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Такое простое счастье
Десять лет назад отца Летти арестовали за мошенничество, и она в одночасье из богатой наследницы превратилась в изгоя. Летти отказалась от любимого мужч...
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About the author
Jennie Lucas
552books326followersJennie Lucas had a tragic beginning for any would-be writer: a very happy childhood. Her parents owned a bookstore, and she grew up surrounded by books, dreaming about faraway lands. Her mother read aloud to her in French when she was little; when she was ten, her father secretly paid her a dollar for every classic novel (Jane Eyre, War and Peace) that she read. As a chubby teenager, Jennie covered her bedroom with travel posters and always had her nose in a book.
At fifteen, she went to a Connecticut boarding school on scholarship. She took her first solo trip to Europe at sixteen, then put off college and traveled around the U.S., supporting herself with jobs as diverse as gas station cashier and newspaper advertising assistant.
At 22, she met the man who would be her husband. For the first time in her life, she wanted to stay in one place, as long as she could be with him. After their marriage, she graduated from Kent State University with a degree in English, and started writing books a year later.
Jennie was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart contest in 2003 and won the award in 2005. A fellow 2003 finalist, Australian author Trish Morey, read Jennie’s writing and told her that she should write for Harlequin Presents. It seemed like too big a dream, but Jennie took a deep breath and went for it. A year later, after seven years of writing and eight finished manuscripts, Jennie got the magical call from London that turned her into a published author.
Since then, life has been hectic, juggling a writing career, a sexy husband and two young children, but Jennie loves her crazy, chaotic life. Who needs a clean house? Every day, Jennie gets swept into drama, glamour and passion. Now if she can only figure out how to pack up her family and live in all the places she’s writing about!
At fifteen, she went to a Connecticut boarding school on scholarship. She took her first solo trip to Europe at sixteen, then put off college and traveled around the U.S., supporting herself with jobs as diverse as gas station cashier and newspaper advertising assistant.
At 22, she met the man who would be her husband. For the first time in her life, she wanted to stay in one place, as long as she could be with him. After their marriage, she graduated from Kent State University with a degree in English, and started writing books a year later.
Jennie was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart contest in 2003 and won the award in 2005. A fellow 2003 finalist, Australian author Trish Morey, read Jennie’s writing and told her that she should write for Harlequin Presents. It seemed like too big a dream, but Jennie took a deep breath and went for it. A year later, after seven years of writing and eight finished manuscripts, Jennie got the magical call from London that turned her into a published author.
Since then, life has been hectic, juggling a writing career, a sexy husband and two young children, but Jennie loves her crazy, chaotic life. Who needs a clean house? Every day, Jennie gets swept into drama, glamour and passion. Now if she can only figure out how to pack up her family and live in all the places she’s writing about!
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February 5, 2017This heroine bugged the heck out of me....will review soon as I am too worked up right now and I will just rant!!
Review,Thoughts,Whatever,and Random Spoilers scattered throughout.........
Nothing beats a tale of good olde fashioned revenge.I love the trope in my romances and especially in my harleys.When you take a trip on the revenge train to Harleyville,you know that your alpha hero is going to be deliciously macavillain. He will do whatever it takes to get his revenge,it usually involves blackmailing the heroine over some of her family's past misdeeds usually involving the heroine's beloved mother or in this case, the beloved father.He will exact any means necessary and it always involves the "strength of his manhood".Are you getting the drift of the story?
The story opens ten years after the heroine dumps her poor hapless Greek secret fiancee.It was for his own good,really it was,because how else would he have become this billionaire extraordinaire who DOES NOT DO LOVE.Sounds familiar territory here folks!
They meet up one night after the heroine finishes up her shift as a downtrodden waitress in a diner.Poor thing is dead on her feet and while trudging home,who does she see,but a blast from her past,the young man ,now hunky billionaire man,all dressed in black,leaning ohh so casual against a very expensive sports car. He looks so good,while she looks like a peasant,no longer the society princess,dressed in her dingy white waitress uniforn,no stocking because her last pair was torn beyond repair,and disgusting working shoes.My how the tables have changed.The heroine thinks that all is well ,her love has come back for her as he now knows the truth of why she dumped him all those long years ago.She is so happy to see him that when he asks her to visit his penthouse,she instantly agrees and off they go .
Well,now the hero shows his true colors,they get to his penthouse ,starts the sexy moves and yes the mattress tango begins,but wait,our heroine is a virgin,how can this be?it has been ten years since they were a couple and he wanted to wait till their wedding night to devirginize our lovely heroine.But soon pain leads to pleasure and the heroine says the dreaded " I love you"!!This really pissess the hero off and things get heated,he throws the heroine out into the cold dark night and she has to make the journey back to her run down apartment in Brooklyn.But before she leaves,he tells her the condom broke and tells her to inform him of any pregnancy and she could kiss that baby bye bye when it is born.So,off she goes to Brooklyn and her father who was recently released from prision because once upon a time he was a nice kind man,but after the death of his beloved wife,he went off the rails and before you can say Ponzi scheme,Daddy Dearest had bilked billions from his investors and the life savings of our hero's Dad.He now has a broken arm from one of his past "business associates" and he is the one who went behind the heroine's back and emailed the hero about a meet up.There is also the matter of a hundred thousand dollars that the hero gave the heroine because that was the price of the night and Daddy Dearest needed it for a payoff.
Weeks pass,heroine finds out she is pregnant but she is not going to tell the hero because he will take her precious child away from her .What is a girl to do but abscond with her beloved crook of a father and head to the wilds of Rochester where all will be will.Heroine is now six months into her pregnancy and getting her last paycheck to buy the bus tickets but who should show up at her door but our Greek billionaire.Vengance is mine,mine I tell you!
My thoughts on the cast of characters.
Hero.....I was fully ,and I mean fully prepared to hate the heck out of this guy.He was a first class bastard to the heroine after they had sex for the first time.He threw her out into the cold alone to make her way back to Brooklyn from Manhattan in the early morning, no money for a cab,nothing.No care for her wellbeing or saftey,who knows what could have happened to her alone on a subway.His drive for revenge and vengeance against the heroine and hatred for her father was appalling at times.His secrets became his downfall.Then the hero's back story came to light,I actually liked him towards the mid part of the book.His actions towards the heroine,I saw his love in his acts and behavior.
The Heroine.....she was such a "Mary Sue" character,if ever there was a character that was blinded by her father ,it was this one.Always an excuse for him as he was her Dad,therefore whatever he did,there was an excuse.The biggest enabler if ever there was one.When she denied the hero his child because he did not tell her about her father,it was likemGirl,your father was a deadbeat,he bilked 8 billion dollars out of his investors ,went to jail for ten years while you were the town pariah who could barely hold your head yp,but everything is all sunshine and roses because he is your Dad.The hero,she gave no slack too and she was way too bitchy towards him.By this time,I had serious feels towards the hero and my heart just about broke for him.He deserved better than her at that point of the story.
But all's well that ends well and happiness for the couple and their newborn son.The ending is rather cheesy with him finding his new family in the rose garden with sunshine,birds and heroine singing with a babbling bouncing baby boy.
With my issues really with the heroine more so than the hero,this book was a good read on the dark and stormy night that I snuggled down to read.Jennie Lucas is one of the few author's in the hp line that I can count on to deliver a story that fulfills my need for romance and a dose of angst.I would give this a five star,but my issues with the main characters knocked it down to 4.5stars.
Review,Thoughts,Whatever,and Random Spoilers scattered throughout.........
Nothing beats a tale of good olde fashioned revenge.I love the trope in my romances and especially in my harleys.When you take a trip on the revenge train to Harleyville,you know that your alpha hero is going to be deliciously macavillain. He will do whatever it takes to get his revenge,it usually involves blackmailing the heroine over some of her family's past misdeeds usually involving the heroine's beloved mother or in this case, the beloved father.He will exact any means necessary and it always involves the "strength of his manhood".Are you getting the drift of the story?
The story opens ten years after the heroine dumps her poor hapless Greek secret fiancee.It was for his own good,really it was,because how else would he have become this billionaire extraordinaire who DOES NOT DO LOVE.Sounds familiar territory here folks!
They meet up one night after the heroine finishes up her shift as a downtrodden waitress in a diner.Poor thing is dead on her feet and while trudging home,who does she see,but a blast from her past,the young man ,now hunky billionaire man,all dressed in black,leaning ohh so casual against a very expensive sports car. He looks so good,while she looks like a peasant,no longer the society princess,dressed in her dingy white waitress uniforn,no stocking because her last pair was torn beyond repair,and disgusting working shoes.My how the tables have changed.The heroine thinks that all is well ,her love has come back for her as he now knows the truth of why she dumped him all those long years ago.She is so happy to see him that when he asks her to visit his penthouse,she instantly agrees and off they go .
Well,now the hero shows his true colors,they get to his penthouse ,starts the sexy moves and yes the mattress tango begins,but wait,our heroine is a virgin,how can this be?it has been ten years since they were a couple and he wanted to wait till their wedding night to devirginize our lovely heroine.But soon pain leads to pleasure and the heroine says the dreaded " I love you"!!This really pissess the hero off and things get heated,he throws the heroine out into the cold dark night and she has to make the journey back to her run down apartment in Brooklyn.But before she leaves,he tells her the condom broke and tells her to inform him of any pregnancy and she could kiss that baby bye bye when it is born.So,off she goes to Brooklyn and her father who was recently released from prision because once upon a time he was a nice kind man,but after the death of his beloved wife,he went off the rails and before you can say Ponzi scheme,Daddy Dearest had bilked billions from his investors and the life savings of our hero's Dad.He now has a broken arm from one of his past "business associates" and he is the one who went behind the heroine's back and emailed the hero about a meet up.There is also the matter of a hundred thousand dollars that the hero gave the heroine because that was the price of the night and Daddy Dearest needed it for a payoff.
Weeks pass,heroine finds out she is pregnant but she is not going to tell the hero because he will take her precious child away from her .What is a girl to do but abscond with her beloved crook of a father and head to the wilds of Rochester where all will be will.Heroine is now six months into her pregnancy and getting her last paycheck to buy the bus tickets but who should show up at her door but our Greek billionaire.Vengance is mine,mine I tell you!
My thoughts on the cast of characters.
Hero.....I was fully ,and I mean fully prepared to hate the heck out of this guy.He was a first class bastard to the heroine after they had sex for the first time.He threw her out into the cold alone to make her way back to Brooklyn from Manhattan in the early morning, no money for a cab,nothing.No care for her wellbeing or saftey,who knows what could have happened to her alone on a subway.His drive for revenge and vengeance against the heroine and hatred for her father was appalling at times.His secrets became his downfall.Then the hero's back story came to light,I actually liked him towards the mid part of the book.His actions towards the heroine,I saw his love in his acts and behavior.
The Heroine.....she was such a "Mary Sue" character,if ever there was a character that was blinded by her father ,it was this one.Always an excuse for him as he was her Dad,therefore whatever he did,there was an excuse.The biggest enabler if ever there was one.When she denied the hero his child because he did not tell her about her father,it was likemGirl,your father was a deadbeat,he bilked 8 billion dollars out of his investors ,went to jail for ten years while you were the town pariah who could barely hold your head yp,but everything is all sunshine and roses because he is your Dad.The hero,she gave no slack too and she was way too bitchy towards him.By this time,I had serious feels towards the hero and my heart just about broke for him.He deserved better than her at that point of the story.
But all's well that ends well and happiness for the couple and their newborn son.The ending is rather cheesy with him finding his new family in the rose garden with sunshine,birds and heroine singing with a babbling bouncing baby boy.
With my issues really with the heroine more so than the hero,this book was a good read on the dark and stormy night that I snuggled down to read.Jennie Lucas is one of the few author's in the hp line that I can count on to deliver a story that fulfills my need for romance and a dose of angst.I would give this a five star,but my issues with the main characters knocked it down to 4.5stars.
January 2, 2017
Jennie Lucas is my favorite Harlequin Presents author. I adore her virginal sweet heroines and her alpha heroes. This is the story of Letty Spencer and Darius Kyrillos. Letty and Darius were childhood sweethearts even though Letty was rich and Darius just the poor chauffeur's son. But Letty rejected him and ended their relationship. Ten years later he is back and he is a billionaire. His aim is to ruin Letty's father cause he considers him responsible for the death of his own father. He seduces her but after their night together Letty discovers she is pregnant. They get married but Darius's deep hatred and vengeance can steal their happiness.
I loved this book. I loved the angst, I loved that Letty was pure and virginal and I loved Darius grovel towards the end. My heart broke for him and I really could not relate to Letty's anger and pride. She had no right to steal his child away but I admit that what he did was wrong plus the drama kept me on the edge of my seat. Another great book by Jennie Lucas!
Oh I can't wait to read the story of Letty's best friend and Darius's friend. They end up together but they both seem so feisty so that book will be interesting. It is titled "Carrying the Spaniard's Child!".
I loved this book. I loved the angst, I loved that Letty was pure and virginal and I loved Darius grovel towards the end. My heart broke for him and I really could not relate to Letty's anger and pride. She had no right to steal his child away but I admit that what he did was wrong plus the drama kept me on the edge of my seat. Another great book by Jennie Lucas!
Oh I can't wait to read the story of Letty's best friend and Darius's friend. They end up together but they both seem so feisty so that book will be interesting. It is titled "Carrying the Spaniard's Child!".
November 7, 2017
Hero definitely redeems himself
The H here went from a total loser. scum-sucking ba$t@rd to a hero in just 185 pages. He grovelled, very much so, for sure. But don't get me wrong he really had lots to atone for. They were separated for 10 years, and he wasn't celibate either by the way, but I only took one half star away for that. She kicked him to the curb for a very selfless reason, that he didn't know about, and made him think the worse of her. This is very different story and I don't really want to tell it all but once he saw her again there was no one else for him. He only wanted her. He didn't love her of course (yeah right) but he did some amazing things for her. Very touching things and I loved him for it. She was very strong. When I mean strong that means something too. She threw him out of her life for his own good and did it in a very cruel way. She wanted him to hate her. And he did. But she never told him the truth because she wanted him to be successful and she thought she would drag him down. She had the most forgiving heart ever too. Her love for the hero and her ex-con father was just incredible. She had backbone too and she uses it. I loved her. The last 20% of the book shook me. She went nuts and locked him out of her life and while I understood why, it was a little too much and that was the other half of that star I deducted. But the ending was pure bliss. It had a very definite message of how there is good and bad in everyone and we need to not only accept it, but forgive it. Forgiveness brings both love and peace to your soul. I have had the best HP day in forever and I think they were all Jennie Lucas books and somehow interconnected. I just feel all HPfantabulous and going to put the Kindle to bed so I can go dream about unicorns and rainbows and happy ever afters!!!
The H here went from a total loser. scum-sucking ba$t@rd to a hero in just 185 pages. He grovelled, very much so, for sure. But don't get me wrong he really had lots to atone for. They were separated for 10 years, and he wasn't celibate either by the way, but I only took one half star away for that. She kicked him to the curb for a very selfless reason, that he didn't know about, and made him think the worse of her. This is very different story and I don't really want to tell it all but once he saw her again there was no one else for him. He only wanted her. He didn't love her of course (yeah right) but he did some amazing things for her. Very touching things and I loved him for it. She was very strong. When I mean strong that means something too. She threw him out of her life for his own good and did it in a very cruel way. She wanted him to hate her. And he did. But she never told him the truth because she wanted him to be successful and she thought she would drag him down. She had the most forgiving heart ever too. Her love for the hero and her ex-con father was just incredible. She had backbone too and she uses it. I loved her. The last 20% of the book shook me. She went nuts and locked him out of her life and while I understood why, it was a little too much and that was the other half of that star I deducted. But the ending was pure bliss. It had a very definite message of how there is good and bad in everyone and we need to not only accept it, but forgive it. Forgiveness brings both love and peace to your soul. I have had the best HP day in forever and I think they were all Jennie Lucas books and somehow interconnected. I just feel all HPfantabulous and going to put the Kindle to bed so I can go dream about unicorns and rainbows and happy ever afters!!!
July 2, 2017
Oy vey, H thinks the heroine betrayed him ten years ago when in actuality she was protecting him from the mega fallout generated by her Bernie Madoff type father. Upon reflection, this is one of the very few times that a character protecting someone actually made sense. As she explains it, when he found out about the Ponzi scheme he would have stood by her, never would have received the loan he needed to become a meg-billionaire in only ten years- eye roll. Given the fallout with Madoff's sons, I believe this part. THIS PART.
Back to the implausible parts of our story. The H picks up the h from her greasy spoon she's been working at. Really, Miss Lucas, she's an ex-heiress. There is nothing else she could have done that earned more money with a small name change? She is so happy, whoop de do, poor thing. She doesn't realize that the H is only there to wreck vengeance on her by taking her virginity at 28 years old. He kicks her out after saying some very ungentlemanly things.
Months later he finds out she's pregnant and hounds her into marriage. Against her good advice he takes her to a fundraiser after a mini-makeover where the fallout is as she expected. The crowd turns on her, and it's ugly. He then pledges 5 billion dollars to make good to those that were duped by her father. Okay, let's do the maths as they say in English Harleyland. Ten years ago he was a chauffeur's son, and he just pledged 5 Billion and has plenty to spare to buy her old estate? Okay, who cares. The crowds happy, the h is happy, the H is happy.
Sadly, the h gets unhappy real soon when she finds out that a condition of the marriage is she can never see her father again. Her sweet, loving protective father who bilked people out of life savings and only did ten years. (Ten years for a Ponzi scheme is the equivalent of someone shaking finger and saying "Naughty, naughty!" Madoff's sentence- 150 years; Tom Petters- 50 years.)
The h isn't happy about it, but she's lollipops and roses over the hero eventually coming around. However, Pops ends up getting cancer instead and the h loses it when she finds out that her sweet husband wasn't going to tell her that her father only had weeks to live.
This would have been a 1 star for me especially with the H willfully neglecting to tell the heroine that her father only has weeks to live and not letting her see him. Kicking her out at the beginning pales in comparison to this, at least for me.
What redeems the story is the heroine's actions when the H goes into groveling mode. The minute she finds out she has his bags packed and sent back to his monochromatic bachelor pad. He sends antique emerald earrings; she donates the proceeds to charity. He sends a florist shop worth of flowers; she donates them to a maternity ward. He sends ten pies from her favorite bakery; she donates them to a shelter. Who sends pie to a woman that just had a baby. Anyway, well played little h.
Back to the implausible parts of our story. The H picks up the h from her greasy spoon she's been working at. Really, Miss Lucas, she's an ex-heiress. There is nothing else she could have done that earned more money with a small name change? She is so happy, whoop de do, poor thing. She doesn't realize that the H is only there to wreck vengeance on her by taking her virginity at 28 years old. He kicks her out after saying some very ungentlemanly things.
Months later he finds out she's pregnant and hounds her into marriage. Against her good advice he takes her to a fundraiser after a mini-makeover where the fallout is as she expected. The crowd turns on her, and it's ugly. He then pledges 5 billion dollars to make good to those that were duped by her father. Okay, let's do the maths as they say in English Harleyland. Ten years ago he was a chauffeur's son, and he just pledged 5 Billion and has plenty to spare to buy her old estate? Okay, who cares. The crowds happy, the h is happy, the H is happy.
Sadly, the h gets unhappy real soon when she finds out that a condition of the marriage is she can never see her father again. Her sweet, loving protective father who bilked people out of life savings and only did ten years. (Ten years for a Ponzi scheme is the equivalent of someone shaking finger and saying "Naughty, naughty!" Madoff's sentence- 150 years; Tom Petters- 50 years.)
The h isn't happy about it, but she's lollipops and roses over the hero eventually coming around. However, Pops ends up getting cancer instead and the h loses it when she finds out that her sweet husband wasn't going to tell her that her father only had weeks to live.
This would have been a 1 star for me especially with the H willfully neglecting to tell the heroine that her father only has weeks to live and not letting her see him. Kicking her out at the beginning pales in comparison to this, at least for me.
What redeems the story is the heroine's actions when the H goes into groveling mode. The minute she finds out she has his bags packed and sent back to his monochromatic bachelor pad. He sends antique emerald earrings; she donates the proceeds to charity. He sends a florist shop worth of flowers; she donates them to a maternity ward. He sends ten pies from her favorite bakery; she donates them to a shelter. Who sends pie to a woman that just had a baby. Anyway, well played little h.
November 12, 2017
Reader, I was entertained - 3 stars for a "love" triangle between the H, the h, and the h's daddy.
Seriously, the heroine had problems. Her father was the lowest of the low who bilked people out of billions of dollars and spent 9 years (what a joke - sharpens pitch fork) in Federal prison. The heroine broke up with the hero to shield him from her father's bad business decisions and the never looked back, visiting her father in prison every week and working lowly jobs (why?) since they had lost everything.
Then her father introduces the hero into their lives again because he needs 100,000 to pay off a mobster. It's not the hero who initiates the revenge - it's the father's greed and cowardice - yet again - which puts his stupid, stupid daughter in a very bad place.
The bad place? The hero's bed - after a ten minute conversation and a silent car ride. Who does this? She hasn't seen him in ten years.
But the she earns the 100,000 paycheck and she takes it.
I really hated the heroine in this one. She was earned helplessness personified. She overlooked her father's horrible crimes. She never improved herself in the ten years she was apart from the H. She let her feelings about her father ruin the taking of her virginity, her wedding day, the birth of her first child. Houston, we have a problem.
I fear she'll use that poor child against the hero going forward. She's that passive aggressive and immature.
The hero was horrible, but he's saddled with this toxic woman for the rest of his life so justice is served?
Seriously, the heroine had problems. Her father was the lowest of the low who bilked people out of billions of dollars and spent 9 years (what a joke - sharpens pitch fork) in Federal prison. The heroine broke up with the hero to shield him from her father's bad business decisions and the never looked back, visiting her father in prison every week and working lowly jobs (why?) since they had lost everything.
Then her father introduces the hero into their lives again because he needs 100,000 to pay off a mobster. It's not the hero who initiates the revenge - it's the father's greed and cowardice - yet again - which puts his stupid, stupid daughter in a very bad place.
The bad place? The hero's bed - after a ten minute conversation and a silent car ride. Who does this? She hasn't seen him in ten years.
But the she earns the 100,000 paycheck and she takes it.
I really hated the heroine in this one. She was earned helplessness personified. She overlooked her father's horrible crimes. She never improved herself in the ten years she was apart from the H. She let her feelings about her father ruin the taking of her virginity, her wedding day, the birth of her first child. Houston, we have a problem.
I fear she'll use that poor child against the hero going forward. She's that passive aggressive and immature.
The hero was horrible, but he's saddled with this toxic woman for the rest of his life so justice is served?
September 4, 2020
***2.75 Stars***
I did enjoy this book but there were a few troubling spots that took it down for me.
It wasn't easy, this relationship between the H/h. She broke it off with him convincing him she wanted someone else because she knew if she stayed with him he would be caught in the negative fallout of her father's Bernie Madoff ways and he would look like a criminal who participated in her father's scam and it would drag him down. She was trying to save his reputation so he could still have the opportunity to fulfill his dreams. They were separated for ten years and that is just too long for me. They both dearly loved one another and the heroine was still a virgin at 28 when they reconnected with each other again. Unfortunately the H turned into a major man-whore and billionaire after she left Ugh! He was used to supermodels and high society women in his bed with just a phone call. That troubled me. The heroine had been with no one. They were waiting for their wedding night at the hero's insistence to make love but that never happened and believe me he moved on and on and on and on and on...well you get the picture.
All he thought of her was that he wanted revenge against her and her father and it happened in a very negative way. When they reconnected the heroine thought he sent for her because he realized he loved her and he thought she had contacted him and was offering up her body for money. She was not the one who sent the message. Someone else did. They get together and he takes her virgin body quite roughly. Her heart was re-broken when he kicked her to the curb, not even giving her a ride home. He told her it served her right to have to walk home in the dark in the middle of the night. He said awful, ugly things to her and I don't know how she held it together.
I felt the heroine was short-changed. All she got was used goods from the major man-whore...very used I suspect.
It was too sad for my taste really and although it was a good story it left me feeling depressed. The fighting and vengeance lasted much too long. I loved the heroine but the poor hero just had everything wrong. He had no clue after ten years why she broke it off with him and that it was to save him and his dream. His words were so cruel I was surprised she lived through it. He treated her like a prostitute and believed she was one.
I have no desire to read this again! Ever!
I did enjoy this book but there were a few troubling spots that took it down for me.
It wasn't easy, this relationship between the H/h. She broke it off with him convincing him she wanted someone else because she knew if she stayed with him he would be caught in the negative fallout of her father's Bernie Madoff ways and he would look like a criminal who participated in her father's scam and it would drag him down. She was trying to save his reputation so he could still have the opportunity to fulfill his dreams. They were separated for ten years and that is just too long for me. They both dearly loved one another and the heroine was still a virgin at 28 when they reconnected with each other again. Unfortunately the H turned into a major man-whore and billionaire after she left Ugh! He was used to supermodels and high society women in his bed with just a phone call. That troubled me. The heroine had been with no one. They were waiting for their wedding night at the hero's insistence to make love but that never happened and believe me he moved on and on and on and on and on...well you get the picture.
All he thought of her was that he wanted revenge against her and her father and it happened in a very negative way. When they reconnected the heroine thought he sent for her because he realized he loved her and he thought she had contacted him and was offering up her body for money. She was not the one who sent the message. Someone else did. They get together and he takes her virgin body quite roughly. Her heart was re-broken when he kicked her to the curb, not even giving her a ride home. He told her it served her right to have to walk home in the dark in the middle of the night. He said awful, ugly things to her and I don't know how she held it together.
I felt the heroine was short-changed. All she got was used goods from the major man-whore...very used I suspect.
It was too sad for my taste really and although it was a good story it left me feeling depressed. The fighting and vengeance lasted much too long. I loved the heroine but the poor hero just had everything wrong. He had no clue after ten years why she broke it off with him and that it was to save him and his dream. His words were so cruel I was surprised she lived through it. He treated her like a prostitute and believed she was one.
I have no desire to read this again! Ever!
January 3, 2017
I got so pissed! Then happy! Then I cried....sigh...and finally a HEA..... I just love any book that can make me go through all of those emotions.
August 14, 2017
Finally, a harlequin presents where the focus is building the romance, bonding the hero and heroine via the romance journey!
The story- compelling
The chemistry between the heroine and hero- palpable
The hero- ruthless in getting the heroine
The heroine- sweet and strong
And even better...the characters didn't waste pages psychoanalyzing the past & putting the romance building in the background!
I would have loved an epilogue but the last chapter had them together with a baby so it's still good!
The story- compelling
The chemistry between the heroine and hero- palpable
The hero- ruthless in getting the heroine
The heroine- sweet and strong
And even better...the characters didn't waste pages psychoanalyzing the past & putting the romance building in the background!
I would have loved an epilogue but the last chapter had them together with a baby so it's still good!
January 20, 2017
Ten years ago, with her father arrested for fraud, Letty Spencer became the most hated ex-socialite in Manhattan, forced to push away the only man she’s ever loved to protect his dreams!
Ƿ�
Darius Kyrillos is no longer just the poor chauffeur’s son and he’s come back to claim her!
Instead of quenching his thirst for vengeance, Darius was consumed by insatiable need the moment his lips touched Letty’s again.
He confronts her, hungry to get his revenge for what she did to him all those years ago.
But his aim of enticing, seducing and then rejecting Letty doesn’t go as well as he had schemed, especially when their night together was supposed to be one night.
Surely he couldn’t have foreseen the consequence of his actions � soon he’ll be a father. Letty rejected him once; Darius won’t allow her to do so again!
This was one heck of an emotional read, with intense dialogues and deep chemistry.
No matter how much the two wanted to deny their love for each other, they just couldn't help but heal each other’s wounds!
I loved the dramatic yet smooth storyline except the part where Letty kept their son away from Darius, she was too harsh there, not to mention, her unforgiving attitude bugged me.
Ƿ�
Darius Kyrillos is no longer just the poor chauffeur’s son and he’s come back to claim her!
Instead of quenching his thirst for vengeance, Darius was consumed by insatiable need the moment his lips touched Letty’s again.
He confronts her, hungry to get his revenge for what she did to him all those years ago.
But his aim of enticing, seducing and then rejecting Letty doesn’t go as well as he had schemed, especially when their night together was supposed to be one night.
Surely he couldn’t have foreseen the consequence of his actions � soon he’ll be a father. Letty rejected him once; Darius won’t allow her to do so again!
This was one heck of an emotional read, with intense dialogues and deep chemistry.
No matter how much the two wanted to deny their love for each other, they just couldn't help but heal each other’s wounds!
I loved the dramatic yet smooth storyline except the part where Letty kept their son away from Darius, she was too harsh there, not to mention, her unforgiving attitude bugged me.
February 5, 2017
Much waited and much disappointed.
I just can't even deal with this.
Guy was a dick, that's all there was to it. Plain and simple.
What he did to the heroine in chapter 2 is unforgivable and cruel. I didn't see how he could reddem himself, apart from throwing money at her. And he didn't. He actually kept on making things worse.
It's all good with the HEA and everything, but I just can't forgive him for what he did. He kicked her out at the middle of the night all by herself for God's sake and threatened that if she's pregnant he'll take the baby away.
I was actually sick while reading this.
This guy needed to be commited, not be set as a romance novel character.
I just can't even deal with this.
Guy was a dick, that's all there was to it. Plain and simple.
What he did to the heroine in chapter 2 is unforgivable and cruel. I didn't see how he could reddem himself, apart from throwing money at her. And he didn't. He actually kept on making things worse.
It's all good with the HEA and everything, but I just can't forgive him for what he did. He kicked her out at the middle of the night all by herself for God's sake and threatened that if she's pregnant he'll take the baby away.
I was actually sick while reading this.
This guy needed to be commited, not be set as a romance novel character.
February 19, 2021
A tad bit of OTT drama for my taste, but I still enjoyed this book! I loved how the hero groveled!
“But I’m not just offering you my fortune, Letty,� he said quietly. “I’m offering everything. My whole life. Everything I’ve been. Everything I am.� Lifting her hand, he pressed it against his rough cheek and whispered, “I offer you my heart.�
January 4, 2022
What a disappointment! I thought the premise sounded excellent - I like 2nd chance love and thought JL would make a good job of it, but I’m sorry to say, she didn’t. The beginning and the end section were just so soul-destroying!
Darius and Letty were in love 10 years ago but her father’s financial scam which led to loads of people losing their money erupted and Letty decided to save Darius from the fallout by pretending she was going to marry a rich man and didn’t want him - a poor chauffeur’s son.
His Dad has invested his life’s savings in Howard’s ponzi scheme. Her Dad, Howard, goes to prison, she loses everything, works as a waitress and puts up with hell from everyone else whilst he goes off, makes a fortune and has sex with loads of women.
The Dad comes out of prison and sends a message to Darius (as if from Letty) offering to sleep with him for $100,000! Like that is really going to make him feel better about her? Seriously? So, he picks her up after work, takes her back to his hotel seduces her, is shocked she’s a virgin, and then tells her he did it to have revenge, gives her a cheque for $100,000 and tells her if she’s pregnant (because the condom tore), to let him know - and then kicks her out at 1am to find her own way home. What an utterly cruel, insensitive, selfish jerk. He was just unbelievable!
She is pregnant and decides to run away so that Darius can’t steal her child but her Dad writes and tells Darius, despite a Letty telling him not to.
He forces her to marry him and then undergoes a total character change and is really lovely to her for the whole middle section of the book - apart from insisting she cut her Dad out of her life. Everything is going hunky dory and we can see they both love each other.
However, Darius doesn’t tell Letty her Dad is dying from cancer and just at the point he plans to tell her, she finds out, kicks him out, brings her father back and refuses to have anything to do with him - including refusing to read his letters or letting him see his new born baby son for 6 weeks. It’s unclear how long she would have refused him access if he hadn’t turned up to make amends in person - first with Howard and then with Letty.
I disliked Letty on so many different levels. At 28, 10 years after the events in question, she has apparently done nothing to improve her job prospects and works as a lowly paid waitress. It’s as if she’s frozen in time. She is still a virgin. Her father has only recently come out of prison so why hasn’t she done anything in the 9 years he was in prison to improve herself? And by the way, 9 years for such a huge crime? Bernie Madoff got 10x that.
Her blind loyalty to her father was so ridiculous and her inability to accept that he was actually not a nice guy and that her mother’s death was no excuse for what he had done, really annoyed me.
Darius was clearly wrong to delay telling Letty about her Dad’s cancer but the way she the punished him made her no better than he had been at his worse. Not allowing him to see his new born son for 6 weeks (and it would have been more if he hadn’t turned up at the house he had paid for), was to me utterly unforgivable. Perhaps it was the author’s intention to illustrate that given the right circumstances, everyone is capable of cruel and unjust behaviour.
By the time we got to the end, I had no confidence that this relationship would last or that Letty in particular really loved Darius.
The middle section of the book when they had married and were getting to know each other as adults and learning to love each other was lovely and I was reminded why I usually like Jenny Lucas. Adult, intelligent and fun writing.
Sadly, the cruelty at the beginning and the end of the book were too excessive for me to accept. 4 stars for the middle section and minus 3 stars for the beginning and the end sections.
Darius and Letty were in love 10 years ago but her father’s financial scam which led to loads of people losing their money erupted and Letty decided to save Darius from the fallout by pretending she was going to marry a rich man and didn’t want him - a poor chauffeur’s son.
His Dad has invested his life’s savings in Howard’s ponzi scheme. Her Dad, Howard, goes to prison, she loses everything, works as a waitress and puts up with hell from everyone else whilst he goes off, makes a fortune and has sex with loads of women.
The Dad comes out of prison and sends a message to Darius (as if from Letty) offering to sleep with him for $100,000! Like that is really going to make him feel better about her? Seriously? So, he picks her up after work, takes her back to his hotel seduces her, is shocked she’s a virgin, and then tells her he did it to have revenge, gives her a cheque for $100,000 and tells her if she’s pregnant (because the condom tore), to let him know - and then kicks her out at 1am to find her own way home. What an utterly cruel, insensitive, selfish jerk. He was just unbelievable!
She is pregnant and decides to run away so that Darius can’t steal her child but her Dad writes and tells Darius, despite a Letty telling him not to.
He forces her to marry him and then undergoes a total character change and is really lovely to her for the whole middle section of the book - apart from insisting she cut her Dad out of her life. Everything is going hunky dory and we can see they both love each other.
However, Darius doesn’t tell Letty her Dad is dying from cancer and just at the point he plans to tell her, she finds out, kicks him out, brings her father back and refuses to have anything to do with him - including refusing to read his letters or letting him see his new born baby son for 6 weeks. It’s unclear how long she would have refused him access if he hadn’t turned up to make amends in person - first with Howard and then with Letty.
I disliked Letty on so many different levels. At 28, 10 years after the events in question, she has apparently done nothing to improve her job prospects and works as a lowly paid waitress. It’s as if she’s frozen in time. She is still a virgin. Her father has only recently come out of prison so why hasn’t she done anything in the 9 years he was in prison to improve herself? And by the way, 9 years for such a huge crime? Bernie Madoff got 10x that.
Her blind loyalty to her father was so ridiculous and her inability to accept that he was actually not a nice guy and that her mother’s death was no excuse for what he had done, really annoyed me.
Darius was clearly wrong to delay telling Letty about her Dad’s cancer but the way she the punished him made her no better than he had been at his worse. Not allowing him to see his new born son for 6 weeks (and it would have been more if he hadn’t turned up at the house he had paid for), was to me utterly unforgivable. Perhaps it was the author’s intention to illustrate that given the right circumstances, everyone is capable of cruel and unjust behaviour.
By the time we got to the end, I had no confidence that this relationship would last or that Letty in particular really loved Darius.
The middle section of the book when they had married and were getting to know each other as adults and learning to love each other was lovely and I was reminded why I usually like Jenny Lucas. Adult, intelligent and fun writing.
Sadly, the cruelty at the beginning and the end of the book were too excessive for me to accept. 4 stars for the middle section and minus 3 stars for the beginning and the end sections.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2017
This book was exceptional! I even got teary eyed. It was so emotional and heart-rending. I adored this story very much, books like these remind me why I keep reading HP. It had all the ingredients of a true love story. The love and sacrifice were gut wrenching and endearing. It's a must must read.
April 2, 2017
3.75 - 4 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was engrossing and filled with angst. On the other, Darius was a jerk, and it took a while to warm up to a guy whose only motivation for seeing his ex was revenge. He's going to seduce her for dumping him the day they were going to elope, when she was eighteen. Letty's rejection of Darius was an act of desperation and love; her father had just confessed to running a Ponzi scheme, and she didn't want to put Darius's dreams of starting a software company in danger.
I hated Letty's father. He emails Darius, pretending to be Letty, offering to spend the night with him for a hundred thousand dollars. Letty has been scraping by, working at a diner for the past 9 years. After her father's fall from grace, her life took a nose-dive too. People blamed Letty for cheating them out of millions just as much as they blamed her father. With little money, Letty still allows her father to move into her dingy little apartment, and she even pays all the bills after he breaks his arm. He repays her generosity by making Darius think she's a prostitute. What a selfish jerk.
After Darius uses, abuses, and throws Letty out of his home, throwing a check at her and telling her to find her own way home during the wee hours of the morning, he wasn't my favorite character, either. When he discovers that his plan for revenge ended up with Letty pregnant, he forces her to marry him. She doesn't have the money for a custody battle with the billionaire (this is the second book in less than a week with this trope!), and she's not willing to give up custody of her baby. She still has feelings for Darius, though, and warns him that once he marries her, he, too, will become a pariah among New York City's wealthy elite, he doesn't believe how poorly she has been treated since her father's fall from grace. Once a society girl, she was blamed just as much as her father for his crimes.
When I started this book, I did not think I would enjoy it. Darius is an ass at the beginning. Letty's father is a cunning conman who doesn't hesitate to use his daughter to get himself out of hot water. Letty was a passive doormat. Then about halfway through the story, Darius changed, and Letty changed, and I started turning the pages with more enthusiasm. Though it took Darius far too long to confess his feelings to Letty, I started to forgive him. Once Darius admitted that he was just as much to blame for his unhappy past, if not mostly to blame for it, he became more human, and I believed in their HEA.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was engrossing and filled with angst. On the other, Darius was a jerk, and it took a while to warm up to a guy whose only motivation for seeing his ex was revenge. He's going to seduce her for dumping him the day they were going to elope, when she was eighteen. Letty's rejection of Darius was an act of desperation and love; her father had just confessed to running a Ponzi scheme, and she didn't want to put Darius's dreams of starting a software company in danger.
I hated Letty's father. He emails Darius, pretending to be Letty, offering to spend the night with him for a hundred thousand dollars. Letty has been scraping by, working at a diner for the past 9 years. After her father's fall from grace, her life took a nose-dive too. People blamed Letty for cheating them out of millions just as much as they blamed her father. With little money, Letty still allows her father to move into her dingy little apartment, and she even pays all the bills after he breaks his arm. He repays her generosity by making Darius think she's a prostitute. What a selfish jerk.
After Darius uses, abuses, and throws Letty out of his home, throwing a check at her and telling her to find her own way home during the wee hours of the morning, he wasn't my favorite character, either. When he discovers that his plan for revenge ended up with Letty pregnant, he forces her to marry him. She doesn't have the money for a custody battle with the billionaire (this is the second book in less than a week with this trope!), and she's not willing to give up custody of her baby. She still has feelings for Darius, though, and warns him that once he marries her, he, too, will become a pariah among New York City's wealthy elite, he doesn't believe how poorly she has been treated since her father's fall from grace. Once a society girl, she was blamed just as much as her father for his crimes.
When I started this book, I did not think I would enjoy it. Darius is an ass at the beginning. Letty's father is a cunning conman who doesn't hesitate to use his daughter to get himself out of hot water. Letty was a passive doormat. Then about halfway through the story, Darius changed, and Letty changed, and I started turning the pages with more enthusiasm. Though it took Darius far too long to confess his feelings to Letty, I started to forgive him. Once Darius admitted that he was just as much to blame for his unhappy past, if not mostly to blame for it, he became more human, and I believed in their HEA.
April 28, 2019
3.5 Stars
March 25, 2017
This was my first Presents by Jennie Lucas and I really liked it! It started with one of my favorite romantic fantasies -- the tired waitress. You know, a tired young woman barely making ends meet, feeling worn out and hopeless after a long night of waiting tables, and when she walks outside (maybe covering a yawn) she's suddenly abducted by a gorgeous male in a long black limousine!
Unfortunately for Letty, this stranger is a man she once loved -- and a man who blames her for breaking his heart. Darius takes Letty to his penthouse, and then, wow! Some of the hottest sex I've ever seen. And for once the hero and heroine have a good reason for not trusting each other after it's over!
I loved this book for a ton of reasons besides the way it started. Letty's loss of her parents, and the issues with her father, were really believable. I loved how he seemed like such a creep at first, a real Bernie Madoff type. But by the end you're really crying when Letty and her father are finally united, and Darius sees what love and forgiveness really mean.
The only reason I give this book four stars instead of five is because the author -- ahem! Shoots her wad in the first three chapters sexually speaking. It's like all the sex is in the first three chapters, and all the emotions are in the last three chapters, and in the middle it's just business, family, and financial business they need to resolve.
But make no mistake -- Jennie Lucas is an HP author to watch!
Unfortunately for Letty, this stranger is a man she once loved -- and a man who blames her for breaking his heart. Darius takes Letty to his penthouse, and then, wow! Some of the hottest sex I've ever seen. And for once the hero and heroine have a good reason for not trusting each other after it's over!
I loved this book for a ton of reasons besides the way it started. Letty's loss of her parents, and the issues with her father, were really believable. I loved how he seemed like such a creep at first, a real Bernie Madoff type. But by the end you're really crying when Letty and her father are finally united, and Darius sees what love and forgiveness really mean.
The only reason I give this book four stars instead of five is because the author -- ahem! Shoots her wad in the first three chapters sexually speaking. It's like all the sex is in the first three chapters, and all the emotions are in the last three chapters, and in the middle it's just business, family, and financial business they need to resolve.
But make no mistake -- Jennie Lucas is an HP author to watch!
February 7, 2017
This looks like the plot of Caretti's Forced Bride w/c is my most fave book of Jennie Lucas. This is exciting!
update:
you really cant go wrong with a jennie lucas book! this is a masterpiece. love this to bits!
update:
you really cant go wrong with a jennie lucas book! this is a masterpiece. love this to bits!
January 13, 2017
An emotional roller coaster that was a joy to read.
November 30, 2017
Darius and Letty were in love and planning to elope when she learned that her father used a Ponzi scheme to steal money from his many investors. He stole billions from people within his community and had gotten caught.
Knowing that her family’s reputation was going to be destroyed, Letty did the only living thing she could and lied to Darius so he would move on. She didn’t want him tarnished by her fathers action when he was just starting his tech firm.
Ten years later, Letty is poor and working in a diner supporting her father who was recently released from jail, and Darius is a multi-billionaire. Darius is tricked by her father to find Letty, and when he does accuses her of all manner of horrible things.
He uses her, takes her virginity, and throws her out, treating her like a whore. Six months later, he learns she’s pregnant and forces her into marriage. He also forces her to promise to never see her ill father again or let their baby anywhere near her father.
Darius was such a humongous asshole. Throughout the entire book he ran hot and cold. He wanted Letty, but on his terms. He needed to control her every freakin move.
Letty allowed him to walk all over her so she could keep the peace until she learned of his biggest betrayal. Then she threw his ass out and refused to see him for over 4 weeks. She wouldn’t even let him see their son after his birth.
He sent gifts. She sent them back or donated them. Ditto with flowers. Letters. Any attempt he made to buy himself back into her good graces was quickly sent dismissed, and donated or returned. That was awesome!
The best bit for me was Darius� groveling. He had to grow up, eat crow and come to terms with his own personal demons before he was able to win his wife back. It was an amazingly good book. I lovededed it!
Knowing that her family’s reputation was going to be destroyed, Letty did the only living thing she could and lied to Darius so he would move on. She didn’t want him tarnished by her fathers action when he was just starting his tech firm.
Ten years later, Letty is poor and working in a diner supporting her father who was recently released from jail, and Darius is a multi-billionaire. Darius is tricked by her father to find Letty, and when he does accuses her of all manner of horrible things.
He uses her, takes her virginity, and throws her out, treating her like a whore. Six months later, he learns she’s pregnant and forces her into marriage. He also forces her to promise to never see her ill father again or let their baby anywhere near her father.
Darius was such a humongous asshole. Throughout the entire book he ran hot and cold. He wanted Letty, but on his terms. He needed to control her every freakin move.
Letty allowed him to walk all over her so she could keep the peace until she learned of his biggest betrayal. Then she threw his ass out and refused to see him for over 4 weeks. She wouldn’t even let him see their son after his birth.
He sent gifts. She sent them back or donated them. Ditto with flowers. Letters. Any attempt he made to buy himself back into her good graces was quickly sent dismissed, and donated or returned. That was awesome!
The best bit for me was Darius� groveling. He had to grow up, eat crow and come to terms with his own personal demons before he was able to win his wife back. It was an amazingly good book. I lovededed it!
March 19, 2019
I am a huge pollyanna, but even I can't buy this woman's endless optimism in the face of the man's ongoing shitty behavior. I finished this, but the man went too far in his revenge and the ending didn't really make up for it.
May 24, 2017
love u jennie lucas.
January 31, 2017
A wonderful story of second chances & forgiveness. And why Jennie Lucas is one of my fav authors.
February 26, 2017
I enjoyed the slow climb, as Darius realized that he really did love Letty, that his love for her had never really died.
May 23, 2017
Silly. That's what this book was. The hero Darius was outright cruel to the heroine Letty in the beginning of the book. I was surprised she didn't put up more of a fight when he began acting so cold and saying the horrible things he said right after they'd had sex! I let it go, thinking she was just shocked by it all. I could hardly blame her since he blindsided her with his cruelty. By this point I was in clear dislike of Darius. But sadly the book which seemed interesting from the blurb and opening snowballed into dumb, dumb and silly.
Honestly, both Darius and Letty were such contrary creatures. They both flip flopped all over the place. "Oh I love him. No I hate him. No I won't have sex without love." Then bam they sexed it up the same night she told him she wouldn't sex him up!
Letty was naive for a twenty eight year old woman who had been struggling the last ten years after her father's fraud. She shouldn't have been that ridiculously naive! It was sooooo frustrating! She came across as weak and I found it difficult to care about her FWEELINGS. And Darius, ugh! He treated her like scum quite a bit, but oh, he totally wants to still sex her up and make her love him despite never loving her again. Like ever. And wants all her loyalty. To cut out her father from her life whom he despises with an absurd amount of hate I didn't quite understand. He wasn't horrible horrible but the author didn't write either character in a flattering light. It was hard to find much likeable about either. If Letty wasn't being dumb, weeping or defending her father then Darius was acting like the worlds best husband who refuses to love his wife, thinks money makes a man and basically has no soul. See my problem here?!
All in all this book gets a very soft OK rating from me. The baby felt more like a device than a true part of the story. The introspective monologues were boring. This read across a lot like a bad soap opera to be honest. And not the good "guilty pleasure" kind either! Had to skim just to finish and even then I was ranting to my sister and wanting it to just be over. It was ridiculous, farfetched and over the top dramatic.
Honestly, both Darius and Letty were such contrary creatures. They both flip flopped all over the place. "Oh I love him. No I hate him. No I won't have sex without love." Then bam they sexed it up the same night she told him she wouldn't sex him up!
Letty was naive for a twenty eight year old woman who had been struggling the last ten years after her father's fraud. She shouldn't have been that ridiculously naive! It was sooooo frustrating! She came across as weak and I found it difficult to care about her FWEELINGS. And Darius, ugh! He treated her like scum quite a bit, but oh, he totally wants to still sex her up and make her love him despite never loving her again. Like ever. And wants all her loyalty. To cut out her father from her life whom he despises with an absurd amount of hate I didn't quite understand. He wasn't horrible horrible but the author didn't write either character in a flattering light. It was hard to find much likeable about either. If Letty wasn't being dumb, weeping or defending her father then Darius was acting like the worlds best husband who refuses to love his wife, thinks money makes a man and basically has no soul. See my problem here?!
All in all this book gets a very soft OK rating from me. The baby felt more like a device than a true part of the story. The introspective monologues were boring. This read across a lot like a bad soap opera to be honest. And not the good "guilty pleasure" kind either! Had to skim just to finish and even then I was ranting to my sister and wanting it to just be over. It was ridiculous, farfetched and over the top dramatic.
July 22, 2017
4.5 stars, almost a 5 stars
Once again Jennie Lucas created an angst filled, emotional roller coaster ride, and lots of passion in this romance featuring Darius and Letty. Lucas knew how to pull on the heart strings and gut me while I was reading this story. Just so much pain. So much angst and so much tension between them. My heart broke quite a few times in this one, and I loved that because it just made the ending so much sweeter and satisfying to me. All the pain was worth it in the end because they got their HEA.
First of all, the story really took off with a bang. It was already filled with lots of heightened tension and emotions as soon as they were reunited again. I knew that this one was going to be quite a ride. Almost immediately the setup was there with lots of history between the two that left both of them in shambles for ten years at the death of this relationship.
She ended it because she wanted to protect him from the scandal that was coming thanks to her father. She wanted Darius to live out his big dreams and knew that would never happen if he was with her when this scandal erupted so she selflessly let him go, hurting herself in the process and deal with the fallout by herself.
Now, he didn't know any of that and just thought she broke up with him and found someone else, and it broke his heart in the process and vowed on revenge against her. And he planned that when they were reunited again.
So when they met up again there was a lot going on emotionally. Their passion and love were still there for one another and hadn't stopped. In her case she was willing to let it show and accept in her life, thinking he found out the truth of their breakup and forgave her for it while all he wanted to do was humiliate and use her to slake his lust and revenge (He believed she e-mailed him, offering her body for money). So there was a lot of friction from the word go.
An absolutely heartbreaking scene was when they made love for the first time because they so weren't on the same page. She gave herself out of love while he was a little bit more callous about and made it about the physical, but that was due to his misunderstanding of the situation. The passion blazed after all this time and come to find that she saved herself all this time. The love scene was so good. So raw. It really showed off the connection that they had together. It went way beyond the surface and dug deep, though he tried to keep it at a base level. Heck, he wasn't going to sleep with her, but as soon as he kissed her he was done for, but he tried as best to keep away from the emotional aspect of their love making. He didn't make it about tenderness but about lust. But what was the most heartbreaking thing about the scene was the aftermath where he pulled out her heart and stomped on it, crushing her. That was when everything came out and cruelly told her that their lovemaking was about revenge not love. It was hard watch him strip her like that and I could see her die a little bit with every word he uttered. It punched me in the gut just like her. I felt so much in that scene and it really was a crushing scene. She left with her heart broken.
Months passed with that night looming in the background especially since that night proved consequential for them both. She refused to call even though she was struggling and living with her sickly father. But she couldn't put her heart on the line again, and I couldn't really blame her. She had too much pain in her life and she didn't want anymore.
Eventually the reunited with the pregnancy revealed and him vowing to make her his wife. Lots of lovely tension was present as well as angst followed with boiling emotions bubbling beneath the surface. That was awesome. He vowed to take care of her once she realized that she had been taking care of everyone else but herself. She put others first.
The scene that really got me was the fall ball scene because so much was revealed and misconceptions started to get alleviated as Darius finally came to the truth of what she gone through the past ten years. All the pain and struggle she had to go through because the world shunned her because of her father's crime. I could feel every little bit of her pain as she got pounced on again time and time again and didn't deserve it. She was so sweet, tender and loyal that her only crime was standing by her father. It hurt me to see her hurt, and it hurt Darius too. He finally realized she didn't deserve the cruelty that he threw at her when they met again nor did she deserve his callous treatment of her. He vowed to make up to her, and he did in a big way. He stood up for her and showed how proud he was to be with her. This spoke volumes to me and just gave me all the feels. It was a turning point in the relationship, and he was more tender and kind with her after that. I just loved that ball so much. And really just gave me the chills. I was totally into.
Though things got better didn't mean that things didn't run smoothly especially when it came to her father which was a bone of contention between them. But they did have some romantic time in Greece after they were married and went to meet his family. What was most disappointing for me was that the honeymoon scene wasn't as detailed as the other love scenes were. I was expecting it to be because it was such a meaningful moment between them that spoke of their love of one another. I could have seen it being a sensual moment between them. It needed to be detailed instead of just glossed over like it was. It felt like it was leading up to that moment and then I was let down when it wasn't there.
I also thought it wasn't fair of Darius to make Letty between him and her father. How could he do that? He wanted her to have everything, yet only what he allowed her to. That wasn't right and the secret that he kept was just beyond wrong that I didn't blame her for her reaction to it when she found out. That was just wrong. But I did feel that he was genuinely sorry especially in the end. I could feel his heart break and pain when they broke up. I felt it and he did make up for it in the end.
I enjoyed the ride I went on in this story. There were more memorable moments in the beginning I felt and felt more of the angsty and pain in those moments. I had all the feels that should be associated with a great emotional romance. There was a nice balance between the heartbreaking moments and the passionate and loving moments. All those moments were good too and really showed off the depth of their relationship. It dug beneath the surface which I loved. It was never superficial or contrived. It flowed nicely and felt very natural to all the elements in the story. It was believable. I felt for both Darius and Letty because there were a lot of painful moments going on. It was just a great read from Jennie Lucas.
Once again Jennie Lucas created an angst filled, emotional roller coaster ride, and lots of passion in this romance featuring Darius and Letty. Lucas knew how to pull on the heart strings and gut me while I was reading this story. Just so much pain. So much angst and so much tension between them. My heart broke quite a few times in this one, and I loved that because it just made the ending so much sweeter and satisfying to me. All the pain was worth it in the end because they got their HEA.
First of all, the story really took off with a bang. It was already filled with lots of heightened tension and emotions as soon as they were reunited again. I knew that this one was going to be quite a ride. Almost immediately the setup was there with lots of history between the two that left both of them in shambles for ten years at the death of this relationship.
She ended it because she wanted to protect him from the scandal that was coming thanks to her father. She wanted Darius to live out his big dreams and knew that would never happen if he was with her when this scandal erupted so she selflessly let him go, hurting herself in the process and deal with the fallout by herself.
Now, he didn't know any of that and just thought she broke up with him and found someone else, and it broke his heart in the process and vowed on revenge against her. And he planned that when they were reunited again.
So when they met up again there was a lot going on emotionally. Their passion and love were still there for one another and hadn't stopped. In her case she was willing to let it show and accept in her life, thinking he found out the truth of their breakup and forgave her for it while all he wanted to do was humiliate and use her to slake his lust and revenge (He believed she e-mailed him, offering her body for money). So there was a lot of friction from the word go.
An absolutely heartbreaking scene was when they made love for the first time because they so weren't on the same page. She gave herself out of love while he was a little bit more callous about and made it about the physical, but that was due to his misunderstanding of the situation. The passion blazed after all this time and come to find that she saved herself all this time. The love scene was so good. So raw. It really showed off the connection that they had together. It went way beyond the surface and dug deep, though he tried to keep it at a base level. Heck, he wasn't going to sleep with her, but as soon as he kissed her he was done for, but he tried as best to keep away from the emotional aspect of their love making. He didn't make it about tenderness but about lust. But what was the most heartbreaking thing about the scene was the aftermath where he pulled out her heart and stomped on it, crushing her. That was when everything came out and cruelly told her that their lovemaking was about revenge not love. It was hard watch him strip her like that and I could see her die a little bit with every word he uttered. It punched me in the gut just like her. I felt so much in that scene and it really was a crushing scene. She left with her heart broken.
Months passed with that night looming in the background especially since that night proved consequential for them both. She refused to call even though she was struggling and living with her sickly father. But she couldn't put her heart on the line again, and I couldn't really blame her. She had too much pain in her life and she didn't want anymore.
Eventually the reunited with the pregnancy revealed and him vowing to make her his wife. Lots of lovely tension was present as well as angst followed with boiling emotions bubbling beneath the surface. That was awesome. He vowed to take care of her once she realized that she had been taking care of everyone else but herself. She put others first.
The scene that really got me was the fall ball scene because so much was revealed and misconceptions started to get alleviated as Darius finally came to the truth of what she gone through the past ten years. All the pain and struggle she had to go through because the world shunned her because of her father's crime. I could feel every little bit of her pain as she got pounced on again time and time again and didn't deserve it. She was so sweet, tender and loyal that her only crime was standing by her father. It hurt me to see her hurt, and it hurt Darius too. He finally realized she didn't deserve the cruelty that he threw at her when they met again nor did she deserve his callous treatment of her. He vowed to make up to her, and he did in a big way. He stood up for her and showed how proud he was to be with her. This spoke volumes to me and just gave me all the feels. It was a turning point in the relationship, and he was more tender and kind with her after that. I just loved that ball so much. And really just gave me the chills. I was totally into.
Though things got better didn't mean that things didn't run smoothly especially when it came to her father which was a bone of contention between them. But they did have some romantic time in Greece after they were married and went to meet his family. What was most disappointing for me was that the honeymoon scene wasn't as detailed as the other love scenes were. I was expecting it to be because it was such a meaningful moment between them that spoke of their love of one another. I could have seen it being a sensual moment between them. It needed to be detailed instead of just glossed over like it was. It felt like it was leading up to that moment and then I was let down when it wasn't there.
I also thought it wasn't fair of Darius to make Letty between him and her father. How could he do that? He wanted her to have everything, yet only what he allowed her to. That wasn't right and the secret that he kept was just beyond wrong that I didn't blame her for her reaction to it when she found out. That was just wrong. But I did feel that he was genuinely sorry especially in the end. I could feel his heart break and pain when they broke up. I felt it and he did make up for it in the end.
I enjoyed the ride I went on in this story. There were more memorable moments in the beginning I felt and felt more of the angsty and pain in those moments. I had all the feels that should be associated with a great emotional romance. There was a nice balance between the heartbreaking moments and the passionate and loving moments. All those moments were good too and really showed off the depth of their relationship. It dug beneath the surface which I loved. It was never superficial or contrived. It flowed nicely and felt very natural to all the elements in the story. It was believable. I felt for both Darius and Letty because there were a lot of painful moments going on. It was just a great read from Jennie Lucas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2018
Unless I'm horrified, I don't bother to review Harlequins. But this was definitely a case of "one star is too many." Basically the plot is that a Bernie Madoff-esque figure robbed H's working-class father of every penny he ever earned, leading to his father's untimely death; but he's in love with Bernie Madoff's daughter, who really needs him not only to love and forgive Bernie but also ultimately A hyper-capitalist melodrama kept afloat by billions and billions of fictional dollars flying around preposterously. Because of the element of compulsory forgiveness of the unforgiveable, this was way outside the realm of what I consider basic morality, and when I finished I was appalled.
January 31, 2017
Simply Scrumptious, and I read it in one day. Jennie Lucas is one of the best around and what I love about her stories are her themes. She is very strong on family and forgiveness. Not just for the heroes and heroines but all round. Sometimes I get really dissatisfied with romances where someone has to suffer so the couple get their HEA, but with Ms Lucas it's happiness and happiness all around. Family is important in books and real life - well to me.
So this is another great story, one that reminds me why I read mainly read Mills & Boon Modern/ Harlequin Presents compared to other imprints. Delicious and highly recommended. To get the story read other reviews.
So this is another great story, one that reminds me why I read mainly read Mills & Boon Modern/ Harlequin Presents compared to other imprints. Delicious and highly recommended. To get the story read other reviews.
May 25, 2024
Yet another masterpiece in my collection!
The characters, the conflicts and beautiful way it was presented, it was magical. I feel so bittersweet right now because the book finished rather too quickly yet so much happened. All I can say is I loved it and nobody can ever convince me otherwise!
The characters, the conflicts and beautiful way it was presented, it was magical. I feel so bittersweet right now because the book finished rather too quickly yet so much happened. All I can say is I loved it and nobody can ever convince me otherwise!
February 1, 2017
Just loved this book. Held my breath in a few parts but everything worked itself out. Great job Jennie Lucas !!! Definitely recommend it to all romance readers out there.
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February 4, 2017Miniseries:
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