Saturday, December 19, 2009

Review -- Blackmailed Bride, Inexperienced Wife

Blackmailed Bride, Inexperienced Wife by Annie West
Publisher: Harlequin Presents Extra
Release Date: December 1, 2009






Alissa Scott needs money. A lot of money and fast. Her sister requires a life-saving medical treatment and Alissa will do anything to help – including getting married. In order to inherit (and then sell) the Sicilian castle left by her despicable grandfather upon his death, she must marry within a certain timeframe and stay married for at least six months. After arriving at the courthouse, she discovers that her intended groom-to-be is nowhere to be seen. And then she realizes why -- Dario Parisi, the arrogant man her grandfather had wanted her to marry for years, paid him off and is there to wed her himself!

Sicilian playboy and wealthy tycoon Dario Parisi has waited a long time to reclaim the castello stolen from his family years ago. The only way to get it back is to marry the deceased man’s scandalous granddaughter. A six month marriage in name only should be easy, right? Dario finds out just how wrong he is. Not only does he find out that his initial assessment of Alissa is way off the mark, he also stumbles upon something he had not expected to find: love.

I enjoyed Blackmailed Bride, Inexperienced Wife, though it took me quite a while to warm up to Dario. From the onset, his character is an arrogant jerk – and I’m fine with that as many heroes I’ve read have started out the same – but I did not expect it to take until almost halfway through the story before I started to like him. When I did finally click with him, the story flowed really well and I couldn’t put it down! Now, Alissa was a character that I connected with right from the start. She’s smart, determined, and thinks of others – just my kind of heroine. Dario and Alissa had to very work for their HEA and get past all of the preconceived notions they had of each other – and in the process, they discovered that they had much in common. So, despite the difficulty I had with Dario at the beginning, Blackmailed Bride, Inexperienced Wife is a satisfying read that I recommend.

I have a signed copy of the Australian version of this book, Blackmailed Bride, Innocent Wife, to give away to one lucky commenter living within the United States!

~Andrea

12 comments:

  1. Good review, Andrea. I like your honesty. Maybe part of the reason Dario was so difficult to like was because he was fighting his attraction for Alissa that he didn't recognize as attraction, so he was a jerk? Does that make sense? What made you like Dario, finally? I haven't read BBIW, but look forward to picking it up and reading it.

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  2. Thanks for the review and I don't mind the hero who is a jerk as long as his turn around is convincing.

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  3. Morning, Deb! From my perspective, Dario knows darn well he's attracted to Alissa but he doesn't want to be. Without giving away too much of the story, every experience he's had with her grandfather has shown him that he's dealing with a ruthless family with no honor. What he's been told about Alissa, and what he's observed before meeting her, have only reinforced that belief. Of course, there's more to the story than what he thinks is the truth but pride and his own life experiences stand in the way of him getting past what he's believed for so long.

    I'll be interested in hearing what finally changed Andrea's mind about him.

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  4. Thanks, ladies. I tried not to give away too much of the story because the reader finds out much later in the story why Dario is the way he is. The scene that softened me towards him was when he happened upon Alissa and his gardner's twin daughters at the beach. Interactions with kids always get me!

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  6. I too loved this book great review Andrea. Dario was a tough hero in the begining wasn't he but I came to love him and this story.

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  7. Thanks, Helen. Yes, Dario was a tough hero at the beginning, but he finally won me over! :)

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  8. I like too that you are upfront with the initial drawbacks of the Hero's personality, the fact he ultimately won you over speaks volumes for the depth of the story and the great writing!
    This book is on my wish list!

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  9. Great review Andrea! I hope I have time someday to read all of these books!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  10. Thanks, Drew and Buffie. I hope y'all enjoy it!

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  11. Thank you for the review.... It will be interesting to find out with brings them together in the end. =)

    Jessica

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