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The Blackmail Bargain
A gold-digging home-wrecker isn't Curt McIntosh's ideal woman. But it seems that's exactly what he's got with Peta Grey.For Curt there is only one way to stop her...blackmail!
In reality, Peta is a penniless virgin trying to survive. She accepts Curt's ultimatum, and agrees to act as his mistress. But the terms of the deal aren't clear. Peta thought their relationship was purely business.So why has she just woken up naked in Curt's bed?
In reality, Peta is a penniless virgin trying to survive. She accepts Curt's ultimatum, and agrees to act as his mistress. But the terms of the deal aren't clear. Peta thought their relationship was purely business.So why has she just woken up naked in Curt's bed?
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2005
87 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Robyn Donald
448 books146 followersRobyn Elaine Donald was born on 14 August 1940 in Northland, New Zealand. She was the oldest child in her family, and as a child, she thrilled her four sisters and one brother with bloodcurdling adventure tales, usually very like the latest book she'd borrowed from the library.
Robyn owes her writing career to two illnesses. The first was a younger sister's flu. She was living with her husband and Robyn and spent most of that winter acquiring, suffering, and recovering from various infections. One day she croaked that she had read everything on Robyn's bookshelves, so would Robyn please buy her something cheerful and sustaining. Robyn found three paperbacks- one Mills and Boon Modern Romance novel and a couple of other romances. Robyn read them, too, of course, and so enjoyed them she spent the next couple of years hunting down more Mills and Boon books. This was much more difficult then than it is today, so she decided to write her own, and for the following busy 10 years she wrote and hoped that one day she would finish a manuscript good enough that was good enough to send to a publisher.
The second illness was her husband's, and it was bad a heart attack. He was so young it terrified them all. While he was recovering, he suggested that Robyn finish the manuscript she was writing and send it off. It wasn't a perfect manuscript, but the doctor had said to humour her husband, so she finished the manuscript, edited it as best she could, and sent it off. Three months later, she was astounded to read a letter from the editor saying that if She made a few revisions they would buy her novel Bride at Whangatapu.
Published since 1977, Robyn sees her readers as intelligent women who insist on accurate backgrounds, so she spends time researching as well as writing.Robyn Donald sometimes thinks that writing is much like gardening. It's a similar process creating landscapes for the mind and emotions from the seeds of ideas and dreams and images. Both activities can also lead to moments of extreme delight, moments of total despair, and backache.Now Robyn lives in the Bay Islands. She continues writing, and also finds time for a very supportive husband, two adult children and their partners, a granddaughter and her mother, not to mention the member of the family that keeps her fit - a loud, cheerful, and ruthlessly determined "almost" Labradordog.
Robyn owes her writing career to two illnesses. The first was a younger sister's flu. She was living with her husband and Robyn and spent most of that winter acquiring, suffering, and recovering from various infections. One day she croaked that she had read everything on Robyn's bookshelves, so would Robyn please buy her something cheerful and sustaining. Robyn found three paperbacks- one Mills and Boon Modern Romance novel and a couple of other romances. Robyn read them, too, of course, and so enjoyed them she spent the next couple of years hunting down more Mills and Boon books. This was much more difficult then than it is today, so she decided to write her own, and for the following busy 10 years she wrote and hoped that one day she would finish a manuscript good enough that was good enough to send to a publisher.
The second illness was her husband's, and it was bad a heart attack. He was so young it terrified them all. While he was recovering, he suggested that Robyn finish the manuscript she was writing and send it off. It wasn't a perfect manuscript, but the doctor had said to humour her husband, so she finished the manuscript, edited it as best she could, and sent it off. Three months later, she was astounded to read a letter from the editor saying that if She made a few revisions they would buy her novel Bride at Whangatapu.
Published since 1977, Robyn sees her readers as intelligent women who insist on accurate backgrounds, so she spends time researching as well as writing.Robyn Donald sometimes thinks that writing is much like gardening. It's a similar process creating landscapes for the mind and emotions from the seeds of ideas and dreams and images. Both activities can also lead to moments of extreme delight, moments of total despair, and backache.Now Robyn lives in the Bay Islands. She continues writing, and also finds time for a very supportive husband, two adult children and their partners, a granddaughter and her mother, not to mention the member of the family that keeps her fit - a loud, cheerful, and ruthlessly determined "almost" Labradordog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 24, 2018
Hero is Robyn Donald-lite. He is "ruthless" in splitting the heroine from his brother-in-law for about the first three chapters, but once their fake affair begins, he shows his softer side. Back in the bad old days, RD would have had the hero seducing the heroine and the heroine not realizing he had an ulterior motive until some sort of black moment.
Here the heroine knows all along what she is accused of (the brother-in-law falling in love with her) and she goes along with the hero's fake affair idea because she's attracted to him and why not? Oh, she likes to think she's being manipulated, but the angst was not strong with this one. (Which is good, I guess, but I like the old skool ways better)
I have the same problem that Kiki did about the hero's paranoid sister not getting her comeuppance for making the heroine's life hell. She had wealth and power and picked on the heroine who had done nothing to get that sort of attention from the brother-in-law. Even the hero questions why the heroine has to receive such rough treatment at the beginning of the story. Sis was the worst and hopefully the h won't have to deal with her or her wandering eye husband.
Heroine was a virgin. Hero had a girlfriend that he dumped once he saw the heroine's photo.
Here the heroine knows all along what she is accused of (the brother-in-law falling in love with her) and she goes along with the hero's fake affair idea because she's attracted to him and why not? Oh, she likes to think she's being manipulated, but the angst was not strong with this one. (Which is good, I guess, but I like the old skool ways better)
I have the same problem that Kiki did about the hero's paranoid sister not getting her comeuppance for making the heroine's life hell. She had wealth and power and picked on the heroine who had done nothing to get that sort of attention from the brother-in-law. Even the hero questions why the heroine has to receive such rough treatment at the beginning of the story. Sis was the worst and hopefully the h won't have to deal with her or her wandering eye husband.
Heroine was a virgin. Hero had a girlfriend that he dumped once he saw the heroine's photo.
March 1, 2017
Hero's sister was bitch of the millennium and she suffers NOTHING. Hero, who is righteous and boasts about justice does nothing to condemn his sister of her sins.
She "feels" her husband is "going" to cheat with the heroine so she asks her brother to seduce her instead. How can someone deliberately set out to ruin someone out of malice and gossip?
She calls the heroine "ugly" "plain" and "nothing" yet hero does nothing when he decides to marry her.
The heroine told the hero that his sister was responsible for making her life a mess. He demanded she's left alone, even though she's the reason for everything and instead blamed heroine for attracting the brother in law. What was she supposed to do? Not exist? Kill herself? Leave her life behind because the pathetic sister is so precious no one else's life matters? Hero doesn't have an answer for that, what he does know is that she must pay for the sister's unhappy marriage. Which btw, he is well aware that unhappiness is the couple's creating by not communicating, by too many sacrifices. He also knows that, the unhappy marriage may not even be worth saving. He says these to the sister, yet conveniently forgets when heroine raises the point.
To him nothing apart from his and his sister's happiness matters and no one else's feeling is worthy enough.
And at the end the sister doesn't even apologise!
She "feels" her husband is "going" to cheat with the heroine so she asks her brother to seduce her instead. How can someone deliberately set out to ruin someone out of malice and gossip?
She calls the heroine "ugly" "plain" and "nothing" yet hero does nothing when he decides to marry her.
The heroine told the hero that his sister was responsible for making her life a mess. He demanded she's left alone, even though she's the reason for everything and instead blamed heroine for attracting the brother in law. What was she supposed to do? Not exist? Kill herself? Leave her life behind because the pathetic sister is so precious no one else's life matters? Hero doesn't have an answer for that, what he does know is that she must pay for the sister's unhappy marriage. Which btw, he is well aware that unhappiness is the couple's creating by not communicating, by too many sacrifices. He also knows that, the unhappy marriage may not even be worth saving. He says these to the sister, yet conveniently forgets when heroine raises the point.
To him nothing apart from his and his sister's happiness matters and no one else's feeling is worthy enough.
And at the end the sister doesn't even apologise!
March 10, 2015
This was enjoyable, if not the most memorable HP ever. A solid 3.
I did like the different setting. No Greek or Italian Tycoons and the heroine was a rancher. Honestly, I missed the exact setting but I think it was New Zealand since that's where the author is from. If not, it was Australia.
Also the blackmail was a bit of mislead in the title if you (like me) associate HP and blackmail with 'be my mistress or else'. In this case it was 'pretend to be my mistress or else'. Of course there was attraction on both sides and they end up having sex.
I did like the end pretty well. I always love it when the h leaves and the H has to come and win her back. Unfortunately those scenes aren't as prolonged as I'd like them to be - but it's so much more preferable than the H saying "I'm sorry, I was wr-" and then being cut off by the h who immediately throws herself at him without ever allowing him to even apologize properly. I HATE THAT.
I did like the different setting. No Greek or Italian Tycoons and the heroine was a rancher. Honestly, I missed the exact setting but I think it was New Zealand since that's where the author is from. If not, it was Australia.
Also the blackmail was a bit of mislead in the title if you (like me) associate HP and blackmail with 'be my mistress or else'. In this case it was 'pretend to be my mistress or else'. Of course there was attraction on both sides and they end up having sex.
I did like the end pretty well. I always love it when the h leaves and the H has to come and win her back. Unfortunately those scenes aren't as prolonged as I'd like them to be - but it's so much more preferable than the H saying "I'm sorry, I was wr-" and then being cut off by the h who immediately throws herself at him without ever allowing him to even apologize properly. I HATE THAT.
August 27, 2018
Blackmailing the virgin is a favorite plot for me.
April 30, 2018
I started re-reading and vaguely remembered what is about. Didn't finish the re-read so I'm not changing the rating.
But, what Kiki said.
But, what Kiki said.
March 19, 2019
This was slightly different to other books I’ve read by this author. The hero is not such a nasty piece of work but he’s certainly an alpha.
It’s all starts when the H’s married sister wants him to do something about her husband who she suspects is interested in another woman, this turn out to be the h. She reveals to the H that they had recently discovered she could not have children due to her wild child youth. So the H who is a dutiful brother blackmails the h into a fake relationship to save his sisters marriage. I had a massive problem here as the H takes the h to the big city kits her out, then takes her around town to show theyre together. Only problem with that was, where were the H’s sister and her husband to see all this, oh that’s right they were at home in the country. This is a well used trope with many authors, where the H blackmails the h into a fake relationship and it wasn’t done here any better than others I’ve read.
I kept thinking while reading that the brother in law of the H has obviously decided that perhaps he’d prefer a wife who could provide him with children, so when he casts his eye to other women in the future was the sister going to expect her brother to take on all comers whom her husband had turned his roving eye onto. I don’t think this story was particularly well thought out. I’m also not a fan of the heroines in my romances described as having something of the builder about them, here she was described very tall with very broad shoulders. In fact when the h is introduced to the H’s recently dumped mistress she comments to the h did your father want a boy? The comment not only referred to h’s name but her figure. In fact the author alludes quite a few times as to what a big strapping girl the h is. That just didn’t sound very feminine to me. I like my heroines to be a bit girly.
It’s all starts when the H’s married sister wants him to do something about her husband who she suspects is interested in another woman, this turn out to be the h. She reveals to the H that they had recently discovered she could not have children due to her wild child youth. So the H who is a dutiful brother blackmails the h into a fake relationship to save his sisters marriage. I had a massive problem here as the H takes the h to the big city kits her out, then takes her around town to show theyre together. Only problem with that was, where were the H’s sister and her husband to see all this, oh that’s right they were at home in the country. This is a well used trope with many authors, where the H blackmails the h into a fake relationship and it wasn’t done here any better than others I’ve read.
I kept thinking while reading that the brother in law of the H has obviously decided that perhaps he’d prefer a wife who could provide him with children, so when he casts his eye to other women in the future was the sister going to expect her brother to take on all comers whom her husband had turned his roving eye onto. I don’t think this story was particularly well thought out. I’m also not a fan of the heroines in my romances described as having something of the builder about them, here she was described very tall with very broad shoulders. In fact when the h is introduced to the H’s recently dumped mistress she comments to the h did your father want a boy? The comment not only referred to h’s name but her figure. In fact the author alludes quite a few times as to what a big strapping girl the h is. That just didn’t sound very feminine to me. I like my heroines to be a bit girly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2018
The writing was strong and I enjoyed the set-up and the unusual heroine (a strong, sturdy farmer), but when I reached the point that sets up the romance, I became uncomfortable. The hero is convinced that his brother-in-law is having, or plans to have, an affair with a tenant farmer, in part because she's an inexperienced virgin who lives a rural lifestyle. In fact, the brother-in-law has begun to indicate interest in the heroine, which she's horrified by - but since he works for her landlord (the hero) she's having difficulty avoiding him. The hero has zero interest in hearing this and wouldn't believe her if she told him, because he finds her sexy so clearly she must be a gold-digger... and the only way to prove it to the brother-in-law is to force her to pretend to be in a relationship with the hero.
The problem is, this is set up to be very, very unbalanced. Peta is extremely poor and highly dependent on her lease of this land to be able to make ends meet; she can't get more hours at any second jobs, and she can't even sell the land she actually owns to anyone other than the hero because there are land access issues. She's stressed out by this continuing sexual harassment she's getting from a much older married man whom she used to trust, and she clearly doesn't have anyone she can turn to for help about any of this. She's also a virgin with bad experiences with controlling men. Watching her get bulldozed by the hero - who's convinced that she's a lying gold-digger - is not a pleasant experience, and I wasn't up for a whole book of it.
The problem is, this is set up to be very, very unbalanced. Peta is extremely poor and highly dependent on her lease of this land to be able to make ends meet; she can't get more hours at any second jobs, and she can't even sell the land she actually owns to anyone other than the hero because there are land access issues. She's stressed out by this continuing sexual harassment she's getting from a much older married man whom she used to trust, and she clearly doesn't have anyone she can turn to for help about any of this. She's also a virgin with bad experiences with controlling men. Watching her get bulldozed by the hero - who's convinced that she's a lying gold-digger - is not a pleasant experience, and I wasn't up for a whole book of it.
March 28, 2014
It's not the worst book I've read but I'm not likely to ever read it again. Here's why:
1- writing seems choppy. Things end abruptly and pick up abruptly
2- I don't feel love between the two characters. Some lust but no glue to bind them
3- don't like the way the h is described. Tall, not pretty, always muddy. Why would H be drawn to her? And of course the H just stepped out of GQ magazine. Totally unbelievable.
On the plus side, I did like the side story about his parents. But I didn't like the side story about his sister. Lots of loose ends there. That whole topic felt rushed.
But I do think this is a book you have to read for yourself to see if you like it or not. I think some people may love it. Just not me.
1- writing seems choppy. Things end abruptly and pick up abruptly
2- I don't feel love between the two characters. Some lust but no glue to bind them
3- don't like the way the h is described. Tall, not pretty, always muddy. Why would H be drawn to her? And of course the H just stepped out of GQ magazine. Totally unbelievable.
On the plus side, I did like the side story about his parents. But I didn't like the side story about his sister. Lots of loose ends there. That whole topic felt rushed.
But I do think this is a book you have to read for yourself to see if you like it or not. I think some people may love it. Just not me.
September 2, 2015
I like reading HP books set in New Zealand for the culture and the language. The heroine is a strong woman trying to run her farm, and she has a tough life. The hero has the whole thing wrong, as the hero of these books usually do. Of course as he gets to know her, he realizes how wrong he is and love ensues.
July 2, 2012
Pretty good read! This was a tough, likable heroine and the chemistry between the H and h was good. Definitely kept my interest. Only downside was a lightning-quick resolution -- I would have preferred a longer period of hero-groveling -- he got off too easily!
June 20, 2017
Leído el 07/10/2012
Protagonistas: Curt McIntosh y Rose Grey
Argumento:
El chantaje la había llevado hasta la cama de un millonario…
Una cazafortunas no era desde luego el ideal de mujer de Curt McIntosh, pero parecía que eso era lo que había encontrado con Rose Grey. Para Curt, sólo había una manera de arruinarle los planes… el chantaje.
En realidad, Rose era una muchacha inocente luchando por llegar a fin de mes y ahora se había visto obligada a cumplir las exigencias de Curt… Así había acabado haciéndose pasar por su amante. Pero las condiciones del trato no estaban del todo claras, pues Rose creía que la relación no era real… y sin embargo se había despertado desnuda en la cama de Curt…
Protagonistas: Curt McIntosh y Rose Grey
Argumento:
El chantaje la había llevado hasta la cama de un millonario…
Una cazafortunas no era desde luego el ideal de mujer de Curt McIntosh, pero parecía que eso era lo que había encontrado con Rose Grey. Para Curt, sólo había una manera de arruinarle los planes… el chantaje.
En realidad, Rose era una muchacha inocente luchando por llegar a fin de mes y ahora se había visto obligada a cumplir las exigencias de Curt… Así había acabado haciéndose pasar por su amante. Pero las condiciones del trato no estaban del todo claras, pues Rose creía que la relación no era real… y sin embargo se había despertado desnuda en la cama de Curt…
July 4, 2022
Closer to 3 1/2 stars for the emotional realism.
November 21, 2025
Are Robyn Donald books as angsty with as angry dudes as I remember from my misspent youth? Kind of, but by 2007 she had to make it more clear that no one was getting raped and it maybe wasn't, like, blackmail, blackmail. The guy is threatening to end our heroine's lease if she doesn't pretend to be his girlfriend but you know, she could just nope out. She must be kind of intrigued! She's also 23, not 19, so that's nice.
Anyway they figure it out by the end, phew! They could have just told the married guy creeping on her to knock it off but so it goes.
Anyway they figure it out by the end, phew! They could have just told the married guy creeping on her to knock it off but so it goes.
July 14, 2024
"The Blackmail Bargain" is the story of Peta and Curt.
After my disastrous outing with the author's last work I read, I was wary. This left me pleasantly surprised.
A known trope: hero's insecure sister has a lecherous husband with a wandering eye. Instead of threatening his brother in law, he goes behind the heroine. He soon finds out she is innocent, but proposes a fake relationship so she is not attractive to his BIL / save his sisters marriage.
What I liked was that the heroine was independent and the hero respected her boundaries. Most of the book is her working hard and earning her keep, and I like how they aired their grievances at the end.
Enjoyed it.
Safe
3/5
After my disastrous outing with the author's last work I read, I was wary. This left me pleasantly surprised.
A known trope: hero's insecure sister has a lecherous husband with a wandering eye. Instead of threatening his brother in law, he goes behind the heroine. He soon finds out she is innocent, but proposes a fake relationship so she is not attractive to his BIL / save his sisters marriage.
What I liked was that the heroine was independent and the hero respected her boundaries. Most of the book is her working hard and earning her keep, and I like how they aired their grievances at the end.
Enjoyed it.
Safe
3/5
December 20, 2023
I usually love the wrongfully accused/Hero gets revenge trope. But I DNF this one. It just dragged. I think I didn't like it because the Hero didn't really try to get revenge, it was just a weird fake relationship trope instead. The only revenge was the threat of taking away her farm, I guess. But just the threat, to blackmail her into the fake relationship.
And there was a lot of h thinking of Hero's "magnetism" and stuff like that. It got repetitive.
And there was a lot of h thinking of Hero's "magnetism" and stuff like that. It got repetitive.
April 30, 2021
This one was so mindnumbingly boring. Was disappointed that hero was already in a relationship with another woman (not interested in other women being included in books). Also the connection between the hero and heroine felt non existent and at the end there probably shouldn't have been a reconciliation because it felt like there was no true connection. Np.
Read
April 4, 2024Boring
Very disappointed. This was slow and boring. The characters barely spoke to each. All the dialogue was in their mind. Would have loved to see more interaction between the two main characters. Like how are you in love and you barely spoke to each other. Sigh.
Very disappointed. This was slow and boring. The characters barely spoke to each. All the dialogue was in their mind. Would have loved to see more interaction between the two main characters. Like how are you in love and you barely spoke to each other. Sigh.
August 9, 2024
I guess… seemed like the heroine and hero were alone most of the book…and it was very boring. The reason to get together was odd and didn’t ring true. And then arbitrarily break up and back again…bland and predictable.
January 6, 2018
2.5 stars for me. The sister is a bitch and the brother (hero) didn't really have any redeeming features until the last chapter. I liked the female lead.
January 10, 2021
Eh. It was okay
December 18, 2022
Very good
February 2, 2025
Irksome. Also really boring.
July 26, 2016
I read this book based on a reviewer's comments on a different book (Return of the Moralis Wife). I liked Peta but I didn't see any chemistry between the H/h. I didn't connect with the MCs so I went back to re-read the comments and I was a dummy! Willaful's review said: If you feel like reading a quintessential Harlequin Presents "blackmailing hero thinks the heroine is a gold-digging slut" story... I'd recommend The Brazilian's Blackmail Bargain.
hq-to-read
July 12, 2020A gold-digging home-wrecker isn't Curt McIntosh's ideal woman. But it seems that's exactly what he's got with Peta Grey.For Curt there is only one way to stop her...blackmail!
In reality, Peta is a penniless virgin trying to survive. She accepts Curt's ultimatum, and agrees to act as his mistress. But the terms of the deal aren't clear. Peta thought their relationship was purely business.So why has she just woken up naked in Curt's bed?
In reality, Peta is a penniless virgin trying to survive. She accepts Curt's ultimatum, and agrees to act as his mistress. But the terms of the deal aren't clear. Peta thought their relationship was purely business.So why has she just woken up naked in Curt's bed?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
March 3, 2020Usually I love Robyn Donald's books but not this time. The H was a jerk, I felt sorry for the h but she couldn't control her body around the H, which irritated me all the time. The H should have suffered more, he ruined the h's life for nothing and then she was supposed to forgive all the shit he did and said because he said ´´I loooove you´´. The h's comparisons of the H with her father also irritated me, it felt strange
June 11, 2013
My least favorite trope of this genre, but it was the first attempt at downloading to the kindle from the library, so I read it. I find it really hard to believe that love can grow from such abject dislike and scorn. In addition, the familial interactions would make this match untenable at best. That being said, it is, as usual of the Harlequins, very well written and fast moving.
September 25, 2009
Modern
June 22, 2010
A decent read. I think I just liked that it was set in New Zealand.
January 20, 2012
Love this book, HP author Robyn Donald is an automatic buy for me because she never disappoints.
October 9, 2016
very good harlequin! Peta and Curt are likable characters until the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews