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The Married Lovers
She had to stop running away from love
In the magical city of Venice, Sandra Clarke impetuously married Marco Morosini. Then, just as suddenly, she left the wealthy executive and fled back to London believing that he had deceived her.
Determined to stay away, Sandra avoided Marco's attempts to reach her until months later, when she heard his voice on the phone telling her about her mother's car accident. "You must come tomorrow, Sandra," Marco said.
Alarmed, Sandra prepared to leave immediately. But she couldn't help wondering if she was about to be deceived once more by her charming husband.
In the magical city of Venice, Sandra Clarke impetuously married Marco Morosini. Then, just as suddenly, she left the wealthy executive and fled back to London believing that he had deceived her.
Determined to stay away, Sandra avoided Marco's attempts to reach her until months later, when she heard his voice on the phone telling her about her mother's car accident. "You must come tomorrow, Sandra," Marco said.
Alarmed, Sandra prepared to leave immediately. But she couldn't help wondering if she was about to be deceived once more by her charming husband.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Flora Kidd
136 books35 followersFlora Mildred Cartwright was born on 1926 in Liverpool, England, UK. The youngest of four children, Flora and her family lived in the same house until she was a teen. In 1949, she graduated from Liverpool University, where she met Robert Kidd, her husband. They moved to her beloved Scotland, where she began teaching, writing, and raised their four children: Richard, Patricia, Peter and David.
Flora Kidd published her first novel, Visit To Rowanbank, in 1966 at Mills & Boon. In 1977, the family moved to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, where she continued her romance career with Mills & Boon until 1989, when she retired. In 1994, she published the first of the The Marco Polo Project novels, to support a project to build a replica of the 19th century ship Marco Polo.
Flora Kidd passed away on March 19, 2008 at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
Flora Kidd published her first novel, Visit To Rowanbank, in 1966 at Mills & Boon. In 1977, the family moved to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, where she continued her romance career with Mills & Boon until 1989, when she retired. In 1994, she published the first of the The Marco Polo Project novels, to support a project to build a replica of the 19th century ship Marco Polo.
Flora Kidd passed away on March 19, 2008 at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 1, 2016
Re The Married Lovers - FK has one of the ditziest h's ever. She is a sweet little librarian married to an Italian sophisticate H, but when the story opens she has left him in Venice and been living in England and working as a librarian for several months.
The H calls her up saying her mother has been in accident and she has to return right away or she will be sorry. We then get the backstory on the h. Her bio mum was an actress who wanted to marry a wealthy Italian, he did not want a step child, so the mum sent the h to be adopted by some good friends.
When the h was 22 or 23 she asked about her bio mum and the adopted mum gave her the details. The h wrote to the bio mum, whose wealthy Italian husband had just died, and the mum invited her to visit. The h went to Venice and found out her father was a fellow actor who married her mum six years after the h was born and then died.
The mum inherited all the shares in her wealthy Italian's fine art and furnishing conglomerate and became chairman of the board when he died. She is assisted in this by the finance director who is the H. The mum did not want the h to tell the H that she was her daughter, she is pretty vain and did not want anyone guessing her age, so the h just passes herself off as the daughter of the mum's dear friend like a niece. The H is also staying in the family palazzo, so he takes the h out sightseeing and they eventually fall in love and get married.
Then the H's ex-girlfriend comes to visit and insists that she is the H's mistress and that the H, who is in line to run a large part of the company, married the h for the shares her mum will probably leave to her.
The h confronts the H and he doesn't deny it. The h does what all good HP h's do, and flings herself out of the family palazzo all the way back to England and gets a job in the library. (The h is 25 but she acts about 18, as most FK h's do.) She proceeds to ignore the H's letters and his attempt to visit until he calls about the mum.
The h gets on the plane to Venice and finds out the H has tricked her, they have a lurve clubbing moment and some fighting, then the H drags the h off to dinner where the mistress and her evil scheming mum are there too.
The mum had already been dripping poison in the h's ear before dinner and having her husband's mistress there too, in front of the entire board of company directors, makes the h furious. So she takes off again, this time she knows the piano player who is working at the restaurant and she cadges a bed at his sister's apartment.
The h spills her little tale of woe and the sister seems to be sympathetic, but really thinks she should just put with a cheating husband, (everyone in this book thinks the h should just put up with it really,) the h decides she will go see her mum on her own, since she was able to figure out the mum was in Portofino.
She falls asleep, but wakes up when the H arrives, (the sister had called him to fetch her,) and the h is really peeved. The H takes her to her mum's, after accusing her of running off with the piano player.
