Sins of the Past - Elizabeth Power
Mills and Boon Modern
Harlequin Mills and Boon, 2011
ISBN:9780263886580
My rating
From the back cover:
"Five years ago Riva Singleman lost her heart and her virginity! - to sexy Italian businessman Damiano D'Amico. While she wasn't a hundred percent truthful with Diamiano, it was nothing compared to the web of lies he spun! Devastated by Diamiano's betrayal, Riva fled carrying away another secret of her own...
Now Damiano is back, and Riva is running scared. Not only is their attraction as powerful as ever, Riva is terrified of letting Damiano too close - lest he discover the truth and demand what is rightfully his..."
After reading the fantastic Bad Blood series I wanted to stay within the Modern line and this is a book my husband bought me for my birthday. I was looking forward to reading it, I have mentioned in the past that I really like the 'secret love-child' plotline so...! This was an enjoyable read.
When the hero Damiano sees the heroine Riva working for a design firm he plans to use he is immediately reminded of the time they spent together five years ago. We discover that five years ago Riva's mother was engaged to Damiano's uncle and Damiano did not approve, he set out to end the relationship and seduced Riva in the process. Riva and her mother had told some untruths in order to hide some of their background they were embarrassed about, although not for any nefarious reasons. When Damiano discovered the truth they were both sent packing, not realising that Riva was pregnant.
Curiosity about Riva gets the better of him and he hires her for a design job, Riva is apprehensive and unsure of Damiano's motives. She is also wary of him finding out about her son, his child. When Damiano does find out, quite by accident, he wants to be part of his son's life. Although he still believes Riva to be a liar and angry with her for keeping their child a secret as he gets to know her he begins to see her strength and realises that he may have been wrong about her. But he hurt Riva in the past and she is very reluctant to let him close.
I enjoyed this book, it is well written and interesting, but a little samey. Nothing 'new' is done here and while that was a little disappointing, the plotline is a classic one and is done well. I really liked the character of Riva, she had a lot of strength and determination and that really appealed to me. I didn't like Damiano's character so much, he was a little too judgemental and a bit cruel at times, I found that I couldn't warm to his apologies and contrition regarding his past behaviour. The dialogue is well written, as are the descriptions of settings and surroundings.
Overall, this book is a quick and enjoyable read.
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