In this game of revenge,

She’ll meet her enemy at the altar…

Billionaire Gianni Rossi destroyed Issy Seymore’s family legacy…and it’s time for payback.

Issy has a plan: she’ll get him onto a yacht headed for the Caribbean, distract him then take down his company!

Gianni has been onto Issy from the start, outmaneuvering her at every turn. But, as the heat between them rises, it’s the Italian who begins to feel out of his depth.

To finally end the charade, he calls her bluff with an outrageous marriage proposal.

Then Issy makes one last move—by saying yes!

Titles in the Billion-Dollar Revenge duet include — Bound by the Italian’s “I Do” by Michelle Smart —♥— Expecting Her Enemy’s Heir by Pippa Roscoe —♥—

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Bound by the Italian’s “I Do”
Series:  Billion-Dollar Revenge #1
Author:  Michelle Smart
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  March 28, 2023
Publisher:  Harlequin Presents
My Rating:  4.5

Bound by the Italian’s “I Do” begins the Billion-Dollar Revenge duet with a romance that defies all logic when the couple involved should be on totally opposite sides but… Issy didn’t count on the strong attraction to Gianni, and he didn’t consider the red-hot passion flowing between them.  The saying “revenge is a dish best served cold” comes to mind for this romance when Issy and her sister, Amelia have worked toward this moment for a decade.  Ten years of having one ultimate goal, one focus, to bring down the two men who completely destroyed their world.  Their father’s eventual death, and their mother’s addictions all can be traced back to one visit to the sisters’ childhood home… and now the Rossi cousins are about to get a unique taste of payback.

I found Gianni and Issy to be a fascinating couple in a very unique situation.  And I’m also not sure how to really voice my feelings about this novel without giving away spoilers which I really try not to do.  I could easily understand each main character’s reasons for the things that they did, both in the past and in the present.  I can imagine two young girls having their lives torn apart vowing to protect each other and make those responsible pay.  Yes, their actions also stole ten years of their own lives in the process but revenge, seeking any kind of justice (no matter how misguided) becomes a bit of an obsession where nothing else matters but the end goal.  The same can be said for Gianni and his cousin, Alessandro with their need to teach the sisters’ father a lesson in just how it feels to be scammed, lied to, and destroyed.  That also took years of their lives as well.  All four people in this situation lost so much, including all those years with revenge as the end goal.  So, while the premise is unique on many levels, it is also fascinating to watch it all play out once Issy and Amelia’s plan can finally be put into action.

The physical attraction between Issy and Gianni is obvious from the beginning.  Yet as their story deepens so does another emotion come to life that neither expected.  There is justifiable anger in this story, and there is so much anguish as well when they both confide what their past was like to each other and finally got a look at the other side of the situation.  Both were wrong, and yet both were right depending on your personal viewpoint.  I loved watching the love grow between them.  It wasn’t easy by any means, but it was there beneath the surface as they worked through the overload of emotions going on in their own minds.

I enjoyed Issy and Gianni’s story very much, and now it’s on to Amelia and Alessandro’s romance up next.  If you love a fiery, passionate, emotional romance that will have you questioning your own views of right and wrong while watching two deserving people finally find the love that can heal and last a lifetime… then you’d love this novel.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in print or for your favorite e-reader