The Marcolini Blackmail Marriage

It had been five years since Claire had left her husband, Antonio. Seeing that he was coming to Australia to promote his charity, Claire decides it's time to file for divorce. Antonio refuses until she agrees to meet with him. When she does he proposes that they have a trial reconciliation for the three months that he'll be in Australia.

They'd been lovers first, and when Claire had become pregnant, they'd had a hasty marriage. Antonio was studying to be a doctor and was rarely there. When she'd lost the baby there was plenty of grief all around, but when she saw him in the arms of another woman she couldn't take anymore. His mother told her that this other woman was the woman he was going to marry except she'd gotten pregnant and ruined it. She gave Claire a check and she took it and left.

Claire suspects Antonio's reasons for wanting this trial period. One of the reasons could be because he wanted to hook up with someone for a romp while he was in Australia, and another reason could be that since the death of his father, Antonio was extremely wealthy. Australia law would give Claire a healthy chunk of his money.

This is an excellent story about two people who are pulled apart after the death of a child because both deal with the grief in a different way. And it would have been an excellent story if it was left at that. Instead the author put in a few more things that seemed to hurt more than help.

Being a nitpicker about details, it bugged me that his only reason for doing anything was about not wanting her to get the money she'd be awarded from a divorce. Even with an eighth of the book left, he still believed she only wanted to divorce him for money. So at the end of the book when he says it was never about the money, I wanted to punch him.

For the most part, this was a great book. It deals with two people who married because of a pregnancy, didn't know each other enough, didn't have enough time together and were forced to live through the tragedy of loss of that child. It dealt with the different ways that people suffer from grief. I really like Melanie Milburne's writing style and I liked this book a lot, but the extra bits should have been left out, or dealt with. It's hard to believe someone when you've been privy to their thoughts for most of the book and those thoughts don't agree with what's being said later.

The magnificent Melanie Milburne has created one of the most emotional and beautiful love stories with The Marcolini Blackmail Marriage, the first book in her duo series The Marcolini. Reading this incredible love story I could actually visualize Antonio Marcolini, the proud and angry man determined to keep his wife, not giving in to her requested divorce. So he has a plan, he'll stay in Australia for three months and see if there is any hope to save his marriage.

Claire can't believe the news she receives from her lawyer. So when she receives the phone call from her husband who she hasn't seen in five years and she meets him for dinner, she shocked when he insists she stay and live with him, giving them and chance to save their marriage. However, instead of asking, this proud Italian demands and blackmails her using her brother's situation of being in trouble with the law as an excuse to keep her in line. He holds all the cards and is determined to have total control.

Emotionally, they were both at separate ends. She's still grieving for the loss of their daughter openly and he concealing his. This emotion plus the remembering for them both of the passion they once shared is absolutely combustible. Then the secrets and there are some. Antonio believed his mother that Claire was a gold digger as she gave her a check when she left Italy. Antonio is so very sure his mother was correct and determined that Claire with NOT get half of his inheritance. As for the most important emotion love, he's sure he only felt lust for his wife when Claire clearly and deeply loved him. However, to be forced to marry because of a pregnancy, leave Australia and live in Italy with a busy surgeon husband and a new family who were not welcoming and the loss of a daughter, way too much!

What touched my soul was how the author dealt with grief and loss. Maybe to the reader who has not experienced it, they would have a different experience. However, personally I've had to deal with losing a husband and it was horrible but to loose a child I think would be devastating. And devastating it was for Claire whose baby died at birth. It wasn't only loosing her it was how her husband Antonio dealt with it as well as his Italian family. All Claire wanted from Antonio was to be loved for her. On top of the loss it was way too much for her so she fled back to Australia.

Their months together were a tug of war but it's obvious the passion is still there as they become reacquainted. It's how they came to terms with their baby's death, all of the secrets and the misunderstandings that tugged at my heart. It's just a beautifully written love story and one I will long remember. I'm looking forward to Melanie's September release, Bound by the Marcolini Diamonds and reading about another Marcolini brother an Italian alpha!

Behind the Book from the author:

"With the Marcolini Men my editor wanted me to do a two book series and she suggested using a celebrity surgeon as the hero in the first book. I already had the idea having met a young lady a couple of years ago who poured her heart out to me one day as she was doing my nails about the death of her baby. It was one of those incredibly moving moments that touched me very deeply. Firstly that she chose me, a perfect stranger, to off load her grief. And secondly because it made me realize how everyone grieves in their own way, that there is not blue print for how you deal with loss. So many of this young lady's friends and family skirted it around it not wanting to upset her but she really needed to talk.

I decided that my hero and heroine Claire and Antonio would have each dealt with their grief in different ways and in the heartache of their loss had somehow lost each other. Antonio sees his trip to Australia as a chance to see if they have a chance to rebuild their marriage or end it forever."