THE ITALIAN'S CHOSEN WIFE

Author: Kate Hewitt ISBN: 0373126980 1/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HARLEQUIN

Wedded for convenience… One minute, waitress Meghan Selby is pouring Alessandro di Agnio's coffee. The next, he's pouring her champagne! Italy's most notorious tycoon has chosen his bride. …Bedded for pleasure! Alessandro expects a proper wife in his bed… with no expectation of love. Meghan seems ideal; her heart off-limits, her eyes full of longing….

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE ITALIAN'S CHOSEN WIFE by Kate Hewitt blends elements of the best of romantic storytelling into one neat package. Tragedies from the past shape the present, but romance, and change, impact the futures of her romantic pair.

Meghan Selby, a waitress who has learned the hard way not to let her heart be touched, meets a wealthy Italian, Alessandro di Agnio. Alessandro recognizes Meghan for what she is: a woman he can wed without having to pretend love is involved. He makes it abundantly clear that he doesn't love-anyone. Not his mother or father, and certainly not any woman. He refuses to be analyzed, and if Meghan can accept these conditions they may have a future together.

This is truly a tortured couple. Fortunately, I love dark, brooding tormented characters, and I gobbled this story in one sitting. I had to know what lay beneath Alessandro's stony exterior. Too, I had to see if this unlikely pair could actually make a go of it. I'm happy to say Kate Hewitt didn't disappoint me. The ending of THE ITALIAN'S CHOSEN WIFE was perfect but be warned: a box of tissues is a necessity, as this is one story that pulls at the heart.

Me? I love having my heart tugged!

Kay James