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Mistress Bought and Paid For

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Bought for his pleasure -- forced to be his bride?

Had supermodel Lydia Powell really stolen money from a charity for disadvantaged children? Cristiano Andreotti hoped so. This was his chance for revenge on the woman who'd rejected him. He'd pay back the missing money to have Lydia at his mercy!

But Cristiano discovered Lydia was a virgin and if he took a woman's innocence, then he also had to make her his bride!

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

89 people are currently reading
370 people want to read

About the author

Lynne Graham

1,763 books1,450 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.


Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.

Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.

Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.

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5 stars
198 (24%)
4 stars
241 (29%)
3 stars
241 (29%)
2 stars
93 (11%)
1 star
32 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
Profile Image for StMargarets.
3,218 reviews631 followers
May 31, 2018
Virgin, super-model heroine takes the rap for her mother embezzling funds from a charity. Hero sees her in the news and decides he can be revenged for the heroine running out on him years before. He wanted to score during a weekend country house party and for some reason she left with a drug-addled rock star. Now he'll have his chance to bed the heroine by paying off her mother's debt to the charity.

It's a fun premise, but the fun was marred by the heroine sacrificing herself for such a horrible person. LG seemed to understand this and justice did finally catch up with the heroine's mother and stepfather in the epilogue.

Hero was a jerk at the beginning, but realized what he felt by the end. I liked that the heroine had had a crush on him since she was 14. It explains a lot about her hangups and why

Profile Image for Vintage.
2,714 reviews720 followers
July 9, 2017
Wow, LG, your Cristiano is arrogant even for a Harlequin tycoon from the Mediterranean. He does the typical inner monologuing about what gold-diggers women are, what a floozy she is, and he offers up the typical makeover segment. However, he ups the ante by picking out her unsuitable tinsel-like dress for the Euro-trash disco where all the men’s tongues hang out (LG’s term- not mine),criticized her for wearing the dress he picked out, he hires her a dietician, a PA for her appointments (she’s a mistress so let’s avert our eyes from what her schedulemight entail and gives her a sapphire/diamond pendant I am pretty sure has a tracking device in it, and when he finds out that she WAS a virgin it was a form of manipulation.

She on the other hand is not the dumbest bunny we’ve had the opportunity to read about, but she is one of the most gullible ones. Cristiano, please see above, but more importantly she has the mother from HELL who has not only blamed her from everything from the the h’s father and brother drowning, Mumsy losing a pedophiliac rapist boyfriend, and being the patsy for absconding with funds from a children’s charity.

LG was smoking. Really!

HEA of course, but almost as good, even better really, is that
Profile Image for KC.
527 reviews21 followers
July 28, 2020
4.5 stars

I loved so many things about this including the protagonists, plot, humor, and the intense sexual chemistry, passion, and tension.

Cristiano was an arrogant yet lovable hero. I loved how crazy he was for Lydia and how he came to her defense a couple times. Poor man didn't even realize he'd been bitten by love until much later, only that he'd felt "trapped"! LOL His declaration of love at the end was hilariously sweet, with Lydia teasing Cristiano relentlessly with some sarcastic humor.

‘I don’t think I was ready for anything serious. You got inside my head and spooked me. Dio mio, I’d be in a meeting and then bang—out of nowhere I’d find that I was thinking about you!’ he recalled with a shudder that spoke volumes. ‘All my focus would be gone. It was a nightmare. So when I wanted to see you I would make myself wait longer. That way I stayed in control of events.’

‘So I was right to blame you for not making more effort to see me.’

‘I showed how interested I was in other ways,’ Cristiano countered. ‘I bought you roses. I even sent you a card on Valentine’s Day.’

‘It was a black and white picture of New York with your name in it and no message—’

Cristiano wasn’t listening. ‘I also phoned you all the time. That was serious new territory for me.’

‘I’m surprised that fact didn’t wake you up in the night in a cold sweat!’


Surprisingly, Lydia's doormatty behavior with her mother didn't bother me as much as it could have. (With Cristiano's help, she did eventually take off her rose-colored glasses. So, yay.) I think the fact that she didn't act that way with Cristiano made ALL the difference.
46 reviews11 followers
September 19, 2020
Loved this so much! Hero chases h, blackmailing her into being his mistress but she totally has him wrapped around her finger as he soon proposed marriage. What brought this to four stars for me was the comeuppance for the h's evil mother and step-dad. Also H punched his former friend who tried to assault the h. Yay for evil characters getting reprimanded for bad behavior. Recommended for all. Would have been 5 stars if Hero had stayed celibate but LG's heroes are rarely ever celibate 🙄
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for KatieV.
710 reviews499 followers
February 17, 2015
I liked the premise, but I dunno... something seemed off. There was no real climax in the story (metaphorically speaking). Plus, the H came off more juvenile than alpha at times.

The bet the heroine overheard re: him getting her into bed was very juvenile. I know most men have a 12-year-old lurking inside and if she'd stayed around long enough to listen, she'd have realized he'd called the bet off. Regardless, in general he seemed pretty spoiled and juvenile anyway. The whole relationship was like a series of childish games. She was very young an inexperienced, but he was in his thirties. I expected him to show more maturity.

The contract he made her sign was pretty bad and he apologizes and rather insincerely offers marriage when he realizes she's a virgin, but after that it just kind of muddles along. No real 'big event' to speak of. This could have made for great angst where he had to beg for her forgiveness, but we never really got that. Very anticlimactic.
68 reviews
December 31, 2017
Decent read, very typical of Lynne Graham. The heroine was way too nice and needed a backbone. Seriously, I don't think I've ever encountered such a "Pollyana-ish" heroine ever. Her name might have been Lydia but "Doormat" is a better fit. Her mom, stepfather, the hero's friend etc... all treated her badly and she just accepted it. In her defense, at a very young age her mother made the heroine feel worthless. I was so glad that the mom and her husband got their comeuppance at the end of the book. If you like Lynne Graham you'll like this book. She's written better books but this one isn't so bad.
Profile Image for Jena .
2,313 reviews2 followers
Read
December 24, 2022
DNF 30% was bored out of my mind.

- annoying martyr h.
- Contrived naïveté, she seemed more stupid than endearing, this girl had no common sense. Behavior/gullibility like hers, belong in historical romance. 🙄

- H rich, hot manho asshole, same ol. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Nothing unique about this story.
Dumb pushover blonde, who can’t control her body, her mom or anything else, is forced to become the jerk H’s mistress, to protect her awful mom, it was boring.
Profile Image for Penny Watson.
Author 12 books510 followers
January 2, 2016
3.5 stars?

It was okay, but the daughter protecting her hideous mother and step-father went beyond TSTL...it really didn't make any sense.

Not my favorite. I won't be re-reading this one.
Profile Image for Asteria.
163 reviews14 followers
December 16, 2022
Rating: ** 3 stars **

Ahhh... The HP charm never wanes.
Cold ruthless ML wanting the FL in his bed as revenge for rejecting him and the so called " sl*t" which models are equated to turning out to be strait-laced, pure-hearted, sweet virgin.😀

This had the proper disney setting. The ML was technically the prince on white horse coming to save our feather-brained FL from her vile mother. If it wasn't for his sleazy contract girl would be rotting in jail for years to come instead of luxuriating on silky bed sheets.
Profile Image for Vee.
715 reviews204 followers
March 2, 2023
3.5 stars

Typical HP plot where misunderstanding and missed last words were the cause of separation between the MCs. Found the h was very naive borderline stupid when it comes to her mom. The ending was nice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Azet.
1,095 reviews284 followers
June 2, 2018
With the greed for revenge the irresistibe Italian Tyccon Cristiano Andreotti buys the one and only woman who have ever walked away from him,the former breathtakingly beautiful model Lydia Powell who gets blackmailed by him into being his mistress.From there on we watch their stormy affair turn into something more-as both have to realise the true depth of their feelings.

I have read so many books by Graham,but this book lacks one star as it didn`t cut me that deep as her other books,which many of them are five-stars.Mostly because it lacked the high-light angst and intensity as i love in Grahams other works.In many reviews it was mentioned that heroine was a doormant when it came to her mother,but i don`t think it showed up very much,as she behaved more of a doormat when it came to the hero.She easily melted and forgot her so called pride every time he got near her,but well..i am used to that in Grahams books anyway.The hero too was very possessive of her..damn!

‘Don't worry about it. . .I’ll soon find company", Lydia heard herself declare.

His lean darkly handsome face froze.
‘ls that a joke'?' he launched at her loud enough for Arnaldo to frown in surprise from his position several feet away.

‘I just meant. . .talking. . .dancing-'

‘No and no ' Cristiano riposted with icy force. ‘No talking, no dancing, no flirting. One false move of that nature and you're in trouble. There will be no second chances. Don't let me catch you even looking at another guy! '

"Mistress Bought and Paid For" are a wonderful Keeper with its sizzling Romance and sexy Chemistry between the arrogant Cristiano and head-strong Lydia-they were wonderful and i just love the way their relationship developed throughout the story.
Profile Image for Roub.
1,112 reviews63 followers
July 17, 2014
this was nice, nothing new but very enjoyable ! christiano was mad for lydia! she was stunning and turned heads everywhere she went, so much dat she disturbed traffic on the road! the girl had guts, you have to give her credit for dat! she also had an exquisite taste for revenge and did not miss an opportunity when she got, to get back at christiano! unfortunately, luck was not on her side and she found her career ruined in the process. christiano believed her a slut at dat point but he himself was a manwhore! add to dat, he indulged in outrageous bets! oh but the double standards of the man !! neway great book, lots of drama ! as usual, LG excels at drama and her heroine is quite bitchy! neway i absolutely loved it!:-D
Profile Image for Caro.
513 reviews47 followers
June 10, 2015
¿Por qué será que en la traducción le cambiaron el nombre al héroe? Pasó de llamarse Cristiano a Paolo... qué falta de respeto para las lectoras de habla hispana. Absolutamente sin sentido.
Profile Image for Tmstprc.
1,297 reviews168 followers
October 20, 2020
Jaded, but surprisingly nice hero, naive heroine. Lynne Graham makes the revenge plot work, though initially I had my doubts. The heroine’s mother is a particular piece of work and the heroine was way too trusting, but in the end mama gets what she deserves.
Profile Image for AvidReader.
1,475 reviews330 followers
August 24, 2021
Loved this book.
Even though the hero made many mistakes I loved how protective he was towards the heroine. His possessiveness was also quite charming.
Safe i think and recommended.
527 reviews
August 31, 2011
This is a pretty lame Lynne Graham. Boring and overdone plot, no real angst/emotion. Married to a Mistress is a similar plot line and way way way better.
604 reviews6 followers
Read
December 6, 2017
Read this some time back but can't remember much. That means it wasn't memorable.
Profile Image for ✿яσsαℓιη∂α✿.
460 reviews50 followers
January 27, 2020
#kitapyorumu
İntikam Ateşi ise birbirlerini daha önce tanıyan Lydia ve Cristiano'nun tekrar bir araya gelmelerini anlatıyor. Lydia, işlemediği bir suçtan dolayı suçlu bulunurken yardımına Cristiano koşuyor. Cristiano yıllar önce Lydia tarafından reddedilince kızı saplantılı hale getiriyor ve onu elde etmek için her yola başvurmaya hazır. Lydia'nın da işlemediği bir suç için Cristiano'nun yardımına muhtaç kalması da Cristiano'nun aradığı fırsatı ayağına getiriyor. İkisi de başlarda zorunlu bir birliktelik olacağını düşünselerde hesap etmedikleri bir şey var. Aşk. Cristiano zaten Lydia'nın hikayesini öğrendikten sonra, gerçek Lydia'yı tanıdıktan sonra bütün planlarını yerle bir ediyor. Lydia da aynı şekilde. İkilinin zamanla birbirlerine olan duygularının gelişmesi ve birbirleri için her şeyi yapmaya hazır hale gelmeleri güzeldi. Yazarın kalemini sevdiğim için büyük ihtimalle devam edeceğim. 🌸
Profile Image for ThePerpetualBookJunkie.
165 reviews26 followers
December 12, 2010
I didn’t realize that revenge could be very exciting. “Mistress Bought and Paid For” was a story all about Cristiano Andreotti’s desire to get even with Lydia Powell for what she did to him almost two years ago. Imagine his astonishment when he discovered that Lydia was not the woman he thought she were once he’s gotten to know her bit by bit during their contractual relationship.

I must say that revenge was indeed sweet. Once I’ve started reading it, I couldn’t seem to stop from flipping the pages of the book and just couldn’t wait to get to the juicy part. I’ve never been more thrilled than when Cristiano realized that Lydia had been besotted with him since she’s fourteen and started modeling. And for a romantic like me, that’s just one of the details of the story which would make me hooked from page 1. And I’ll say no more, I don’t like the idea of spoiling it for someone as excited as me to read it.

Profile Image for Janeth Rueda.
218 reviews15 followers
April 3, 2018
Estoy segura de que ya lo había leído alguna vez, pero como la historia es tan poco memorable lo releí para calificarlo.

Aunque no podía esperar demasiado porque tiene todos los elementos clásicos y predecibles en un harlequin , si hubo situaciones que me desconcertaron. No entiendo porque en la edición en español le cambiaron el nombre al protagonista. De Cristiano paso a llamarse Paolo. Porque no se respeto el nombre original?

Profile Image for Debby.
1,389 reviews25 followers
April 11, 2021
Very passionate. Very well written. M

But she is a doormat and childish:

- She says ‘I hate you’ and a minute later she has sex with him.

- She says she doesn’t want to marry him, then she says she does want to marry him, then she says she doesn’t want to marry him.

- She’s a virgin and she didn’t think it could hurt the first time. Which adult in this century in the western world doesn’t even know that? She accepts becoming his mistress, but she doesn’t even try to use birth control and then is shocked by the thought she might get pregnant. *facepalm*

- She is so easy manipulated by both her mother and the H and she is so naive that it makes you cringe.
Profile Image for Putri Septiana.
79 reviews21 followers
November 7, 2014
I like this book. My favourite part is when the heroine rifling through hero's pockets to find a hanky. It struck me as funny but at the same time intimate, too. You don't go through someone's pockets if you're not really close to them, right?

My full review can be read here
Profile Image for rrbookverse.
323 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2024
El atractivo y poderoso italiano Paolo Andreotti (Cristiano Andreotti en la versión en inglés🤦🏽‍♀️)quiere a la hermosa modelo Lydia Powell después de haberla visto en la pasarela, de cualquier manera en que pueda tenerla y por eso aprovecha las acusaciones de robo en su contra para ofrecerle un contrato que ella no puede rechazar.

Esta novela me recuerda a las buenas harlequin que leía de adolescente, con una trama que te engancha desde el comienzo. La relación de los protagonistas es una de tensión sexual palpable, un enemies to lovers intenso por eventos que ocurrieron antes entre ellos y tuvieron que separase. El final, con más situaciones aclaradas, me dejó muy satisfecha.
Me encantó y disfruté mucho de esta lectura.

📖: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews

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