Castelli’s Virgin Widow by Caitlin Crews
Released: January 19, 2016
Contemporary Romance
Harlequin
Reviewed by Mandi
This book caught my eye because the hero falls for his step-mother (his father had just passed away). And I thought – well – this is different and a little naughty so why not? Luca is a jerk and an asshole. And you know – if done well – if he is redeemed, he can be all the jerk he wants. But make it count in the end. Make me fall in love with his non-jerk side before the book ends. Unfortunately – Luca remained a big jerk and I honestly did not like him at all. I wanted to like him – he has that dark, “should I hate you or make love to you” thing going on….but he was so mean – I don’t understand how the heroine fell passionately in love with him.
Luca’s family owns a very successful winery. His offices are located in Rome and when the book starts, his father has just passed away. Luca hates Kathryn, who was his father’s sixth wife and married to him for two years before he died. She is in her twenties and Luca has hated her from the first day he laid eyes on her. He thinks she is a gold digger, and she offends him by just her presence. Secretly, I think he fell in love with her on first sight and I wanted to root for this love, but man – he is just a rude person.
Kathryn loved her husband in her own way. With a sick mother, Kathryn decided to marry a rich old man to help her out. When he dies, in his will it’s promised that Kathryn would be offered a job in the winery business, something Kathryn really wants. She loves to work and is smart and wants to prove herself. Luca would rather give her a cash payout and never see her again, but he can’t go against the will. He makes her his executive assistant, hoping she will fail within the first week and quit. But Kathryn isn’t a quitter and no matter how he treats her, she keeps working. And then in quiet moments, they start to kiss and – oh yeah – the title tells you – she is a virgin.
And while their romance is very sexually charged, tense, and if I pretended Luca was a good guy outside of the bedroom, I’d say their sex scenes were very hot. But I couldn’t get over Luca saying horrible things to Kathryn and then grabbing her, kissing her and I guess – making love makes up for all the nasty comments? I kept waiting and waiting for him to smile. To laugh. To hold Kathryn with a little tenderness. But I looked down and I was 90% through the book and he was STILL being a total ass. Damn it Luca!!! And why Kathryn would want to be with a man like that is beyond me.
Grade: C-
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