REVIEW: Not Just a Convenient Marriage by Lucy Gordon

Not Just a Convenient Marriage by Lucy Gordon: Damiano was content as a single father – not happy, not sad – just content. Until he met Sally Franklin. Okay, so his son’s dog Toby met Sally first, but it was fate. Toby loved her, Pietro loved her, and he was mesmerized. It had been a very long time since he’d met someone that he’d been able to talk to. That had understood him without explanation. A woman that loved his son and could tolerate him as well. Now to convince her to stay…

The trip to Venice was an opportunity for Sally to get her brother away from London and all the temptations it held for him. She’d raised him alone after their parent’s death, and recently – even though he was an adult now – she’d been covering his mounting gambling debts. Escaping for a while seemed like a distraction that would keep Charlie busy enough to stop his recklessness, even temporarily.

Sally didn’t count on Damiano and Pietro Ferrone. A pawprinted jacket was a small price to pay in order to be charmed by the little man and his father. When part of Charlie’s past resurfaced in front of the Ferrone’s, they were kind enough to help without question, and after a fruitless prideful struggle, she realized she could use his help.

As it got closer to time for Sally and Charlie to depart and return home, Damiano realized that he had to convince her to stay. He pulled out all the stops. Charlie would have a job and some responsibility – along with supervision from plenty of people to keep him in line. Pietro loved her, and she him – it would break his heart, and hers, if she left. And most of all, marriage to him – which would secure her future, and allow her to stay and have a family.

But would Damiano ever be free of demons from his past? Pietro loved Sally, yes – but there was still some mistrust from abandonment issues. She had to overcome that as well. And then there was the whole feelings thing to worry about. What were they, and how would they be dealt with? Damiano would be a hard nut to crack, but Sally might be the one to break through the masks he wears. And perhaps in doing so, she’ll see which of her masks are truly her as well.

I quite enjoyed this story, although I never really got used to the style in which it was written. I found it to be a bit overly-dramatic for my taste, but I know there are many people that prefer that style of writing – so to each their own in that case.

I’d like to talk about the various pairings in the book. The relationship between Sally and Pietro was charming and adorable, and I LOVED it from start to finish. Mario and Charlie was a great bromance, Pietro and Domiano – cute, but also slightly strained, and Toby & Sally were PERFECT!

Now, let’s talk about our main characters. I have to say, I just wasn’t feeling it through a lot of the book. I felt like they had a very strong friendship, but I thought the love part kinda came out of nowhere instead of building. Again, just my opinion here – you might have your own. There wasn’t much of the relationship from Damiano’s perspective, and that may have been a part of the disconnect.

Not a bad read, just not my bag. Written very well – worth it for Pietro, Toby, and Sally alone. 🙂

Book Info:

Published August 1st 2014 by Harlequin Romance Series #4436

Wedded in Venice…

Starting again is meant to be the purpose of Sally Franklin’s trip to Venice. Not finding herself spontaneously married to enigmatically handsome Damiano Ferrone! Maybe it was the magic of Venice or simply Damiano’s captivating good looks that made his proposal impossible to resist!

Damiano needs the perfect mother for his little boy–and a marriage of the utmost convenience. But before long Damiano is seeing Sally in a whole new light and realizing he’s got a lot more than he bargained for…a wife for real!