I won this through a Goodreads giveaway a while ago!

STORY:
Basically, The Scorsoclini Marriage Bargain by Lucy Monroe and illustrated by Kazuna Uchida (128 pages) is about Prince Claudio being a jerk and Princess Therese trying to hide her health issues. I would say this is for a mature audience because there are some sexy times (not explicit, but there's a climactic love scene with a climax *badum tsk*) and the whole “produce an heir” problem that won’t appeal to most older teens; however, the story’s tone is too juvenile for adults.

This isn’t a negative point of the story, but I hate drawn-out misconceptions. Here, Claudio thinks Therese is cheating on him and won’t give her a chance to explain herself. But Therese drags out the truth forever! I ain’t never been so tired. ._.

CHARACTERS:
This story is more plot-driven than character-driven and that’s fine. The characters are flat, but the focus is on how Therese is going to break the news.

I found Claudio to be the worst. I’m not against male characters that lash out because they can’t express their feelings. If you’re familiar with manga/anime, you know those characters as tsunderes. Sometimes, that makes for an interesting character if they have a tender side, but Claudio just has no redeeming qualities. Besides being in-universe handsome (His angular chin reminds of a Dorito) and rich and a prince, I just don’t see why anyone would like him.

He gets upset that Theresa won’t “put out” and tells her that she’s not fulfilling her duties to him. Ew. He even tries to fondle her in the bathtub even after she says no. Claudio bursts in on Therese in the bathroom so many times, trying to pressure her into sex. In a fit of bravado, he tells her if she won't have sex with him, then she is expendable. I understand that he feels alienated from the lack of sexual intimacy, but you don’t go about it like a kid throwing a tantrum. You need COM-MU-NI-CA-TION!

Claudio’s whole character is I WANT MY SEX NOW! And… being condescending.

Therese, as Claudio describes her, is beautiful and modest. Nothing startlingly interesting about her. She does let Claudio know that the way he is treating her like a sex-toy is wrong, but she’s still a doormat most of the time. Therese is the long-suffering wife.

The best character is King Vicente! He’s an adorable old guy. Honestly, I liked Claudio’s family even though they are just extended cameos.

ART:
The artwork is okay. It has a standard, sleek look that reminds me of most recent shoujos. I think the eyes look nice. At times, the proportions can look a little bit weird, such as super long legs. But there are some shining moments when everyone looks beautiful with pretty eyelashes.

OVERALL:
I can’t really recommend this story. I didn’t enjoy the characters, but you might think differently.
Of course, the ending is cliché, but it’s happy and I love happy endings! Y’all they had triplets! ;__; my heart! ( )

Very nice marriage in peril story. Not usually a favorite trope of mine but it was nicely handled here. ( )

I won this through a Goodreads giveaway a while ago!

STORY:
Basically, The Scorsoclini Marriage Bargain by Lucy Monroe and illustrated by Kazuna Uchida (128 pages) is about Prince Claudio being a jerk and Princess Therese trying to hide her health issues. I would say this is for a mature audience because there are some sexy times (not explicit, but there's a climactic love scene with a climax *badum tsk*) and the whole “produce an heir” problem that won’t appeal to most older teens; however, the story’s tone is too juvenile for adults.

This isn’t a negative point of the story, but I hate drawn-out misconceptions. Here, Claudio thinks Therese is cheating on him and won’t give her a chance to explain herself. But Therese drags out the truth forever! I ain’t never been so tired. ._.

CHARACTERS:
This story is more plot-driven than character-driven and that’s fine. The characters are flat, but the focus is on how Therese is going to break the news.

I found Claudio to be the worst. I’m not against male characters that lash out because they can’t express their feelings. If you’re familiar with manga/anime, you know those characters as tsunderes. Sometimes, that makes for an interesting character if they have a tender side, but Claudio just has no redeeming qualities. Besides being in-universe handsome (His angular chin reminds of a Dorito) and rich and a prince, I just don’t see why anyone would like him.

He gets upset that Theresa won’t “put out” and tells her that she’s not fulfilling her duties to him. Ew. He even tries to fondle her in the bathtub even after she says no. Claudio bursts in on Therese in the bathroom so many times, trying to pressure her into sex. In a fit of bravado, he tells her if she won't have sex with him, then she is expendable. I understand that he feels alienated from the lack of sexual intimacy, but you don’t go about it like a kid throwing a tantrum. You need COM-MU-NI-CA-TION!

Claudio’s whole character is I WANT MY SEX NOW! And… being condescending.

Therese, as Claudio describes her, is beautiful and modest. Nothing startlingly interesting about her. She does let Claudio know that the way he is treating her like a sex-toy is wrong, but she’s still a doormat most of the time. Therese is the long-suffering wife.

The best character is King Vicente! He’s an adorable old guy. Honestly, I liked Claudio’s family even though they are just extended cameos.

ART:
The artwork is okay. It has a standard, sleek look that reminds me of most recent shoujos. I think the eyes look nice. At times, the proportions can look a little bit weird, such as super long legs. But there are some shining moments when everyone looks beautiful with pretty eyelashes.

OVERALL:
I can’t really recommend this story. I didn’t enjoy the characters, but you might think differently.
Of course, the ending is cliché, but it’s happy and I love happy endings! Y’all they had triplets! ;__; my heart! ( )

Therese has been in a marriage of convenience with Principe Claudio Scorsolini for three years. (She loves him but she thinks he married her for heirs.) She has just discovered recently that she has endometriosis and she believes her chances of having a baby now are slim. So, after a few very half-hearted attempts to tell him the problem, Therese asks Claudio for a divorce (without telling him why) convinced he will want out of this marriage...

I really disliked this book and the heroine. It was just the same thing over and over again. Therese wants a divorce (from the husband she loves?) because she thinks she can't produce heirs for Claudio, without ever telling him why she wants a divorce. Claudio thinks she found another lover because she wants a divorce. And he doesn't want to discuss it because he's jealous of the non-existent other man. Up until around page 113 it was the same thing over and over. I almost didn't finish this book and I wish I hadn't. It was hard to read Therese's endless inner thoughts of how miserable she was. I understand she had a problem, but I assume she has the best doctors in the world at her disposal. Grow up and get the surgery (which was an out-patient one in which she had a 70% chance of getting pregnant through an IVF procedure). Instead she wallowed in her own misery through the whole book. I saw more love from Claudio as this book progressed than I ever did from her. And in the end the surgery worked like a charm and she has baby triplets! ( )

Truly standard Harlequin Presents formula. Enjoyable enough - formula it maybe, but it works - but nothing memorable about it. ( )