Customer Reviews

The Italian's Suitable Wife: Italian Husbands (Harlequin Presents)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Enrico DiRinaldi was left paralyzed after he saved a woman from being mugged. Despite his paralysis, which may be either temporary or permanent, he wants to have a family of his own. So, after playing his friend Gianna Lakewood and his fiancee Chiara off of one another, he dumps the heartless Chiara and proposes marriage to Gianna. Despite his marriage proposal, there is no love involved in this match on his part. But is that good enough for Gianna?

Gianna Lakewood has loved Rico since she was a young girl, and she rushed to his beside when he was in the hospital, unlike his fiancee. She'd love to marry him and have his children, but he had never looked at her that way. To him, she was only the daughter of his mother's best friend, a sisterly sort of girl, not a desirable woman. So when Rico proposes marriage to her, she's shocked to say the least, but she says yes because it's like a dream come true - except Rico doesn't love her. Can she be satisfied with a loveless marriage, or can she change Rico's heart?

Well, I thought this book was going to be better than it actually was. I didn't like Rico or Gianna. Rico was a complete jerk and treated Gianna like she wasn't worth hardly anything to him. Not only did he order her around constantly, ask her embarrassing questions in front of other people, act like a Neanderthal when it came to her sharing a hotel suite with his brother because she couldn't afford a hotel room of her own, but he was just plain rude. He would say and do the most hurtful things to Gianna, and then just excuse it because he was in a temper. I'm sorry, that is NOT a good excuse. And when he flirted with the flight attendant on the flight back to Italy, mere hours after marrying Gianna, because he didn't think Gianna was paying enough attention to him - it just showed what an immature jerk he was, and sad to say, he didn't do much growing up in the book at all.

Gianna was a doormat. She let Rico walk all over her in the name of her love for him. She let him say hateful things to her. She let him use her to make his fiancee jealous. She didn't stand up to either Rico or Chiara when they were accusing her of trying to break them up while Rico was in the hospital. She NEVER stood up to Chiara and just let the other woman use her as a punching bag. Gianna spent much of the book whining because Rico didn't love her, but saying that she'd rather live with him in a loveless marriage than be out of his life for good. Please. She needed to grow a backbone. Unfortunately, she never did, either. So, basically, if you like a spineless heroine and a caveman hero, this is the book for you. If you like a heroine with just an ounce of courage, read something else.

Based on the recap on the back, this book had a great setup: paralyzed hero, nasty ex-fiance, adoring heroine. But I found the story disappointing. Rico's sudden sexual interest in Gianna was much too abrubt of a change and never convincing and Gianna was a bit too much of a wimp. Also, the last confrontation with Chiara was off-page, so we couldn't even enjoy Chiara's comeuppance.

Lucy Monroe has written yet another keeper! THE ITALIAN'S SUITABLE WIFE combines the best of traditional-Presents Alpha Male with a modern sensibility that lifts it above and beyond the expected. Rico and Gianna are both strong, passionate people who find love in a thoroughly satisfying novel. And Ms. Monroe isn't shy about exploring sensitive issues such as paralysis and fertility treatments, bringing a traditional storyline into the 21st century. Give this book a try and you won't be disappointed!

The Italian's Suitable Wife has the intense alpha male and the fiercely independent woman that are hallmarks of Lucy Monroe books.

Gianna Lakewood has always been in love with Enrico Di Rinaldo. When Rico is seriously injured, Gianna doesn't hesitate to rush to his side.

Enrico had decided prior to his accident that it was time to get married, he became engaged to a super model. When his is paralyzed it's not his fiancée who he turns to for comfort and strength, it's Gianna.

As Rico proposes marriage to Gianna after his fiancée dumps him but neither knows the others true feelings. Rico and Gianna share a passion and a love that is all consuming and will touch your soul.

The Italian's Suitable wife is a beautifully written story. You feel like you know these characters inside and out. It's very emotional, funny and sexy. Lucy Monroe has another winner on her hands.

Enrico, Rico to his friends was the super rich, gorgeous Italian alpha male who saving a lady from being mugged was shot and hit by a car...already you have to love this guy. Geanna was in love with Rico since she was practically a child, and she was the first to arrive at his bedside and stayed at his bedside day and night. This was very unlike his fiance Chiara the model who stayed in her hotel sleeping. During the nights Geanna held his hand and told him how much she loved him, and it was touching. Somehow it was just flat, and I don't know why but I never warmed up to Rico. I guess it bothered me that he was engaged to that stick figure with no soul, and then he dumped her. Yes he did end up with Geanna but there was very little conflict I thought it was a little boring. I kept waiting for something to happen, but nada.

I thought this story was going to be bad, based on some of the reviews here, but I was wrong. This story was wonderful, the heroine is not a doormat, and the hero is a jerk sometimes but I have read worse. All-in-all if you want to read a sweet story, then this one is it!

Rico stole my heart. This man was such a powerful character and oozed sexual charm. Waiting, waiting was Gia whose love ran so pure and deep. This was an incredible love story, one I read more than once.

I'm listing this under historical-fiction because one of the leads uses a modem.

You know what I liked about this book? Monroe wrote some pretty horrible archetypal couple that fans of romance always bitch about but no one really writes anymore; the totally cold and should-call-the-police-on hero and pussy heroine. It was so old school cliche that it totally came off as avant-garde to me. I knew what was going to happen but I was interested in seeing how these characters go about it.

It's one of the FEW of these little romance novels I could ever finish.