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Return of the Moralis Wife
A virgin to sweeten the deal
Infamous playboy Orion Moralis believes in lust, not marriage - until with one innocent sigh the daughter of a business rival turns his world on its head. Selina Taylor is achingly pure, and as he captures her lips Orion knows he must possess her! But their marriage is short-lived...
Six years since Selina was discarded like a used plaything she's older - and definitely wiser when it comes to sexy, powerful men. But trapped on Orion's luxury yacht she finds memories of the past return to haunt her... With the bad comes the oh-so-good - and soon she can't resist the sensual pull between them...
Infamous playboy Orion Moralis believes in lust, not marriage - until with one innocent sigh the daughter of a business rival turns his world on its head. Selina Taylor is achingly pure, and as he captures her lips Orion knows he must possess her! But their marriage is short-lived...
Six years since Selina was discarded like a used plaything she's older - and definitely wiser when it comes to sexy, powerful men. But trapped on Orion's luxury yacht she finds memories of the past return to haunt her... With the bad comes the oh-so-good - and soon she can't resist the sensual pull between them...
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
49 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Baird
277 books258 followersJacqueline Baird was born on the 1st of April at home in a small village Northumbria, England, UK, where she raised. She went to the local village school, and later an all-girls' grammar school where she passed the University of Oxford General Certificate of Education in various subjects. On leaving school she joined the civil service in the then Post Office department.
She met her husband Jim, when she was only eighteen. Eight years later, after working as a hotel receptionist in a five-star hotel in Scotland and traveling abroad for a few years, she came home and married him. They still live in Northumbria and have two grown sons.
Her number one love is writing. She has always been an avid reader, and she had her first success as a writer at the age of eleven, when she won the first prize in the Nature Diary of the Year competition at school. But she always felt a little guilty because her diary was more fiction than fact. Apart from a spell as a hopeful painter in oils, when she actually did have a painting accepted for the Federation of Northern Artists' annual exhibition her real passion was for romance novels. When her sons went to school all day she thought she would try writing one. Jacqueline Baird's been writing for Mills & Boon since 1988, and she still gets a thrill every time a new book is published.
When Jacqueline is not busy writing she likes to spend her time traveling, reading and playing cards. She was a keen sailor until a knee injury ended her sailing days, but she still enjoys swimming in the sea. She visits a gym twice a week now and has made the surprising discovery that she gets some good ideas while doing the mind-numbingly boring exercises on the cycling and weight machines.
She met her husband Jim, when she was only eighteen. Eight years later, after working as a hotel receptionist in a five-star hotel in Scotland and traveling abroad for a few years, she came home and married him. They still live in Northumbria and have two grown sons.
Her number one love is writing. She has always been an avid reader, and she had her first success as a writer at the age of eleven, when she won the first prize in the Nature Diary of the Year competition at school. But she always felt a little guilty because her diary was more fiction than fact. Apart from a spell as a hopeful painter in oils, when she actually did have a painting accepted for the Federation of Northern Artists' annual exhibition her real passion was for romance novels. When her sons went to school all day she thought she would try writing one. Jacqueline Baird's been writing for Mills & Boon since 1988, and she still gets a thrill every time a new book is published.
When Jacqueline is not busy writing she likes to spend her time traveling, reading and playing cards. She was a keen sailor until a knee injury ended her sailing days, but she still enjoys swimming in the sea. She visits a gym twice a week now and has made the surprising discovery that she gets some good ideas while doing the mind-numbingly boring exercises on the cycling and weight machines.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
April 21, 2020
*re-read because I forgot all about it and couldn't check goodreads* Same rating. Same likes/dislikes.
The heroine made the book. She had been married to the tycoon hero at 19 as part of a business deal. She was besotted with the H at the time and only found out the terms of their marriage after the H caught her in bed with another man. (It was the H's half-sister's boyfriend who wandered in after a party). The half-sister refused to clear the h and told her that H only married her for business and that he had other lovers. The h returned to England and lawyered up.
Now, six years later, she's back for her evil grandfather's funeral and the H turns up like a bad penny with a revenge scheme (sex on his yacht for 2 weeks in exchange for money to help the family retainers).
What I liked:
Heroine had a backbone at 19 and didn't take the divorce lying down.
She went back to university and had a successful career
She sees the hero clearly now and even though she enjoys the hot sex, she is able to walk away.
There was a nice epilogue with the tamed family man hero who still pleasures her - because this was, above all, a heroine-centric story.
The heroine made the book. She had been married to the tycoon hero at 19 as part of a business deal. She was besotted with the H at the time and only found out the terms of their marriage after the H caught her in bed with another man. (It was the H's half-sister's boyfriend who wandered in after a party). The half-sister refused to clear the h and told her that H only married her for business and that he had other lovers. The h returned to England and lawyered up.
Now, six years later, she's back for her evil grandfather's funeral and the H turns up like a bad penny with a revenge scheme (sex on his yacht for 2 weeks in exchange for money to help the family retainers).
What I liked:
Heroine had a backbone at 19 and didn't take the divorce lying down.
She went back to university and had a successful career
She sees the hero clearly now and even though she enjoys the hot sex, she is able to walk away.
There was a nice epilogue with the tamed family man hero who still pleasures her - because this was, above all, a heroine-centric story.
May 9, 2012
This is a wonderful novel about revenge AND second chances. Orion Moralis is consumed with the belief that his young virginal wife betrayed him with another man. He consequently throws her out of the house and threatens divorce litigations naming adultery as the cause. However, our clever heroine outsmarts him and he is forced to accept the divorce under the terms of irreconcilable differences. But he still rages for revenge and 5 years later they face each other again at her Grandfather's funeral.
Given the hero still wants his pound of flesh, he decides to blackmail Selina onto his yacht for 2 weeks.
I liked the maturity in which the heroine handled the blackmail and decided to balance the good with the bad. She didn't simper, whimper, or get annoying. The author wrote a wonderfully strong woman who later turns the tables on our hero. Orion quickly discovers that his revenge plot has come with a very big price tag!
There is a great grovel at the end...and an even better epilogue. I highly recommend this book for those readers that love a great HP Romance and love Jacqueline Baird. I definitely think this is one of her best!
Given the hero still wants his pound of flesh, he decides to blackmail Selina onto his yacht for 2 weeks.
I liked the maturity in which the heroine handled the blackmail and decided to balance the good with the bad. She didn't simper, whimper, or get annoying. The author wrote a wonderfully strong woman who later turns the tables on our hero. Orion quickly discovers that his revenge plot has come with a very big price tag!
There is a great grovel at the end...and an even better epilogue. I highly recommend this book for those readers that love a great HP Romance and love Jacqueline Baird. I definitely think this is one of her best!
September 14, 2016
Here's my review from the December read.
The H divorced the h about six years ago as a man was seen running from her room while he was out of town. He never allowed her to explain, but kicked her out immediately and began divorce proceedings. He would accept no phone calls, nothing. She's devastated until she finds out from his total bratty and worthless little sister that their's was a MOC, set up by her grandfather and the H for the biz. Not only that, but little sis tells her he never loved her, was never going to love her, was in love with another woman, and would cheat. Not to mention that the guy seen fleeing the h's room was the sister's boyfriend, and sis is not about to lay it on the line to help the h. Let's wait while we all burn the worthless one in effigy. When I say worthless one, I mean the sister. Ultimately, it falls on the hero for not stopping a minute to listen to his WIFE, but toxic relatives are a trigger for me.
It's current times, and the h is back for her grandfather's funeral. Due to some crappy estate planning on the part of gramps, the h doesn't get part of her estate which leaves the old family retainer out in the cold. The H takes this opportunity to blackmail the h into a two week affair. She agrees reluctantly and falls on her sword so to speak with magnificent help of the magic penis.
The H throws out some mean words and dwells on the nature of gold diggers, but compared to some Greek/Spanish/Italian/Sicilian tycoons, he is pretty low key with his mean words. It's a sex fest with a little diving thrown in; they are on a yacht after all. The H is surprised at how sharp the h is now. She is a translator with relatively high status in the international arena and needs to get back to work.
Their deal winds down, but not before they have a business dinner with a couple. The H is bemused why the h is so repulsed by the man.
The couple sign over papers at the end of the tryst, and the H makes a snotty comment about her "donations" to a charity implying she's lying and a gold-digger. The h has finally had it, and throws down a wealth of truth at the H. She drops the following bombs: the nasty betrayal of his little sister who helped destroy their marriage with her refusal to come forward about the boyfriend; little sisters tell-all on the H's love life (in reality his former love life) as well as the disclosure of the business deal aka MOC, and the real facts about the disgusting, child molesting animal he is doing business with. The H was incredibly attracted to the h so part of that disclosure is either spite or supposition by the sister. He makes the really stupid, XY chromosome statement that he DID NOT marry her for the business, he married her as they had unprotected sex and he was afraid she was pregnant. The sheer romance of this statement leaves the h cold, of course. He is devastated as he NOW realizes he loves the h and has no hope of winning her back.
They meet up months later and the H is quite interesting. He has gone into the Romanceland H decline that so many alpha heroes do in exchange for a good grovel; lose weight, get pale, hair's awry yet still sooo attractive. In this case, in addition to his decline he does a pretty darn good grovel and confesses undying love to the h. Surprisingly enough, her birth control worked while on the yacht, and she has no confessions of her own.
Guess what? HEA! Yea, who would have thunk?
A solid 3.5 for not too serious of ass-hat moments but still drawing out the angst and tension plus a good grovel always gets a point.
My biggest complaint is that the rotten sister does not get her comeuppance. Maybe it happened off-page, but evil-doers should be punished. Maybe take her allowance away for a few months?
The H divorced the h about six years ago as a man was seen running from her room while he was out of town. He never allowed her to explain, but kicked her out immediately and began divorce proceedings. He would accept no phone calls, nothing. She's devastated until she finds out from his total bratty and worthless little sister that their's was a MOC, set up by her grandfather and the H for the biz. Not only that, but little sis tells her he never loved her, was never going to love her, was in love with another woman, and would cheat. Not to mention that the guy seen fleeing the h's room was the sister's boyfriend, and sis is not about to lay it on the line to help the h. Let's wait while we all burn the worthless one in effigy. When I say worthless one, I mean the sister. Ultimately, it falls on the hero for not stopping a minute to listen to his WIFE, but toxic relatives are a trigger for me.
It's current times, and the h is back for her grandfather's funeral. Due to some crappy estate planning on the part of gramps, the h doesn't get part of her estate which leaves the old family retainer out in the cold. The H takes this opportunity to blackmail the h into a two week affair. She agrees reluctantly and falls on her sword so to speak with magnificent help of the magic penis.
The H throws out some mean words and dwells on the nature of gold diggers, but compared to some Greek/Spanish/Italian/Sicilian tycoons, he is pretty low key with his mean words. It's a sex fest with a little diving thrown in; they are on a yacht after all. The H is surprised at how sharp the h is now. She is a translator with relatively high status in the international arena and needs to get back to work.
Their deal winds down, but not before they have a business dinner with a couple. The H is bemused why the h is so repulsed by the man.
The couple sign over papers at the end of the tryst, and the H makes a snotty comment about her "donations" to a charity implying she's lying and a gold-digger. The h has finally had it, and throws down a wealth of truth at the H. She drops the following bombs: the nasty betrayal of his little sister who helped destroy their marriage with her refusal to come forward about the boyfriend; little sisters tell-all on the H's love life (in reality his former love life) as well as the disclosure of the business deal aka MOC, and the real facts about the disgusting, child molesting animal he is doing business with. The H was incredibly attracted to the h so part of that disclosure is either spite or supposition by the sister. He makes the really stupid, XY chromosome statement that he DID NOT marry her for the business, he married her as they had unprotected sex and he was afraid she was pregnant. The sheer romance of this statement leaves the h cold, of course. He is devastated as he NOW realizes he loves the h and has no hope of winning her back.
They meet up months later and the H is quite interesting. He has gone into the Romanceland H decline that so many alpha heroes do in exchange for a good grovel; lose weight, get pale, hair's awry yet still sooo attractive. In this case, in addition to his decline he does a pretty darn good grovel and confesses undying love to the h. Surprisingly enough, her birth control worked while on the yacht, and she has no confessions of her own.
Guess what? HEA! Yea, who would have thunk?
A solid 3.5 for not too serious of ass-hat moments but still drawing out the angst and tension plus a good grovel always gets a point.
My biggest complaint is that the rotten sister does not get her comeuppance. Maybe it happened off-page, but evil-doers should be punished. Maybe take her allowance away for a few months?
November 5, 2019
This was not bad, not at all. Starts the same way, as most revenge dramas tend to do. Sleep with me or else. . Such irresistible charm! So our H, the Greek with a vendetta finds that the h, his ex-wife needs his cooperation to get her hands on her inheritance as per her dead grandfather’s will. (Of course, she doesn’t need the money for herself, ye of little faith, but for the long serving housekeeper, charity etc.) So he gets to kill two birds with one stone, or rather one bird with two stones. Revenge and that delectable body again. *evil grin-his not mine*
How predictable is that, and how we love to fall for it again and again!
So off to a two weeks cruise of the Mediterranean on his yacht. The H is his same old same old smug selfish self but at same time is surprisingly nice and good company too. They have sex, eat, relax, have sex, scuba dive, have sex. . .I think you get the general picture.
One time the h summarizes things well on behalf of all those hs who accidently get pregnant and then face the shock and awe tactics from the scumbag Hs . . .
“I did not use any protection, Selina. I need to know: Are you on the Pill?’ he demanded
‘You woke me up to ask that?’ The warmth seeped away and, sitting up, she . .
‘Yes, it is vital. I have no intention of being trapped into becoming a father and paying for it the rest of my life.”
Selina had heard some insults in her twenty-four years, but Rion’s took the cake! How like a man. He didn’t want to be trapped—no thought for the woman who would have to carry the child for nine months and look after it for the rest of her life. All Rion was worried about was the money it might cost him …
What a charmer. But then why was she surprised?
I just wish she had said all that out aloud!
JB has always done strong career minded hs even if they lose whatever sense they have along the way especially when in the sexual thrall of a db H. So, no surprises on that score. What was a bit unpalatable was that this h really seemed to have achieved a personal, professional and emotional growth in the past 5-6 years and to believe she could fall under his spell again was stretching it a bit thin.
Just the previous HP I read Purchased for Revenge had the H rescuing girls who were victims of human trafficking from eastern European countries.
And to follow it up with a h (this one) who helps rescue kids pushed into child sex trade in Cambodia was stirring and thought provoking.
And then she is also a reputable translator of Mandarin and Arabic for the movers and shakers of international business. Mighty impressive! All this while the H seemed to have stagnated if not regressed as a human being in the intervening years.
But in spite of these niggles, I enjoyed it.
How predictable is that, and how we love to fall for it again and again!
So off to a two weeks cruise of the Mediterranean on his yacht. The H is his same old same old smug selfish self but at same time is surprisingly nice and good company too. They have sex, eat, relax, have sex, scuba dive, have sex. . .I think you get the general picture.
One time the h summarizes things well on behalf of all those hs who accidently get pregnant and then face the shock and awe tactics from the scumbag Hs . . .
“I did not use any protection, Selina. I need to know: Are you on the Pill?’ he demanded
‘You woke me up to ask that?’ The warmth seeped away and, sitting up, she . .
‘Yes, it is vital. I have no intention of being trapped into becoming a father and paying for it the rest of my life.”
Selina had heard some insults in her twenty-four years, but Rion’s took the cake! How like a man. He didn’t want to be trapped—no thought for the woman who would have to carry the child for nine months and look after it for the rest of her life. All Rion was worried about was the money it might cost him …
What a charmer. But then why was she surprised?
I just wish she had said all that out aloud!
JB has always done strong career minded hs even if they lose whatever sense they have along the way especially when in the sexual thrall of a db H. So, no surprises on that score. What was a bit unpalatable was that this h really seemed to have achieved a personal, professional and emotional growth in the past 5-6 years and to believe she could fall under his spell again was stretching it a bit thin.
Just the previous HP I read Purchased for Revenge had the H rescuing girls who were victims of human trafficking from eastern European countries.
And to follow it up with a h (this one) who helps rescue kids pushed into child sex trade in Cambodia was stirring and thought provoking.
And then she is also a reputable translator of Mandarin and Arabic for the movers and shakers of international business. Mighty impressive! All this while the H seemed to have stagnated if not regressed as a human being in the intervening years.
But in spite of these niggles, I enjoyed it.
August 20, 2015
This was ok, I didn't hate it. I just didn't feel it.
I love the falsely accused heroine/vengeful hero plot. It's a time honored HP tradition, but some work and some don't.
I think my problem with this was that the h had somehow crossed dimensions from our world into HPLandia. She stood up to the H, which was great. I'm for that. You don't have to be a screeching harpy, but don't just sit there and take insults and ask for more. I like a heroine to have some pride. But, problem was, she really did think he was pretty much a useless, arrogant excuse for a man. She really did and he really never did anything notable to disabuse her of this notion. IMHO, It wasn't just her knowing she should feel that way despite her denied feelings of love. She wasn't still reeling in anger and hurt. She'd moved on and saw things with a sense of distance and detachment. It was almost like she was breaking the 4th wall and saying/thinking those things that we readers think about some of these H's. That's all well and good, but it doesn't make for good HP romance because...
I could never buy her love for him. Lust, yes. Love, no. She had no respect for him. By the epilogue she did, but that all seemed tacked on.
The H looked even douchier than usual because of the heroine's real-world view of him. I don't think he really was much worse than your typical HP Greek tycoon, but the fact that she saw him for what he was made it seem worse.
I know HPs are short format and formulaic and we have to be willing to swallow a quick wrap-up, but this one seemed even more jarring than usual. He has ZERO respect for women. He's never thought himself to be in love with the h until her charity work comes to light along with the truth behind her supposed betrayal. Then, all of a sudden, literally within the span of a second, he's 360 degree turnaround wanting to marry her and realizing he's loved her for years. Really? All those years of mistrust cleared up that quickly? All the disdain for women cured by realizing one does charity work? She's not the only woman doing charity work, this isn't ground breaking news. Her work was important, granted, but it was like he never realized a woman (any woman) could care about such things.
The ending. I cannot say how tired I am of the H taking a few weeks/months to starve himself into 'more starkly chiseled features' and 'haunted eyes' substituting for real redemption in romance. Yeah, maybe a part of it, a suffering H is always fun. But I want to see some real action too. See some real sacrifice. Plus, not everyone who's depressed starves themselves, it can go the other way. I'd love it if, just once, the H would show up 50lbs heavier and looking like a downright couch potato slob with Cheetos stains on his t-shirt rather than 'sexily disheveled in his rumpled Armani suit'. At least it would be good for a laugh.
The sexual deep-freeze heroine. Again a time honored HP trope and I'm not knocking it. I just didn't buy it here and while it's HIGHLY unlikely in many HPs I can suspend disbelief.
They'd been apart 6 years, during which time she went to college and really moved on with her life. She wasn't a miserable, half-person sitting around pining for the H. She was done. So, why is it that she didn't meet at least one guy she was attracted to and have sex with? It just didn't ring true because she wasn't the typical HP heroine, but then this gets tacked on and it seems very incongruous. Again, I think she was in the wrong dimension.
I love the falsely accused heroine/vengeful hero plot. It's a time honored HP tradition, but some work and some don't.
I think my problem with this was that the h had somehow crossed dimensions from our world into HPLandia. She stood up to the H, which was great. I'm for that. You don't have to be a screeching harpy, but don't just sit there and take insults and ask for more. I like a heroine to have some pride. But, problem was, she really did think he was pretty much a useless, arrogant excuse for a man. She really did and he really never did anything notable to disabuse her of this notion. IMHO, It wasn't just her knowing she should feel that way despite her denied feelings of love. She wasn't still reeling in anger and hurt. She'd moved on and saw things with a sense of distance and detachment. It was almost like she was breaking the 4th wall and saying/thinking those things that we readers think about some of these H's. That's all well and good, but it doesn't make for good HP romance because...
I could never buy her love for him. Lust, yes. Love, no. She had no respect for him. By the epilogue she did, but that all seemed tacked on.
The H looked even douchier than usual because of the heroine's real-world view of him. I don't think he really was much worse than your typical HP Greek tycoon, but the fact that she saw him for what he was made it seem worse.
I know HPs are short format and formulaic and we have to be willing to swallow a quick wrap-up, but this one seemed even more jarring than usual. He has ZERO respect for women. He's never thought himself to be in love with the h until her charity work comes to light along with the truth behind her supposed betrayal. Then, all of a sudden, literally within the span of a second, he's 360 degree turnaround wanting to marry her and realizing he's loved her for years. Really? All those years of mistrust cleared up that quickly? All the disdain for women cured by realizing one does charity work? She's not the only woman doing charity work, this isn't ground breaking news. Her work was important, granted, but it was like he never realized a woman (any woman) could care about such things.
The ending. I cannot say how tired I am of the H taking a few weeks/months to starve himself into 'more starkly chiseled features' and 'haunted eyes' substituting for real redemption in romance. Yeah, maybe a part of it, a suffering H is always fun. But I want to see some real action too. See some real sacrifice. Plus, not everyone who's depressed starves themselves, it can go the other way. I'd love it if, just once, the H would show up 50lbs heavier and looking like a downright couch potato slob with Cheetos stains on his t-shirt rather than 'sexily disheveled in his rumpled Armani suit'. At least it would be good for a laugh.
The sexual deep-freeze heroine. Again a time honored HP trope and I'm not knocking it. I just didn't buy it here and while it's HIGHLY unlikely in many HPs I can suspend disbelief.
They'd been apart 6 years, during which time she went to college and really moved on with her life. She wasn't a miserable, half-person sitting around pining for the H. She was done. So, why is it that she didn't meet at least one guy she was attracted to and have sex with? It just didn't ring true because she wasn't the typical HP heroine, but then this gets tacked on and it seems very incongruous. Again, I think she was in the wrong dimension.
March 13, 2012
Orion had married Selina for two reasons, the first one being that they had made love without protection and she could be pregnant. The second on being, his father and her grandfather made a business deal and wanted them to marry. When Selina is caught with a man in her bed, she is immediately convicted as an adulteress. Selina knows it isn't true but Orion won't listen to her and files for divorce, so she fights him back and wins her divorce decree and a bunch of his money.
Six years later Selina shows up for her grandfathers funeral, her grandfather was an online gambler so he had been put into debt. When Orion offers her an out in exchange for her being his lover for two weeks, Selina takes it. When their two week vacation comes to an end, Orion learns the truth about everything and realizes that he has done Selina an injustice but what can he do to make it up to her? What can he do to make her love him?
I really enjoyed this novel, recently I haven't been all that pleased with the novels that are coming out, they are all the same. However this one is different, sure in other ones I've read they've had yacht trips but this one is pretty much centered around the yacht with no escape, so both of them can explore their own feelings. The main characters were a delight to get to know and I sided right with Selina and felt what she felt. It was a great book to read, definitely one of the better ones released recently.
Six years later Selina shows up for her grandfathers funeral, her grandfather was an online gambler so he had been put into debt. When Orion offers her an out in exchange for her being his lover for two weeks, Selina takes it. When their two week vacation comes to an end, Orion learns the truth about everything and realizes that he has done Selina an injustice but what can he do to make it up to her? What can he do to make her love him?
I really enjoyed this novel, recently I haven't been all that pleased with the novels that are coming out, they are all the same. However this one is different, sure in other ones I've read they've had yacht trips but this one is pretty much centered around the yacht with no escape, so both of them can explore their own feelings. The main characters were a delight to get to know and I sided right with Selina and felt what she felt. It was a great book to read, definitely one of the better ones released recently.
November 20, 2022
Update
November 19/2022
Score: 5 stars
I don't know why I haven't written a review about this book... I LOVE IT
I reread my fav scenes from time to time :D I hope to post a review before Christmas (I'm very busy at the moment T_T) I think I did't post any review because I added a lot of information in the tags, but we can't see them in the Goodreads app.
First Reading: April/2012
Score: 10/10 - 5 stars
November 19/2022
Score: 5 stars
I don't know why I haven't written a review about this book... I LOVE IT
I reread my fav scenes from time to time :D I hope to post a review before Christmas (I'm very busy at the moment T_T) I think I did't post any review because I added a lot of information in the tags, but we can't see them in the Goodreads app.
First Reading: April/2012
Score: 10/10 - 5 stars
April 15, 2012
Enjoyed this latest entry by Jacquline Baird.She writes a heroine with a strong backbone who actually challenges the hero when he plans to divorce her for allegedly cheating on him.She actually turns the tables on him quite nicely.They do divorce and dhe gets on with her life.They meet again six years later at her grandfathers funeral and he blackmails her into becomming his lover for the next two weeks on his yacht.They smexx it up quite a bit and one day she realizes that she still loves him,but she is not sure of his feelings for her.When the hero finally realizes that he does love her,it id too late and she leaves him .This book had a great grovel by the hero and a beliavble Hea at the end.
April 19, 2017
4.5 stars
Another HP I really enjoyed. Baird is hitting all my sweet spots...
Another HP I really enjoyed. Baird is hitting all my sweet spots...
June 5, 2012
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. This is the classic formula, but the writing is stilted and repetitious, constantly telling us the same backstory over and over, ala Diana Palmer. It did deliver a few good gut punches, if you like this scenario.
February 20, 2012
The hero Rion sees the heroine Selina, his ex-wife, for the first time in sex years when he arrives to attend her grandfather's funeral. He immediately realise that he still fiercely desires her, and with his knowledge of what is in her grandfather's will Rion decides to finally get his revenge on her betrayal. Selina is surprised and a little perturbed by Rion's arrival, she hasn't seen him since he threw her out of his life and still remembers her heartbreak at both the end of their marriage and the discover of the true reason he married her. Rion blackmails Selina into spending a two week holiday with him on his yacht, for his pleasure. At first Selina tries to fight against the desire that is still between them, but eventually gives into her last chance to be with Rion. Rion is surprised by the changes in Selina and his ruthless revenge scheme quickly turns into much more, but Selina has her own life now and refused to give Rion her heart again.
When I started reading this book I wasn't enjoying it - it seemed to have a few too many unappealing elements - but I ended up quite liking it. The heroine makes this book worthwhile. She starts off being a bit of the wounded party, but really grows into a strong and intelligent woman. She was also very honest and forward thinking, I particularly liked her attitude when faced with the possibility of the short-term affair with the hero, thinking why shouldn't she enjoy it! The hero learned his lesson in the end and there was a nice bit of grovelling.
Overall, this is a well written book. I enjoyed it.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
When I started reading this book I wasn't enjoying it - it seemed to have a few too many unappealing elements - but I ended up quite liking it. The heroine makes this book worthwhile. She starts off being a bit of the wounded party, but really grows into a strong and intelligent woman. She was also very honest and forward thinking, I particularly liked her attitude when faced with the possibility of the short-term affair with the hero, thinking why shouldn't she enjoy it! The hero learned his lesson in the end and there was a nice bit of grovelling.
Overall, this is a well written book. I enjoyed it.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
December 28, 2012
I enjoyed this so much! The epilogue was adorable and I loved how possessive the hero was. I find this incredibly sexy. Almost a five stars book!
May 4, 2020
This book is pretty darn awesome because the h is pretty darn awesome. She is one of the best h's in HPlandia history. It's a shame she ended up with an idiot like Orion. She deserved better but she wanted that nitwit - shame.
St Margarets has all the deets on this one
St Margarets has all the deets on this one
March 13, 2012
I really enjoyed this one. For once an alpha HQN hero did a great grovel and truly redeemed his sorry arrogant self. I even ended up liking him almost as much as I liked the heroine.
April 18, 2019
Selina makes this book better ... Rion is a POS and doesn't deserve Selina even spitting on him but sje some reason she loves him ... also she is smart enough to make him sorry if he steps out of line ...
September 11, 2018
THREE AND A HALF STARS
Not too shabby of a story. Heroine wrongly judged and cast out without a chance to even speak up for herself. Heroine was a spitfire that recovered from her devastated heart and went on to make something of her life. Blackmail, angst and decent grovel. It was a great way to spend my afternoon.
November 6, 2018
So-so romance overall. I liked the sex scenes on the yacht, and I loved Serena's independent spirit and the way the author worked in ways of stopping the Cambodian sex trade. But the hero Rion was petty and jealous and stupid. And the big misunderstanding -- a drunk teenager falling into the heroine's bed by mistake at a party -- was just laugh out loud funny. Good characters, great sex, plot needs work. C+ all around!
May 30, 2012
This is one of those blackmail plot romance novels where a big misunderstanding lead to the break up of the H&h.
If you like Grovels, you will enjoy this book. You get about 5 pages of grovel at the end.
If you like Grovels, you will enjoy this book. You get about 5 pages of grovel at the end.
August 8, 2018
Wow, this story rocked! The characters really made the book, since the plot is the usual MOC second chance revenge sex trope.
Selina the young 18year old heroine falls in love at first sight with the Hero at a dinner party arranged by her grandfather and his father. The old guys want an arranged marriage to cement a business merger. The Hero totally refuses but to keep the peace agrees to attend the dinner.
The Hero falls in lust as first sight with the heroine, so he is not too bothered by the deal, but the heroine knows nothing about any deal. Long story short the spoiled arrogant Hero finds her easy pickings and they get married.
A few weeks into the marriage, he comes home fr a business trip and sees a man jump out of her bed. The reader and everyone, knows there had to be a misunderstanding, except the Hero. He immediately throws her out of the house and refuses to see or speak to her. So they are now divorced and have not met for 6 years until they meet at her grandfather’s funeral.
He blackmails her into joining him on his Yacht for 2 weeks before he agrees to release her inheritance. Since she has people she is taking care of and charities she supports, she agrees.
Those are the bare bones of the story, but what makes this one stand out is the character of the heroine. She is very smart and clever. When the Hero wants to sue her for adultery, she gets her own lawyer and they counter his claims with some of their own. Even at 19 she gets the better of the Hero.
After she is divorced, she goes to university and gets a top degree, her stepping stone to a high paying international translator job, When the Hero blackmails her into spending time with him, She doesn’t waste her energy on fighting with the Hero, she just decides to enjoy herself and the opportunity to relax and go diving. The Hero is totally confused but enchanted by her.
The end is also great because it was given enough page time. When the two week cruise ends, the heroine packs up and prepares to leave without batting an eyelid. The Heroine finally explains everything to the Hero and he is just devastated by guilt and remorse. Not only that, he has just finally realised that he is in love with the heroine as she walks out on him. There is a good grovel from the Hero a few weeks later and even a very lovely epilogue.
One of the most satisfying endings I have read in a long time.
Selina the young 18year old heroine falls in love at first sight with the Hero at a dinner party arranged by her grandfather and his father. The old guys want an arranged marriage to cement a business merger. The Hero totally refuses but to keep the peace agrees to attend the dinner.
The Hero falls in lust as first sight with the heroine, so he is not too bothered by the deal, but the heroine knows nothing about any deal. Long story short the spoiled arrogant Hero finds her easy pickings and they get married.
A few weeks into the marriage, he comes home fr a business trip and sees a man jump out of her bed. The reader and everyone, knows there had to be a misunderstanding, except the Hero. He immediately throws her out of the house and refuses to see or speak to her. So they are now divorced and have not met for 6 years until they meet at her grandfather’s funeral.
He blackmails her into joining him on his Yacht for 2 weeks before he agrees to release her inheritance. Since she has people she is taking care of and charities she supports, she agrees.
Those are the bare bones of the story, but what makes this one stand out is the character of the heroine. She is very smart and clever. When the Hero wants to sue her for adultery, she gets her own lawyer and they counter his claims with some of their own. Even at 19 she gets the better of the Hero.
After she is divorced, she goes to university and gets a top degree, her stepping stone to a high paying international translator job, When the Hero blackmails her into spending time with him, She doesn’t waste her energy on fighting with the Hero, she just decides to enjoy herself and the opportunity to relax and go diving. The Hero is totally confused but enchanted by her.
The end is also great because it was given enough page time. When the two week cruise ends, the heroine packs up and prepares to leave without batting an eyelid. The Heroine finally explains everything to the Hero and he is just devastated by guilt and remorse. Not only that, he has just finally realised that he is in love with the heroine as she walks out on him. There is a good grovel from the Hero a few weeks later and even a very lovely epilogue.
One of the most satisfying endings I have read in a long time.
May 13, 2014
RETURN OF THE MORALIS WIFE
Infamous playboy Orion Moralis believes in lust, not marriage—until, with one innocent sigh, the daughter of a business rival turns his world on its head. Selina Taylor is achingly pure and, as he captures her lips, Orion knows he must possess her! But their marriage is short-lived.…
Six years since Selina was removed from the marriage bed, she's older and definitely wiser when it comes to seductive, powerful men. But trapped on Orion's luxury yacht, she finds memories of the past returning to haunt her—with the bad comes the oh-so-good—and soon she can't resist the sensual pull between them.…
My rating: loved that it kept my interest and going to the next page. The fact that the H knew he was wrong and groveling back to h was what I loved. he had no qualms with apologizing.
Infamous playboy Orion Moralis believes in lust, not marriage—until, with one innocent sigh, the daughter of a business rival turns his world on its head. Selina Taylor is achingly pure and, as he captures her lips, Orion knows he must possess her! But their marriage is short-lived.…
Six years since Selina was removed from the marriage bed, she's older and definitely wiser when it comes to seductive, powerful men. But trapped on Orion's luxury yacht, she finds memories of the past returning to haunt her—with the bad comes the oh-so-good—and soon she can't resist the sensual pull between them.…
My rating: loved that it kept my interest and going to the next page. The fact that the H knew he was wrong and groveling back to h was what I loved. he had no qualms with apologizing.
April 10, 2012
Yes, we have been here before with Harlequin Presents, but I actually think this one did it better than some. This heroine had some serious backbone!
The hero was yummy and rich, of course. The heroine was another virginal penniless young thang who recently discovered her grandpapa was loaded.
They meet and he falls head over heels in lust-and love-with the heroine. I really liked that! What I did not like...of course, she remains chaste for the SIX YEAR SEPARATION and he does not. I sooo do not like that, in theory, but I do get why authors tend to do that.
Anyway, this hero grovelled and earned a second-or rather, third-chance with our heroine.
The hero was yummy and rich, of course. The heroine was another virginal penniless young thang who recently discovered her grandpapa was loaded.
They meet and he falls head over heels in lust-and love-with the heroine. I really liked that! What I did not like...of course, she remains chaste for the SIX YEAR SEPARATION and he does not. I sooo do not like that, in theory, but I do get why authors tend to do that.
Anyway, this hero grovelled and earned a second-or rather, third-chance with our heroine.
May 26, 2012
Love a heroine who stands up to the 'love of her life' aka the Hero of the book. I thought there was a conversation missing (with half-sister) and the hero was forgiven to easily, but he did get his in realizing he loved her, really loved her, too late in his mind.
I seem to enjoy these stories BETTER when the heroine has a bit of a back bone. And when they don't I find myself wanting to throw the book across the room when it's finished. For what this one is, (I call them baby books, cause it takes about two hours or less to read them) it was pretty good.
I also like it best when I don't notice any typo/editing issues which I didn't with this one.
I seem to enjoy these stories BETTER when the heroine has a bit of a back bone. And when they don't I find myself wanting to throw the book across the room when it's finished. For what this one is, (I call them baby books, cause it takes about two hours or less to read them) it was pretty good.
I also like it best when I don't notice any typo/editing issues which I didn't with this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2013
This is a book.
For a full review, please go to:
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GoodReads's policies no longer comply with my review policy. Therefore my reviews will be posted at BookLikes going forward. Thank you for following my reviews here. I hope to continue discussing books with you on BookLikes.
For a full review, please go to:
http://mlleelizabeth.booklikes.com/
GoodReads's policies no longer comply with my review policy. Therefore my reviews will be posted at BookLikes going forward. Thank you for following my reviews here. I hope to continue discussing books with you on BookLikes.
June 7, 2012
This wasn't bad, but not great either. It needed more scenes showing the hero fighting his feelings despite the terrible things he believes about the heroine. Instead, they just had lots of sex. It was definitely readable, but just not that emotionally compelling.
March 23, 2014
Loved the strong heroine....was great to read a story about a woman with a strong backbone that didn't whine & whimper through the story. She actually stands up for herself & gives back as good as he is dishing out, if not better!!!!!
March 10, 2012
Would have enjoyed the book more if the truth would have come out sooner later in the end and also i felt H was forgiven easily,otherwise an okay read for me.
April 21, 2012
another obscenely rich greek hero, another virgin bride, another big misunderstanding, fast forward 6 years, and SSDD!
January 24, 2018
Personajes: Orion & Selina
Pais: Grecia, Londres, Rio de Janeriro, Chipre, Malta.
Profesiones: Traductora & Empresario.
Pais: Grecia, Londres, Rio de Janeriro, Chipre, Malta.
Profesiones: Traductora & Empresario.
November 3, 2022
3.5 stars
The couple: Orion and Selina
Romance trope: divorce-reconciliation
Length: 182 pages
Plot: Orion and Selina married after a whirlwind romance when she was fairly young. But when her new husband saw a man jumping out of her bed and running away, he divorced her with no consideration for her pleas of innocence. Years later, she needs help with her inheritance and he wants to spend some time with her on his yacht (whether out of desire for her or revenge is left to be seen), so he makes a deal. Making deals is something he's good at; his initial marriage to her was part of a business deal (according to his sister), he makes a deal for her inheritance in exchange for sex, and at the end of their time together, he makes a deal with . So once again, the heroine leaves; the hero is not the man she wants, not as he is, and he still doesn't believe her innocence. He'll have to figure out a way to make her see they are meant to be together again.
Commentary: A lot of the heroes in Harlequin novels have evil or spoiled sisters that break up the marriage between the h/H (sometimes it's a sister-in-law), I've noticed. This little twit of a sister was spoiled, and Selina let her get away with it! I would have snitched on her faster than you can say nunnery. And she never got what was coming to her. She ruined a marriage with a few hurtful words and nobody ever took the time to teach her the right way to act. There was nothing the heroine could have done at the time since the hero refused to talk to or listen to her, but in the present? Someone needed to smack her down, both literally and figuratively.
The couple: Orion and Selina
Romance trope: divorce-reconciliation
Length: 182 pages
Plot: Orion and Selina married after a whirlwind romance when she was fairly young. But when her new husband saw a man jumping out of her bed and running away, he divorced her with no consideration for her pleas of innocence. Years later, she needs help with her inheritance and he wants to spend some time with her on his yacht (whether out of desire for her or revenge is left to be seen), so he makes a deal. Making deals is something he's good at; his initial marriage to her was part of a business deal (according to his sister), he makes a deal for her inheritance in exchange for sex, and at the end of their time together, he makes a deal with . So once again, the heroine leaves; the hero is not the man she wants, not as he is, and he still doesn't believe her innocence. He'll have to figure out a way to make her see they are meant to be together again.
Commentary: A lot of the heroes in Harlequin novels have evil or spoiled sisters that break up the marriage between the h/H (sometimes it's a sister-in-law), I've noticed. This little twit of a sister was spoiled, and Selina let her get away with it! I would have snitched on her faster than you can say nunnery. And she never got what was coming to her. She ruined a marriage with a few hurtful words and nobody ever took the time to teach her the right way to act. There was nothing the heroine could have done at the time since the hero refused to talk to or listen to her, but in the present? Someone needed to smack her down, both literally and figuratively.
May 5, 2013
Rion and Selina were married and split under angry accusations thrown by both parties. Each one believed they knew the truth of the other. Now Rion has her in his sights again and plays up to trapping this little gold digger w/ a bit of blackmail as is the norm in this world.
Selina’s one weakness is truly caring about other people more than herself and Rion exploits this to position her where he wants her. After partaking of his particular form of blackmail, he learns the truth. Selina gives it to him straight! And it was particularly delightful and eye opening for Rion to learn that he was mistaken about the past. She also believes that Rion has no scruples when it comes to business but he was just mouthing things when he made that comment especially when he discovers other secrets about people.
I liked that she held her ground on the two week deal and was able to walk away from him. He still tried to stall things, but in the end he was forced to give in. So even though she did love him she wasn’t going to stay for him either.
Every h deserves a friend like Selina’s who had access to attorneys to help them fight these wind bag H’s! And come on the fact that Selina was even considering OM after leaving the H near the end is a big bonus too! I highly doubted she would have hidden away in a closet waiting for him to come to his senses. That was AWESOME too.
I enjoyed that she stood up to him and that he had to come to her. This one definitely stuck around w/ me.
Selina’s one weakness is truly caring about other people more than herself and Rion exploits this to position her where he wants her. After partaking of his particular form of blackmail, he learns the truth. Selina gives it to him straight! And it was particularly delightful and eye opening for Rion to learn that he was mistaken about the past. She also believes that Rion has no scruples when it comes to business but he was just mouthing things when he made that comment especially when he discovers other secrets about people.
I liked that she held her ground on the two week deal and was able to walk away from him. He still tried to stall things, but in the end he was forced to give in. So even though she did love him she wasn’t going to stay for him either.
Every h deserves a friend like Selina’s who had access to attorneys to help them fight these wind bag H’s! And come on the fact that Selina was even considering OM after leaving the H near the end is a big bonus too! I highly doubted she would have hidden away in a closet waiting for him to come to his senses. That was AWESOME too.
I enjoyed that she stood up to him and that he had to come to her. This one definitely stuck around w/ me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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