Roe Black struck a deal. Respectability for protection. He needed to shed his image as a philandering playboy and his wife needed to save her late mother’s legacy. All she had to do is say “I Do”.Italia Dieubon turned Italia Black wanted to protect her sister and their inheritance. Her new husband was a means to an end. He wanted entrance into the world of the wealthy elites and she wanted to … wanted to make sure her mother’s business didn’t fold.
Italia and Roe did not have the strongest beginnings, but they could have greatest endings.
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This is a short and beautiful story about a marriage of convenience. Roe is a man focused only on business and considers a marriage a means to an end. Italia is a young and smart woman that must agree to this deal in order to save her family and her business.
Roe and Italia have different personalities but soon they’ll realize they can’t deny their attraction.
Entertaining, sweet, steamy and lighthearted, this story is very enjoyable. I’ve had a great time reading it.
This is book one of the Lipstick Diaries series and the main characters are Roe Black and Italia Black nee Dieubon and her five year old sister Lalia. She made an agreement to marry Roe to save her mother’s business legacy, after it was robbed blind, both before and after her mother’s sudden death in a car accident, by her trusted friend and financial advisor, with none of the millions stolen being recovered. Her mother Nina had been a single mother to both Italia and her much younger sister Lalia and her death left Italia still studying and suddenly having a one year old sister to care for, never mind the mess her mother’s business had been left in! Roe is a cut throat businessman and looking to expand his IT business, so marrying Italia would remove the stain of being a millionaire playboy from him and allow him to have connections with the wealthy elite her mother did business with and knew. He gained respectability and she gained protection for her mother’s legacy, as well as her and her sister. Roe has been trying to snag a cash rich businessman for an expansion of his company and to expand his workforce in the computer games market and sees Italia’s uncle as a perfect choice, if only Italia will recommend Roe to him!
They may not have had the perfect start to married life, especially as she hates him initially, but they can learn to grow on each other. He starts by using his being nice and helping out with Lalia, to get her to agree to an actual date night out with him. So basically blackmail to start getting to know each other better! He begins to like little Lalia, as she reminds him of his own much younger brother and sister. Even Italia starts to see a relaxation in him when he is around both of them. There is a huge secret around who their fathers were, as her mother never told Italia and would never say, never having wanted to be a married woman at all. Her secrets went with her when she died, but come out into the open at just the wrong moment, when a conversation is overheard. They may have had a hurried and pretend courtship before their marriage and a fake honeymoon at his country home, but the conclusion of the story could have a much better ending, if they work together and get over issues together. She is wholly inexperienced with men and there is an amusing interlude when she takes steps to correct this, that others may enjoy. A short story of business needs bringing about a relationship and marriage that will benefit all in the end. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
I have recently started following this author and have enjoyed every book I’ve read so far. This one also did not disappoint. I was engrossed right from the beginning and was sad to see it end. It is a sweet story about a marriage of convenience. Roe and Italia both decide to marry for their own reasons. They married out of need and didn’t anticipate falling in love. It’s a beautifully written story with some deceit and loss, but also some lovely surprises along the way. I would definitely recommend this!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Entertaining and interesting characters tell an engaging story. Love a good romance and following the journey of the characters. Great dialogue and interaction of characters. Good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Roe and Italia were in a loveless marriage, it was to be beneficial to both , Roe’s mother fortune were stolen, and Italia wanted prestige ,so they decided to have a marriage of convenience. This was a good story because at the end they were there for each other and realized what the other wanted to make a great relationship. Highly recommended
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The author does a great with how well the characters are developed and the storyline flowed smoothly from beginning to the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really love this author! This book certainly did not disappoint me, I loved it. It’s a wonderfully crafted story about loss, deceit and love. The main characters never wanted to love each other and married out of need rather than want. Some lovely surprises in this story and it’s beautifully written.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.