In Confessions of an Italian Marriage, main characters Freja and Giovanni are an untraditional Harlequin Presents heroine and hero. A riveting plot highlighted by an intense and emotional romance is delivered by author Dani Collins.

Confessions of an Italian Marriage by Dani Collins has the kind of bananapants plot that keep readers coming back to Presents. Oh sure, the Alpha heroes, the glitz, the glamor - whatever. It's the hyperintensity of the romance with a side of bananapants. That's the appeal. At least for me, and I basically lost an evening inhaling this story. Was it successful? Well, yes and no.

Spoilers ahead!
CW: Miscarriage

When Giovanni was a teenager he was in a horrific car accident that killed his parents, his older brother, and left him a paraplegic. He inherited money, but not one to rest on his laurels, our Italian hero made billions in app development. Living a double-life, he meets a complication at a gala event - Freja, who is a waitress with the company catering the event.

Freja's mother died when she was young and she was raised by a nomad father who took her all around the world writing travelogues. Naturally Freja was a regular topic of discussion in his writings, so she's sorta/kinda famous in the circles of people who read travelogues. It was while on their last adventure together that her father had the opportunity to join a group touring North Korea (wait for it...) - and he naturally took Freja with him and naturally he had a stroke and naturally the tour group left them behind and naturally Daddy died and Freja was no stuck in North Korea courtesy of the government. She eventually gets out with the help of her father's agent back in New York.

So Giovanni and Freja meet at this gala and Freja knows of him because during her father's travels she took fencing lessons (of course) from Giovanni's older brother. The older brother, and their parents, having died in that car accident that turns out wasn't an accident. Giovanni knows someone who works at Interpol (because of course he does) and he's now working undercover as a spy. He's not James Bond, he's more of an "information gatherer." And now here's Freja who "knew" his brother and just happened to spend time in North Korea. He has to check her out.

Naturally what happens next is that these two burn up the sheets and Giovanni falls into lust. Then, of course, they're so hot for each other that one time they don't use a condom. Which Giovanni doesn't think will be an issue since he can't ejaculate and Freja was naturally a virgin before he came along (no pun intended). But, wait for it, he ejaculates. By some miracle since it's apparently rare for him. This is handwaved away thanks to medical mysteries blah, blah, blah - but more likely it's because this is a Presents and the heroine has a magic who-ha. Anyway, so now they wait to see if she's pregnant - and given the title of this book I think we know the answer to that....

Stuff happens and then, because Giovanni is a super-secret spy, he has to fake his own death. The book opens with Freja suspecting her husband isn't dead and she's pissed. She inherited all his wealth, the vultures are circling and she wants to draw her husband out in the open. So he asks her very smart gay friend to assist in running the business and "marry" her. Freja has a book coming out soon, plus a blog and social media reach - so she's been splashing her impending "nuptials" all over the Interwebs. And naturally, Giovanni returns bringing all his secrets out into the open.

Like I said, bananapants.

The story itself is well executed. It opens at present-day with Giovanni "dead", then we get several chapters of flashback time about the start of their relationship, and then the final third covers the reunion. Also Giovanni's disability is handled well. It's not used as a prop for angst or used for emo baggage to generate a "wounded hero." Other than the accident leading to Giovanni doing "spy work" and the whole "oopsie-doodle I ejaculated, I didn't think I could do that!" his disability is not used to prop up the conflict either. He's a guy, who needs to use a wheelchair, living his life. I liked that aspect, as well as Freja's feistiness once Giovanni comes roaring back into her life. But it is bananapants. I'm not sure I can say I liked this per se, but it was compelling, well-executed and heck, I lost an evening reading it. That's the magic of Presents.

Final Grade = C

Confessions of an Italian Marriage. By Dani Collins. 2020. Harlequin Presents (ARC eBook).

What a whirlwind Freja’s life has become. Beginning with meeting billionaire Giovanni at a gala she was waitressing at, she’s flying on his private jet, being gifted with gowns and indulging in the sizzling chemistry between them. But just as quickly as marriage vows are exchanged, her new husband’s life is ended in a car explosion. Except Freja feels like Gio is not really gone. But how will she be able to flush him out when he had been giving her just as many suspicious looks as loving since they first met?

Confessions of an Italian Marriage hooked me right away with the intrigue of who Giovanni was and what he was really doing when he and Freja meet. Also, I was curious how Collins would handle Giovanni who is not the traditional hero. Giovanni is a strong and assured man despite his physical limitations and both he and Freja are capable people. I thought the dramatic story and romance was fascinating.

CONFESSIONS OF AN ITALIAN MARRIAGE by author Dani Collins is a Harlequin Presents series release for September 2020.
Freja was on the verge of getting married—again! But she is kidnapped. Shocked at finding that her kidnapper was no other than her missing husband, she demands explanations from him for deserting her and their marriage.
Amid all this drama, she finds that the passion still burned hot between them. Could they reconcile and make a go of their marriage the second time around?
CONFESSIONS OF AN ITALIAN MARRIAGE is a sizzling romance full of shimmering emotions. Author Dani Collins will once again astound her readers by her story telling. Readers will stay hooked till the last page.
Highly recommended for all readers of romance.

Giovanni is confined to a wheelchair after losing both his legs in a car accident that took the lives of his parents . His marriage to Freja is cut short when he disappears and is declared dead. Freja has her doubts of his death and tries to lure him out of hiding by announcing her marriage to someone else. When Giovanni shows up he explains that he did fake his death to protect her. A very involved story of deception and secrets but I love the strength of Freja as she stands up to her husband. He was undercover all the while. His disability was covered with compassion and the fact Freja loved him as he is. A different kind of story from Dani Collins but very enjoyable as all her stories are.

From the moment you open the pages of Dani Collins' Confessions of an Italian Marriage she hooks you. Told in third person, the story chronicles the love story of Freja Anderson and Giovanni Catalano. This is a story unlike any I have ever read before. While I’m not giving the book the highest rating of a 5, it’s one I will remember.

Freja is a twenty-three-year-old working as a server in Manhattan. Though she’s young and perhaps a little naive, she is more worldly than some 50/60-year-olds. She’s traveled the globe and tends to easily adapt to new places and environments.

Giovanni is a hero I have never imagined. At the age of fifteen, his entire family died in a tragic car crash. The accident left him in a wheelchair. The disability doesn’t necessarily make him want to shy away from the world. He owns the fact that being wheelchair-bound is his reality. I know there are other stories where the hero is paraplegic. But what makes Giovanni special is that while he seems to be a mild-mannered billionaire, he is in fact an international spy.

The first meeting between these two seems ordinary enough. But in Giovanni’s line of work, he can’t help but wonder if it is in fact a setup. One thing for sure is that he’s beyond intrigued and captivated by Freja. The two agree to a one-night stand, which turns into a week and then months. While the passion between them is hot and heavy, they can’t help but continue to not truly trust each other.

Confessions of an Italian Marriage starts out in the present before taking you back to the past. You’re treated to a bird’s eye view of these two meeting and the cat and mouse game seemingly played out by Freja and Giovanni. Once the past is dealt with, Dani effortlessly returns you to the present to see how past events dictate this couple’s future.

Confession of an Italian Marriage had me glued to the pages, wondering what was going to happen next. The story has passion in spades. But there is also sadness and joy. I loved that the characters had so much depth and were multi-layered, especially Freja. She has this strength that is so easy to overlook. I highly recommend reading this story. You won’t be disappointed.

I so wanted to like this book since I usually like Dani Collins' books but unfortunately this one but I was a little confused at first. I actually felt like I was missing pages in this book but after a bit of investigation it looks like I am not the only one who feels this way.

I like the writing style though.

Confessions of an Italian Marriage by Dani Collins was and emotional and touching read. Freya husband’s is dead, but she has suspicions that may not be true. She decides to marry someone else to test her theory. Now Giovanni is back. Can she trust him? He is determined to win her back. A story with secrets, chemistry and more!

Happy reading!

Confessions of an Italian Marriage by Dani Collins is a tale filled with passion, drama and intrigue as Freja and Giovanni are drawn together by a magnetism and off the charts sizzling chemistry. Once these two get together, they are reluctant to part ways, marrying when Freja becomes pregnant. A few weeks later an explosion supposedly kills Giovanni, but Freja realizes that is not the case; he is hiding somewhere. Freja decides to “flush” him out by pretending to marry again. Giovanni’s impressive return as he kidnaps Freja compels her to confront the intensive hurt and insecurity she felt at his desertion. Their chemistry and magnetism is rekindled once they are physically together. Giovanni was surprised by Freja’s reaction to his mysterious past. Giovanni must decide if his feelings for Freja are enough for him to dedicate himself to saving their marriage and convincing her to forgive him for the secrets he kept from her.

Ms Collins wrote a wonderful, passionate, emotional and intriguing story that is definitely not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with off the charts chemistry, intense emotions, and endearing characters giving Freja and Giovanni to save their whirlwind love affair and marriage. I highly recommend Confessions of an Italian Marriage to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

This is so not your typical Harlequin romance. This story could have been so much more had it not been restricted in length and content. I actually paged back several times sure that I had skipped pages and missed events that contributed to the story line.
Giovanni and Freyja had a whirlwind romance catapulting straight into pregnancy and marriage. An accident had left Giovanni wheelchair bound but billionaire rich and a grievance that caused him to work for the US government. Her father's death in Korea left Freyja a prisoner in Korea for a couple of years before being re-patriated to the US. The US government is suspicious that she might be a sleeper bringing her and Giovanni into the same stratosphere.
Then Giovanni fake dies in a freak accident and Freyja is determined to expose his lies and get a divorce. The characters are very interesting with a lot of depth and frankly I felt cheated because this story could have been fantastic and was not.

I give this book 4 stars, judging it against other Harlequin Romances. Every now and then, I read a Harlequin that goes a bit deeper. This is one of them. Freya is thrown into a quick, passionate marriage with Giovanni, but he's not the traditional alpha male character. He's in a wheelchair, but the author portrays him as a strong, assured male even with his physical limitations. As in most Harlequin's, it's his emotions that he really needs to work on.

An accident makes Freya think Giovanni is killed, but she suspects things are not as they seem. She's forced to do what she must to find out what's really going on. . This is a short intense read, but very satisfying.

This was a first for me-the hero was physically challenged and in a wheelchair. I don't think I have ever read a story with that premise. He was still very alpha, although I have to say that the story line (he faked his death and all kinds of evil lurking about) was a bit far fetched.

The Heroine was likable and was by no means a push over. I appreciate when an author writes a strong, female lead. One who will not be whitewashed or is content to accept any story that she is fed.

I have not read this author before, but I would do so again.

Although this is a typical Harlequin Presents book, with rich hero, world traveling, and sexy scenes; the story is actually very different from other HP books. Freja is not your typical heroine waiting to be rescued by the hero. At one point in the story she actually puts on a show to protect the hero. Giovanni is not your typical hero either. He is a paraplegic that leads a rich life, but also has a dangerous side job. Interesting and different right? I love how Freja is resourceful and even in her time of most need, she is able to pull through without the help of the hero. In fact, Giovanni, comes late to her.. I also appreciated how Giovanni was an nice person.and did not use and did not manipulate Freja. There are some difficult times and both Freja and Giovanni had to go through them separate from each other, which makes for a lot of anguish. Overall, the story was very entertaining, and kept me interested until the end. Yes, I will read it again and again.

Giovanni and Freya have a whirlwind romance. Then a short marriage. He is killed. She is knows something is up. She just can't put her finger on it. Then all of a sudden he emerges from the dead. She is not happy. Can love endure? Maybe, maybe not.