including the family hotel business and why the heroine thought he married her was more interesting. I would have read that story rather than this one.
March 8, 2016
The buildup to why she ran away was so much that I felt kind of let down when we finally got to all that took place that night. I would have been more satisfied if it was more descriptive than I just expected a little more from Michelle Reid since she can usually weave a very colorful tapestry with her words and make her readers feel the emotions of the characters. Something I unfortunately didn't with this. I was also disgusted that Andre wanted Sam to forgive Raoul. The half-brother manipulated both of them for almost a year and almost
Did Not Finish
October 17, 2021DNF @ 60% - bored - reviews weren’t encouraging. If the husband doesn’t want to destroy the man who tried to rape you, he’s not j/p or alpha. Please divorce.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2016
Recientemente leí un libro donde hay una cita de Gabriel García Márquez que dice:
"Que alguien no te ame como tú quieres, no significa que no te ama con todo su ser"
Recorde mucho esa cita con esta lectura, porque a veces la gente hace cosas que uno no entiende, como ser infiel cuando proclaman a los cuatro vientos amor por el traicionado, es para mi difícil de entender algo así, y esta es una historia difícil de leer, pero tan cierta y tan real, gracias a Dios yo no he pasado por una situación así, pero me pareció tan acertado la manera en que se describen los sentimientos de Rachel, su tristeza, desconsuelo, desesperanza, desesperación, yo los sentí con ella, y esa rabia por sentirse traicionada, olvidada, menospreciada, es una historia corta se lee rápido pero no fácil, me ha gustado mucho, me ha faltado conocer más los sentimientos de Daniel y que se trabajara mas el perdón de Rachel, que aunque no llego rápido ni fácil me parece que el no lo pidió con demasiado ahínco tampoco; en fin, muy buen libro, remueve muchos sentimientos, si te gusta el angst este esta mas q recomendado.
"Que alguien no te ame como tú quieres, no significa que no te ama con todo su ser"
Recorde mucho esa cita con esta lectura, porque a veces la gente hace cosas que uno no entiende, como ser infiel cuando proclaman a los cuatro vientos amor por el traicionado, es para mi difícil de entender algo así, y esta es una historia difícil de leer, pero tan cierta y tan real, gracias a Dios yo no he pasado por una situación así, pero me pareció tan acertado la manera en que se describen los sentimientos de Rachel, su tristeza, desconsuelo, desesperanza, desesperación, yo los sentí con ella, y esa rabia por sentirse traicionada, olvidada, menospreciada, es una historia corta se lee rápido pero no fácil, me ha gustado mucho, me ha faltado conocer más los sentimientos de Daniel y que se trabajara mas el perdón de Rachel, que aunque no llego rápido ni fácil me parece que el no lo pidió con demasiado ahínco tampoco; en fin, muy buen libro, remueve muchos sentimientos, si te gusta el angst este esta mas q recomendado.
July 22, 2013
A fun amnesia read. There was a good bit of well written angst as we watched the heroine get her memory back. She was a bit more volatile than I generally like my heroines, flying off into a snit at the least little thing. She did do a fun amount of fainting though and thank goodness the horrible memory that she was avoiding was not the typical dead baby.
August 19, 2012
I enjoyed reading this. It is very typical of Michelle Reid's style, gripping me from the first page. It's intense, absorbing, incredibly well written with high chemistry and passion between H/h.
The plot is about amnesia (not my favorite) and reconciliation/second chances (my favorite). I really enjoyed how the author slowly peeled back the layers to unfold their story ...What caused their separation? What could be so terrible to force her to flee? Why did he choose not to go after her? It was well done and indicative of what really makes Michelle Reid's writing so unique.
I also thought the hero, Andre was well written.. Intense, alpha, but with a hidden thread of tenderness that pops up when you least expect it.
This wasn't my favorite by MR, but certainly very enjoyable.
The plot is about amnesia (not my favorite) and reconciliation/second chances (my favorite). I really enjoyed how the author slowly peeled back the layers to unfold their story ...What caused their separation? What could be so terrible to force her to flee? Why did he choose not to go after her? It was well done and indicative of what really makes Michelle Reid's writing so unique.
I also thought the hero, Andre was well written.. Intense, alpha, but with a hidden thread of tenderness that pops up when you least expect it.
This wasn't my favorite by MR, but certainly very enjoyable.
November 18, 2010
This was a DNF for me. I couldn't get past the awful behaviour of the husband at the beginning. I didn't want him to be redeemed and I didn't want to know him, so I stopped reading.
June 7, 2025
Re-reading it on 7th June 2025.
I’m sorry. It’s still three stars for me.
THE HERO ASKS HIS WIFE TO FORGIVE THE MAN WHO ATTEMPTED TO RAPE HER AND WOULD HAVE SUCCEEDED.
WHAT THE ACTUAL LIVING FUCK??????????????
HIS HALF BROTHER ATTEMPTED TO RAPE HER AND I’M SORRY A MALIGNANT NARCISSIST DOES NOT CHANGE THEIR NATURE.
BEFORE THAT HE MADE LEWD REMARKS AND ATTEMPTED TO SLEEP WITH HER. HE ENTERED HER ROOM WITHOUT HER PERMISSION. HE LIED ABOUT THE BROTHER WHO WAS SUPPORTING HIM AND PAYING FOR HIM.
WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK MICHELLE??? SERIOULY?????
HERO WILL ENDANGER HEROINE’S SAFETY AGAIN BY BRINGING THE SICK BROTHER HOME SOMEDAY. WHO KNOWS???
****************
I’ll write the review later.
I agree with the other reviewers.
The almost rape or rape by Raoul was an unresolved and unpleasant issue.
Come to think of it the hero would not have forgiven his half brother if the man had actually raped his wife.
But again. Why did he forgive?
The intent to rape was always there. Whether accomplished or not.
She ran away because her husband did not believe her. He thought she was in bed with his brother willingly. He walked out of the house after throwing his brother out.
The book started off promisingly. But by 3/4ths the author ran out of ideas.
It is actually three stars. But I’ve upgraded it to four because of the hero loving her so much.
What kind of love was this? Which created such a mess.
No. Did not like it that much. The plot line wasn’t to my satisfaction.
So three stars.
The rape almost rape. Nope.
I want my romances to be less harsh. This was ugly.
*******************
So here is my review.
Let’s start at the beginning.
The hero is the CEO of an international hotel chain which his grandfather started. He takes over old run down hotels and transforms them.
He is invited by the heroine’s father to look over the hotel which they own. The old man is sick and in debt but the daughter is unaware of both.
The hero arrives at the hotel and takes one look at the red haired ‘witch’ and falls head over heels in love.
She has three boyfriends. She is very flirtatious.
Hero quickly moves in on her and also on the hotel.
The old man dies after hero and heroine are wed. The girl is shattered. The hero guts the hotel. She can’t cope with all the changes in her life.
Hero discovers the girl is a virgin but she is extremely hot for him. They can’t keep their hands off each other. He is never sure of exactly what she feels for him and wonders if she’s so hot for him would she be experimenting with sex with others too. He is obsessed and he’s scared she doesn’t belong fully to him.
Now hero has a half brother his mother had with a French husband. This brother is jealous of hero’s fame and fortune.
He keeps dropping suspicion into hero’s ears about who heroine is with when hero is away. The hero consoles himself that at least she sleeps with him at night.
Then a year later the hero is away. The step brother shows heroine some papers that make her think hero married her for the hotel and not for herself. She goes to the brother’s room to discuss it and he attacks her.
Hero comes home and finds them both in bed. He throws brother out. Leaves himself.
Heroine is young. Confused. She thinks - my husband will never forgive me. He thinks I’m a cheat.
She gets in her alpha Romeo and leaves the house for a hotel her family used to visit in Devon. Only on the road there’s a horrible accident.
She loses her memory.
The hero chases his cowardly half brother to Australia thinking the heroine went away with him .. then he finds out how the brother was a shit. How he created the whole fiasco.
In my experience psychopaths like the half brother never admit to the mayhem their cruel behaviour has created in other people’s lives.
Anyway. Heroine is lost. No one can find her.
Hero is totally devastated. He adored her. It’s been one year. He is drunk one night. The manager he had sent to look up a hotel he is going to take over in Devon rings him up. He’s found the heroine.
Hero is in America . He rushes back to England.
He goes to meet the heroine. But she faints when she sees him. She has no memory of him. She feels strong antipathy for him yet there is a pull towards him too. Pull push. She’s playing with him again.
He doesn’t care. He’s just happy he’s found her again.
They go back home to London.
She gets her memory back.
Their anniversary arrives. Hero gives her the deeds to two hotels.
Tells her she is all that matters to him. He never told her about buying her family hotel because he didn’t want her to even know. He was going to gift it to her on anniversary that she disappeared.
He gifts her hotel she worked at when she had no memory of who she was.
So that’s the story.
Somehow. The plotting and handling left me dissatisfied.
Author lost plot at 3/4th mark.
The step brother almost raping angle was horrible. If only he had just created a fake story which was later disproved by some third person that would have been nicer ..
This was too harsh.
I didn’t enjoy it that much.
I’m sorry. It’s still three stars for me.
THE HERO ASKS HIS WIFE TO FORGIVE THE MAN WHO ATTEMPTED TO RAPE HER AND WOULD HAVE SUCCEEDED.
WHAT THE ACTUAL LIVING FUCK??????????????
HIS HALF BROTHER ATTEMPTED TO RAPE HER AND I’M SORRY A MALIGNANT NARCISSIST DOES NOT CHANGE THEIR NATURE.
BEFORE THAT HE MADE LEWD REMARKS AND ATTEMPTED TO SLEEP WITH HER. HE ENTERED HER ROOM WITHOUT HER PERMISSION. HE LIED ABOUT THE BROTHER WHO WAS SUPPORTING HIM AND PAYING FOR HIM.
WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK MICHELLE??? SERIOULY?????
HERO WILL ENDANGER HEROINE’S SAFETY AGAIN BY BRINGING THE SICK BROTHER HOME SOMEDAY. WHO KNOWS???
****************
I’ll write the review later.
I agree with the other reviewers.
The almost rape or rape by Raoul was an unresolved and unpleasant issue.
Come to think of it the hero would not have forgiven his half brother if the man had actually raped his wife.
But again. Why did he forgive?
The intent to rape was always there. Whether accomplished or not.
She ran away because her husband did not believe her. He thought she was in bed with his brother willingly. He walked out of the house after throwing his brother out.
The book started off promisingly. But by 3/4ths the author ran out of ideas.
It is actually three stars. But I’ve upgraded it to four because of the hero loving her so much.
What kind of love was this? Which created such a mess.
No. Did not like it that much. The plot line wasn’t to my satisfaction.
So three stars.
The rape almost rape. Nope.
I want my romances to be less harsh. This was ugly.
*******************
So here is my review.
Let’s start at the beginning.
The hero is the CEO of an international hotel chain which his grandfather started. He takes over old run down hotels and transforms them.
He is invited by the heroine’s father to look over the hotel which they own. The old man is sick and in debt but the daughter is unaware of both.
The hero arrives at the hotel and takes one look at the red haired ‘witch’ and falls head over heels in love.
She has three boyfriends. She is very flirtatious.
Hero quickly moves in on her and also on the hotel.
The old man dies after hero and heroine are wed. The girl is shattered. The hero guts the hotel. She can’t cope with all the changes in her life.
Hero discovers the girl is a virgin but she is extremely hot for him. They can’t keep their hands off each other. He is never sure of exactly what she feels for him and wonders if she’s so hot for him would she be experimenting with sex with others too. He is obsessed and he’s scared she doesn’t belong fully to him.
Now hero has a half brother his mother had with a French husband. This brother is jealous of hero’s fame and fortune.
He keeps dropping suspicion into hero’s ears about who heroine is with when hero is away. The hero consoles himself that at least she sleeps with him at night.
Then a year later the hero is away. The step brother shows heroine some papers that make her think hero married her for the hotel and not for herself. She goes to the brother’s room to discuss it and he attacks her.
Hero comes home and finds them both in bed. He throws brother out. Leaves himself.
Heroine is young. Confused. She thinks - my husband will never forgive me. He thinks I’m a cheat.
She gets in her alpha Romeo and leaves the house for a hotel her family used to visit in Devon. Only on the road there’s a horrible accident.
She loses her memory.
The hero chases his cowardly half brother to Australia thinking the heroine went away with him .. then he finds out how the brother was a shit. How he created the whole fiasco.
In my experience psychopaths like the half brother never admit to the mayhem their cruel behaviour has created in other people’s lives.
Anyway. Heroine is lost. No one can find her.
Hero is totally devastated. He adored her. It’s been one year. He is drunk one night. The manager he had sent to look up a hotel he is going to take over in Devon rings him up. He’s found the heroine.
Hero is in America . He rushes back to England.
He goes to meet the heroine. But she faints when she sees him. She has no memory of him. She feels strong antipathy for him yet there is a pull towards him too. Pull push. She’s playing with him again.
He doesn’t care. He’s just happy he’s found her again.
They go back home to London.
She gets her memory back.
Their anniversary arrives. Hero gives her the deeds to two hotels.
Tells her she is all that matters to him. He never told her about buying her family hotel because he didn’t want her to even know. He was going to gift it to her on anniversary that she disappeared.
He gifts her hotel she worked at when she had no memory of who she was.
So that’s the story.
Somehow. The plotting and handling left me dissatisfied.
Author lost plot at 3/4th mark.
The step brother almost raping angle was horrible. If only he had just created a fake story which was later disproved by some third person that would have been nicer ..
This was too harsh.
I didn’t enjoy it that much.
December 15, 2017
I regret reading this one! Ugh!
The beginning started out really well...the heroine has amnesia and the "mystery" surrounding her unknown relationship with the husband was fabulous. Reid does a really good job building the suspense about what happened between them. SPOILER ALERT....I guessed--incorrectly--that the big trauma was a lost baby. Unfortunately, the truth was that the hero's brother tried to rape the heroine, the hero walks in on them, and he misunderstands and believes that his wife and brother are having an affair.
UGH UGH UGH! HATE THIS SO MUCH!
So, instead of being heroic and saving her from this traumatic attack, he calls her names and they have a huge fight. This is probably my least-favorite plot point ever. I just despise it.
Will not be re-reading this one. #SADPANDA
The beginning started out really well...the heroine has amnesia and the "mystery" surrounding her unknown relationship with the husband was fabulous. Reid does a really good job building the suspense about what happened between them. SPOILER ALERT....I guessed--incorrectly--that the big trauma was a lost baby. Unfortunately, the truth was that the hero's brother tried to rape the heroine, the hero walks in on them, and he misunderstands and believes that his wife and brother are having an affair.
UGH UGH UGH! HATE THIS SO MUCH!
So, instead of being heroic and saving her from this traumatic attack, he calls her names and they have a huge fight. This is probably my least-favorite plot point ever. I just despise it.
Will not be re-reading this one. #SADPANDA
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
to-avoid
March 5, 2015I would had liked this book, but I deleted the same day I downloaded it after a short skim. I read the part when his brother/cousin (I don't remember) ALMOST raped the heroine or RAPED her. Can you confirm me that information? because I read the Spanish translation and I have realize that sometimes publishers omit/change few things of the original book. I will thank you A LOT! XX
P.D. I hate RAPE! so that is why I avoid every book with the rape plot, it doesn't matter if is a romantic/unromantic book ;)
P.D. I hate RAPE! so that is why I avoid every book with the rape plot, it doesn't matter if is a romantic/unromantic book ;)
May 17, 2015
Una de esas novelas que si la juzgo dentro del género sin dudas en una de las mejores que he leído. No dormí hasta terminarla.Lo mas que me gustó fue el hecho de que aunque Rachel se hubiera casado con sólo 17 años y durante la novela tuviera 24,no era tan tonta. Por lo general,en este tipo de novelas rosas,la protagonista es una sumisa y encima medio tontas a mas no poder.
Toda la trama con la infidelidad de Daniel,fue muy bien llevada y aunque en lo personal,yo lo hubiera castrado o mandado bien lejos,quedé muy conforme con el final.
Toda la trama con la infidelidad de Daniel,fue muy bien llevada y aunque en lo personal,yo lo hubiera castrado o mandado bien lejos,quedé muy conforme con el final.
August 4, 2022
Llorando como magdalena.
Es la segunda vez que me leo el libro y me sigue gustando mucho.
Siempre me da coraje esa serie de malos entendidos en las novelas Harlequin, pero en esta en particular el malentendido tiene parte de verdad, parte de ficción en la cabeza de la protagonista.
Como sí viví una experiencia muy similar me cuesta mucho no entender todo el complejo, paradójico, incoherente y abrumador mar de pensamientos y emociones de la protagonista.
Esas ganas de tomar revancha, esa patética sensación de querer quedarte, querer huir. Me gusta que la novela permitiese explorar esa relación límbica donde no sabes qué hacer.
La respuesta convencional a una puesta de cuernos es terminar la relación de inmediato, colgar al infiel y huir sin mirar atrás.
Pero no es verdad que las cosas funcionen así y me dio gusto leer una novela que explora eso con una protagonista que adora la maternidad y su familia, no es mi caso, pero me conmovió mucho. El final es, como siempre, esta retaleta de confesiones que se pudieron evitar hablando, pero yo bien sé que hablar con tanto dolor en el cuerpo y tanto desprecio hacia afuera y hacia dentro, no lleva a nada. Así que no puedo no darle las 5 estrellas. Me apuesto que la volveré a leer el próximo año jajaja me gusta sufrir.
Es la segunda vez que me leo el libro y me sigue gustando mucho.
Siempre me da coraje esa serie de malos entendidos en las novelas Harlequin, pero en esta en particular el malentendido tiene parte de verdad, parte de ficción en la cabeza de la protagonista.
Como sí viví una experiencia muy similar me cuesta mucho no entender todo el complejo, paradójico, incoherente y abrumador mar de pensamientos y emociones de la protagonista.
Esas ganas de tomar revancha, esa patética sensación de querer quedarte, querer huir. Me gusta que la novela permitiese explorar esa relación límbica donde no sabes qué hacer.
La respuesta convencional a una puesta de cuernos es terminar la relación de inmediato, colgar al infiel y huir sin mirar atrás.
Pero no es verdad que las cosas funcionen así y me dio gusto leer una novela que explora eso con una protagonista que adora la maternidad y su familia, no es mi caso, pero me conmovió mucho. El final es, como siempre, esta retaleta de confesiones que se pudieron evitar hablando, pero yo bien sé que hablar con tanto dolor en el cuerpo y tanto desprecio hacia afuera y hacia dentro, no lleva a nada. Así que no puedo no darle las 5 estrellas. Me apuesto que la volveré a leer el próximo año jajaja me gusta sufrir.
February 11, 2020
Samantha and Andre have a powerful argument, then she disappears. Unbeknownst to Andre, she's in a car accident and badly injured with amnesia on top, while he thinks she left him. It's a year later that he finally finds her again.
I thought that Samantha regaining her memory would bring about some revelations about their big argument, but actually that got settled at the time of her accident. But I loved it that they had to learn to forgive each other. I especially liked it that the hero found out pretty early how wrong he was about the heroine (part of their argument), so he spent the better part of a year regretting his actions - I can put it up to groveling, since HP novels are pretty lacking in this department.
I thought that Samantha regaining her memory would bring about some revelations about their big argument, but actually that got settled at the time of her accident. But I loved it that they had to learn to forgive each other. I especially liked it that the hero found out pretty early how wrong he was about the heroine (part of their argument), so he spent the better part of a year regretting his actions - I can put it up to groveling, since HP novels are pretty lacking in this department.
January 27, 2019
Linda novelita de Harlequin para pasar el rato con una historia sencilla y bien narrada sobre un matrimonio en crisis tras una sospecha de infidelidad.Rachel y Daniel son un matrimonio con 3 hijos que tienen que sobrellevar el amor y la pasión tras las dudas e inseguridades que supone una infidelidad y los cambios a los que los someten los años de matrimonio. Linda y recomendable.aunque algo naif e idealista.
May 7, 2022
2.5 meh stars.
July 14, 2020
Quick reread (7/13/2020): He's angry and frustrated and I'm still at a loss as to whether or not it's at her or himself. It should be at himself.
This has 3 stars because it’s Michelle Reid and she writes well.
Heroine was in a horrific accident 12 months ago, she has amnesia and local news runs a story about her. Hero finds out and comes rushing to find her. He’s angry and frustrated and seems to struggle to not blame her. As a reader, you’re left to wonder what HP plot twist caused this, when it comes out, you realize he has zero right to be angry or frustrated at anyone but himself. Ugh!!!
This has 3 stars because it’s Michelle Reid and she writes well.
Heroine was in a horrific accident 12 months ago, she has amnesia and local news runs a story about her. Hero finds out and comes rushing to find her. He’s angry and frustrated and seems to struggle to not blame her. As a reader, you’re left to wonder what HP plot twist caused this, when it comes out, you realize he has zero right to be angry or frustrated at anyone but himself. Ugh!!!
September 1, 2014
A heartwrenching tale of a love lost through misunderstanding, a selfish brother, & a tragic accident. You can feel their pain as they work on uncovering her past. Discovering the real reason she ran away & the person behind it unlocks the door to her past & all the pain & betrayal. They will have to learn to trust in each other & their love if they are to have a future.
March 18, 2017
Another great HP by MR! Amnesia stories aren't a favorite of mine but I love a decisive hero and a strong heroine.
April 19, 2014
Want to like it but can't. I like the general plot, amnesia and a second chance relationship are enough angst for a good story.
I simply didn't like the hero and hate his brother. The starts was dragging and boring. Sooo boring I skipped it until the scenes where she finally remember everything. Fiuh.
Samantha and Andre had a passionate marriage. What they hadn't had was a good brother. At some parts, I like that for a change, Andre the hero was the one with all the jealousy and insecurity. He's so insecure that when an 'incident' happened he just totally went berserk.
Samantha left him and had an accident. Twelve months later he found her forgetting all about him. He deserved it. Anyway, for a man that said he wept like a baby when he couldn't find her and all those emptiness feeling he had for a year, he didn't grovel enough for his ugly accusation when he finally found her. All I see was he yelled, he got mad, and he hid the truth.
I understand his need to hid some truth from her, to give his time to make amends and try to save their marriage. What I didn't understand was his behavior clearly not implied his effort and seeking for forgiveness. What a genius billionaire *rolling eyes*
I think Samantha was too easy in forgiving him, part of me wanted her to ask a divorce and make him grovel right back from the first round. I know I'm a sadist. Not a forgivable person either.
I simply didn't like the hero and hate his brother. The starts was dragging and boring. Sooo boring I skipped it until the scenes where she finally remember everything. Fiuh.
Samantha and Andre had a passionate marriage. What they hadn't had was a good brother. At some parts, I like that for a change, Andre the hero was the one with all the jealousy and insecurity. He's so insecure that when an 'incident' happened he just totally went berserk.
Samantha left him and had an accident. Twelve months later he found her forgetting all about him. He deserved it. Anyway, for a man that said he wept like a baby when he couldn't find her and all those emptiness feeling he had for a year, he didn't grovel enough for his ugly accusation when he finally found her. All I see was he yelled, he got mad, and he hid the truth.
I understand his need to hid some truth from her, to give his time to make amends and try to save their marriage. What I didn't understand was his behavior clearly not implied his effort and seeking for forgiveness. What a genius billionaire *rolling eyes*
I think Samantha was too easy in forgiving him, part of me wanted her to ask a divorce and make him grovel right back from the first round. I know I'm a sadist. Not a forgivable person either.
December 9, 2015
I basically skimmed this one. It just didn't hold my attention enough for a "real" reading. Samantha got in a car accident; she lost her memory and wrecked her knee. A year later, she's working at a hotel when Andre shows up claiming to be her husband. He's rich and gorgeous and she reluctantly leaves with him.
This was another one of those cheap romance novels about some rich alpha male jerk who treats his wife badly because he has emotional issues, then has to "win her back" but really just abuses her some more, at the end of which she decides she'll forgive him after all. Too bad, because I liked the setup. A better author maybe could have made it work. Unfortunately, Andre was too much of a manipulative jerk and I hated Samantha for not resisting him more. She was totally susceptible both to his overbearing personality and his sex appeal.
This was another one of those cheap romance novels about some rich alpha male jerk who treats his wife badly because he has emotional issues, then has to "win her back" but really just abuses her some more, at the end of which she decides she'll forgive him after all. Too bad, because I liked the setup. A better author maybe could have made it work. Unfortunately, Andre was too much of a manipulative jerk and I hated Samantha for not resisting him more. She was totally susceptible both to his overbearing personality and his sex appeal.
April 20, 2020
RTF
Samantha is suffering memory loss (the only survivor) after suffering extensive injuries with a petrol tanker. The tanker jacknifed on a wet surface road, ploughing into three other automobiles besides hers before igniting into fire.
Weeks after being discharged, the only identifiable information available was a completely burnt, red Alfa Romeo. No missing persons report.
Working at a dilapidated hotel, someone recognises her from reading a newspaper article and contacts his employer.
‘I’ve spent the last year wishing you in hell, only to discover that you were already living there’...André Visconte says to his wife, Samantha, upon discovering her whereabouts.
Samantha is suffering memory loss (the only survivor) after suffering extensive injuries with a petrol tanker. The tanker jacknifed on a wet surface road, ploughing into three other automobiles besides hers before igniting into fire.
Weeks after being discharged, the only identifiable information available was a completely burnt, red Alfa Romeo. No missing persons report.
Working at a dilapidated hotel, someone recognises her from reading a newspaper article and contacts his employer.
‘I’ve spent the last year wishing you in hell, only to discover that you were already living there’...André Visconte says to his wife, Samantha, upon discovering her whereabouts.
March 30, 2026
'That's right.' Andre growled. 'Look all wide-eyed and startled, just as you did that
evening, and remember, cara, just who it is you're looking at!' His hand came up, a finger
setting beneath her chin. The skin there seemed to actually preen itself. 'For I am the guy
who took one look at you, with your glorious hair and sensational eyes, and skin like the
smoothest substance I've ever known, and fell so head-over-heels in love with you that he
would rather cut his own throat than ever hurt you!'
-Michelle Reid
The Unforgettable Husband
evening, and remember, cara, just who it is you're looking at!' His hand came up, a finger
setting beneath her chin. The skin there seemed to actually preen itself. 'For I am the guy
who took one look at you, with your glorious hair and sensational eyes, and skin like the
smoothest substance I've ever known, and fell so head-over-heels in love with you that he
would rather cut his own throat than ever hurt you!'
-Michelle Reid
The Unforgettable Husband
November 23, 2010
Ok. Of all the amnesia books I've read, this one is in the top 5...I think. It's not great, but then it's not entirely bad either. I mean, you gotta remember, it's a Harlequin Presents. With that in mind, I don't get what some of my friends are griping about. What did you expect? :-)
Anyway, there is pain, redemption, and lots of passionate love. I would have liked to have seen a bit more fun between the two characters-despite the circumstance-but otherwise it was a fair read.
Anyway, there is pain, redemption, and lots of passionate love. I would have liked to have seen a bit more fun between the two characters-despite the circumstance-but otherwise it was a fair read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2014
Michelle is an author I will definitely read. She has a very gripping style of writing. The main protagonists are married which is again a fave scenario.
The brother issue seemed a nit unresolved for me plus I thought that her memory recollection to their reconciliation was a bit rushed.
The brother issue seemed a nit unresolved for me plus I thought that her memory recollection to their reconciliation was a bit rushed.
May 3, 2026
I love Michelle Reid. Her books have so much depth and real emotion.
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