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Marchese's Forgotten Bride
How can she tell him that she’s expecting his twins?
When Alessandro Marchese strides into the headquarters of his latest acquisition, one person is particularly struck by his awesome presence… The tingling of Cassie’s skin lets her know her new boss is the man who left her – pregnant with twins! And now it seems he’s forgotten her altogether!
But the formidable Italian is more affected by Cassie than he lets on. The darkness of his memory is lifting. Now Alessandro needs just one more thing to complete the picture – Cassie, with his wedding ring on her finger…
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2009
148 people are currently reading
782 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Reid
389 books638 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 101 reviews
September 15, 2016
It would have been more if he had been faithful to her or even his fiancé.
The hero is engaged when he mets the heroine and has sex with her knowing this. He feels guilty about having this extra relationship with the heroine after his fiancée dies. When it comes to light that he is a cheating asshole, he plays the Oh poor me I have lost my mind card!
Bull crap! He plays her like a violin and she lets him.
I hated that.
For me personally, his lost memories of her does not excuse him!!! He should have told her about his a fiancée when they first got together.
Sorry just pissed me off 1.5 stars.
Safety: he is not faithful and he cheats on her while she stays true blue. There is OW drama with his PA and his dead fiancée. Pushing and pulling galore!
So basically not a safe read.
The hero is engaged when he mets the heroine and has sex with her knowing this. He feels guilty about having this extra relationship with the heroine after his fiancée dies. When it comes to light that he is a cheating asshole, he plays the Oh poor me I have lost my mind card!
Bull crap! He plays her like a violin and she lets him.
I hated that.
For me personally, his lost memories of her does not excuse him!!! He should have told her about his a fiancée when they first got together.
Sorry just pissed me off 1.5 stars.
Safety: he is not faithful and he cheats on her while she stays true blue. There is OW drama with his PA and his dead fiancée. Pushing and pulling galore!
So basically not a safe read.
February 5, 2018
2.5 stars rounded up because it's well-written. This is a story I *should* love.
It's Michelle Reid.
The angst - especially at the beginning - is off the charts.
The H/h are apart because of amnesia.
There are adorable twin secret children.
What's not to love?
Plenty. Because there are so many off key elements, the whole "song" is out of tune and not enjoyable.
Off Key:
Heroine is angry and bitter most of the story.
Hero keeps fainting - and that's the only thing that stops the heroine's anger - except sex.
The fainting male and angry female suddenly having sex. Sorry - but that just felt weird.
The heroine's "friends" at work were bitchy, as were the hero's employees. It felt like a hostile workplace which can add to the angst quite nicely, but that negative energy didn't add to the story. It was just there - fueling the negative vibes.
The amnesia was not a re-set to the H/h's relationship. It was an excuse for the hero to forget
Six years before, the hero That's not the beginning of an epic love story.
The hero would have never sought out the heroine if they hadn't met again by chance.
The hero's brother was hostile to the heroine for no discernible reason.
Everyone was hostile in this story.
The heroine still hasn't met the rest of his family by the end. This reader couldn't envision a life for them as a happy family in Italy.
So, no. Give this one a pass. A first reading might be enjoyable, just for the angst - but the cheating reveal colors a re-read.
It's Michelle Reid.
The angst - especially at the beginning - is off the charts.
The H/h are apart because of amnesia.
There are adorable twin secret children.
What's not to love?
Plenty. Because there are so many off key elements, the whole "song" is out of tune and not enjoyable.
Off Key:
Heroine is angry and bitter most of the story.
Hero keeps fainting - and that's the only thing that stops the heroine's anger - except sex.
The fainting male and angry female suddenly having sex. Sorry - but that just felt weird.
The heroine's "friends" at work were bitchy, as were the hero's employees. It felt like a hostile workplace which can add to the angst quite nicely, but that negative energy didn't add to the story. It was just there - fueling the negative vibes.
The amnesia was not a re-set to the H/h's relationship. It was an excuse for the hero to forget
Six years before, the hero That's not the beginning of an epic love story.
The hero would have never sought out the heroine if they hadn't met again by chance.
The hero's brother was hostile to the heroine for no discernible reason.
Everyone was hostile in this story.
The heroine still hasn't met the rest of his family by the end. This reader couldn't envision a life for them as a happy family in Italy.
So, no. Give this one a pass. A first reading might be enjoyable, just for the angst - but the cheating reveal colors a re-read.
October 14, 2014
The H in this book...
The h...
My reaction to their stupidity...
The h...
My reaction to their stupidity...
July 11, 2013
I can not even put into words how awful this book was. The intro start out kind of promising but the deteriorates pretty quickly making the body of the book decent at best. The characters are alright but not very captivating helping to make the build up a 'just okay' experience. But what has truly burned me enough to write this is the ending. The drama ( as we all know will show up in these books) is the H had a fiancé at the time h was seeing him, making her the other woman without the h knowing it. He left to 'go tell his family that he would be marrying her' when he was is an accident with the fiancé. H goes into a coma and supposedly does not remember the previous six weeks or the h when he awakens. The fiancé also goes in a coma and dies. So after H wakes up he ignores or deletes phone calls and messages from the h and finally when she is stunned to find that she is carrying twins she calls to ask him for help and he say that he does not know her, doesn't want to know her and not to call again. Now all of these things are bad enough that I myself would probably never want to be involved with this individual again but after h finds out she still allows him to bully her into marriage. The real cherry topper, I feel, is the equivalent to a shrug and a 'my bad', the man gives at best a half hearted apology and no really excuse for such harsh treatment and abandonment of the h and their twins. The most annoying part of it all is the h excepting it and basically saying as long as you love me. Really? Because all of those actions scream love to me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2020
This had potential for a lot of angst as the reasons for Sandro and Cassie's separation laid the basis for much conflict. Buuuut . . . I don't find romances where the protagonists are constantly fighting to be all that romantic. They certainly needed to work their differences out especially with children in the mix, but the repetitive arguments became tedious.
Another issue was Cassie. The woman had a clear case of the "I love you-I hate you-but I love to f*ck you" syndrome. From what I recall, she literally had sex with Sandro within hours after reuniting with him and with nothing resolved between them. Cassie had justification to hate Sandro for his cold rejection of her. Given this, I found it difficult to understand the speed with which she jumped into bed with Sandro. It really made her character seem weak and shallow. Yes, laced with the hate was a love that had never died but her hasty bedding of Sandro made me embarrassed for her.
Another issue was Cassie. The woman had a clear case of the "I love you-I hate you-but I love to f*ck you" syndrome. From what I recall, she literally had sex with Sandro within hours after reuniting with him and with nothing resolved between them. Cassie had justification to hate Sandro for his cold rejection of her. Given this, I found it difficult to understand the speed with which she jumped into bed with Sandro. It really made her character seem weak and shallow. Yes, laced with the hate was a love that had never died but her hasty bedding of Sandro made me embarrassed for her.
September 11, 2016
This waffled between a two and a four star so going for an average: ***.
Cassie is waiting at an office party for the new owner to come in. Lo and behold, it is the long gone father of her 5 year old twins, Alessandro the Italian stud. She gives him the stink eye and, to make a long story short, they take top honors in office-gossip-of-the-year when he passes out at her feet.
Cassie spits fire every time she gets near him. This is probably because when she called to let him know she was pregnant and after what she now perceives was just a one night stand proceeded by two weeks of wooing and an "I love you", he told her to get lost. A run-on, I'm sorry. This "spitting fire" does not prevent her from succumbing to his mighty and magic penis the first night they see each other again, post-dinner and post first passout.
The hero is not an ass-hat now and wasn't really one six years ago. He has a serious issue with his memory loss and passes out just about every time he and Cassie cross verbal swords. In other words, he drops like a stone every time they get together.
He plays the short con when the minute he meets the twins, he declares he's their daddy, and they're going to be one happy family in Italy. Cassie is seriously displeased about this ploy, but has to temper her response as his knees weaken again.
There's some back and forth angst aggravated by a scorned evil OW's revenge plot that's played out on Facebook that derails the HEA for a while and threatens to turn a HEA into a simple EA.
There is an explanation as to his amnesia and why he spurned her all those years ago, but either I am just not getting it or it's too convoluted.
The characters are well done and more complex than most. The heroine is truly conflicted about what is best for her children vs her rage and hurt over the H turning his back on her six years ago.
Why not a four star? Too many dropped threads says this nitpicky reader.
Cassie is waiting at an office party for the new owner to come in. Lo and behold, it is the long gone father of her 5 year old twins, Alessandro the Italian stud. She gives him the stink eye and, to make a long story short, they take top honors in office-gossip-of-the-year when he passes out at her feet.
Cassie spits fire every time she gets near him. This is probably because when she called to let him know she was pregnant and after what she now perceives was just a one night stand proceeded by two weeks of wooing and an "I love you", he told her to get lost. A run-on, I'm sorry. This "spitting fire" does not prevent her from succumbing to his mighty and magic penis the first night they see each other again, post-dinner and post first passout.
The hero is not an ass-hat now and wasn't really one six years ago. He has a serious issue with his memory loss and passes out just about every time he and Cassie cross verbal swords. In other words, he drops like a stone every time they get together.
He plays the short con when the minute he meets the twins, he declares he's their daddy, and they're going to be one happy family in Italy. Cassie is seriously displeased about this ploy, but has to temper her response as his knees weaken again.
There's some back and forth angst aggravated by a scorned evil OW's revenge plot that's played out on Facebook that derails the HEA for a while and threatens to turn a HEA into a simple EA.
There is an explanation as to his amnesia and why he spurned her all those years ago, but either I am just not getting it or it's too convoluted.
The characters are well done and more complex than most. The heroine is truly conflicted about what is best for her children vs her rage and hurt over the H turning his back on her six years ago.
Why not a four star? Too many dropped threads says this nitpicky reader.
July 3, 2010
Ah, amnesia and angst, awesome! Not to mention some bitchin' bitter betrayal. I really enjoyed this story, for the most part. Perhaps the best thing about it was the hero, who not only seems to have an actual personality but is physically vulnerable in a way that's almost unheard of in recent HPs. (The accident that caused his amnesia has left him prone to blackouts.) Reid's phrasing is sometimes a little odd--people "husk" and "enthuse" and even "teeth out" their dialog--but she can really write a passionate love scene, not to mention a passionate hate scene. My gut was good and wrenched.
Sadly, the story went downhill in the middle, when it was suddenly forced into HP Secret Baby mode, with the regulation forced marriage, shopping trip, moving to fabulous new home etc. Still, it stands out as different, and better, than most of the standard fare.
Sadly, the story went downhill in the middle, when it was suddenly forced into HP Secret Baby mode, with the regulation forced marriage, shopping trip, moving to fabulous new home etc. Still, it stands out as different, and better, than most of the standard fare.
February 27, 2015
How can someone go from hating a person to falling back in bed with them within few hours?
This is an amnesia story with a good for nothing jerk as the lead male and a woman who becomes a slave to her libido as the lead female. What I really found interesting is that the idiot was her only sexual experience... her one and only night to be exact... She had no sex or desire to have sex for over six years but once she looked at this man she despised, her lady parts started singing. I think she needed some psychological help.
This is an amnesia story with a good for nothing jerk as the lead male and a woman who becomes a slave to her libido as the lead female. What I really found interesting is that the idiot was her only sexual experience... her one and only night to be exact... She had no sex or desire to have sex for over six years but once she looked at this man she despised, her lady parts started singing. I think she needed some psychological help.
February 5, 2011
This book is so depressing. How would you like to find out that you are the other woman??? The suppose hero cheats on her and gives her twins and conventionally forgets about her. She calls him to let him know she is with child and he tells her that he does not know her. He plays acts after he does remember what happened by fainting so he does not have to explain or answer the questions posed by the heroine regarding the 2 weeks they spent together. He also pressures the heroine into marriage because he feels "GUILTY ABOUT THE WAY HE TREATED HER" There is so much more and a real waste of money. I am surprised that RT gave 2 stars when it is a 1 star book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2015
Esta novela me dejó con un mal sabor de boca.
No me gustó la manera en que Michelle Reid desembaraza al protagonista de errores terribles. Todo se arregla con un beso y con amenazas. No, me temo que nada más lejos. Un tipo que se va durante seis años, a pesar de haber tenido un accidente, y que te borra absolutamente de su mente (enamorado y todo, bleh) así nomás, no no. La protagonista tiene una voluntad tan endeble que todo lo que tiene que hacer el héroe es darle besos o cog3rla para que ella cambie mágicamente su percepción. Y eso que no soy feminista, pero basta, che, queréte un poco.
No me gustó la manera en que Michelle Reid desembaraza al protagonista de errores terribles. Todo se arregla con un beso y con amenazas. No, me temo que nada más lejos. Un tipo que se va durante seis años, a pesar de haber tenido un accidente, y que te borra absolutamente de su mente (enamorado y todo, bleh) así nomás, no no. La protagonista tiene una voluntad tan endeble que todo lo que tiene que hacer el héroe es darle besos o cog3rla para que ella cambie mágicamente su percepción. Y eso que no soy feminista, pero basta, che, queréte un poco.
September 7, 2011
Maybe this book deserves to be read again.
The heroine was dating a guy and he got her into bed. He proposes marriage but goes the next day to visit his family and tell them about her and never returns. The heroine calls him, texts him, etc but nothing. Finally she finds out she's pregnant so she calls and texts him again and actually gets him on the phone. He tells her he doesn't know her, doesn't want to know her and don't ever call this number again.
So the heroine gives birth to twins and 6 years later the father walks back into her life under another name as her boss.
So as the story unfolds in bits and pieces, the hero was engaged to be married, but met the heroine and fell in love with her and into bed with her. Great guy. He goes back home and gets picked up at the airport by his fiancee and they are involved in a car crash. The hero loses his memory.
So this strong hero who wants to know what happened in that time purposefully deletes all her text messages and her phone calls because he feels guilty about cheating on a woman who he was just friends with? The woman he was going to ditch and who was going to ditch him because they were marrying for convenience and because they had no one else? The woman who was driving the car and so he didn't feel guilty about her dying because it was her fault and she almost killed him? His words.
How does this even make sense? It doesn't make sense. None of it makes sense. The heroine called him long after he was out of the hospital and he just ignores and conveniently forgets the phone call?
As soon as the hero remembers what happens, the truth only comes out in little bits and pieces. And everything that comes out is mixed up and makes no sense.
At the end I felt like he just made stuff up to make himself out to be innocent.
And the hero forces the heroine to admit that she loves him, because she's not going to say it before he does. And when she does, he never says it back.
It's just a big mess.
The heroine was dating a guy and he got her into bed. He proposes marriage but goes the next day to visit his family and tell them about her and never returns. The heroine calls him, texts him, etc but nothing. Finally she finds out she's pregnant so she calls and texts him again and actually gets him on the phone. He tells her he doesn't know her, doesn't want to know her and don't ever call this number again.
So the heroine gives birth to twins and 6 years later the father walks back into her life under another name as her boss.
So as the story unfolds in bits and pieces, the hero was engaged to be married, but met the heroine and fell in love with her and into bed with her. Great guy. He goes back home and gets picked up at the airport by his fiancee and they are involved in a car crash. The hero loses his memory.
So this strong hero who wants to know what happened in that time purposefully deletes all her text messages and her phone calls because he feels guilty about cheating on a woman who he was just friends with? The woman he was going to ditch and who was going to ditch him because they were marrying for convenience and because they had no one else? The woman who was driving the car and so he didn't feel guilty about her dying because it was her fault and she almost killed him? His words.
How does this even make sense? It doesn't make sense. None of it makes sense. The heroine called him long after he was out of the hospital and he just ignores and conveniently forgets the phone call?
As soon as the hero remembers what happens, the truth only comes out in little bits and pieces. And everything that comes out is mixed up and makes no sense.
At the end I felt like he just made stuff up to make himself out to be innocent.
And the hero forces the heroine to admit that she loves him, because she's not going to say it before he does. And when she does, he never says it back.
It's just a big mess.
October 2, 2019
Michelle Reid is an author I absolutely adore. Let's see what this one's about because the blurb sounds promising and I love a good amnesiac story!
And WHAT!?! So, I've obviously read this book sometime in the beginning of the last year and rated it a three and conveniently forgotten all about it and ordered a second-hand paperback too! Just as well, I will read it again and will leave a review this time so I don't forget about it. Huh!
Cassandra (Cassie) Janus is having the time of her life in an introductory evening treat laid on by their new boss at BarTec. She's having a little bit of carefree time out of her single mum routine of preschool twins, while she remembers being left pregnant with them. And just then in comes him, their new boss, on whom she has laid eyes after six years! Alessandro Marchese. But surely she's mistaken because she knew him as Sandro Rossi. And then happens the classic case of their eyes clashing. And she's further reminded of the Italian's cruel rejection.
While she's in shock after seeing him, he's shocked too. Shocked at the elemental reaction he feels towards her, pained because of the headache that rears up, and yet not being able to place her. He couldn't think of how does he know her, but he's sure that he recognises her from somewhere. And a splitting headache that leads him to swoon quite a number of times in the book. Which was very amusing, seeing that it is always the heroines in M&B who swoon. Haha! Not to trivialise the issue but, he did suffer from an accident and memory loss.
The blurb is misleading, she's had those twins already, five years ago, a boy and a girl, Anthony and (Isa)Bella. And the amnesia is already going away as soon as he has a conversation with her, going away in increments whenever he subsequently meets with her. Though I'm not complaining because Anthony and Bella are just too adorable. He a mini Sandro and she a mini Cassie, in looks as well as temperaments.
In spite of the fainting, which turns out to be quite serious, Sandro is someone who faces everything head-on. There's Pandora Batiste, who is the head of BarTec now and is jealous of Cassie. Ella, Cassie's colleague and friend is lovely though, especially the way she speaks. It has a sweet ending.
P.S. Had to share these very rat-tastic quotes... These cracked me up. And I kept laughing so hard!
I also increased a star rating because I quite liked the story, though was disappointed by the misleading blurb.
And WHAT!?! So, I've obviously read this book sometime in the beginning of the last year and rated it a three and conveniently forgotten all about it and ordered a second-hand paperback too! Just as well, I will read it again and will leave a review this time so I don't forget about it. Huh!
Cassandra (Cassie) Janus is having the time of her life in an introductory evening treat laid on by their new boss at BarTec. She's having a little bit of carefree time out of her single mum routine of preschool twins, while she remembers being left pregnant with them. And just then in comes him, their new boss, on whom she has laid eyes after six years! Alessandro Marchese. But surely she's mistaken because she knew him as Sandro Rossi. And then happens the classic case of their eyes clashing. And she's further reminded of the Italian's cruel rejection.
While she's in shock after seeing him, he's shocked too. Shocked at the elemental reaction he feels towards her, pained because of the headache that rears up, and yet not being able to place her. He couldn't think of how does he know her, but he's sure that he recognises her from somewhere. And a splitting headache that leads him to swoon quite a number of times in the book. Which was very amusing, seeing that it is always the heroines in M&B who swoon. Haha! Not to trivialise the issue but, he did suffer from an accident and memory loss.
The blurb is misleading, she's had those twins already, five years ago, a boy and a girl, Anthony and (Isa)Bella. And the amnesia is already going away as soon as he has a conversation with her, going away in increments whenever he subsequently meets with her. Though I'm not complaining because Anthony and Bella are just too adorable. He a mini Sandro and she a mini Cassie, in looks as well as temperaments.
In spite of the fainting, which turns out to be quite serious, Sandro is someone who faces everything head-on. There's Pandora Batiste, who is the head of BarTec now and is jealous of Cassie. Ella, Cassie's colleague and friend is lovely though, especially the way she speaks. It has a sweet ending.
P.S. Had to share these very rat-tastic quotes... These cracked me up. And I kept laughing so hard!
Only an unprincipled rat would select that particular memory to mention.
You really like to live up to the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, macho-rat remit, don't you, Sandro?
I also increased a star rating because I quite liked the story, though was disappointed by the misleading blurb.
April 11, 2014
Beautiful and angsty love story!
June 15, 2016
The older I get and the more I read I become more difficult to satisfy.
I didn't like Sandro's manipulative ways.
I didn't get Cassie and Ella's friendship, sometimes it felt more like a co-worker relationship and others like best friends.
Sandro's interactions with Pandora, Gio and Marco also were a bit of a let down.
The part Angus played was also a bit uncertain.
And those little details here and there left me a bad taste with this book.
I didn't like Sandro's manipulative ways.
I didn't get Cassie and Ella's friendship, sometimes it felt more like a co-worker relationship and others like best friends.
Sandro's interactions with Pandora, Gio and Marco also were a bit of a let down.
The part Angus played was also a bit uncertain.
And those little details here and there left me a bad taste with this book.
December 18, 2014
Six years ago, Cassie had two romantic weeks with Sandro, culminating in a single night of unprotected passion. He was all, gosh, love you heaps, let’s get married, yeah? Just gotta head back to Italy for a while, but will definitely call. Bye!
He didn’t call. For two months, Cassie left him voice mails and sent him texts. In her last effort, she actually got him on the phone, told him she was pregnant and he said: never call again.
Bastard.
So she didn’t. She gave birth to twins, got a job as an accountant, and then got another job heading up the accountancy department in a small firm owned by one of her dad’s friends, who threw in a reduced flat rent in London.
Everything was going mostly swimmingly until the new owner showed up at the big staff wine and dine get together, and it turns out he’s Sandro. Now Alessandro Marchese (calling him Sandro makes him angry), and while he looks at Cassie with insta-lust, he says and does nothing else to acknowledge their relationship and Cassie is wounded and furious. And then they touch and boom – he has a brain explosion and passes out at her feet.
Six years ago, Alessandro was in a big car accident and lost the preceding six weeks of his life, so he’d blocked out all memories to do with Cassie so naturally, he’s super-surprised and shocked, and she’s really hot and let’s do it, my headache’s fine, and oh I have twins? Must meet them immediately and be their daddy. Cassie’s all nice try buster, but I told you about them eight weeks after you went home, and left you all these texts and messages which you never responded to, and even if you didn’t remember me, should have been pretty obvious that SOMETHING happened, so I still think you’re a jerk.
Which, let’s face it: he is. He’s hot and rich, but he’s really selfish. There’s a big hint dropped early in the book around these headaches which I thought might be slightly mitigating, but it doesn’t turn out that way. In fact, the big reveal only makes him seem worse. And while not remembering her is genuine, not contacting her and deliberately blanking her from his life is really low. But water under the bridge, we all make mistakes, and no children of his are going to live in a two bedroom hovel when he has a castle in Italy, and Cassie is sexy, so here’s some emotional blackmail to get this renewed relationship to stick.
I didn’t 100% dislike him. He attempted to have a progressive view of women in the workplace, and while this is a little undercut by the presence of the nasty rival woman in the story, it’s still gets points for ‘ladies can do work stuff too.’ Alessandro knew he’d done wrong, and there were circumstances that he thought were mitigating, but this is another book where the heroine is railroaded into marriage because of her duty to her children, and because the hero has threatened legal action and been instrumental in removing her income. It’s all very dramatic and emotionally involving, but is leaving her with no choice but to go along with him all that romantic? Is he going to behave like this every time he feels that something is urgent, and he can’t afford to compromise?
Cassie’s circumstances are poor but proud. She’s at least feisty, and she points out when he’s being a jerk. There’s a lot of mentions of how tiny her flat is, and how it’s not in the best part of London, and how shabby her furniture is. She’s a single mother, but she has a full time job as an accountant, and is a department head. I’d have thought that she would make fairly decent money, and that a flat that’s owned by her previous boss is unlikely to be a complete hovel.
I don’t know why Cassie didn’t google Sandro Rossi. I know she was busy raising twins and working full time, but it would have taken five seconds, and she would definitely have had that. If she had, she would have discovered that he was Alessandro Marchese, and she’d have known, six years ago, that he was a rich bastard jerk. She wouldn’t have been blindsided by his sudden appearance at her work do.
This book is a bit of a mixed bag for me, because sometimes it’s far easier to except a ‘no choice but to love him, oh the feelings!’ plot when it’s clearly set in a crazy world. And yet I like the sensible because it feels more natural, and finally, for a little while, people are being normal. But when you’ve got the crazy plot going even a tiny scrap of sensible is dangerous, because what is it doing there, and why isn’t it feeling lonely? Everything starts to unravel, like the lack of Google, and Cassie’s finances, and her children’s ready acceptance of a sudden dad and a move to Italy.
I do like though, that this is an amnesia story without any mention of the word amnesia, and that the return of Alessandro’s memories didn’t instantly make everything ok.
June 13, 2019
1 ⭐- Ugh! Didn't like it or triggers or pet peeve!
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Eu vi disponível no KU e cliquei sem verificar minha lista de AVOID no goodreads.
Um horror!
Eles tem um namoro rápido e ele tira a virgindade dela. Volta para casa afirmando que volta logo e etc... Só que ele deixa um PEQUENO (sqn) detalhe sem explicar para nossa heroína... ele tem uma NOIVA escolhida pela família e um compromisso já firmado de mesclar as fortunas e blá blá blá...
Ele tem um acidente no qual a noiva morre e ele fica em coma e SUPOSTAMENTE perde a memória somente daquele período em que esteve com a heroína. QUE CONVENIENTE!
Ela engravida e tenta entrar em contato e ele a trata com crueldade.
A TROUXA... oops... heroína, segue em frente e cria os gêmeos sozinha com muita dificuldade e sem nunca mais se relacionar com ninguém. Afinal ser mãe solteira de gêmeos e ter que se virar sozinha é trabalha hercúleo.
Esqueci de mencionar que ele deu outro nome para ela... então quando um milionário famoso compra a empresa onde ela trabalha, ela não liga os pontos.
Aí a confusão começa... ela não pode chegar perto dele que já quer abrir as pernas. Ele é um imbecil manipulador que a engana direitinho. A OUTRA MULHER causa problemas como sempre, mas some sem sofrer as consequências.
Mais do mesmo e eu fiquei muito P da vida, mas li até o fim. Que heroína imbecil!
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Eu vi disponível no KU e cliquei sem verificar minha lista de AVOID no goodreads.
Um horror!
Eles tem um namoro rápido e ele tira a virgindade dela. Volta para casa afirmando que volta logo e etc... Só que ele deixa um PEQUENO (sqn) detalhe sem explicar para nossa heroína... ele tem uma NOIVA escolhida pela família e um compromisso já firmado de mesclar as fortunas e blá blá blá...
Ele tem um acidente no qual a noiva morre e ele fica em coma e SUPOSTAMENTE perde a memória somente daquele período em que esteve com a heroína. QUE CONVENIENTE!
Ela engravida e tenta entrar em contato e ele a trata com crueldade.
A TROUXA... oops... heroína, segue em frente e cria os gêmeos sozinha com muita dificuldade e sem nunca mais se relacionar com ninguém. Afinal ser mãe solteira de gêmeos e ter que se virar sozinha é trabalha hercúleo.
Esqueci de mencionar que ele deu outro nome para ela... então quando um milionário famoso compra a empresa onde ela trabalha, ela não liga os pontos.
Aí a confusão começa... ela não pode chegar perto dele que já quer abrir as pernas. Ele é um imbecil manipulador que a engana direitinho. A OUTRA MULHER causa problemas como sempre, mas some sem sofrer as consequências.
Mais do mesmo e eu fiquei muito P da vida, mas li até o fim. Que heroína imbecil!
January 16, 2016
I pretty much loved this whole book until the end. The idea is stellar, and a bit different for HP.
However, the final 2 paragraphs of this book were wack! We finally get to the big moment, the big HEA, the hero and heroine are about to make sweet, sweet love to each other, and what does the hero say...
"I'm going to make love to you until you think you're dying."
Um, WHAT?
That totally creeped me out. DYING? Seriously? CREEP-EEEEEEEE!
And then the heroine says "Oh yes, please." Last sentence of book. I kid you not. Evidently she wants to die from a stupendous orgasm.
Oy.
Other than that, I loved this story.
However, the final 2 paragraphs of this book were wack! We finally get to the big moment, the big HEA, the hero and heroine are about to make sweet, sweet love to each other, and what does the hero say...
"I'm going to make love to you until you think you're dying."
Um, WHAT?
That totally creeped me out. DYING? Seriously? CREEP-EEEEEEEE!
And then the heroine says "Oh yes, please." Last sentence of book. I kid you not. Evidently she wants to die from a stupendous orgasm.
Oy.
Other than that, I loved this story.
August 15, 2011
Hero and heroine are reunited, after 6 years apart. Hero does not remember heroine. It turns out it was because he was in a car accident, and blocked out every memory of heroine because he felt guilty about ditching his fiancee (who died in the car accident) for heroine. Worst reason for amnesia in a romance ever. Heroine, meanwhile, is angry with him, but keeps succumbing to him, moaning internally about how it's not fair he's so hot. Boo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2021
I liked this book even if it's cropped and this is its biggest fault. I think that since HP must have a definite number of pages very ofter authors have to cut some parts and in this book is an example. We have some parts that needed to be more elaborated. We have an unusual story where a hero has selective amnesia after an accident and can't remember some weeks before and after it. I didn't know if I could read this book or not since I read some negative reviews about his memory loss. Since it's part of my job I know that selective memory is possible and after an accident with a brain damage our hero suffered from selective amnesia: he deleted all his memory of her. It is also possible that after a trauma amnesia is both retrograde and anterograde that is before and after the accident. So the facts are not no unbelievable as one could think. He refused to talk to her some weeks after he woke up from his coma, when she tried to tell him that she was pregnant, and we can suppose that he was still traumatized and not fully recovered from its accident. It can happen, often patients are not able to cope immediately with the consequences of a severe brain damage, and it takes time to accept all that is lost and may not come back any more. In this case his girlfriend that he was about to dump because he was in love with heroine, lost her life in the accident and he added this fact to the trauma he suffered. It can happen. He didn't fake its memory loss and the fact that he passed out each time a bit of memory flashed in his mind means that he had barriers to avoid these memories from resurfacing. He felt guilty because he associated the engagement break-up to the accident and the death of his girlfriend. This prevented him from remembering the woman he was leaving his fiancee for. It's a defense mechanism. Anyway, I didn't care for this hero very much. I think that all his fainting and wanting to delete his memories of her don't make him a hot and strong hero. Maybe if he were a war hero, a survivor trying to forget horrible war scenes I would have been more confortable. A man who cheats on his fiancee and then when she dies (not for his fault) he is so shocked that he cannot accept his responsibilities and his mind removes all traces of his "dirty" memories, is not a strong man, not a brave one. This man is no hero, only an injured and unstable one. Poor heroine has to play the nurse's role on more than one occasion. Anyway he really couldn't remember and he really was not guilty for his behaviour the weeks after he woke up from his coma, and then, when he finds her and he finds out he has two children he tries to make amend for his faults. Heroine as often happens in HP is a weak one where hero is concerned, and even if she is furious with him thinking he refused her and his children she has sex with him a few hours after she meets him again... Those two characters have so many issues that I really don't know where to begin ... Anyway, MR is a very good writer and the book was easy to read.
August 28, 2019
I loved the idea of the book from the description and for the first hundred pages or so I loved the book, would have given it 5 stars. But then the heroine stops standing up for herself and the hero goes from women's right to being a lying, blackmailing Jerk. I really thought I was going to like this book and am disappointing but the way the story ended. Even at the very end of the book, within the last 2-3 pages he is still lying to her and she's just "it's okay I love you". It's almost like the first 100 pages was written then the author forgot who here characters were and wrote the last portion with them as complete opposites. Not to mention the kids in the book, the heroine professes to want what's best for them and at first acts on it but then the hero (if you can call him that by the end) just wants what he wants. Doesn't think about how his actions will affect the kids in the short run or the long run. She is eventually blackmailed into marrying him (and not in a good romantic novel kind of way) and moving to another country because he threatens to take away her job, her home, and her children. I really want to know what happened to the guy we first met who ends up literally on the floor at the sight of his forgotten love at the beginning of the book.
By the end I was almost in tears (and I don't cry in books) at how spineless the heroine had become. It made me angry. I do not like book that seem to glorify the mental and psychological abuse that is in the last portion of this book.
By the end I was almost in tears (and I don't cry in books) at how spineless the heroine had become. It made me angry. I do not like book that seem to glorify the mental and psychological abuse that is in the last portion of this book.
February 11, 2021
I enjoyed reading this but even after i’m done, I still feel like there’s so many plot holes and it’s not making sense to me fully what happened?
If he had amnesia, how did he know he didn’t want to know heroine when he said that to her? i’m so confused. Also, i don’t truly understand the source of his guilt and him forgetting her if he wasn’t the one driving AND both his fiancé and him had planned to break off their engagement anyway.
Alas, the kids were super cute and the cute family bonding moments were so perfect!
On a side note, what was the deal with the brother? I’m guessing MR had intended to give him a separate book to delve more into why he was mysteriously hostile but she never got to it.
Gosh, I really do miss MR writing books. I wish we had some updates about her. It’s a truly melancholy thought to think we will likely never get another book from her ever again. I feel the same way about Judith McNaught.
If he had amnesia, how did he know he didn’t want to know heroine when he said that to her? i’m so confused. Also, i don’t truly understand the source of his guilt and him forgetting her if he wasn’t the one driving AND both his fiancé and him had planned to break off their engagement anyway.
Alas, the kids were super cute and the cute family bonding moments were so perfect!
On a side note, what was the deal with the brother? I’m guessing MR had intended to give him a separate book to delve more into why he was mysteriously hostile but she never got to it.
Gosh, I really do miss MR writing books. I wish we had some updates about her. It’s a truly melancholy thought to think we will likely never get another book from her ever again. I feel the same way about Judith McNaught.
August 15, 2019
On the fence about rating this one. The plot wasn't rock solid. The amnesia bit was off-putting and I would've avoided this whole book, had I known.
The h despite her strict scruples came off as a little easy. The H was becoming more and more beta with his constant fainting spells. Some of them real and rather dramatic, the rest he later confessed to have faked them.
The story was rushed. Too many blanks left unfilled. I almost felt like I'd developed amnesia too. I really couldn't get the gist of why the H brutally told off the h all those years ago on the phone. Meh. Weak plot and plotting. Expect better and finer from MR.
The h despite her strict scruples came off as a little easy. The H was becoming more and more beta with his constant fainting spells. Some of them real and rather dramatic, the rest he later confessed to have faked them.
The story was rushed. Too many blanks left unfilled. I almost felt like I'd developed amnesia too. I really couldn't get the gist of why the H brutally told off the h all those years ago on the phone. Meh. Weak plot and plotting. Expect better and finer from MR.
July 29, 2016
It was okay, the ending was a bit short and kind of bogus. Other than that I liked the whole theme. I felt very emotionally connected to the heroine and had absolutely no clue how she was able to forgive him. I don't know if I could forgive anyone after being that betrayed. It was pure chaos!
July 12, 2019
2 ⭐⭐ - Meh!
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Aliança de amor
Michelle Reid
Marchese's Forgotten Bride
Coleção Paixão, N° 174
Editora Harlequin , 2010
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Aliança de amor
Michelle Reid
Marchese's Forgotten Bride
Coleção Paixão, N° 174
Editora Harlequin , 2010
Como Sandro ousara zombar do amor que eles acabaram de compartilhar? Como permitiu que ele a humilhasse dessa maneira?
July 15, 2022
I’ve read a lot of medically-implausible amnesia stories, but this really takes the cake. 😂 Read via library.
October 11, 2021
I was spellbound by this book. Michelle Reid is a magnificently talented writer and writes angst and drama like few other HP writers can. One thing i adore about her stories is that the heroines are never dumb, stupid, weak, pathetic floor mats. They are always strong, capable and smart, though they retain an endearing vulnerability and niceness so they are very likeable.
The h in this story is amazing in the way she had picked herself up after finding herself abandoned and pregnant with twins. She had made a success of her life, even though she wasn't rich, she was a loving mother and had a satisfying career. Hats off to her. I do agree though, that there was a lot of anger on her part through the whole book which became a bit tiresome.
The hero was an arrogant steam-roller (just the way I love them). But for all his faults he was utterly determined through the whole story to tie her to him, which I enjoyed.
There were a few unexplained things in the book which prevented it being a five star for me - why did his brother seem so hostile? why was her best friend so snarky? Also, being apart for so long meant he missed five years of his children's lives. That always seems so sad to me.
Even though there were familiar tropes in this book like amnesia, secret pregnancy etc they still seemed fresh and original. MR has never written a formulaic, boring, predictable book. All kudos to her.
The h in this story is amazing in the way she had picked herself up after finding herself abandoned and pregnant with twins. She had made a success of her life, even though she wasn't rich, she was a loving mother and had a satisfying career. Hats off to her. I do agree though, that there was a lot of anger on her part through the whole book which became a bit tiresome.
The hero was an arrogant steam-roller (just the way I love them). But for all his faults he was utterly determined through the whole story to tie her to him, which I enjoyed.
There were a few unexplained things in the book which prevented it being a five star for me - why did his brother seem so hostile? why was her best friend so snarky? Also, being apart for so long meant he missed five years of his children's lives. That always seems so sad to me.
Even though there were familiar tropes in this book like amnesia, secret pregnancy etc they still seemed fresh and original. MR has never written a formulaic, boring, predictable book. All kudos to her.
May 26, 2020
Not a bad Harlequin; I’m a sucker for amnesia in my romance… it just lacked the OTT dramatics I like to have in my soapy-smut. Cassie is a single mom to 5-yr-old twins when she is shocked to learn their father is her new boss, and he acts like he has no idea who she is. For the majority of the book; he’s just the dude who lost his memory, and most of the drama is him passing out from headaches, and Cassie’s being angry. I’m not saying she didn’t have a reason, it just got old…we’ve only got 200 pages…move along the story I’m bored. Later on, events revealed from his returned memory cause drama, but that comes late in the book and doesn’t cause big waves. The OW, his assistant, isn’t in the book much, and doesn’t really meddle.
Bottom Line- Not bad, just a bit blah. The beginning of the book has the only angst, and then everyone seemed hostile and angry. I didn’t LOVE it, but was still entertained enough to stick with it. It’s on Scribd, if you’re a subscriber.
Bottom Line- Not bad, just a bit blah. The beginning of the book has the only angst, and then everyone seemed hostile and angry. I didn’t LOVE it, but was still entertained enough to stick with it. It’s on Scribd, if you’re a subscriber.
May 4, 2025
I'd just read a book where the h has lost her memory & now this one, where Alessandro Marchese was in a bad accident 6 years in the past and can't remember the 6 weeks of his life previous to the accident. Unfortunately, those weeks include an intense affair with Cassie, resulting in twins. He is now Cassie's new boss and she must deal with the intense emotions seeing him brings her.
Nice story, intense sometimes and the reason for the amnesia is quite a twist!
Nice story, intense sometimes and the reason for the amnesia is quite a twist!
February 4, 2020
It appears I may be the exception with this book. I liked it, I don’t think anyone in the HP world does amnesia better than Michelle Reid. The time between when they originally met and meet again is 6 years, if it were months, I probably would have had issues.
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