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Rendezvous in Venice
She had been jilted, but she'd survive...
Shelagh tried to treat her predicament with bravado. Arriving in Italy on the eve of her wedding, she'd learned of Camillo's desertion.
Their holiday romance had blossomed quickly, but in spite of Camillo's objection, Shelagh had agreed with his father. Cesare Barsini, that they should wait.
Now it seemed she had waited too long. She contemplated a lonely future. Then Cesare offered a solution. "If you could accept me instead of my son, there can still be a wedding."
Shelagh tried to treat her predicament with bravado. Arriving in Italy on the eve of her wedding, she'd learned of Camillo's desertion.
Their holiday romance had blossomed quickly, but in spite of Camillo's objection, Shelagh had agreed with his father. Cesare Barsini, that they should wait.
Now it seemed she had waited too long. She contemplated a lonely future. Then Cesare offered a solution. "If you could accept me instead of my son, there can still be a wedding."
188 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
About the author
Elizabeth Ashton
102 books18 followersElizabeth Ashton was a British writer of romance novels to Mills & Boon from 1969 to 1990.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 10, 2024
Quick, everyone get into your shelter! You are about to experience a tsunami of tackiness wrapped in an avalanche atop a trainwreck.
Heroine is an old-fashioned, prim and proper, virginal, convent-bred English girl but with the looks of a sexpot. While on holiday in Venice, she naively falls in insta love with a handsome but totally worthless young Italian, the OM of this story. After trying his best to get her into bed for a hot holiday fling, OM eventually proposes to her cause he realizes that there is no other way this proper young virgin is going to fall for his dubious charms. The OM’s conservative, aristocratic dad is horrified by this mesalliance between his heir and some nobody he’s met for five seconds. He tries to warn the heroine off but doesn’t succeed. He begrudgingly gives them his blessing, but with the condition that they must have a long engagement.
Heroine returns to England to get her trousseau together. OM visits her during Christmas and tries to get some pre-marital nookie but she is still a no-go. He goes back home angry but heroine thinks he will cool off by the time she joins him there for their impending nuptials. Well, she was right that he cooled off....like completely. To her dismay, she finds out upon arrival at her fiancé’s home that he jilted her for an older, American tourist who whisked him off to the US as her kept boy-toy.
The jilted heroine goes into hysterics to which her solicitous almost-father-in-law responds by slapping her silly (slap number one of the story). We all know what this means: Her would-be father-in-law is actually the hero of this piece! Only hunky Alpha heroes get to slap Harlequin heroines and have them fall irrevocably in love with them, n’est-ce pas???
Sure enough, the slapper proposes a marriage of convenience supposedly so they can both save face and the honour of his ancient noble family after his son shamed her by jilting her. Hero was already married twice and both times widowed so he is not looking for love or any complications. This is an arrangement that is suitable for him and nothing else: He has a young daughter from marriage #2 that he needs a nanny for, plus he misses having a trophy society hostess wife to make the rounds of his social calendar. Heroine will fit the bill nicely and will be adequately recompensed with a lavish lifestyle that she otherwise could never have aspired to back in her grotty English bedsit with her nine to five job and steady diet of beans in toast.
For some reason, Heroine agrees to go from son to father, but with the condition that the marriage won't be consummated because her heart is irrevocably broken and she will never ever ever ever EVER love another man. Cue to five minutes after the wedding and YES, you guessed it, she has fallen in lust/love with hero. But since she thinks he doesn't want her, she mopes around miserably and pretends to give him the cold shoulder.
Heroine is not much of a success, either as a wife, as a nanny to the demon spawn from hell stepdaughter, or as a socialite. Despite her efforts to learn Italian and dress in dowdy, conservative clothes in order to fit in with her husband's older social set, she fails miserably. As a result of heroine's constant blunders and increasingly off-putting moods, hero spends more and more time with his recently widowed "old" friend, the OW of this tale, who is no old lady at all but the still fresh and luscious trophy widow of one of hero's oldest and closest friends.
The heroine sits meekly by while the Black Widow slowly, brazenly and rudely usurps heroine's role as wife to hero and mom to hero's daughter. Heroine eventually catches her husband and the Black Widow in a steamy embrace in hero's home office, with OW's dress halfway unbuttoned. Hero has the gall to tell his wife that OW has fainted and he was simply giving her his assistance. What a comedian!
After some more moping, Heroine finally confronts hero with her suspicions about his affair with the OW. Hero doesn't deny it at all and instead he blames heroine's shortcomings as a wife and tells her she isn't fit to wipe the OW's shoes.
Meanwhile, the gigolo OM, who now is technically the heroine’s stepson, gets back from the US and seeks out the heroine. Heroine thinks it is a great idea to accept his invitation for a coffee so he can apologize for jilting her. According to him, he jilted her for her own good because he wanted to become a famous actor and strike it rich in America before returning to her. But since he failed at his glam Hollywood career, he is now asking the heroine to convince hero to welcome him back into the bosom (and presumably the bank vaults) of the family.
After this brilliant explanation, heroine lets the gigolo kiss her, in full view of the gossipy town. The OW and hero happen to drive by EXACTLY AT THAT MOMENT leading the hero to conclude his wife is cheating on him with some random man (he didn’t recognize his own son lol). Upon her return home, hero greets heroine with slap number two of this story, lots of slut shaming, and a rape attempt. Apparently what’s good for the goose is NOT good for the gander in his book. It’s alright that he’s having an affair with the Black Widow and humiliating his wife. But it’s not alright for her to be having an affair with a "young jackanapes" under his nose. Fortunately, his rape attempt is interrupted by the police knocking down his door to let him know that his son crashed his car and is dead.
There is an elaborate funeral and more consoling of the distraught father (the one who couldn't even recognize his own son, threw him out of his life and married his jilted fiancee) by the slimy Black Widow. The demon spawn from hell is wondering aloud why everyone is making all this fuss since in reality, noone, including herself, liked her brother much when he was alive.
Finally, the author had to conclude the book so she has the hero kicking the OW out of his life because to marry "for a fourth time" would be ridiculous. (memo to OW: vintage Harlequin heroes never marry their mistresses DUH!) He then accuses the heroine of having pushed his son to commit suicide by jilting him. (Don't ask, if you haven't left your logic at the door by now, I can't help you).
The heroine vociferously protests the truth, which is that the hero's son was a worthless narcissist who would never kill himself over a woman since the only person he ever loved was himself. His death was an accident, not a suicide. The heroine knows what love is and it isn't the thin infatuation she felt for her ex-fiance, it is the desperate feeling she has for the hero and since he doesn't love her, she will leave him but she will never ever ever ever EVER love another man again.
Hero triumphantly tells her that he loves her too and that his latest accusation (invoking his freshly dead son) was just a trick to get her to confess once and for all that she was well and truly over his (freshly dead) son and that hero would have a chance to win her love.
I challenge you to find a tackier story than this!!!
Heroine is an old-fashioned, prim and proper, virginal, convent-bred English girl but with the looks of a sexpot. While on holiday in Venice, she naively falls in insta love with a handsome but totally worthless young Italian, the OM of this story. After trying his best to get her into bed for a hot holiday fling, OM eventually proposes to her cause he realizes that there is no other way this proper young virgin is going to fall for his dubious charms. The OM’s conservative, aristocratic dad is horrified by this mesalliance between his heir and some nobody he’s met for five seconds. He tries to warn the heroine off but doesn’t succeed. He begrudgingly gives them his blessing, but with the condition that they must have a long engagement.
Heroine returns to England to get her trousseau together. OM visits her during Christmas and tries to get some pre-marital nookie but she is still a no-go. He goes back home angry but heroine thinks he will cool off by the time she joins him there for their impending nuptials. Well, she was right that he cooled off....like completely. To her dismay, she finds out upon arrival at her fiancé’s home that he jilted her for an older, American tourist who whisked him off to the US as her kept boy-toy.
The jilted heroine goes into hysterics to which her solicitous almost-father-in-law responds by slapping her silly (slap number one of the story). We all know what this means: Her would-be father-in-law is actually the hero of this piece! Only hunky Alpha heroes get to slap Harlequin heroines and have them fall irrevocably in love with them, n’est-ce pas???
Sure enough, the slapper proposes a marriage of convenience supposedly so they can both save face and the honour of his ancient noble family after his son shamed her by jilting her. Hero was already married twice and both times widowed so he is not looking for love or any complications. This is an arrangement that is suitable for him and nothing else: He has a young daughter from marriage #2 that he needs a nanny for, plus he misses having a trophy society hostess wife to make the rounds of his social calendar. Heroine will fit the bill nicely and will be adequately recompensed with a lavish lifestyle that she otherwise could never have aspired to back in her grotty English bedsit with her nine to five job and steady diet of beans in toast.
For some reason, Heroine agrees to go from son to father, but with the condition that the marriage won't be consummated because her heart is irrevocably broken and she will never ever ever ever EVER love another man. Cue to five minutes after the wedding and YES, you guessed it, she has fallen in lust/love with hero. But since she thinks he doesn't want her, she mopes around miserably and pretends to give him the cold shoulder.
Heroine is not much of a success, either as a wife, as a nanny to the demon spawn from hell stepdaughter, or as a socialite. Despite her efforts to learn Italian and dress in dowdy, conservative clothes in order to fit in with her husband's older social set, she fails miserably. As a result of heroine's constant blunders and increasingly off-putting moods, hero spends more and more time with his recently widowed "old" friend, the OW of this tale, who is no old lady at all but the still fresh and luscious trophy widow of one of hero's oldest and closest friends.
The heroine sits meekly by while the Black Widow slowly, brazenly and rudely usurps heroine's role as wife to hero and mom to hero's daughter. Heroine eventually catches her husband and the Black Widow in a steamy embrace in hero's home office, with OW's dress halfway unbuttoned. Hero has the gall to tell his wife that OW has fainted and he was simply giving her his assistance. What a comedian!
After some more moping, Heroine finally confronts hero with her suspicions about his affair with the OW. Hero doesn't deny it at all and instead he blames heroine's shortcomings as a wife and tells her she isn't fit to wipe the OW's shoes.
Meanwhile, the gigolo OM, who now is technically the heroine’s stepson, gets back from the US and seeks out the heroine. Heroine thinks it is a great idea to accept his invitation for a coffee so he can apologize for jilting her. According to him, he jilted her for her own good because he wanted to become a famous actor and strike it rich in America before returning to her. But since he failed at his glam Hollywood career, he is now asking the heroine to convince hero to welcome him back into the bosom (and presumably the bank vaults) of the family.
After this brilliant explanation, heroine lets the gigolo kiss her, in full view of the gossipy town. The OW and hero happen to drive by EXACTLY AT THAT MOMENT leading the hero to conclude his wife is cheating on him with some random man (he didn’t recognize his own son lol). Upon her return home, hero greets heroine with slap number two of this story, lots of slut shaming, and a rape attempt. Apparently what’s good for the goose is NOT good for the gander in his book. It’s alright that he’s having an affair with the Black Widow and humiliating his wife. But it’s not alright for her to be having an affair with a "young jackanapes" under his nose. Fortunately, his rape attempt is interrupted by the police knocking down his door to let him know that his son crashed his car and is dead.
There is an elaborate funeral and more consoling of the distraught father (the one who couldn't even recognize his own son, threw him out of his life and married his jilted fiancee) by the slimy Black Widow. The demon spawn from hell is wondering aloud why everyone is making all this fuss since in reality, noone, including herself, liked her brother much when he was alive.
Finally, the author had to conclude the book so she has the hero kicking the OW out of his life because to marry "for a fourth time" would be ridiculous. (memo to OW: vintage Harlequin heroes never marry their mistresses DUH!) He then accuses the heroine of having pushed his son to commit suicide by jilting him. (Don't ask, if you haven't left your logic at the door by now, I can't help you).
The heroine vociferously protests the truth, which is that the hero's son was a worthless narcissist who would never kill himself over a woman since the only person he ever loved was himself. His death was an accident, not a suicide. The heroine knows what love is and it isn't the thin infatuation she felt for her ex-fiance, it is the desperate feeling she has for the hero and since he doesn't love her, she will leave him but she will never ever ever ever EVER love another man again.
Hero triumphantly tells her that he loves her too and that his latest accusation (invoking his freshly dead son) was just a trick to get her to confess once and for all that she was well and truly over his (freshly dead) son and that hero would have a chance to win her love.
I challenge you to find a tackier story than this!!!
May 18, 2016
Another old school.
Shelagh is on vacation in Venice with her slightly slutty friend when she meets cute Camino who makes the moves on her. He's drawn to her red hair and more prudish ways. Sex is off the table as she was born and raised in a convent, so he woos her and gets approval to marry her from his much yummier, silver at the temples father. Shelagh goes back to London so Camino can get set up in the family business.
The h notices that he is cooling a little, but makes arrangements to come to Venice for the wedding. She finds out from papa that Camino has flown the coop to America with a wealthy American. So, of course, to appease the dishonor his family has inflicted on her Cesare offers to marry her. MOC.
Secondary characters from a younger, cute but bratty daughter and an evil OW come into the story. There is a hint of a backstory involving Shelagh's mother that is interesting but is never picked up again. The bad seed comes back and is much smarmier than when we first meet him.
Why just two stars? The hero goes from a wonderful, charming gentleman that we can assume has fallen in love with the h, but he turns into a snarling, sarcastic ass-hat. The story would have been much nicer if he had slowly wooed her, but it's not my book.
P.S. By the way, she is NEVER as happy as she looks on the cover.
Shelagh is on vacation in Venice with her slightly slutty friend when she meets cute Camino who makes the moves on her. He's drawn to her red hair and more prudish ways. Sex is off the table as she was born and raised in a convent, so he woos her and gets approval to marry her from his much yummier, silver at the temples father. Shelagh goes back to London so Camino can get set up in the family business.
The h notices that he is cooling a little, but makes arrangements to come to Venice for the wedding. She finds out from papa that Camino has flown the coop to America with a wealthy American. So, of course, to appease the dishonor his family has inflicted on her Cesare offers to marry her. MOC.
Secondary characters from a younger, cute but bratty daughter and an evil OW come into the story. There is a hint of a backstory involving Shelagh's mother that is interesting but is never picked up again. The bad seed comes back and is much smarmier than when we first meet him.
Why just two stars? The hero goes from a wonderful, charming gentleman that we can assume has fallen in love with the h, but he turns into a snarling, sarcastic ass-hat. The story would have been much nicer if he had slowly wooed her, but it's not my book.
P.S. By the way, she is NEVER as happy as she looks on the cover.
May 18, 2013
This is an old fashioned romance between an office girl and an older man. Shelagh comes to Venice on holiday with a friend and meets Camillo Barsini, a young reckless Italian boy. Swept off her feet she agrees to come back and marry him but he has gone off with another woman for fame and fortune in America. Enter Cesare, Camillo's father, who offers her marriage. He is distant, aristocratic, twice widowed with a young daughter. It seems like a perfect marriage of convenience.
Enter Beatrice, the voluptuous, very Italian widow of Cesare's business colleague and shy Shelagh knows she can't compete. Along with other misunderstandings resulting from how they met things look very dark indeed.
I've read this book several times and always enjoy it. The naive innocent and the older man is one of my favourite tropes and you simply cannot find it in modern romances. Nowadays heroine's have to be feisty, sexually adventurous and competing with the alpha hero on his own turf. Which is good too in it's own way. But I still enjoy delving into a romance where the greatest and most valuable thing a heroine has to offer is a steadfast love.
Enter Beatrice, the voluptuous, very Italian widow of Cesare's business colleague and shy Shelagh knows she can't compete. Along with other misunderstandings resulting from how they met things look very dark indeed.
I've read this book several times and always enjoy it. The naive innocent and the older man is one of my favourite tropes and you simply cannot find it in modern romances. Nowadays heroine's have to be feisty, sexually adventurous and competing with the alpha hero on his own turf. Which is good too in it's own way. But I still enjoy delving into a romance where the greatest and most valuable thing a heroine has to offer is a steadfast love.
November 18, 2016
I can't help it I love old school Harlequins and this one was very well written. I just wish the hero and heroine had more scenes together and the romance was more fully developed. I thought it was so funny how the hero slaps the heroine like it's no big deal but this is expected when you read 70's or 80's romances. Still I couldn't put it down. 3.5 stars!!
June 18, 2017
There was no romance in this novel
December 19, 2021
This had some of my favorite tropes but the heroine was just too boring.
I'm surprised her personality would keep anyone's attention.
I'm surprised her personality would keep anyone's attention.
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March 11, 2024É uma bosta tão grande.... Fuja.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews