What do you think?
Rate this book
Passionate Revenge
More than anything she wanted to hurt him back. At eighteen, Zara Layston fell hopelessly in love with Heath Masterson. When he left for America without so much as a call, she was devastated. Seven years later, Zara, owner of a multimillion-dollar- clothing business, had achieved success. But Heath's betrayal had left her a legacy of bitterness. Now Heath was back, directing his own advertising company and bidding on a contract with Zara's firm. Now she could have what she wanted from him. And that, she told herself ignoring her heart, was revenge.
187 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1987
3 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Sally Wentworth
108 books95 followersDoreen was born on 1936 or 1937 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UK. She married Donald Alfred Hornsblow, with whom she has a son Keith, in 1968. The family lived in Braughing, England.
Doreen began her publishing career at a Fleet Street newspaper in London, where she thrived in the hectic atmosphere. She started writing after attending an evening class and sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1977, she published her novels under the pseudonym Sally Wentworth. Her novels were principally set in Great Britain or in exotic places like Canary Islands or Greece. Her first works are stand-alone novels, but in 1990s, she decided to create her first series. In 1991, she wrote a book in two parts about the Barclay twins and their great love, and in 1995, she wrote the Ties of Passion Trilogy about the Brodey family, that have money, looks, style, everything... except love.
Doreen was an accounts clerk at Associated Newspapers Ltd. in London, England, and accounts clerk at Consumers' Association in Hertford, England. In 1985, she was the founding chair of the Hertford Association of National Trust Members, and named its life president. She also collected knife rests and she was member of The Knife Rest Collectors Club.
Doreen Hornsblow died from cancer on 30 August 2001, at 64 years of age.
Doreen began her publishing career at a Fleet Street newspaper in London, where she thrived in the hectic atmosphere. She started writing after attending an evening class and sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1977, she published her novels under the pseudonym Sally Wentworth. Her novels were principally set in Great Britain or in exotic places like Canary Islands or Greece. Her first works are stand-alone novels, but in 1990s, she decided to create her first series. In 1991, she wrote a book in two parts about the Barclay twins and their great love, and in 1995, she wrote the Ties of Passion Trilogy about the Brodey family, that have money, looks, style, everything... except love.
Doreen was an accounts clerk at Associated Newspapers Ltd. in London, England, and accounts clerk at Consumers' Association in Hertford, England. In 1985, she was the founding chair of the Hertford Association of National Trust Members, and named its life president. She also collected knife rests and she was member of The Knife Rest Collectors Club.
Doreen Hornsblow died from cancer on 30 August 2001, at 64 years of age.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 22, 2016
Re Passionate Revenge - SW is back in the revenge business, and I must confess I was enjoying myself tremendously-- until the end. Still for once an HP H has to drink the kool-aid instead of the h and for that alone (plus the ENORMOUS amount of fun I have in the first seven chapters,) I have to say I like this book.
The story starts with our 25 year old h who owns a very fashionable clothing chain. She is looking for a new ad campaign for her big break into the sports apparel field (too bad yoga hadn't made a comeback yet, this h would outsell Gaiam and Lululemon.) Our h has had some serious heartache in her life and she isn't too big on interpersonal relationships with men.
When she was 18 and had been dating the boy next door for yonks but he was off doing whatever, her older sister enticed her into a New Year's eve party and lent her some big girl clothes. The h is slated by her parents for a brilliant university career and the h has no objection, she is good at school and uni will be a challenge.
While at this party, the h meets the H and it is total love forever. The H thinks she is 22 cause the h was a wee bit off in her birth year admission and the H is 25. He has a great job opportunity in the US, and he wants the h to go with him. Which she agrees to do and then gets into a huge fight with her parents over it. They are adamant about her going to uni, but the h is just as adamant. She loves this man and is going with him - her parents will just have to get over it and they will like him too, just as soon as he calls.
Except the H never does, and heartbroken, the h throws over the uni opportunity, marries her old dating since forever boyfriend and proceeds to have a miserable and abusive marriage once the old bf realizes that she married him on the rebound. Untold cruelties and degradations are hinted at, until the old bf graduates from college and the two divorce - happily.
During this period of torment and marital non-bliss, the h has been working her way up the ladder at a clothing company whose owner is an elderly depressed man who is grieving over the death of his wife. The h learns everything she can about business and the rag trade and in return for revitalizing his company, the elderly man gives her full control of the company when he retires to travel with his new wife. So the h, who was determined to be lucky in business since she failed horribly at love, becomes a multi-millionaire by the time she is 25 and she is very, very good at business.
This is the point where the H re-enters the h's life and he doesn't even seem to care that he left her broken and abandoned and forced her to marry a horrible abuser seven years earlier. In fact, this arrogant H is all over getting the h to get it on and the h finally has a focus for all the rage the last seven years has bottled up. She could care less about why the H dumped her, based on his current behavior, leading ladies on to get something out of them or just for his own personal kicks seems to be his raison d'etre. Well two can play that game, and this h plans to win.
She pretends not to remember the H when he is introduced as the owner of an agency that is in competition for her new ad contract. She then sets him up in a truly ingenious style to make him pay for his heartbreaking ways - she isn't going to go the route of leading on and then dumping him- what good will that do for a heartless woman user like this man? Nope, our h is going to get him where it reeeallly hurts, she is going to steal his company from him and let him see how it feels to be left with nothing after losing your big one love.
So the great game begins, the H is insistent on getting personally close with the h and the h is insistent on getting control of the H's company. This involves buying up stock from the H's relatives and then getting him to sign over a percentage of his own stock in exchange with hers (she owns all of her company's stock,) when the h tells him that she wants his company to do a big expansion plan into a home design campaign for her company's new product lines.
Because the scope of the various campaigns are so huge and so critical to the new line's success, the h also tells the H that all of their dealings must be totally hands on by him. She tells him that she just can't trust something so important to his underlings. In actuality she wants him so involved because in her ad contract with him it says that all their ads must be completed with his input, if they aren't the h can break the contract and more importantly - break his company.
(SW does make a concession to the H's employees tho, just to prove our h isn't a hopelessly mean person. The h intends to offer jobs to the H's employees if the company actually folds. I also have to say that the h put together a pretty good plan, in her line of business it would be a great investment for her to have her own ad department in house, so even if her plans followed through to full fruition, she wouldn't have lost out on the deal, cause she would have gotten some good ad execs without the H.)
So the grand plan o'vengeance is running smoothly except for one tiny problem, the h's solicitor tells her that the relatives who hold the H's stock want to sell, the h is offering above market prices, but some of them want to contact the H to talk about it. The h absolutely cannot have her hand tipped at this point, so she invents a trip to the Bahamas that the H and she will go on for ad shoots and in the meantime, her solicitor is to buy up those shares.
We all go to the Bahamas and the H's pressure to lurve up the h is increasing, the h is still in love and still feeling scorned so her hatred is at an all time high. The H thinks he has finally won the right to swing the lurve club, but the h gets the go ahead from her solicitor that all the outstanding shares of the relatives are hers, she now owns 55 percent of the H's company and he only owns 45. She now has the power to make him pay and so she dumps him in the Bahamas and hot foots it home to England and her company.
The H follows soon after and he isn't very happy, he is even more unhappy when the h reveals the full scope of her revenge. She kicks him out of his own company and threatens to break the contract. He is bewildered that all his forceful pursuit has driven her to total psychopathy and demands an explanation. The h doesn't hesitate to lay out what a using, abandoning toe rag nematode slime slurper he is and how much she feels her retribution is justified. The H is in shock, but not enough that he can't explain that he did call her house seven years ago and her parents told him that she was 18 and that she changed her mind about him. So he went off to America and figured he would just have to get over his infatuation, especially when he heard she was married about a year later. The h believes him and she totally caves.
(And this is the part where I just throw the book and bewail the heavens. The h was doing SO WELL at her revenge and making the H pay for her poor rejected heart that drove her into a horrible marriage-- cause at least SOMEONE wanted her poor reject self now that the H did not, that when SW has her back down from her bid for utter devastation of the H with scorched earth and sowing the fields with salt and the lamentation of the women, I almost cry.
Come back to the dark side, I want to plead. We have chocolate and whole universe of arrogant HP H's that NEED to feel the devastation of your wrath for all the indignities and heartbreaks they inflict on innocent HP h's . Come back to the dark side and let your inner Maleficent out! The pillars of HPlandia may shake and some may shatter but HPlandia needs more h's like you, revenge is wonderful and those H's must pay - think of the future HP h's who will worship you. Don't Cave and let future HP travelers build shrines to your honour.
Alas, this is HPlandia and while the pillars may shake, they cannot fall and so the h totally caves by the end, much to my secret demon self disappointment.)
The h immediately takes the day off and confirms with her not-so-devoted-now parents that they did indeed interfere and prevent any further communication from the H. The h had always wondered why they weren't happier for her or very happy about all the nice stuff she bought them, and now she knows why.
She goes back and has a mini-break down. She gives the H back his shares and his company personally, and then runs out in tears when the H yells at her some more and rejects her offer of accepting his lurve club. She runs home and the H wanders in because her staff thought she might be suicidal and figures that it is the H's job to fix it. The H is happy that she isn't offing herself and the h is threatening to go away to Africa - this means the H has to gallantly leap into the breech, cause the thought of this h trying to do Good Deeds among all those innocent people is too horrible to contemplate, plus she might get over her remorse and who KNOWS what else this vengeful witch might dream up.
Nope, the safety and supremacy of Arrogant Alpha HP H's everywhere is in mortal danger and this H has to drink the kool-aid and save all the future H's of HPlandia. He tells the h he still loves her and wants to marry her and lurves her up for the big HEA. Now HP H's everywhere breath a sigh of relief that once again in HPlandia it is safe for them to sample the lurvely lady buffet, start seekrit babies and blackmail and manipulate their chosen h's-- who now have no other path but perpetual doormathood, cause the most vengeful and effective h in all the HP 'verse has been neutralized and marginalized by the power of the mightly lurve club mojo.
So overall, while the outcome was a bit on the sad side for me and my inner demon child, true love, or at least mortal fear of repercussions, wins in the end. Innocents in Africa are saved and once again the HP skies are alight with the glow of another revenge foiled with love and lurve clubbing and the charted currents of HPlandia can resume their ordained ordinary courses and normal tropes can resume their regularly scheduled outcomes because the lurve club mojo always wins in the end.
The story starts with our 25 year old h who owns a very fashionable clothing chain. She is looking for a new ad campaign for her big break into the sports apparel field (too bad yoga hadn't made a comeback yet, this h would outsell Gaiam and Lululemon.) Our h has had some serious heartache in her life and she isn't too big on interpersonal relationships with men.
When she was 18 and had been dating the boy next door for yonks but he was off doing whatever, her older sister enticed her into a New Year's eve party and lent her some big girl clothes. The h is slated by her parents for a brilliant university career and the h has no objection, she is good at school and uni will be a challenge.
While at this party, the h meets the H and it is total love forever. The H thinks she is 22 cause the h was a wee bit off in her birth year admission and the H is 25. He has a great job opportunity in the US, and he wants the h to go with him. Which she agrees to do and then gets into a huge fight with her parents over it. They are adamant about her going to uni, but the h is just as adamant. She loves this man and is going with him - her parents will just have to get over it and they will like him too, just as soon as he calls.
Except the H never does, and heartbroken, the h throws over the uni opportunity, marries her old dating since forever boyfriend and proceeds to have a miserable and abusive marriage once the old bf realizes that she married him on the rebound. Untold cruelties and degradations are hinted at, until the old bf graduates from college and the two divorce - happily.
During this period of torment and marital non-bliss, the h has been working her way up the ladder at a clothing company whose owner is an elderly depressed man who is grieving over the death of his wife. The h learns everything she can about business and the rag trade and in return for revitalizing his company, the elderly man gives her full control of the company when he retires to travel with his new wife. So the h, who was determined to be lucky in business since she failed horribly at love, becomes a multi-millionaire by the time she is 25 and she is very, very good at business.
This is the point where the H re-enters the h's life and he doesn't even seem to care that he left her broken and abandoned and forced her to marry a horrible abuser seven years earlier. In fact, this arrogant H is all over getting the h to get it on and the h finally has a focus for all the rage the last seven years has bottled up. She could care less about why the H dumped her, based on his current behavior, leading ladies on to get something out of them or just for his own personal kicks seems to be his raison d'etre. Well two can play that game, and this h plans to win.
She pretends not to remember the H when he is introduced as the owner of an agency that is in competition for her new ad contract. She then sets him up in a truly ingenious style to make him pay for his heartbreaking ways - she isn't going to go the route of leading on and then dumping him- what good will that do for a heartless woman user like this man? Nope, our h is going to get him where it reeeallly hurts, she is going to steal his company from him and let him see how it feels to be left with nothing after losing your big one love.
So the great game begins, the H is insistent on getting personally close with the h and the h is insistent on getting control of the H's company. This involves buying up stock from the H's relatives and then getting him to sign over a percentage of his own stock in exchange with hers (she owns all of her company's stock,) when the h tells him that she wants his company to do a big expansion plan into a home design campaign for her company's new product lines.
Because the scope of the various campaigns are so huge and so critical to the new line's success, the h also tells the H that all of their dealings must be totally hands on by him. She tells him that she just can't trust something so important to his underlings. In actuality she wants him so involved because in her ad contract with him it says that all their ads must be completed with his input, if they aren't the h can break the contract and more importantly - break his company.
(SW does make a concession to the H's employees tho, just to prove our h isn't a hopelessly mean person. The h intends to offer jobs to the H's employees if the company actually folds. I also have to say that the h put together a pretty good plan, in her line of business it would be a great investment for her to have her own ad department in house, so even if her plans followed through to full fruition, she wouldn't have lost out on the deal, cause she would have gotten some good ad execs without the H.)
So the grand plan o'vengeance is running smoothly except for one tiny problem, the h's solicitor tells her that the relatives who hold the H's stock want to sell, the h is offering above market prices, but some of them want to contact the H to talk about it. The h absolutely cannot have her hand tipped at this point, so she invents a trip to the Bahamas that the H and she will go on for ad shoots and in the meantime, her solicitor is to buy up those shares.
We all go to the Bahamas and the H's pressure to lurve up the h is increasing, the h is still in love and still feeling scorned so her hatred is at an all time high. The H thinks he has finally won the right to swing the lurve club, but the h gets the go ahead from her solicitor that all the outstanding shares of the relatives are hers, she now owns 55 percent of the H's company and he only owns 45. She now has the power to make him pay and so she dumps him in the Bahamas and hot foots it home to England and her company.
The H follows soon after and he isn't very happy, he is even more unhappy when the h reveals the full scope of her revenge. She kicks him out of his own company and threatens to break the contract. He is bewildered that all his forceful pursuit has driven her to total psychopathy and demands an explanation. The h doesn't hesitate to lay out what a using, abandoning toe rag nematode slime slurper he is and how much she feels her retribution is justified. The H is in shock, but not enough that he can't explain that he did call her house seven years ago and her parents told him that she was 18 and that she changed her mind about him. So he went off to America and figured he would just have to get over his infatuation, especially when he heard she was married about a year later. The h believes him and she totally caves.
(And this is the part where I just throw the book and bewail the heavens. The h was doing SO WELL at her revenge and making the H pay for her poor rejected heart that drove her into a horrible marriage-- cause at least SOMEONE wanted her poor reject self now that the H did not, that when SW has her back down from her bid for utter devastation of the H with scorched earth and sowing the fields with salt and the lamentation of the women, I almost cry.
Come back to the dark side, I want to plead. We have chocolate and whole universe of arrogant HP H's that NEED to feel the devastation of your wrath for all the indignities and heartbreaks they inflict on innocent HP h's . Come back to the dark side and let your inner Maleficent out! The pillars of HPlandia may shake and some may shatter but HPlandia needs more h's like you, revenge is wonderful and those H's must pay - think of the future HP h's who will worship you. Don't Cave and let future HP travelers build shrines to your honour.
Alas, this is HPlandia and while the pillars may shake, they cannot fall and so the h totally caves by the end, much to my secret demon self disappointment.)
The h immediately takes the day off and confirms with her not-so-devoted-now parents that they did indeed interfere and prevent any further communication from the H. The h had always wondered why they weren't happier for her or very happy about all the nice stuff she bought them, and now she knows why.
She goes back and has a mini-break down. She gives the H back his shares and his company personally, and then runs out in tears when the H yells at her some more and rejects her offer of accepting his lurve club. She runs home and the H wanders in because her staff thought she might be suicidal and figures that it is the H's job to fix it. The H is happy that she isn't offing herself and the h is threatening to go away to Africa - this means the H has to gallantly leap into the breech, cause the thought of this h trying to do Good Deeds among all those innocent people is too horrible to contemplate, plus she might get over her remorse and who KNOWS what else this vengeful witch might dream up.
Nope, the safety and supremacy of Arrogant Alpha HP H's everywhere is in mortal danger and this H has to drink the kool-aid and save all the future H's of HPlandia. He tells the h he still loves her and wants to marry her and lurves her up for the big HEA. Now HP H's everywhere breath a sigh of relief that once again in HPlandia it is safe for them to sample the lurvely lady buffet, start seekrit babies and blackmail and manipulate their chosen h's-- who now have no other path but perpetual doormathood, cause the most vengeful and effective h in all the HP 'verse has been neutralized and marginalized by the power of the mightly lurve club mojo.
So overall, while the outcome was a bit on the sad side for me and my inner demon child, true love, or at least mortal fear of repercussions, wins in the end. Innocents in Africa are saved and once again the HP skies are alight with the glow of another revenge foiled with love and lurve clubbing and the charted currents of HPlandia can resume their ordained ordinary courses and normal tropes can resume their regularly scheduled outcomes because the lurve club mojo always wins in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2019
I have a problem with heroine-initiated revenge scenarios because I hate to see heroines having to back down in order to have an HEA. Women rarely have the upper hand and this heroine was not arrogant with her power – so seeing this heroine reduced to a sobbing wreck once she realizes she got it all wrong was not satisfying in the least.
Plus, the hero really didn’t deserve that intensity of rage. It’s her fault she married the wrong guy after hero left without a word. She didn’t have to do that. She could have gone to university, she could have pulled herself together – plenty of women are jilted when they’re 18 and live to tell the tale.
Her rage should have been directed at
Because of the heroine’s extreme response at the end, the hero’s willingness to marry her seems a bit suspect as well. There’s rose-colored glasses and there’s sleeping with one eye open because this h iscrazy intense.
Boogenhagen has all the details in her excellent review.
Plus, the hero really didn’t deserve that intensity of rage. It’s her fault she married the wrong guy after hero left without a word. She didn’t have to do that. She could have gone to university, she could have pulled herself together – plenty of women are jilted when they’re 18 and live to tell the tale.
Her rage should have been directed at
Because of the heroine’s extreme response at the end, the hero’s willingness to marry her seems a bit suspect as well. There’s rose-colored glasses and there’s sleeping with one eye open because this h is
Boogenhagen has all the details in her excellent review.
March 23, 2023
The woman is cray cray.
She met the hero when she was 18 and he was ten years older, they dated for a couple of weeks, he asked her to go with him to America and she accepted, then he left and never came back.
She was shattered and married her bff on the rebound, made his life hell because he knew he was a poor substitute and then divorced two years later.
She became a billionaire so this time the title would be the billionaire revenge where she’s the billionaire and he’s the bimbo who’s wrongly accused.
When they meet again she decides to hit where it hurts most that is to ruin his business, while he tries in every way to win her back.
It’s clear that there must have been a misunderstanding and actually in the end, when the heroine has already taken over his business and revealed her true intentions, the hero tells her he not only called and wrote her repeatedly but also came back to her even when her father had told him that she had changed her mind.
Sadly she was already married so he left, heartbroken.
So in this case it’s him who was wronged and the heroine was the bad guy.
He eventually forgives her and takes her back, which I would not have done, since she’s a psycho and a heartless bitch.
She basically married her bff immediately after the hero didn’t write and ruined also oms life, while the hero eventually moved on.
She was of course celibate after her divorce while he wasn’t.
Not great love here, only a mad obsession on her side and the hero had a lukewarm affection for her.
Nobody can write mentally disturbed people like SW.
She met the hero when she was 18 and he was ten years older, they dated for a couple of weeks, he asked her to go with him to America and she accepted, then he left and never came back.
She was shattered and married her bff on the rebound, made his life hell because he knew he was a poor substitute and then divorced two years later.
She became a billionaire so this time the title would be the billionaire revenge where she’s the billionaire and he’s the bimbo who’s wrongly accused.
When they meet again she decides to hit where it hurts most that is to ruin his business, while he tries in every way to win her back.
It’s clear that there must have been a misunderstanding and actually in the end, when the heroine has already taken over his business and revealed her true intentions, the hero tells her he not only called and wrote her repeatedly but also came back to her even when her father had told him that she had changed her mind.
Sadly she was already married so he left, heartbroken.
So in this case it’s him who was wronged and the heroine was the bad guy.
He eventually forgives her and takes her back, which I would not have done, since she’s a psycho and a heartless bitch.
She basically married her bff immediately after the hero didn’t write and ruined also oms life, while the hero eventually moved on.
She was of course celibate after her divorce while he wasn’t.
Not great love here, only a mad obsession on her side and the hero had a lukewarm affection for her.
Nobody can write mentally disturbed people like SW.
May 17, 2021
"Passionate Revenge" is the story of Zara and Heath.
18 year old heroine meets and falls for the enigmatic 28 year old hero. He jilts her at the last moment, causing her to get into a rebound marriage- something that is both abusive and traumatizing. The scarred heroine then divorces POS OM and makes a millionaire out of herself.
Years later, meets the hero who is trying to obtain a contract with her company. The heroine is in vengeful mode and plans an ELABORATE retribution to hurt the hero. He is smitten and doesnt know what is coming for him. Things build up, until the very expected reveal in the end which is just sad.
This was traumatizing and kinda heartbreaking. Poor heroine needed therapy.
Unsafe
2.5/5
18 year old heroine meets and falls for the enigmatic 28 year old hero. He jilts her at the last moment, causing her to get into a rebound marriage- something that is both abusive and traumatizing. The scarred heroine then divorces POS OM and makes a millionaire out of herself.
Years later, meets the hero who is trying to obtain a contract with her company. The heroine is in vengeful mode and plans an ELABORATE retribution to hurt the hero. He is smitten and doesnt know what is coming for him. Things build up, until the very expected reveal in the end which is just sad.
This was traumatizing and kinda heartbreaking. Poor heroine needed therapy.
Unsafe
2.5/5
May 12, 2014
Nobody does a vengeful heroine like Sally Wentworth. I tracked down this book just to read about some awesome vengeance a la 90s style.
Zara and Heath met at a New Year's Eve party when Zara was 18, and Heath around 26, but of course Zara pretended she was older. They fall in love and the reader genuinely believes that Heath is also. Because of this, Zara is ready to forego her promising college education, even though she has very good grades in school and can get into a good program. At one point, Heath is going to go off to America (as ppl called it in the pre-PC 90s) for some advertising opportunity (he's an ad exec) and asks her to come along with him. She would throw away her entire future to follow him, and waits around for his phone call after having a humongous row with her parents on this issue. But he never calls. Like a normal 18 y/o, she mopes and broods and is completely depressed about this, and later on, she forsakes her college education entirely and goes to work and marries this other boy she grew up with but doesn't love. It turns into a disastrous marriage, with some raping(?) hinted at. We're not completely sure or care.*
*Not that rape is something to be glossed over or made fun of, just that it's not emphasized or clear, and the reader just really wants to get into some awesome revenge storytelling.
Cue present-day, and Zara is now a high-powered woman and rich owner of a very successful textile company, later named Panache. It is unbelievable until you realize that she was a general gopher in the company at first and then worked her way up when the owner was depressed over the death of his wife. Eventually, she becomes manager and then owner when the previous owner remarries and retires. She gets her chance at revenge when Heath Masterson, as owner of advertising company Masterads (get it?), bids on their project.
She then gets an idea for revenge, cue Sally Wentworth's brilliant revenge plots. Here's how it worked:
First, she planned on dangling the lucrative project in front of Masterads, but not planning on giving them the end contract, just enough to make their company suffer as a lot of their people spend time working on this project that will eventually go to another ad company. Then, Zara realizes, no, I've got a better plan. So she gives them the contract, stipulating that Heath has to be hands-on at all times, and if he can't, that the contract will be canceled. (She planned this to take him off other contracts his company would undoubtedly have.)
Next, she attempts a hostile takeover, by telephoning her stockbroker and finding out about his companyMasterads and that he's a 51% shareholder. She then attempts to find out how much stock she can buy of his company, which is owned by his relatives. But of course, at 51%, he'll always be majority stockholder.
No problem! Sally Wentworth has a way out of that. Zara then tells Heath that Panache is planning on heavy expansion and requests Masterads to handle the feasibility studies, with the understanding that the new expansion advertising will be handled by Masterads. Huge contract and incentive. However, because Zara's company will be giving them so much control over their PR, Zara wants the contract to stipulate that Panache will own 10% of Masterads' stock to ensure their continued cooperation. Heath agrees, after requesting an exchange of stock. Zara is unflustered -- she owns 100% of Panache.
While her stockbroker is busy getting her stock for her, Zara takes Heath out of country and away from his relatives contacting him to tell him about selling their stock. She buys them above the standard price. (I'm assuming that Masterads isn't publicly traded, but there should be more SEC regulations on this sort of thing anyway.) Even though Heath is getting all hot and bothered about rekindling the past with her, she flies back, leaving him in the Bahamas with their photoshoot entourage, when she hears that she now owns 55% of Masterads.
At that point, she decides to cancel the contract with Masterads, telling them that Panache doesn't want them to handle their adverts anymore, after discussing with an attorney on the stipulated "Heath must be personally available to handle the contract" clause. Meanwhile, she holds a shareholder meeting to vote Heath Masterson out of his own company (in which case, he would be unable to personally handle the contract, see?). Brilliant!
Anyway, I am a huge, HUGE fan of Sally Wentworth and how her heroines never do the run of the mill "I'll make him fall for me and then jilt him" revenge. Groan. Seriously, how full are you of yourself that you believe you can just make someone fall for you like this? Hit him where it hurts! (In his career balls.)
Not a fan of the ending, which is a bit prolonged, after she realizes that he never left her without a phone call, and that it was her parents (of course) who intercepted his calls and letters. There's some resolution to her terrors over her previous marriage, and an eventual HEA.
Zara and Heath met at a New Year's Eve party when Zara was 18, and Heath around 26, but of course Zara pretended she was older. They fall in love and the reader genuinely believes that Heath is also. Because of this, Zara is ready to forego her promising college education, even though she has very good grades in school and can get into a good program. At one point, Heath is going to go off to America (as ppl called it in the pre-PC 90s) for some advertising opportunity (he's an ad exec) and asks her to come along with him. She would throw away her entire future to follow him, and waits around for his phone call after having a humongous row with her parents on this issue. But he never calls. Like a normal 18 y/o, she mopes and broods and is completely depressed about this, and later on, she forsakes her college education entirely and goes to work and marries this other boy she grew up with but doesn't love. It turns into a disastrous marriage, with some raping(?) hinted at. We're not completely sure or care.*
*Not that rape is something to be glossed over or made fun of, just that it's not emphasized or clear, and the reader just really wants to get into some awesome revenge storytelling.
Cue present-day, and Zara is now a high-powered woman and rich owner of a very successful textile company, later named Panache. It is unbelievable until you realize that she was a general gopher in the company at first and then worked her way up when the owner was depressed over the death of his wife. Eventually, she becomes manager and then owner when the previous owner remarries and retires. She gets her chance at revenge when Heath Masterson, as owner of advertising company Masterads (get it?), bids on their project.
She then gets an idea for revenge, cue Sally Wentworth's brilliant revenge plots. Here's how it worked:
First, she planned on dangling the lucrative project in front of Masterads, but not planning on giving them the end contract, just enough to make their company suffer as a lot of their people spend time working on this project that will eventually go to another ad company. Then, Zara realizes, no, I've got a better plan. So she gives them the contract, stipulating that Heath has to be hands-on at all times, and if he can't, that the contract will be canceled. (She planned this to take him off other contracts his company would undoubtedly have.)
Next, she attempts a hostile takeover, by telephoning her stockbroker and finding out about his companyMasterads and that he's a 51% shareholder. She then attempts to find out how much stock she can buy of his company, which is owned by his relatives. But of course, at 51%, he'll always be majority stockholder.
No problem! Sally Wentworth has a way out of that. Zara then tells Heath that Panache is planning on heavy expansion and requests Masterads to handle the feasibility studies, with the understanding that the new expansion advertising will be handled by Masterads. Huge contract and incentive. However, because Zara's company will be giving them so much control over their PR, Zara wants the contract to stipulate that Panache will own 10% of Masterads' stock to ensure their continued cooperation. Heath agrees, after requesting an exchange of stock. Zara is unflustered -- she owns 100% of Panache.
While her stockbroker is busy getting her stock for her, Zara takes Heath out of country and away from his relatives contacting him to tell him about selling their stock. She buys them above the standard price. (I'm assuming that Masterads isn't publicly traded, but there should be more SEC regulations on this sort of thing anyway.) Even though Heath is getting all hot and bothered about rekindling the past with her, she flies back, leaving him in the Bahamas with their photoshoot entourage, when she hears that she now owns 55% of Masterads.
At that point, she decides to cancel the contract with Masterads, telling them that Panache doesn't want them to handle their adverts anymore, after discussing with an attorney on the stipulated "Heath must be personally available to handle the contract" clause. Meanwhile, she holds a shareholder meeting to vote Heath Masterson out of his own company (in which case, he would be unable to personally handle the contract, see?). Brilliant!
Anyway, I am a huge, HUGE fan of Sally Wentworth and how her heroines never do the run of the mill "I'll make him fall for me and then jilt him" revenge. Groan. Seriously, how full are you of yourself that you believe you can just make someone fall for you like this? Hit him where it hurts! (In his career balls.)
Not a fan of the ending, which is a bit prolonged, after she realizes that he never left her without a phone call, and that it was her parents (of course) who intercepted his calls and letters. There's some resolution to her terrors over her previous marriage, and an eventual HEA.
May 8, 2020
"A Passionate Revenge" are my third book by Sally.I was still burned by her "The Judas Kiss" before i started this one.And i have to say..the heroine was ruthless in her vengeance in here too.
I love the way the heroines uses seduction in their revenge-plans,while the heroes uses kidnapping or blackmail..or the whole package.!
The romance in this one are so Delightful and i really LOVE the romantic scenes in Bahamas with the hero and heroine was so OH ROMANTIC!.
Zara Layston and Heath Masterson (i have seen that many in Goodreads wants to marry him,hihi) had a GREAT uniqe chemistry and i was SO excited when they would meet again after many years,and i were not dissapointed.Oh what a Romantic hero Heath was...so so passionate with his romantic declarations of love!
Sally Wentworth..it is DECIDED.You have now become one of my favourite Romance Author...!
I love the way the heroines uses seduction in their revenge-plans,while the heroes uses kidnapping or blackmail..or the whole package.!
The romance in this one are so Delightful and i really LOVE the romantic scenes in Bahamas with the hero and heroine was so OH ROMANTIC!.
Zara Layston and Heath Masterson (i have seen that many in Goodreads wants to marry him,hihi) had a GREAT uniqe chemistry and i was SO excited when they would meet again after many years,and i were not dissapointed.Oh what a Romantic hero Heath was...so so passionate with his romantic declarations of love!
Sally Wentworth..it is DECIDED.You have now become one of my favourite Romance Author...!
June 19, 2015
3.5 stars
This one was different. Not only the heroine was looking for revenge but she was the executive and managing director and the partner of a chain of department stores. She was the one with power and money.
They originally met when she was a senior at the high school; he was told she was 22.
After a month of relationship, she told him she loved him and she said she would leave with him to USA where he was offered a new job.... that was the last she heard of him.
For a while I couldn't understand her hate and the need for revenge until I understood his action caused a roller coaster of wrong decisions by her and she blamed him for all of it.
This one was different. Not only the heroine was looking for revenge but she was the executive and managing director and the partner of a chain of department stores. She was the one with power and money.
They originally met when she was a senior at the high school; he was told she was 22.
After a month of relationship, she told him she loved him and she said she would leave with him to USA where he was offered a new job.... that was the last she heard of him.
For a while I couldn't understand her hate and the need for revenge until I understood his action caused a roller coaster of wrong decisions by her and she blamed him for all of it.
October 19, 2012
4.5 stars. I felt like I did a lot of waiting for the axe to fall in this one, but the anticipation was pretty delicious. Great (and forgiving!) hero who very much loved the heroine. Always nice to have a hero you can't shake off even after you try to bring him to his knees. :-)
February 26, 2023
O.M.G
Σπάνια ιστορίες έχουν τόσο σφιχτοδεμένη πλοκή στις 160 σελίδες τους!Μοναδική και πρωτότυπη πλοκή που σίγουρα θα χαραxθεί στην μνήμη σου για πάντα. .Δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση να την μπερδέψεις με καμία ιστορία στο πέρασμα του χρόνου. .Μπορεί η αγάπη να μετατραπεί σε αρρωστημένο μίσος ?Σας πληροφορώ ότι μπορεί.Έρχεται αυτό το βιβλίο να το αποδείξει περίτρανα! Μπορεί να ζεις μόνο για να εκδικηθείς αυτόν που λάτρεψες?Και όμως ΝΑΙ!Δεν υπάρχει στάλα οίκτου, μόνο υπολογισμένες κινήσεις με χειρουργική ακρίβεια για την απόλυτη καταστροφή!Σε όλη τη διάρκεια του βιβλίου ένας μόνιμος κόμπος στο στομάχι! Από τις λίγες φορές που είμαι με τον μέρος του ήρωα. Ένας ήρωας που από την πρώτη στιγμή σε κερδίζει! Χιου ο ιδανικός σύντροφος που αγαπά με πάθος και συγχωρεϊ όχι μία αλλά δύο φορές την ηρωίδα!Ειλικρινά του βγάζω το καπέλο γιατί η Ζάρα με έβγαλε έξω από τα ρούχα μου.. Από τις ελάχιστες περιπτώσεις που ηρωιδα κρατά τα ηνία μια και ο ήρωας βρίσκεται στο έλεος της επαγγελματικά και προσωπικά...Αν το πετύχετε μην το σκεφτειτε ΚΑΘΟΛΟΥ αρπάξτε το ΑΜΕΣΩΣ !Μιλάμε για έναν αξέχαστο ΔΥΝΑΜΙΤΗ!!!
Σπάνια ιστορίες έχουν τόσο σφιχτοδεμένη πλοκή στις 160 σελίδες τους!Μοναδική και πρωτότυπη πλοκή που σίγουρα θα χαραxθεί στην μνήμη σου για πάντα. .Δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση να την μπερδέψεις με καμία ιστορία στο πέρασμα του χρόνου. .Μπορεί η αγάπη να μετατραπεί σε αρρωστημένο μίσος ?Σας πληροφορώ ότι μπορεί.Έρχεται αυτό το βιβλίο να το αποδείξει περίτρανα! Μπορεί να ζεις μόνο για να εκδικηθείς αυτόν που λάτρεψες?Και όμως ΝΑΙ!Δεν υπάρχει στάλα οίκτου, μόνο υπολογισμένες κινήσεις με χειρουργική ακρίβεια για την απόλυτη καταστροφή!Σε όλη τη διάρκεια του βιβλίου ένας μόνιμος κόμπος στο στομάχι! Από τις λίγες φορές που είμαι με τον μέρος του ήρωα. Ένας ήρωας που από την πρώτη στιγμή σε κερδίζει! Χιου ο ιδανικός σύντροφος που αγαπά με πάθος και συγχωρεϊ όχι μία αλλά δύο φορές την ηρωίδα!Ειλικρινά του βγάζω το καπέλο γιατί η Ζάρα με έβγαλε έξω από τα ρούχα μου.. Από τις ελάχιστες περιπτώσεις που ηρωιδα κρατά τα ηνία μια και ο ήρωας βρίσκεται στο έλεος της επαγγελματικά και προσωπικά...Αν το πετύχετε μην το σκεφτειτε ΚΑΘΟΛΟΥ αρπάξτε το ΑΜΕΣΩΣ !Μιλάμε για έναν αξέχαστο ΔΥΝΑΜΙΤΗ!!!
August 10, 2023
meh...Heroine's revenge was misplaced. Hero didn't force her not to go to college; hero didn't force her to marry someone she didn't love; hero didn't force her to stay with an abusive husband. All the problems stemmed from the heroine's decisions. Hero was just as devastated but he seemed to be able to pull himself up from his boot straps and go on with life. I find it hard to believe that she could run such a successful business given her decision making prowess.
Her parents were absolutely worthless - yet she was willing to forgive and have them in her life.
What a reckless fool. I feel sorry for the hero.
Her parents were absolutely worthless - yet she was willing to forgive and have them in her life.
What a reckless fool. I feel sorry for the hero.
December 16, 2018
Silly revenge plot that fizzles, and rightly so. The stupid "heroine" Zara, blames the hero, Heath, for HER decision to marry an abusive man on the rebound, never questioning her parents who never wanted H/h together in the first place. Zara deserved to eat crow and have to take it all back because it wasn't Heath who caused her harm. She choose poorly and suffered the consequences. Zara was lucky that Heath was a good guy and strong enough to help pick up her broken pieces. Hopefully, this silly girl will take responsibility for her own role in the pain she endured.
March 7, 2015
I want to marry Heath Masterson.
November 3, 2016
4 Stars! ~ A young very successful woman finds herself facing the demons of her past, with the biggest demon being the man who once betrayed her love. Zara welds tremendous power and when Heath pitches an ad campaign for her textile company, she finds herself in a position to reek her revenge. Her hatred for him is so strong she seeks to ruin him both personally and professionally. What Zara fails to realize is that in the process she is destroying herself as well.
This is a wonderful twist on the typical "revenge" theme with the heroine being the one with the power to crush her enemy. This time it's the hero that is wrongly accused. Zara is the one with tortured past, having entered into a loveless marriage after Heath has left her. She's experienced such emotional pain and then physical pain at the hands of her former husband, that she hasn't been able to commit in any way to other men. Heath's always loved Zara, it's in the proving of that to her that makes for a very intense and riveting read. Very angsty!
This is a wonderful twist on the typical "revenge" theme with the heroine being the one with the power to crush her enemy. This time it's the hero that is wrongly accused. Zara is the one with tortured past, having entered into a loveless marriage after Heath has left her. She's experienced such emotional pain and then physical pain at the hands of her former husband, that she hasn't been able to commit in any way to other men. Heath's always loved Zara, it's in the proving of that to her that makes for a very intense and riveting read. Very angsty!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2022
It’s interesting that this one takes a typical I’ll ruin you Harlequin revenge plot and turns it on its head so it’s the heroine who is successful in business and quite methodically plots to take away the hero’s business. The lengths she goes to are both clever and uncomfortable to read at times, and I didn’t love how arrested her emotional and physical development were because of that youthful breakup, but I appreciated how open he was in his approach to her, as well as how she immediately and thoroughly took responsibility for her over the top actions once she realized what had happened. It all wraps up a bit quickly and neatly (so much pent-up rage, gone just like that! And he is so very forgiving after not very long), but hey. I don’t read HPs for a reality check.
September 21, 2019
Normally I hate the Hero but in this book I hated the heroine I hated this book
special-unread-plot
March 11, 2019Hated this book. Usually I would have felt sorry for this heroine but she was so stupid and married other man that she didn't love and was just a doormat. She even forgave her stupid parents that lied to her and ruined her life. It all could have been all solved if they just had sat down and discussed the different options for the h to be together with the hero and still get the education. Ugh, why did the heroine have to marry that bitch Christopher, his mother should have been enough to turn her off marrying that slime?! She let him (rape) sleep with her (it reminded me of prostitution, when a woman is forced to have sex even if she don't want to) when she could have said no and forced him to have platonic marriage. Btw the hero also was a bitch, if her really loved the heroine why didn't he didn't leave any contact information?!
April 1, 2023
Zara was a total psycho and an example of a woman whose emotions got the better of her. Why in gods name didn’t she speak of the past to Heath and confront him on his abandonment when he started to pursue her again?
I predicted the ending but forced myself to finish it.
Not the author’s best work.
For a similar storyline but much better I would read Danielle Steele’s The Promise.
I predicted the ending but forced myself to finish it.
Not the author’s best work.
For a similar storyline but much better I would read Danielle Steele’s The Promise.
October 24, 2020
The ending is what saved this one for me. But, this woman was a vindictive %&$*. For a high powered business woman, she was pretty blind and unable to see past her own cruel agenda. You'd figure that you'd have to be pretty astute and able to investigate from all angels...apparently not for her.
June 24, 2019
For all the crazy plotting undertaken by the h in the name of revenge, the ending was a big letdown. But Heath made up for some of the disappointment.
September 3, 2023
What a terrible end for the heroine .. she lost both her strength and dignity .. I didn't like the end at all so weak for me
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2025
Talk about batshit crazy! This h is pretty psycho, to want revenge so badly, all because she believes a guy dumped her, after dating her a short time. HORRORS!!! That's NEVER happened to anyone before!! COME ON!!
It was silly from the start, as Zara's a self-centered 18-year-old, who, despite being in a relationship with her childhood sweetheart, thinks nothing of dancing, flirting, drinking, and making out with the H, whom she randomly meets at New Years party. (Her boyfriend, Christopher was too sick to take her out that night, which of course justifies her cheating on him.) Apparently, she and Heath have a soulmate connection (in other words, they make each other horny) and in a short time, Zara's ready to leave family and friends and even the country, to join Heath when he takes his dream job. But then....
He apparently left and forgot her (since he was in his late 20's, he should have stopped to think how foolish it was for him to lust after a teenage virgin) and (naturally) she turns to clueless Christopher and marries him on the rebound. The marriage is a disaster, and instead of blaming both herself and Christopher, she blames Heath!! Makes perfect sense!!
Several years later, divorced and running a successful business, she decides to get revenge on Heath by taking over his business, as she's still hung up on his apparently dumping her! I guess it didn't get through to her psychotic brain that the best revenge is success, and she'd accomplished that, so LET IT GO ALREADY, YOU MORON!!!!
I don't mind a revenge story, if there's a valid reason. Let's say he had seduced her, gotten her pregnant, then she found out he was married and had kids, got into a car accident getting away from him and lost the baby, then was told she may never have more children. There's a good revenge motive!!
Or the company her dad founded was the victim of a hostile takeover, which caused his fatal heart attack, and the H's family owned that takeover company. Another perfect motive!
But THIS was STUPIDITY! So, a guy she loved (though I don't think this warped person is capable of that emotion) dumped her! She barely knew him; meanwhile, some women get dumped by their husbands after years of marriage and they don't go berserk!
I couldn't finish this book, because if her revenge vendetta was going to involve other people, and she would only consider them collateral damage, then I didn't want to know about it!
I also didn't want this vindictive excuse for a person to have a HEA!
It was silly from the start, as Zara's a self-centered 18-year-old, who, despite being in a relationship with her childhood sweetheart, thinks nothing of dancing, flirting, drinking, and making out with the H, whom she randomly meets at New Years party. (Her boyfriend, Christopher was too sick to take her out that night, which of course justifies her cheating on him.) Apparently, she and Heath have a soulmate connection (in other words, they make each other horny) and in a short time, Zara's ready to leave family and friends and even the country, to join Heath when he takes his dream job. But then....
He apparently left and forgot her (since he was in his late 20's, he should have stopped to think how foolish it was for him to lust after a teenage virgin) and (naturally) she turns to clueless Christopher and marries him on the rebound. The marriage is a disaster, and instead of blaming both herself and Christopher, she blames Heath!! Makes perfect sense!!
Several years later, divorced and running a successful business, she decides to get revenge on Heath by taking over his business, as she's still hung up on his apparently dumping her! I guess it didn't get through to her psychotic brain that the best revenge is success, and she'd accomplished that, so LET IT GO ALREADY, YOU MORON!!!!
I don't mind a revenge story, if there's a valid reason. Let's say he had seduced her, gotten her pregnant, then she found out he was married and had kids, got into a car accident getting away from him and lost the baby, then was told she may never have more children. There's a good revenge motive!!
Or the company her dad founded was the victim of a hostile takeover, which caused his fatal heart attack, and the H's family owned that takeover company. Another perfect motive!
But THIS was STUPIDITY! So, a guy she loved (though I don't think this warped person is capable of that emotion) dumped her! She barely knew him; meanwhile, some women get dumped by their husbands after years of marriage and they don't go berserk!
I couldn't finish this book, because if her revenge vendetta was going to involve other people, and she would only consider them collateral damage, then I didn't want to know about it!
I also didn't want this vindictive excuse for a person to have a HEA!
December 11, 2015
This was a strong book . What a ruthless heroine Zara was !!! I enjoyed the reading and this book is so different from what I usually read in Hp books
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews