Wanted: Mistress and Mother

By Carol Marinelli

When ruthless Italian barrister Dante Costello hires Matilda Hamilton, he sees an opportunity. Matilda's job is to create a magical garden, in the hope it will help Dante's troubled little girl. However, since attraction between them is hot and intense, why not take Matilda as his mistress, as well? Dante has always kept his emotions firmly under wraps when it comes to relationships. But this time will he succeed when his desire for Matilda is pushing him to the edge of control?

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373126166
• ISBN13: 9780373126163
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Harlequin Presents
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

A Not-So-Secret Garden :)

Day-um! What a great book (that was my reaction when I closed this book). Static characters who do not grow and develop are for the lackluster authors; not so for Carol Marinelli. Matilda is a landscape designer who's willing and able to get down and dirty in her gardening. She meets Italian super-lawyer Dante in a hospital hallway en route to the opening ceremony of a roof garden she designed. Unaware she's the designer, he calls the garden "stupido." The hospital administrator asks her to find time to design a therapeutic garden for his toddler granddaughter who has swung from unresponsive to throwing tantrums since being in a car accident that killed her mother. Matilda agrees and finds out later that the child is Dante's. When he grills her like he's got her on the witness stand, Matilda tells Dante she's non-confrontational. Helplessly attracted to this Italian, she tries to avoid him whenever possible. He's a love 'em and leave 'em type since his wife's death and Matilda does not want him to leave her brokenhearted. They, of course, wind up "getting together" and after he gives her the cold shoulder, she finds the gumption to tell him off. I really admired her exit line, "I might have lost a bit of my pride here but you've lost a helluva lot more. You just lost me!" Matilda is no intellectual but she's grounded, no pun intended; and her common sense approach to life helps Dante with his mental anguish over his court case in addition to his grief over his late wife. In turn, his lovemaking sessions built Matilda's sexual confidence after her ex-fiancee labeled her a cold fish. Sparks fly between this couple and it is a wonderful, warm story of the power of love.