What do you think?
Rate this book
Hostage
Their marriage was not a question of love
Inheriting her father's financial empire was the last thing fashion designer Sabrina Westlake had wanted.
She'd never loved Simon Westlake, a cold and domineering tyrant, and when she was forced to marry his enemy, rival industrialist Leo L'Aquila, to save the Westlake enterprises, she realized she'd merely exchanged one form of dominance for another.
Especially when she learned Leo's real purpose in marrying her was for vengeance, sweet and simple....
Inheriting her father's financial empire was the last thing fashion designer Sabrina Westlake had wanted.
She'd never loved Simon Westlake, a cold and domineering tyrant, and when she was forced to marry his enemy, rival industrialist Leo L'Aquila, to save the Westlake enterprises, she realized she'd merely exchanged one form of dominance for another.
Especially when she learned Leo's real purpose in marrying her was for vengeance, sweet and simple....
186 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 1985
2 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 20, 2021
This started out so well. Heroine is the poor-little-rich-girl heir of her father's empire. Hero has hated the father all of his life because of his shady dealings.
He is poised to take over the heroine's faltering empire without a qualm, but with one look at the heroine, he decides he wants to marry her for his revenge to feel complete. They marry to "save all the employees," but there is a strong sexual attraction between them both.
The story goes downhill once the hero starts his mind games so he doesn't have to tell the heroine he loves her. Heroine loses her personality so she doesn't have to tell hero that she loves him. *sigh*
It just got silly for me.
I do want to take a minute to admire that cover. I love the heroine's haircut and blouson dress.
He is poised to take over the heroine's faltering empire without a qualm, but with one look at the heroine, he decides he wants to marry her for his revenge to feel complete. They marry to "save all the employees," but there is a strong sexual attraction between them both.
The story goes downhill once the hero starts his mind games so he doesn't have to tell the heroine he loves her. Heroine loses her personality so she doesn't have to tell hero that she loves him. *sigh*
It just got silly for me.
I do want to take a minute to admire that cover. I love the heroine's haircut and blouson dress.
June 14, 2010
Intense Vintage Harlequin Romance that reads like a Harlequin Presents. It certainly has all the trappings: incredibly beautiful but cold and unawakened heroine, dark, brooding, and scary hero. Revenge, oh the revenge. Leo, the hero calls himself "The Eagle", and he tells Sabrina that he's her enemy. Actually, her father is his enemy. But he died before Leo could exact his revenge. Sabrina wasn't that fond of her father, either. In fact, she hated him for who cruel he was to her and her mother. But Daddy Dearest left all his holdings to Sabrina, and she's not going to sit idly by and let the board do all the dirty dealings her father was known for. I was very impressed with Sabrina in how she went into the board meeting, and showed the good old boys that she knew her stuff. She made them well aware that she wasn't going to stand for their old way of doing things, while they were willing to put a thousand people out of work, and maintain their high expense accounts and corporate cars. She got a bravo for that.
In her dealings with Leo, Sabrina was in over her head. Leo is definitely on the cruel hero side. He's a take no prisoners hero. Very ruthless in his dealings with her business and with her. When the big reveal comes about how he loved her since he first saw her, it's a bit hard to believe, based on how he treats her (although he doesn't ever hit or harm her physically and doesn't rape her). When he makes her believe he filed for a quicky divorce, I thought that was fairly cruel. But, he maintains he did it so that she'd admit her feelings for him. Sabrina doesn't get off the hook. She says some pretty cruel things to Leo as well. I tried to remind myself that as far as she knew, they were truly enemies, and Leo married her for revenge alone.
So why the four stars? The drama, the intensity, the good writing. The climax was written to make both characters well aware of what they were at risk for losing, and Leo comes through wonderfully when Sabrina's life is in jeopardy. I probably read some of Madeleine Ker's books when I was a kid. I read pretty much every Harlequin and Harlequin Presents I could get my hand on growing up. Unfortunately, I forgot many of those books. But, Ms. Ker's writing is excellent. She paints vivid pictures, and they are quite iconic. The drama level is built through every interaction between the characters. It's never garish, but has a natural intensity. I could see Leo as the Eagle, and Sabrina as the Ice Maiden. Even though the love scenes weren't descriptive, you could see the passion there. So, I was very impressed with this story.
If you want a good old school Harlequin that will bring on the drama, but in a very elegant fashion, I'd recommend this one. Reading this book makes me long for more new books in these lines that have this same level of intensity, passion and risk. It's why I search long and hard for these oldies to enjoy. I hope to find more of Ms. Ker's books to read.
In her dealings with Leo, Sabrina was in over her head. Leo is definitely on the cruel hero side. He's a take no prisoners hero. Very ruthless in his dealings with her business and with her. When the big reveal comes about how he loved her since he first saw her, it's a bit hard to believe, based on how he treats her (although he doesn't ever hit or harm her physically and doesn't rape her). When he makes her believe he filed for a quicky divorce, I thought that was fairly cruel. But, he maintains he did it so that she'd admit her feelings for him. Sabrina doesn't get off the hook. She says some pretty cruel things to Leo as well. I tried to remind myself that as far as she knew, they were truly enemies, and Leo married her for revenge alone.
So why the four stars? The drama, the intensity, the good writing. The climax was written to make both characters well aware of what they were at risk for losing, and Leo comes through wonderfully when Sabrina's life is in jeopardy. I probably read some of Madeleine Ker's books when I was a kid. I read pretty much every Harlequin and Harlequin Presents I could get my hand on growing up. Unfortunately, I forgot many of those books. But, Ms. Ker's writing is excellent. She paints vivid pictures, and they are quite iconic. The drama level is built through every interaction between the characters. It's never garish, but has a natural intensity. I could see Leo as the Eagle, and Sabrina as the Ice Maiden. Even though the love scenes weren't descriptive, you could see the passion there. So, I was very impressed with this story.
If you want a good old school Harlequin that will bring on the drama, but in a very elegant fashion, I'd recommend this one. Reading this book makes me long for more new books in these lines that have this same level of intensity, passion and risk. It's why I search long and hard for these oldies to enjoy. I hope to find more of Ms. Ker's books to read.
October 16, 2017
The author builds up the female protagonist to be a fierce, intelligent, independent, dignified, compassionate business woman/heiress in the beginning of the book only to tear her down into a typical Harlequin spineless, leaky jellyblob in the second half, through the transformative power of marriage to an unfeeling, ruthless, manipulative, cruel jackass :(
July 13, 2022
At least three times in the book she risks her horse’s welfare/life. That poor horse should get a restraining order on her. 🙄
I had enough of reading about this silly h with her fur coats and her jewels. She pretended that she had to wear a fur coat for businessmen to take her seriously.
It was embarrassing to read about her talking to the H that she runs her late dad’s company while she knew nothing about running the company.
Nah.
I had enough of reading about this silly h with her fur coats and her jewels. She pretended that she had to wear a fur coat for businessmen to take her seriously.
It was embarrassing to read about her talking to the H that she runs her late dad’s company while she knew nothing about running the company.
Nah.
November 17, 2020
I do love a good vintage revenge trope. Too bad this isn't a book that delivers! The only "vengeance" is in the ridiculous heroine's mind. The hero starts off deliciously dark and mysterious and dangerous, and in the hands of, say, Violet Winspear or vintage Anne Mather, we'd have had a shivery tale of "the sins of the father" with real old-skool alpha heroes bent on exacting their vengeance on our innocent and overwhelmed but none-the-less defiant heroines. But noooo... what we get here is a smitten hero who puts up with the heroine's ridiculous and unfounded vapours for way too long. And our heroine, who started off pretty likable, working hard to rise to the challenge of dealing with her ruthless and hated father's business empire following his death, turns into a pile of wishy-washy, hot-and-cold mush who doesn't know what she wants; who keeps insisting on misinterpreting everything the hero does (although he never, by word or deed, seems interested in any kind of vengeance and pretty much just wants to get on with the more fun bits of being married); and who is so annoying that by the end, I would have pushed her off the cliff that she manages to stumble off of. She's an idiot, he's too long suffering (and, hero dude--there's such a thing as "dating" if you like someone and want to get to know them--only in Betty Neels books does an MOC have to stand in for dating, and then only because BN's doctor heroes don't have a lot of leisure). I was extremely irritated by this book--false promises, so much potential and no payoff. Some seriously purple writing in places too, drama-rama and yet dull. Boo!
September 4, 2011
Melodramatic and just plain silly.
Sabrina Westlake inherits her hated father's business empire. Within mo their appears that the company is going go the dogs and is facing a take over bid by another company owned by Leo L'Aquila. l'Aquila pursues the heroine, introducing himself as her enemy.
In fact what he really wants is to marry her and he blackmails her into this by threatening to take over her company and ensure that all employees lose their jobs.
They head off to Italy where there is a will they/ won't they situation in the bed room.
She discovers that her father is responsible for his parents death and is convinced her married her for revenge etc.
They blow hot and cold and it doesn't appear that heroine actually knows what she wants.
She tells him she hates him, only to only to realise that she loves him. He threatens to get a divorce, in order to get her to admit her feelings but they are both playing chicken with the emotionally stunted.
It all comes out in the wash. Of course they love each other. Of course his blackmail plan was the obvious way to go about courting a woman and persuading her to marry you...
I can't say I cared very much by the end.
Sabrina Westlake inherits her hated father's business empire. Within mo their appears that the company is going go the dogs and is facing a take over bid by another company owned by Leo L'Aquila. l'Aquila pursues the heroine, introducing himself as her enemy.
In fact what he really wants is to marry her and he blackmails her into this by threatening to take over her company and ensure that all employees lose their jobs.
They head off to Italy where there is a will they/ won't they situation in the bed room.
She discovers that her father is responsible for his parents death and is convinced her married her for revenge etc.
They blow hot and cold and it doesn't appear that heroine actually knows what she wants.
She tells him she hates him, only to only to realise that she loves him. He threatens to get a divorce, in order to get her to admit her feelings but they are both playing chicken with the emotionally stunted.
It all comes out in the wash. Of course they love each other. Of course his blackmail plan was the obvious way to go about courting a woman and persuading her to marry you...
I can't say I cared very much by the end.
January 7, 2013
I thought this novel could of been written in modern times, I never felt it was a vintage harlequin. It was delightful to read and I can say the hero and heroine were almost perfect. I would of preferred a bit better and more elaborate ending but it was great as it was.
May 3, 2020
Just the worst. You have to engage in double think along with the writer to read this pos. The rules apply to her but not to him, and she’s fine with that.
Oh, let me take the blame upon myself. You are nothing bad, and everything good in this world, even though I have no reason on earth to think so and you’ve threatened people with death multiple times! But somehow though you’re literally worse than my father who we both hate so much, I love you
#When the hero is worse than the Villain and the heroine apparently got Stockholm syndrome from her lady bits aka just seeing the hero’s chest.
News flash. Lady bits can be indulged then rational decisions made after the fact. Sex does not equal love. Kindness does. F these people.
Oh, and the other characters in the book stunk.
Oh, let me take the blame upon myself. You are nothing bad, and everything good in this world, even though I have no reason on earth to think so and you’ve threatened people with death multiple times! But somehow though you’re literally worse than my father who we both hate so much, I love you
#When the hero is worse than the Villain and the heroine apparently got Stockholm syndrome from her lady bits aka just seeing the hero’s chest.
News flash. Lady bits can be indulged then rational decisions made after the fact. Sex does not equal love. Kindness does. F these people.
Oh, and the other characters in the book stunk.
July 24, 2024
Maybe I'm just out of sorts but this one felt tonally and rationally allover the place. The conflict- his supposedly marrying her for revenge against her father, who was already dead and therefore none the wiser - just didn't gel because once married he was a sweetheart and she was the one being Hard Work. Reader, I dnfd at page 157.
July 21, 2019
Enjoyed the drama! Soo different from the modern HP where you would read he plans revenge,get the girl, torment her and reduce her to tears. Hurting her eventually prices his conscience and he searches deeper and we get the good Grovel! In this story the beginning was no different; however the hero,Leo fell for Sabrina like a tonne of bricks when he saw her. Despite his plans to blackmail her and hurt her for revenge over her father he was already smitten and did blackmail the h but for his love. For the reader we can see he cared,but Sabrina was the tormented one in the story she had no good example of men in her life therefore the ice maiden has no ambition towards family life but instead a designer career. There was a lot of angst and passion each so occupied in the unrequited love misery they didn't realise how wrong the were about each other. It took a life threatening sequence to get them to speak their hearts. I'm on a Madeleine ker binge, so loving her vintage !!! Definitely the older these books get the sweeter the emotions.
June 8, 2021
Their marriage was not a question of love
Inheriting her father's financial empire was the last thing fashion designer Sabrina Westlake had wanted.
She'd never loved Simon Westlake, a cold and domineering tyrant, and when she was forced to marry his enemy, rival industrialist Leo L'Aquila, to save the Westlake enterprises, she realized she'd merely exchanged one form of dominance for another.
Especially when she learned Leo's real purpose in marrying her was for vengeance, sweet and simple..
Inheriting her father's financial empire was the last thing fashion designer Sabrina Westlake had wanted.
She'd never loved Simon Westlake, a cold and domineering tyrant, and when she was forced to marry his enemy, rival industrialist Leo L'Aquila, to save the Westlake enterprises, she realized she'd merely exchanged one form of dominance for another.
Especially when she learned Leo's real purpose in marrying her was for vengeance, sweet and simple..
April 7, 2023
This was good. But I don´t understand, especially in the older romances, why the heroins give up their careers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews