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Too Proud to be Bought
The humble waitress and the Russian billionaire.
Waitress Zara Evans doesn't belong in glittering high society. That is until she finds herself unexpectedly at an exclusive party, and manages to captivate the most sought-after man in the room - Russian oligarch Nikolai Komarov.
For Nikolai, there's something about Zara's beauty that makes her stand out from the first-class crowd. Experience has taught him all women have their price, but he has never encountered anyone like Zara - a young woman who is too proud, too independent, too willful to be bought.
Waitress Zara Evans doesn't belong in glittering high society. That is until she finds herself unexpectedly at an exclusive party, and manages to captivate the most sought-after man in the room - Russian oligarch Nikolai Komarov.
For Nikolai, there's something about Zara's beauty that makes her stand out from the first-class crowd. Experience has taught him all women have their price, but he has never encountered anyone like Zara - a young woman who is too proud, too independent, too willful to be bought.
186 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published August 30, 2011
71 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Kendrick
1,224 books454 followersI was told off as a child for making up stories—little did I know that one day I’d earn my living by writing them!
To the horror of my parents, I left school at sixteen and held a bewildering variety of jobs: I was a London DJ (in the now-trendy Primrose Hill), a decorator and a singer. After that I became a cook, a photographer and, eventually, a nurse. I waitressed in the south of France, drove an ambulance in Australia, saw lots of beautiful sights but could never settle down. Everywhere I went I felt like a square peg—until one day I started writing again and then everything just fell into place. I felt like Cinderella must have when the glass slipper fit!
Today, I have the best job in the world, writing passionate romances for Harlequin. I like writing stories which are sexy and fast-paced, yet packed full of emotion—stories that readers will identify with, laugh and cry along with.
My interests are many and varied—chocolate and music, fresh flowers and bubble baths, films, cooking and trying to keep my home from looking burglarized! Simple pleasures—you can’t beat them!
I live in Winchester, one of the most stunning cities in the world, but don’t take my word for it—come see for yourself! I regularly visit London and Paris. Oh, and I love hearing from my readers all over the world…so I think it’s over to you!
To the horror of my parents, I left school at sixteen and held a bewildering variety of jobs: I was a London DJ (in the now-trendy Primrose Hill), a decorator and a singer. After that I became a cook, a photographer and, eventually, a nurse. I waitressed in the south of France, drove an ambulance in Australia, saw lots of beautiful sights but could never settle down. Everywhere I went I felt like a square peg—until one day I started writing again and then everything just fell into place. I felt like Cinderella must have when the glass slipper fit!
Today, I have the best job in the world, writing passionate romances for Harlequin. I like writing stories which are sexy and fast-paced, yet packed full of emotion—stories that readers will identify with, laugh and cry along with.
My interests are many and varied—chocolate and music, fresh flowers and bubble baths, films, cooking and trying to keep my home from looking burglarized! Simple pleasures—you can’t beat them!
I live in Winchester, one of the most stunning cities in the world, but don’t take my word for it—come see for yourself! I regularly visit London and Paris. Oh, and I love hearing from my readers all over the world…so I think it’s over to you!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 15, 2020
3 ❤️❤️❤️⭐️s
A decent romance read, nothing more and nothing less than I was expecting.
While I haven’t read a Mills and Boon for the last few years, I wanted a change of scenery, knowing what I am going to read.
The Russian billionaire and the proud waitress’s story was an easy, nice and well written story for this summer!
A decent romance read, nothing more and nothing less than I was expecting.
While I haven’t read a Mills and Boon for the last few years, I wanted a change of scenery, knowing what I am going to read.
The Russian billionaire and the proud waitress’s story was an easy, nice and well written story for this summer!
June 25, 2018
yes she was too proud to be bought! and he was a jerk but a hot Russian jerk !🙄
June 2, 2012
Do you enjoy the idea of a strong, independent woman getting the dicking of a lifetime? I don't mean physically, I mean emotionally, since really the sex is just foreplay for the weeks-long tantrum that the hero throws after he gets sufficiently laid. And of course the little lady must passionately refuse all expensive presents because never mind that her whole life just got derailed! -- A man needs help. Writing is pedestrian. It took me a while to place that the book started in England, as everyone spoke and acted like Americans on TV. One does not wish to dispute the characterization of the Russian hero: obsessed with his mother and unable to take social cues.
Docking the book a star for its failure to include tvorog in any of the catering or sex scenes.
Docking the book a star for its failure to include tvorog in any of the catering or sex scenes.
June 3, 2011
I'm a big fan of Sharon Kendrick's books, she is master at writing romances and her books are fantastic examples of what the 'Modern' line is all about. This is another classic and brilliantly written example.
The story begins with the heroine Zara being persuaded by her friend to gatecrash a high profile party in order to try and get her friends clothing designs noticed by Russian millionaire Nikolai, the hero. Nikolai is immediately intrigued by Zara as she is so different in comparison to all the high society people at the party. He tries to seduce her but Zara refuses and leaves. Even more intrigued, Nikolai tracks her down, thinking she is a gold digger he offers her a job hoping to expose her motives. Zara turns out to be nothing like his expectations and they begin an affair. Nikolai is shocked by the feelings Zara creates in him, he tries to retain control over both his feelings and Zara by attempting to shower her with expensive gifts and make her quite her low paying waitress job. Zara refuses both these things needing to keep her independence, this creates even more turmoil for Nikolai. He tries to push her away but finds it difficult to fight his desire and need for Zara to be in his life.
This is a very traditional plot line for a book from the 'Modern' line; rich man meets poor woman, he thinks she's a gold digger, they have an affair etc. However in this book Sharon Kendrick has managed to make this a much more interesting story by changing and updating certain elements. I particularly liked how Zara kept hold of both her independence and her principles, she was a fantastically written female character - hones and feisty without being silly. Nikolai was a little more difficult to like, he was quite cold, he started off being the typical judgemental Alpha-male type character but he grew as the story progressed, which was mainly down to the strength of the female character.
This is a beautifully written romance with a fast pace, great characters, passion and a nice HEA.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
The story begins with the heroine Zara being persuaded by her friend to gatecrash a high profile party in order to try and get her friends clothing designs noticed by Russian millionaire Nikolai, the hero. Nikolai is immediately intrigued by Zara as she is so different in comparison to all the high society people at the party. He tries to seduce her but Zara refuses and leaves. Even more intrigued, Nikolai tracks her down, thinking she is a gold digger he offers her a job hoping to expose her motives. Zara turns out to be nothing like his expectations and they begin an affair. Nikolai is shocked by the feelings Zara creates in him, he tries to retain control over both his feelings and Zara by attempting to shower her with expensive gifts and make her quite her low paying waitress job. Zara refuses both these things needing to keep her independence, this creates even more turmoil for Nikolai. He tries to push her away but finds it difficult to fight his desire and need for Zara to be in his life.
This is a very traditional plot line for a book from the 'Modern' line; rich man meets poor woman, he thinks she's a gold digger, they have an affair etc. However in this book Sharon Kendrick has managed to make this a much more interesting story by changing and updating certain elements. I particularly liked how Zara kept hold of both her independence and her principles, she was a fantastically written female character - hones and feisty without being silly. Nikolai was a little more difficult to like, he was quite cold, he started off being the typical judgemental Alpha-male type character but he grew as the story progressed, which was mainly down to the strength of the female character.
This is a beautifully written romance with a fast pace, great characters, passion and a nice HEA.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
October 2, 2015
Las historias de Sharon siempre me enganchan, para bien o para mal, y a esta la terminé pronto. De a ratos tuve ganas de zarandear a la protagonista, pero me gustó su espíritu independiente. Incluso la historia no es la típica lineal de conocerse-distanciarse-declararse, sino que hay unos reencuentros ahí cerca del final, lo que hizo que fuera una trama muy cotidiana y no tan alejada de la realidad. A veces (por no decir siempre...) las heroínas de Sharon me parece que caen muy rápido por el héroe y esta no fue la excepción, pero sí se notó que la prota era consciente de las limitaciones de un tipo tan arrogante y rico y cold-bastard como lo es Nikolai y no se hacía muchas ilusiones con él. Zara me cayó bastante bien, no es inocente y no pretende serlo, tiene las inseguridades de cualquiera. Nikolai es un bastardo con un pasado muy turbulento, pero los dos se amalgamaron bien para hacer una historia de amor creíble y que se lee rápido.
December 17, 2021
Cerita ringan dengan gaya penulisan yang luwes
November 20, 2025
I find SK’s books very variable . Some are brilliant and others are not so relatable. In this one, the heroine is a pain and I loved the scene at the end when the hero called her out on her mistrust. She absolutely deserved it.
SK is an excellent writer. Even while I’m hating a character or part of the plot, I admire the skill with which she’s written every scene.
I do dislike the slut-shaming which is a frequent part of her heroine’s personality. That ‘nice girls don’t’ which frequently appears. By the end of chapter 2 Zara is already feeling ashamed of making out with Nikolai in the back of his car. For a second I wondered if we’d drifted into the 1950s!
SK is an excellent writer. Even while I’m hating a character or part of the plot, I admire the skill with which she’s written every scene.
I do dislike the slut-shaming which is a frequent part of her heroine’s personality. That ‘nice girls don’t’ which frequently appears. By the end of chapter 2 Zara is already feeling ashamed of making out with Nikolai in the back of his car. For a second I wondered if we’d drifted into the 1950s!
October 20, 2013
well, it's the kind of book u will like if u like cinderella's kind of story. it's not dat i dunt like dat kind but zara was so cheap. she cud not leave him even after all the insults. she just came coming back 4 more. n she was really silly insisting on keeping the waitress job !! as 4 nikolai, he was ruthless n i did not see him falling 4her. it was just sex on his part.
January 23, 2012
Decent story that kept my interest. But nothing really stood out. It skirted the edge of angsty but wasn't really. It seemed like the story was a bit on the surface. I did like that the heroine was pretty independent though.
May 23, 2024
Susiskaitė kaip per sviestą zr funny ir juicy
July 3, 2012
Waitress Zara Evans was on a mission. Somehow, she had to find rich Nikolai Komarov at the party and convince him to purchase her friend’s beautiful fashion designs for his stores. It was all too easy. Nikolai was as handsome as she’d heard and he was captivated by Zara’s beauty. Nikolai assumed that Zara was simply leading him on, as had several other females before her. Then she threw him a curveball. She was independent and proud, a pearl beyond price.
The more Zara got to know Nikolai, the more she saw of the man beneath the corporate mask. Apparently abandoned by his mother at a young age, he’d had a bitter childhood, and he was still smarting from the rejection. However, could he have been mistaken about his mother’s defection? Did Zara have the courage and enough love to help Nikolai fight and defeat his demons? If there was a battle to be fought, to be sure Zara wanted to be beside him! A good read for a peaceful, rainy afternoon. Lose yourself within its pages.
The more Zara got to know Nikolai, the more she saw of the man beneath the corporate mask. Apparently abandoned by his mother at a young age, he’d had a bitter childhood, and he was still smarting from the rejection. However, could he have been mistaken about his mother’s defection? Did Zara have the courage and enough love to help Nikolai fight and defeat his demons? If there was a battle to be fought, to be sure Zara wanted to be beside him! A good read for a peaceful, rainy afternoon. Lose yourself within its pages.
November 11, 2020
Cerita yang cukup menarik dengan plot percintaan antara si kaya dan si miskin. Buat kalian yang suka romance berbau sensual, aku menyarankan cerita yang ringan seperti ini.
February 21, 2019
Not as terrible as I expected based on past experience with the author. This one at least does not have any kidnapping and false imprisonment or extreme no-means-yes. It does have "I'm protesting because of propriety so actually don't stop," and a bad case of "you're different from the other girls 'cause all the other girls are gold digging whores amirite folks?" but apparently that's a Harlequin Presents problem more than an author problem. Someone needs to deal with their internalized misogyny though. Especially because we never actually meet women like that? I mean, there are a couple who are interpreted as that, but who really knows.
The biggest narrative problem with the book is that it seems like the main conflict is going to be solved a couple of chapters from the end, but then a completely different problem is solved and what had been the main conflict is ignored.
The biggest narrative problem with the book is that it seems like the main conflict is going to be solved a couple of chapters from the end, but then a completely different problem is solved and what had been the main conflict is ignored.
July 19, 2019
Zara si pelayan bertemu dengan Nikolai seorang miliuner Rusia. Zara datang ke pesta yang dihadiri Nikolai hanya untuk memperkenalkan gaun rancangan Emma sahabatnya. Tapi ketika Nikolai betul2 terpesona dengannya, rencananya berubah.
Nikolai menyewa Zara untuk jamuan makan malam khusus di rumahnya. Di sanalah Nikolai dan Zara menemukan ketertarikan fisik satu sama lain. Tapi arah hidup mereka berbeda.
Kisah alpha male yang mainstream. Untungnya karakter female-nya bukan gadis lemah. Ceritanya biasa saja sih.
Nikolai menyewa Zara untuk jamuan makan malam khusus di rumahnya. Di sanalah Nikolai dan Zara menemukan ketertarikan fisik satu sama lain. Tapi arah hidup mereka berbeda.
Kisah alpha male yang mainstream. Untungnya karakter female-nya bukan gadis lemah. Ceritanya biasa saja sih.
February 9, 2024
Bueno, podría currarme una reseña diciendo los pros y contras de los personajes, analizando su evolución.
Pero la verdad... Lo he disfrutado, me ha gustado y viva el amor. Estos libros siempre los término con una sonrisa cuando tienen un final que considero bueno...
Obvio hay cosas que no perdono a los protagonistas... Pero bueno el cliché romántico me gusta de vez en cuando...
Ligero, entretenido y con final feliz, que más puedo pedir. "Viva el amor" eso dije en un video a mí novio al terminar este libro 😂
Pero la verdad... Lo he disfrutado, me ha gustado y viva el amor. Estos libros siempre los término con una sonrisa cuando tienen un final que considero bueno...
Obvio hay cosas que no perdono a los protagonistas... Pero bueno el cliché romántico me gusta de vez en cuando...
Ligero, entretenido y con final feliz, que más puedo pedir. "Viva el amor" eso dije en un video a mí novio al terminar este libro 😂
July 14, 2019
This was nice. The conflicts were based in their personal history/trauma and present economic class disparity and that made for some good dramatic moments without the OTT melodrama for the sake of melodrama. The dude had issues but his actions were mostly not awful and he learned from his mistakes. I liked the woman and seeing her thought processes as she worked through how she felt about the guy and what she needed in her life helped make the story work.
September 9, 2022
Bacaan ringan dan sangat cliche tapi cukup bermakna. Aku berharap kita mendapat lebih banyak masa lalu tokoh utama wanita dan tampak ada beberapa situasi yang tidak dijelaskan kembali oleh penulis / penerjemah.
Secara keseluruhan saya senang dengan perkembangan karakter kedua tokoh utama di novel ini.
Secara keseluruhan saya senang dengan perkembangan karakter kedua tokoh utama di novel ini.
September 6, 2019
I enjoy the book but i don't like the character flaws. It's like they have been together for months and still barely know each other.
August 27, 2020
3.75***
Read
August 30, 2021That was actually very sweet . One of her best efforts.
January 12, 2021
I’m not sure why the book was titled ‘Too proud to be bought’ - the heroine was clearly without pride and was prepared to lay her whole life and dreams just to be with a man who wasn’t sure what he felt for her, never mind that he’d told her he doesn’t do commitment. The worst was when she looked him in the eye and told him she doesn’t care about the very thing she cared about- being with someone who actually loved her. I’m not sure where the heroine thought everything was going but because it’s an HP novel I guess she figured he’d become committed sometime- I didn’t enjoy the direction this book took.
October 13, 2025
Clásica historia. Prota humilde cae rendida -de calentura- frente a un hombre muy rico, quien de entrada establece las reglas: "de amor ni hablar, sexo en casa pero nada de matrimonio e hijos". En este caso, Zara, la fémina en cuestión, logra mantener su independencia a pesar de las constantes ofertas de ser mantenida por nuestro hombre ruso, Nikolai, aunque resigna muchos de sus sueños por él.
Si bien la historia es super trillada tengo que admitir que la autora logró transmitir esos sentimientos de una historia de amor en crecimiento y negación masculina, con una historia super justificada, hasta llegar a ese final que siempre esperamos: boda y felices para siempre.
Amo las historias de celos, un poco tiene, de millonarios y pobres, tiene, y mucho, de idas y venidas por maquinaciones de los protas, tiene, y muuuucho.
Recomiendo.
En contra: final apurado que daba para más.
Reitero, HEA para ambos.
Leído en carne y hueso 💗
Si bien la historia es super trillada tengo que admitir que la autora logró transmitir esos sentimientos de una historia de amor en crecimiento y negación masculina, con una historia super justificada, hasta llegar a ese final que siempre esperamos: boda y felices para siempre.
Amo las historias de celos, un poco tiene, de millonarios y pobres, tiene, y mucho, de idas y venidas por maquinaciones de los protas, tiene, y muuuucho.
Recomiendo.
En contra: final apurado que daba para más.
Reitero, HEA para ambos.
Leído en carne y hueso 💗
March 19, 2012
The humble waitress and the Russian billionaire…
*For Nikolai, there’s something about Zara’s beauty that makes her stand out from the first class crowd. Experience has taught him all women have their price,
but he has never encountered anyone like Zara – a young woman who is too proud, too independent, too willful to be bought…*
Again, the insecurities of the hero regarding "women" weighs down this HP, even though there is a very strong willed heroine to prop him up.
*For Nikolai, there’s something about Zara’s beauty that makes her stand out from the first class crowd. Experience has taught him all women have their price,
but he has never encountered anyone like Zara – a young woman who is too proud, too independent, too willful to be bought…*
Again, the insecurities of the hero regarding "women" weighs down this HP, even though there is a very strong willed heroine to prop him up.
September 18, 2011
This is one of the first "adult" romance books I've ever read. I got it at the library, and I read it in less than a day. It's a little smutty and graphic, but I enjoyed it while I was on vacation. It was a borderline cliche love story, but it was definitely a guilty pleasure read. I really can't remark on anything else...
September 14, 2011
Zara gatecrashes an up-scale party to meet ultra-rich Russian oligarch Nikolai. A waitress by neccessity, she feels out of her depth when faced with the steamy Nikolai.
Overall, an OK story. The constant repeating of shock whenever Zara did not conform to Nikolai's thoughts was grating. Sex scenes were ok, but I just didn't feel like there was a connection for me.
Overall, an OK story. The constant repeating of shock whenever Zara did not conform to Nikolai's thoughts was grating. Sex scenes were ok, but I just didn't feel like there was a connection for me.
February 7, 2012
J'ai adoré. Les deux héros étaient supers, le fait que le héros ait souhaité une aventure malgré ce qu'il pensait d'elle me l'a fait bien remonter dans mon estime et le fait que la fille soit si déterminée était super. J'ai adoré ce qu'elle lui dit avant de partir et j'ai adoré les déclarations du héros. Un bon petit Azur. :-)
September 4, 2012
I rate this novel 2 and a half stars. It was readable. The typical Harlquin novel. But both leads were not likable.
December 14, 2012
Russian billionaire, waitress, history with the man
December 21, 2012
3.5 stars
March 5, 2013
It was good. Wasn't very memorable, but I enjoyed the brief ride. Would read again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews