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Al Servicio Del Italiano (2011)

by India Grey(Favorite Author)

3.48 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0373897448 (ISBN13: 9780373897445)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Harlequin

series

At His Service

review 1: First things first. The title of this book is atrocious. He is not powerful. She is not penniless. Italian and housekeeper are accurate but there are dozens of better titles that Harlequin could have chosen. This was a good, quick read. It doesn't blaze new trails in romance but it does offer a nice slow build to a satisying HEA. The premise demands acceptance of many coincidences which eventually lead Lorenzo and Sarah to share a home and begin creating a lovely sense of domesticity before the inevitable "reveal" of potential ulterior motives drives a brief wedge into the romance. The steam level was ver low but it seemed appropriate given the rather low key build to their relationship. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more by... more her.
review 2: I've read some of India's work before and loved it. I love her voice and the way she mixes down to earthness with a sense of glamour and elegance. The evil stepsister was great (who reminded me a little of the self-absorbed sister in The Wedding Date. I only wish Fenella could have been the raunchy cousin from that movie, she was priceless). The fact that Sarah faded into the woodwork and worked herself to the bone fit the Cinderella premise perfectly. She was so taken for granted by everyone because she simply handled things. Sarah is hugely capable - but her self-image took a real hit thanks to her ex, aided by her guilt about her father.That guilt, by the way, was a stunning revelation that I thought was lovely.I loved the hero, too. This is something I really want to stress because so often these days Presents/Modern books get a bad rap for those "brutish alpha heroes" who stomp around and order people about and exact revenge in horrific ways. That would be a generalization that is grossly unfair, and India's book is a prime example. If you read this book, you'd say, "What?" Because Lorenzo is not that type at all. Lorenzo has been hurt. He's rich and yes, powerful, and even used to getting his way. But he is also kind, and gentle, and generous. He sees in Sarah what needs to be seen and makes her feel beautiful. He becomes her champion. He is the first person to see not Sarah the Cinderella but Seraphina, the Princess.Whisking her off to Venice for the movie premiere (the ball), having her choose a gown (hello Fairy Godmother) and take a water taxi (coach, anyone?) all falls into the Cinderella story brilliantly. And so does Sarah fleeing back to England when the fairy tale is supposedly over.The ending though -oh, the ending. I had a little sniffle at the end. less

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