When Angelo Riccardi sought revenge Gwenna Hamilton added another, delicious dimension. Innocent and pretty, she had no chance when the Italian tycoon offered her the devil’s bargain: pay for her father’s freedom with her body.
In her naiveté, Gwenna thought that Angelo would tire of her and her innocence very quickly. But he had more in mind than just one night…
While on a visit to his crime boss grandfather’s deathbed Angelo finds out some information about a man who took horrible advantage of his mother when he was just a child. Angelo is told that this man dated his mother then took all of her money and then ran off. Angelo finds the man in order to seek revenge. He purchases the company that Hamilton works for. While doing an audit on the books the accountants find where Hamilton has been pilfering money from the company. He is going to jail.
Gwenna Hamilton loves her father dearly. He couldn’t possibly be as bad as everyone is saying. In a desperate attempt to save her father Gwenna goes to the company to see if Angelo will take all of the properties that her father owns to make repayment toward the money he took. Angelo is happy to take the properties but he wants something else as well: Gwenna. If she agrees to become his mistress then he will keep her father out of jail. Gwenn is an innocent virgin and can’t possibly understand why Angelo would want her, but to help her father she agrees, believing that Angelo will tire of her quickly.
I’m not even sure where to start with this one. Gwenna is the illegitimate daughter – she’s treated like Cinderella by her stepmother and step sisters – but is willing to do whatever she can to make her father’s life easier. She has a tiny plant nursery on the property that has been in her mother’s family for years. When Angelo takes the properties he also takes her home and her livelihood. But that doesn’t matter because he has her fixed up and made over and her dog taken to a doggie hotel. She’s not to contact her friends and he’s to be the only person she needs. She’s made to feel like an object and feels pretty cheap and sleazy. When she does go out he has her followed. Ug. I was just so disgusted with Angelo for most of the book. He’s an Italian millionaire and gets what he wants but he was such an ass. Yes, they show him realizing that he wants to be with her more and more but at the same time he’s still digging up shit on her dad.
Yes, Gwenna’s dad is a total sticky fingered ass. It’s all about the money and who he can pilfer from to benefit himself but when Angelo starts falling for Gwenna shouldn’t he have stopped that? IMHO he should have.
Gwenna was a pretty good character. She was very stubborn and tried to fight back but Angelo would always pull the “what about your father” card and she’d cave. I know she was in a tough spot but it just didn’t endear her to me. Especially when she found out what a louse her father was and she still stayed with Angelo. Have some self-respect, honey.
I can’t say I was a huge fan of the writing in this book either. It has some scene changing issues – as in it changed to the next scene but it was just in the next paragraph so you had no idea what was going on. It threw me off a time of two, I must say. Then the sex was…not non-existent, but was told in a way that you almost missed it. Like he took her in a closet and then they were grabbing for their clothes after they were done. Wait – did I miss something? lol
Overall I just didn’t love the book. I never care for forced mistress books but I won this one from Anna’s blog and it was there on my shelf so I thought I’d read it. Unfortunately I have to say that I can’t recommend this one.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
I always tend to read HP's with a grain of salt, as they are like potato chips anyway; not so good for you but you can't help yourself.
Angelo sounds like a total jerk, though that's usually the case, even in today's HP's. Will it stop me from reading them? Hell no LOL.
Is this a recently published book? LOL, it screams 80's to me with the man completely controling everything in the woman's life.
Ugh, it's a hit or miss for me with Contemporary Harlequins. Sorry this one wasn't for you.
Have some self-respect, honey.
LOL, you tell her, Tracy! I mean, really…
This would be a miss for me too.:(
I'm sorry, but I'm confused. Did Angelo not think it was….oh…unfair…to take revenge on…not the man who hurt his mother but said man's daughter? What century are we willing in and what ethics did the hero have…
Hmmm. Tracy, if I sent you a contemporary HP (I think it's an HP) I love would you be interested in reading it? Oh, and you have a parcel coming your way 🙂
DUH! I hit send and then realised I had already told you about the package… *heads towards closet*
Stacy – I guess I need to do that too – the grain of salt thing. And I think I CAN help myself next time! lol
Yes, Angelo was a jerk!
Jill – It came out in 2007, but you're right it does sound totally 80's – and it was!
Barbara – I think I'll stick with the contemp Blaze's from Harlequin. I think they're more my thing.
Hilcia – LOL It's true! She needed LOADS of self-respect. 🙂
Orannia – EXACTLY. My heavens I just was so frustrated that he was taking it out on the daughter, basically, and then looking for more dirt on the dad. Ug!
Sure – send me an HP you think I'd like…I haven't read one of those in a LONG time. 🙂
I can't disagree with one word of your review. Lynne Graham is one of my guilty pleasure authors but she hasn't written a book in 4 or 5 years that has been good *sigh*. It makes me sad when I think of what she used to produce. If you can bear to spend a few cents at Amazon, I'd defy you to read Prisoner of Passion or the Spanish Groom and not thoroughly enjoy them.
Shit Tump! You defy me? Dammit – I hate when that happens now I have to go read one of those! lol
Alright – just for you I'll look one up. 🙂
Thank you Tracy!!!! And since I love this book to pieces…one day I'll get around to explaining why on my blog…am seriously thinking it should go on tour a la The Windflower *grin*
I'll organize it this weekend! *happy dance*
Oh no Orannia! What have I done? I've created a monster! lol
Yeeeee, reminds me of the Presents title I read earlier this year by Penny Jordan. The hero in it wanted to cut off his mistress from everyone else too. Creepiness.
I totally agree KMont. There's an alpha male's possessiveness and then there's a control freak's psychoness. Completely different.