The Forced Bride (Modern Romance): Amazon.co.uk: Sara Craven: Books

Italian Conte Rafael Di Salis, lost his mother at birth, and his father neither recovered from the loss of his beloved wife nor did he completely accept his son. Growing up, Rafael swore that no woman will ever have that kind of power over him, until one fateful day when a red haired seventeen year old came flying into the study of his good friend Sir Travers Blake shouting `Pops I `m home'. For Rafael it was love at first sight, for Emily it was resentment and loathing at first sight.
Emily Blake is the only child of Sir Travers Blake and following her mother's death five years earlier, her father had spoilt her rotten and she hated any intrusion in what she saw as her time with her dad when she came home on holidays from the convent school she attended. That was her feeling when she barged into her father's study and met the handsome Italian Conte. A year later Sir Blake was diagnosed with an inoperable brain cancer and to protect Emily he urged her to marry his good friend Conte Rafael Di Salis, that way he can rest easy in the assurance that she will be protected and looked after and Rafael will be repaying a debt to him, until she turns twenty one when she comes into her trust fund and they can mutually go their separate ways. For all intents and purposes their marriage was in name only and that was how Emily wanted it. Until three months to her twenty first birthday when in negotiations over her divorce settlement, Emily informed Rafael's lawyers that she no longer wanted a divorce but will rather have an annulment.

This book was very interesting and quite unique in that it is not often that the hero has my sympathy. The heroine was quite stubborn and confused about her true feelings. She believed she loved another and saw Rafael as her nemesis. Her prejudice and dislike of Rafael was baseless as she later discovered when events began to unfold. This book could easily be called `The Taming of Contessa Di Salis'. I still liked the heroine because her stubbornness and inventive ways of resisting her husband made for a very interesting and amusing read. I think the hero and heroine were well matched, but what was even more touching was the fact that he was completely in love with her and he kept hoping and praying that somehow his love will touch her and she will come to return his love. He never gave up. In the end he got his miracle and what an emotional ending it turned out to be. Emily was humbled especially as she found that the debt Rafael was repaying was one of Kindness and not money as she had thought. She also discovered the extent of his Kindness and generosity. If you love romantic tales with very strong heroines and heros, you'll like this one. This is a very good read and a definite keeper.

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1.0 out of 5 stars The Forced Bride, 11 May 2009

By	Mrs. M. M. Khan (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Emily Blake resented by the fact Rafael Di Salis was making alot of visits especially during her school holiday with her dieing father giving Rafael his undivided attention to him than her. Her father was her only living relative and naturally she was bitter by his times with Rafael. The 2 men were mostly spending their times in her father's drawing/studio room. They were secretive of her father's bankruptacy, her loss of inheritance, and the selling of their ancestral home to Rafael. Rafael was also paying towards her education and living expenses. He owed her father a great and felt obliged to help and he also felt attracted to Emily. Both Rafael and her father obviously thought of her as a fragile child(rather than a woman) who will not be able to hand the truth that they felt she needed protecting by keeping her in the dark.

Just after her father's death, Emily and Rafael married as that was what her father wanted. The purpose of the marriage was to protect her from the fortune hunters. It was agreed that on her 21st birthday she will get a divorce and during that time she will be able to gain access to her alleged inheritance.

For the next 3 years, Rafael kept an eye out and even paid people to spy on her. Just before her 21st birthday, Emily sought annulment via Rafael's lawyer despite been offered a substantial ammount of divorce settlement. Obviously his male pride was hurt at that and clearly did not want the anyone to know that their marriage was never consumated. He refused both annulment and divorce and was not leting her go.
Suffering stress, she was looking to go for a holiday and in a place where Rafael will not be able to get to her. Her money grabbing ex-boyfriend lured her in a isolated holiday home in Scotland. Rafael managed to catch up with her and there and then she learnt that she was set-up by the 2 men. It was meant to be their 2nd honeymoon. She could not escape due to the location of the holiday home and the heavy snow fall. This was a good news for him as he came, quipped with condoms.
When she was to go to bed, Rafael barged into her bedroom. He began touching her and she clearly knew what that could lead to. She was admant that she will not sleep with him. He carried on caressing her against her will and then sheathed himself in a condom. He told her not to fight him as she could get hurt. She did not verbally consent to this sexual intercourse and neither did she show any response. She was basically cold, but that made no difference to him. He may have given her what his wealth could offer but this did not mean he owned her body! What a way to lose virginity!

The next day she began begging him for divorce as he got his wish. She reminded him that her life was on hold for the last 3 years and it was only fair that he let her go. He refused point blank. He also gave the impression that he had a mistress tucked away some way. She was clearly devastated. She already knew that he had a mistress by the fact the tabloids were constantly publishing articles with pictures of him and his alleged mistress. Unknown to her these articles were full of cat and bull story but Rafael did not bother to set her straight.

All day long she was feeling nervous by the minute, wondering when will he next pounce on her.
They had a long evening meal which was stressful to her. She lingered on, on purpose despite feeling sleepy, worried he will have bed her again. Reluctantly she ended the evening and told him that she is going to bed in her own room as she needed a sleep. He agreed with her and pulled her on the sofa and had sex with her. Once again she made no response to his so-called love-making and neither did she consent to it.

Rafael may be the hero in this story, but he also was a rapist.
After reading the previous reader's review, I thought that I would enjoy this story but I was wrong. What a disappointment!
I read "The virgin's Wedding Night" which is also written by Sara Craven. The hero in that story also has the same attitude as Rafael.
I am trying to figer out as to how these 2 books are classified as romance. I am also hoping that I do not come across these kind of heros in any of the other books I will be reading.

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