When I first read the back of this book, I said to myself, here we go again – yet another marriage of convenience story. However, as I read, I was surprised and touched by Fielding’s take on the old plot, and in the end, liked it a great deal.

Ivo is a millionaire married to the beautiful Belle. They live in a mansion in Belgravia, and present to the outside world a perfect picture of love. Ivo feels passionately about Belle, but expresses it only in the public eye. Actually theirs is a marriage of convenience, but the world is convinced they are in love. Belle, a popular TV presenter, is not all together happy with their marriage of convenience even though she willingly entered into the marriage for security and protection from the secrets of her past. Unsurprisingly she has fallen in love with the handsome Ivo. Now she wants more from their marriage – Ivo’s love, and eventually a baby.

The book starts out with Belle on the path to self-discovery. She is participating in the Great Cycling Adventure, a trip biking around the world with two friends of hers who turn out to be her confidantes. It is on this journey that she finally faces up to the fact that she wants more out of her marriage, and the first step is to tell Ivo about her past. She returns from the adventure, strong and determined, but terrified about the direction her life is about to take. She knows though that the life she led before her journey of self-discovery is one that needs to be left behind, even if she has to give up Ivo, and her career.

Ivo has his own dark secrets from his past – secrets that when revealed almost destroy Belle. Ms. Fielding explores both Ivo’s and Belle’s secrets – how they tell each other, and eventually reconcile with each other. This book, in the end was a good read. Ms. Fielding turned an old plot into an emotional, romantic read, with a sweet ending. Her secondary characters, Belle’s confidantes, Manda and Daisy are well written. Their interference and advice is sometimes hard to take, but they love Belle and are good friends. Ms. Fielding writes a compelling romance, and I look forward to the next two books in this series.