anasmith7186896

1 star

Gemma Parkinson is on a mission. Her boss has finally given her an opportunity to shine, and she will do anything in her power to deserve the trust he put in her. The only problem - things aren't going according to her plan. The moment she stepped out of the airplane she was rushed to a hospital, nobody around her speaks English so she can't explain her allergies - an auspicious start won't you agree?

Thankfully, there is someone who understands her - Luca Andretti. He explains everything and even offers his home as a place for her to stay and recuperate. Everything seems to be perfect - unless you account the fact that he is done who wants to make sure that the business deal doesn't come true.

So, a game begins. One with high stakes. A game whose players seem to loose the sight of their goal. For love has that nasty way of blurring the lines.

I have to admit that the thing that drew me to the book in the first place is the cover. It is simple, and yet compelling. So, I thought - why not? True, the blurb did remind me of a Harlequin Presents novel, but there are HP stories and authors that I like, so I decided to take the plunge. I fear that I shouldn't have.

While the story is nothing new really, there are authors who can pull it off. Two people on opposites sides of a business deal, both willing to fight with everything at their disposal for the win - and yet the underlining attraction is there. In this case, it simply felt flat.

It feels as if though the characters are simply puppets with no feelings. True, there were lots of "emotional" times, especially when they talked about their past - but I didn't feel it. It was like we were told what they feel instead of shown.

Not to mention that I'm not a big fan of the plot itself. The pseudo-enemies who can't resist each other, and then one of them coming to the conclusion that their stand is not the right one. Not my cuppa. Way too neat.

One more thing that I didn't like much is Gemma. Something about her simply rubbed me the wrong way.

I did like is the setting. A tiny Italian town with a member of aristocracy as a guardian angel watching over it's citizens. I wish I could go there. :D

ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley