What Her Sicilian Husband Desires

Empowering story, simmering romance 18-year-old Chloe turns to her ex-stepbrother after her father dies, and he offers to help her by marrying her to give her his name and support - but that's it. They're never together in any way, rarely see each other, but she's given the support she needs to pursue her education and career. Five years later, she's summoned to his home, and she's thinks it's because he wants a divorce to end their arrangement. Lao, on the other hand, is thinking it's time to make their marriage productive, as he wants an heir and already has the wife. Chloe recognizes right away that she's so much more than a broodmare and turns him down. Their relationship starts off with Lao thinking everything can be kept business like, with his heart safely protected behind his walls. He knows what he wants and is used to getting it. I really loved that Chloe stood up to him and refused to accept less than everything from him, subtly demanding that he confront his own deep-set emotions about family and marriage. Because she was very close to her step-mother (his mother), she knew him on a deeper level than he thought, and she knew exactly how to reach his heart. The whole book is a warm tribute to mothers, who always put their children first, even ahead of their marriages when necessary. You can count on this author to bring the HEA every time, and this one was splendid. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.