I loved the cover and concept for this book. It was well written and a good story—I'm sure other people will enjoy it. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the kidnapping trope and wasn't expecting it here. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

When Keren returns to the island which was once her home to visit her daughters grave, she doesn’t expect to find her ex-husband ready and waiting to confront her and reopen old wounds. As she is forced to spend time with him, Keren is reminded of the way things were before their world feel apart.

I really enjoyed this book. Not only did it have some great characters, but it also wasn’t afraid to deal with some complicated topics and difficult emotions.

Kerem está navegando sozinha pelo mundo desde que saiu da ilha de Agon, mas é o aniversário de sua filha e ela está voltando para visitar o túmulo da pequena. Ela não espera encontrar seu marido Yannis, de quem tenta se divorciar desde que foi embora, mas quando o vê, a última coisa que ela imaginava era a proposta que ele lhe fez. Yannis queria que Kerem passasse os próximos três dias na ilha enquanto ele a tenta convencer de desistir do divórcio, se ela não mudar de ideia nesse período, será livre para levar os papéis assinados para o advogado.

Essa história me surpreendeu muito, eu não esperava um enredo com um tema tão delicado que é o natimorto e como isso foi demonstrado de formas diferentes nos protagonistas. Kerem sofre a perda da filha e viajar sozinha em um barco, foi o que a trouxe de volta à vida. Os meses que se seguiram depois dessa perda foram sufocantes para Kerem, ela sempre foi livre e quis explorar o Mundo, mas Yannis a estava prendendo naquela ilha.

Além disso, houve situações que levaram Kerem a acreditar que seu casamento com Yannis tinha acabado, que ele não a amava mais, por isso ela não entende o motivo dele dificultar tanto o divórcio e a proposta que ele fez. Yannis sofre com o luto, mas deixa tudo internalizado, perder a filha o deixou com medo de perder Kerem, mas ele não lidou com as coisas do modo correto e isso afastou a esposa. Ter ela ali por três dias é a última esperança dele de conseguir convencê-la a mudar de ideia, já que todas as suas tentativas de chamar sua atenção com o divórcio foram falhas.

Tudo o que aconteceu durante esses dias foi importante para ambos os personagens, no começo fiquei um pouco hesitante com as atitudes de Yannis, mas conforme as coisas se esclareciam, eu o entendi melhor, mesmo que não concordasse com algumas coisas. E Kerem é uma personagem incrível, ela sempre gostou de ser livre, casar com Yannis foi totalmente fora do que ela imaginava para si, e por mais que o amasse, ela não conseguia se encaixar. É um romance bonito, mas que mostra que as pessoas não lidam com o luto e o medo da perda da mesma forma.

I wasn't really expecting much from this book but boy this one was quite an emotional rollercoaster which I completely didn't expect.

Very well-written story that kept me reading.

Stranded with her Greek husband by Michelle Smarl.
Marooned on a Greek island with her estranged but gloriously attractive husband, Keren has nowhere to run. Not just from the tragedy that broke her and Yannis apart, but the joy and passion she’s tried – and failed – to forget…
This was a really good read. Good characters. I loved Kerens character. I did like the ending. 4*.

Heat, heartache and healing. Stranded with her Greek Husband is a tumultuous trek into misconceptions and second chances. Smart plays the heart with an expert hand.

This book did not shy away from how the loss of a child deeply affects couples in different ways.. Keren and Yannis were both flawed and sympathetic characters. Their love story was very believable and while this was a romance, the love scenes were not overly descriptive or graphic. Michelle Smart left enough to the imagination of the reader. This is a quick read that’s perfect for a lazy afternoon or a beach read.

this book!!! it reminded me of Harlequin Presents past in a great way, though instead of being an artist, the heroine is a travel blogger (her age is never mentioned, so, depending, she could have been a travel instagrammer or tiktoker, but I digress). I really liked this book. Though it tackles a heavy subject (the stillborn birth of a child) and what can happen to a marriage after that, it was well done and really lovely. There was just enough melodrama for the story with the characters trying to communicate and for our hero to go after the wife he loves.

4. 5 stars

Stranded With Her Greek Husband surprised me with how emotional it is. Don't get me wrong, I expected some angst and turmoil from reading the blurb - it mentions 'the tragedy that broke them,' but this one was quite the emotional roller coaster for its less than 300 pages. The tragedy they're dealing with is something that could break a lot of couples. It's an all-encompassing loss, and Yannis and Keren had different ways of dealing with the grief. Needless to say, there's a lot of miscommunication and push and pull as Yannis tries to rebuild the marriage while Keren pulls further away. I can understand her feelings and certainly sympathize, but there were times when I wanted to give her a good shake. The drawback for me was that I would've liked to have seen more on the reconciliation side of things, more of these two past all the angst and turmoil. That aside, the story does pull you in, but be prepared for the emotional journey because if you're like me, you'll be taking that trip with the characters.

Not What I Was Expecting, Still Good In Its Way. With the title and the description here, I was expecting some kind of boat emergency that left our leading lady stranded on an island where her husband happened to be. Instead, we get the husband essentially imprisoning the wife against her will - and openly bragging about it. I normally try to go wherever for whatever with a book, but this one was pushing even my (more tolerant than many) limits. That noted, if the reader is willing to simply go with this set up... the book is a fairly standard second chance romance in an exotic location, pretty well perfectly on brand. And yes, not exactly for the clean/ sweet crowd either - this one has some fairly significant steam, though at least here the husband is much more careful about forcing himself. The epilogue is fairly standard stuff for a romance, and mostly expected given the exact nature of this particular tale - but I personally was hoping for something a bit more courageous and genre bending. Which was probably setting my own expectations a bit too high, given how safely within genre most of the rest of the tale is. :) Still, this is on the shorter side (under 200 pages) and perfectly timed in that week between Christmas and New Year's when no one really knows what they want to do, but everyone knows they should be relaxing and having fun in whatever way they deem. This tale definitely fits that general mood, and is very much recommended.

This is a story of a married couple who went through a tragedy in the form of losing their sweet daughter. Heroine returns to Greece to visit the gravesite of her daughter and get some closure before she returns home but Hero is not having it. He wants his wife back and will do anything to to accomplish it including looking down the town so she won’t leave.

I really loved this story though I did struggle with the heroine for most of the story. She came across as not so much in love with her husband as he was with her. He actuality did all the work here.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by the publisher/author in order to provide an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!

4.5 Stars

I love a book where the couple is separated and the husband does all he can to get her back.

Keren has been sailing a boat on her own since separating from Yannis. They lost a child at birth and after that, they slowly drifted apart. She felt he had an interest in his PA and he did nothing to really make her feel secure.

But on the anniversary of their child's death she has returned to visit her grave. And to get her divorce papers, Yannis is determined that he can change Keren's mind and save their marriage. He is no fool, he makes sure she feels the same chemistry that is rampant between them, but he won't force himself upon her, he makes her long for more.

The cat and mouse of this book was so much fun. The writing is wonderful!

Rating 3.5

A couple that faces a terrible tragedy that will test their marriage and love for each other.

We open with Keren, our heroine, arriving at her husbands island to visit the gravesite of their baby girl. Keren is still mourning the lost of their baby girl as well as her marriage to Yannis. Not only did they lose their little girl but they lost each other during that season of grieving as well. Yannis of course shows up and that is were the story really dives into their grief and anger.

The above synopsis is the outliner of the story but so much more angst, grief and anger is entwined in the progression of their HEA. Yannis has the island on lockdown when she arrives, so she can't leave. His goal was to work through the mess of their marriage and their grief. As well as trying to trying to salvage their marriage and the reignite their love for each other. Karen, now she's not having any of it at first. Too much anger and miss understanding. But thank goodness for Yannis's tenacity and dedication to his wife, who really is a hero, he in my opinion rescued their marriage.

I had a hard time with Keren for about two thirds of the book. She came across as very hard headed and angry (not discounting what she went through, but it seemed over the top). She was very stubborn and childish in her conversation and inter dialogue as well. Yannis seemed to be the one that put forth most of the effort and it was clear he loved his wife.

But as things progressed in their discussions and emotional heart to heart talks (again thanks to Yannis, who was determined they were going to talk) Keren seemed to slowly open up and really listen. They both had some misunderstandings and preconceived ideas of what transpired in some situations during their grieving process. But Keren was still stubborn and really didn't relent until the last couple pages of the story. I feel that this would have been a much more enriching, emotional and angst filled love story if Keren was a little more adult and open to reconciliation and healing. The ending was abrupt. Yannis finally was done as he tried everything and let Keren go. After she left the island was when she realized what she had in Yannis and their marriage. She made a hasty return in hopes Yannis would have her back and repair their marriage. Of course he did, he was again a wonderful hero in this story.

And I LOVED the epilogue. Well done in that department Michelle Smart.

Keren and Yannis are in the process of getting a divorce. He steals her boat so she will stay with him for three days. He doesn’t want a divorce, so he will use those days to try to show her that he loves her. There are many layers to their relationship. She hasn’t really finished grieving for their deceased daughter. The are very volatile. I read the book in one sitting.