Customer Reviews

Marchese's Forgotten Bride (Harlequin Presents)

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

 

 

Alessandro and Cassie had met six years before he showed up at her job as the new owner of that corporation and the minute he saw her across the room sparks started flying. Cassie and Alessandro had fallen in love and into bed within two weeks of meeting and when Sandro as she called him went to meet him family to tell them about her and didn't return she was devastated. She was also pregnant with twins and when she called him on his cell and he said he didn't know her, didn't want to know her and not to bother him again, well I don't know if I could just forgive that if he just walked back into my life. What Cassie didn't know was that he had been in a terrible accident and almost died but he really never forgot her and it's so clear from the moment he saw her at the party. From then on he didn't stop chasing her and just showing her how much he still loved and wanted her and the kids. He was controlling and arrogant and was just not going to give up on her no matter what. When I read the previous review I had already bought this book and it was just sitting in my kindle because I didn't want to read it - the reviewer made the hero sound terrible, but he was not. I think he was wonderful and Cassie raised those two kids by herself and had every right to be afraid to trust him again. I loved this book and I'm going to read it again and I recommend it highly.

Six years ago our heroine, Cassie, met the hero Sandro Rossi. He was great and wonderful and after two weeks they finally made love. The next day he had to go to Italy but he asked her to marry him and said he'd only be gone a couple of days. The days turned into weeks. Scared of what that meant, Cassie called him and left text messages over and over. Finally, after 2 months, she finds out she's pregnant. Desperately scared, she calls him again and this time he answers. What does he say? I don't know you, I don't want to know you, don't ever call me again.


This is the background of our hero and heroine. Turns out the hero went to Italy and that same day was in a car crash that wiped out his memory of the last six weeks.

Years later the hero and heroine meet again when he takes over the business that she works at, but he's going by a different name now, that of Alessandro Marchese. Cassie finds out about the memory loss and Alessandro finds out about his twin children. While Cassie realizes that his story and her time frame don't add up, he's busy making good with her children and forcing her into marriage.


There were many little sub-plots that weren't even bothered to be fleshed out. From the guy at the company that hated women, to Alessandro's Pandora and further on. While we start out getting some good POV with Alessandro, as soon as his memory comes back to him, we only get the brief glimpses because what he remembered we weren't supposed to know except in small parts.

Possibly getting the entire story from start to finish through Alessandro's point of view would have made me..like him at least. But as it is, the half explanations and the waiting before letting another bit of information slip out just really made the whole thing make no sense. My final thought of him is that he was a jerk who didn't want to take responsibility for anything he'd done so he just pushed everything he didn't want to face aside and went on like nothing had happened.

Cassie was also someone who was not my favorite. Her reactions to the truth about Alessandro were unbelievable. It was like she was putting on a show to pretend she was a nice and wonderful person when she really didn't care. If she'd behaved more selfishly I could have felt sympathy for her character but I didn't.


And to just top off the badness of the book, the heroine refused to tell the hero that she loved him until he said it first. Finally he tells her, doesn't this prove my feelings and she says, fine then, I love you. The hero NEVER says it. I wouldn't have even noticed except it was a big thing in the book. I thought maybe after that little bit he'd say it back, but NO.


This book left me slightly depressed, but it's still better than the last big flop written by Michelle Reid. Her style of writing is generally good but her ability to make me feel the connection between the main characters seems to be fading out. Hopefully her next book will be better.

Six years ago Cassie Janus had met and fallen in love with Sandro Rossi. They spend two weeks falling in love and then sealing the deal with one night of unforgettable passion. . . well at least for Cassie. The next day Sandro told Cassie he would be back. They were planning on marrying and he was going home to tell his family. Only he never came back! Cassie worried about Sandro so she phoned him, texted him all to no avail. Finally after 8 weeks of no word she managed to get through to him and was told, "I don't know you. I don't want to know you. Please don't call this number again." Of course Cassie never contacts that number again but she does come face to face with him six years later at a company function introducing the employees to their new boss . . . Alessandro Marchese or as Cassie knew him, Sandro Rossi.

This was a new spin on the amnesia story. Okay maybe not so new. This time the hero was the one that suffered and I just couldn't help thinking how when the heroine suffered it didn't matter to the hero, he was never very compassionate towards her and still struck out and hurt her, it didn't matter that she couldn't remember him. When Sandro remembers Cassie he doesn't tell her that he knows. He is trying to manipulate her into marrying him and then he will reveal what he knows to her. He wants her and their twin children for life. He wants them "safely" married before he reveals all to her, but he keeps telling her to trust him. Why should she when he abandoned her six years ago? When she discovers the truth she wants to know why he lied to her. He claims that he didn't but technically he did as he didn't tell her when he remembered her. Why did he forget her? Guilt, he felt guilty.

My problems: I get that he could feel a lot of guilt about Cassie and all but suddenly his conscience vanishes when he decides he wants her for a wife and he blackmails her, manipulates her, and uses their children to get what he wants; the whole deleting of her messages and texts to him 6 years ago bothered me to. I felt that if someone truly wanted to find out about that missing time they wouldn't destroy a link like that. They would search for it and question what was going on; then you have the fact that he is so rich, he has already gotten rid of the texts and messages and maybe that was guilt at the time that helped him to delete those from his cell phone, but he could have hired private investigators later to help him unravel the mystery, but he didn't. Also since he is so rich wouldn't he be newsworthy? While Facebook was actually mentioned in this story apparently there was no mention of Alessandro's previous engagement announcement, the accident that took his memory and fiancée, as well as the news of his coma?

I generally like Michelle Reid and I read a few reviews that stated that this was not one of her better stories. I went ahead and bought the book and I have to agree with the reviewers.

The hero does not have much to recommend him. The reason he forgot the heroine does nothing to make him appear like a good relationship prospect, and he doesn't do much to redeem himself throughout the story. Not once does he utter the phrase "I love you" to this woman. He hounds her and manipulates her and she kept falling all over herself for him when he didn't even respect her enough to be honest with her.

The heroine came off as pathetic, needy, and spineless. It has a few steamy scenes, but they just serve to make the heroine appear to have the self control of a horny teenager.

I'm all for love conquers all and forgives all, but at least make the guy work for it a little.

i love Michelle Reid's writing style, yet this one didn't exactly "draw me in".

Michelle Reid has a very engaging prose style, and the heroine, Cassie, was very easy to relate to. The hero, Sandro, was a well-written character too ... but ...

Here's the thing: Sandro wasn't exactly my type.

So, i kept on reading, almost the way i would listen to a girlfriend talk about boyfriend troubles, especially in a case where i personally wouldn't find her type of man attractive, yet i still love her, and cherish her friendship, so i listen and care out of friendship.

That's kind of the way i read this book. It was very easy to care about Cassie, but while i was impressed by Sandro (rich, intelligent, strong, etc.), there was something about his character that just didn't "grab me". i liked him well enough as a person, but i would never fall in love with that "type" of man.

Sometimes if a romance novel just isn't "drawing me in", and it's clearly because the hero just isn't "doing it" for me, then i won't finish the book. This time, it was different, because i did care about Cassie, and i was interested in knowing how things turned out for her.

So, in that sense, it was a satisfying ending. Cassie was truly a good person, and i wanted her to be happy. i could relate to her; i just didn't find "Sandro" to be much more than a somewhat interesting character.

So, i do recommend this book; Michelle Reid is a gifted writer of romance novels, and i love her work. i'm always looking forward to a new title from her!

I can't say enough about this book. It's one of the best I've read. But coming from Michelle Reid I wouldn't expect anything less. Suffice it to say if you want to read a real love story then this is the one. The hero is magnificent. I wish I could find someone like him. Enough said.

This book reminds me why I love reading harlequins! Lots of emotion, drama, and sweeping romance.