Fonseca's Fury

Billionaire Brothers #1

by Abby Green

It's hot in the jungle…

The last time Luca Fonseca saw Serena DePiero, he ended up in a jail cell. The Brazilian billionaire has since clawed back his reputation, but he's never forgotten her. So when Luca discovers Serena's working for his charity, his anger reignites!

Serena has changed. Finally in control of her life, she refuses to let Luca intimidate her. She'll deal with whatever her new boss throws at her—from a rain-forest trek to the social jungle of Rio! But she can't handle the passion that flares hotter than Luca's fury.

Especially when it threatens to consume them both!

Genres: Harlequin, Romance, Harlequin Presents, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Contemporary, Hqn

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 16, 2014

About the author

Abby Green spent her teens reading Mills & Boon romances. She then spent many years working in the Film and TV industry as an Assistant Director. One day while standing outside an actor's trailer in the rain, she thought: "there has to be more than this". So she sent off a partial to Mills & Boon. After numerous rewrites, they accepted her first book and an author was born.
She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here www.abby-green.com

Reviews

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love any book written by this author and Fonseca’s Fury, the first book in the Billionaire Brothers series is no exception.

A beautiful, emotional and well-written story of love, misunderstanding and redemption.
We were introduced to Serena DePiero in Forgiven but not Forgotten, her sister Siena’s book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... which gave us a glimpse of the terrible lives they had at the hands of their abusive and cruel father.

Serena, former wild-child, who has clawed back to regain her life and sanity..and Luca, enigmatic and broken by his past, who has rebuilt his life after seeing his world implode – this is their story.

The author weaves a story passion, love, angst, hope and happiness of two characters that find love and healing to overcome the horror of their past. Serena and Luca got under my skin….I so wanted them to be together and to find their HEA. From hate to love…..

I enjoyed how the social and ecological issues of the Amazon rainforest are woven into the story and the journey that Serena and Luca embark on to reach a remote mining village in the Amazon was really well done.

Love scenes were so well-written….sensual, sexy, beautiful…

Beautiful locations….what’s not to love about Rio…. and not forgetting Luca’s home in that city…stunning and soooo gorgeous

One unforgettable scene in this story – when Luca takes Serena to the beach to watch the sunset……..so touching, so beautiful

I loved this book and it’s definitely one that I will read again.

Can’t wait for Max’s book next….Luca’s brother’s short appearance in this story made it something to look forward to.

[KatieV · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like the heroine and the hero turned out to be a much better guy than I assumed at one point. But, something about mixing the sad/messy reality of the heroine's life with HP tropes didn't set well with me. It made me take things far more seriously than usual. Situations I usually don't blink an eye at became skeezy and concerning in this context.

If you've read the previous book about Serena's sister Forgiven but not Forgotten? you think you know Serena, but it turns out that even her loving sister was under false impressions about her due to their evil father's machinations.

One of the reasons I wanted to read this was to see just how HP would deal with a heroine who had a less than stellar past and was dealing with a mental illness (bi-polar). Turns out that HP couldn't quite deal with it. Not sure I blame the author completely, I can imagine she was treading a thin line with the publisher as it was. I was shocked to find out she'd even attempted this story in HPLandia.

Serena, it turns out, is totally misunderstood even by those who love her. She is not bi-polar or suffering from any sort of organic mental illness. I'm sure she'd dealt with situational depression and most probably PTSD, but she was not a person who was chemically unbalanced and needed psychiatric help in general. All of her problems stemmed from witnessing her father's manslaughter of her mother at 5 and then being forcibly addicted to drugs and "diagnosed" with various conditions by a shady doctor who was in her father's pocket. All of this just to keep her under control and make her an unreliable witness since she had witnessed her mother's death. The father was also very emotionally and physically abusive as well, as you can imagine.

Serena was addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol thanks to dear old dad and her shady doctor. However, we are to believe that she never tried an illegal drug?!?! Not once? That makes no sense. Considering the crowd she was running with, she was surrounded by the illegal stuff and her senses were always dulled by her "legal" addictions. You can't convince me she had enough presence of mind, self esteem, give-a-crap, or whatever to at least not try something once. Surely she'd smoked a joint. Jeez, almost every American who's ever been to college has at least tried a puff - usually while drunk at a party. Not me, of course ;) Bottom line - I'm not buying that AT ALL. But it was the "reason" why she couldn't have set Luca up by planting illegal drugs on him.

Then there's the sex. Green treads very carefully around this as well. She tries to be realistic to the situation by having the h lose her virginity at 16 and clearly engage in some meaningless encounters while wasted. However, not as many as rumor implied and she didn't enjoy them. That doesn't make sense either.

Sex is another way someone in her situation would have tried to lose themselves and again she was always high, her inhibitions were probably null. But I guess they had to give her some sense of HP "purity", which I think really demeans the struggle of people who have been through such situations. It's likely she would have enjoyed at least some of these encounters. Biologically, women can respond to sexual stimuli even if they aren't in a situation of love/trust, especially if all of our inhibitions are repressed. I imagine IRL this fact would have led to her hating herself more, thinking she was the worthless slut the press and her father made her out to be, followed by doing more drugs to numb her pain, and therefore continuing the vicious cycle.

Luca was probably the only man she'd ever slept with while sober and that in itself could have been profound, but we had to have the HP whitewashing I suppose or Hqn wouldn't have published the book.

Then there's the blackmail. I LOVE a skeezy blackmail-me-into-bed scheme. It's fantasy, it's someone you'd want to sleep with anyway and it adds a touch of the naughty. In this, it was just depressing and smacked of victimizing someone who'd been victimized enough. To the hero's credit he did pull the 'sleeping together' requirement for her getting a job before they even did the deed and admitted that condition was not his finest moment.

Yet, I wonder if the heroine didn't still feel deep-down that it was part of the deal despite the H letting her off the hook. After all, she was dealing with a lot of self esteem issues.

I think - in this case - we could have done without the blackmail angle altogether and I'd have enjoyed the book more. The entire situation was something that any drug counselor would have had a stroke over. There are other charity jobs in the world. I realize she didn't want to use her family connections, but sleeping with someone for a chance would be even more damaging to her sense of self worth than allowing her rich brother or brother-in-law to pull some strings to get her a job where she could then turn around and prove herself worthy of the opportunity.

Bottom line is, I feel like this shouldn't have been done in HP land. There are too many rules (especially where it concerns female 'purity') and while this pushed the envelope, the HP whitewashing was disturbing rather than amusing this time. Give me a 24-year-old virgin supermodel who just simply never found anyone attractive before, plus she was too busy spending all her extra time and money to help her sick granny. Let her be blackmailed into bed because the tabloids say she's a home wrecker and she happened to be in the same hemisphere as the H's married cousin, brother-in-law, ex-next-door-neighbor and I'll have a great time with the misadventures of the poor Mary Sue's traitorous body and happily NOT expect anything to make sense. I won't take one second of it seriously.

This heroine was a bit too real, even with the HP inconsistencies. I worried for her and wanted her to succeed. Therefore, this wasn't the type of absurd train wreck that I enjoy. YMMV, as always.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very original and interesting book with a believable HEA. Flaws that kept it from 5 stars for me: It took a good 25% in before the story really started at all for me. Heroine Serena's capitulation to the standard HP deal ("whatever x is" in exchange for sex) was a bit inconsistent with where she was in her life journey. She even reflects on this. I think she jumped in too quickly with hero when she had a reprieve. And in the scene where Luca walks out on her...I was left uncomfortable. He wasn't very discerning of her obvious distress. And the biggest flaw...I wish it had been braver....total cop-out from the prior books where Serena was introduced. this is not a "bad" heroine needing redemption or even an experienced heroine who came close to equalling hero (who regularly engaged in sexual relationships with women he cared nothing for right up until he met heroine). She is not the least bit slutty or promiscuous, nor was she ever, not even long in the past and not for a moment. She was just a girl who had been horribly abused, her freedom of choice removed from her. And of course never had sexual pleasure before, which really irritated the heck out of me.

Things that were great: The relationship development was believable and for once, hero had a SUPERB reason for being really angry with the heroine to start! I really felt for heroine, her story was horrific and unique/crazy enough to be believable. She didn't immediately enjoy being with the hero. Safe sex really well incorporated and no pregnancy cop-out to force them together. Rather nice declaration by the hero at the end. Believable HEA.

[Vintage]

I should have listened. This was a downer. I don't know who was more depressing, the hero or the heroine.

It just deals with too many real life issues (child abuse, spousal abuse, drug addiction, etc) our world is plagued with then thrown into what I think we can all agree is the ridiculous world of HarleyLand. This is not an escape.

An affair of revenge loses its fun when the heroine has been drugged and shaped into the image of a promiscuous addict. How can you make fun of a hero with mommy issues when the author gives you concrete examples of emotional abuse?

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another Paris Hilton heroine. I don't know why I bother with this author anymore.

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brazilian billionaire Fonseca is furious because he thinks the heroine planted drugs on him seven years before and ruined (temporarily) his life. She's back as an employee and he wants revenge. (And he's attracted, of course). She is a Paris Hilton type of party girl and he thinks the best revenge would be to have her take notes as he visits a mine deep in the Amazon. They have a walk through the jungle and the heroine proves herself to be tough enough to keep up with him, even when bit by bullet ants. She charms the villagers and tells him about her stint in rehab and hints at her poor family life.

When she has a bad dream while they are both sleeping in a tent, hero puts the moves on her - bringing her to an orgasm, but holding off from having sex. Heroine feels humiliated that he could control her and sees it as a power ploy. She's sensitive to controlling men because her father was a monster.

Hero can only think of how much he wants her - even though he doesn't buy the changes she has made in life since rehab. (His mother was an alcoholic who never changed). He blackmails her into another two week trial for a permanent job in Rio, but only if she sleeps with him. She unhappily agrees. His conscience does catch up with him and he reascends that condition. Their first encounter is not that great - but once he realizes she isn't that experienced, he slows it down and all is well. They have a nice two weeks together taking in Rio and its delights.

Sequel-bait brother shows up to clear the H/h of the drug possession. Seems a low rent drug dealer was bragging about it in jail. Now both their names can be cleared. Heroine tells hero she loves him. He shuts down because that's what his mother said when she took his brother and went to Italy when he was a child. She decides to go back to England? Greece? He snaps out of his horrible memories and stops the heroine from boarding the plane. HEA. Epilogue is the heroine's father going to jail for the murder of her mother and the heroine giving birth to their daughter that same day.

I read these out of order and I haven't read the sister's story Forgiven But Not Forgotten?, but I wasn't in the dark about anything. I actually enjoyed the jungle walk and the hero being angry with the heroine for ruining his life and in any respectable HP, a reader would expect the blackmail and the gradual unfolding of the backstory that clears the heroine. The problem with this book is that the backstory overshadowed what was happening in real time.

What happened to characters who are adults and make adult mistakes that cause them some grief before their HEA? Instead we get monster parents on both sides that take away from the what's happening right now in front of the reader. These stories turn into psychological case studies of wounded people rather than a romance we're privy to be part of.

I thought the backstory overshadowed the present events, but I was just as guilty of skimming over the real horror of the backstory as the author was in presenting it. As Katie V points out below - the drugs, the child abuse, the murder, are way too heavy for an HP. And the hero's blackmail and controlling ways in bed were problematic for someone who had been so exploited as a child.

[Melanie♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some heavy tropes for an HP.

[Jasbell76]

The review of this book: MEH...

If some of you didn't like this book and want to read a love story in the Amazon rainforest, I think you should read The Surgeon's Runaway Bride by OLIVIA GATES!
XX

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay read

[Megzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the DePiero Siblings series and the first book in Billionaire Brothers series.

This book has angst, tension, murder, trust issues, addiction, anger, abusive parents, sexual attraction, desire, and even insects in amazon rain forest, all of it rolled into one. The plot is different and very interesting. Serena has a sordid past reputation but she also has spunk and guts; she’s an incredibly strong character; Fonseca has a tough exterior but he is a likeable character but when you really take the time and look at their characters, somewhere deep inside they were kindred spirits. I believe that is the reason Serena was able to open up and talk about her past. The pace of the story and the relaying of the big, dark secrets were done right.

[Aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I can say that I respect someone who doesn't have any fear exploring while she writes. I don't think that someone abused and who was addicted to prescribed medication because her father wanted her silent because she saw him murdering her mother and using a doctor to make her "mentally incapable" could be tagged as a "Paris Hilton heroine". Well written and very interesting how a bad girl was turned into a heroine with a huge baggage. Abby didn't hide Serena's bad behavior but she had the redemption she neeed.

[amanda s. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, good but not really my favorite.

The drama isn't as thick as it used to be. Abby Green always manage to create a god-awful Hero yet in this book, Luca's not as evil as any other Hero from Green's book. It's good, at some point, but I was hoping for heart-wrenching scenes. LOL.

Overall I enjoyed this book though it's not exactly my favorite. Look forward to read another Abby Green's books! :)

[Carol Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story of a damaged heroine who has put her addictions and her past behind her and is determined to make a new start. Serena proves herself to Luca even though he blames her for damaging his reputation in the past. The two of them grow closer and closer over time and the steamy Brazilian setting is very well done.

The only reason I give this story four stars instead of five is because the jungle trek scenes feel a little too by-the-numbers (biting ants, sudden downpours, sex in the tent) and because the pace of the story slows down a lot so Serena can describe the recovery process for addicts. But on the whole it was a touching, thoughtful, and surprisingly serious romance.

[Penny Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexxi Callahan--THANK YOU! Another amazing HP. This whole series was a big winner for me. I loved the heroes, I loved the heroines, I loved the smoky hot chemistry and believable progression of the love affairs.

Grade: A

[Gigi Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated this book. That's the nicest thing I can say about it. It was very unbelievable, esp. in this day and age. Enough said....

I received a free book from the publishers for an honest review.

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3rd in the De Piero trilogy and I did like it but not as much as The Legend of De Marco and Forgiven but not forgotten. Still, a very enjoyable read and I did love the ending but I wanted the heroine to put the hero straight much earlier in the book, and I really couldn't see why she didn't.

Never mind! a good ending to the story of the 3 siblings. Fabulous epilogue.

