THE SICILIAN'S DEFIANT MISTRESS – Jane Porter
Miniseries : Expecting!
Harlequin Presents #2520
ISBN: 0-373-12520-8
February 2006
Short Contemporary Romance

Italy – Present Day

For more than two years, Cassandra Gardner was devoted to her lover Maximos Giuliano, but eventually she wanted and needed more than the few nights a month he spent with her.  The day she asked for more, for love, Maximos walked out of her life, ripping her heart to pieces.  Shortly after that devastation, Cass learned she was pregnant and took comfort in the child she carried -- until that too is taken from her.  Sick with heartache and confusion, Cass is determined to confront Maximos and learn why he threw her away.  Cass goes to Maximos's home with his bitter enemy, Emilo Sobato, posing as Emilo's fiancée.  Cass is looking for answers and closure; what she finds is incredible heartbreak and further pain.

Maximos Giuliano is a rich and powerful businessman.  Cassandra had been his lover for more than two years, but when she wanted more than he was willing to give, he walked away from her.  When she appears at his home with his worst enemy, he is furious and determined to find out what game she is playing.

A novel filled with pain, anger, miscommunication and passion, THE SICILIAN'S DEFIANT MISTRESS is not an easy book to read.  Cass's pain and heartbreak is apparent with every turn of the page.  Her desire and love for Maximos is destroying any semblance of self-respect or independence she may have once had.  Maximos is an enigmatic character through most of the book.  He appears cold and unfeeling, and yet there is something about him that is compelling.  He is the ultimate alpha male; strong, self-assured, sexy, and passionate.  Cass's attraction and desire for him is completely understandable. What was not easy for me to understand was her reason for confronting Maximos in the way she did.  Cass is supposed to be a sophisticated, successful woman, and yet her emotional make-up is that of a confused teenager.  I had a hard time understanding why she felt showing up with Maximos's worst enemy would help her, either to find closure so that she could move on in her life, or to try to get Maximos back.  And therein lies my problem with this novel.  The writing is, as always, top notch.  The dialogue and character interaction is emotional and powerful, and yet, I could not understand the actions and reactions of either Maximos or Cass. This left me frustrated, despite the intense emotion throughout the novel.  At the end of the story, while Maximos's reasoning for his treatment is explained, and on one level understandable, he still comes off as a selfish man.  Cass's reaction and her actions that follow his explanation left me shaking my head.  In the end, THE SICILIAN'S DEFIANT MISTRESS, is well written and emotionally compelling, but my inability to understand or connect with the characters left me dissatisfied.  I've read and enjoyed Ms. Porter's previous novels, and love the passion and emotion she imbues in her characters, but Maximos and Cass seemed more destructive to each other than is healthy, and I could not truly be happy with their reunion as it played out.

Terrie Figueroa