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Passion in Paradise #5
Awakened by the Scarred Italian
The brooding Italian’s returned…
To finally make her his!
Two years after their last heartbreaking meeting, Ciro Sant’Angelo bursts back into Lara Templeton’s life with a demand. His former fiancée will fulfill her promise and become his wife! Ciro is not the man Lara remembers—a devastating experience has left him scarred and completely ruthless. Yet their intense fire has never died, and his caress awakens innocent Lara to unimaginable pleasures. Could their convenient marriage be their redemption?
Discover this intense tale of romance and redemption
To finally make her his!
Two years after their last heartbreaking meeting, Ciro Sant’Angelo bursts back into Lara Templeton’s life with a demand. His former fiancée will fulfill her promise and become his wife! Ciro is not the man Lara remembers—a devastating experience has left him scarred and completely ruthless. Yet their intense fire has never died, and his caress awakens innocent Lara to unimaginable pleasures. Could their convenient marriage be their redemption?
Discover this intense tale of romance and redemption
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published July 16, 2019
About the author
Abby Green
1,063 books610 followersAbby Green spent her teens reading Mills & Boon romances. She then spent many years working in the Film and TV industry as an Assistant Director. One day while standing outside an actor's trailer in the rain, she thought: "there has to be more than this". So she sent off a partial to Mills & Boon. After numerous rewrites, they accepted her first book and an author was born.
She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here www.abby-green.com
She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here www.abby-green.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
July 14, 2019
I liked the premise of this one,but I felt that something was lacking.
The revenge ,second try at love trope is usually a good one and one that I enjoy,but as I said,something was missing.
The hero is Sicilian with a Mafioso family background,the heroine was of top tier English society.
They meet in Florence,make plans to marry,then the unthinkable happens and they are brutally kidnapped and the hero maimed and scarred.
The heroine was forced to marry an older man by her evil uncle as he was the one that arranged the kidnapping and assault, and if she did not marry the old guy,more harm would come to the hero.So heroine went to see hero in hospital,shocked to see him in that brutalized condition,asked him if he loved her,off course he said "No",then heroine decides to marry old guy to spare hero any further harm as threatened by evil uncle.
Fortunately for the heroine,on her wedding night,she drop kicked her drunk old rapey husband and he became wheelchair bound. The old guy now makes the heroine his unpaid slave in retribution leaving her penniless,but still a virgin.
The story opens 2 years later at the old guy's grave site where the now scarred and pinky less hero is quietly observing the widowed heroine and plotting his revenge to get her back.
What ratched this read to a 4 star read from a 3 star was towards the end of the book where the angst level was high and this couple finally did some communicating,finally I thought,we were getting somewhere with this story.There were tears shed by the hero as he finally realized all the heroine had gone thru the past 2 years without him.
There was an epilogue, it was a month into the future,they remarry in a beautiful old church.But I wanted babies for this couple!
I hope that a story is in the works for the Spainard,Lazaro,he looked interesting.
The revenge ,second try at love trope is usually a good one and one that I enjoy,but as I said,something was missing.
The hero is Sicilian with a Mafioso family background,the heroine was of top tier English society.
They meet in Florence,make plans to marry,then the unthinkable happens and they are brutally kidnapped and the hero maimed and scarred.
The heroine was forced to marry an older man by her evil uncle as he was the one that arranged the kidnapping and assault, and if she did not marry the old guy,more harm would come to the hero.So heroine went to see hero in hospital,shocked to see him in that brutalized condition,asked him if he loved her,off course he said "No",then heroine decides to marry old guy to spare hero any further harm as threatened by evil uncle.
Fortunately for the heroine,on her wedding night,she drop kicked her drunk old rapey husband and he became wheelchair bound. The old guy now makes the heroine his unpaid slave in retribution leaving her penniless,but still a virgin.
The story opens 2 years later at the old guy's grave site where the now scarred and pinky less hero is quietly observing the widowed heroine and plotting his revenge to get her back.
What ratched this read to a 4 star read from a 3 star was towards the end of the book where the angst level was high and this couple finally did some communicating,finally I thought,we were getting somewhere with this story.There were tears shed by the hero as he finally realized all the heroine had gone thru the past 2 years without him.
There was an epilogue, it was a month into the future,they remarry in a beautiful old church.But I wanted babies for this couple!
I hope that a story is in the works for the Spainard,Lazaro,he looked interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2019
Abby Green should have heard my plea for a tearjerker angsty story with a merciless hero. Thanks Ms. Green, you are great!
August 6, 2019
Rating 3.5
I don't know if it was me or what, but the romance didn't do much for me.
I found the characters average, liked the heroine more than the hero. But the heroine had terrible bad luck (a bit much/over kill to be honest) all her life and couldn't catch a break no matter what.
Felt communication would have alleviated a lot of issue and they could have concentrated on rebuilding their relationship and trust.
The epilogue made up for a lot of these issues though. Very nice epilogue.
I don't know if it was me or what, but the romance didn't do much for me.
I found the characters average, liked the heroine more than the hero. But the heroine had terrible bad luck (a bit much/over kill to be honest) all her life and couldn't catch a break no matter what.
Felt communication would have alleviated a lot of issue and they could have concentrated on rebuilding their relationship and trust.
The epilogue made up for a lot of these issues though. Very nice epilogue.
July 19, 2019
I love revenge trope So this was the right book for me, loved the MC's loved the chemistry between them and felt sorry for them and what they had to live through because of the EVIL uncle ( I hate him)😡 but thank God they had their happy ending inspite of his scheming!
About the epilogue 🤔
I read the the Mills and boon copy which didn't have the baby part in the epilogue and that made me feel bad 😕 please fix that
Thanks to my friend (Carmen) who wrote the missing part of the epilogue in a comment so I was able to read it thank u hon 👍
Before I forget I am excited about Lazaro 😉
About the epilogue 🤔
I read the the Mills and boon copy which didn't have the baby part in the epilogue and that made me feel bad 😕 please fix that
Thanks to my friend (Carmen) who wrote the missing part of the epilogue in a comment so I was able to read it thank u hon 👍
Before I forget I am excited about Lazaro 😉
July 9, 2019
Wow that was so awful! I don't care about kidnappings and suspense and intrigue! This book should be written for another line maybe Harlequin Intrigue? The love story was flat and boring and we didn't even get an epilogue with pregnancy/babies. Abby Green is a very good author so I had high expectations. So disappointed! Totally safe book: heroine is a virgin and while they were apart hero was celibate.
July 15, 2019
4 and a half awesome, sexy stars! I ❤️ this book with its amazing characters, most definitely the hero who is to die for!
May 23, 2020
What is it about the hero glaring at a heroine across an open grave that signals a juicy romance ahead? I just love that sort of opening.
Heroine is a virgin widow and hero thinks she’s a golddigger for rejecting him and marrying the rich old guy. Heroine had her reasons but she can’t tell him that. And when he does find out
Hero is obsessed with her and wants “revenge.” This is revenge by a fancy wedding, designer clothes, lots of orgasms and international travel.
This heroine is less whiny/self-pitying than AG’s usual heroines but I quickly tired of reading “my uncle’s betrayal” over and over again.
Still, this was some quality angst and moved along at a good clip.
Heroine is a virgin widow and hero thinks she’s a golddigger for rejecting him and marrying the rich old guy. Heroine had her reasons but she can’t tell him that. And when he does find out
Hero is obsessed with her and wants “revenge.” This is revenge by a fancy wedding, designer clothes, lots of orgasms and international travel.
This heroine is less whiny/self-pitying than AG’s usual heroines but I quickly tired of reading “my uncle’s betrayal” over and over again.
Still, this was some quality angst and moved along at a good clip.
September 12, 2019
Abby Green delivers another intensely passionate, emotional read with the story of Ciro Sant'Angelo and Lara Temptleton...
Still reeling from the death of her husband, Lara is whisked away from the graveside by the man she once promised to marry, but then had to jilt thanks to the machinations of her cruel and greedy uncle. Ciro is still obsessed with Lara, he hasn't been able to forget her even though he is convinced she is a fickle gold-digger who was playing with him when she told him she loved him. The truth is very different of course. Lara is still innocent, and she feels guilty for the kidnapping that left Ciro scarred and bitter – so when he demands a time-limited marriage, to help him gain access to the circles in which he believes Lara moves, she is powerless to do anything but agree... But once they consummate their marriage, they both discover that the emotional fireworks they thought they'd put behind them are going to explode all over again!! Wow, what a great read, both passionate, provocative, emotionally complex and also boasting a supremely alpha hero and a heroine who so deserves her happy ever after... There's even a ridiculously cute dog! Enjoy.
Still reeling from the death of her husband, Lara is whisked away from the graveside by the man she once promised to marry, but then had to jilt thanks to the machinations of her cruel and greedy uncle. Ciro is still obsessed with Lara, he hasn't been able to forget her even though he is convinced she is a fickle gold-digger who was playing with him when she told him she loved him. The truth is very different of course. Lara is still innocent, and she feels guilty for the kidnapping that left Ciro scarred and bitter – so when he demands a time-limited marriage, to help him gain access to the circles in which he believes Lara moves, she is powerless to do anything but agree... But once they consummate their marriage, they both discover that the emotional fireworks they thought they'd put behind them are going to explode all over again!! Wow, what a great read, both passionate, provocative, emotionally complex and also boasting a supremely alpha hero and a heroine who so deserves her happy ever after... There's even a ridiculously cute dog! Enjoy.
July 26, 2019
Not so good and not so bad either. A big misunderstanding and here we go... Brooding hero with Innocent heroine...
This book got an extra mark from me because he was celibate during their separation time.
This book got an extra mark from me because he was celibate during their separation time.
February 14, 2020
I can't do much better than Ivy's review, but putting my two cents in he is not the meanest Abby Green hero I've read. She must have had her coffee the morning she wrote this.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 9, 2019
"Awakened by the Scarred Italian" is the story of Lara and Ciro.
A tale of second chance and forgiveness, in this book we meet Ciro- a scarred man, hell bent on vengeance from the heroine who abandoned him- and Lara- a broken heroine who hides beneath a cool facade, and who has made numerous sacrifices for her love.
In the beginning of the book, we have a recently widowed heroine, who was married to a disabled but mean and lecherous old man meeting the hero, her ex and ruthless billionaire, who then propositions her to marriage. His motive- revenge and social prosperity. Her reason to give in- repentance and poverty. How they navigate through their marriage, acknowledge their passions and resolve their issues forms the story.
I honestly found this book good in parts, just OK in others. The angst and passion were average, and the ending was sweet. I just wanted to cry more LOL.
Safe?
3/5
A tale of second chance and forgiveness, in this book we meet Ciro- a scarred man, hell bent on vengeance from the heroine who abandoned him- and Lara- a broken heroine who hides beneath a cool facade, and who has made numerous sacrifices for her love.
In the beginning of the book, we have a recently widowed heroine, who was married to a disabled but mean and lecherous old man meeting the hero, her ex and ruthless billionaire, who then propositions her to marriage. His motive- revenge and social prosperity. Her reason to give in- repentance and poverty. How they navigate through their marriage, acknowledge their passions and resolve their issues forms the story.
I honestly found this book good in parts, just OK in others. The angst and passion were average, and the ending was sweet. I just wanted to cry more LOL.
Safe?
3/5
July 5, 2019
A superb read with a hero in Ciro and a stronger heroine in Lara with both trying in their own way to find a way to heal and protect those they love and themselves. Loved it.
September 2, 2019
This book had all the ingredients for a deliciously angsty read. Tara and Ciro were madly in love when they were kidnapped and torn apart by her dirtbag uncle 2 years ago. She is forced to marry a man old enough to be her father or else Ciro will be hurt. She gives him up and tells him lies to save him. They both made mistakes and now that her awful husband has died the H is making her marry him.
There is so much misunderstanding and judgement that you can feel the torment of both characters. The h has endured a terrible marriage (but managed to keep her virginity) while the H has been eaten up with jealousy and rage at her betrayal. He was a very proud Italian man and that pride caused much of his heartbreak. The h knew that she wouldn't be believed if she told the H the truth about what happened and she feels guilty for his kidnapping and scarring at the hands of her uncle.
The h suffers guilt and sadness at the hands of the H, but slowly falls back in love. The H protects his pride and his heart and says many cold and rude things to the h.
The final reveal was very satisfying and the H grovels nicely, and as they both were victims, I loved seeing them finally get their HEA.
Safety
There is so much misunderstanding and judgement that you can feel the torment of both characters. The h has endured a terrible marriage (but managed to keep her virginity) while the H has been eaten up with jealousy and rage at her betrayal. He was a very proud Italian man and that pride caused much of his heartbreak. The h knew that she wouldn't be believed if she told the H the truth about what happened and she feels guilty for his kidnapping and scarring at the hands of her uncle.
Lara had already been through worse than a marriage of convenience to one of the world’s most notorious playboys. Far worse. She’d lost her entire beloved family overnight. She’d been heinously betrayed and exploited by her uncle, her last remaining family member. She’d been belittled and bullied by her husband. And she’d had her heart broken already by Ciro Sant’Angelo, so she had no heart left to break.
The h suffers guilt and sadness at the hands of the H, but slowly falls back in love. The H protects his pride and his heart and says many cold and rude things to the h.
The final reveal was very satisfying and the H grovels nicely, and as they both were victims, I loved seeing them finally get their HEA.
Safety
December 6, 2019
Very angsty
What a book! You have kidnapping, blackmail, revenge, marriage of convenience, a forced marriage of convenience, a virgin auction, dismemberment, torture, attempted rape and a cute little dog. All in 200 pages. That has to be a record! And guess what? I loved it! Heroine was forced to marry an old lecher by her human trafficking uncle and desert the man she loved and keep him away or he would kill him. It was a lot to digest but I loved the heroine and the hero grew on me. Two years he waited for her for revenge but what a way to go! It was Very steamy and hot! Safe and a wonderful read.
What a book! You have kidnapping, blackmail, revenge, marriage of convenience, a forced marriage of convenience, a virgin auction, dismemberment, torture, attempted rape and a cute little dog. All in 200 pages. That has to be a record! And guess what? I loved it! Heroine was forced to marry an old lecher by her human trafficking uncle and desert the man she loved and keep him away or he would kill him. It was a lot to digest but I loved the heroine and the hero grew on me. Two years he waited for her for revenge but what a way to go! It was Very steamy and hot! Safe and a wonderful read.
August 25, 2019
I'm getting to this one several months after my Goodreads friends, but their reviews really inspired me to seek it out! Last summer I read THE VIRGIN'S DEBT TO PAY, and this summer I read this one. Every summer Abby Green is the high point of my romance reading!
The story of Lara and Ciro began with one of my absolute favorite tropes -- a stunning young woman mourning at the grave of a much older husband. There's such a delicious subtext, so much power reversal. Like, she wore him out in bed. Or he thought he could dominate her but she enslaved him instead. Or he subjected her to every form of abuse possible but her youthful body and untouched spirit were resilient and inexhaustible, unlike his shriveled soul and withered old body. It was so delicious to see Lara's strength at the funeral scene!
But then Ciro comes along, and in an instant the tables are turned. Slim, cool, elegant Lara is trembling like an English doe cornered by a Sicilian wolf! Of course mixed up with her fear is a lot of guilt -- Lara's uncle was at least partially to blame for Ciro's scars and his humiliation in the eyes of polite society. But now Ciro is determined to get revenge!
I was so on board after the first two chapters that my heart was literally pounding as I hurried through the rest of the book. My favorite bits were the getaway to Sicily, and how Ciro is so kind and sweet to his pretty little cousin Isabella and her brother Roberto. I loved the scenes in New York, too, especially when Lara makes Ciro stop for pizza and how just watching her wolf down a slice makes him nearly groan with desire, but not for pizza! And I loved the puppy rescue too, though it did feel a bit like box-checking.
Now, I give this book five stars, but I was a bit confused about the back story. Stop here if you haven't read it so I can discuss the action before the book opens, the kidnapping.
****
Okay, seriously, WTF was up with Lara's uncle? He wanted to stop her from marrying Ciro, so he has them BOTH kidnapped? Huh?!?! Why not wait to catch Ciro alone? And why not just try, you know, killing him? Why do the rented goons cut off his finger and scar his face? Why do all that in front of Lara? I never bought the whole idea that Ciro "blamed" her when she was right with him the whole time and obviously terrified and traumatized. And I never got why she didn't just tell him in the hospital that her uncle was behind it all.
Now I thought of giving this book four stars because of these questions. But then I thought that, at the end of the day, we don't judge an HP romance on this kind of factual credibility. What made the book a five star read were the little things, not the plot. The pizza. The puppy. The delicious reversal in the opening chapter, where Lara goes from femme fatale to innocent victim. You can't put a price on an author who can make your favorite tropes practically jump off the page. That's worth five stars all by itself.
Know what I mean?
The story of Lara and Ciro began with one of my absolute favorite tropes -- a stunning young woman mourning at the grave of a much older husband. There's such a delicious subtext, so much power reversal. Like, she wore him out in bed. Or he thought he could dominate her but she enslaved him instead. Or he subjected her to every form of abuse possible but her youthful body and untouched spirit were resilient and inexhaustible, unlike his shriveled soul and withered old body. It was so delicious to see Lara's strength at the funeral scene!
But then Ciro comes along, and in an instant the tables are turned. Slim, cool, elegant Lara is trembling like an English doe cornered by a Sicilian wolf! Of course mixed up with her fear is a lot of guilt -- Lara's uncle was at least partially to blame for Ciro's scars and his humiliation in the eyes of polite society. But now Ciro is determined to get revenge!
I was so on board after the first two chapters that my heart was literally pounding as I hurried through the rest of the book. My favorite bits were the getaway to Sicily, and how Ciro is so kind and sweet to his pretty little cousin Isabella and her brother Roberto. I loved the scenes in New York, too, especially when Lara makes Ciro stop for pizza and how just watching her wolf down a slice makes him nearly groan with desire, but not for pizza! And I loved the puppy rescue too, though it did feel a bit like box-checking.
Now, I give this book five stars, but I was a bit confused about the back story. Stop here if you haven't read it so I can discuss the action before the book opens, the kidnapping.
****
Okay, seriously, WTF was up with Lara's uncle? He wanted to stop her from marrying Ciro, so he has them BOTH kidnapped? Huh?!?! Why not wait to catch Ciro alone? And why not just try, you know, killing him? Why do the rented goons cut off his finger and scar his face? Why do all that in front of Lara? I never bought the whole idea that Ciro "blamed" her when she was right with him the whole time and obviously terrified and traumatized. And I never got why she didn't just tell him in the hospital that her uncle was behind it all.
Now I thought of giving this book four stars because of these questions. But then I thought that, at the end of the day, we don't judge an HP romance on this kind of factual credibility. What made the book a five star read were the little things, not the plot. The pizza. The puppy. The delicious reversal in the opening chapter, where Lara goes from femme fatale to innocent victim. You can't put a price on an author who can make your favorite tropes practically jump off the page. That's worth five stars all by itself.
Know what I mean?
June 12, 2021
The title should be: the most dangerous virgin in all England (and beyond) . Because this teeny tiny English rose causes the almost death of the two men in her life. First, her beloved ( the hero) is kidnapped and tortured by her criminal uncle, then her husband ends on a wheelchair because he dared to claim his husbandly right and she wasn’t willing. My bird! This woman is worse than a plague! I loved this side of her, so martyr style but not completely. Eh. The story is fantasy. Her uncle kidnapped and tortured the hero and forced her to dump him because she was sold as a slave to an elder nobleman ( are we in the present or in the 1800??), she hits her husband that is hurt and then he forces her to live destitute because she hurt him ( in what century are we??) of course there’s no logic in all this. She was afraid because her evil uncle threatens to kill the hero if she didn’t do what he wanted and she didn’t think to call the police or some social worker to help her??? So very far from reality that I had to give only 3 stars. It would have been 4, because the hero, even if he was dumped when he was hurt in hospital by the heroine, never got over her, waited for her, and even if he told her it was only for revenge, we all can see he was crazy for her all the time. Much angst for misunderstanding and the typical ag mode: the heroine is not able to end a sentence because the hero interrupts her every time, so she can’t explain until the end! The sweet thing is that, even dumped, cheated and rejected, the very macho Sicilian hero was celibate for two years and waited for her. See? Celibacy doesn’t cause impotence ;-)
July 26, 2020
The brooding Italian’s returned…
To finally make her his!
Two years after their last heartbreaking meeting, Ciro Sant’Angelo bursts back into Lara Templeton’s life with a demand. His former fiancée will fulfill her promise and become his wife! Ciro is not the man Lara remembers—a devastating experience has left him scarred and completely ruthless. Yet their intense fire has never died, and his caress awakens innocent Lara to unimaginable pleasures. Could their convenient marriage be their redemption?
To finally make her his!
Two years after their last heartbreaking meeting, Ciro Sant’Angelo bursts back into Lara Templeton’s life with a demand. His former fiancée will fulfill her promise and become his wife! Ciro is not the man Lara remembers—a devastating experience has left him scarred and completely ruthless. Yet their intense fire has never died, and his caress awakens innocent Lara to unimaginable pleasures. Could their convenient marriage be their redemption?
February 4, 2020
***2.0 to 2.5 Stars***
I will be upfront and tell you that I didn't care much for this book. It wasn't awful but it wasn't good. There was so much angst and sadness and for me that was overwhelming with not much happiness until nearly the end. Not many happy times early in the book. It was already bad at the beginning and stayed that way until very close to the end.
I didn't feel secure in their love and was horrified that the hero refused to believe the heroine when she was telling him the truth of what really happened. It was his goal to think the worst of her.
I don't fit well with this author and most times I avoid her. My average rating for her is 3 Stars.
I will be upfront and tell you that I didn't care much for this book. It wasn't awful but it wasn't good. There was so much angst and sadness and for me that was overwhelming with not much happiness until nearly the end. Not many happy times early in the book. It was already bad at the beginning and stayed that way until very close to the end.
I didn't feel secure in their love and was horrified that the hero refused to believe the heroine when she was telling him the truth of what really happened. It was his goal to think the worst of her.
I don't fit well with this author and most times I avoid her. My average rating for her is 3 Stars.
July 10, 2019
Heartbreaking and so ansty. Loved it.
October 6, 2020
This book had potential (emphasis on 'had'). Till it turned into a novel that could have very easily been written by another author- Lynne Graham. It had most of the plots elements that a typical LG would have including a cold and cruel hero, a destitute heroine with terrible relatives and a cute dog that's a cross between a Jack Russel and a Whippet. It did not have a baby, however.
The first couple of chapters held promise and I was anticipating a delicious angst-fest. Alas! it was not to be. Once the h and H get married, the story turns into one of the usual modern HP books where love is denied and making love is clinical and detached. Hero spends most of his time maintaining social distance from his own wife everywhere possible - except for the high class parties and the bedroom.It was hard to imagine him in love even when he claims he does love the h at the very end. And h should have honestly tried to find a better job than waitressing - which in HP world seems to practically beg a rescue by an alpha H (who may not have the most altruistic reasons for doing so. )
Which brings me to why I don't like this story as much as others from this writer. I expect better-written protagonists from her that include heroines who take charge. (like in the book where the h is a millionaire and kidnaps the H and takes him to a private island.) This was simply not as satisfying and is not one of my favourites from the author. Only good for a single read. three stars!
The first couple of chapters held promise and I was anticipating a delicious angst-fest. Alas! it was not to be. Once the h and H get married, the story turns into one of the usual modern HP books where love is denied and making love is clinical and detached. Hero spends most of his time maintaining social distance from his own wife everywhere possible - except for the high class parties and the bedroom.It was hard to imagine him in love even when he claims he does love the h at the very end. And h should have honestly tried to find a better job than waitressing - which in HP world seems to practically beg a rescue by an alpha H (who may not have the most altruistic reasons for doing so. )
Which brings me to why I don't like this story as much as others from this writer. I expect better-written protagonists from her that include heroines who take charge. (like in the book where the h is a millionaire and kidnaps the H and takes him to a private island.) This was simply not as satisfying and is not one of my favourites from the author. Only good for a single read. three stars!
July 24, 2019
A hot Sicilian hero, a strong courageous heroine, revenge, second chances and Angsty. Perfect for me, Loved it! Quite an original backstory for an HP. Lara and Ciero met in Florentine in Italy. It was a near death experience which caused their collision of love. They had a whirlwind romance and Ciero proposed and Lara accepted. So was perfect except when they got kidnapped, the lovebirds had their realizations of love and cling to each other. Lara was ripped away from Ciero and dumped in the streets. Ciero was tortured and scarred. My God! To undergo this must be been in excruciating. Lara was released but she underwent her personal hell. She was blackmailed into giving up Ciero and ruthlessly so by her money glutinous uncle. When Ciero was released he was hospitalized, Lara rushed to him for assistance ;from marrying an old scoundrel her uncle bid her for however self denial by Ciero indirectly broke their relationship. She realised he didn't reciprocate her love and decided to end it between them in order to protect him. Lara was married off to another old bastard who payed a handsome price to get her from her uncle. Both Lara and Ciero were obsessed with each other and yet the yearning repelled them until finally get hef husband died. Ciero returned with a vengeance and it was angsty and hurtful, Lara filled with guilt in hiding who their kidnappers were, when she keeps seeing his physical scars and so she tolerated it all. Ciero was unaware of the involvement of her uncle in the kidnapping so more guilt made her a doormat to his insolence. I loved how she maintained who she was as an individual and didn't wallow much into self pity. Questions arise when Ciero forced her to marry and discovered her virginity....stupendous read for an HP. Loved AG writings!!! I definitely recommend.
March 2, 2020
High angst as Ciro is determined to punish Lara for betraying him after he was kidnapped & tortured. From the first scene at the grave of Lara's tormentor-husband to Ciro's discovery who was actually behind his kidnapping, the angst level is out of sight! He is determined to punish her for daring to marry a rich *old* guy instead of him, and so he makes her life hell- except at night.
The reader is able to follow the story primarily through Lara's eyes, but she is also able to follow Ciro as he struggles with his emotions and feelings of betrayal. I *knew* the "shoe would drop" (aka when he discovers that Lara's uncle was behind his kidnapping & torture), so I was waiting to see how the author would handle it. It was very intense & well done!
The reader is able to follow the story primarily through Lara's eyes, but she is also able to follow Ciro as he struggles with his emotions and feelings of betrayal. I *knew* the "shoe would drop" (aka when he discovers that Lara's uncle was behind his kidnapping & torture), so I was waiting to see how the author would handle it. It was very intense & well done!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2019
Filled with drama and deception.
Lara fell in love with Ciro. Her uncle and guardian had other plans for her. He had Ciro kidnapped and mutilated and threatened to kill him outright if Lara didn’t do what he said.
He held an auction and auctioned Lara and her virginity off to the highest bidder. The winner, a dirty old codger, married her and then attempted to rape her on their wedding night. In attempting to defend herself, she kicked him over, causing him permanent damage and putting him in a wheelchair for the rest of his miserable life. Can’t say I feel any pity for the bastard.
Two years later the old coot dies and Ciro snatched Lara from the funeral and basically kidnaps her. He forces her into a moc. She agrees because she feels she owes him for what her uncle did.
The truth of the kidnapping and the two years apart slowly comes out and when Ciro learns how disgusting Lara’s uncle truly was, he hates himself for the awful way he treated her.
A good story with all sorts of Jeffery Epstein type shade running through it. What is up with old men wanting young virgins?! The fountain of youth is not found in a young girls hymen. Freaks!
Sorry. I’ve digressed.
So good read. Entertaining while being disturbing. Lara needed a little more backbone. Poor sad girl allowed the men in her life to treat her as a commodity. The uncle, the old ass husband, Ciro before and Ciro after all treated her as currency. That pissed me off. Grow a pair girl. Own your self and your life. Don’t be their pawn.
Lara fell in love with Ciro. Her uncle and guardian had other plans for her. He had Ciro kidnapped and mutilated and threatened to kill him outright if Lara didn’t do what he said.
He held an auction and auctioned Lara and her virginity off to the highest bidder. The winner, a dirty old codger, married her and then attempted to rape her on their wedding night. In attempting to defend herself, she kicked him over, causing him permanent damage and putting him in a wheelchair for the rest of his miserable life. Can’t say I feel any pity for the bastard.
Two years later the old coot dies and Ciro snatched Lara from the funeral and basically kidnaps her. He forces her into a moc. She agrees because she feels she owes him for what her uncle did.
The truth of the kidnapping and the two years apart slowly comes out and when Ciro learns how disgusting Lara’s uncle truly was, he hates himself for the awful way he treated her.
A good story with all sorts of Jeffery Epstein type shade running through it. What is up with old men wanting young virgins?! The fountain of youth is not found in a young girls hymen. Freaks!
Sorry. I’ve digressed.
So good read. Entertaining while being disturbing. Lara needed a little more backbone. Poor sad girl allowed the men in her life to treat her as a commodity. The uncle, the old ass husband, Ciro before and Ciro after all treated her as currency. That pissed me off. Grow a pair girl. Own your self and your life. Don’t be their pawn.
July 21, 2019
About the book
To finally make her his!
Two years after their last heartbreaking meeting, Ciro Sant’Angelo bursts back into Lara Templeton’s life with a demand. His former fiancée will fulfill her promise and become his wife! Ciro is not the man Lara remembers—a devastating experience has left him scarred and completely ruthless. Yet their intense fire has never died, and his caress awakens innocent Lara to unimaginable pleasures. Could their convenient marriage be their redemption?
I absolutely loved this book the characters were great! The setting was brilliant!
I love how this all turn out.
To finally make her his!
Two years after their last heartbreaking meeting, Ciro Sant’Angelo bursts back into Lara Templeton’s life with a demand. His former fiancée will fulfill her promise and become his wife! Ciro is not the man Lara remembers—a devastating experience has left him scarred and completely ruthless. Yet their intense fire has never died, and his caress awakens innocent Lara to unimaginable pleasures. Could their convenient marriage be their redemption?
I absolutely loved this book the characters were great! The setting was brilliant!
I love how this all turn out.
February 12, 2020
4.5 stars
This one had an amazing, amazing beginning with the perfect amount of setup, conflict, tension, angst, misunderstandings, backstory, and emotion going on. All of those things are what I love to be in romance books, and the fact that this one had all of those things were just beyond everything and perfect. Because all of these elements were in so early on in the story, I was immediacy engaged in the story of Ciro and Lara that I just dived right into story. I was into it and found myself taking my time to savor it because it was so great.
But what’s more what I thought was really great was the intense setup of Ciro and Lara having been kidnapped two years previous with Lara having later being released while Ciro was kept by the kidnappers and tortured by them. He even had the scarring to prove it as well as a lost pinkie finger. Only to learn that it was Lara’s uncle that was responsible for the kidnapping in order to force Lara to break it off with Ciro and hold this threat over her head that if she didn’t go through with the marriage he wanted then Ciro would be killed. The fact that she was madly in love with Ciro and wanted him to be safe she broke it off with him cruelly in order to protect him, which Ciro didn’t take to kindly to hence where the story began. The kidnapping trope though has been done many times in the Presents before, but this one was different and unique and just added so much intensity to the story because of the real danger that was presented for both Lara and Ciro, and the fact that Lara learned this after the kidnap and keeping it a secret from Ciro while succumbing to her uncle’s demands in order to keep Ciro safe was just so heartbreaking and very intense. She really was put in between a rock and a hard place. I could feel her fear for Ciro while she made that decision to protect him even though she believed he didn’t love her because she love him. It was just crazy the intensity there as well to see the real consequences that kidnap had actually had both physically and emotionally. It was a doozy. So much more than I thought it was going to be. It really packed a punch.
Then when they reunited again after Lara’s husband died, it was just as intense. There was lots of good angst and friction that just blew my mind because of the “hate” that he displayed to poor Lara over her leaving him two years previous. He really knew to sock to her, and because of this there was just all that delicious angst and tension throughout as they came to deal with one another again. He vowed revenge while she vowed just to survive him, believing her hated her while she still loved and missed him after all this time apart, but vowed to make up to him because she believed it was his fault that he was kidnapped and tortured all that time so she decided to be martyr. That friction was real and very heartbreaking especially with all the pain that Lara had experienced between the kidnapping, her marriage, and reuniting with Ciro believing he hated her. I know I keep saying the word intense in this review, but that was exactly what it was, and I loved that. I also loved all the angst, conflict and tension between them. It was just so good and so entertaining that it was hard to stop for a single second.
Ciro was the classic a*hole Harlequin Presents alpha male to a tee. Oh, my good was he a piece of work. It was good to revisit that type again because lately the Presents I have read I have the either haven’t been the prick that I have wanted to see on the page or they have been too much prick. There needed to be a balance between a prick alpha male and the likability factor. It so hard to perfect those two things because they are opposite ends of the spectrum, but with Ciro I think he was the perfect a*hole alpha that I so enjoy seeing played out on the page. A big reason for it because I realized very quickly that what he was doing was due to being deeply hurt and feeling betrayed after Lara left him two years previous because he loved her so much even if he didn’t admit it back then, but I knew it was there. It was clear. That’s why even though what he did wasn’t right, and he was very cruel in the process I knew what was behind that was love that he kept quashed down beneath the surface so he didn’t reveal his heart and vulnerability to Lara. He was still something else and beyond cruel at times that it was heartbreaking to watch play out on the page. I do wish they showed a little bit more of his softer side aside from the end, but he was still good alpha male.
As for Lara, I felt so bad for this poor girl after everything she went through. It was so much. She experienced so much trauma and abuse in those two years it was was no wonder that she didn’t loose it before then. They way she was treated by men was just horrible, even Ciro could be lumped into the category as well. She suffered so much, and yet even though she could have very easily had a breakdown, she didn’t. She was very strong. What kept going really was her love for Ciro as well as the hope for independence someday. She was such a kind hearted soul, and she deserved what was handed to her. It was just heartbreaking to witness. She needed tenderness in her life, and she didn’t get it even from Ciro until nearly the end, and I wish she had some more throughout the story once she and Ciro spent more time together, but no such luck there.
There were a few love scenes in the story, starting from the first time and moving forward. A lot of them were summarized which I was expecting and there were a lot more of those scenes than the actual graphic love scenes. I understand why they were summarized because they were at the base physical and not as emotional as say the first time or even the final one, but it was just kind weird to have those summarized just thrown in here and there throughout the story and could almost have not been mentioned and more just alluded to. It just weird for me. I also wish there was a more tender love scene filled with more emotional intimacy between them, though I suppose that was meant to be the love scene after Ciro’s nightmare, but I think there just needed to be another scene thrown in there to show Ciro actually making love to her and being tender with her in a way that he never had before.
I had a few issues with this story. One there were quite few time jumps in there as well as flashback scenes that kind took me out of the action because the jump was so disconcerting. With flashbacks in particular, though I was glad I was in there for the full picture of the story, I just thought were they were placed in the body of the story just was a little off. I get it was just supposed be flashes for either Ciro or Lara as thought back to the past with kind of a day dream kind state to take them out of the present, but it made the flow a little wonky. As did the time jumps within the story like there would be a scene and then next would be a flash to a week later. This happened several times within the story, and I just thought it was a little too much. I just wanted more of natural flow and not jumping all over the place.
Another issue was there wasn’t a lot of tender or intimate scenes between Ciro and Lara. Yes, there was the moment after Ciro’s nightmare, which they got the most intimate in the story, and then the end of coarse, but other then that there wasn’t a lot. I wish there was just another scene or two thrown in there just to show that he was willing to show that he cared for her the more time that he spent with her. Even it was a simple date night that was shown that wasn’t based on the deal the made at the beginning of their marriage, I think that would have been amazing. I just wanted to see them get closer and more intimate as time passed. Just I needed another scene in there.
Lastly, I wish there was a bigger grovel scene especially after all that Ciro did to poor Lara. He did make up for his blunders in the end, but I think he could done a lot more too. I wish that somehow he found out about her mother’s wedding dress and tracked it down and bought back for her as present as he came to grovel to her at the end. I think would have been the perfect moment and would have shown so much. He would have showed how much he truly loved. It would have just been a huge moment for him and the ultimate grovel.
Aside from those things, which are picky things when you think about it, I did really enjoy the story. I thought the story was really good. I thought the hook was awesome. I liked there was the little element of suspense about the past and whether he was going to find out or not. The angst was amazing. The friction was pretty incredible. The intensity was mind blowing. He was perfect a*hole alpha male that I love, though he could have done more groveling, but sill he was just a classic Presents hero. I really throughly enjoyed this story. It was very close to perfection and very much classic Abby Green that I enjoy so much.
Anyone that likes prickly Harlequin Presents alpha males I highly recommend for you.
This one had an amazing, amazing beginning with the perfect amount of setup, conflict, tension, angst, misunderstandings, backstory, and emotion going on. All of those things are what I love to be in romance books, and the fact that this one had all of those things were just beyond everything and perfect. Because all of these elements were in so early on in the story, I was immediacy engaged in the story of Ciro and Lara that I just dived right into story. I was into it and found myself taking my time to savor it because it was so great.
But what’s more what I thought was really great was the intense setup of Ciro and Lara having been kidnapped two years previous with Lara having later being released while Ciro was kept by the kidnappers and tortured by them. He even had the scarring to prove it as well as a lost pinkie finger. Only to learn that it was Lara’s uncle that was responsible for the kidnapping in order to force Lara to break it off with Ciro and hold this threat over her head that if she didn’t go through with the marriage he wanted then Ciro would be killed. The fact that she was madly in love with Ciro and wanted him to be safe she broke it off with him cruelly in order to protect him, which Ciro didn’t take to kindly to hence where the story began. The kidnapping trope though has been done many times in the Presents before, but this one was different and unique and just added so much intensity to the story because of the real danger that was presented for both Lara and Ciro, and the fact that Lara learned this after the kidnap and keeping it a secret from Ciro while succumbing to her uncle’s demands in order to keep Ciro safe was just so heartbreaking and very intense. She really was put in between a rock and a hard place. I could feel her fear for Ciro while she made that decision to protect him even though she believed he didn’t love her because she love him. It was just crazy the intensity there as well to see the real consequences that kidnap had actually had both physically and emotionally. It was a doozy. So much more than I thought it was going to be. It really packed a punch.
Then when they reunited again after Lara’s husband died, it was just as intense. There was lots of good angst and friction that just blew my mind because of the “hate” that he displayed to poor Lara over her leaving him two years previous. He really knew to sock to her, and because of this there was just all that delicious angst and tension throughout as they came to deal with one another again. He vowed revenge while she vowed just to survive him, believing her hated her while she still loved and missed him after all this time apart, but vowed to make up to him because she believed it was his fault that he was kidnapped and tortured all that time so she decided to be martyr. That friction was real and very heartbreaking especially with all the pain that Lara had experienced between the kidnapping, her marriage, and reuniting with Ciro believing he hated her. I know I keep saying the word intense in this review, but that was exactly what it was, and I loved that. I also loved all the angst, conflict and tension between them. It was just so good and so entertaining that it was hard to stop for a single second.
Ciro was the classic a*hole Harlequin Presents alpha male to a tee. Oh, my good was he a piece of work. It was good to revisit that type again because lately the Presents I have read I have the either haven’t been the prick that I have wanted to see on the page or they have been too much prick. There needed to be a balance between a prick alpha male and the likability factor. It so hard to perfect those two things because they are opposite ends of the spectrum, but with Ciro I think he was the perfect a*hole alpha that I so enjoy seeing played out on the page. A big reason for it because I realized very quickly that what he was doing was due to being deeply hurt and feeling betrayed after Lara left him two years previous because he loved her so much even if he didn’t admit it back then, but I knew it was there. It was clear. That’s why even though what he did wasn’t right, and he was very cruel in the process I knew what was behind that was love that he kept quashed down beneath the surface so he didn’t reveal his heart and vulnerability to Lara. He was still something else and beyond cruel at times that it was heartbreaking to watch play out on the page. I do wish they showed a little bit more of his softer side aside from the end, but he was still good alpha male.
As for Lara, I felt so bad for this poor girl after everything she went through. It was so much. She experienced so much trauma and abuse in those two years it was was no wonder that she didn’t loose it before then. They way she was treated by men was just horrible, even Ciro could be lumped into the category as well. She suffered so much, and yet even though she could have very easily had a breakdown, she didn’t. She was very strong. What kept going really was her love for Ciro as well as the hope for independence someday. She was such a kind hearted soul, and she deserved what was handed to her. It was just heartbreaking to witness. She needed tenderness in her life, and she didn’t get it even from Ciro until nearly the end, and I wish she had some more throughout the story once she and Ciro spent more time together, but no such luck there.
There were a few love scenes in the story, starting from the first time and moving forward. A lot of them were summarized which I was expecting and there were a lot more of those scenes than the actual graphic love scenes. I understand why they were summarized because they were at the base physical and not as emotional as say the first time or even the final one, but it was just kind weird to have those summarized just thrown in here and there throughout the story and could almost have not been mentioned and more just alluded to. It just weird for me. I also wish there was a more tender love scene filled with more emotional intimacy between them, though I suppose that was meant to be the love scene after Ciro’s nightmare, but I think there just needed to be another scene thrown in there to show Ciro actually making love to her and being tender with her in a way that he never had before.
I had a few issues with this story. One there were quite few time jumps in there as well as flashback scenes that kind took me out of the action because the jump was so disconcerting. With flashbacks in particular, though I was glad I was in there for the full picture of the story, I just thought were they were placed in the body of the story just was a little off. I get it was just supposed be flashes for either Ciro or Lara as thought back to the past with kind of a day dream kind state to take them out of the present, but it made the flow a little wonky. As did the time jumps within the story like there would be a scene and then next would be a flash to a week later. This happened several times within the story, and I just thought it was a little too much. I just wanted more of natural flow and not jumping all over the place.
Another issue was there wasn’t a lot of tender or intimate scenes between Ciro and Lara. Yes, there was the moment after Ciro’s nightmare, which they got the most intimate in the story, and then the end of coarse, but other then that there wasn’t a lot. I wish there was just another scene or two thrown in there just to show that he was willing to show that he cared for her the more time that he spent with her. Even it was a simple date night that was shown that wasn’t based on the deal the made at the beginning of their marriage, I think that would have been amazing. I just wanted to see them get closer and more intimate as time passed. Just I needed another scene in there.
Lastly, I wish there was a bigger grovel scene especially after all that Ciro did to poor Lara. He did make up for his blunders in the end, but I think he could done a lot more too. I wish that somehow he found out about her mother’s wedding dress and tracked it down and bought back for her as present as he came to grovel to her at the end. I think would have been the perfect moment and would have shown so much. He would have showed how much he truly loved. It would have just been a huge moment for him and the ultimate grovel.
Aside from those things, which are picky things when you think about it, I did really enjoy the story. I thought the story was really good. I thought the hook was awesome. I liked there was the little element of suspense about the past and whether he was going to find out or not. The angst was amazing. The friction was pretty incredible. The intensity was mind blowing. He was perfect a*hole alpha male that I love, though he could have done more groveling, but sill he was just a classic Presents hero. I really throughly enjoyed this story. It was very close to perfection and very much classic Abby Green that I enjoy so much.
Anyone that likes prickly Harlequin Presents alpha males I highly recommend for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2019
This was delicious angsty, and ticked my boxes for a really satisfying Mills & Boon / Harlequin read. The ending perhaps lacked a bit more heart rending (for my liking anyway!), but the first portion of the book was perfect!
April 6, 2022
I loved the premise of the story.
Loved the couple's interaction.
See, I live for these kinds of stories whereby the Hero would treat the heroine like sh*t because of a misunderstanding - misconception - only to find out he'd been wrong all along; that the heroine was a pure, kind-hearted person, not the person whom he had thought all these times.
This was one of those.
It was pure joy reading this.
Loved the couple's interaction.
See, I live for these kinds of stories whereby the Hero would treat the heroine like sh*t because of a misunderstanding - misconception - only to find out he'd been wrong all along; that the heroine was a pure, kind-hearted person, not the person whom he had thought all these times.
This was one of those.
It was pure joy reading this.
March 5, 2020
Maybe it is me but I don't like when my MCs are maimed & scared. I don't know but this wasn't to my taste unfortunately.
June 29, 2021
ΜΕ ΜΙΑ ΛΕΞΗ: ΕΞΑΙΡΕΤΙΚΟ!!!!
June 29, 2025
Wasn’t feeling the love here
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