[Reads by Starburst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fonesca’s Fury by Abby Green is a well written intense romance set in the Amazon rainforest. I loved the plot and the romance which was very believable due the awesome chemistry the characters shared.

Serena DePiero has featured before in Forgiven but not Forgotten by Abby Green as the heroine Sienna’s debauched sister. I was looking forward to Serena’s story because of the way she was depicted in that book but she has actually changed quite a lot in this book. I loved how she moved on from her wild past and finally gained control of her life in Fonesca’s Fury but it was very difficult for me to imagine her falling in love with the man who went to jail because of her. Therefore, despite the fact that Luca and Serena had awesome chemistry and their romance was amazing, I wished she had not wronged Luca in the past.

Luca is a world renowned philanthropist who has gotten his reputation back the difficult way. He was a charismatic hero conflicted with the emotions Serena provoked in him. I loved his character development and could totally understand him throughout.

Overall, Fonesca’s Fury by Abby Green is a well written romance which takes you on an amazing emotional journey.

[LadyTechie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consider these Harlequin books guilty pleasures. It is like an entire world of romance opened up after ignoring the romance world for pretty much all of my life. I received Fonseca's Fury through Netgalley and I found it to be a great start to a new series of book about the Fonseca's. Luca Fonseca is a hard man who has a huge chip on his shoulder and also who has a heart that feels deeply for the things he lets himself feel. He carries a tremendous amount of guilt for how his father and grandfather treated the land and indigenous people of Brazil where their family company mines in the rain forest. Many years before Luca met Serena and things went terribly and he holds a huge grudge. Serena now wants a job working for Luca's company and has a hard road convincing him that she can be trusted and this story depicts how they struggled to get to know the real people they are now as well as who they really were when they met years before. It is a great story and I don't always read the sex scenes but I can say that even without them it is a great, tense story where you definitely push for them to work things out.

[Johanna Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin publishers for a free book to read and review.


I can't quite remember how old I was when I picked up my first Harlequin novel but they haven't changed much over the years. I seem to grab one when I know I need to kill an hour and I won't mind being interrupted. This book was honestly a cute and fluffy read. It hit some hot points with some drug abuse, and abusive fathers but in the end still a romance. I had hoped it would have been a bit more angsty but looks like Fonseca's fury could not withstand a beautiful blond. This was my first by this author and I would try another book from her. Alas my entertainment value was three stars.

[Komal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Won through Goodreads Giveaway

1.5 stars. Very disappointing. A stubborn, unbearable hero and an okay heroine. The book started off with in your face drama that felt familiar to other Abby Green books. The h is at the mercy of the H due to financial/family issues. They argue, argue, argue, then sleep together, then part, and are finally reconciled. Despite my dislike of Luca, I actually really liked Serena until she prostituted herself for a job. Overall, another underwhelming book by Green.

[fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf at 20%
Too dark for a harlequin

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad. Not bad at all.
It's not the typical harlequin stories where the Heroes are a-holes and the heroines doormats, no.
This was quite refreshing. I enjoyed the animosity between the MCs. Yet, their chemistry was palpable.
Loved the misperception of the heroine by the Hero, resulting in extreme hatred towards her.

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It may have been better if I had read the two previous books which explained the heroine’s tragic back story, in more detail, but it wasn’t totally necessary.

I liked that though the Hero was angry with the heroine and had cause for revenge, he didn’t really push through with it. Basically he was a very decent guy. Even when he demanded that she sleep with him, he later recanted and said he only wanted her to if she wanted it as well.

The heroine is a reformed drug user, so she needs to get her life on track. She wants to prove to herself and others that she can hold a job and make a meaningful life for herself.

An all around decent read,

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full Disclosure: I received this book for free as an advanced copy. That being said, it appears that I did not manage to finish it in advance of the book being released.

I was not overly impressed by Fonseca's Fury. Despite what the cover shows and the back of the book says, Serena and Luca spend only about a third of the book in the jungle, but it is the best parts in my opinion. Beyond that, everything feels as if it's a rush through a muddled play with too many scenes, just snippets of just what the reader needs to know to push the plot along and nothing else. To me, it makes the writing seem very one dimensional. While I'm not expecting a literary masterpiece from a Harlequin book, I have read other book from them which managed to take the slower tour around this world the characters inhabit and greatly improved my experience. A part of me feels like Green should have kept these two characters in a bottle situation as all of the tricks and turns would have been more... well, just more I guess.

Part of my dissatisfaction with the book was Luca himself. I did not like him by the end. I think my distaste came right at the point he attempts to rape Serena by coercion. I also lost a lot of my respect for Serena go right out the window when she accepted rather than telling him to shove it up his puckered asshole, but I did regain it slowly over the next few portions. Luca just maintained his boorishness, and never really redeemed himself to me. I liked the epilogue as a final HEA encore.

As for the sexy meat and potatoes, the actual business was lukewarm (though I did appreciate the attention to safe sex). Perhaps this is more a reflection on myself for my proclivities towards racier books in general as the sex scenes didn't really seem all that hot. There's nothing here that too kinky (salads remain untossed, necklaces kept safely in boxes, and rules of the road and decency are obeyed), but I know that can be a comfort to many.

I did not keep this book, and wouldn't have even if a friend wasn't in need to cheap pulp as just a single read was good enough for me. I didn't hate it, am thankful that I received it for free, but it wasn't nearly good enough to devote precious shelf space to it, no matter how slim the book is.

[TashNz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foncesca's Fury is Luca Fonseca and Serena DePiero's story. It's magically written as only Abby Green can! Serena arrives in Luca's office thinking she's been employed by a charity. She had no idea the charity was linked to Luca. Luca fires her on the spot! Seven years ago she set him up and had him arrested and thrown in jail and he is absolutely seething! This ex socialite little upstart has no business in his office and is not welcome to work for him in any way shape or form. Turfed out Serena thinks she may as well stay a bit longer in Rio. There's really not much for her in Athens. Luca is furious to find Serena is still in Rio and ends up offering her a small gig as a note taker. Small hitch, she needs to trek through the rain forest first to get to the village he's going to.

So well written! Even I was questioning if I would carry on after all the pain and suffering Serena silently struggles with on the long and exhausting trip. Her amazing spirit gets the attention of Luca and he starts to wonder if she really is as innocent as she says she is. Nothing adds up about what the press has said, nothing adds up to what he expects her to behave like and on top of that Luca needs to fight their growing attraction.

Beautifully described locations, it was like I was in the rain forest. Beautifully described Rio, I even googled the beach they were on. Lovely and intense. The back stories of both were heartbreaking and moving. So much magic weaved into the story I was sad to reach the beautiful finale. As always Abby's linked books continue and I'm happy to see Luca's brother gets his story this year. Serena's sister has had her story in Forgiven but not Forgotten and their half brother Rocco was in The Legend of De Marco.

Another example of why Abby has always been in my top 5 faves!

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Fonseca's Fury" by Abby Green is part of the 'Billionaire Brothers" series. This book can be read alone, or as part of the series. You don't need to read the series in order to follow along with this story but it's always fun to get more of a background to the characters involved.

This is Luca Fonseca and Serena DePiero's story. The first time they were involved with each other they were carted off to jail and Luca thought that spoiled, rich Serena planted the drugs on him. A few years later he finds out that Serena is working for one of his charities. He gives her a few tasks to follow, such as walking to a village in the rain forest, which she does without too much complaint.

Luca gives Serena an ultimatum to her staying on and working for him. She has a couple months to prove herself in the office as well as in his bedroom. She gives him the ultimatum that she would willingly become his mistress if he signs a paper saying that he will keep her on after the two months have passed. Neither one of them thought they would begin to care for each other, and Luca finds some information about her past that makes him second guess his feeling toward her.

This is an enjoyable, fast read.

[Jonel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was eloquently and captivatingly written. Green’s polished and inviting style combines with this incredible story of substance in an unforgettable manner. I found the plot engaging. Green combines the romance of a new couple with real world issues and controversial families.

Green has developed characters that had me hooked from the first chapter. An intense, tumultuous chemistry flows through the entire story. The attraction and wariness the characters feel for one another is palpable. It’s absolutely addictive. I really appreciated the fact that although the main characters came from money, they were about so much more than that. These were individuals of substance, who really cared about the world around them. This combined with their explosive relationship to create the perfect couple for the story at hand.

I couldn’t put this one down even for a second, even though I really should have been sleeping. This is definitely a ‘just one more chapter’ type of novel.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

[Paula Legate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It was a story full of strong emotions, chemistry, misunderstandings, second chances, and love.
Serena, and luca was together at a bar many years ago when a raid took place. Someone slipped drugs into Luca's pocket, and he thought it was Serena. He ended up being thrown in jail. Serena was known for being a wild child.

Serena was on a plane headed to Rio for a new job, when she found out who owned the company she would be working for. You guessed it, Luca. Lets just say he didn't have anything nice to say to her, when they met in his office. She begged for the job. He gave her a challenge. If she could handle a 2 day walk through the jungle to get to one of his favorite villages, she could keep her job. He didn't think the socialite would make it a few minutes, much less two days. He was very impressed. Serena didn't complain once. Every thing he thought he knew about Serena was wrong. So who is this beautiful lady walking next to him, helping him set up camp? Luca wanted to hold a grudge, but the more time he spends with Serena the more his walls around his heart cracks open.

Loved this book!