(The H is trying to give her a dose of her own medicine, but it doesn't work in this respect, as the H was really secretive about a ton of things and the h isn't assertive enough to really challenge him - which is just how he likes it. I actually felt a lot of empathy for this h cause they all treated her like a mushroom and fed her manure for most of the book.)
The h and the mum and the mum's new husband have a little visit and the mum clarifies that she sold the company shares and resigned to marry her new man. The h explains her reasons for leaving but the mum isn't very interested, except to tell her to stay with an adulterer and fight harder. (So the relatives aren't exactly pimping her out, but these are the most narcissistic characters I've run across in HPLandia since the last Sara Craven book. ) Then the mistress shows up with her evil mother and the h runs off again.
This time she is walking down the road with her little case, (and she must have excellent biceps at this point, cause she drags this case around a lot and uses it as a handy stool while she dithers,) when the H comes speeding along and almost hits her. He takes her to a hotel, she says she is going back to London, he says she needs to think about a divorce and gives her six weeks to decide and the after a middle of the night lurve club moment, the H leaves before the h wakes up the next day.
The h overslept and missed her plane, again, and winds up going to Venice and the H instead. She wanders around various places looking for the H and uses her little case as a convenient seat when she needs it. ( I really wanted to know what kind of case she had, cause it was obviously pretty travel hardy.) Then the H finally shows up, they fight and then make up when he tells her she has to go skiing with him to convince him she is sincere in her efforts to relaunch their marriage.
The go to the ski resort and the H's friends are all there with different women from the ones the h met the last time and one of the friend's refers to the H and h as the married lovers in Italian. The H promises to be more open about himself, like the mistress wasn't really his mistress.
They went out a bit in grad school but he never slept with her because the OW mother is actually the H's aunt. The h's mother's wealthy Italian husband (the one who left the shares,) was really his father but was married when he met the H's mother and they had an affair and then she left and had the H and then died.
The dead guy never told anyone the H was his son, he wasn't that interested until the H was about 11 or so and he kept it a dark secret and the H was raised by his grandparents on his mum's side. So he couldn't sleep with the supposed mistress, even tho her and her evil mum for aiming for the H to marry the woman, cause the woman is his first cousin and the H was icked out totally by that.
The h is happy now that he has explained himself a bit and he also apologizes for mushrooming her, she promises to trust him and they adjourn for the lurve clubbing for the HEA.
Overall this is a highly silly book, it reads like an Italian Comedic Opera with all the to-ing and fro-ing and the h gallivanting all over, yet never getting anywhere cause she keeps sleeping through the scheduled departure times.
It was probably a good idear that the H was around to look out for her, cause she was pretty clueless - tho she was pretty sweet and cute in her ditziness. The HEA is believable after a fashion, tho I can't claim to believe the H spent the whole time away from the h celibate either. Still the h was happy in the end and the H seemed to be happy too, which is all you get in HPlandia sometimes.
The H calls her up saying her mother has been in accident and she has to return right away or she will be sorry. We then get the backstory on the h. Her bio mum was an actress who wanted to marry a wealthy Italian, he did not want a step child, so the mum sent the h to be adopted by some good friends.
When the h was 22 or 23 she asked about her bio mum and the adopted mum gave her the details. The h wrote to the bio mum, whose wealthy Italian husband had just died, and the mum invited her to visit. The h went to Venice and found out her father was a fellow actor who married her mum six years after the h was born and then died.
The mum inherited all the shares in her wealthy Italian's fine art and furnishing conglomerate and became chairman of the board when he died. She is assisted in this by the finance director who is the H. The mum did not want the h to tell the H that she was her daughter, she is pretty vain and did not want anyone guessing her age, so the h just passes herself off as the daughter of the mum's dear friend like a niece. The H is also staying in the family palazzo, so he takes the h out sightseeing and they eventually fall in love and get married.
Then the H's ex-girlfriend comes to visit and insists that she is the H's mistress and that the H, who is in line to run a large part of the company, married the h for the shares her mum will probably leave to her.
The h confronts the H and he doesn't deny it. The h does what all good HP h's do, and flings herself out of the family palazzo all the way back to England and gets a job in the library. (The h is 25 but she acts about 18, as most FK h's do.) She proceeds to ignore the H's letters and his attempt to visit until he calls about the mum.
The h gets on the plane to Venice and finds out the H has tricked her, they have a lurve clubbing moment and some fighting, then the H drags the h off to dinner where the mistress and her evil scheming mum are there too.
The mum had already been dripping poison in the h's ear before dinner and having her husband's mistress there too, in front of the entire board of company directors, makes the h furious. So she takes off again, this time she knows the piano player who is working at the restaurant and she cadges a bed at his sister's apartment.
The h spills her little tale of woe and the sister seems to be sympathetic, but really thinks she should just put with a cheating husband, (everyone in this book thinks the h should just put up with it really,) the h decides she will go see her mum on her own, since she was able to figure out the mum was in Portofino.
She falls asleep, but wakes up when the H arrives, (the sister had called him to fetch her,) and the h is really peeved. The H takes her to her mum's, after accusing her of running off with the piano player.
(The H is trying to give her a dose of her own medicine, but it doesn't work in this respect, as the H was really secretive about a ton of things and the h isn't assertive enough to really challenge him - which is just how he likes it. I actually felt a lot of empathy for this h cause they all treated her like a mushroom and fed her manure for most of the book.)
The h and the mum and the mum's new husband have a little visit and the mum clarifies that she sold the company shares and resigned to marry her new man. The h explains her reasons for leaving but the mum isn't very interested, except to tell her to stay with an adulterer and fight harder. (So the relatives aren't exactly pimping her out, but these are the most narcissistic characters I've run across in HPLandia since the last Sara Craven book. ) Then the mistress shows up with her evil mother and the h runs off again.
This time she is walking down the road with her little case, (and she must have excellent biceps at this point, cause she drags this case around a lot and uses it as a handy stool while she dithers,) when the H comes speeding along and almost hits her. He takes her to a hotel, she says she is going back to London, he says she needs to think about a divorce and gives her six weeks to decide and the after a middle of the night lurve club moment, the H leaves before the h wakes up the next day.
The h overslept and missed her plane, again, and winds up going to Venice and the H instead. She wanders around various places looking for the H and uses her little case as a convenient seat when she needs it. ( I really wanted to know what kind of case she had, cause it was obviously pretty travel hardy.) Then the H finally shows up, they fight and then make up when he tells her she has to go skiing with him to convince him she is sincere in her efforts to relaunch their marriage.
The go to the ski resort and the H's friends are all there with different women from the ones the h met the last time and one of the friend's refers to the H and h as the married lovers in Italian. The H promises to be more open about himself, like the mistress wasn't really his mistress.
They went out a bit in grad school but he never slept with her because the OW mother is actually the H's aunt. The h's mother's wealthy Italian husband (the one who left the shares,) was really his father but was married when he met the H's mother and they had an affair and then she left and had the H and then died.
The dead guy never told anyone the H was his son, he wasn't that interested until the H was about 11 or so and he kept it a dark secret and the H was raised by his grandparents on his mum's side. So he couldn't sleep with the supposed mistress, even tho her and her evil mum for aiming for the H to marry the woman, cause the woman is his first cousin and the H was icked out totally by that.
The h is happy now that he has explained himself a bit and he also apologizes for mushrooming her, she promises to trust him and they adjourn for the lurve clubbing for the HEA.
Overall this is a highly silly book, it reads like an Italian Comedic Opera with all the to-ing and fro-ing and the h gallivanting all over, yet never getting anywhere cause she keeps sleeping through the scheduled departure times.
It was probably a good idear that the H was around to look out for her, cause she was pretty clueless - tho she was pretty sweet and cute in her ditziness. The HEA is believable after a fashion, tho I can't claim to believe the H spent the whole time away from the h celibate either. Still the h was happy in the end and the H seemed to be happy too, which is all you get in HPlandia sometimes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2015
Downgrading from 3 stars to barely 2 stars.
The heroine was an idiot.
The heroine was an idiot.
July 12, 2019
Whoever wrote the back cover copy for The Married Lovers is trolling the reader:
All this ninny of a heroine did was run away.
First, she runs out on her marriage when she believes the OW's poison re: the hero marrying her for business reasons while continuing his "close relationship" with the OW. (I'm fine with this escape. This is the dramatic set-up and you know the husband wasn't doing anything to soothe her fears.)
Then she runs out on dinner with her husband's extended family when the OW shows up as an uninvited guest. (Still okay with this. He hasn't cleared up her doubts about an affair, and she doesn't know the OW is actually crashing the party. I am always in favor of a heroine dramatically walking out rather than sitting down to dinner with her husband's supposed lover.)
But then! She runs out on a cocktail hour at her mother's home because the OW has unexpectedly shown up with her parents. The hero isn't even there! At this point, all the heroine is doing is running away from the other woman. This isn't protecting your dignity; it's surrendering it. For crying out loud, have some moxie.
She had to stop running away from love.
All this ninny of a heroine did was run away.
First, she runs out on her marriage when she believes the OW's poison re: the hero marrying her for business reasons while continuing his "close relationship" with the OW. (I'm fine with this escape. This is the dramatic set-up and you know the husband wasn't doing anything to soothe her fears.)
Then she runs out on dinner with her husband's extended family when the OW shows up as a
But then! She runs out on a cocktail hour at her mother's home because the OW has unexpectedly shown up with her parents. The hero isn't even there! At this point, all the heroine is doing is running away from the other woman. This isn't protecting your dignity; it's surrendering it. For crying out loud, have some moxie.
December 20, 2020
The H wants his wife back after they had been living apart for 6 months.
Because all the h does, is running. Running away to. Running away from. And she keeps believing that the H is still into the OW, although he denies that and there is no proof of any infidelity.
This is a nice alpha male. No threatening, no brutal physical force used against the h, no name calling. He spends all the time in the world following her and trying to persuade her to come back to him. And he says and does these sweet little things that make my heart melt.
This man listens to her when she says she doesn’t want to visit her parents. Most HP H’s would drive to her parents’ house anyway, regardless of what the h wants.
What I especially like in this story is that they had only been separated for 6 months before he decides she should come home to him. In many HP books the H and h have been separated for years and years. The other day I read a Penny Jordan in which the H and h didn’t have contact for 10 years and I think that’s just ridiculous.
Because all the h does, is running. Running away to. Running away from. And she keeps believing that the H is still into the OW, although he denies that and there is no proof of any infidelity.
This is a nice alpha male. No threatening, no brutal physical force used against the h, no name calling. He spends all the time in the world following her and trying to persuade her to come back to him. And he says and does these sweet little things that make my heart melt.
This man listens to her when she says she doesn’t want to visit her parents. Most HP H’s would drive to her parents’ house anyway, regardless of what the h wants.
What I especially like in this story is that they had only been separated for 6 months before he decides she should come home to him. In many HP books the H and h have been separated for years and years. The other day I read a Penny Jordan in which the H and h didn’t have contact for 10 years and I think that’s just ridiculous.
August 13, 2021
Sandra falls in love with a rich, handsome Italian businessman but leaves him after a few months thinking he had a mistress and that he married her because of her family connection to a very successful business.
She certainly wasn't ready to marry and displays a lot of childish tantrums ....but all ends well as they do in Harlequin Romances.
She certainly wasn't ready to marry and displays a lot of childish tantrums ....but all ends well as they do in Harlequin Romances.
June 5, 2026
Well, this one had its flaws, but it was also entertaining, just trying to untangle that tangled family mess: who was whose child, who was adopted, who married who, who dated whose cousin, etc., all a bit much but so far-fetched it was funny!
As for the H and h, it's another case of lack of communication, the h listening to the vindictive OW's lies, the H too proud to deny them, the h walking out on him (in this case, quite a walk, from Venice to London), then being too stubborn to answer his calls or letters, so he tricks her into returning, using her birth mother's car accident as a lure. (Her adoptive mother is her birth mother's BFF; told you it was far-fetched but fun.)
Then, the fun accelerates but also has its frustrating moments. For one thing, the h was in her mid 20's so she should have had more sense than to believe the OW, both about she and the H being lovers and that he only married her for the shares of company stock she'd be inheriting (another convoluted story of who has the shares, who's the chairman, who owns the company, and so on). true, she confronted the H, but when his pride kept him silent, she took off, the way younger h's tend to do. If she had been 19 or 20 it would have made more sense.
The same goes for her leaving a dinner party in her and the H's honor, because the OW showed up, mistakenly thinking the H had invited her. Though in this case, since it was the OW's equally conniving mother who did the inviting to cause trouble, it put her running out in a different light.
It also gave the H a chance to act as childish as the h, when he has his turn in claiming infidelity when the restaurant piano player was a friend of the h (she hung out with him and his sister when she first came to Venice to meet her birth mother) and he was worried about her when she took off and gave her directions to his sister's place, with the H concluding she spent the night with him.
It seems the H got his own back a few times, accusing her of cheating like she accused him and later walking out on her the way she did him. And the h comes to realize she was unfair and did act childish, while the H admits he never talked enough to her, about himself, his family and other things.
They each make accusations that aren't true, but it's because they're both hurt and frustrated and (like too many couples in these books) they put their hot lovemaking above everything else.
Also, the h was pretty insecure. She admits to herself that she could never really believe someone as wealthy, handsome and sophisticated like the H could want someone ordinary like her, and she also didn't believe either of her guy friends (the piano player and a guy she worked with at the library back in London) could have any interest in her but friendship. So, she had some issues with self-esteem.
Her mother, her friend (the piano player's sister) and the H point out her flaws to her and while they all had a point, both the H and Mom were hardly perfect and I suspect the friend had her faults, as well.
BTW: that birth mom was a riot! If she were Hungarian, I could picture her as Zsa Zsa Gabor!
It's a fun story to read, with a lot of stuff thrown in (like the h attempting a third escape and nearly getting run down on the road by the H), and the two of them at cross-purposes until almost the very end, but then you get a cute HEA.
Worth checking out!
As for the H and h, it's another case of lack of communication, the h listening to the vindictive OW's lies, the H too proud to deny them, the h walking out on him (in this case, quite a walk, from Venice to London), then being too stubborn to answer his calls or letters, so he tricks her into returning, using her birth mother's car accident as a lure. (Her adoptive mother is her birth mother's BFF; told you it was far-fetched but fun.)
Then, the fun accelerates but also has its frustrating moments. For one thing, the h was in her mid 20's so she should have had more sense than to believe the OW, both about she and the H being lovers and that he only married her for the shares of company stock she'd be inheriting (another convoluted story of who has the shares, who's the chairman, who owns the company, and so on). true, she confronted the H, but when his pride kept him silent, she took off, the way younger h's tend to do. If she had been 19 or 20 it would have made more sense.
The same goes for her leaving a dinner party in her and the H's honor, because the OW showed up, mistakenly thinking the H had invited her. Though in this case, since it was the OW's equally conniving mother who did the inviting to cause trouble, it put her running out in a different light.
It also gave the H a chance to act as childish as the h, when he has his turn in claiming infidelity when the restaurant piano player was a friend of the h (she hung out with him and his sister when she first came to Venice to meet her birth mother) and he was worried about her when she took off and gave her directions to his sister's place, with the H concluding she spent the night with him.
It seems the H got his own back a few times, accusing her of cheating like she accused him and later walking out on her the way she did him. And the h comes to realize she was unfair and did act childish, while the H admits he never talked enough to her, about himself, his family and other things.
They each make accusations that aren't true, but it's because they're both hurt and frustrated and (like too many couples in these books) they put their hot lovemaking above everything else.
Also, the h was pretty insecure. She admits to herself that she could never really believe someone as wealthy, handsome and sophisticated like the H could want someone ordinary like her, and she also didn't believe either of her guy friends (the piano player and a guy she worked with at the library back in London) could have any interest in her but friendship. So, she had some issues with self-esteem.
Her mother, her friend (the piano player's sister) and the H point out her flaws to her and while they all had a point, both the H and Mom were hardly perfect and I suspect the friend had her faults, as well.
BTW: that birth mom was a riot! If she were Hungarian, I could picture her as Zsa Zsa Gabor!
It's a fun story to read, with a lot of stuff thrown in (like the h attempting a third escape and nearly getting run down on the road by the H), and the two of them at cross-purposes until almost the very end, but then you get a cute HEA.
Worth checking out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2019
Marco's too kind. Sandra's dumb&childish.
March 25, 2024
Kinda boring. Annoying characters. Cool setting and description though.
Read
November 16, 2025Good grief, what an exasperating idiot h! DNF.
March 28, 2018
She had to stop running away from love
In the magical city of Venice, Sandra Clarke impetuously married Marco Morosini. Then, just as suddenly, she left the wealthy executive and fled back to London believing that he had deceived her.
Determined to stay away, Sandra avoided Marco's attempts to reach her until months later, when she heard his voice on the phone telling her about her mother's car accident. "You must come tomorrow, Sandra," Marco said.
Alarmed, Sandra prepared to leave immediately. But she couldn't help wondering if she was about to be deceived once more by her charming husband.
In the magical city of Venice, Sandra Clarke impetuously married Marco Morosini. Then, just as suddenly, she left the wealthy executive and fled back to London believing that he had deceived her.
Determined to stay away, Sandra avoided Marco's attempts to reach her until months later, when she heard his voice on the phone telling her about her mother's car accident. "You must come tomorrow, Sandra," Marco said.
Alarmed, Sandra prepared to leave immediately. But she couldn't help wondering if she was about to be deceived once more by her charming husband.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews