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Marriage in Peril
Brooke is happily married to wealthy ItalianLeonardo Parini…until she overhears aconversation suggesting Leo was once in lovewith his late brother's wife. At first Brooke can'tbelieve her handsome husband could betray her,but soon she has heartbreaking proof…Dare she believe her heart or should she believethe ugly rumors surrounding her husband?Brooke decides to save her marriage! Not byconfronting Leo with her suspicions, but bygiving him all he wants in bed!
163 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2000
26 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Miranda Lee
815 books235 followersMaureen Mary was born on 1945 at Port Macquarie, a popular seaside town on the Mid-North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, and is the youngest of four children. Her sister was the novelist Wendy Brennan (Emma Darcy). Her father was a country school teacher and brilliant sportsman. Her mother was a talented dressmaker. When Miranda was ten, her father was transferred to Gosford, another coastal town in the countryside, much closer to Sydney. After leaving her convent school, she briefly studied the cello before moving to Sydney, where she embraced the emerging world of computers. Her career as a programmer ended after she married, had three daughters and bought a small acreage in a semi-rural community. Following this, she attempted greyhound training, as well as horse and goat breeding, but was left dissatisfied.
Miranda yearned to find a creative career from which she could earn money. When her sister suggested writing romances, it seemed like a good idea. She could do it at home, and it might even be fun! It took a decade of trial and error before her first romance, After the Affair, was accepted and published. At that time, Miranda, her husband Tony, and her three daughters had moved back to the Central Coast, where they could enjoy the sun and the surf lifestyle once again. Not long into her writing career, Miranda committed herself to writing a six-book series entitled, The Hearts of Fire, with a deadline of just nine short months. Bravely, her husband left his executive position to stay home and support Miranda’s writing career. He learned to cook and to clean, two invaluable household skills. Numerous successful stories followed, each embodying Miranda’s trademark style: pacy and sexy rhythms; passionate, real-life characters; and enduring, memorable story lines. She has one credo when writing romances: Don’t bore the reader! Millions of fans world-wide agree she never does.
Miranda was the sister of the late author, Emma Darcy.
Miranda yearned to find a creative career from which she could earn money. When her sister suggested writing romances, it seemed like a good idea. She could do it at home, and it might even be fun! It took a decade of trial and error before her first romance, After the Affair, was accepted and published. At that time, Miranda, her husband Tony, and her three daughters had moved back to the Central Coast, where they could enjoy the sun and the surf lifestyle once again. Not long into her writing career, Miranda committed herself to writing a six-book series entitled, The Hearts of Fire, with a deadline of just nine short months. Bravely, her husband left his executive position to stay home and support Miranda’s writing career. He learned to cook and to clean, two invaluable household skills. Numerous successful stories followed, each embodying Miranda’s trademark style: pacy and sexy rhythms; passionate, real-life characters; and enduring, memorable story lines. She has one credo when writing romances: Don’t bore the reader! Millions of fans world-wide agree she never does.
Miranda was the sister of the late author, Emma Darcy.
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SPOILERS
Beautiful 22 year old Brooke, was an Australian girl working as a receptionist at a big luxury Sydney hotel.
Wealthy 32 year old businessman, Leo, came to Australia from Italy to expand his father's business, and was staying at the hotel.
It was love at first sight for Brooke. Leo was the most magnificent man in every way.
Two months later, Brooke found herself pregnant.
They got married.
Five years later:
Leo and Brooke had two children, a three and a four year old.
They had five happy and fulfilling years together, except for the fact that Leo was not the easiest man to live with.
He liked his way in everything and Brooke found herself giving in. He was not even meeting her halfway.
"I am the head of this family. What l say goes. "
Brooke thought that maybe she had become a doormat. But, she thought, a happy and contented doormat.
They would visit Italy once a year for a month, and stay at his parent's villa.
This year they arrived there for a funeral.
Leo's older brother, Lorenzo, had been killed, leaving behind his wife Francesca.
The couple never produced children.
Lorenzo was a handsome and charming man, but used to give Brooke the creeps.
Once he'd cornered her and propositioned her. She ran away, never telling Leo about it.
After the burial, Leo spent a lot of time at his brother's office, sorting out things.
He was getting home late at night and was too tired to make love, a most unusual situation for Leo.
In fact he hadn't laid a hand on her since the funeral, three weeks ago.
Three days before they were due to return back to Australia, Brooke overheard her in laws saying
things that were news to her, things that had shocked her.
Here's a summary of what she'd heard:
'Leo was going to be late.
They did not think he was at the office, but with Francesca.
Leo was in love with her long before Brooke came into his life.
Leo was not a fickle man. Once he was in love it was for life.
In a fashion, Leo loved Brooke, but he was in love with Francesca.
The night of Leo and Francesca's engagement party, he was looking Francesca with such hunger,
and to find her in bed that same night with his brother, killed him.
Now with Lorenzo dead, Leo finally had the opportunity to have what denied himself back then, Francesca in his bed.
But turning a blind eye was the only answer.
If Leo had an affair with Francesca, he would soon get her out of his system and realised there was just as good to be had at home. '
In horror and disbelief, Brooke thought that Leo had never actually said he had loved her,
and there was his oddly cold behaviour around Francesca.
She thought it was dislike or indifference, but it was actually the other side of love.
His parents might be able to turn a blind eye, but she could not.
So Brooke drove there and yes, Leo's car was parked outside Francesca's house.
If his presence there was innocent, why lie about his whereabouts?
If she confronted them her marriage would be over.
If she could drive away, pretend she knew nothing, and if Leo took them back to Australia in two days, that would confirm he'd made the decision to give up Francesca for the sake of his family.
Brooke could not bear it if Leo divorced her.
She would never love another man, and he was the father of her children.
Leo returned back home just before midnight that night.
Two days later the whole family was on the plane heading back to Australia.
Brooke felt the love she once felt for her husband was gradually changing to contempt.
Her heart was bleeding and her marriage was a sham.
She thought she've compromised enough already in the marriage.
Time to take a stand and show that unfaithful, lying bastard he can't get away with what he'd done.
She despised herself for still loving him.
Back in Australia, Leo asked her what was bothering her. He knew she was angry with him.
She told him she overheard that he was once engaged to Francesca.
He said it was true. He never told her, because his engagement to Francesca was so soon before he met Brooke, like a few days before. He said he wasn't really in love with Francesca, it was an infatuation.
He told Brooke that he married her because he loved her and now he loved her even more.
Brooke would also liked to ask him what he had been doing in Francesca's house that night, but she didn't dare.
That would mean admitting she'd been there, and she'd have to explain that his mother said a good deal more than Brooke had let on.
A few days later they celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary.
Leo did the utmost in order to please her. It was very romantic.
Brooke now knew Leo loved her. Francesca was the past.
A week later Leo phoned Brooke from work to say that something awful happened at home, in Italy, and he had to fly back straight away.
Francesca tried to kill herself. She took an overdose of sleeping tablets.
He said he was the only one who could help Francesca and his parents shouldn't know anything about that, and if they knew all the facts, it would probably kill them, and he did not trust Francesca to not tell them.
He told her to trust him, he could not explain everything, and asked her not to tell his parents that he was going to Italy. That it was imperative, he said.
Later Brooke opened some bills.
She scanned the list of phone calls. There was one overseas call that lasted two hours.
It was Francesca's number.
She then opened the second bill. Leo's mobile phone bill. There were multiple phone calls to Francesca.
Brooke thought: '...the lying, conniving, adulterous bastard, was conducting a long distance affair.'
She did not believe Francesca had tried to kill herself. It was nothing more than a ploy to get Leo to fly back.
Brooke would not turn a blind eye this time.
She left the children with her mother and travelled to Italy.
Do not read beyond this point if you don't want to know the ending.
Disturbing content warning.
The servant answered the door. She said Leo was in Francesca's bedroom.
Brooke burst in after she eavesdropped and what she heard justified her suspicions.
She burst in the room and the two looked astounded.
"Brooke, what on earth are you doing here?"
"I followed you here so that l could catch you and this puttana in the act."
She told him that she knew he was at Francesca's the night he said he was working late.
She told him that she overheard his mother say that same night he was with Francesca enjoying what he apparently never enjoyed when he and Francesca were engaged.
She told him about that: "Lord knows how that happened, given you're such a stud and she's the slut of all time. "
Francesca intervened at that point:
She said her mother committed suicide when she was twelve.
The night she was buried, her father brought her into his bed to take her place.
As the years went by, her father's tastes broadened.
He started bringing other men home for her to entertain as well.
One of them was Lorenzo.
Shortly after that incident her father died and she inherited his vast estate.
She decided to start anew as a decent woman.
She met Leo and he was the only good man she've met.
They dated, but every time he kissed her she was afraid of what she might do, or reveal about herself.
He thought she was shy and innocent.
Eventually he found her in bed with Lorenzo the night of their engagement party.
After she and Lorenzo married, he started bringing home other men just like her father.
He liked to watch.
After Lorenzo died, she was picking up men and bringing them home.
It seemed she was addicted to that debauched way of life.
She confided in Leo and he wanted to help her.
Brooke told her that she needed to see a professional. Leo was not equipped to help her.
After she was fixed up, Brooke told her, she would find herself a good man, but NOT her good man.
Later Brooke told Leo that he should have told her about this.
He said that Francesca called him that day, the day he stayed late at Francesca's house.
She was hysterical, saying she was going to tell his parents everything.
He had no idea what she was talking about.
He did not tell Brooke because he was ashamed of his brother.
I wonder if Brooke was a doormat after all, and if Leo should have broken Francesca's confidence and told his wife all about it instead of acting behind her back.
Beautiful 22 year old Brooke, was an Australian girl working as a receptionist at a big luxury Sydney hotel.
Wealthy 32 year old businessman, Leo, came to Australia from Italy to expand his father's business, and was staying at the hotel.
It was love at first sight for Brooke. Leo was the most magnificent man in every way.
Two months later, Brooke found herself pregnant.
They got married.
Five years later:
Leo and Brooke had two children, a three and a four year old.
They had five happy and fulfilling years together, except for the fact that Leo was not the easiest man to live with.
He liked his way in everything and Brooke found herself giving in. He was not even meeting her halfway.
"I am the head of this family. What l say goes. "
Brooke thought that maybe she had become a doormat. But, she thought, a happy and contented doormat.
They would visit Italy once a year for a month, and stay at his parent's villa.
This year they arrived there for a funeral.
Leo's older brother, Lorenzo, had been killed, leaving behind his wife Francesca.
The couple never produced children.
Lorenzo was a handsome and charming man, but used to give Brooke the creeps.
Once he'd cornered her and propositioned her. She ran away, never telling Leo about it.
After the burial, Leo spent a lot of time at his brother's office, sorting out things.
He was getting home late at night and was too tired to make love, a most unusual situation for Leo.
In fact he hadn't laid a hand on her since the funeral, three weeks ago.
Three days before they were due to return back to Australia, Brooke overheard her in laws saying
things that were news to her, things that had shocked her.
Here's a summary of what she'd heard:
'Leo was going to be late.
They did not think he was at the office, but with Francesca.
Leo was in love with her long before Brooke came into his life.
Leo was not a fickle man. Once he was in love it was for life.
In a fashion, Leo loved Brooke, but he was in love with Francesca.
The night of Leo and Francesca's engagement party, he was looking Francesca with such hunger,
and to find her in bed that same night with his brother, killed him.
Now with Lorenzo dead, Leo finally had the opportunity to have what denied himself back then, Francesca in his bed.
But turning a blind eye was the only answer.
If Leo had an affair with Francesca, he would soon get her out of his system and realised there was just as good to be had at home. '
In horror and disbelief, Brooke thought that Leo had never actually said he had loved her,
and there was his oddly cold behaviour around Francesca.
She thought it was dislike or indifference, but it was actually the other side of love.
His parents might be able to turn a blind eye, but she could not.
So Brooke drove there and yes, Leo's car was parked outside Francesca's house.
If his presence there was innocent, why lie about his whereabouts?
If she confronted them her marriage would be over.
If she could drive away, pretend she knew nothing, and if Leo took them back to Australia in two days, that would confirm he'd made the decision to give up Francesca for the sake of his family.
Brooke could not bear it if Leo divorced her.
She would never love another man, and he was the father of her children.
Leo returned back home just before midnight that night.
Two days later the whole family was on the plane heading back to Australia.
Brooke felt the love she once felt for her husband was gradually changing to contempt.
Her heart was bleeding and her marriage was a sham.
She thought she've compromised enough already in the marriage.
Time to take a stand and show that unfaithful, lying bastard he can't get away with what he'd done.
She despised herself for still loving him.
Back in Australia, Leo asked her what was bothering her. He knew she was angry with him.
She told him she overheard that he was once engaged to Francesca.
He said it was true. He never told her, because his engagement to Francesca was so soon before he met Brooke, like a few days before. He said he wasn't really in love with Francesca, it was an infatuation.
He told Brooke that he married her because he loved her and now he loved her even more.
Brooke would also liked to ask him what he had been doing in Francesca's house that night, but she didn't dare.
That would mean admitting she'd been there, and she'd have to explain that his mother said a good deal more than Brooke had let on.
A few days later they celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary.
Leo did the utmost in order to please her. It was very romantic.
Brooke now knew Leo loved her. Francesca was the past.
A week later Leo phoned Brooke from work to say that something awful happened at home, in Italy, and he had to fly back straight away.
Francesca tried to kill herself. She took an overdose of sleeping tablets.
He said he was the only one who could help Francesca and his parents shouldn't know anything about that, and if they knew all the facts, it would probably kill them, and he did not trust Francesca to not tell them.
He told her to trust him, he could not explain everything, and asked her not to tell his parents that he was going to Italy. That it was imperative, he said.
Later Brooke opened some bills.
She scanned the list of phone calls. There was one overseas call that lasted two hours.
It was Francesca's number.
She then opened the second bill. Leo's mobile phone bill. There were multiple phone calls to Francesca.
Brooke thought: '...the lying, conniving, adulterous bastard, was conducting a long distance affair.'
She did not believe Francesca had tried to kill herself. It was nothing more than a ploy to get Leo to fly back.
Brooke would not turn a blind eye this time.
She left the children with her mother and travelled to Italy.
Do not read beyond this point if you don't want to know the ending.
Disturbing content warning.
The servant answered the door. She said Leo was in Francesca's bedroom.
Brooke burst in after she eavesdropped and what she heard justified her suspicions.
She burst in the room and the two looked astounded.
"Brooke, what on earth are you doing here?"
"I followed you here so that l could catch you and this puttana in the act."
She told him that she knew he was at Francesca's the night he said he was working late.
She told him that she overheard his mother say that same night he was with Francesca enjoying what he apparently never enjoyed when he and Francesca were engaged.
She told him about that: "Lord knows how that happened, given you're such a stud and she's the slut of all time. "
Francesca intervened at that point:
She said her mother committed suicide when she was twelve.
The night she was buried, her father brought her into his bed to take her place.
As the years went by, her father's tastes broadened.
He started bringing other men home for her to entertain as well.
One of them was Lorenzo.
Shortly after that incident her father died and she inherited his vast estate.
She decided to start anew as a decent woman.
She met Leo and he was the only good man she've met.
They dated, but every time he kissed her she was afraid of what she might do, or reveal about herself.
He thought she was shy and innocent.
Eventually he found her in bed with Lorenzo the night of their engagement party.
After she and Lorenzo married, he started bringing home other men just like her father.
He liked to watch.
After Lorenzo died, she was picking up men and bringing them home.
It seemed she was addicted to that debauched way of life.
She confided in Leo and he wanted to help her.
Brooke told her that she needed to see a professional. Leo was not equipped to help her.
After she was fixed up, Brooke told her, she would find herself a good man, but NOT her good man.
Later Brooke told Leo that he should have told her about this.
He said that Francesca called him that day, the day he stayed late at Francesca's house.
She was hysterical, saying she was going to tell his parents everything.
He had no idea what she was talking about.
He did not tell Brooke because he was ashamed of his brother.
I wonder if Brooke was a doormat after all, and if Leo should have broken Francesca's confidence and told his wife all about it instead of acting behind her back.
December 12, 2017
Nicely done marriage in peril story (see title).
*Trigger warnings: detailed descriptions of incest and sexual abuse - not the heroine but another character*
H/h have been married five years. The context: heroine was a receptionist at a hotel where the Italian hero was staying while setting up his business in Australia. They had a whirlwind courtship, heroine got pregnant, hero proposed. Heroine's mother is a "feminist" lawyer who hates men after being let down by the heroine's father when she was a baby.
Heroine has decided she doesn't want to be like her mother and will make her marriage work by always agreeing with her husband making as few waves as possible.
The catalyst for the "peril." Hero's brother dies suddenly and they go to the funeral in Italy with their two children in tow. Heroine overhears her mother-in-law worrying that the hero is making a play for his brother's widow because she was engaged to the hero before she married his brother. Heroine is worried because hero hasn't had sex with her and he's at his father's office at all hours. She drives by the OW's house and sees the hero's car.
Now she's convinced the hero is cheating, but doesn't want to confront him because she wants to stay married for the children and she still loves him. So she is aggressive in bed with him and he is very excited by this new "Tiger" wife. Heroine then has doubts about this approach and she is pretty bitchy to him.
The hero was a great guy. He owned up to his part of their problems. Now he knows never to keep someone's secret apart from his wife. The heroine was pretty great, too. She tried to confront her problems without throwing their marriage away. I liked that the heroine and her mother got over their issues with each other, as well.
ML - did a great job with some heavy themes and managed to make their sex scenes part of the problem/confusion and then part of the healing.
*Trigger warnings: detailed descriptions of incest and sexual abuse - not the heroine but another character*
H/h have been married five years. The context: heroine was a receptionist at a hotel where the Italian hero was staying while setting up his business in Australia. They had a whirlwind courtship, heroine got pregnant, hero proposed. Heroine's mother is a "feminist" lawyer who hates men after being let down by the heroine's father when she was a baby.
Heroine has decided she doesn't want to be like her mother and will make her marriage work by always agreeing with her husband making as few waves as possible.
The catalyst for the "peril." Hero's brother dies suddenly and they go to the funeral in Italy with their two children in tow. Heroine overhears her mother-in-law worrying that the hero is making a play for his brother's widow because she was engaged to the hero before she married his brother. Heroine is worried because hero hasn't had sex with her and he's at his father's office at all hours. She drives by the OW's house and sees the hero's car.
Now she's convinced the hero is cheating, but doesn't want to confront him because she wants to stay married for the children and she still loves him. So she is aggressive in bed with him and he is very excited by this new "Tiger" wife. Heroine then has doubts about this approach and she is pretty bitchy to him.
The hero was a great guy. He owned up to his part of their problems. Now he knows never to keep someone's secret apart from his wife. The heroine was pretty great, too. She tried to confront her problems without throwing their marriage away. I liked that the heroine and her mother got over their issues with each other, as well.
ML - did a great job with some heavy themes and managed to make their sex scenes part of the problem/confusion and then part of the healing.
September 3, 2021
This is the one where I felt sorry for the hero and I loved the heroine’s mother.
The heroine has been married to the H for 5 years, they have two sons, the H is every woman’s dream man: sinfully hot, rich, kind and handsome. Maybe a little bossy, but my, thank god he has some faults.
The h is a bit tired lately. She’s feigning some orgasms, she feels a bit unsatisfied and so on.
Then suddenly the Hs brother dies and leaves a widow behind.
A beautiful widow, with whom the H is unusually cold.
The H and the h are staying at his parents home, while he tries to settle his brother’s business.
They don’t have sex for weeks.
Then one night the h accidentally finds out that the H and sil were engaged, but he found her in bed with his brother, so he broke the engagement.
The h finds out that her mil thinks the H is still in love with sil and is actually with her that very evening.
The h goes to sil’s house and sees her husbands car parked in front of the house. She goes home and when he comes back she seduces him to prove that he still wants her. But she has to work very hard to get a reaction because his lil dude down there is really not cooperating. She thinks this is a proof of his infidelity so she becomes a sex bomb and does very nasty things ( basically she goes down on him…) until- eventually- lil dude answer his call.
But the woman is now so very angry that she suddenly starts bickering every second. Poor hero tries to understand what happened to his sweet wife and after some awful hours she accepts to talk and clear the air.
Actually they talk about this issue and the hero reassures her that yes, he was engaged before meeting her but he’s in love only with her and not with ow. At this point the heroine’s brain has already done its best as regards paranoid thoughts and jealousy delusions. I’m astonished. She’s really out of her mind. Since things seems to be all right after their chat, I’m quite happy.
But no! The H receives a call from Italy ( they live in Australia) and tells the h that he has to go back to Italy because his sil/ ow tried to kill herself. Obviously the h is pissed, because Italy is not just around the corner and why must the hero go to Italy to his sil??? Is there not anyone else? Here I sympathized with h because it’s not so reasonable that he should leave for so long a journey only to be near his ex fiancé. Not very smart the hero here. Not after his wife’s recent delusion.
Then she finds out that he called ow the day they came back for 2 (really???) hours and she decides to leave for Italy and see her faithless husband with her own eyes.
So there she goes and she makes a scene that really left me without words, calling her sil a w***e and her husband a bastard and threatening to divorce him and never let him see his children. I like this crazy woman. We need more women like her.
The hero is terrified (literally) runs under the sofa, and the sil explains to the h that she had a traumatic childhood and was abused by her father and by his friends (yuk!)
The h comes back to her normal self and after giving her sil some very good advice she scolds the hero (again) because he wasn’t honest and didn’t tell her the truth. The poor hero decides to give the heroine everything she wants, a job, a new house, new names for their children, new boobs, everything. The epilogue is five years later, and he’s still scared.
I loved the heroine’s mother, a thin, bitter, man-hater woman who lives on cigarettes and coffee and awful prophecies.
I loved the hero, he was sweet and hot. What else do you want?
I loved the crazy heroine that is the inspiration of that infamous joke:
How can you turn a goose into a pitbull? You marry her.
The heroine has been married to the H for 5 years, they have two sons, the H is every woman’s dream man: sinfully hot, rich, kind and handsome. Maybe a little bossy, but my, thank god he has some faults.
The h is a bit tired lately. She’s feigning some orgasms, she feels a bit unsatisfied and so on.
Then suddenly the Hs brother dies and leaves a widow behind.
A beautiful widow, with whom the H is unusually cold.
The H and the h are staying at his parents home, while he tries to settle his brother’s business.
They don’t have sex for weeks.
Then one night the h accidentally finds out that the H and sil were engaged, but he found her in bed with his brother, so he broke the engagement.
The h finds out that her mil thinks the H is still in love with sil and is actually with her that very evening.
The h goes to sil’s house and sees her husbands car parked in front of the house. She goes home and when he comes back she seduces him to prove that he still wants her. But she has to work very hard to get a reaction because his lil dude down there is really not cooperating. She thinks this is a proof of his infidelity so she becomes a sex bomb and does very nasty things ( basically she goes down on him…) until- eventually- lil dude answer his call.
But the woman is now so very angry that she suddenly starts bickering every second. Poor hero tries to understand what happened to his sweet wife and after some awful hours she accepts to talk and clear the air.
Actually they talk about this issue and the hero reassures her that yes, he was engaged before meeting her but he’s in love only with her and not with ow. At this point the heroine’s brain has already done its best as regards paranoid thoughts and jealousy delusions. I’m astonished. She’s really out of her mind. Since things seems to be all right after their chat, I’m quite happy.
But no! The H receives a call from Italy ( they live in Australia) and tells the h that he has to go back to Italy because his sil/ ow tried to kill herself. Obviously the h is pissed, because Italy is not just around the corner and why must the hero go to Italy to his sil??? Is there not anyone else? Here I sympathized with h because it’s not so reasonable that he should leave for so long a journey only to be near his ex fiancé. Not very smart the hero here. Not after his wife’s recent delusion.
Then she finds out that he called ow the day they came back for 2 (really???) hours and she decides to leave for Italy and see her faithless husband with her own eyes.
So there she goes and she makes a scene that really left me without words, calling her sil a w***e and her husband a bastard and threatening to divorce him and never let him see his children. I like this crazy woman. We need more women like her.
The hero is terrified (literally) runs under the sofa, and the sil explains to the h that she had a traumatic childhood and was abused by her father and by his friends (yuk!)
The h comes back to her normal self and after giving her sil some very good advice she scolds the hero (again) because he wasn’t honest and didn’t tell her the truth. The poor hero decides to give the heroine everything she wants, a job, a new house, new names for their children, new boobs, everything. The epilogue is five years later, and he’s still scared.
I loved the heroine’s mother, a thin, bitter, man-hater woman who lives on cigarettes and coffee and awful prophecies.
I loved the hero, he was sweet and hot. What else do you want?
I loved the crazy heroine that is the inspiration of that infamous joke:
How can you turn a goose into a pitbull? You marry her.
February 11, 2025
3 Stars
I highly enjoyed some aspects of the story: The sexy times were surprisingly damn good; the hero was an alpha in his way of thinking and in how he definitely took charge in the marriage (ONLY in fiction is this my kink); the story moved along quickly; some angsty feels.
Ultimately, though, it turned out okay-ish. I wanted more angst. I also think the heroine was overly dramatic in assuming her husband was cheating, when really, she didn't have any concrete evidence. It annoyed me how she refused to confront him and decided to bury her head in the sand. Yet, she kept giving him the cold shoulder and snapping at him, while the poor husband had no clue why. It was perceived cheating, and this trope doesn't usually work for me. Give me actual cheating (emotional or physical), not melodrama that turns out to be for NOTHING. That's just silly. I felt embarrassed for her because she ended up making a fool of herself. It's my fault since I had decided to go into this one a bit blind.
I highly enjoyed some aspects of the story: The sexy times were surprisingly damn good; the hero was an alpha in his way of thinking and in how he definitely took charge in the marriage (ONLY in fiction is this my kink); the story moved along quickly; some angsty feels.
Ultimately, though, it turned out okay-ish. I wanted more angst. I also think the heroine was overly dramatic in assuming her husband was cheating, when really, she didn't have any concrete evidence. It annoyed me how she refused to confront him and decided to bury her head in the sand. Yet, she kept giving him the cold shoulder and snapping at him, while the poor husband had no clue why. It was perceived cheating, and this trope doesn't usually work for me. Give me actual cheating (emotional or physical), not melodrama that turns out to be for NOTHING. That's just silly. I felt embarrassed for her because she ended up making a fool of herself. It's my fault since I had decided to go into this one a bit blind.
December 16, 2017
Read StMargarets's 4-star review of Marriage in Peril by Miranda Lee
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- hero was a little chauvinistic to begin with.
- I hated the fact the heroine seduced the hero thinking he came to her from the OW’s bed, however it worked out much better than hysterics. He suddenly realised she has as much control in the relationship as he does.
- heroine doesn’t sugarcoat or baby him when he realised he has been a controlling jerk in the marriage and a successful marriage takes two to tango. She let him own up to his mistakes, and also let him realise what a housewife and full time mother puts up with every day without complaining about it!
- she does jump to conclusions however for a change doesn’t pull an AWOL taking the kids with her. If she was going to leave him, she’ll tell him exactly what she thought of him “cheating”.
- NO cheating whatsoever, emotional or otherwise! Hero was in fact besotted.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- hero was a little chauvinistic to begin with.
- I hated the fact the heroine seduced the hero thinking he came to her from the OW’s bed, however it worked out much better than hysterics. He suddenly realised she has as much control in the relationship as he does.
- heroine doesn’t sugarcoat or baby him when he realised he has been a controlling jerk in the marriage and a successful marriage takes two to tango. She let him own up to his mistakes, and also let him realise what a housewife and full time mother puts up with every day without complaining about it!
- she does jump to conclusions however for a change doesn’t pull an AWOL taking the kids with her. If she was going to leave him, she’ll tell him exactly what she thought of him “cheating”.
- NO cheating whatsoever, emotional or otherwise! Hero was in fact besotted.
May 30, 2019
Only Miranda Lee could have done a marriage in trouble this way.
Wow! Maybe!
I liked a few things, some I didn't and a few just squeamed me out!
Their marital dynamic is thus...
'You know, you're much cleverer than you let on sometimes, aren't you?'
'You mean considering I'm a dumb blonde?' Leo was an intelligent man, but he was used to his wife not causing any waves in his life.
'You really are in a touchy mood. I'll try not to take offence. I'll blame it on the flight and the time of the month.'
The guy does do a u-turn on his macho-ass-ness, so scores some brownie points.
(As does the h's uber-feminist mom.)
The h is such cool one - practical and determined to save her marriage and bring the H to heel. No running away - hurt and defeated - for her.
And aggressively competitive! Imagine the determination that drove her to perform ... and outdo his 'mistress/lover' from whose bed he has supposedly just returned. Thankfully, the author shows him having a long shower after coming home before the h 'attacks'.
No, this guy won't be straying. Ever!
The ow is disposed off along expected lines, only her backstory is gross. Poor her.
Wow! Maybe!
I liked a few things, some I didn't and a few just squeamed me out!
Their marital dynamic is thus...
'You know, you're much cleverer than you let on sometimes, aren't you?'
'You mean considering I'm a dumb blonde?' Leo was an intelligent man, but he was used to his wife not causing any waves in his life.
'You really are in a touchy mood. I'll try not to take offence. I'll blame it on the flight and the time of the month.'
The guy does do a u-turn on his macho-ass-ness, so scores some brownie points.
(As does the h's uber-feminist mom.)
The h is such cool one - practical and determined to save her marriage and bring the H to heel. No running away - hurt and defeated - for her.
And aggressively competitive! Imagine the determination that drove her to perform ... and outdo his 'mistress/lover' from whose bed he has supposedly just returned. Thankfully, the author shows him having a long shower after coming home before the h 'attacks'.
No, this guy won't be straying. Ever!
The ow is disposed off along expected lines, only her backstory is gross. Poor her.
January 9, 2018
I'll leave the plot-telling to the pros...
I'll just say then that I had some problems with the h's views at the beginning and wasn't convinced by her sudden complete personality makeover but as I've had so many of those by the H's in unaccountable books I can overlook it. The H's attentiveness and trying to mend his past mistakes were really nice and should have meant a higher rate.
The main problem in no giving this one a higher rate lays in a few lines here and there. Sometimes certain lines get stucked in my head and ruin my reading like Ignorance is blissful sometimes.
I'll just say then that I had some problems with the h's views at the beginning and wasn't convinced by her sudden complete personality makeover but as I've had so many of those by the H's in unaccountable books I can overlook it. The H's attentiveness and trying to mend his past mistakes were really nice and should have meant a higher rate.
The main problem in no giving this one a higher rate lays in a few lines here and there. Sometimes certain lines get stucked in my head and ruin my reading like Ignorance is blissful sometimes.
February 7, 2021
I loved this one. Brook and Leo get married in the beginning of this story due to an unplanned pregnancy. They are married 5 years, with Leo running the marriage in a very "I'm the husband and what I say goes!" kind of way, with Leo having all the say in everything, and never ONCE telling his wife he loves her in all of those 5 years.
After Leo's brother dies, trouble in paradise begins.
This was a quick read, with turbulence and decent angst. I enjoyed the story from beginning to end.
After Leo's brother dies, trouble in paradise begins.
This was a quick read, with turbulence and decent angst. I enjoyed the story from beginning to end.
May 20, 2021
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Liked it!
==================
Our heroine has accumulated years of resentment because she didn't want to be like her mother. Our hero is sexist and does things his way, she accepts everything, even if she is upset, so as not to rock the boat. Everything exploded when she suspects that our hero is unfaithful, yet she swallows everything and pretends that nothing is happening. Even his parents are suspicious.
The boiling point happens and our heroine begins to show her true strong personality. At first he is surprised and then he embraces her change.
==================
Our heroine has accumulated years of resentment because she didn't want to be like her mother. Our hero is sexist and does things his way, she accepts everything, even if she is upset, so as not to rock the boat. Everything exploded when she suspects that our hero is unfaithful, yet she swallows everything and pretends that nothing is happening. Even his parents are suspicious.
The boiling point happens and our heroine begins to show her true strong personality. At first he is surprised and then he embraces her change.
Many was the night Brooke just didn't feel like sex. But she never refused Leo, not unless she was really sick. Of course, that meant faking an orgasm every once in a while. But she did it. For him.
Leo's only sibling, Lorenzo, had been killed in a car accident, losing control of his prized Ferrari on one of the hairpin bends around the lake and crashing to a watery death.
If there was one thing Brooke could rely upon with her husband, it was the unfailing regularity of his need for sex. Yet he hadn't laid a hand on her since the funeral, almost three weeks ago.
'I am the head of this family,' he'd pronounced dogmatically. 'What I say goes!'
Her mother had warned her she would become a doormat. Well, maybe she had in a way, she conceded. But she was a happy and contented doormat. Most of the time.
'I don't think he's in the office today...' Sophia said in more hushed tones. Brooke leant forward in her chair. '...I think he's with Francesca.' Brooke's heart lurched.
'But these are not normal circumstances. Leonardo was in love with Francesca long before Brooke came into his life. He never got over Lorenzo stealing Francesca away from him. He might have pretended to, but I know differently. I'm his mother.'
Leo...her Leo, in love with Francesca? Her husband, once engaged to his brother's wife? Francesca choosing Lorenzo over Leo?
'If he no longer cared for Francesca,' Sophia scorned, 'then why did he run off to Australia? And why didn't he return for his brother's wedding?'
With Lorenzo dead, Leonardo finally has the opportunity to have what he foolishly denied himself back then. Francesca, in his bed.'
Leo, in love with Francescal Leo, once engaged to his brother's widow! Leo, not at the office, but spending time with his lost love...
The fact Leo had never actually said he loved her. Not ever!
Better she swallow her pride and turn that blind eye. Better she ignore the pain, hide the overwhelming feelings of humiliation and pretend nothing had changed. But oh, dear Lord, it was going to be hard...
Shock held her fingers still for a few moments. For never had Leo felt so limp, or less interested in her touch!
There's just so many faked orgasms a husband can endure before he starts looking elsewhere.'
'Money can buy you any thing, Brooke. It just can't buy you intangible things, such as love or talent or happiness. It can, however, buy you some damned fine food and the very best French champagne.'
November 1, 2021
Here’s a human garbage. She basically ruined someone’s life.
She lied about being on the pill and got pregnant when he asked before having sex. He ends up marrying her desperate ass because of it.
What if some guy lied about using a condom with you, and you end up getting pregnant. You’ll be stuck having a child with a man you don’t love or want. Your entire life ruined.
There’s a scene where she think she catches her hub cheating, and she walks away so he can get it out of his system. She’s such a fucking doormat that she prefers to look away then lose him.🙄
DNF.
She lied about being on the pill and got pregnant when he asked before having sex. He ends up marrying her desperate ass because of it.
What if some guy lied about using a condom with you, and you end up getting pregnant. You’ll be stuck having a child with a man you don’t love or want. Your entire life ruined.
There’s a scene where she think she catches her hub cheating, and she walks away so he can get it out of his system. She’s such a fucking doormat that she prefers to look away then lose him.🙄
DNF.
January 5, 2018
This was a surprisingly good read! Miranda Lee really drew me into this book right from the beginning. She is truly an excellent writer and storyteller. Her characters are believable and engaging. It was a nice turn around to read a romance about an already happily married couple who hit a snag in their relationship. This happens everyday to so many people and she wrote a believable book with believable main characters.
Miranda Lee did a great job dealing with some HEAVY issues, especially at the end of the book, without making the reader feel as if they needed to get their own prescription of Prozac with a little Xanax on the side. ML wrote about these issues very straightforwardly and thankfully didn’t linger on them. So no need for the reader to see a psychiatrist after reading this book.
Why not 5 Stars? The heroine believes that the hero has just left his mistress’ bed and comes home to her. The heroine then pulls out all of her sexual tricks and seduces her husband. I find it hard to believe that a woman would want to have sex with her husband after believing that he literally just left another woman’s bed. That was the thought process of the heroine and I literally cringed when she was seducing her husband. I wanted the heroine to have more self-respect for herself. Yes, she’s been in a 5 year marriage with a domineering husband however, her husband wasn’t an ogre and I felt that the heroine did herself a disservice by seducing her husband, while believing he had just left his mistress. Too much of an “eww factor” for me.
Overall a great read which I highly recommend.
Miranda Lee did a great job dealing with some HEAVY issues, especially at the end of the book, without making the reader feel as if they needed to get their own prescription of Prozac with a little Xanax on the side. ML wrote about these issues very straightforwardly and thankfully didn’t linger on them. So no need for the reader to see a psychiatrist after reading this book.
Why not 5 Stars? The heroine believes that the hero has just left his mistress’ bed and comes home to her. The heroine then pulls out all of her sexual tricks and seduces her husband. I find it hard to believe that a woman would want to have sex with her husband after believing that he literally just left another woman’s bed. That was the thought process of the heroine and I literally cringed when she was seducing her husband. I wanted the heroine to have more self-respect for herself. Yes, she’s been in a 5 year marriage with a domineering husband however, her husband wasn’t an ogre and I felt that the heroine did herself a disservice by seducing her husband, while believing he had just left his mistress. Too much of an “eww factor” for me.
Overall a great read which I highly recommend.
March 16, 2025
I actually.upgraded the stars. He didn't cheat. He totally.loved.his.wife. francesca, the ow, was sexually abused by.her Father and slept with the.hero's brother on their engagement party. One week later he meets herpine.and she gets pregnant. They get married and they have been happy. Until she hears that Francesca was once engaged to her husband.and.that.he loved her before. I really thought he was too. But he totally loved his wife. It.took lomg.enough for her to tell him why she was so.upset.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2011
4 star Miranda Lee book. Neither the hero nor heroine in this book were perfect. Both made mistakes and let a failure to communicate with each other put their "marriage in peril".
August 15, 2011
Marriage in Peril is Australian author Miranda Lee’s 49th romance novel. Happily married to Leonardo Parini for five years, and mother to his two children, Brooke was happy until she overheard a conversation between her in-laws. It seemed that Leo had been engaged to his sister-in-law, the beautiful and now widowed Francesca, before she married his brother. And on this visit to Italy, he had been behaving unusually: was he betraying her with Francesca? Brooke decided to fight for the man she loved, and she still had one weapon he couldn’t resist. A perfect example of what a lack of communication can do to a relationship. A very sexy Aussie romance with an Italian flavour.
December 3, 2021
Quite realistic in a way!
February 10, 2025
Reread 8 times now….(Feb 2025)
There must ge something about this book for me to have read it 4x. Yes 4x. There is only one other book I gave read more.
It is definitely a good story and we'll written. The angst coming from within.
It rounds out with a great HEA
There must ge something about this book for me to have read it 4x. Yes 4x. There is only one other book I gave read more.
It is definitely a good story and we'll written. The angst coming from within.
It rounds out with a great HEA
April 3, 2013
Hot...Hot!
December 2, 2021
I read today that Miranda Lee passed away on November 13th. She hasn’t been my “go to author”, but I have read a few books by her and have enjoyed them. To pay my respects, I decided to forgo my next book and seek out a ML book. I looked at Stmargaret’s shelves and found one that she had rated 4. (Which means I will not be disappointed!) Stmargaets left a great review for this book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... However, I am going to recommend that you do not click on her spoilers. I believe some of the best angst was taken away after I read the spoilers. I couldn’t help myself!
The story begins with a prologue where we meet the mother of the heroine(Brooke)the day before she is to marry the hero(Leo). Our h’s mother is a strong independent woman who is down on men. She warns her daughter that the marriage will most likely disintegrate in 5 years as the heroine obviously loves the hero more than he loves her. Mommy will wait with cigarette in hand to commiserate with her and tell her I told you so when it happens.
Chapter 1, is 5 years later. The h is now 27 with 2 children and for the most part her marriage to the H has been good. However, because she doesn’t want to be twice divorced like her mom she often times stifles her nature and goes along with everything the H suggests. (She even fakes orgasms when she is frankly too tired for sex, but doesn’t want to disappoint her husband). Now they are in Italy as the H’s brother has passed away and he was in charge of the family business part in Italy. The H has good parents who actually like their daughter in law(so often times there are issues in HP land with this). The H is working long hours working out the business issues. However, the h overhears a conversation between her mil and fil that the H may also be spending lots of time with the dead brother’s wife. Worse than this, the h finds out that the widow was the love of his life and that he was actually engaged to her. In fact, it was at their engagement party that he found the brother with his fiance. He hadn’t even slept with his fiance because she was a nice Italian virgin. (Unlike our h who was not a virgin when she met the H) The h decides to drive to Milan to see if her husband is at the office. Instead his car is at the widow’s apartment. He doesn’t get back until well after 11 that night. Where he then takes a long shower to wipe off all evidence of the ow’s perfume. When he gets to bed he makes no attempts on the h(it has been weeks!!!) So the h becomes quite the tigress and although her husband is more limp than an overcooked noodle, she eventually coaxes the turtle out of its shell giving the H some of the best sex of their marriage. She doesn’t bring up her new found knowledge to the H about his ex fiance, and starts to distance herself from him. They head back home to Australia and the H notices his wife is being cold, distant and weepy. He goes the extra mile to show that he cares for her, in fact he actually tells her he loves her for the first time. He actually comes off as a really great guy!
So reader we have to decide if the H is acting out of guilt or has the death of his brother made him realize how much he truly loves the h. The h actually goes to her mother and tells her all that she knows. The mother is surprised as she likes the H, but then she isn’t surprised because, well, he is a male. The h’s talk with her mom actually has a different effect on her and when she gets back home to an angry, somewhat disturbed H, they hash out a lot. We are at the 1/2 way point, so you know that there is more to happen, but at this point the marriage in peril seems to be on the mend. They have both agreed to be open with each other and discard secrets…..unfortunately there are still some secrets out there. The sexy times between the h and H are pretty hot. I have been reading a lot of early 80’s books recently, so I had to look at the date as I wasn’t used to the hotness! Near the end of the book, the h confronts the ow(widow) and you are going to cheer her on! There are so many times we want to see this, and we don’t get it. However, there is a twist to this “comeuppance”! It is one of the few times, maybe even the first time I have felt sorry for the ow. Not only sorry for her, but sad and outraged on her behalf! It is a stunner my friends and this is why I would recommend not reading spoilers.
What do I like about the story?
The h has a spine! Her marriage troubles have helped her rediscover it. She also realizes that she needs to be more honest with the H about things.
The hero!!! I was prepared to hate the hero. However, he did a lot to show his wife how much he loved her throughout the book. He was not cruel. He actually ended up being one of the best hero’s I have ever read.
The story ends 5 years in the future. The h now 32 and her husband 42. It is a nice ending without the usual epilogue of the h being pregnant etc..(to be fair I do like those too!)
Thanks to Miranda Lee for delivering a great story with some unexpected turns. In the end it was a story with lots of heart!
The story begins with a prologue where we meet the mother of the heroine(Brooke)the day before she is to marry the hero(Leo). Our h’s mother is a strong independent woman who is down on men. She warns her daughter that the marriage will most likely disintegrate in 5 years as the heroine obviously loves the hero more than he loves her. Mommy will wait with cigarette in hand to commiserate with her and tell her I told you so when it happens.
Chapter 1, is 5 years later. The h is now 27 with 2 children and for the most part her marriage to the H has been good. However, because she doesn’t want to be twice divorced like her mom she often times stifles her nature and goes along with everything the H suggests. (She even fakes orgasms when she is frankly too tired for sex, but doesn’t want to disappoint her husband). Now they are in Italy as the H’s brother has passed away and he was in charge of the family business part in Italy. The H has good parents who actually like their daughter in law(so often times there are issues in HP land with this). The H is working long hours working out the business issues. However, the h overhears a conversation between her mil and fil that the H may also be spending lots of time with the dead brother’s wife. Worse than this, the h finds out that the widow was the love of his life and that he was actually engaged to her. In fact, it was at their engagement party that he found the brother with his fiance. He hadn’t even slept with his fiance because she was a nice Italian virgin. (Unlike our h who was not a virgin when she met the H) The h decides to drive to Milan to see if her husband is at the office. Instead his car is at the widow’s apartment. He doesn’t get back until well after 11 that night. Where he then takes a long shower to wipe off all evidence of the ow’s perfume. When he gets to bed he makes no attempts on the h(it has been weeks!!!) So the h becomes quite the tigress and although her husband is more limp than an overcooked noodle, she eventually coaxes the turtle out of its shell giving the H some of the best sex of their marriage. She doesn’t bring up her new found knowledge to the H about his ex fiance, and starts to distance herself from him. They head back home to Australia and the H notices his wife is being cold, distant and weepy. He goes the extra mile to show that he cares for her, in fact he actually tells her he loves her for the first time. He actually comes off as a really great guy!
So reader we have to decide if the H is acting out of guilt or has the death of his brother made him realize how much he truly loves the h. The h actually goes to her mother and tells her all that she knows. The mother is surprised as she likes the H, but then she isn’t surprised because, well, he is a male. The h’s talk with her mom actually has a different effect on her and when she gets back home to an angry, somewhat disturbed H, they hash out a lot. We are at the 1/2 way point, so you know that there is more to happen, but at this point the marriage in peril seems to be on the mend. They have both agreed to be open with each other and discard secrets…..unfortunately there are still some secrets out there. The sexy times between the h and H are pretty hot. I have been reading a lot of early 80’s books recently, so I had to look at the date as I wasn’t used to the hotness! Near the end of the book, the h confronts the ow(widow) and you are going to cheer her on! There are so many times we want to see this, and we don’t get it. However, there is a twist to this “comeuppance”! It is one of the few times, maybe even the first time I have felt sorry for the ow. Not only sorry for her, but sad and outraged on her behalf! It is a stunner my friends and this is why I would recommend not reading spoilers.
What do I like about the story?
The h has a spine! Her marriage troubles have helped her rediscover it. She also realizes that she needs to be more honest with the H about things.
The hero!!! I was prepared to hate the hero. However, he did a lot to show his wife how much he loved her throughout the book. He was not cruel. He actually ended up being one of the best hero’s I have ever read.
The story ends 5 years in the future. The h now 32 and her husband 42. It is a nice ending without the usual epilogue of the h being pregnant etc..(to be fair I do like those too!)
Thanks to Miranda Lee for delivering a great story with some unexpected turns. In the end it was a story with lots of heart!
June 1, 2023
I'm still processing this. It's an interesting (but not necessarily successful?) attempt to engage with feminist critique, set up by the conversation in the prologue between Brooke and her mother before Brooke's marriage. Brooke's mother is a feminist -- and as Brooke sees her, basically a caricature of feminists: Phyllis is a cynical, twice-divorced, badly-dressed man-hater who ruined her marriages by having opinions and worse, expressing them!! Brooke is pregnant; the wealthy Italian businessman she's been dating for two months proposed and she accepted. As Brooke predicted, Phyllis is skeptical of her decision (and her refusal to consider abortion, which is interesting because heroines in accidental pregnancy and secret baby stories always react that way, but as Phyllis points out, there's no reason abortion shouldn't be an option. It's very rare for a heroine to have religious reasons for this, she just isn't "that type of woman"). Brooke defends herself by talking about how great Leo is (like a god!) and proclaims her decision to be a "doormat" for him. She won't argue, she won't insist on doing things her way, she'll just do whatever he wants, whatever she can do to make him happy. Tbh, all of this made both Brooke and Leo pretty difficult for me to root for at the beginning. It's hard for me to understand a modern woman intentionally wanting to subordinate her entire personality to her husband's, and it's hard to respect anyone who would want to be on the other side of that kind of relationship. I sympathized much more with Phyllis, who has to deal with her own daughter dismissing her because she's divorced and not conventionally attractive.
Then the real story is set five years later, when we can see the cracks widening in Brooke's marriage. (Although we can guess/figure out what Leo is thinking, it's all from Brooke's perspective.) And Brooke's character arc is basically about learning to stop being a doormat and be more like her "real" self: strong, outspoken, opinionated, active, taking charge. I really liked that! Some of it is really unrelatable for me personally -- when I feel like someone else is less invested in our relationship (platonic or romantic) than I am, that makes me lose interest. So Brooke trying to hold onto Leo when she thinks he's having an affair was hard for me to understand at first, but it was interesting. Brooke talks to Phyllis about the state of her marriage and Phyllis helps her figure things out; Leo also talks to Phyllis (I wish we could have seen this on the page) and gets a clue. Brooke and Leo are able to find each other again and communicate, so I felt good about their relationship by the end.
What I really had trouble with was the treatment of the OW, Leo's widowed sister-in-law. I liked that Miranda Lee went for something different from the classic virtuous heroine vs evil slut OW, but something about her story bothered me a lot.
Then the real story is set five years later, when we can see the cracks widening in Brooke's marriage. (Although we can guess/figure out what Leo is thinking, it's all from Brooke's perspective.) And Brooke's character arc is basically about learning to stop being a doormat and be more like her "real" self: strong, outspoken, opinionated, active, taking charge. I really liked that! Some of it is really unrelatable for me personally -- when I feel like someone else is less invested in our relationship (platonic or romantic) than I am, that makes me lose interest. So Brooke trying to hold onto Leo when she thinks he's having an affair was hard for me to understand at first, but it was interesting. Brooke talks to Phyllis about the state of her marriage and Phyllis helps her figure things out; Leo also talks to Phyllis (I wish we could have seen this on the page) and gets a clue. Brooke and Leo are able to find each other again and communicate, so I felt good about their relationship by the end.
What I really had trouble with was the treatment of the OW, Leo's widowed sister-in-law. I liked that Miranda Lee went for something different from the classic virtuous heroine vs evil slut OW, but something about her story bothered me a lot.
March 23, 2022
I almost stopped reading this in the beginning, when we meet the heroine's chain-smoking, extremely "feminist," man-hating mother, but I'm glad I didn't - turns out Mom was more than a little bit right (maybe the best choice for her brilliant twenty-two-year-old daughter was not dropping out of any education and marrying the much older Italian millionaire who'd knocked her up after a month of dating, at least not if she wanted to be allowed to exercise her brain), and while Brooke and Leo have a mostly happy marriage, his chauvinism and her determination to be a Good (and undemanding) Wife have led them to a toxic place in their marriage. This is basically a HQ Presents novel that takes place after the usual HQ Presents slaps a HEA on things. And it does a good job! I find Lee can be fairly uneven but this was a good outing from her.
April 11, 2021
3.5 stars. I loved the show down at the end. This was a typical lack of communication story trope.
May 19, 2021
Great story of growth in a marriage
The people who rated this so low must not have read the whole story. It's about a coming of age of a woman trying not to be like her bitter, feminist mother so you represses her aggression to try to have the perfect marriage. Once challenged she begins to fight back and creates a more passionate and loving union where she can be herself. I love that this story is about a married couple and the challenges they face and keeping the passion alive.
The people who rated this so low must not have read the whole story. It's about a coming of age of a woman trying not to be like her bitter, feminist mother so you represses her aggression to try to have the perfect marriage. Once challenged she begins to fight back and creates a more passionate and loving union where she can be herself. I love that this story is about a married couple and the challenges they face and keeping the passion alive.
February 14, 2023
This is a story of two people who married in haste. Brooke became pregnant with the first week of meeting Leo. He was Italian visiting Sydney Australia. They have been married 5 years when his brother dies. While back in Italy for the funeral she over hears that Leo and his sister-in-law were once engaged. Now this is where misunderstandings start. She does not confront him at first. So there is heart ache. I have read and loved many of Miranda Lee's books. This is one I have read before and will read again.
October 27, 2019
So much misunderstanding. Halfway through the book I was at 2 - 3 stars. I know the ending was supposed to make you understand the story line but that part was horrible. I loved the fact that Leonardo loved her so much but the idiot should have told her right from the start of their marriage. I would love to watch their kids grow up.
February 9, 2021
A marriage that could have been in trouble, but wasn’t. These two love each other. She overhears a conversation between her in-laws and it casts all sorts of shadows over their relationship. There’s eventually a confrontation over something from his past.
March 15, 2023
3.5 Stars
Marriage-in-trouble stories are my catnip (or more specifically, stories where the relationship started before the book begins, including 'mistress-but-not-wife-yet', 'relationship-amnesia', 'MOC-but-now-its-time-for-next-level', and other variations) so a book literally titled "Marriage in Peril" = automatic must read.
I love a story where H/h are already together and have to work through issues because of the inherent angst in those kinds of stories.
This one is no exception when it comes to angst.
H/h are married for 5 years and have two young kids. H's brother dies and H begins working extra long hours to get dead brother's affairs in order because apparently his business was a mess. The brother left a wife (no children) who is in no position to get the business matters in order so H is willing to help out.
The story begins when H is out late working again and h goes outside on their home's upper terrace to get some air and she overhears her MIL and FIL (who are on the terrace below) speaking that they're worried that H is not actually working but spending time with his brother's widow because it turns out that he was once engaged to her and it ended when he caught her in bed with the brother but that he has been in love with her ever since.
The heroine is in shock and decides to see for herself by driving to OW's house (this is a very unusual thing for h to do because she is normally shy, agreeable and sweet - not one to confront anything). She sees her husband's car outside OW's house and she freaks out but drives home without confronting them.
Hero returns some time later (around midnight-ish or later) and she pounces on him in bed and then cries.
The story picks up from there.
Marriage-in-trouble stories are my catnip (or more specifically, stories where the relationship started before the book begins, including 'mistress-but-not-wife-yet', 'relationship-amnesia', 'MOC-but-now-its-time-for-next-level', and other variations) so a book literally titled "Marriage in Peril" = automatic must read.
I love a story where H/h are already together and have to work through issues because of the inherent angst in those kinds of stories.
This one is no exception when it comes to angst.
H/h are married for 5 years and have two young kids. H's brother dies and H begins working extra long hours to get dead brother's affairs in order because apparently his business was a mess. The brother left a wife (no children) who is in no position to get the business matters in order so H is willing to help out.
The story begins when H is out late working again and h goes outside on their home's upper terrace to get some air and she overhears her MIL and FIL (who are on the terrace below) speaking that they're worried that H is not actually working but spending time with his brother's widow because it turns out that he was once engaged to her and it ended when he caught her in bed with the brother but that he has been in love with her ever since.
The heroine is in shock and decides to see for herself by driving to OW's house (this is a very unusual thing for h to do because she is normally shy, agreeable and sweet - not one to confront anything). She sees her husband's car outside OW's house and she freaks out but drives home without confronting them.
Hero returns some time later (around midnight-ish or later) and she pounces on him in bed and then cries.
The story picks up from there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2025
This is one of my favorite marriage in trouble stories! They have 2 adorable kids and everything is fine until the heroine hears a conversation between her MIL and FIL and her world shatters. She thinks her husband is having an affair with his recently widowed SIL and she wants revenge on the hero. She seduces him into having fantastic sex and the next day she is freezing him cold! Hero is puzzled with her attitude and wonders what's wrong with the heroine. Instead of confronting the hero she has a tantrum and is rude to him. Along with her suspicions they are having troubles in bed because instead of telling her husband no when she is tired she let's him make love to her and feigns her orgasms. I like the hero more than the heroine of this book he atelast tries to solve their problems by talking with the heroine. She in return is secretive and spies on him until she finds him with his SIL and then the truth is revealed. The hero was just helping the SIL with her traumatic life. Finally all the misunderstanding gets cleared and all is well!
December 9, 2025
I find Brooke quite insufferable and superficial.
She sleeps with and lies to a man she has only just met, fails to mention she is not on any form of birth control, and honestly, it is rather grim to go to bed with a stranger without any protection, no matter how attractive they might be.
She also calls her sister-in-law, Francesca, a ‘weak kind of woman’, timid and without personality, which is ironic because Brooke behaves like a complete doormat up until she learns about Leo and Francesca’s past and starts suspecting an affair. Her whole identity seems to revolve around pleasing her husband in the hope of avoiding the kind of marriage(s) her mother had. Her character description in the novel is very standard, which only makes her behaviour feel even more flat.
That said, the novel itself is quite good, and Leo is far less chauvinistic than the usual Harlequin heroes. The bar is low, but still... (shrugs)
She sleeps with and lies to a man she has only just met, fails to mention she is not on any form of birth control, and honestly, it is rather grim to go to bed with a stranger without any protection, no matter how attractive they might be.
She also calls her sister-in-law, Francesca, a ‘weak kind of woman’, timid and without personality, which is ironic because Brooke behaves like a complete doormat up until she learns about Leo and Francesca’s past and starts suspecting an affair. Her whole identity seems to revolve around pleasing her husband in the hope of avoiding the kind of marriage(s) her mother had. Her character description in the novel is very standard, which only makes her behaviour feel even more flat.
That said, the novel itself is quite good, and Leo is far less chauvinistic than the usual Harlequin heroes. The bar is low, but still... (shrugs)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2025
Quick and entertaining read
The title really summarizes what this story is all about. MCs are about to reach their 5 year wedding anniversary somewhat content in their four person family. While on a trip to Italy, FMC overhears her in-laws talking about her husband's relationship with his recently widowed sister in law/former fiance, and of course she starts to question every aspect of their relationship. Definitely filled my need for a somewhat dramatic marriage in trouble story with some miscommunication to fuel a bit more drama. I also loved the FMCs man hating mother, she surprisingly brought a lot of clarity to their issues.
The title really summarizes what this story is all about. MCs are about to reach their 5 year wedding anniversary somewhat content in their four person family. While on a trip to Italy, FMC overhears her in-laws talking about her husband's relationship with his recently widowed sister in law/former fiance, and of course she starts to question every aspect of their relationship. Definitely filled my need for a somewhat dramatic marriage in trouble story with some miscommunication to fuel a bit more drama. I also loved the FMCs man hating mother, she surprisingly brought a lot of clarity to their issues.
November 2, 2025
Really enjoyed
This was a really enjoyable story. the characters were good and the story was good. I loved the children. They were so precious! I'm glad To know he was never cheating. They were able to have some really important conversations. I'm not sure the twist needed to be that horrific but it was not something I saw coming
This was a really enjoyable story. the characters were good and the story was good. I loved the children. They were so precious! I'm glad To know he was never cheating. They were able to have some really important conversations. I'm not sure the twist needed to be that horrific but it was not something I saw coming
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