[Harlequin Books]

received 4 1/2 stars @ RT Book Reviews
Miniseries: Billionaire Brothers

[Kiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fonseca's Fury, Book 3 of the DePiero Siblings series, as well as Book 1 of the Billionaire Brothers series, was about Serena DePiero, older sister to Siena DiPiero, and Luca Fonseca, a Brazilian billionaire.
Their mother having died when Serena was 5 and Siena was just 3, they both suffered physical, mental, and emotional abuse at the hands of their very sadistic father, Lorenzo DiPiero, though Serena suffered the most. He had allowed society to believe that Serena was a "difficult child" growing up, and he even had a doctor swear that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (the previous book said she was bipolar. However, Serena said she had been diagnosed with ADHD...close but not the same, so which was it? Or...was it something more...diabolical?). By the time she had reached the age of 12, Serena had developed a drug addiction, followed later by an alcohol addiction.
When their father had been exposed for several heinous crimes, he disappeared to avoid prosecution for his criminal activities. Because of his crimes, the sisters lost the family fortune to satisfy his creditors. Siena took her “much-troubled sister” away from Italy and ensconced her in a rehabilitation center to help her get better.
Thanks to her sister and her new husband, Serena was able to stay in rehab and get her life turned around and back on track. She even had a job working with the Roseca Industries and Philanthropic Foundation...at least, she hoped she still had that job. While in flight to Rio, Serena learned that the owner and CEO of the company was none other than Luca Fonseca, a man she was believed to have wronged seven years earlier...and he had been behind bars when they last spoke.
Luca, having suffered the loss of his reputation and familial respect seven years before after a horrible run-in involving Serena while he was in Italy, had finally managed to gain some of it back, though he still bore her a grudge. When he was informed that Serena was on her way to Rio and that she had been employed for some time by one of his lesser-known charities in Athens, his temper went from a low simmer to a boiling rage. When she arrived in Brazil, he had her escorted straight to his office where he, much to her dismay, immediately fired her and had her driven back to the airport, fully expecting her to board the plane and go back where she came from. When she did not leave the country, it infuriated him all the more. However, rather than having her taken back to the airport he instead decided that she would accompany him on a trek deep into the Amazon rainforest where he owned a mining community...fully expecting her to surrender in panic and go back to Italy. But she surprised him by accepting his challenge.
Once they started their trekking, Luca pushed Serena, and himself, harder than he actually had to in hopes of making her change her mind. He wanted her to fail. He had even made certain there was a helicopter on standby...just to take her back to Rio should she balk at any time. He also had no problem with scaring her at every opportunity.
After making their first camp on the trek, Luca managed to get Serena to talk about her addiction to drugs, only to learn it wasn't recreational drugs but rather prescription meds her father had placed her on beginning at the age of five...and then later adding alcohol to the addiction. When he asked her how she could be certain she would never do them again, she informed him of her time in rehab. Finishing with her story, he said she still needed to prove herself to him, because he still did not accept that she was trustworthy. Questioning his right to judge her, Serena learned from him in return that his mother had been an alcoholic who routinely did the rehab scene, so that made him skeptical that she would stay clean. But that still didn't give him the right to judge her, for she wasn't his mother.
It was pretty nice watching Serena tear down all of Luca's pre-conceived ideas and notions about her at every turn. He started out as a judgemental prick, so to read how he couldn't stay that way for long was an immense pleasure. Also, the longer they were together, the more Luca learned about the evil b*st*rd who was her father, and listened with incredulity at how she got each and every physical scar that man had inflicted upon her from an early age.
Unfortunately for Serena, Luca kept comparing her with his mother and other women from his past...and finding her wanting. But when Serena's nightmare woke him from a deep sleep, Luca was angry when she refused to tell him what it was about...his mother had used her emotions to manipulate people into doing what she wanted, and he was angry that Serena wouldn't do that. So how did he handle that? He used his fingers to bring her to an orgasm, all the while demanding her to admit she wanted him. How messed up was that? When she tried to call a halt to it, saying it was a bad idea and they would regret it, all he did was tell her she talked too much. When she finally did what he wanted, she knew it was all about him controlling her...just as her father had controlled her all her life, and she hated Luca for it.
When they reached the village, Serena realized he had tricked her into hiking there, making her believe the place was so isolated that it was the only way...but it wasn't the truth. She realized the multi-day hike was Luca's way of punishing her. Everything he had put her through on the trail had been to mock her and make her fail...he had deliberately humiliated her. She tried to walk away, but tripped, only to find herself covered in bullet ants...and they stung her legs and arms, to which she developed severe reactions...and then she passed out. When she came to several hours later Luca told her what happened and that she was too weak to go to the mines with him. She protested, saying she was supposed to take notes for him...but something flashed in his eyes that...said something else. Had he lied about that too? How did Luca react to how well she did on the trek to the village? "Even though he knew he was being completely irrational, he couldn’t stop lambasting her inwardly for not behaving as he expected her to." and "Suddenly her significance wasn’t important anymore—who she was, what she’d done. Or not done. He wanted her, and she would pay for throwing his life out of whack not once but twice." Seriously?! B*st*rd...
Before leaving the village, Serena asked Luca if he was ready to concede and give her the job back. Instead of agreeing, he blackmailed her, saying he would give her another two-week trial that would consist of her doing charity work by day, and having sex with him at night. When she called him on the blackmail, his response was, "Luca shrugged, supremely unconcerned. ‘Call it what you want. That’s the only way you’ll get your trial.’" When she asked him about the publicity of being seen with her after all the bad news they had created seven years before, Luca stated, "‘I have every intention of people seeing us together. You see, I’ve realised that seven years is like seven lifetimes in the media world. You’re old news. And if anyone does make something of it I’m quite happy for you to be seen by my side as someone intent on making up for her debauched past by doing charity work. Everyone loves a redemption story, after all. And in the meantime, I get what I want—which is you. You owe me, Serena. You don’t think I’m going to give you a two-week trial without recompense, do you?’" So, in other words, he had no issue with using her past drug addiction and current recovery against her publicly. WHAT AN A$$H*LE!! And how did Serena respond? "...she alternated between the longing to find Luca and deliver that slap to his face which he so deserved and pausing to remember how it had felt when he’d kissed her and touched her the other night." But then, she made him a counter-offer. If she did what he proposed, then in return, "I want you to assure me that you’ll give me a job—whether it’s here or back in Athens. A proper contracted, paying job for the charity.’" And he felt relief that she hadn't decided to slap his face and leave. No, he was getting his way and he was going to get to bed her.
At least she was smart enough to make one final demand, "‘I want a signed agreement, Luca, that you’ll keep your word.’" But he was pissed that she didn't trust him enough not to make that demand. "Indignation made anger flare. ‘You don’t trust me?’ It had all been about him not trusting her. Luca had never considered her not trusting him, and it didn’t sit well. Serena’s lush mouth compressed. She didn’t answer directly, she said, ‘A promise on paper, Luca, or I’ll leave as soon as we touch down.’" Good girl, Serena! Pin his A$$ down!
Three and a half years in recovery, and Luca was close to ruining it for her with his blasted demands. What kind of man would do that to a person...man or woman? I definitely didn't like Luca at this point. Sure, he had every right to be pissed for what he believed she had done seven years before, but that did not give him the right to blackmail her into having sex.
There was one thing he did do that should have been done seven years before. He decided to investigate what had truly happened back then and was determined to find out whether or not Serena was innocent of the things he had always believed her to be guilty of having done.
Oh, this guy was GOOD. (Hear the sarcasm in that, please.) First, he told her he wouldn't hesitate to use her for publicity. Then when she said he was going to humiliate her publicly at the first event he intended to take her to, his response was, " ‘What I said before...about exposing you to public scrutiny...that won’t happen, Serena. I won’t let it.’" B*LLSH*T! This girl was smart though. Her reaction was, "Her eyes were wide. Wounded? Her mouth thinned. ‘Isn’t that part of the plan, though? A little revenge?’"
Another thing that irked me about Luca was that this jerk was clueless as to what Serena was going through at any given moment. Oh, he noted when the hands gripping her clutch were white-knuckled...but did he not know what that meant? She did not f*ck*ng want to attend a public function...she only ever did it because her father had forced her to, not because she wanted to! And she was freaking out in the elevator before they had even left his apartment building. Why the f*ck did he think she had become an addict, to begin with?! Oh, but when she flinched from his touch, he FINALLY realized...Serena was nervous! When he called her on it, she denied it, of course. She didn't want to give him any more ammo to mock her with or to use against her. And no sooner than the elevator doors swung open...than the paparazzi descended upon them like vultures to a downed carcass, and he had led her straight to them, though he denied setting her up for their assault.
When Luca told her about his twin brother, Max, and that, though they were estranged, his brother had been the one to help him avoid prosecution, etc., in Italy, he also told her, "I’m not interested in the past anymore, Serena. I’m interested in the here and now." Again, I said, B*LLSH*t! Because he was the one who couldn't let his "Mommy" issues go and kept using them against Serena.
When they arrived at the charity event, a waiter came up offering champagne. When Serena said no and asked for sparkling water, Luca couldn't believe it. "Luca frowned slightly. ‘You really don’t drink anymore?’" Serena hurt that he STILL didn't believe she was rehabilitating, had an angry response, "Serena’s belly clenched. ‘No, I really don’t.’ She made a face. ‘I never liked the taste of alcohol anyway. It was more for the effect it had on me.’" He replied, "‘What was that?’" and then Serena, "She looked at him. ‘Numbing.’"
Once they began dancing, Lucas asked her who she was. Uncertain what he meant, she asked him in return. He accused her of putting on a charade for her family, to make everyone believe she had changed just so she could "go back to doing what you love best—being a wild society princess". That caused her quite a bit of hurt and made her respond, "Serena went pale and pulled free of Luca’s embrace, saying angrily, ‘I’ve told you about me but you still don’t have the first clue, Luca. And as for what I love best? You’ll never know.’"
So, when she walked away from him, he was even angrier because "no woman had ever walked away from him before." He rushed after her in a panic...because he was possibly going to miss out on getting laid? His panic turned to fear...she was gone and he had no idea where she was going.
What pissed me off most about this book? Luca, after having learned about her horrible childhood, and the drug and alcohol addiction still pushed her buttons and nearly sent her over the edge. This was NOT the way a person who had endured such a life should have been treated.
So he chased her down and found her back at his penthouse apartment...and was relieved she was there but was still pissed at her for running off without him...because she confounded him. He didn't know who the "real" Serena was, no matter how much she tried to tell him and show him the real person. But for all that, his main focus was STILL on bedding her. So he did...much to her dissatisfaction, causing her to think she was flawed because sex had never been good for her...and it still wasn't, and she believed "she’d been broken so long ago that she couldn’t function normally now. And Luca had to be the one to demonstrate this to her. The ignominy was crushing."
Luca was flummoxed. He realized that Serena had not enjoyed the sex. But then again, he didn't really make certain she would either. He was focused on having his way with her rather than pleasing her...and she had already told him it had been a long time since she'd been with someone...and he could tell she wasn't lying. Which only proved another thing he had wrong about her...she hadn't been as promiscuous as the tabloids and society had made her out to be. But he hadn't cared. He just wanted what he wanted...his own pleasure at all costs. What a guy, eh?
Serena realized she was falling in love with Luca after that, and she also knew he only wanted to bed her. And yet, he was set on humiliating her still because she hadn't found satisfaction with him and it angered him. But yet he still pushed her buttons...ones he shouldn't have pushed for she wasn't ready to open up to him. He decided to leave, but that frightened her, and Serena decided she needed someone to talk to, to tell all of her secrets to, and so she chose Luca and began pouring it all out. After sharing all that with Luca, their second sexual encounter went much better.
Offering to show her around Rio, it finally hit Luca that Serena's "...family really aren’t funding you...are they?" That hurt.
Later, Luca realized he was getting too emotionally involved with Serena and started pulling away from her...which she sensed and was hurt by. When they returned to his penthouse, he started distancing himself from her to the point he even missed a meal she had told him she was preparing. He couldn't handle the fact that he had seriously misjudged her...especially after talking with his brother and learning the truth about what had happened seven years before...that it hadn't been Serena who had caused him to be arrested. But like the greedy b*st*rd he was, he refused to tell her until he got what he wanted from her. When he did, he left her to go back to his office, leaving her a short note to join him upon waking. At that time, his brother informed Serena that they had found the person who had caused her and Luca so much trouble. She told Luca she loved him...and Luca told her they were over. She was on her way back to Athens that afternoon...and all because Luca couldn't separate Serena from his mother.
This story with all of its drama and angst was way too long. It had too much fluff that could have been left out, but for some reason, the author chose to use it. There was betrayal, treachery, tension, lies, secrecy, pain, trauma, hatred, fear, and so many other negative emotions that overwhelmed the good emotions. There really wasn't anything about this book that honestly involved love. It was more about Serena discovering how strong she was and overcoming the traumas of the past. It wasn't even about Luca's past, though he was almost redeemed in the end. This was a journey of self-discovery for a young lady who had been dealt a rotten hand and still came out the winner. It also showed what a weak man Luca was, for all of his posturings. He was still that weak young boy who was left behind by his alcoholic mother who said she loved him but then left him behind...albeit by his own choice.
I can't say I liked Luca, even at the end. There was so much wrong with him that I can barely find anything good about him. From the opening of the story to nearly the end, he treated Serena abominably...almost as monstrously as her own father had. So what if his own parents were horrible? They weren't as bad as Serena's father. His mother may have taken his brother away from him, but he still had his brother, if wanted him in his life that is. The truth about Luca is that he was a selfish, egotistical b*st*rd who refused to let the past go and discover his own strength.
Serena, though not a consistently strong character, was a work in progress. She was growing by leaps and bounds and it was amazing to read of her constant transformation from addict to getting healthy for the first time in her life...no thanks to Luca.
This story had so many twists and turns that it turned the stomach. There was so much reality in it that there was no escape for the reader. There wasn't any true romance in this book. It was all about Luca's desire to bed Serena, to control her, to dominate, to possess...and then discard, all of which he did, to the nth degree. This wasn't the kind of story I want to read when I have the need for a good romance novel.
Was this a good book? Not really. Not when you think about all the pain that was inflicted and heaped onto the one person who did not deserve it. I like Serena's character, though I felt she should have been less hasty to forgive Luca than she did. But then, that's what the authors of such novels do, isn't it? Allow their Heroes and Heroines to act in ways that aren't normal in reality. Well, so be it. It still doesn't make this book worthy of a five-star rating. There was just too much pain and not enough romance.