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The Price of Retribution
To Tarn Desmond family is everything. So when powerful tycoon Caspar Brandon all but destroys her sweet sister, Tarn is determined to make this notorious playboy pay.Caz is intrigued by the pure beauty of the new girl in his office—no one has ever said no to him before, and if anything that's just doubled his ruthless desire for her!
As Tarn sinks deeper into her deception, her resolve falters under Caz's sensual onslaught. She hadn't banked on revenge costing her the ultimate price: her heart…and her body!
As Tarn sinks deeper into her deception, her resolve falters under Caz's sensual onslaught. She hadn't banked on revenge costing her the ultimate price: her heart…and her body!
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
22 people are currently reading
799 people want to read
About the author
Sara Craven
492 books266 followersAnne Bushell was born on October 1938 in South Devon, England, just before World War II and grew up in a house crammed with books. She was always a voracious reader, some of her all-time favorites books are: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, "Middlemarch" by George Eliot, "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell and "The Code of the Woosters" by P. G. Wodehouse.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 8, 2018
I'm not fond of revenge by the heroine, which is hypocritical of me since I *love* revenge by the hero.
So, this heroine is going to revenge herself on the publishing tycoon hero who supposedly jilted her foster sister, sending her to a mental hospital after a drug overdose. She will lead him on and them dump him in a spectacular fashion.
SC wrote the set up very well. It's obvious the foster sister was in fantasy world with all of her letters (Letters - really? Not this generation) and it was equally obvious that the hero had nothing to hide or feel guilty for.
Where the story sagged was the long courtship. (Boring - but that Italian meal made me hungry)
What dropped it a star was the hero's quick (less than 24 hours!) forgiveness of the heroine for jilting him at the registrar's office and for it to be in all the newspapers (Newspapers - really? This generation gets the news alerts on Twitter or their phone app).
Hero was sweet, but just too beta to live. The old-fashioned touches - like the reliance on letters - took me out of the story. The heroine didn't suffer enough. If the last third had been the heroine angsting over her mistake, the hero giving her the cold shoulder and the foster sister remorseful, I would have been a much happier reader.
So, this heroine is going to revenge herself on the publishing tycoon hero who supposedly jilted her foster sister, sending her to a mental hospital after a drug overdose. She will lead him on and them dump him in a spectacular fashion.
SC wrote the set up very well. It's obvious the foster sister was in fantasy world with all of her letters (Letters - really? Not this generation) and it was equally obvious that the hero had nothing to hide or feel guilty for.
Where the story sagged was the long courtship. (Boring - but that Italian meal made me hungry)
What dropped it a star was the hero's quick (less than 24 hours!) forgiveness of the heroine for jilting him at the registrar's office and for it to be in all the newspapers (Newspapers - really? This generation gets the news alerts on Twitter or their phone app).
Hero was sweet, but just too beta to live. The old-fashioned touches - like the reliance on letters - took me out of the story. The heroine didn't suffer enough. If the last third had been the heroine angsting over her mistake, the hero giving her the cold shoulder and the foster sister remorseful, I would have been a much happier reader.
May 18, 2017
Run Caz run!
Poor, poor hero.
Poor, poor hero.
February 9, 2017
Wow that was intense! Our heroine wants revenge against the hero. She wants to make him fall for her and then humiliate him so as to avenge her sister he abandoned. Her plan backfires and she falls madly in love with him but she carries through with her plan anyway. Of course, Tarn's foster sister is a psychopath stalker but when the heroine finds out the truth it's far too late.
Angst, melodrama and a wonderful loving hero make this a great read. Caz is so dreamy and so forgiving, a perfect hero! I loved him. Heroine was likable as well. She was blind and stupid but how was she to know her foster sister was a total lunatic? Super emotional love story!!
Angst, melodrama and a wonderful loving hero make this a great read. Caz is so dreamy and so forgiving, a perfect hero! I loved him. Heroine was likable as well. She was blind and stupid but how was she to know her foster sister was a total lunatic? Super emotional love story!!
November 10, 2012
This started out great, a rare revenge romance in which the heroine is the one out for blood. Tarn sets out to seduce and humiliate Caz, to avenge the foster sister he used and discarded. Of course, she winds up in love with him too... but as we see as the book begins, she carries through with her plan anyway.
It quickly becomes clear that Tarn's sister is a liar and that she is an idiot, which didn't really bother me at first, since aren't revenge plots inherently pretty stupid? And Craven wrote it cleverly -- just when I reached the point where I thought, "Okay, it's become utterly ludicrous that she hasn't caught on yet," something happened to confirm her beliefs. But it all dragged on too long, with Tarn resolutely holding onto despising Caz even in the face of more and more conflicting evidence. I also missed Caz's point of view, which we see at first but which then disappears; he winds up seeming kind of dumb too, for falling so hard for someone who's always lying to him. Finally, there wasn't much of a payoff at the end. So though it was a fairly entertaining read, it worked its way from a possible 4 stars down to 2.
It quickly becomes clear that Tarn's sister is a liar and that she is an idiot, which didn't really bother me at first, since aren't revenge plots inherently pretty stupid? And Craven wrote it cleverly -- just when I reached the point where I thought, "Okay, it's become utterly ludicrous that she hasn't caught on yet," something happened to confirm her beliefs. But it all dragged on too long, with Tarn resolutely holding onto despising Caz even in the face of more and more conflicting evidence. I also missed Caz's point of view, which we see at first but which then disappears; he winds up seeming kind of dumb too, for falling so hard for someone who's always lying to him. Finally, there wasn't much of a payoff at the end. So though it was a fairly entertaining read, it worked its way from a possible 4 stars down to 2.
July 31, 2018
Another wonderful (and OTT) romance from the legendary Sara Craven. I absolutely loved this book, with it's misguided crusading h out for blood and the smooth and utterly irresistible H who only wants to woo her. The H Caz, is going to feature on my list of favourite book boyfriends now- he was that good. I even liked the h, Tarn (aka Drippy) who decides to serve up cold revenge and instead has the hots for Caz and ends up falling for him. Her inner turmoil was fun to read about and even though a happy ending is guaranteed - given that this is a classic HP- it didn't really feel predictable at all. I was left wondering when and if she would finally give in. And when she does, its very convincing. Caz was just a sweetheart of a H; not a cruel or cold bone in his body. He falls in love with the h at almost first sight and then works on winning her over with heart melting sincerity. I absolutely loved it. In fact, I think the only Heroes in HPland that are comparable to this guy are probably the ones created by Penny Jordan in her older books.
Great read and I totally recommend it.
Great read and I totally recommend it.
August 8, 2018
Knock me over with a feather, SC wrote a book where the H is nice and the h is evil and out for revenge.
In the best Sally Wentworth tradition the h goes insane, falls in lurve with H and abandons him at the altar over a huge misunderstanding that he dumped her crazay foster sister and cause her inestimable pain.
The SC H from 20 years ago would have vowed eternal revenge as he ravished h forever in hellfire - this H is just very sad and maybe has a tear in his eye?
All in all a really good read and a new take for a long time SC fan.
In the best Sally Wentworth tradition the h goes insane, falls in lurve with H and abandons him at the altar over a huge misunderstanding that he dumped her crazay foster sister and cause her inestimable pain.
The SC H from 20 years ago would have vowed eternal revenge as he ravished h forever in hellfire - this H is just very sad and maybe has a tear in his eye?
All in all a really good read and a new take for a long time SC fan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2017
4 stars but not completely good ones
Reading Sara Craven always makes me feel like I'm reading an old book with the mention of cellphones existence here and there just it feels more modern...
We open up with the heart-broken H practically dying of unrequited love and just when my eyes started feeling something wet at the corners... We get a X months earlier (obviously I've already forgotten how many months).
In a way I was glad because I got to know from the beginning that the H was really invested in the relationship but still I'm not a fan of starting the story at the almost end of it.
Back to the past, our virgin h is dressed to kill trying to get the H's attention without being too obvious because she has a revenge plan... And poor H was forced by SC to fall for the h, because I honestly didn't believe it. He was Prince Charming all the time but he noticed that the h was reluctant, scared, among other things, all but smitten with him and still he kept on being so amazing that probably there was no charm left for the Heroes of the rest of the HPs of that month.
So what did such an awesome H do to instigate the h's fury?
Turns out the h was a foster kid and was took by a family that later had their own daughter but still kept her. So she feel indebted to them, specially the now deceased 'uncle', and that is why she feels responsible for the two dependent women. Even though she's been living abroad and has a lot of catch up to do.
The point is that the little sis is in a mental facility after a suicide attemp because the H broke her heart. So the h starts a revenge by seduction just as any good HP H would...
Anyone knows if the h's friend Della has a book??? I would really like to read her as h.
Reading Sara Craven always makes me feel like I'm reading an old book with the mention of cellphones existence here and there just it feels more modern...
We open up with the heart-broken H practically dying of unrequited love and just when my eyes started feeling something wet at the corners... We get a X months earlier (obviously I've already forgotten how many months).
In a way I was glad because I got to know from the beginning that the H was really invested in the relationship but still I'm not a fan of starting the story at the almost end of it.
Back to the past, our virgin h is dressed to kill trying to get the H's attention without being too obvious because she has a revenge plan... And poor H was forced by SC to fall for the h, because I honestly didn't believe it. He was Prince Charming all the time but he noticed that the h was reluctant, scared, among other things, all but smitten with him and still he kept on being so amazing that probably there was no charm left for the Heroes of the rest of the HPs of that month.
So what did such an awesome H do to instigate the h's fury?
Turns out the h was a foster kid and was took by a family that later had their own daughter but still kept her. So she feel indebted to them, specially the now deceased 'uncle', and that is why she feels responsible for the two dependent women. Even though she's been living abroad and has a lot of catch up to do.
The point is that the little sis is in a mental facility after a suicide attemp because the H broke her heart. So the h starts a revenge by seduction just as any good HP H would...
Anyone knows if the h's friend Della has a book??? I would really like to read her as h.
August 18, 2012
Initially, I took a peek @ the last few pages & put it on hold cuz it didn't seem that appetizing but boy was I wrong. Anotha good 1. Endearing hero, silly twit of a heroine, eyebrows-raising plot based on a drug-dealing, mentally unhinged, stalkerazzi relative being locked up in Pityville. All ingredients make a riveting read. SC ain't exactly spring chicken anymore & I cherish every tasty concoction, good or bad. What stood out was that in an age where skyping, texting, emailing & all gizmos are available, the loony bin of foster sista from hell still uses the ol-fashioned way to communicate w/ heroine, penning a truckload of B.S. in black & white. Of course, heroine is such a smart cookie, she gobbles up all the letters & didn't connect all the obvious trails that there are gaping holes in her sista's OTT tales of bliss & woes. She embarks on a solo mission to take down the hawt azz gazillionaire & gets a chunk of her own heart burnt in the process, on top of getting scratched in the face by the asylum resident. What a double whammy. Poor, broken-hearted hero shoulda made heroine tread on flaming coals but decides to let it slide cuz she's the 1. Ah twu wuf !
February 28, 2017
What Tia said. And also how the fuck do you fall in love with someone who you believe has so callously broke your sisters heart?
September 15, 2012
I love the revenge trope… and I love Sara Craven books. This book only needed pages and I was pretty sure I would like it! Add in the fact that this is a reverse revenge plot (heroine wanting revenge against the hero) makes it even better. What a book this is.
The prologue being ‘now’ and the story then recapping what had happened is a neat little trick to really hook you in right from the start.
Sara Craven weaves a tale that is full of emotion, mystery, passion and betrayal. The POV is a little random in places, it had a bit from the hero at the beginning but that dropped off eventually. It didn’t make the story any less enjoyable though.
I was desperate to find out the real story behind what the heroine believed had happened, I couldn’t stop reading and it kept you guessing throughout.
Oh. The love story between the hero and heroine is simply awesome – real, emotional, strained amd the conflict is simply spectacular.
A brilliant, dramatic book… a great example of why Sara Craven is still one of the best Modern/Presents authors out there.
Loved it.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
The prologue being ‘now’ and the story then recapping what had happened is a neat little trick to really hook you in right from the start.
Sara Craven weaves a tale that is full of emotion, mystery, passion and betrayal. The POV is a little random in places, it had a bit from the hero at the beginning but that dropped off eventually. It didn’t make the story any less enjoyable though.
I was desperate to find out the real story behind what the heroine believed had happened, I couldn’t stop reading and it kept you guessing throughout.
Oh. The love story between the hero and heroine is simply awesome – real, emotional, strained amd the conflict is simply spectacular.
A brilliant, dramatic book… a great example of why Sara Craven is still one of the best Modern/Presents authors out there.
Loved it.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
August 7, 2012
This novel was pretty screwed up and the whole conflict was based on a girls 'facts' when they weren't facts at all, the girl has just simply lost her mind and became delusional. I couldn't believe the heroine could be so smart but such a fool. I felt horribly bad for the hero because he went through things he didn't deserve at all. The book kind of annoyed me and the ending was sickly sweet.
August 11, 2012
extremely boring ..
June 23, 2025
2.5 stars. The revenge angle was bollocks, and I can’t stand those plots where the heroine’s in the wrong and ends up groveling while the guy’s all green flags and no grit. The chemistry was good though.
November 22, 2019
3.5 Stars
June 4, 2021
To Tarn Desmond family is everything. So when powerful tycoon Caspar Brandon all but destroys her sweet sister, Tarn is determined to make this notorious playboy pay.Caz is intrigued by the pure beauty of the new girl in his office—no one has ever said no to him before, and if anything that's just doubled his ruthless desire for her!
As Tarn sinks deeper into her deception, her resolve falters under Caz's sensual onslaught. She hadn't banked on revenge costing her the ultimate price: her heart…and her body!
As Tarn sinks deeper into her deception, her resolve falters under Caz's sensual onslaught. She hadn't banked on revenge costing her the ultimate price: her heart…and her body!
March 4, 2021
Sinceramente, cuando yo leo una novela Harlequin espero que me entretenga y ya.
No pido gran cosa, solo una historia con un mínimo de coherencia. Y precisamente de eso es que carece este libro, me atrevo a decir que lo mejor de todo fue el resumen de la contraportada.
Por un lado, he de decir que el afecto que Tarn sentía por Evie y su tía Hazel si que pudo contribuir mucho a como se desarrollo la historia, pero por otro lado ya desde el primer capítulo se hace evidente que Evie miente, pues su historia tiene mas agujeros que un colador.
También esta la cuestión de que la interacción entre Tarn y Caz no fue para nada creíble, simplemente no tenía sentido.
En fin, es un libro de lo mas predecible, cuya trama pudo haber sido interesante si esta se hubiera desarrollado adecuadamente. Y ahí si no estoy segura si la culpa es de la autora por meter a la fuerza toda una serie de personajes y escenarios que pasaron sin pena ni gloria en tan pocas páginas, o de la editorial por reducir el manuscrito original a una historia de amor instantáneo desabrido.
No pido gran cosa, solo una historia con un mínimo de coherencia. Y precisamente de eso es que carece este libro, me atrevo a decir que lo mejor de todo fue el resumen de la contraportada.
Por un lado, he de decir que el afecto que Tarn sentía por Evie y su tía Hazel si que pudo contribuir mucho a como se desarrollo la historia, pero por otro lado ya desde el primer capítulo se hace evidente que Evie miente, pues su historia tiene mas agujeros que un colador.
También esta la cuestión de que la interacción entre Tarn y Caz no fue para nada creíble, simplemente no tenía sentido.
En fin, es un libro de lo mas predecible, cuya trama pudo haber sido interesante si esta se hubiera desarrollado adecuadamente. Y ahí si no estoy segura si la culpa es de la autora por meter a la fuerza toda una serie de personajes y escenarios que pasaron sin pena ni gloria en tan pocas páginas, o de la editorial por reducir el manuscrito original a una historia de amor instantáneo desabrido.
May 9, 2017
A reversal in the revenge trope as this time the heroine is out for revenge and just as the hero is wrong re just about everything, she is too - she is fed lies from a psycho relative. What annoyed me was the fact that she actually carried out her revenge plan. Who does that? We might all think about it but that behaviour in itself seems pretty unhinged to me. The hero is lovely, much too good for her, in my opinion.
October 29, 2020
Better than 3 stars but not quite 4. This time it's she who seeks revenge and he's the innocent one. He's also extraordinarily forgiving and loving and they have a HEA.
February 10, 2021
I wanted to give 4 stars to this one but the heroine was being stupid for a tad too long. On the contrary, the hero is great.
December 4, 2024
I love it so much
October 12, 2012
This book was rather dull and boring.
Tarn is an independent British girl living and working in New York. She was fostered by her aunt and uncle, originally because they thought they couldn't have children of their own. Then along came their golden daughter. Uncle continued to love and support Tarn so after his death, Tarn felt that she was responsible for her aunt and cousin. Her cousin tries to commit suicide because she alleges that her rich fiance Caz dumped her. Cousin is currently hospitalized at a facility. So Tarn decides to avenge her cousin by making Caz fall in love with her and then dumping him publically.
What didn't work: Everything. The plot is just FULL of holes. Tarn is supposed to be a really bright girl, yet she misses all the clues that something isn't right. It's just sooooo completely unbelieveable that Caz just instantly falls in love with and pursue Tarn. He's supposed to be this typical rich, sophisticated, playboy-type hero, yet he's completely patient and almost blindly foolish about Tarn. Also, the facility that the cousin is staying at. So much of this book would not exist if they were honest with Tarn about her cousin's situation. And, maybe they wouldn't tell Tarn since she's not exactly next of kin, but you'd think that they would tell the mother. But no, everythiing about the cousin's condition, therapy, situation, etc. is all kept hush-hush. Well, no wonder Tarn thinks that her cousin is in trouble. I mean, seriously. It turns out that the cousin has always had an inferiority complex towards Tarn. And the cousin has apparently been a delusional stalker towards Caz. So, you would think that the head "doctor" at the facility would talk to Tarn and prepare her and explain what she should and should not be saying to her cousin. But do they? No.
Final review: waste of time and money
Tarn is an independent British girl living and working in New York. She was fostered by her aunt and uncle, originally because they thought they couldn't have children of their own. Then along came their golden daughter. Uncle continued to love and support Tarn so after his death, Tarn felt that she was responsible for her aunt and cousin. Her cousin tries to commit suicide because she alleges that her rich fiance Caz dumped her. Cousin is currently hospitalized at a facility. So Tarn decides to avenge her cousin by making Caz fall in love with her and then dumping him publically.
What didn't work: Everything. The plot is just FULL of holes. Tarn is supposed to be a really bright girl, yet she misses all the clues that something isn't right. It's just sooooo completely unbelieveable that Caz just instantly falls in love with and pursue Tarn. He's supposed to be this typical rich, sophisticated, playboy-type hero, yet he's completely patient and almost blindly foolish about Tarn. Also, the facility that the cousin is staying at. So much of this book would not exist if they were honest with Tarn about her cousin's situation. And, maybe they wouldn't tell Tarn since she's not exactly next of kin, but you'd think that they would tell the mother. But no, everythiing about the cousin's condition, therapy, situation, etc. is all kept hush-hush. Well, no wonder Tarn thinks that her cousin is in trouble. I mean, seriously. It turns out that the cousin has always had an inferiority complex towards Tarn. And the cousin has apparently been a delusional stalker towards Caz. So, you would think that the head "doctor" at the facility would talk to Tarn and prepare her and explain what she should and should not be saying to her cousin. But do they? No.
Final review: waste of time and money
October 22, 2012
I'm not sure what to make of this book. It reads like a greek tragedy. melodrama, angst and a chorus of voices acting as the female protagonist's conscience. I will need to process the book for a bit longer before I write more.
November 9, 2012
I hate it when a book starts with the end. I managed to wade my way through the first three chapters or so and then decided to cut my losses and turn to the last chapter. Boring in the extreme. My apologies to the author, but she has done much better.
August 23, 2012
really bad storyline. its like trying to get the readers emotional but failing miserably.
Read
December 27, 2014Miniseries: What Every Woman Wants
Category: Classic Romance
Category: Classic Romance
August 21, 2014
it was OK,rather predictable.
March 11, 2015
Tara is out for revenge for her lil sister who claims tycoon Caz destroyed her life. Tara is on the warpath to destroy Caz life . Will she succeed or not!
Read
December 27, 2014Miniseries: What Every Woman Wants
Category: Classic Romance
Category: Classic Romance
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews