What do you think?
The Bride's Awakening
Vittorio va a ensenarle a ser una mujer
Vittorio Ralfino, conde de Cazlevara, ha vuelto a Italia para buscar una mujer tradicional. Y Anamaria Viale, una chica de su pueblo, leal y discreta, es perfecta para el.
Anamaria se asombra cuando su amor de la adolescencia le propone matrimonio...a ella, el patito feo. Alta, desgarbada y mas bien torpe, Anamaria se habia resignado estoicamente a seguir soltera.
Pero Vittorio es persuasivo...y muy apasionado. Le propone matrimonio como si fuera un acuerdo de negocios, pero pronto despierta en Ana un poderoso y profundo deseo que solo el puede saciar...
Vittorio Ralfino, conde de Cazlevara, ha vuelto a Italia para buscar una mujer tradicional. Y Anamaria Viale, una chica de su pueblo, leal y discreta, es perfecta para el.
Anamaria se asombra cuando su amor de la adolescencia le propone matrimonio...a ella, el patito feo. Alta, desgarbada y mas bien torpe, Anamaria se habia resignado estoicamente a seguir soltera.
Pero Vittorio es persuasivo...y muy apasionado. Le propone matrimonio como si fuera un acuerdo de negocios, pero pronto despierta en Ana un poderoso y profundo deseo que solo el puede saciar...
Hardcover
First published July 2, 2002
About the author
Kate Hewitt
944 books1,791 followersKate is the USA Today-bsetselling author of many books of both historical and contemporary fiction. Under the name Katharine Swartz, she is the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell.
She likes to read women's fiction, mystery and thrillers, as well as historical novels. She particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.
Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and two Golden Retrievers.
She likes to read women's fiction, mystery and thrillers, as well as historical novels. She particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.
Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and two Golden Retrievers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 22, 2011
This was my first read by Kate Hewitt, and overall I liked it.
What I liked:
*I liked that although Ana had some self-esteem issues, she was still a composed, confident woman in other ways. She had her own career, and she was making something out of her life, even if she felt that she would never be desirable to men and have marriage and children. She was a strong, admirable woman. I find it hard to believe that some men didn't find her attractive, but I guess it was the circles she ran in. And I loved that she was willing to wear her mother's wedding gown to make her father happy, even though it didn't suit her. That was a very sweet thing to do.
*I liked that she wasn't easily manipulated or fall into any traps that Vittorio might have laid out of desperation. She considered his marriage proposal carefully, and agreed for her own reasons.
*I was glad that Ana decided to get some different clothes for her own reasons, and not because Vittorio was browbeating her into it.
*Although Vittorio had some arrogant traits I didn't like, like his assumption that Ana would be so desperate to have a marriage proposal that it would be easy as pie to 'woo' her, he was a decent person. He was a little too quick to look at the surface (but he wouldn't be the first or last person with that shortcoming). I thought I would dislike him, but I found that I couldn't. I could see why he had his defense mechanisms of keeping people at an emotional distance. His parents did a real number on him, and I think he should have placed the blame equally on his mother and father.
*
*There was a poignant edge to this story that appealed to me, even though this story lacked that 'zing' that I wished for. I'm a bit of a sucker for that in books.
What I think could have been better
*I felt a bit of a distance from the story when I was reading. It's hard to put my finger on it. It's one of those things that really strikes me when I determine which Harlequin Presents are going to be complete winners and those that aren't. In this case, I liked the idea and some of the execution, but this book lacked the intensity that I like in a good HP novel. It wasn't that the love scenes weren't descriptive. That wasn't my problem. Actually, Ana and Vittorio had good chemistry. I just wanted to be more engaged emotionally in this story.
Considering that there was more that I liked about this than not, I think a four star rating is warranted. I will definitely read more by this author, but I hope that intense element is there in her other stories. With that going for this book, this could have been a knockout. However, this was a pleasant book and a good love story, and I'm glad I read it.
What I liked:
*I liked that although Ana had some self-esteem issues, she was still a composed, confident woman in other ways. She had her own career, and she was making something out of her life, even if she felt that she would never be desirable to men and have marriage and children. She was a strong, admirable woman. I find it hard to believe that some men didn't find her attractive, but I guess it was the circles she ran in. And I loved that she was willing to wear her mother's wedding gown to make her father happy, even though it didn't suit her. That was a very sweet thing to do.
*I liked that she wasn't easily manipulated or fall into any traps that Vittorio might have laid out of desperation. She considered his marriage proposal carefully, and agreed for her own reasons.
*I was glad that Ana decided to get some different clothes for her own reasons, and not because Vittorio was browbeating her into it.
*Although Vittorio had some arrogant traits I didn't like, like his assumption that Ana would be so desperate to have a marriage proposal that it would be easy as pie to 'woo' her, he was a decent person. He was a little too quick to look at the surface (but he wouldn't be the first or last person with that shortcoming). I thought I would dislike him, but I found that I couldn't. I could see why he had his defense mechanisms of keeping people at an emotional distance. His parents did a real number on him, and I think he should have placed the blame equally on his mother and father.
*
*There was a poignant edge to this story that appealed to me, even though this story lacked that 'zing' that I wished for. I'm a bit of a sucker for that in books.
What I think could have been better
*I felt a bit of a distance from the story when I was reading. It's hard to put my finger on it. It's one of those things that really strikes me when I determine which Harlequin Presents are going to be complete winners and those that aren't. In this case, I liked the idea and some of the execution, but this book lacked the intensity that I like in a good HP novel. It wasn't that the love scenes weren't descriptive. That wasn't my problem. Actually, Ana and Vittorio had good chemistry. I just wanted to be more engaged emotionally in this story.
Considering that there was more that I liked about this than not, I think a four star rating is warranted. I will definitely read more by this author, but I hope that intense element is there in her other stories. With that going for this book, this could have been a knockout. However, this was a pleasant book and a good love story, and I'm glad I read it.
April 3, 2011
Anamaria is a daughter of a winery owner and she dedicated her life to making wine. She is terribly insecure about her looks, mainly because of the way men treated her. She simply doesn't fit the picture of an ideal woman. She is tall, full-figured and plain, and she dresses badly, simply because she believes that nothing can be beautiful on her. Ana gave up on love, marriage and kids a long time ago. And then came Vittorio.
Vittorio Ralfino, the Count of Cazlevara is a playboy. Something his mother said prompted him to marry. He chose Ana because she was loyal and she knows wines. He is emotionally scarred because of his childhood which was a battlefield. He believes he can't love. Of course he is wrong. :-)
It was a nice story, the development of the relationship is one of the good points. They didn't just jump in bed, but waited until they begun to care about each other. Ana's relationship with her father is nice too.
But there were a few things that bothered me. Firstly, in the beginning when Vittorio was thinking of Ana he did so with disgust, which was unsettling. Secondly, his family. The entire subplot about them just felt wrong, especially the way he changed his mind. It just bothered me.
I was going to give the book 3 stars, but I do love Plain Jane stories, and Vittorio did get better, so:
Rating:
3.75 stars.
Vittorio Ralfino, the Count of Cazlevara is a playboy. Something his mother said prompted him to marry. He chose Ana because she was loyal and she knows wines. He is emotionally scarred because of his childhood which was a battlefield. He believes he can't love. Of course he is wrong. :-)
It was a nice story, the development of the relationship is one of the good points. They didn't just jump in bed, but waited until they begun to care about each other. Ana's relationship with her father is nice too.
But there were a few things that bothered me. Firstly, in the beginning when Vittorio was thinking of Ana he did so with disgust, which was unsettling. Secondly, his family. The entire subplot about them just felt wrong, especially the way he changed his mind. It just bothered me.
I was going to give the book 3 stars, but I do love Plain Jane stories, and Vittorio did get better, so:
Rating:
3.75 stars.
April 4, 2011
I bought this book based on GR recommendations. It was a very nice marriage of convenience story. Well written.
The heroine doesn't have a high opinion of her attractiveness which I thought was realistically written. It really is hard to find the right person out there and the rejections before you do can really do a number on a girl before the right one comes along. She isn't a doormattish wimp about it though. She stands up for herself when the hero blows into her life. And is really much more self assured than she thinks she is.
The hero is a bit arrogant but is never vile to her. He eventually learns to love (what a surprise!) and he was very charming and vulnerable at the end where he admits it and apologizes.
The heroine doesn't have a high opinion of her attractiveness which I thought was realistically written. It really is hard to find the right person out there and the rejections before you do can really do a number on a girl before the right one comes along. She isn't a doormattish wimp about it though. She stands up for herself when the hero blows into her life. And is really much more self assured than she thinks she is.
The hero is a bit arrogant but is never vile to her. He eventually learns to love (what a surprise!) and he was very charming and vulnerable at the end where he admits it and apologizes.
October 7, 2019
Vittorio, thinking now about his inheritance and keeping it away from his conniving mother and brother, begins to contemplate marriage. He's refuses to consider love, since it's been withheld from him all his life anyway. So he chooses his bride based on her loyalty, her sensibility and knowledge of the wine-making business. He chooses Annamaria Viale. She knows he has to be kidding, asking her to marry him when she knows damn well he isn't attracted to her and claims he couldn't love her. But he's a genuinely nice guy and Anna, having experienced some awful rejection in her past, begins to wonder if she can't just do without love. It isn't until she's already married and trapped in her marriage that she starts to realize that she fell in love with her husband, who still claims that he cannot possibly love her.
This one has a lot of refreshing aspects to it. First of all is that our heroine really isn't attractive to the hero when he meets her. He describes her as mannish (and maybe overweight?) and figures she'll be easy to charm with her plain looks and awful fashion sense. Underneath it all, she is actually kinda pretty, but she hides it with awful clothes. What I liked though was that he found himself attracted to her despite believing she wasn't beautiful. And she refused to be his makeover project, so he didn't get to see her in pretty clothes. I found myself disappointed though that, even though he'd sorta been falling in love with Anna, Vittorio didn't open himself up to it and loosen up with her (i.e. didn't give into his passion for her) until after he'd seen her in beautiful feminine clothes (she ended up being her OWN makeover project). I guess I didn't want her appearance to be the deciding factor...I could have handled it if the focus had been on her change of confidence or demeanor, but it was totally about how she looked. It was just slightly disappointing for me. I also found it interesting about her father's role in her marriage...he very much supported her marrying without love remembering how his love for his wife had been uncomfortable (because he'd loved her so much) and I guess he was trying to spare her that. First time a parent pushing a child into a loveless marriage actually felt believable to me.
I did really enjoy the hero's journey through all of this. He started out thinking of the heroine as a possession...a wife to be obtained, rather than a person whose feelings and happiness he was going to be a part of. He really did suddenly become aware that he had put himself in the position to hurt her and everything thereafter became about trying to avoid that...which ended up hurting her more. He also pulls off a decent grovel. Overall this was a pretty interesting read, but the heroine's insecurities were a bit much for me.
This one has a lot of refreshing aspects to it. First of all is that our heroine really isn't attractive to the hero when he meets her. He describes her as mannish (and maybe overweight?) and figures she'll be easy to charm with her plain looks and awful fashion sense. Underneath it all, she is actually kinda pretty, but she hides it with awful clothes. What I liked though was that he found himself attracted to her despite believing she wasn't beautiful. And she refused to be his makeover project, so he didn't get to see her in pretty clothes. I found myself disappointed though that, even though he'd sorta been falling in love with Anna, Vittorio didn't open himself up to it and loosen up with her (i.e. didn't give into his passion for her) until after he'd seen her in beautiful feminine clothes (she ended up being her OWN makeover project). I guess I didn't want her appearance to be the deciding factor...I could have handled it if the focus had been on her change of confidence or demeanor, but it was totally about how she looked. It was just slightly disappointing for me. I also found it interesting about her father's role in her marriage...he very much supported her marrying without love remembering how his love for his wife had been uncomfortable (because he'd loved her so much) and I guess he was trying to spare her that. First time a parent pushing a child into a loveless marriage actually felt believable to me.
I did really enjoy the hero's journey through all of this. He started out thinking of the heroine as a possession...a wife to be obtained, rather than a person whose feelings and happiness he was going to be a part of. He really did suddenly become aware that he had put himself in the position to hurt her and everything thereafter became about trying to avoid that...which ended up hurting her more. He also pulls off a decent grovel. Overall this was a pretty interesting read, but the heroine's insecurities were a bit much for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2021
It's noy bad at all. Their agreement was very clear from the start. The hero needed a wife and thought the heroine would suit him because they were kinsa from the same background. The heroine was very insecure though, because people are cruel insulting her appearance, sadly this thing actually happens in real life. Anyway, she was obviously hesitated to accept the proposal at first but she accepted at the end.
June 14, 2011
I wonder what it would feel like to actually have a man zero in on me from across a room because he’s targeted me for matrimony. The closest I’ll get is watching Anamaria, the heroine. How she deals with it kept me entertained because she didn’t make it easy. In fact, she exasperated the hero, made him work for every little concession and challenged him on many levels. It was fun!
Ana is a pretty complicated heroine with a lot of issues to work out and through. She has a poor self-image and a bruised heart. Although she is well loved by her father, and she’s devoted herself to him and his well being after her mother died, she’s pretty sheltered which prevents her figurative wings from ever completely unfurling to explore the world beyond the vineyard. That means at times she is naïve, vulnerable and persnickety. Yet, for all those stumbling blocks, she has a passion for her grapes and wine, a professional demeanor and confidence in the work she does. She’s resigned herself to never being married and has closed off all her hopes and dreams and settled for what she thinks is her fate. That kind of character is who I like to see get shaken up, challenged and end up with a happily ever after better than they ever dreamed. Ana certainly fits the bill.
Vittorio is arrogant, cocky and controlling, initially. The author slowly fed me snippets of information that explained why the hero is so controlling, why he had an arrogant demeanor, and the reasons he acted so self-assured. His self-assuredness was on the verge of being annoying, so it was interesting to slowly understand it. The ironic thing is, he over does it and ends up eating humble pie, making mistakes he never did before and being totally flummoxed. Vittorio, not knowing what to do? What to say? Inconceivable! And yet, Ana has him rethinking his approach and realizing that she is not like other women, nor does she want to be. He has to take her as she is and not jump to conclusions. Of course he does, which of course presented many opportunities for entertainment; I enjoyed every one of them.
The conflict is two-fold. There are internal conflicts they both need to work through, and then there is the Cazlevara family conflict. At first it starts off sounding like all the other dysfunctional family scenarios but Ms. Hewitt threw me for a curve and created a very emotional and surprising hook. Ana isn’t a push-over after all, nor does she wear blinders. Her insight and her willingness to take a chance, a huge risk in fact, almost blew up in her face which lent a significant amount of emotional drama and depth to the story. Betrayed trust and regained trust are also highlighted themes in this book and certainly those factors in any relationship, either strengthen it or weaken it. For a brief period, I didn’t know which way it was going to go.
The secondary characters are family members to both Vittorio and Ana. What makes this book stand out was the author’s choice to bring an emotional and very human reasoning to all that dysfunction. A reader has a hard time staying angry in the face of the revelations about the Cazlevara interpersonal dynamics. Ms. Hewitt reminds readers quite effectively that there are two sides to every coin and nothing illustrated that more than when Ana stood up to Vittorio, despite the high cost of doing so.
The only complaint I have is about Vittorio’s stubbornness. It lasted pretty much through the entire book. It’s the classic scenario of him fighting tooth and nail all the way in an uphill battle with convenient suspicions fed to him to heighten the suspense. Then right at the very end he catapults into an emotional scene that segues into the happily ever after. Even so, I did notice and appreciate how Ms. Hewitt imbued one single phrase with romantic and sentimental overtones that wrapped up this book like a warm and tender hug.
The Man Who Could Never Love touches the heart with its earnest portrayal of two people who didn’t believe dreams could come true. The book entertained me and I read it in one sitting because the pace and storytelling voice wouldn’t let me go. I could relate to the heroine and I enjoyed her personality. It’s a sweet romance and well worth spending time with.
originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
Ana is a pretty complicated heroine with a lot of issues to work out and through. She has a poor self-image and a bruised heart. Although she is well loved by her father, and she’s devoted herself to him and his well being after her mother died, she’s pretty sheltered which prevents her figurative wings from ever completely unfurling to explore the world beyond the vineyard. That means at times she is naïve, vulnerable and persnickety. Yet, for all those stumbling blocks, she has a passion for her grapes and wine, a professional demeanor and confidence in the work she does. She’s resigned herself to never being married and has closed off all her hopes and dreams and settled for what she thinks is her fate. That kind of character is who I like to see get shaken up, challenged and end up with a happily ever after better than they ever dreamed. Ana certainly fits the bill.
Vittorio is arrogant, cocky and controlling, initially. The author slowly fed me snippets of information that explained why the hero is so controlling, why he had an arrogant demeanor, and the reasons he acted so self-assured. His self-assuredness was on the verge of being annoying, so it was interesting to slowly understand it. The ironic thing is, he over does it and ends up eating humble pie, making mistakes he never did before and being totally flummoxed. Vittorio, not knowing what to do? What to say? Inconceivable! And yet, Ana has him rethinking his approach and realizing that she is not like other women, nor does she want to be. He has to take her as she is and not jump to conclusions. Of course he does, which of course presented many opportunities for entertainment; I enjoyed every one of them.
The conflict is two-fold. There are internal conflicts they both need to work through, and then there is the Cazlevara family conflict. At first it starts off sounding like all the other dysfunctional family scenarios but Ms. Hewitt threw me for a curve and created a very emotional and surprising hook. Ana isn’t a push-over after all, nor does she wear blinders. Her insight and her willingness to take a chance, a huge risk in fact, almost blew up in her face which lent a significant amount of emotional drama and depth to the story. Betrayed trust and regained trust are also highlighted themes in this book and certainly those factors in any relationship, either strengthen it or weaken it. For a brief period, I didn’t know which way it was going to go.
The secondary characters are family members to both Vittorio and Ana. What makes this book stand out was the author’s choice to bring an emotional and very human reasoning to all that dysfunction. A reader has a hard time staying angry in the face of the revelations about the Cazlevara interpersonal dynamics. Ms. Hewitt reminds readers quite effectively that there are two sides to every coin and nothing illustrated that more than when Ana stood up to Vittorio, despite the high cost of doing so.
The only complaint I have is about Vittorio’s stubbornness. It lasted pretty much through the entire book. It’s the classic scenario of him fighting tooth and nail all the way in an uphill battle with convenient suspicions fed to him to heighten the suspense. Then right at the very end he catapults into an emotional scene that segues into the happily ever after. Even so, I did notice and appreciate how Ms. Hewitt imbued one single phrase with romantic and sentimental overtones that wrapped up this book like a warm and tender hug.
The Man Who Could Never Love touches the heart with its earnest portrayal of two people who didn’t believe dreams could come true. The book entertained me and I read it in one sitting because the pace and storytelling voice wouldn’t let me go. I could relate to the heroine and I enjoyed her personality. It’s a sweet romance and well worth spending time with.
originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
May 25, 2011
THE MAN WHO COULD NEVER LOVE is another Harlequin Presents Extra by the fabulous pen of USA Today Bestselling author, Kate Hewitt.
With a loveable heroine, who lacks self confidence in her femininity, women will relate to, a gorgeous but tortured hero everyone will love and plenty of twists and turns to keep readers on the edge of their seats, THE MAN WHO COULD NEVER LOVE is a fabulous story, romance readers shouldn’t miss.
The Count of Cazlevara decides to marry because he needs an heir to inherit his title and all it entitles. So he approaches Anamarie Viale with a business like proposition. Because Ana ticks all of Vittorio’s checklist boxes.
Ana, herself was resigned to live without love and marriage and after considering Vittorio’s proposition, accepts it.
Though, she knows that this is a marriage of convenience only, she still yearns for her husband’s love. She realizes that she had deceived herself when she’d agreed to a loveless marriage as a business arrangement. Love may not be comfortable but it was everything.
The depth of characterization and intense emotional scenes amid the tension and betrayal drama made this story believable.
I finished the story in one sitting as I wanted to know what would happen next, and had the happy mushy feeling in my heart by the time I ended it. I gladly give it 5 stars.
A wonderfully written and richly layered love story from one of Harlequin Presents’ most popular authors, THE MAN WHO COULD NEVER LOVE is another keeper from the always fabulous Kate Hewitt!
June 26, 2011
Oh my, I sure was torn about this one. I picked it up because I read a really great review. Alas, my experience and that of the reviewer made me wonder if we had read the same book!
The reason I graded the book so low was because the writing was soooooo two faced. If you took out all the repetitions, then you are left with a really great short story/novella. There were pages upon pages that just sucked me in and had me reaching for the tissues. And then there were pages where I am sitting there screaming "you've told me this 6 times already!".
Best part of the book is the hero's totally disastrous courtship of our heroine. He has this fixed idea of how this plain woman is going to fall (with deep gratitude!)into his non-loving arms. Oops!
He keeps blowing it.
And I loved our heroine--tall, generous figure, believing herself to be unlovable.
What I didn't love was the writer's/editor's skills--too much repetition of key info(as if we, the readers, didn't get it the first time!)
Kate Hewitt is favored by several different romance blogs, which is why I picked this up. But I think I will take a break from this author.
The reason I graded the book so low was because the writing was soooooo two faced. If you took out all the repetitions, then you are left with a really great short story/novella. There were pages upon pages that just sucked me in and had me reaching for the tissues. And then there were pages where I am sitting there screaming "you've told me this 6 times already!".
Best part of the book is the hero's totally disastrous courtship of our heroine. He has this fixed idea of how this plain woman is going to fall (with deep gratitude!)into his non-loving arms. Oops!
He keeps blowing it.
And I loved our heroine--tall, generous figure, believing herself to be unlovable.
What I didn't love was the writer's/editor's skills--too much repetition of key info(as if we, the readers, didn't get it the first time!)
Kate Hewitt is favored by several different romance blogs, which is why I picked this up. But I think I will take a break from this author.
September 1, 2011
It started promisingly, but I found the pacing off-balance. The set up to the marriage seemed to go on forever, and then the marriage itself got relatively little development, even though this is when most of the relationship-building happens. The final crisis and resolution got really short shrift. Ultimately, the idea that these two characters cared about each other at all was not entirely convincing.
November 20, 2011
3.5 stars
June 1, 2020
I found the story pointless and pathetic. Authors need to understand that readers are not signing up for a torture fest when they pick up a book !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ana, pushing 30, a virgin still. Rich, accomplished business woman. No major disasters in her life, save some silly teenage rebuffs. Dresses like a dowdy worker. And shuns the girlie things with a vengeance. She likes the fluff, just doesn't want to conform ! Acts as though she is the most unfortunate soul on earth.
Hero, 37 year old tycoon with mommie issues. Mommie is not even a bad person, there is just some communication gap. But he acts as though the skies have fallen on him.
Marriage of convenience. They continue to act awkward around each other. Suddenly the girl decides to wear a sexy gown. And all their life's problems are solved !!!!!!!!!!!!
She starts to feel sexy, pretty and desired. He starts to feel things for her, especially within his pants. And that's it. It's love, of the undying kind !!
Confounding really. If just an attire change can solve all of mankind's problems. The world will be a much happier place. And designers of sexy clothes would be God !
Silly story. Not well thought out.
Ana, pushing 30, a virgin still. Rich, accomplished business woman. No major disasters in her life, save some silly teenage rebuffs. Dresses like a dowdy worker. And shuns the girlie things with a vengeance. She likes the fluff, just doesn't want to conform ! Acts as though she is the most unfortunate soul on earth.
Hero, 37 year old tycoon with mommie issues. Mommie is not even a bad person, there is just some communication gap. But he acts as though the skies have fallen on him.
Marriage of convenience. They continue to act awkward around each other. Suddenly the girl decides to wear a sexy gown. And all their life's problems are solved !!!!!!!!!!!!
She starts to feel sexy, pretty and desired. He starts to feel things for her, especially within his pants. And that's it. It's love, of the undying kind !!
Confounding really. If just an attire change can solve all of mankind's problems. The world will be a much happier place. And designers of sexy clothes would be God !
Silly story. Not well thought out.
July 31, 2026
Vittorio wants to marry Ana because she knows the area, is a wine expert and is loyal. He does not care about love and proposes marriage using .... Marriage of convenience for legacy. Ana agrees hoping love will grow but finds Vittorio s family at odds and works to make life better
July 27, 2018
Sweet Story :)
April 2, 2019
2.5 stars
Want to Read
July 19, 2020elibrary
December 17, 2019
This romance is like a fairytale. Nicely done with likeable protagonists. I especially liked the hero.
December 6, 2020
I was very disappointed in this one. Great premise but poorly executed. The pacing was off in my opinion. The proposal and run up to the wedding seemed to take forever and then the post wedding developments also dragged. In contrast, the sudden drama at the end, and it’s resolution seemed to last but a few pages. Abrupt ending - and this book definite needed an epilogue. I found the heroine difficult to understand or engage with. The whole wedding dress catastrophe just made me roll my eyes in disbelief.
And then we’re supposed to believe that in 29 years she’d never tried to make the most of herself - but suddenly one dress transforms her from boring and ugly to a femme fatale? She’d resisted this for so long that I just couldn’t buy it.
The side story of the H’s relationship with mother and brother was woefully under-developed.
This should have been a fabulous read but it had no emotional meat on the bones, lacked any sense of reality and failed to deliver a truly happy resolution.
And then we’re supposed to believe that in 29 years she’d never tried to make the most of herself - but suddenly one dress transforms her from boring and ugly to a femme fatale? She’d resisted this for so long that I just couldn’t buy it.
The side story of the H’s relationship with mother and brother was woefully under-developed.
This should have been a fabulous read but it had no emotional meat on the bones, lacked any sense of reality and failed to deliver a truly happy resolution.
May 11, 2012
It's so refreshing to read a book where the heroine isn't crying and angsting and screaming all over the place. And the hero! He's so flawed but so honest about it. I love the characterizations in this book.
Ana is very composed and sensible while being a bit of a romantic at the same time. She struggles with her emotions but she's not ashamed of them. I found her to be a very likable heroine.
Vittorio...ah...what to say. He is arrogant and assuming but he admits it when he's at fault. He acknowledges when he's made a mistake instead of wondering what he did wrong and trying to reason out why he's right instead. I really liked him.
The story is a quiet one. There is no jealousy or exes from long past popping up. There's no secrets or plots of revenge. It's just about two people who attempt to make a business out of marriage and failing rather spectacularly.
Ana is very composed and sensible while being a bit of a romantic at the same time. She struggles with her emotions but she's not ashamed of them. I found her to be a very likable heroine.
Vittorio...ah...what to say. He is arrogant and assuming but he admits it when he's at fault. He acknowledges when he's made a mistake instead of wondering what he did wrong and trying to reason out why he's right instead. I really liked him.
The story is a quiet one. There is no jealousy or exes from long past popping up. There's no secrets or plots of revenge. It's just about two people who attempt to make a business out of marriage and failing rather spectacularly.
January 10, 2015
this was a Good Reads rec. i read this in one sitting. it was a really fast read.
Overall I enjoyed it because the interaction btwn the characters were brutally honest and flawed. I thought the status of our hero (bachelor count) was a little cheesy / too fairy tale but I suppose if you are a successful winemaker in Italy (the heroine) the story isn't too far fetched.
The pacing of the story was off, lingered in the beginning and then the end events felt rushed. The writing is a bit repetitive - that for me was a skimming excuse. other than that, a fun story of 2 people trying to make a marriage out of convenience work. I don't think I'll read any of her other books though, they all kind of seem similar.
Overall I enjoyed it because the interaction btwn the characters were brutally honest and flawed. I thought the status of our hero (bachelor count) was a little cheesy / too fairy tale but I suppose if you are a successful winemaker in Italy (the heroine) the story isn't too far fetched.
The pacing of the story was off, lingered in the beginning and then the end events felt rushed. The writing is a bit repetitive - that for me was a skimming excuse. other than that, a fun story of 2 people trying to make a marriage out of convenience work. I don't think I'll read any of her other books though, they all kind of seem similar.
July 2, 2011
I loved Ana and felt like I never got much of a handle on Vittorio. This was just too short for me to really believe that they fell in love. I suppose it's the limitation of the category. Everything else about it was good! Villains with a layer of complexity, good sense of place, interesting questions about what love actually *is*; just not enough room to develop the story the way it deserved.
On another note, which didn't affect my rating: my kindle copy was riddled with annoying errors that kept throwing me out of the story. Mainly affixes and roots separated. Ana kept doing things in elegantly. Growl.
On another note, which didn't affect my rating: my kindle copy was riddled with annoying errors that kept throwing me out of the story. Mainly affixes and roots separated. Ana kept doing things in elegantly. Growl.
February 22, 2018
Vittorio Ralfino, the Count of Cazlevara, is back in Italy to make a business proposition. He wishes to marry a traditional wife, and Anamaria Viale—sturdy, plain and from a good vintner's family—perfectly fits his bill Ana is stunned that Vittorio is offering her—an ugly duckling!—marriage. She'd stoically resigned herself to a career and singledom. But Vittorio is persuasive and Ana would like a child of her own. Although she's under no illusion that this is anything but a convenient marriage—Vittorio will never offer her love. So when the time comes for him to claim her as his bride, she's surprised—and amazed—at the strength of his passion….
June 22, 2011
I liked this. I would have liked to see the scene where the hero talked to his mother and brother after the black moment between him and the heroine--it was done completely off stage. But I recognize that these are short books with a limited amount of space. So, I liked it and I wished there was a little more.
Marriage of convenience story set in Italy.
Marriage of convenience story set in Italy.
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October 22, 2012The book was a little slow in the beginning but it's one of those books that you have to sit down and read right to the very end. It made me go 'Awww' in places of the book especially at the end of the book. The characters are well written and it kinda makes you go I want one of them from either side of the scale.
November 25, 2012
I am a little confused about what to rate this one really. I think 3.5 should do it, but then again I did really like it. I loved the book until about 60% of it, and the ending though sweet- left me wanting more. And not necessarily in a good way. I just wish we had more POV's of the Count. That would have helped I think.
I'll go with 3.5
I'll go with 3.5
August 16, 2013
Ambivalent about this one. I just find it slow and a bit tedious to start with. Also cannot imagine how the H all of a sudden find the h all desirable. The way she was portrayed to start with make it very hard for me to believe a dress can do such wonders. The beginning took up so much space with zero attractions between them that the sweet time they had and the ending seem quite rushed...
August 5, 2015
The heroine is this one is a bit older that the usual HP heroine. She is 29, established in her career and while unsure of herself on a personal front, is confident in the business realm.
I liked that she refused to let the hero make her over. I really dislike when a makeover is all that it takes to turn the hero's head.
Some very nice substance to this story.
I liked that she refused to let the hero make her over. I really dislike when a makeover is all that it takes to turn the hero's head.
Some very nice substance to this story.
June 16, 2011
in the u.s. it is published under the title THE MAN WHO COULD NEVER LOVE. I enjoyed it and thought that the author did a good job with the heroine's feelings and thoughts about being undesirable to men and her unwillingness to be made over to suit someone else's idea of what was right.
July 27, 2011
Excellent! The awakened passion in Ana breaks down the lifetime of walls built around the heart of Vittorio. Ana is made to feel like a warm, desirable woman, not the sad image she felt like until the desire flared between her and Vittorio.
June 15, 2015
The ending was beyond rushed. Honestly, the ending was an insult to rest of the story. I never got to the point where I ever liked Vittorio. I still feel Anamaria deserved better than the hand she was dealt. Overall, this book will not be memorable beyond pissing me off.
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May 26, 2011Miniseries: Royal Secrets
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