Bummer. "Dante's Contract Marriage" is not what I was hoping for to end the 'Dante Inferno' series by Day Leclaire. This is a Silhouette Desire series about the Dante family and their legend. When a Dante male meets the 'one' for him, they are both struck by an electric charge and an intense and unremitting attraction for each other. If they marry their Inferno mate, they will have a happy marriage, if they ignore the Inferno, they will be miserable. The first two books in the series were good, the third was OK, but this last one really let me down.

Lazzaro is the logical Dante and he certainly doesn't believe in the family fairy tale of the Inferno. And he's sure his deceased father agreed with him since he signed a contract when Lazz was only 12 requiring Lazz to marry the daughter of a family friend or lose a fortune. Since he was a child at the time, obviously there was no Inferno! So Lazz is hard-pressed to explain his feelings since he met his 'bride'. It must be lust.

Ariana has been attracted to Lazz since she was five years old. But as the years passed and they never saw each other, she assumed she would one day meet a man to love her. When the contract is brought up after she becomes an adult, she agrees to save her family from financial ruin. The attraction and connection she feels for Lazz as soon as they touch is so strong, she can't believe he doesn't feel the same thing.

I wanted to like this book. I really like the idea, but the execution just didn't work for me. I didn't feel anything other than a sense of physical attraction between these two. He kept ignoring her wishes and was quite a jerk making his own demands. I didn't 'feel' love, or even liking; and I didn't really like either of the main characters!

Too bad. If you've been reading the series, it would probably be worthwhile for you to finish it; especially if you're like me and can't stand to leave something undone! Otherwise, give this one a pass... ( )