| Title | : | The Proud Wife |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0263886417 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780263886412 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 192 |
| Publication | : | First published March 1, 2011 |
Marina thought her dreams had come true when her husband placed a wedding band on her finger. But their marriage was not the fairytale she’d hoped for, and eventually Marina walked away, her heart broken. But two years on Pietro D’Inzeo no longer haunts Marina’s dreams. She knows the time has come to move on, and even a summons to join him in Sicily won’t deter her…
However, with his wife standing before him, about to sign on the dotted line of their divorce papers, Pietro wonders why he ever let her go?
The Proud Wife Reviews
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Well done second chance story that takes a deep dive into the H/h’s short marriage that ended when the heroine miscarried and the H/h could no longer communicate through their pain. It’s been done before, but this story is original in how focused it is. The bulk of the action takes place in one day – the day the hero demands the heroine fly to Sicily on his private jet to sign divorce papers.
They meet for the first time in two years at the hero’s office, but the day is still young as the hero “kidnaps” the heroine to the cottage where they spent their honeymoon.
The next morning (after sex, of course) is the black moment and they again separate. This time the hero comes after her a month later. The heroine had just packed her bag to return to Sicily, so it was good timing.
I wish there had been an epilogue because the heroine is pregnant again and it would have been nice to have seen this deserving couple with a baby.
No OWs or OMs -
2/12/19
2nd read for me and I am still a little confused. I still am not sure about his celibacy or why they were apart. I know she loved him far more than he loved her. The things he said to her when she lost the baby were inexcusable. Horrid as a matter of fact. And the way he treated her at the cottage at the end came out of nowhere?!?! Why did he get so angry?!? Why did he just leave like that? It didn't make sense. I did realize he never cheated on her while they were married but it never clarifies what happened while they were apart. He asked her but she never asked him. Also I loved the scenes at the lawyers office. When she threw the papers at him and said she wanted nothing from him was priceless. I didn't like how he said he was divorcing her because he needed a heir and that his Mother (the cold hearted bitch) had women picked out for him and he was okay with that. That just pissed me off. The heroine did annoy me at times and I just wanted to slap her at least twice. I felt their passion though too. I am not changing my rating but this is probably more of a three star read. I just wish I understood all of what they were thinking. It was just very unclear. It was so confusing. I think I am getting way too old for these HPs. 😇
1st read
I am very very confused about this book. I don't understand what happened? The reason she left or what really happened at the cabin. I wish someone could tell me? Was he faithful while they were married or not? Was he when they were separated? Did she catch him doing something? And then the cottage. Wtf happened??? They were in bed and she is saying I forgive you and can we start again and he says no. What was to forgive.
I still gave it four stars almost five because it was haunting and their love was evident to me at least. Just May have to read again to figure it out. -
Wicked loved this one!
Wish the ending had an epilogue or extra chapter. Super romantic story and great illustration of 2nd chance romance with estranged marriage.
LOVED!
Grade: A -
This was a nice emotional story,the basic plot is Pietro(he is a prince in Sicily)-Marina(commoner) both meet and sparks fly,they start their affair but then Marina falls ill and she does'nt take a pill which leads to pregnancy,Pietro says they will marry immediately cause no heir of his will be born illegitimate,Marina has her doubts but Pietro convinces her and they get married first few months are really happy and good but then Marina loses the baby and then from there their marriage takes rocky stage,her mother-in-law is another case totally she does'nt approve of Marina cause she is not pure Sicilian wife that she excepted but still cause of baby she is goo to her but when the baby is no more she also distances herself from Marina and Pietro he is unable to reach Marina or talk to her cause most of the time the door is locked which leads to Pietro drowning himself in work and Marina thinks he never loved her the only reason for marriage was the baby since there is no baby so now he does'nt wants marriage also and Pietro is also shattered by his baby's loss and on top of that Marina does'nt lets him in which leads to frustration ,both of them grow more apart and Marina finally walks out and Pietro does'nt goes behind her and now its been 2 years that they are seperated
The story starts with Pietro finally starting divorce proceeding and from there these two meet again and how from there they talk and let out how they felt and Marina realises her faults and Pietro finally comes to know what Marina felt and they talk about the baby and share their griefs and all misunderstandings are cleared
Pietro-Marine both love each other but due to Pietro's non expression of his love in words and Marina shutting him out leads a rough patch in their love but then finally they both realise their mistakes and give their marriage a second chance and they have their HEA
Good story not a keeper though
Recommend it -
4 Stars ~ What had started as a minor fender bender on a rainy London afternoon, swiftly became an affair so passionate that scattered both Pietro's and Marina's brains. Neither could think clearly in the other's presence, and when that passion resulted in a pregnancy, Pietro insisted that they marry. Pietro belongs to an aristocratic family in Sicily, holding the title of Principe, and this baby would be his heir. Marina had fallen in love with Pietro, so marriage and family became all she dreamed of, only when it happened the reality didn't match her dream. Pietro's responsibilities to his busnesses and to his estate were massive and gave him little time to help her adjust to her affluent new life. His mother clearly disapproved of her and was of no help. As the days passed, Marina realized that the only bond she had with her husband was their passion and the child she carried. And when Marina miscarried it seemed that their passion too had died. A rift so huge seemed to form between them, and Marina found she couldn't bear their marriage to go on this way, and so she left. She'd hoped that Pietro would come for her, but all he'd sent was a message a few weeks later for her to come home or else their marriage was over. Marina stayed put in England and tried to salvage a bit of her life, going back to work, and learning how to ignore her broken heart.
For almost two years there was silence between them. Now Marina receives a summons to return to Sicily to discuss the terms of their divorce. What a shock Pietro is in for, because Marina doesn't want his money, she just wants it to be over.
I must say Ms. Walker certainly knows how to grip a reader from the first pages. I loved her use of POV changes to bring her two characters quickly to life, and to notch up the emotional intensity. Both Pietro and Marina have their views on what happened to destroy their marriage, and both have regrets. That combustible attraction reignited the moment Marina arrived at Pietro's attorney's office, and brought to light that they were far from finished with each other. Forced to face each other, they have to lose some of the control that hides their true feelings. The HEA ending was well earned and sigh worthy too -
I have the same feelings as Debbie, another reviewer. I’m a bit confused, there was no clear explanation of why exactly they split up after the heroine had a miscarriage. Everything was so ....vague.
They first meet when she bumps his car, they have a drink together, fall in love and get married in haste since she is pregnant. Summary of their back story which is just as brief in the book!
She has a miscarriage so she is depressed so Hero sleeps in another room, she feels rejected. She closes her door to him (but doesn’t lock it) so he feels rejected! His mother hated her. So did this contribute to their split? It’s all left up to the reader to infer this, we are never told anything. All these details are sort of mentioned in passing but not fleshed out or explained. Plus pages and pages of rambling angst, all in their heads.
He brings her to their cottage, which was were they were super happy on their honeymoon, but it’s also where she had her miscarriage? Was she happy there? She said he was cruel, so was it too sad for her to be there? I’m still confused 😫
The flow was also weird. For Example, the Hero would ask a question, which the heroine would think about and contemplate for 2 pages, before she’d answer! Seriously, I had to go back and look at the question again.
I do like second chance tropes but..well there are many better ones than this.
I never thought I’d appreciate the angst that comes from an OM/OW misunderstandings... at least those can be entertaining.
This was just bland and nothing happened. -
it was close to a 5 star..very very close but i don't know i find something lacking. maybe too much happening on only one day..yes the book took place on one day only. fabulous read anyway!:-)
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I like Kate Walker's take on a couple who should have had the HEA... only life, circumstances, and shadows from the past challenged their marriage. There is some honesty here and happily Walker doesn't tread past the line with too much reality. What she accomplishes is a solemn portrait of a marriage where two people lost their way and the road back to each other. Above all she makes us believe that all be be well with these two.
Special kudos to Walker. I really liked how she kept the story focused on h/h. No other characters muddling in the intense, frank conversations. -
Marina thought her dreams had come true when her husband placed a wedding band on her finger. But their marriage was not the fairy tale she'd hoped for, and eventually Marina walked away, her heart broken.
Two years later Pietro D'Inzeo no longer haunts Marina's dreams. She knows the time has come to move on, and even a summons to join him in Sicily won't deter her....
However, with his wife standing before him, about to sign on the dotted line of their divorce papers, Pietro wonders why he ever let her go. -
There isn't much of a plot in this book. And the story mostly revolves around the events of one single day. The day when the "wife" finally meets her husband after almost two years of separation, to finalize their divorce. After that it pretty much becomes clichéd, what with the ever-present can't-keep-my-hands-off-of-you sexual attraction and the BIG misunderstanding/miscommunication. One thing good about this book is that after their tempestuous reunion(which, to be honest, extends well beyond two-third of the book), they really try to understand the others' view point. And things get resolved pretty fast after that.
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I have loved tackling the TBR. I can look at my stack of category romances and pick what tickles my fancy. I remember Kate mentioning something about being unsure of this cover (the UK version) and how it fit the story, but I found the cover really intriguing! I wanted to know more about who this woman was. The US cover is more "colour correct" - the heroine has red hair - but there's something about this one that I love.
But inside the pages, and while I enjoyed being in Marina's head, it was the lovely Pietro that really was my focus. My favourite heroes of Kate's are the ones who appear uncompromising and domineering on the outside but are really intensely emotional and tender on the inside - and the books that do it best for me is when that is immediately apparent to the reader.
Pietro is giving Guido a run for his money as my fave KW hero. Maybe it's a Sicilian thing?
It could be said that a lot of problems could be solved over a cup of tea and a good conversation. But the problems start when that conversation means being honest - and vulnerable. There are times when you want to say to both Marina and Pietro - just say it, for the love of Mike! And yet you understand why they hold out for so long. It is not easy facing your hardest, most painful moments, with the one person you love the most but are sure doesn't love you in return.
What really strikes emotional chords is how both are affected by Marina's miscarriage in the early days of their marriage. We can sympathize and relate to BOTH characters from the get go. That they held on to hurts and failed to communicate is common - personally I think a grief of this sort either brings people together or pushes them apart. I was reading along waiting for my kid's band concert to start the other night and had to put it back in my purse - no crying in the school auditorium!
One last thing - it always amazes me how Kate writes stories that "compress" time. The majority of this story happens in a 24 hour period. There is a richness to her language, a depth of emotion and physical beats and imagery that, if I attempted to emulate, would result in a draggy pace. But it never does with Kate. I don't know how she does that (she has a very skilled hand). It just goes to show why individual, strong voices are so important in series romance.
This is right up there as one of my favourite KW romances - did you read it? What did you think? -
Romance is a popular fiction genre and one I enjoy occasionally. I liked this one a lot. A satisfying read for anyone who enjoys emotional drama. Only two characters and a few bit players. A couple get together to discuss their divorce and realize that they're still in love. Through the dialogues we learn the backstory, how they met, how they parted and how they find their way back to each other again. If there is a message and I do believe that all good fiction carries a message, it is that when you are swept away on a sea of passion and tossed on the tumultuous waves of desire, the events of life can still bring you back to earth with a bang and love needs commitment and work rather than going with the flow. Well isn't that what our mothers used to tell us?
Kate Walker is easily one of the best writers of romantic fiction today and she writes well. The sexual description is tastefully done.
Romantic novels generally have fantasy settings. Exotic locations, handsome, foreign lovers sweeping the heroine (with whom the reader identifies, obviously) off her feet. Come to think of it, my romance was very like that. We had it all. Well almost. The handsome, dark foreign man, my Indian husband, Yash for writing purposes. We had passion. We had the exotic locations, Dublin, London, Delhi, Kashmir. The most exotic was definitely Dublin. The only thing we didn't have was the freaking money and that's what brought us back to earth with a bang. That, culture shock, post-natal depression and the in-law blues, a universal malady which afflicts most marriages and works both ways. We even still have our moments of passion. Well, we would if the kids would let us.
Anyway, we lived to tell the tale. I shall be looking out for Ms. Walker's next book! -
The majority of this takes story place in a very short time, compacting the emotional impact.
Background: Pietro and Marina married (two years before the story starts) when their red-hot affair results in an unexpected pregnancy. Pietro is rich and an (unofficial) prince in Italy, so Marina is very uncomfortable trying to fit into his lifestyle. Because Pietro starts to spend more time working than being with her, Marina feels that her marriage is in serious trouble and that Pietro only married her for sex and the baby. When she miscarries and Pietro doesn't seem touched by that, Marina flees back to England, refusing to go back to Sicily when her husband demands it.
Present: It's been almost 2 years since they split and now Pietro again demands that Marina meet with him to settle the divorce. There's still a *lot* of unresolved emotional baggage for both of them, so when Pietro takes Marina to the cottage where they had a happy honeymoon- and where she miscarried- it's as if he's ripping her heart out.
I'm not going to go into any more details, but the way that they react to each other is heart-wrenching. The reader gets a peak at what each is thinking/ feeling throughout this whole process, but because each of the MC's had childhood traumas they had never dealt with, there is no comforting resolution- at this point. When they *did* start to talk and started to understand how each contributed to the breakup of their marriage, it *still* wasn't enough to heal the split, and I wanted to "hit each upside the head".
The ending was a good one- and believable. My favorite quotes are both at the end:
Pietro: ‘Marina, my love, my heart—my life. You are the one woman I want, the only woman I need. You are truly the only woman I have ever loved and can ever love. I may have lost my way for a while but I know I’ve found it again now. And the only path through life I want to follow is one with you at my side. Will you come back to me and take your rightful place as my wife, my princess—my love?’
Marina: ‘If you hadn’t come to me here,’ she told him, ‘then I would have come to you. I would have come to apologise for my weakness, my lack of trust in your love. When it came down to it, I didn’t need any proof. If I had any doubts then the moment I even suspected I was pregnant I knew. I knew that I could only ever believe in my husband—in the father of my child. I knew I could trust myself and our baby to you—to the only man I have ever loved.’ -
My autographed copy of The Proud Wife came down off the shelf yesterday when Kate's Facebook page shared yesterday that the Kindle version was currently free at the AmazonUK website. I recalled loving it but couldn't remember why until I opened the first page and started reading... not putting it down until the very last page.
Pietro, a Sicilian billionaire Prince of ages old ancestry, summons his ex wife Marina back to Sicily to discuss the terms of their divorce. Left with no option but an immediate return Marina flies back to the country she once loved much and lost so much. She walked into the boardroom, armed with nothing but her copy of the divorce settlement... ready to fling the papers in Pietro's face because she wanted noth-ing-at-all!
Seeing Marina again after 2 years hits Pietro hard in the solarplex - bam! It wasn't his choice to end the marriage, Marina left, never looking back. He thought it was time to wrap up the marriage once and for all but how can he when seeing Marina brings back so many memories, of dampening down his feelings for her, of painful memories buried in the past of the pain they've both suffered when they lost their baby and desperately trying to cool down the heat he feels in her presence.
Sometimes I thought the title of this book should be The Proud Husband because that's what Pietro is, Proud! Proud of his heritage, proud of his beliefs, proud of his country and somewhere deep proud of his wife. It's some of this proudness he has when he stands tall and decides he doesn't want to let his runaway wife go and he spends the book convincing her what she's throwing away is worth the world. If I had to be on a team I'd want to be on Pietro's fighting for me.
Marina is broken. The loss of their baby early on in their marriage left Marina with a broken heart and soul. She convinced herself when she lost the baby her marriage was also lost. People grow alot in two years and now looking back (with the help of Pietro) she wonders whether she shut him, locked him out, instead of unlocking herself and letting him in to help her through such a tragic time, and in turn help him through his grief too. All Marina knows is the longer she spends in his company the harder it is to keep her feelings locked away.
What's great about this book is that all the cards are laid on the table in the first chapter. The marriage was a whirlwind one, with Marina falling pregnant Pietro rushed her down the isle, he was a Prince after all, his children would not be born out of wedlock. They were dynamite in bed and a match made in heaven until the loss of the baby. Marina left and two years later she's standing in his boardroom flinging divorce papers at him. The rest of the book is two people who have lost in love battling to find their way back to each other. It's full of angst, lost love, second chances, dealing with their painful past and broken hearts and the chances of history repeating itself. There's tons of dialogue and things move quickly. I am hooked until the last heart-wrenching (in a beautiful way) page.
*sigh* Now I remember why I loved The Proud Wife :) -
This is the story of Marina and Pietro, they have been separated for two years. Now Pietro feels its time to divorce and for them both to move on with their lives. He orders her to Sicily in order to lay out the terms of the divorce, thinking she would be more than happy with the settlement he has planned. Marina, however, goes to Sicily with the determination to finally put Pietro behind her and accept nothing from him. When they meet again it is clear they are both still very much attracted to one another, and after a heated argument in the lawyers office they decide to sort out the divorce between themselves. As the story progresses we find out that their marriage only lasted a few short months, and the reason for getting married was an unplanned pregnancy. When Marina miscarried they both closed themselves off from one another eventually leading to resentment and Marina walking away.
This was an intense romance, the characters were really well written and developed and the whole story was gripping. At first it seemed like just one long domestic dispute, but as the book progressed and more and more issues were brought up and tackled by the characters the more layers were added.
Basically this is a story misunderstanding and miscommunication between partners, and an example of a tragic event pulling people apart rather than bringing them together.
Kate Walker has written an emotional roller coaster of a romance, and I loved how the characters had to grow and deal with past issues before they can move on, whether together or not. A great read from start to finish!
Originally posted at
http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot.... -
A LACK OF COMMUNICATION
Two years ago Marina had left her husband Pietro and returned home. Now he is demanding she return to Scilly to discuss terms for a divorce. This couple had a whirlwind romance and then married. Then disaster struck and Marina left.
Many mistakes were made by this couple most of all a lack of communication, then what man in his right mind moves himself and his new bride in to live with his mother, he then spent too much time at work.
This was an okay read from this author, I've read her books before some much better than this. I thought this story started quite strongly, but with just these two characters featuring and not a lot of dialogue between them. Mostly it's just their internal musings. It became a bit repetitive especially as it was obvious where this story was going. -
very emotional story.
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A second chance romance...not much action but lots of angst, talking and flashbacks to when they first met, got pregnant and married, then miscarriage and breakdown of the relationship.
I only just realised the book did not have that many scenes: opening scene saw Pietro in his office signing letter asking Marina to come to Palermo, Sicicilly to discuss terms of the divorce after ALMOST two years of separation. Next Marina in her kitchen staring at the letter in shock before texting Pietro and he being pushy giving her one hour to get on his car and jet. Then they met at the lawyer's office in Palermo; moving on to the cottage Casalina where they had their honeymoon with a short walk to lunch along the coast. Then fallout and Pietro flew Marina out on his jet after he drove off furiously. Final scene four weeks later at Marina's house in London or somewhere in the UK.
Different people deal with grief/stress/emotions differently; when you don't really know the other person that well like Pietro and Marina (they had a whirlwind romance and shotgun wedding) it is hard to weather through something tragic like the loss of a pregnancy.
Pietro did not want Marina to think ge blamed her but chose to cope by throwing himself into work. He also said something which in hindsight he agreed was heartless and wrong...Marina only now realised she too had to share the blame. Her favourite was closing doors on Pietro and griefing in silence alone thereby shutting him out. She claimed the doors were never locked but he had learnt from his own mother that they were. It's sad all around.
I am just very glad both of them realised the depth of their feelings before it got too late and both owned up to their mistakes and wanted to give their marriage a second chance. -
Good angsty HP.
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A little melodramatic at the end, but it was okay.
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Ik vond het een mooi verhaal! Vanaf het midden niet meer weg kunnen leggen!
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Just sort of there.
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The fire burning beneath the ashes.
When Pietro officially ‘summons’ Marina back to Sicily with the excuse of discussing the terms of their divorce, she attends, only to have the satisfaction to tell him she wants nothing from him, but to send their short marriage into oblivion. None of them imagine the attraction that brought them together is still there. And the passion is burning hotter than ever. Unexpectedly, they are facing each other and their painful past.
A past where everything happened so fast and it was so painful that they didn’t have time to develop a relationship. The Proud Wife by Kate Walker is about finding closure for the painful experiences shared and connecting as a real couple.
My favorite part is when they finally talk about the death of their baby. The biggest misunderstanding in their relationship. Marina breaks down, Pietro gives her the sympathy and soothing he couldn’t before, and somehow they find closure. However, Pietro and Marina still have too many pending issues. Pietro’s idea of intimacy is making love. He thinks he is doing what she wants, but Marina needs much more. He has been emotionally unavailable in the past. While Marina was feeling used as a breeder to produce an heir, never truly loved and inadequate as a princess.
The Proud Wife is one of the books that I’d read where the characters’ emotions convey to the page the best. Kate Walker did a great job channeling their adversities, the emotional portion of the story is deeply touching, there were moments I was teary-eyed. -
"The Proud Wife" wants nothing from the husband from whom she has been separated for two years. She keeps telling herself this over and over, right up until the moment she is once again face to face with the man she married. In author Kate Walker's touching, tempestuous romance, Englishwoman Marina Emerson was swept off her feet by the captivating charm of Prince Pietro D'inzeo of Sicily. Their whirlwind of passion resulted in an unplanned pregnancy and a quick marriage. Tragically, the baby was lost due to miscarriage, and the initial happiness between them was lost as well. Miscommunication and emotional barriers grew to the point where Marina could bear no more, and she left Pietro and his family home and returned to England. Two years later, Marina receives a royal summons from her princely husband to come to Sicily and officially end their marriage. Once they are in each other's company again, banked embers burst into life, and powerful emotions come to the surface. Both confused and filled with unexpected longing, can Marina and Pietro bring back to life the love they had thought to be long-dead? Can they face the issues which drove them apart and grow together as each of them grows as an individual? "The Proud Wife" is an intense, satisfying romance full of passion and emotional conflict.
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I love Kate Walker's books but The Proud Wife was just so boring!
I felt like there was no plot, too much descriptions and too little dialog between the hero and heroine.
Also, I felt like there was some missing information about the relationship between Marina and Pierto like how they met and how long did they know one another before they got married.
The Proud Wife is definitely not Kate Walker best book in my opinion.
I hope I'll enjoy her next book more. -
La historia es bastante típica, la personaje principal femenina me tenía un poco cansada porque no era clara con sus sentimientos, no se desarrollo mucho que digamos la ambientación, pero en general el libro no es malo. Fui gratamente sorprendida con un personaje masculino bastante bueno; comparado con otros del género me cayó hasta bien, no fue nunca cruel con al protagonista de manera intencionada y el quería arreglar las cosas, lo cual me agrado.
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A passionate hot read about rediscovering your first & only true love. A modern day "Cinderella" story with a Prince & commoner who find love, get married, & lose each other with the death of their baby. They meet again to finalize their divorce only to feel the passion consume them. This time they actually talk to each other to discover what went wrong so that they can find love again.
