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Bought by Her Italian Boss
USA Today–Bestselling His offer of protection comes with impossible temptation . . . Gwyn Ellis is in big trouble. The scandalous photos of her that have been released online are a set-up — and now they’re threatening her hard-earned job. But no one wants to hear how she’s been framed . . . no one except her boss, the dangerously sexy Vittorio Donatelli!Italian billionaire Vito will do anything to protect his company from scandal. After all, he’s kept the secret of his true parentage hidden for years. So if what it takes to combat the vicious rumors is publicly claiming the stunning Gwyn, he’ll do it. And he’ll also do everything he can to deny their irrefutably, extraordinary desire . . . Praise for Dani Collins’s romance“Sensuous . . . Readers won’t want to put this down.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2023
80 people are currently reading
461 people want to read
About the author
Dani Collins
682 books1,180 followersUSA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with laughter and heat, just like real life.
Mostly she writes contemporary romance, but she has also writes Historical Western, erotic romance, and romcom.
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Mostly she writes contemporary romance, but she has also writes Historical Western, erotic romance, and romcom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 7, 2016
What a great and fun read Dani Collins's latest book, Bought by her Italian Boss was.
Sexy rich Italian businessman rescues heroine from scandal. Sexy, sensual, emotional.
Great dialogue. Fabulous settings....Italy does it for me every time!!!!
Vittorio Donatelli! Gwyn Ellis! Totally engaging characters.
A plot filled with unexpected twists and surprises.
This is a book I couldn't put down!!!
Sexy rich Italian businessman rescues heroine from scandal. Sexy, sensual, emotional.
Great dialogue. Fabulous settings....Italy does it for me every time!!!!
Vittorio Donatelli! Gwyn Ellis! Totally engaging characters.
A plot filled with unexpected twists and surprises.
This is a book I couldn't put down!!!
November 13, 2018
Gwyn Ellis, our FMC, is in deep trouble.
Scandalous photos were released online, slandering her as an adulteress and threatening her hard-earned job with Donatelli International Bank. No one wants to hear how she's been framed…no one except her boss, the darkly sexy Vittorio Donatelli, who she has a crush on.
This is a Harlequin so we know for certain that there's a HEA. What sets this apart though, is the plot, the depth, the pace and the heat level. Kudos, Ms Collins.
Collins also treats us to another Alpha male, who went toe to toe with Vittorio and boy o boy, that scene will incinerate your panties.
Highly recommend!
November 12, 2018
Gwyn is caught up in a scandal in which she is innocent (naked online photos and branded an adulteress). Vittorio, whose family owns the bank where Gwyn is employed, offers to help her out of her bad situation while trying to do damage control for his family's bank. I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely romance that was set in Italy, and I really liked the wonderful lead couple. I liked that Gwyn stood up for herself and was smart with a good head on her shoulders. Vito was alpha but not overbearing, and I loved that he was there for Gwyn when she needed him and believed in her when nobody else did. A very enjoyable read.
July 12, 2016
The perfect twist for a plot, filled with action, scandal, betrayal, honour, love and respect.
Gwyn's life is changed forever, after a scandal.
Her reputation is slandered when photos of her are released portraying her as a porn-star/adulteress.
None pay attention that she was framed; none, but..............her boss.
Vito will do anything to protect the bank's reputation.
The dark secrets of his parentage must forever be sub rosa.
He comes with the final ultimatum to protect both hers and the bank's reputation.
Gwyn must pretend to have an affair with him, to keep the scandal at it's minimum,
while investigations are conducted to clear Gwyn's name, and reveal the trickery behind the frame-up.
And so starts the journey of Vito and Gwyn.
But in the midst of this pretence, a different story starts,
one filled with angst, sex, emotions, respect, honour, love and betrayal.
The epilogue was really cute.
Of course, it would have only intensified the story, if Gwyn was innocent.
Gwyn's life is changed forever, after a scandal.
Her reputation is slandered when photos of her are released portraying her as a porn-star/adulteress.
None pay attention that she was framed; none, but..............her boss.
Vito will do anything to protect the bank's reputation.
The dark secrets of his parentage must forever be sub rosa.
He comes with the final ultimatum to protect both hers and the bank's reputation.
Gwyn must pretend to have an affair with him, to keep the scandal at it's minimum,
while investigations are conducted to clear Gwyn's name, and reveal the trickery behind the frame-up.
And so starts the journey of Vito and Gwyn.
But in the midst of this pretence, a different story starts,
one filled with angst, sex, emotions, respect, honour, love and betrayal.
The epilogue was really cute.
Of course, it would have only intensified the story, if Gwyn was innocent.
December 20, 2016
This is much more adult and sophisticated than the majority of HP's that I've read probably because it's been written by a newer generation of HP writers.
The h is voluptuous, almost pinup star employee whose nude pictures are now floating across the internet and apparently across every office worker's computer in the building. She's facing an HR inquisition when the H steps in. He's not to happy either as this escapade makes the bank look bad as there are allegations of her affair with a client and possibly fraud. The h, in a move unseen in HP history, actually thinks of asking for an attorney to protect her rights. This protestation, her obvious distress as well as her concerns that the client was stealing make the H see reason in terms of her possible innocence. This is the last bit of reason as he concocts a way to protect the bank from the scandal. He and the h will make it look as if THEY are having the affair instead of her and the client. I am sure he had an explanation as to why this would redirect scandal but who knows.
The h isn't happy about any of it. Despite her attraction to the H, she has worked all her life to put down the effect her overly voluptuous figure has misled people. This is a huge plot point and makes me wonder what she looks like.
She has baggage; he has baggage. Angst ensues.
Well done story that I liked but did not love. It also features a couple that I HATED from Proof of Their Sin. They are incredibly likable now for some reason.
The h is voluptuous, almost pinup star employee whose nude pictures are now floating across the internet and apparently across every office worker's computer in the building. She's facing an HR inquisition when the H steps in. He's not to happy either as this escapade makes the bank look bad as there are allegations of her affair with a client and possibly fraud. The h, in a move unseen in HP history, actually thinks of asking for an attorney to protect her rights. This protestation, her obvious distress as well as her concerns that the client was stealing make the H see reason in terms of her possible innocence. This is the last bit of reason as he concocts a way to protect the bank from the scandal. He and the h will make it look as if THEY are having the affair instead of her and the client. I am sure he had an explanation as to why this would redirect scandal but who knows.
The h isn't happy about any of it. Despite her attraction to the H, she has worked all her life to put down the effect her overly voluptuous figure has misled people. This is a huge plot point and makes me wonder what she looks like.
She has baggage; he has baggage. Angst ensues.
Well done story that I liked but did not love. It also features a couple that I HATED from Proof of Their Sin. They are incredibly likable now for some reason.
July 12, 2018
Me pareció una novelita para pasar el rato; de las nuevas Harlequin, donde la protagonista es muy superada en algunas cuestiones, pero muy dependiente en otras que no me parecen bien.
Le gusta tener relaciones pero también no se hace problema cuando la mantienen, sinceramente no sé qué mensaje nos quieren dar con este tipo de argumentos.
La historia se cae a pedazos por no tener sustento y aparecen protagonistas secundarios con sus respectivos hijos a consumir páginas innecesariamente. No me gustan los niños arruinando novelas, salvo que aparezcan en el epílogo cuando ya no importan, y acá encima aparecen niños de otros personajes que si no fueron memorables en sus propia novela, menos lo son en esta.
Creo que es la segunda novela donde paso párrafos hablando de niños. El primer premio se lo lleva la saga de los Visconti, de otras autoras, donde los mocosos eran infumables también.
Le gusta tener relaciones pero también no se hace problema cuando la mantienen, sinceramente no sé qué mensaje nos quieren dar con este tipo de argumentos.
La historia se cae a pedazos por no tener sustento y aparecen protagonistas secundarios con sus respectivos hijos a consumir páginas innecesariamente. No me gustan los niños arruinando novelas, salvo que aparezcan en el epílogo cuando ya no importan, y acá encima aparecen niños de otros personajes que si no fueron memorables en sus propia novela, menos lo son en esta.
Creo que es la segunda novela donde paso párrafos hablando de niños. El primer premio se lo lleva la saga de los Visconti, de otras autoras, donde los mocosos eran infumables también.
June 22, 2016
If you love a story that will burn up the pages with a sizzling sensual affair between a handsome Italian banker Vittorio Donatelli and gorgeous staff member Gwyn Ellis then this is the book for you sit back and enjoy and you will not want to be disturbed.
Gwyn Ellis has landed herself a promotion from her job in the Donatelli bank in Charlestown USA to Milan Italy head office and she loves her job and has a slight crush on the second in charge, she works hard but still wonders why she was given this promotion and is starting to find a few irregularities with one of the charity accounts she looks after. So when she is called before the employment relations department things start to go downhill for her and then in walks Vittorio Donatelli 2nd in charge asking questions and taking charge, Gwyn's life as she has know it is just about to change forever.
Vitto is honourable and loyal and loving to his family and the family bank but he has a dark secret that must be kept no matter what and being single and playing the field suits him fine but when a major scandal is just about to break that could cause problems for the bank Vitto steps in and the woman that sends sparks through his system is very much involved so it will be up to him to prove she has been framed and get her to help with the investigations and keep scandal to a minimum but the only way to do that according to Vitto is for Gwyn to become his mistress.
WOW what a story this one is I flew through the pages as Gwyn and Vitto journey to such a beautiful HEA this one is steamy and sensual it is also moving and emotional as the strong and determined Gwyn can still be strong even with everything she has been through the caring side of Vitto that shows through this alpha male with have you sighing as they fall in love. I can highly recommend this one it is a fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable read. MS Collins does know how to write a story that you will not want to put down.
Gwyn Ellis has landed herself a promotion from her job in the Donatelli bank in Charlestown USA to Milan Italy head office and she loves her job and has a slight crush on the second in charge, she works hard but still wonders why she was given this promotion and is starting to find a few irregularities with one of the charity accounts she looks after. So when she is called before the employment relations department things start to go downhill for her and then in walks Vittorio Donatelli 2nd in charge asking questions and taking charge, Gwyn's life as she has know it is just about to change forever.
Vitto is honourable and loyal and loving to his family and the family bank but he has a dark secret that must be kept no matter what and being single and playing the field suits him fine but when a major scandal is just about to break that could cause problems for the bank Vitto steps in and the woman that sends sparks through his system is very much involved so it will be up to him to prove she has been framed and get her to help with the investigations and keep scandal to a minimum but the only way to do that according to Vitto is for Gwyn to become his mistress.
WOW what a story this one is I flew through the pages as Gwyn and Vitto journey to such a beautiful HEA this one is steamy and sensual it is also moving and emotional as the strong and determined Gwyn can still be strong even with everything she has been through the caring side of Vitto that shows through this alpha male with have you sighing as they fall in love. I can highly recommend this one it is a fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable read. MS Collins does know how to write a story that you will not want to put down.
June 26, 2016
Bought by Her Italian Boss by Dani Collins is the reason why I love Harlequin Presents. Sexy, angsty, scandalous and full out entertaining, this is surely the book to be in your hot little hands! Ms. Collins writes with such detail that her characters come to life on the page. You feel the raw emotions through engaging dialogue and detailed back story. The descriptions were vivid and this novel, on an overall basis kept me hooked from beginning to end. Vittorio Donatelli and Gywn Ellis are perfectly imperfect characters you grow to love. Their romance is oh so steamy too! Gywn works for Donatelli International Bank, a company that has been in Vittorio’s family for many years. It is Vittorio’s family heritage. So, the last thing he needs is having compromising photos of Gywn, his employee, plastered on the internet. This could ruin the bank’s reputation. He is prepared to do whatever it takes to clear the air in order to protect his business’s public image. So he makes Gywn his mistress. What he hadn’t bargained on though were the sparks that ignited flames of desire between him and Gywn. But can he create a life with Gywn when his fears are ever constant at the back of his mind?
Highly Recommended
5 Stars
June 26, 2016
"Bought by Her Italian Boss" by Dani Collins is another wonderful book from this author. Gwyn Ellis is in a compromised position when some photo's are leaked to the press. She is going to be used as a smoke screen to help Vittorio Donatelli figure out what is happening with irregularities on some accounts. Vittorio suggests that Gwyn become his 'mistress' in order to figure out what is happening. What starts off as pretend turns into a HOT romance neither really wanted but couldn't stop.
June 5, 2016
Dani Collins didn't disappoint. The storyline was powerful and clearly catalyse the inevitable love between the protagonists. Great Read! adored the Epilogue!
June 26, 2016
Bought by Her Italian Boss by Dani Collins
Gwyn Ellis is in so much trouble. Gwyn works for a bank and some very sexually suggestive photos have been sent to customer of their bank Donatelli International Bank and put on line. This is something that threatened her job and labeling her as an adulteress. No one believed that she was framed. Except for her boss Vittorio Donatelli!
Dani Collins is an awesome author who catches you in the first few pages and holds your attention till the last word when you sit there and say why did this end!
Vittorio is a man who does not want to do the family or even marriage. Since he has deep secrets about his birth parents and so he does not feel he wants to go that route.
Gwyn has lost her mother and she has a step brother and stepfather and she cannot go home to them since they do not want this publicity to follow her to them and have them get mixed up even more than they already are.
Vittorio asked Gwyn to be his mistress. Now you will need to read this book to find out what happens. But trust me you will not be disappointed.
It is hot and sexy between Vittorio and Gwyn and yet neither say they love each other.
Gwyn Ellis is in so much trouble. Gwyn works for a bank and some very sexually suggestive photos have been sent to customer of their bank Donatelli International Bank and put on line. This is something that threatened her job and labeling her as an adulteress. No one believed that she was framed. Except for her boss Vittorio Donatelli!
Dani Collins is an awesome author who catches you in the first few pages and holds your attention till the last word when you sit there and say why did this end!
Vittorio is a man who does not want to do the family or even marriage. Since he has deep secrets about his birth parents and so he does not feel he wants to go that route.
Gwyn has lost her mother and she has a step brother and stepfather and she cannot go home to them since they do not want this publicity to follow her to them and have them get mixed up even more than they already are.
Vittorio asked Gwyn to be his mistress. Now you will need to read this book to find out what happens. But trust me you will not be disappointed.
It is hot and sexy between Vittorio and Gwyn and yet neither say they love each other.
July 8, 2016
BOUGHT BY HER ITALIAN BOSS by author Dani Collins is a July 2016 release by Harlequin Presents series.
Only her boss, Vittorio Donatelli had a suspicion that Gwyn Ellis may have been framed when she was defamed by her compromising photos posted online as being sent to a married client. And Vittorio would do anything to safeguard his family bank and its reputation. So he hit back by releasing information that Gwyn was his lover.
Gwyn felt all her hard work slipping from under her feet so she went along with his plans, though fighting him and the attraction she felt for him every step of the way.
Read BOUGHT BY HER ITALIAN BOSS to see what happens when truth triumphs and Gwyn is found innocent. Would Vito and her love affair be over now that justice has been done? I had serious doubts how Gwyn and Vito would ultimately reach their happy ever after as Vito had huge secrets he was keeping from her. Then when Vito tells her to leave, I knew it was all over, yet how they ultimately come back together is a pleasure to read and savor.
Highly recommended for all readers of romance.
Only her boss, Vittorio Donatelli had a suspicion that Gwyn Ellis may have been framed when she was defamed by her compromising photos posted online as being sent to a married client. And Vittorio would do anything to safeguard his family bank and its reputation. So he hit back by releasing information that Gwyn was his lover.
Gwyn felt all her hard work slipping from under her feet so she went along with his plans, though fighting him and the attraction she felt for him every step of the way.
Read BOUGHT BY HER ITALIAN BOSS to see what happens when truth triumphs and Gwyn is found innocent. Would Vito and her love affair be over now that justice has been done? I had serious doubts how Gwyn and Vito would ultimately reach their happy ever after as Vito had huge secrets he was keeping from her. Then when Vito tells her to leave, I knew it was all over, yet how they ultimately come back together is a pleasure to read and savor.
Highly recommended for all readers of romance.
August 6, 2016
Okay Read
This was just an "okay" read for me. The store did not hold my attention. I did not feel that the couple had a whole lot of chemistry. Expected more.
This was just an "okay" read for me. The store did not hold my attention. I did not feel that the couple had a whole lot of chemistry. Expected more.
June 21, 2016
This is an incredible book by Ms. Collins you will want to read without any interruptions. You will find Vito so hot and the sex and bantering between him and Gwyn are amazing and to add to the already amazing story she adds in his brother Paolo and wife Lauren who is pregnant and has a history of never making it to the hospital to deliver. You will find yourself laughing with these two. Vito finds that Gwyn Ellis has had photos posted of her that is a concern to Vittorio's bank. The only way he feels he can do damage control is to fire her. When he takes her phone to check if anything damaging on there he sees his photo. Interesting to him, that apparently she is interested in him because he feels something for her also. He lights the fire by having him tell her everyone must believe they are together. He also starts an investigation to find out who is responsible for the photos. That is all I am going to give away of the amazing story by an author that never lets you down. Not to repeat myself but I have to talk about a hot hero Vittorio truly delivers. How does it end, amazingly and you will close the book with a smile on your face. Absolutely loved this book and everyone who reads it will also.
July 12, 2016
Another dramatic story from the pen of Dani Collins which ticks all the boxes, again.
Great opening, tick. Interesting characters, tick. Great plot, tick. Page turner, tick. Don't want to put down, tick. Sad to finish but happy at the conclusion, tick tick tick.
Accused of fraud, having an affair with a married man and having intimate pics posted on line, Gwyn's day is starting out pretty bad. She's whisked away by Vito while the company figure out what on earth is going on. So Gwyn has to drop everything, as well as plead her innocence and help restore her reputation all the while realising that working closely with Vito is doing her head in, for all the wrong reasons.
A true Harelequin Presents world which Dani is so talented at creating. I love getting lost in her amazing stories that are so so far removed from my world. I love the drama and the tension she makes me feel along with the beautiful locations we're in. I love the plots and the openings which have you on the edge of your seat while you ride it out.
Thank you for another amazing story Dani.
Great opening, tick. Interesting characters, tick. Great plot, tick. Page turner, tick. Don't want to put down, tick. Sad to finish but happy at the conclusion, tick tick tick.
Accused of fraud, having an affair with a married man and having intimate pics posted on line, Gwyn's day is starting out pretty bad. She's whisked away by Vito while the company figure out what on earth is going on. So Gwyn has to drop everything, as well as plead her innocence and help restore her reputation all the while realising that working closely with Vito is doing her head in, for all the wrong reasons.
A true Harelequin Presents world which Dani is so talented at creating. I love getting lost in her amazing stories that are so so far removed from my world. I love the drama and the tension she makes me feel along with the beautiful locations we're in. I love the plots and the openings which have you on the edge of your seat while you ride it out.
Thank you for another amazing story Dani.
November 26, 2016
I loved this book because it was all heart. There was so much love in the book, not just the characters. At times it can get a bit tiring that characters are all lonely, no family (or hated family) etc. But it was all love - there is a bit of a twist but still love.
So it starts off a typical Harlequin with a twist of the blackmail 'pretend' lovers trope. Gwyn Ellis is innocent wanting to make it on her own when she's implicated in a scandal that could destroy a family owned bank's reputation. One of the family members, the handsome and sexy Vittirio comes up with a plan more to do with his lust and desire for Gwyth rather than saving his family's bank (of course he lies to himself about that but we know better). So he proposes the 'Let's pretend to be boyfriend/girlfriend' old trick.
However it's the little details that Dani Collin put in this book that made me love it. The little uplifting acts of other characters and of also Vittiro and Gwyth that made this book shine. Can't say more without giving away the plot but it put a smile on my face.
Well worth reading!
So it starts off a typical Harlequin with a twist of the blackmail 'pretend' lovers trope. Gwyn Ellis is innocent wanting to make it on her own when she's implicated in a scandal that could destroy a family owned bank's reputation. One of the family members, the handsome and sexy Vittirio comes up with a plan more to do with his lust and desire for Gwyth rather than saving his family's bank (of course he lies to himself about that but we know better). So he proposes the 'Let's pretend to be boyfriend/girlfriend' old trick.
However it's the little details that Dani Collin put in this book that made me love it. The little uplifting acts of other characters and of also Vittiro and Gwyth that made this book shine. Can't say more without giving away the plot but it put a smile on my face.
Well worth reading!
July 1, 2016
A few months ago Dani Collins sent out an e-mail to her fans with the first chapter of this book. I read that chapter and I was hooked. I pre-ordered the book and have been waiting for its release. This morning it popped up and I read it in one day! Almost in one sitting! This is not a typical book that I would read, but it called to me. It called to me because what woman would not be mortified to have naked pictures of herself flash across the internet and her boss's finding out. Gwyn finds herself in this predicament. However, the VP Vitto, has an excellent solution to this problem. Be his mistress. That happens all within the first two chapters!!! The book is so well written, the words flowing off the pages smoothly. I was very impressed! Now...I hope she writes a book about Travis!
June 17, 2016
An action packed plot filled with a shocking scandal, a hot love affair, and a sexy, rich man having to be shown the way to happily ever after!
From the first page we are captivated by a brewing scandal involving compromising photos of Gwyn Ellis that are threatening her reputation as well as her job at Donatelli International Bank!
Vittorio Donatelli will do anything to save his family's company reputation ... including making Gwyn his mistress to cover up her alleged part in the scandal.
Once the truth comes out and Gwyn's name is cleared, the subterfuge could be up ... but they are enjoying each other's company too much! Will Vito be able to put aside his lifelong fears to actually make a future with Gwyn, or will he push her away before he fully breaks her heart?
From the first page we are captivated by a brewing scandal involving compromising photos of Gwyn Ellis that are threatening her reputation as well as her job at Donatelli International Bank!
Vittorio Donatelli will do anything to save his family's company reputation ... including making Gwyn his mistress to cover up her alleged part in the scandal.
Once the truth comes out and Gwyn's name is cleared, the subterfuge could be up ... but they are enjoying each other's company too much! Will Vito be able to put aside his lifelong fears to actually make a future with Gwyn, or will he push her away before he fully breaks her heart?
December 30, 2018
I was ok but not great.
June 21, 2023
Gwyn Ellis is in a pickle. Incriminating photos of her have been sent anonymously to a client at the bank where she’s working. The client is a man who’s been suspected of skimming funds from his own charities and Ms. Ellis has been set up to take the fall. If Kevin Jensen can make it seem like she’s a slutty adulteress who’s blackmailing him into embezzling his own funds, then she can be the patsy.
What to do? The bank’s reputation has to be saved and that means that she gets fired. But the VP, Vittorio Donatelli, thinks she’s innocent and wants to save her honor. And the best way to do it? Why, making it seem as if she’s engaged in another torrid affair instead—with him.
This is a stupid idea. Anyone can see that. To her vast credit, Gwyn states as much and comes up with all the reasons why this is a ridiculous solution to her problem. 1) It substitutes one scandal for another. Instead of sleeping with a client, she’s now supposed to be carrying on an affair with the Vice President. How does that make her look better? It makes her seem as if she’s sleeping her way to the top, an accusation she’s always strenuously tried to avoid. 2) It doesn’t save her job, reputation or make it possible for her to get work elsewhere. So how does she benefit? 3) She’s in trouble and the best solution is to have her in another affair. What country and century are they living in where this makes sense?
Here we have it: The Exotic Other. I have noted this type in other Harlequin romances. I can get why this particular subgenre of romance fantasy is appealing. Silly stereotypes can stay lodged in our heads in spite of our best efforts to uproot them. No matter how sophisticated or politically correct we become, there are women who think of Italians, Spaniards, Frenchmen, Russians, etc., as epitomizing visions of romance, hot-blooded passion and smoldering intensity.
They’re also handy in romance for traits that don’t…sit too well among our own domestic males. Stalking, rough manhandling, snapped orders, enforced embraces or physical restraint that would scream “abuser” in contemporary American men can be given a free pass if they’re displayed by fictional foreign male characters.
Everything about Vittorio Donatelli grates on the nerves. He’s the embodiment of the stereotype: hot, potent, tall, domineering and commanding. When he strides into a room or speaks, everyone else falls silent, waiting on his word. He snaps orders at Gwyn and expects her to obey. He forcibly places his hand on her back to keep her walking beside him, pulls her by the hand and expects her to spend a lot of time at his side. He treats her like a dog and seems oblivious to her bitter recriminations on his behavior.
She blushed. Hard. Hurt flashed across her expression. “I’m already a powerless game piece. Don’t make it worse by taunting me with my own stupid reaction to you.” Shame darkened her eyes, but she dared to threaten him. “Or we will have a very ugly public breakup.”
“And a very hot and public reunion,” he responded fiercely, catching at the taut tendons in her wrists where she clenched her hands into fists. Tucking them behind her back, he pulled her in close and slid his lips along her perfumed neck, eyes almost rolling back into his skull as male hunger slammed through him. He wanted her. “Because your reaction to me is exactly what will sell this story of ours. So get used to revealing it.”
Then, because she strained her face away from him, he sucked a tiny love bite onto her neck where it met her shoulder. Her whole body shuddered and a sensual moan escaped her. Her hips bucked to press her mons against his straining erection and lingered to rock with muted need, teasing both of them.
This is supposed to come off as a sensual encounter. Instead, it reads like a man forcing himself on a woman, pinioning her wrists and kissing her when she makes it amply clear she doesn’t want him to do so. But she’s just aching with physical need when he touches her and has a previous crush on Vittorio, so it’s okay! Right?
Gwyn seems so aware of the unfairness of this whole sordid situation that she’s practically breaking the fourth wall.
Her mom had been a runner. Gwyn tried to stay and fight. It was the reason she had stuck it out in school despite the cost. Training for a real profession had seemed the best way to be taken seriously. Yet here she was, being pinned up as a sex object in the locker room of the internet, set up by men who believed she lacked the brains to see when people were committing crimes under her nose.
And the solution to this predicament was to sleep with her boss? Or appear to? What kind of world was this?
“It’s such a pathetically male and sexist response to say that sleeping together would solve anything. To suggest I do it to save my job—no, your job—” She was barely able to speak, stunned, ears ringing. Her eyes and throat burned. “It’s so insulting I don’t have words,” she managed, voice thinning as the worst day of her life grew even uglier.
An arc of dangerous fire flashed in his gaze again. “Have you come up against a lot of sexism in your life?”
“Is there an amount that’s reasonable and acceptable?”
Gwyn points out the degradation of her situation to Vittorio. But he doesn’t really care. At every turn, he’s managing her life: getting her a personal assistant, taking her shopping for expensive clothes and jewelry, whisking her away from her apartment and setting her up in his flat, et al. It’s all for the good of the bank, of course, and helps maintain the image that she’s his mistress. He’s intrigued that Gwyn isn’t impressed by or salivating for his wealth but that doesn’t stop him from treating her like a high-class courtesan.
It was also why he enjoyed supporting her. She didn’t expect to be spoiled so her reaction was priceless when he collared her with precious stones and shackled her with gold bracelets.
Collared? Shackled?! What is she, a poodle or prize Arabian?
Gwyn may think of herself as holding on to her self esteem. But it’s hard to respect her when her nipples perform a happy dance every time Vittorio so much as touches her and she’s having sex with him in an elevator. Classy, Gwyn, very classy.
But in the end she falls for him and he decides she’s his, no matter what, and that he loves her too. This is another tired iteration of a woman allowing a rich man to micro- and macro-manage her life while getting in plenty of nooky. It’s another crass Cinderella story given the Italian treatment. Ciao, bella.
What to do? The bank’s reputation has to be saved and that means that she gets fired. But the VP, Vittorio Donatelli, thinks she’s innocent and wants to save her honor. And the best way to do it? Why, making it seem as if she’s engaged in another torrid affair instead—with him.
This is a stupid idea. Anyone can see that. To her vast credit, Gwyn states as much and comes up with all the reasons why this is a ridiculous solution to her problem. 1) It substitutes one scandal for another. Instead of sleeping with a client, she’s now supposed to be carrying on an affair with the Vice President. How does that make her look better? It makes her seem as if she’s sleeping her way to the top, an accusation she’s always strenuously tried to avoid. 2) It doesn’t save her job, reputation or make it possible for her to get work elsewhere. So how does she benefit? 3) She’s in trouble and the best solution is to have her in another affair. What country and century are they living in where this makes sense?
Here we have it: The Exotic Other. I have noted this type in other Harlequin romances. I can get why this particular subgenre of romance fantasy is appealing. Silly stereotypes can stay lodged in our heads in spite of our best efforts to uproot them. No matter how sophisticated or politically correct we become, there are women who think of Italians, Spaniards, Frenchmen, Russians, etc., as epitomizing visions of romance, hot-blooded passion and smoldering intensity.
They’re also handy in romance for traits that don’t…sit too well among our own domestic males. Stalking, rough manhandling, snapped orders, enforced embraces or physical restraint that would scream “abuser” in contemporary American men can be given a free pass if they’re displayed by fictional foreign male characters.
Everything about Vittorio Donatelli grates on the nerves. He’s the embodiment of the stereotype: hot, potent, tall, domineering and commanding. When he strides into a room or speaks, everyone else falls silent, waiting on his word. He snaps orders at Gwyn and expects her to obey. He forcibly places his hand on her back to keep her walking beside him, pulls her by the hand and expects her to spend a lot of time at his side. He treats her like a dog and seems oblivious to her bitter recriminations on his behavior.
She blushed. Hard. Hurt flashed across her expression. “I’m already a powerless game piece. Don’t make it worse by taunting me with my own stupid reaction to you.” Shame darkened her eyes, but she dared to threaten him. “Or we will have a very ugly public breakup.”
“And a very hot and public reunion,” he responded fiercely, catching at the taut tendons in her wrists where she clenched her hands into fists. Tucking them behind her back, he pulled her in close and slid his lips along her perfumed neck, eyes almost rolling back into his skull as male hunger slammed through him. He wanted her. “Because your reaction to me is exactly what will sell this story of ours. So get used to revealing it.”
Then, because she strained her face away from him, he sucked a tiny love bite onto her neck where it met her shoulder. Her whole body shuddered and a sensual moan escaped her. Her hips bucked to press her mons against his straining erection and lingered to rock with muted need, teasing both of them.
This is supposed to come off as a sensual encounter. Instead, it reads like a man forcing himself on a woman, pinioning her wrists and kissing her when she makes it amply clear she doesn’t want him to do so. But she’s just aching with physical need when he touches her and has a previous crush on Vittorio, so it’s okay! Right?
Gwyn seems so aware of the unfairness of this whole sordid situation that she’s practically breaking the fourth wall.
Her mom had been a runner. Gwyn tried to stay and fight. It was the reason she had stuck it out in school despite the cost. Training for a real profession had seemed the best way to be taken seriously. Yet here she was, being pinned up as a sex object in the locker room of the internet, set up by men who believed she lacked the brains to see when people were committing crimes under her nose.
And the solution to this predicament was to sleep with her boss? Or appear to? What kind of world was this?
“It’s such a pathetically male and sexist response to say that sleeping together would solve anything. To suggest I do it to save my job—no, your job—” She was barely able to speak, stunned, ears ringing. Her eyes and throat burned. “It’s so insulting I don’t have words,” she managed, voice thinning as the worst day of her life grew even uglier.
An arc of dangerous fire flashed in his gaze again. “Have you come up against a lot of sexism in your life?”
“Is there an amount that’s reasonable and acceptable?”
Gwyn points out the degradation of her situation to Vittorio. But he doesn’t really care. At every turn, he’s managing her life: getting her a personal assistant, taking her shopping for expensive clothes and jewelry, whisking her away from her apartment and setting her up in his flat, et al. It’s all for the good of the bank, of course, and helps maintain the image that she’s his mistress. He’s intrigued that Gwyn isn’t impressed by or salivating for his wealth but that doesn’t stop him from treating her like a high-class courtesan.
It was also why he enjoyed supporting her. She didn’t expect to be spoiled so her reaction was priceless when he collared her with precious stones and shackled her with gold bracelets.
Collared? Shackled?! What is she, a poodle or prize Arabian?
Gwyn may think of herself as holding on to her self esteem. But it’s hard to respect her when her nipples perform a happy dance every time Vittorio so much as touches her and she’s having sex with him in an elevator. Classy, Gwyn, very classy.
But in the end she falls for him and he decides she’s his, no matter what, and that he loves her too. This is another tired iteration of a woman allowing a rich man to micro- and macro-manage her life while getting in plenty of nooky. It’s another crass Cinderella story given the Italian treatment. Ciao, bella.
June 10, 2016
Really enjoyed the plot in this romance, both characters are strong in their own ways which make for an interesting read.
Read
June 18, 2016What a fun story! I loved the twisty turning plot as Gwyn and Vito struggle with their emotions and their lives. A great read!
May 13, 2018
Unlike most Dani Collins books that I have read, I just couldn’t get into it. I wasn’t really drawn into the story nor the characters or their romance. It was just kind of blah for me with no real excitement to the story, at least in my opinion. There were the love scenes which were the only really passionate and spicy moments in the entire book, but the rest of it just didn’t entertain me. The compelling emotions and feels just weren’t there for me, nor was the angst. I didn’t really root for them as a couple because I was indifferent to them as a couple, plus I didn’t really believe that they were falling in love with each other. It just felt forced in my opinion and very contrived. I really wasn’t a fan of Vito either. Just something about him rubbed me the wrong way, and it was really hard for me to be behind them. I could have used a couple more emotional intimate moments between them that felt true and real that would have led me to believe that they were getting closer and closer. Just I didn’t feel it in my hearts of hearts. Just there was a lot of things missing that are usually standard Dani Collins fare.
I’m not saying this was a horrible book, but I just didn’t care for it. I found myself skimming a majority of it because I just wanted to get through the story in hopes that it would get better, and though there were couple of refreshing moments in the book the rest was just lackluster for me. It needed that emotional gut punch that Dani Collins is known for as well as her classic amounts of angst that she likes to inflict on her characters. Oh well I guess they can’t all be winners, but I still love Dani Collins and know that she’ll have more deliciousness to come and I look forward to basking in it. It just wasn’t this one.
I’m not saying this was a horrible book, but I just didn’t care for it. I found myself skimming a majority of it because I just wanted to get through the story in hopes that it would get better, and though there were couple of refreshing moments in the book the rest was just lackluster for me. It needed that emotional gut punch that Dani Collins is known for as well as her classic amounts of angst that she likes to inflict on her characters. Oh well I guess they can’t all be winners, but I still love Dani Collins and know that she’ll have more deliciousness to come and I look forward to basking in it. It just wasn’t this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2017
I believe this is the #4th Dani Collins title that I've read and her books never disappoint. Gwyn Ellis is another of her complex and utterly credible heroines, however in Vittorio Donatelli she has probably created her best hero yet. For an author who seems to go from strength to strength with each book she writes, this is no great surprise, but she makes the readers journey a joy as there are always eyebrow raising moments in the romantic journey of her characters that are guaranteed to keep you guessing. I would recommend this title as much as any other Dani Collins book as a thoroughly enjoyable read and will look forward to choosing another of her compelling books in the near future.
A well earned five gold star read!!
A well earned five gold star read!!
November 24, 2018
We have another winner! Really liked the hero in this one. He's described as an alpha male but he's so sweet on the heroine, it makes me happy. The heroine's independent and sticks to her principals, which is admirable. Despite its ridiculous title, the story was realistic and paced properly, which is always appreciated.
April 3, 2019
Wow. Okay wow. Normally I don’t ever rate harlequin books well because they tend to be the worst. In one of biggest plot twists this book was actually good. I enjoyed the characters and writing, there weren’t too many idiotic decisions made, and I actually enjoyed myself. I’d give it a 5 star if there had been any real smut.
July 16, 2016
Loved it. A true harlequin HEA that kept me wanting more.
July 29, 2016
Full of scandal, this was a spicy tale of emotions wanting to have their own say.
A cute story even when it is a Presents one.
A cute story even when it is a Presents one.
August 19, 2023
It was ok. It wasn't a horrible book and wasn't boring. I just didn't like it enough to want to re-read one day.
I liked the characters, the hero and heroine had great chemistry and they were well matched in all aspects. I just didn't love the plot with her having nude photos splashed across the internet (no fault of hers, they were taken at a spa without her knowledge) and then his true parentage preventing him from wanting kids (obviously few years in future in the epilogue he got over that by having kids of his own). I hate the notion of the parent was bad and so the child is bad because of genetics. Also not a fan of the 2 month seperation at the end of book. P.
I liked the characters, the hero and heroine had great chemistry and they were well matched in all aspects. I just didn't love the plot with her having nude photos splashed across the internet (no fault of hers, they were taken at a spa without her knowledge) and then his true parentage preventing him from wanting kids (obviously few years in future in the epilogue he got over that by having kids of his own). I hate the notion of the parent was bad and so the child is bad because of genetics. Also not a fan of the 2 month seperation at the end of book. P.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2021
Was just okay.
All that sex in public places kinda icked me out. Its a very generic Hero falls for his mistress trope. If, you are like me, you’ve read a dozen others like this. This is one of the okay ones, if a bit bland and boring.
All that sex in public places kinda icked me out. Its a very generic Hero falls for his mistress trope. If, you are like me, you’ve read a dozen others like this. This is one of the okay ones, if a bit bland and boring.
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