A Sicilian Engagement

by Rachel Lyndhurst

Money buys the perfect woman …

Billionaire Sicilian, Lorenzo Ferrante, needs a fake fiancée, and fast, in order to close a deal that will set him free from ties to a sordid past he never wanted any part of. Starting fresh somewhere else is all he wants for himself and his little girls...

 

Lora Pryce-Howard has been conned into playing Ferrante's fiancée thanks to her low life brother. And if she wants to keep her business, a roof over her ailing mother's head, and her brother alive she'll play along. She refuses to be seduced by a luxurious Mediterranean lifestyle, but Ferrante's soft words and burning kisses make leaving all the more difficult...

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Adult

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2014

About the author

Rachel lives on the South Coast of England with her partner, two children and a silver Bengal cat.

Reviews

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I can pick up a Rachel Lyndhurst novel and be a happy reader. And Sicilian Engagement doesn't disappoint.

Über wealthy Italian man - Check
Feisty lady - Check
Engagement of convenience - Check
Beautiful location - Check
Sexy time - Check

Billionaire Lorenzo Ferrante needs a fiancée to clinch a business deal. And when holistic Therapist Lora Pryce-Howard turns up at his office expecting to be interviewed for the post of his PA, she discovers the P does indeed stand for personal; her weasel of a brother has basically pimped her out to save his own skin. She is Lorenzo's intended.



Lorenzo is the epitome of the alpha arrogant wealthy businessman; forceful, determined, detached and brooding, he's sexy...and appealing. Lora is no wallflower. Fiery, stubborn but compassionate, she isn't the meek little yes woman that Lorenzo hoped for. She hasn't much choice but to agree to his terms, circumstances are pretty much forcing her into the charade, but it doesn't mean she she'll bow to his every whim or be walked all over. Loved her for this. Together they had a great chemistry and Lorenzo's passionate Italian side is quickly revealed and his steely façade begins to slip.

With the beautiful Mediterranean backdrop, his 5 year old twin daughters brought the sweet, their arrangement brought the stubborn fight, the sexy and the touching, and as characters I couldn't have asked for much more in Lorenzo and Lora. It didn't hold any great surprises and I would've liked an epilogue, but that doesn't detract from a lose-yourself read that was thoroughly enjoyable.



Copy received courtesy of Entangled Publishing via NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.

[Jasmyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of really good elements to it, but it also had some things that just didn't sit right with me as well. Both of the characters were very well written and I enjoyed them a lot - but parts of their development just didn't feel a whole lot like a romance to me. Perhaps I've read too many stories with lust at first sight and the no-strings-attached sex arrangement, but it just didn't fit for me this time. Lora didn't seem to evolve much, and a love a character that has some important changes in themselves by the end of the story. Lorenzo changed a lot by the end, but you just don't see it until he starts talking about it at the end. I wanted to see and feel his change throughout the pages and I didn't get that.

There was a little excitement between the pages. Lorenzo isn't a bad person, but he comes from some pretty shady roots. Trying to cut ties with that can be dangerous and he is well aware of it - there are bodyguards everywhere. They were constantly mentioned, but didn't really have enough to do to justify their constant presence. I didn't really feel like I saw them fall in love. The most interesting part of the story was Lorenzo's business deal and some of the details surrounding it that are revealed slowly throughout the book. I loved that part of the story, but it definitely wasn't a romance.

The ending seemed to be a bit contrived. We do have a happily ever after, I guess, but the way the final declarations are stated you have to wonder if they are really sincere - especially giving Lorenzo's background. I just didn't feel very satisfied with this one. All the right elements were in place at the beginning and they just didn't pan out well.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/1...

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

First read for me of this authors work. It was okay but was missing the essential elements that make a good romance read for me. This story uses the well used fake fianceé trope. Lora's no good brother owes money and she's forced into being Lorenzo's fake fiancée to aid a business deal. While I initially liked the characters they never grew throughout the story I wasn't feeling the chemistry or love. Less than 24 hours after meeting Lorenzo, Lora is having sex with him, it was just too soon and it came across as cold and calculating. The attitude was they're pretending to be engaged so we might as well have sex, that didn't sit right with me. The rest of the story was fairly predictable as well. This was written very much in the style of a Harlequin or Mills&Boon romance. All in all it was a bit of a miss for me.

[Alexia Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the start of this book I really didn't like Lorenzo. In fact it was almost the halfway point before I even warmed to him. But by the end of the book I really appreciated the depth of his character and was rooting for him to finally admit that he loved Lora. I also appreciated the fact there wasn't a lot of profanity. I'd give this book a 4 1/2 stars.

[Aly]

DNF 10%

[Shannon Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sicilian engagement was an okay book. While the chemistry was hot between Lora and Lorenzo, it seemed like everyone was out to make Lora the doormat. Both Lorenzo and Lora's brothers manipulated her into a situation she didn't care to be in, and threatening the only person who really loved her. I would've liked Lora to have stood up for herself more (instead of becoming said doormat til the last 10% of the book). Leaving out the manipulation, it was well written and Lora did bring Lorenzo out of his shell a bit, and seemed to have brought him closer to his daughters. There's a few secrets that come out at the end, making Lorenzo a more likable character. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mafia type books

[Kimaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read this before and the only way I know that is because I saw it on my old iPhone 6 marked as read. That’s it. I have no recollection whatsoever.

Now that I’ve read it again, I understand why. There is nothing memorable or fun or unique about this story. I am sure I will promptly forget about this again and that is why this review exists. For me to remember not to bother reading it again because I won’t enjoy it anyway.

[Sheri (Tangled Up In Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 out of 5 Stars!

Originally posted on my blog: Tangled Up In Books

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In no way did this sway my review or my rating!

I requested quite a few ARCs from Entangled this month. Normally when I get the emails of available review copies I find three or four that pique my interest and even then I only receive one, maybe two of those if I'm lucky. This month I ended up with around ten I think. I've loved some, a few of them I wasn't feeling at all, but there were also a couple that, like the porridge that Goldilocks ate, were just right. Somewhere in the middle. This book was one of those that was in the middle. Which isn't exactly a bad thing! I mean while no, I wasn't doing cartwheels, it still pulled me in right away and kept me entertained 'til the end.

I normally tend to avoid the Indulgence line, which is weird coming from me I know. I mean alpha males are like...chocolate cake. I know it's bad for me but I crave it...err them. And that's what they're all about. Powerful men. Alphas. But the thing is most of the ones I've run across are about rich tycoons, billionaire playboys, hard businessmen. Which isn't bad but...they all tend to be cold and like I said hard. It's all about making money and getting all the power. I have a hard time swooning over these guys. But there was something about this one that made me want to risk it. While Lorenzo was a lot of those things, he was a hard, powerful and a bit of a control freak, he was also very likable. I was pleasantly surprised. I expected the worst and I was proven wrong.

There were some things that bugged me though characters weren't part of that, well except for one really. Lora's brother was just...odd and a horrible, horrible person. I found it sort of uncomfortable that he called his own sister; sweetie pie, petal, sugarplum and honeybee. Is this like a UK thing? Because if my brother ever called me anything like that except sarcastically to push my buttons I'd probably punch him and tell him to quit being so creeptastic. Thankfully he was only in the beginning so I didn't have to put up with him for long. But that wasn't really a thing for me because he was such only physically around for about 40 pages or so after that he was only mentioned in conversations or in thoughts.

What did get to me was sometimes I felt like the book was trying to hard. Words or phrases were in it that disrupted the flow for me. Two I actually had to look up and it's not exactly like I'm stupid or anything. Honestly detritus? In the situation in pertained to in the book I feel like most people would have just said volcanic debris or something along those lines. And oligarch? It was just a bit much for me. I don't want to read a book to be impressed with someone's vocabulary, I want to get lost in it. Which becomes more difficult when I have to stop and look something up. Keep it simple, it can still be beautiful without all the flowery words. Maybe it's just me and I'll be alone but there it is.

I mean there were other little things as well, but at the end of the day the storyline was great, though there was a missed opportunity to add a bit more danger to it but that's not a complaint, just an observation. The characters were fun and surprising. I took a risk and I'm good with saying I feel like it paid off. It's definitely changed my attitude about avoiding the books about these types of alpha males because Lorenzo was definitely worth a swoon or two.

Thanks Entangled for the opportunity to review this book!

[LadyTechie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sicilian Engagement was an enjoyable read. I received an early release copy from NetGalley. I always look for books based in the Mediterannean and this is one of the few that I have read so far based in Sicily. I always flash back to an episode of Anthony Bordain's No Reservation where he spent time in Sicily when he spoke with one of his hosts about whether there was still "family connections" there and she confirmed that it is not as obvious but every once in a while it reared its head so it is not completely gone. So when I read contemporary stories that hit on this I think about this and realize there is a bit of realism there and this story was quite interesting. It spent some time on "family" politics in Sicily and how this effects business. Lorenzo Ferrante's story delves into these relationships since Lorenzo has done his best to stay out of his father's "family" business. But Lorenzo has a plan for how to clear himself once and for all and try to do some good in Sicily but he needs to be married to sit at the table for the deal. But he has to start somewhere so he needs to find a fiancee fast and hires one but the person chosen to be his fiancee through a temp agency in London is blackmailed into it. She has no choice but to honor the contract but she goes in with her head on straight and is determined not to fall for Lorenzo, who of course is gorgeous. One of the best things about Sicilian Engagement is seeing Sicily's landscape through the author's eyes. There were some great descriptions of Sicily which are always my favorite. Although I am new to pure romance I love when they have a bit of a twist and there was a bit of excitement in this book which helped make it more enjoyable for me. I will look for more books by Rachel Lyndhurst!

[Rhiannon Overby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sicilian Engagement is a standalone novel that tells a story of a hot Sicilian Billionaire named Lorenzo who hires/blackmails the beautiful Lora to be his fake fiancee for a month. While there isn't a whole lot that separates this book from the thousands of other billionaire + fake fiancee books, it was still well worth the read.

The Sicilian Engagement- while a tad bit predictable- was well written and was able to able to catch my attention and hold it throughout the story. While this story is a relatively short book, I didn't find that it was cut too short on details as some other short stories are. I also found that the characters were interesting and easy to emotionally connect with. This book also has several steamy erotic scenes that might just melt your panties.

The only part of this book that disappointed me was the lack of suspense that the author really could have built off of. Lorenzo was quite paranoid when it came to safety and I felt a bit of suspense building as the story progressed. Instead of using that suspense to build up to a major event, it only built up to a minor one; which left me craving a bit more drama.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

[Cheryl Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Star Review

All Lorenzo Ferrante wanted was to liquidate his entire portfolio and move his family away from Italy but the Russian businessman Lorenzo was selling to only wanted to buy from a married family man. Now he needs a fake fiance. Lora Pryce-Howard agreed to do another favor for her shady brother. She was to work as a nanny for four weeks. When she arrived for the interview, she was told she had the job and then was told the details of being his fake fiance for 4-6 weeks. She declined the position but soon realized her brother owing money to the wrong people, had made declining impossible. Who would have ever thought this domineering, arrogant, pushy, gorgeous, Sicilian businessman would steal her heart and not return those feelings?

This was a very well put together story. There were so many other things going on and the story was still smooth as chocolate. I love it when a book has a lot of content with great flow and a ton of strong characters. Thank you Rachel Lyndhurst for a fantastic read! I look forward to reading more from this very talented author.

Received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Emily (Mrs B's Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Copy Provided by Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for an honest review**

The Italian Shark who becomes a right softie with the right woman.

Lorenzo is nicknamed The Shark for the way he does his business dealings and right now to close a deal he needs a fake fiancee. Lora has been set up for this job by her no-good brother who has gotten himself into trouble.

Lora helps Lorenzo in many ways, with his deal, migraines,= and with his family. Things happen quickly between them as lust takes them over. However Lorenzo is not used to feisty woman who stand up for themselves and he finds her a challenge in many ways.

Of course both do not guard their hearts properly and Lorenzo makes a mistake.

It would not be an Entangled book however until we get our HEA, and we do.

It would have been nice however to get an epilogue.

[Rosemary K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lora Pryce-Howard is blackmailed by her wastrel brother into becoming the fake fiancée of Sicilian billionaire, Lorenzo Ferrante. He's a cold autocratic man who demands obedience. While Lora is a feisty independent woman with her own business. Can she pretend to be a compliant woman with no thoughts of her own? She may hate his attitude but their sexual attraction is extremely hot. What happens next is a passionate and amazing romance. I enjoyed the battle of wills between Lora and Lorenzo. She is no doormat and he doesn't know how to control her. I love their spirit. The scenery is romantic and the secondary characters are a meddling and dangerous bunch who add to the hero's problems. The story is well written and filled with some twists that added to the fun. Rachel Lyndhurst outdid herself with Sicilian Engagement. I was hooked from the first page. I hated to see it end.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of books out right now about the billionaire hero and hiring/blackmailing/etc. the heroine into playing his wife or fiancee. I'm kind of a sucker for these types of books and haven't tired of them, so I really enjoyed this story. It's a standalone book and told in alternating points of view. The first few pages didn't really pull me in right away, but once they left England and started interacting more with each other, I really liked the story. The pace of the story and development of the characters is perfect - not too slow and not rushed. I enjoyed reading about why Lorenzo is the hardened man he is and how Lora helps him break down those walls.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

[Incy Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot Sicilian, disaffected by, well, just about everything, starts a slow healing process with a woman he blackmailed into becoming his fiancee.

As heroes go, Lorenzo is delicious. Moody, determined, arrogant, beneath the tough exterior lies a man with a whole lot of love to give...if only he knew how. Lora (thank God, for an intelligent heroine) shows him the way...with sass, with compassion, with honesty, and a healthy dose of humour.

Ms Lyndhurst pens the sexy dynamic between this couple, with wit and convincing emotion...emphasis on the convincing!! And the sex? Yes, it's in there, and it's hot, but it didn't feel forced, it certainly isn't gratuitous. It's just...real.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story and heartily recommend it.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to say the least. I have read a couple books about rich men needing a fake fiance to please the board, family, and or something. For Lorenzo he needs a fiance to show he's not a playboy and then finally he can have his clean start.

Lora is just trying to make the best out of life. She is trying to make enough to care for her mother, and live a happy life. however her brother has other plans.

She is to be seen and not heard from and to look pretty on his arm. But we all know that doesn't always play out well. There is always a catch and always feelings that come out. It was a fun quick read and didn't go where i expected.

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing. The dialogue and character interaction were great and the story read nicely. Having not read a book by this author I was a little hesitant but I always love trying new authors. This author didn't disappoint. The chemistry between Lorenzo and Lora was smoldering and so steamy.

The only thing that I wish was different about this book was that it was longer only because I didn't want their story to end. This book is going down as one of my favorites and I can't wait to see what this author has in store for us next.

[Yvette89 · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC courtesy of netgalley
Short quick read. Lorenzo and Lora's romance has a harlequin romance flavor to it. Rich hero and a heroine blackmailed into doing something. I enjoyed the story and the characters. Lora was smart and a little sassy. She challenged lorenzo throughout the book. Lorenzo was Sicilian billionaire. He began his business dealing in the mafia world. He worked hard to clean up his businesses. Now he has one final deal to get us new beginning. He needs a fiancé to finalize the deal. During the fake engagement they fall in love.,it was an ok read. I like the story. Even though this was a short story, it was well written.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lora finds herself strong-armed by her brother into a job she´s not wanting, at all - PA/nanny to a rich man and his twins.
With no options other than to accept, she´s swept away on an all expense paid journey through Sicily, and against better judgement, she slowly falls for him.
Lorenzo needs to put up a front with a fiancee to make this last deal happen, and Lora is the answer to all his questions. What he never expected was the response she´s awaken in him through all this. What is he to do when the time is up?
Contemporary romance, smutty fluff and corporate business in a great combo =) and I´ve found a new favorite author.

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lorenzo he's a tough nut to crack I mean the boy can just be an a** at times, "all expenses will be paid. Gifts, clothes, jewelry, and accessories remain yours upon termination. Except for the actual engagement ring; you have to hand that back. It's a family heirloom." I mean he seriously has an attitude, "don't be ridiculous. You seem to forget your place here. I realise it must be difficult for you when you're used to bossing small children and bodyguards about, but I am in charge. You are not." His a**hole-ness made this book a whole lot of fun to read.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasurable read by Rachel Lyndhurst. The reader knows how the story will end but it was entertaining to read how Lora and Lorenzo got their happily ever after based on their initial meeting (and the circumstances behind it).

The main characters had depth and reasons for their actions especially Lorenzo. Lora had spunk in spite of her family situation and responsibilities.

Lora and Lorenzo had immediate chemistry but it was refreshing to see their feelings for each other change over time.

Net Galley ARC

[Mariel Hoss · Rating 3 out of 5]

***ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Though it felt like it was the usual billionaire-blackmailing-desperate-woman-to-be-temporary-fiancee-to-close-a-deal, it did show a lot of modern touches. The deal for Lorenzo was for a life-changing move, the heroine Lora, didn't just lie back and take it...she took the proverbial basket of lemons and made lemonade. She gave as good as she got, didn't turn into those hapless oh-woe-is-me women. The interaction was good, dialogue was entertaining but it felt like it was rushed. All in all a good beach read.

[Jenn C Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I have to say, this one was enjoyable. I didn't get nearly enough backstory on Lora or Lorenzo, which made it hard to connect, but I loved the fact that the whole thing took place in Italy. There were big gaps in the story for me. Why was his stepbrother involved? How did her brother get into so much trouble? I wanted them to spend more time with his daughters and see more about all of their time together.

[Bette Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this wonderful story we go on a great adventure through Italy. Sicilian business man Lorenzo Ferrante desperately needs a fiancee to appease a business associate and complete the most important deal of his life. Lora Pryce-Howard fits the bill perfectly.

This is a well written story with interesting characters and a great pace that makes it an easy read. I definitely recommend this one.

[XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story started off pretty well. Towards the middle I still didn't feel I knew the characters, except for superficial stuff. Seems the interactions weren't very insightful. The plot had potential as did the characters and the trope is a favorite of mine. Lorenzo and Lora are a slow build but eventually they come out on their own. The dynamics are interesting.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is so hard. If you've never read anything by this author before, you'd probably enjoy this book. however, I've read all her work, and to be honest this book just blends in with the others. Just change the names and locations. It's a shame because I like the way this author writes, she just needs to stop reusing the same story lines.

[Jenifer Kleine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. I liked the story, but it was nothing that really set it apart from other romance books. It flowed nicely. Lora's brother was a bit of a snake. Lorenzo was your typical alpha character. They had good chemistry between the two. I was happy with the ending. That's really about it.

[rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

fab book got this book courtesy of #netgallery brilliant storyline a hot blooded Italian stallion mmmm.just the right amount of a bit of everything in this just wish it had been longer with more depth to both parties but really loved it great read.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Sicilian Engagement was a good read.

Lora and Lorenzo have fantastic chemistry, loved seeing them fall in love, especially the hard ass Lorenzo =)

Thank you Entangled Publishing ~ Indulgence for the ARC.

[Jackie (Jackie's Book World) · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Review to come*** :D

Rating: 4.5/5