I loved this book. Both the main characters are well rounded and totally suited to each other whilst striking sparks off each other. The story begins when Francesca is a bridesmaid at the wedding of her best friend, and has to let it be known that she saw the bridegroom in a very compromising position with the maid of honour the night before. The next day, Fran drives to a mountaintop village that is being converted into a clinic for paralyzed young patients as she trains assistance dogs for the same. When she arrives, she discovers that the young girl Pia she has been coming to introduce to one of her dogs is, in fact, the niece of the maid of honour's now former boyfriend Luca, the owner and chief doctor at the clinic. Sparks fly almost from the outset... I am not going to give anymore spoilers as this book is very well crafted and well worth reading for yourself. So read it and enjoy as I'm sure you will.

I'm reviewing Tempted By The Bridesmaid by Annie O'Neil. Here are my thoughts:

^^ I've always loved a wide range of genres and lately, I've started reading more Mills and Boon Romances, and they really do have a wide selection to choose from these days. This was my first foray into the Medical Line (Mills and Boon Medical) Italian Royals Book 1, and I must say it was an absolute pleasure to read.

^^ Annie O'Neil writes Francesca Martinelli's bubbly character in a fabulously chatty style. Right from the start I was pulled in by the story which starts Fran in an Italian church about to object about her best friend, Beatrice, getting married at the altar! Well, it did not go down well. The best man, Italian surgeon Luca Montovano, was not at all happy with her, either.

^^ Thankfully, I've never seen that happen in real life, but you can imagine how difficult that must be knowing something the bride (your best friend) doesn't and having no choice but to tell her in front of everyone!

^^ Whilst still in Italy, intending to spend the summer at a New Medical Clinic, she bumps into Luca and he's not particularly happy to see her again. Despite this, they do feel a connection to each other, but Luca is not having any of it. However, it doesn't take Fran long to realise that Luca's worries go much deeper than she first thought.

Overall: A romantic, well-written tale, which mixes a good blend of rich Italian Royals with a medical romance, which - all in all - made it a terrific cosy read by the fire with a hot cup of cocoa and some much loved peace and quiet.

This review has also been posted on Amazon.

I enjoyed the storyline and felt the book was well paced. Fran is a wonderful character although it took me a bit longer to warm to Luca. There are a number of threads to the story i.e. Fran's training of the therapy dogs and working with Pia (Luca's niece) but the author weaves them together so well that the book flows easily. It's a heartwarming read and I would recommend it to others.

I've always liked romance stories, and what I particularly like about a Mills & Boon book is that I can pick one up and read it in just a few hours. It's a nice cosy evening thing to do and leaves me feeling all happy. Tempted by the Bridesmaid begins with Fran standing at the altar with her best friend, forcing herself to tell the bride and the priest that the groom is having an affair. As another good friend of the bride, Luca can't understand why Fran would 'wreck' everything, so they get off to a bad start on their first meeting.

However, their mutual friend has arranged for Fran to work with Luca over the summer: Fran trains therapy dogs, and is going to work with Luca's niece, who is in a wheelchair. Career path changed by the accident that disabled her, Luca is renovating some land to create a medical treatment facility for disabled patients, which has its grand opening part way through Fran's stay.

I liked that their romance is balanced by the questions of whether the clinic will be ready in time, and then whether it will be a success. Fran is a lovely woman who always sees the best in everything and is always trying to help with anything she can at the clinic. However, I have a problem with Luca. Their relationship is very 'sparky', they argue despite being very attracted to each other, but I noticed halfway through the book that Luca will be thinking about some nice, thoughtful thing Fran is doing, and how she's so wonderful, then he'll snap out something grumpy and hurtful at her, then immediately be thinking that he regrets it. He does it again and again and again. I think if he really did regret it, he would have stopped doing it. To me, it did not read as a healthy, happy relationship and I couldn't buy in to Luca being an appealing hero, or the two of them having a happily-ever-after with the way he was shown in this book. By the end, I could believe that the ending was the start of his redemption, but I would have liked to see the change on the page, rather than being left to imagine it.

This is getting a solid 5 out of 10 from me. There are elements of a sweet romance, and a nice secondary plot with the clinic, but it's a pretty straightforward story, and the hero being a dick so much of the time was very off-putting.

Luca and Fran are the best man and bridesmaid at a wedding when Fran calls a halt to the ceremony as she has seen the groom kissing one of her fellow bridesmaid’s the night before. The bridesmaid in question turns out to be Luca’s girlfriend, and soon after, Fran, a physiotherapist and assistance dog trainer discovers Luca is her new boss.
Whilst the book had a promising start, the events at the wedding aren’t mentioned again, and Luca’s girlfriend never re-appears in the story (I kept expecting her to re-appear and cause problems). Fran goes to work for Luca, he’s initially a bit hesitant about her methods and treatment for his wheelchair bound nice, sparks fly, Luca worries he can’t commit, she plans to leave and he realises he can’t let her go.
The Italian setting is atmospheric, and you can easily imagine yourself in the little village where Luca is running his clinic.
The role of assistance dogs seems to be a popular plot device of late, and it is good to learn about how they work and how they can change people’s lives.
Whilst the writing is good, and Luca and Fran were well created, there were hints about their past that were never explored fully (I didn’t really follow Fran’s estrangement from her father, and Luca’s guilt about the car crash that paralysed his niece and resulted in the deaths of several members of his family seemed to be glossed over in a couple of paragraphs). I liked the concept that Luca had survived this traumatic accident and it had changed him as a person, but I felt it needed exploring more to make his character more rounded.
I enjoyed the story, but, if it had gone a bit deeper into the characters and why they had misgivings about relationships it would have made for a stronger plot. Even when Fran says she’s leaving the happy ever after ending was never in danger of not happening, and if anything, seemed a little rushed.
All in all, a nice, simple story that could have been improved with a bit more substance to the plot. A good summer read, just lacking a bit of a 'wow' factor to make it more gripping.

A gorgeous romance to set your heart a flutter in the beautiful Italian hillsides.

Fran was currently over in Italy as one of the bridesmaids for her best friends society wedding. Fran was left with a dilemma after seeing the groom-to-be in a very friendly embrace with one of the other bridesmaids. Does she reveal the truth and break the heart of her best friend?

Not only was Fran in Italy for the wedding but she was also due to spend the summer at a new Medical Clinic hoping to introduce her Canny Canine dogs to a teenage paraplegic girl.

Luca Montovana was pounding all his energy and money into building the clinic in Mont di Mare. He wanted to build a rehab place of respite and care for severely disabled teenagers. Following the terrible tragedy in his family that caused the death of four members of his family he is now the sole carer of his niece Pia, who had been left paralyzed from the waist down. Luca was still left physically and mentally scarred from this tragedy and was tirelessly working 24/7 to bring any help he can to his niece and others in a similar situation.

When Fran arrived at the Medical Clinic at Mont di Mare she didn't expect to see one of the wedding guests and for him to be the proprietor of the clinic and now her new boss. Tempers and personalities flared on arrival at the clinic and Luca was very dubious as to how Fran's dogs could help his niece. As a trained physiotherapist and dog handler Fran knew she had a difficult task ahead but she had full faith in her dogs' abilities.

Canny Canines were not only helping the disabled but were also bringing a brightness and lightness to the temperament of Luca who at times felt like he had the world upon his shoulders.

Chemistry soon started sizzling between Fran and Luca but as her time at the clinic was only a temporary situation can the pair let love in even for a short time?

A gorgeous romance with a story giving hope, belief and warmth.

Annie O’Neil’s ‘Tempted By The Bridesmaid’ is a delightfully quick read about looking past first impressions, learning how to deal with past guilt and disappointment, and finding out how to hold onto the most amazing thing to ever happen to you, just before it might slip through your fingers.
The story of Fran and Luca is a bit of a slow build, giving you plenty of time to get invested in the hero and heroine, as they both engage with journeys of self-discovery that finally help them become the perfect people for one another. Fran learned a long time ago that whilst the truth hurts, it is always the best thing to go with, in any situation, no matter the outcome. Dealing with residual abandonment issues with her father, it seems like things are finally turning around when they start to rebuild their relationship. All she needs to do is finally accomplish something that will hopefully show him what she’s capable of, and that she is worth his time, his affection. Luca has closed his heart to all emotion, except for the light of his life, his niece Pia, instead pouring all his efforts into an amazing clinic that will help young people in wheelchairs, and trying to provide Pia with absolutely everything she needs, which at the urging of one of his closest friends is apparently an assistance dog. Cue Fran to show up with the delightful Edison and Freda, as she worms her way into the hearts of all the staff at the clinic, as well as Pia, and all patients, sharing what is lovingly referred to as ‘The Francesca Effect’ everywhere she goes. Fran and Luca butt heads, trying to keep things professional, even as their intense interest in one another confuses and intrigues them both. Time is running out before Fran returns to America, and Luca is running out of time, and money, to keep his clinic afloat. Can they learn to truly trust one another, and that they have each other’s best interests at heart?
I enjoyed reading this novel; however, I did find it didn’t always go that extra step that I kept looking for on an emotional engagement level. I cared for Fran and Luca, loving her vivacity, his brooding nature, and the way they balanced out one another completely. When we hear Luca’s backstory, it is heartbreaking. Fran’s is upsetting as well, however, I feel like she never quite committed to same level of emotional sharing as Luca did when everything finally exploded from within. That doesn’t mean that Fran’s journey of rediscovering self-love and worth isn’t beautiful! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an easy read, just enough emotional charge to keep you teary eyed, with a HEA that is full of laughter and woofs.

This was an OK book, I liked the story and the characters, i just sometimes find these each characters books too short to really delve into each character in detail, that been said the author did a good job trying to make us care for all these characters. Overall it was a decent read.