Limecello’s review of Dante’s Stolen Wife by Day Leclaire
Contemporary romance released by Silhouette Desire 13 May 08
This is the second book in the Dante Legacy miniseries, and while I love the stories, I’m still not sold on the idea of “Dante’s Inferno.” Still, the book is well written, and I found myself vacillating throughout the book. Ms. Leclaire writes a different type of Desire than what I’m used to – and I find it quite interesting.
Marco Dante and Caitlyn Vaughn have an old, yet different type of story. First of all, she mistakes him for his twin, and he tricks her into marriage. Next, although most of the book shows Caitlyn and Marco coming to terms of their marriage, I don’t feel that they have much of a relationship until the end.
Caitlyn and Marco completely different people. Caitlyn bases her life on logic. She’s analytical, and is allergic to risk. Marco, however, is more your fly by the seat of his pants type of guy, and gives greater weight to emotion. Caitlyn also has been groomed to fear “charmers” and men who will make big promises. Her grandmothers and her mother have led her to believe that the only way to survive is to be self sufficient. I felt that this made Caitlyn cold, at times.
For his part, Marco was very likable, but could have used a bit more substance. He was incredibly sweet, almost unreal, but he didn’t seem to take Caitlyn’s legitimate concerns seriously. I think it’s the length of the book, but I never felt that he had much of a foundation. Regardless, I truly enjoyed reading Caitlyn and Marco’s interactions. They’re both intelligent characters, with great conversations, though sometimes it wandered strangely.
Caitlyn is smart, and stands up for herself. I think what led to my mixed feelings, is based on the actions Caitlyn takes. She realizes she’s in love, and that the family has a big problem on their hands, and decides to take of matters herself. First of all, I hated what she did, and was only slightly mollified by the way everything ended up. Next, Caitlyn was “forced” to make all the decisions on her own because none of the brothers were at work. I find this very unbelievable, because numerous times each brother answers his cell phone. The gap in the book, and Caitlyn’s subsequent actions actually angered me, and detracted significantly from my enjoyment of the book.
The fact that I’m not sure how to treat “The Inferno” and I think that’s keeping me from loving the series. I have an incredibly hard time believing it – but the characters are so matter of fact about it. Another aspect, is how quickly the characters change their minds. First, the Dante’s are 100% for or against something. But then, a certain plot device leads to them reevaluating and changing position in the course of a few pages. Although my mind isn’t entirely made up as to Ms. Leclaire’s books, marketing has once again made its mark, and I plan on buying all the books in the series. I enjoyed reading this book (except for this one part!) and look forward to reading the others.
Grade: C
They called it The Inferno—the all-consuming desire that scorched a man just once in a lifetime. Millionaire Marco Dante felt its flames the moment he set eyes on Caitlyn Vaughn. Nothing could keep him from having her—not even her engagement to his twin brother! So he posed as her true fiancé, stealing her away for a rushed wedding and a breathtaking honeymoon. But then he had to face his new bride when she discovered his masquerade—and somehow find a way to turn her blazing fury back into white-hot passion.…
