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A Past Revenge
"I wanted you, Danielle, the moment I saw you."
Nicholas Andracas was not only commissioning Danielle to paint the portrait of his latest mistress, he was also boldly trying to seduce her with his lethal charm.
The rich and arrogant oil tycoon didn't recognize Danielle as the young woman who'd given herself to him in innocence seven years ago. To him she'd been a mere diversion, of value only when his wife had initiated divorce proceedings.
Danielle longed to pay him back with interest for the pain he'd caused her. But she tried instead to keep him at arm's length--to avoid battling herself, as well as him.
Nicholas Andracas was not only commissioning Danielle to paint the portrait of his latest mistress, he was also boldly trying to seduce her with his lethal charm.
The rich and arrogant oil tycoon didn't recognize Danielle as the young woman who'd given herself to him in innocence seven years ago. To him she'd been a mere diversion, of value only when his wife had initiated divorce proceedings.
Danielle longed to pay him back with interest for the pain he'd caused her. But she tried instead to keep him at arm's length--to avoid battling herself, as well as him.
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 22, 1985
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831 people want to read
About the author
Carole Mortimer
1,296 books907 followersI have written almost 250 romance novels in contemporary and Regency.
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
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November 29, 2015
Re A Past Revenge - Revenge, one of the pillars of the HP universe. Fully one third of the entirety of HPlandia would disappear if it weren't for the persistence of this trope, whether it is the H getting revenge on the h or vice versa, one thing is for sure - HPlandia has spawned some of the best revenge inspired emo-drama in all of Romance.
The master of the revenge trope is Sally Wentworth but Jacqueline Baird, Sara Craven and in this case Carole Mortimer, have all taken pretty good shots at the trope-- generally without the h's becoming completely hysterical and running off to Africa as they are wont to do in a Sally W. novel.
CM tackles the h getting revenge on the H for a very real past transgression in this one, but as always the suspension of disbelief is entirely dependent on the reader. We who visit HPlandia know that sometimes reality has to be stretched and inconsistencies glossed over, but ultimately the believability of the HEA often rests on how much Captain Morgan and turtle fudge cookies we have consumed over the course of reading the book.
Fortunately I have been able to read this book multiple times with only the aid of a cookie or two, (ok maybe three,) and have concluded that despite the utter unreliability of the womanizing, callous H, and the h's revenge tactics not firming to a definite resolution to engage in vengeance until page 112 of a 187 page book; overall this book does achieve a fairly satisfactory revenge action - it actually is rather marvelous that CM was able to pull it off, as for most of the story the h getting revenge seems about as likely as a kitten taking on a T-Rex and winning.
This one starts with the sweet artist h who-just-can't-say-no-to-anybody-even-if-she-pays-their-salary being coerced by her agent to accept a painting commission for a famous actress who also has a very famous playboy lover. The h recognizes the lover's name and doesn't want to have anything to do with him or the actress. Somehow she just can't tell her agent, (who works for HER not the other way around, which is the first of my reaching for a cookie to soothe the frustration in this story,) that NO she won't be doing the commission, she is going on vacation and isn't available.
The agent blows this off and then announces he already accepted the offer, for a significant amount of money - more than the h's usual fee, which she refuses to accept - she will only charge her usual amount. (What this action was supposed to show us, I don't know - I was still fretting over JUST SAY NO to the JOB - but then I guess there would be no story.)
Turns out the h has met the playboy before. Seven years earlier she went to a school friend's party at the behest of another friend, she looks across a crowded room and sees the playboy and BOOM, for the h it is love at first sight. The playboy H was too busy getting plastered and hating the world to notice that DESTINY has smacked him in the face and he is due for TRUE LURVE.
That doesn't stop him from going up to the h and hauling her out of the party tho, and the h, as the lovestruck fool she is, goes with him and winds up getting totally and thoroughly lurved up. Except it wasn't TRUE LURVEs awakening for the H at this moment.
No, the episode concludes with the H throwing two hundred pounds at the h, advising her that her school friend (the one whose party it was) had okay taste in hiring prostitutes but that the h needed a bit more experience so as to not come across as so mechanical in bed. The H strolls off to the shower after smacking her behind and telling her to get out. Needless to say the fact that the h is a 19 year old school girl who was a virgin no longer doesn't even make a nudge on his brain.
So, remember rule number 2 in HPLandia? That's right, virgins always get pregnant upon losing their pristine status in HPLandia, and our intrepid h is no different. She is preggers but very sadly has a fall and delivers a premature baby girl who dies after 10 days. The h names her after her father, puts the H's name on the birth certificate and prepares to move on. Standoffish and wary around men, the h puts romance and love out of her life and starts her career as a successful portraitist.
She has no physical love for seven years until.... The actress shows up to sit for her picture and the H comes along and makes it instantly clear that he wants the h - forget the fact that the actress has been his girlfriend for a year - he propositions the h with the GF practically in the same room. The h wants nothing to do with him, and makes that clear to both him and the GF, unfortunately the old saw of "hath no fury like a woman scorned" starts being applied here with multiple female characters.
The GF is beyond irked, the H starts stalking the h, he bombards her with propositions, phone calls and flowers. The GF decides to get even with the h by ransacking the h's bedroom for any secrets she might have. (Okay another cookie was called for here, why on earth the h let the GF use her bedroom to change when she knew the woman hated her and there was a perfectly good studio available, I will never know - oh wait, the h's colossal lack of intelligence was necessary for what happens next.)
Yes, the unhappy GF finds a miniature of the h's dead child and announces to the tabloid press that the h has a seekrit baby. She figures the H will not want the h if he thinks he has to be a stand-in parent. (Which also makes no sense as the H makes it clear to all his women that he only wants a toy on tap, he has no other interest in them - including the h for the majority of the book- there is no question of the H even being around to be a stand in parent, he only wants a small percentage of time in his bed when he is in the mood - and only in his pad of Lurve where he takes all his ladies, not his home.)
The H reads the papers and freaks out, he is furious with the h for having a seekrit child and Kudos to the h, here -- she quite rightly and quite coldly asks what business it is of his, points out that he could have a string of illegitimate babies and it would be no business of hers, and then kicks him out for judging her in his hypocrisy.
The H had stated that he booted the actress out of his life and took away her part in the play, and then informs the h that he wants to be her lover, not a surrogate father to some other man's mistake. This comment causes the h to throw caution to the winds - it is now time for the serious revenge to start.
The H gets more demanding with the h and tries all the power plays he has used on his past lovers who actually wanted to be with him. There are a few passionate interludes, but the h holds off on going to bed with the H, until he finally blows up one time too many and she dumps him.
He shacks up with a new actress and she heads off to vacation where her agent shows up, (again imposing on her life and really being sorta judgmentally jerky when it is he who owes his livelihood to her,) telling her that the H has dumped the latest hookup and is looking for the h.
The h decides to enact her final act of revenge but gets into a car accident that injures her arm. The H pretty much forces her to stay with him and after she is recovered she makes the H angry about the circumstances of the accident and they wind up consummating their attraction. The h goes out of her way to make sure that it is the best the H ever had, then leaves the money he gave all those years earlier in a prominent position, packs her bags and goes home.
The H shows up later thinking the money was for food and board, but the h quickly corrects him and gives him some hints as to who she is. His befuddlement is pretty priceless when he realizes he was being paid a non-inflationary rate for services rendered. It is even funnier when he realizes the h doesn't even LIKE him, he just can't get his tiny mind around someone not liking him - as the h also points out that you don't have to like or respect someone to go to bed with them - he has done it before and why was he complaining when someone did it to him? He tells her he loves her and wants to marry her but she kicks him out and prepares to move on again.
Finally the H remembers her from seven years ago, he explains that his business merger arranged marriage wife wanted a divorce and told him he was infertile to blackmail him into admitting to adultery during the marriage and giving her a large financial settlement or she would tell the world he was sterile.
He got the divorce papers just prior to meeting the h, and took his rage out on her, altho he says later that he realized he had probably made a mistake because the unmistakable proof of virginity was on his sheets and his prostitute hiring cousin teased him about taking off with a school friend. He claims he never cheated on his wife, and he also felt that it was better to not contact the h as he had nothing to offer her. (What a prince this man is, an apology for his behavior is too much to offer? - I ate another cookie here)
This brings us to HPlandia rule #3 - The HP H will ALWAYS believe the statement that he is infertile and will NEVER check or get a second opinion, even if the aforementioned statements comes from the local dealer on the street corner.
The h thoughtfully chooses this moment to enlighten the H that his super speeders were up to the job of providing the missing other half of her dead child's parentage. The H stumbles out of the h's life, a broken pitiful specimen of HPlandia Alpha male shot down in the height of his arrogance.
The h then does her much discussed instant about face, tells her parents who the daddy was and that she is going to him no matter what because of what his "evil" ex-wife did to him. She finds the H in his Lurve pad, alone in isolated self recrimination, and offers the portrait of her baby and her very own self to him in recompense for his ex's lies.
The H confirms that he finally got around to checking with his doctor, the ex and he were both fine, she just wanted out and used his own ego to trap him. (and Good On the ex-wife I say, this H was no picnic and if he was even half as horrible to the ex as he was to the h, she deserved every penny of that settlement and then some, and Kudos to her as well for betting so smartly on the H's own arrogance.)
The h covers him in lashings of her undying love and HEA is achieved with a little bonus HEA six months later when they decide to become baby making machines with a line-up of at least half a dozen and possibly enough for their own Rugby team.
Never mind that over the last seven years there could possibly be a whole string to help that Rugby team making attempt, the h herself said any prior "mistakes" would be no business of hers. ( I was just waiting for the paternity suits to arrive via special messenger)
Thus ends another jaunt on the edge of believability with a minimum amount of cookies and no Captain M. -- On the whole I bought it, even understanding the h's abrupt switch from hate to undying love - I knew it was coming and no cookies were needed -- this IS HPlandia after all.
The master of the revenge trope is Sally Wentworth but Jacqueline Baird, Sara Craven and in this case Carole Mortimer, have all taken pretty good shots at the trope-- generally without the h's becoming completely hysterical and running off to Africa as they are wont to do in a Sally W. novel.
CM tackles the h getting revenge on the H for a very real past transgression in this one, but as always the suspension of disbelief is entirely dependent on the reader. We who visit HPlandia know that sometimes reality has to be stretched and inconsistencies glossed over, but ultimately the believability of the HEA often rests on how much Captain Morgan and turtle fudge cookies we have consumed over the course of reading the book.
Fortunately I have been able to read this book multiple times with only the aid of a cookie or two, (ok maybe three,) and have concluded that despite the utter unreliability of the womanizing, callous H, and the h's revenge tactics not firming to a definite resolution to engage in vengeance until page 112 of a 187 page book; overall this book does achieve a fairly satisfactory revenge action - it actually is rather marvelous that CM was able to pull it off, as for most of the story the h getting revenge seems about as likely as a kitten taking on a T-Rex and winning.
This one starts with the sweet artist h who-just-can't-say-no-to-anybody-even-if-she-pays-their-salary being coerced by her agent to accept a painting commission for a famous actress who also has a very famous playboy lover. The h recognizes the lover's name and doesn't want to have anything to do with him or the actress. Somehow she just can't tell her agent, (who works for HER not the other way around, which is the first of my reaching for a cookie to soothe the frustration in this story,) that NO she won't be doing the commission, she is going on vacation and isn't available.
The agent blows this off and then announces he already accepted the offer, for a significant amount of money - more than the h's usual fee, which she refuses to accept - she will only charge her usual amount. (What this action was supposed to show us, I don't know - I was still fretting over JUST SAY NO to the JOB - but then I guess there would be no story.)
Turns out the h has met the playboy before. Seven years earlier she went to a school friend's party at the behest of another friend, she looks across a crowded room and sees the playboy and BOOM, for the h it is love at first sight. The playboy H was too busy getting plastered and hating the world to notice that DESTINY has smacked him in the face and he is due for TRUE LURVE.
That doesn't stop him from going up to the h and hauling her out of the party tho, and the h, as the lovestruck fool she is, goes with him and winds up getting totally and thoroughly lurved up. Except it wasn't TRUE LURVEs awakening for the H at this moment.
No, the episode concludes with the H throwing two hundred pounds at the h, advising her that her school friend (the one whose party it was) had okay taste in hiring prostitutes but that the h needed a bit more experience so as to not come across as so mechanical in bed. The H strolls off to the shower after smacking her behind and telling her to get out. Needless to say the fact that the h is a 19 year old school girl who was a virgin no longer doesn't even make a nudge on his brain.
So, remember rule number 2 in HPLandia? That's right, virgins always get pregnant upon losing their pristine status in HPLandia, and our intrepid h is no different. She is preggers but very sadly has a fall and delivers a premature baby girl who dies after 10 days. The h names her after her father, puts the H's name on the birth certificate and prepares to move on. Standoffish and wary around men, the h puts romance and love out of her life and starts her career as a successful portraitist.
She has no physical love for seven years until.... The actress shows up to sit for her picture and the H comes along and makes it instantly clear that he wants the h - forget the fact that the actress has been his girlfriend for a year - he propositions the h with the GF practically in the same room. The h wants nothing to do with him, and makes that clear to both him and the GF, unfortunately the old saw of "hath no fury like a woman scorned" starts being applied here with multiple female characters.
The GF is beyond irked, the H starts stalking the h, he bombards her with propositions, phone calls and flowers. The GF decides to get even with the h by ransacking the h's bedroom for any secrets she might have. (Okay another cookie was called for here, why on earth the h let the GF use her bedroom to change when she knew the woman hated her and there was a perfectly good studio available, I will never know - oh wait, the h's colossal lack of intelligence was necessary for what happens next.)
Yes, the unhappy GF finds a miniature of the h's dead child and announces to the tabloid press that the h has a seekrit baby. She figures the H will not want the h if he thinks he has to be a stand-in parent. (Which also makes no sense as the H makes it clear to all his women that he only wants a toy on tap, he has no other interest in them - including the h for the majority of the book- there is no question of the H even being around to be a stand in parent, he only wants a small percentage of time in his bed when he is in the mood - and only in his pad of Lurve where he takes all his ladies, not his home.)
The H reads the papers and freaks out, he is furious with the h for having a seekrit child and Kudos to the h, here -- she quite rightly and quite coldly asks what business it is of his, points out that he could have a string of illegitimate babies and it would be no business of hers, and then kicks him out for judging her in his hypocrisy.
The H had stated that he booted the actress out of his life and took away her part in the play, and then informs the h that he wants to be her lover, not a surrogate father to some other man's mistake. This comment causes the h to throw caution to the winds - it is now time for the serious revenge to start.
The H gets more demanding with the h and tries all the power plays he has used on his past lovers who actually wanted to be with him. There are a few passionate interludes, but the h holds off on going to bed with the H, until he finally blows up one time too many and she dumps him.
He shacks up with a new actress and she heads off to vacation where her agent shows up, (again imposing on her life and really being sorta judgmentally jerky when it is he who owes his livelihood to her,) telling her that the H has dumped the latest hookup and is looking for the h.
The h decides to enact her final act of revenge but gets into a car accident that injures her arm. The H pretty much forces her to stay with him and after she is recovered she makes the H angry about the circumstances of the accident and they wind up consummating their attraction. The h goes out of her way to make sure that it is the best the H ever had, then leaves the money he gave all those years earlier in a prominent position, packs her bags and goes home.
The H shows up later thinking the money was for food and board, but the h quickly corrects him and gives him some hints as to who she is. His befuddlement is pretty priceless when he realizes he was being paid a non-inflationary rate for services rendered. It is even funnier when he realizes the h doesn't even LIKE him, he just can't get his tiny mind around someone not liking him - as the h also points out that you don't have to like or respect someone to go to bed with them - he has done it before and why was he complaining when someone did it to him? He tells her he loves her and wants to marry her but she kicks him out and prepares to move on again.
Finally the H remembers her from seven years ago, he explains that his business merger arranged marriage wife wanted a divorce and told him he was infertile to blackmail him into admitting to adultery during the marriage and giving her a large financial settlement or she would tell the world he was sterile.
He got the divorce papers just prior to meeting the h, and took his rage out on her, altho he says later that he realized he had probably made a mistake because the unmistakable proof of virginity was on his sheets and his prostitute hiring cousin teased him about taking off with a school friend. He claims he never cheated on his wife, and he also felt that it was better to not contact the h as he had nothing to offer her. (What a prince this man is, an apology for his behavior is too much to offer? - I ate another cookie here)
This brings us to HPlandia rule #3 - The HP H will ALWAYS believe the statement that he is infertile and will NEVER check or get a second opinion, even if the aforementioned statements comes from the local dealer on the street corner.
The h thoughtfully chooses this moment to enlighten the H that his super speeders were up to the job of providing the missing other half of her dead child's parentage. The H stumbles out of the h's life, a broken pitiful specimen of HPlandia Alpha male shot down in the height of his arrogance.
The h then does her much discussed instant about face, tells her parents who the daddy was and that she is going to him no matter what because of what his "evil" ex-wife did to him. She finds the H in his Lurve pad, alone in isolated self recrimination, and offers the portrait of her baby and her very own self to him in recompense for his ex's lies.
The H confirms that he finally got around to checking with his doctor, the ex and he were both fine, she just wanted out and used his own ego to trap him. (and Good On the ex-wife I say, this H was no picnic and if he was even half as horrible to the ex as he was to the h, she deserved every penny of that settlement and then some, and Kudos to her as well for betting so smartly on the H's own arrogance.)
The h covers him in lashings of her undying love and HEA is achieved with a little bonus HEA six months later when they decide to become baby making machines with a line-up of at least half a dozen and possibly enough for their own Rugby team.
Never mind that over the last seven years there could possibly be a whole string to help that Rugby team making attempt, the h herself said any prior "mistakes" would be no business of hers. ( I was just waiting for the paternity suits to arrive via special messenger)
Thus ends another jaunt on the edge of believability with a minimum amount of cookies and no Captain M. -- On the whole I bought it, even understanding the h's abrupt switch from hate to undying love - I knew it was coming and no cookies were needed -- this IS HPlandia after all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2016
Have not had a 4 star in a loooong time. Epic angst, epic alpha, epic ass-hattedness, epic love-to-hate, epic revenge! If you love to hate your heroes, even your heroines, then look no further.
At 19, Ellie meets the biggest ass-hat of eternity at a party of a girl she doesn’t like. It's love at first sight for her so she goes home with cappello ass. They have sex. He doesn’t dial in to the fact that she’s a virgin, just thinks the sex was a little awkward for a professional like her. He throws a couple of hundred pound notes at her along with the advice to be a little more enthusiastic, sneers, then goes to shower. What does she do? Does she knife him; does she tear the pound notes in teeny, tiny pieces and leave a trail from the bathroom door to the bed. Nope, just leaves.
Secretly hoping she would tear up of the pound notes into teeny tiny pieces so they would stick to the bottom of his arrogant feet. Turns out she has other plans for the cash.
From this promising and horrific start, we have an epic, I hesitate to call it romance, struggle for sexual and emotional domination. While the H comes at dominance, revenge and other negative emotions naturally, the h ups the ante by taking one negative life lesson and honing it like fine Italian steel stiletto. Guess who she wants to use it on?
A few years after the disastrous ONS, she is an up and coming portrait painter. Her agent has set her up with cappello ass' actress-mistress. What does the h do? Does she say no like anyone with a brain to seeing her humiliator? Nope, she accepts the gig and hopes to Hannah she can handle it.
Once the H arrives with his nasty side piece and makes goo goo eyes at the h, she realizes that he doesn't recognize her. it is not over, and it is on B-A-Y-B-E-E!
The H pursues, the h deflects. The H pursues more arrogantly, the h is cruelly caustic. The H is relentless in his desire and hunt for the h, and she rejects him at every turn. We have a hero who doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going. It’s historic. It’s awesome. It doesn’t last.
The evil OW who is now a spurned evil OW sets the press on the two, and events unfold that I can not and will not despoil with spoilers. Evil OW does get fired from her acting job which is the best we can hope for, but she’s left in the dust in the drama that unfolds.
All I will say in conclusion, is that we have a heroine with a spine of steel and a revenge plot that is quite Machiavellian. She plans on planting the money on the H for a job well done. The arrogant ass-hat has his asshat handed to him, and he simply doesn’t know where to put it. He goes into the HP romance hero decline mode and even cries.
There’s a time warp and the heroine reverts back to a more inferior and submissive HP heroine and loses some of her badass points along the way.
At 19, Ellie meets the biggest ass-hat of eternity at a party of a girl she doesn’t like. It's love at first sight for her so she goes home with cappello ass. They have sex. He doesn’t dial in to the fact that she’s a virgin, just thinks the sex was a little awkward for a professional like her. He throws a couple of hundred pound notes at her along with the advice to be a little more enthusiastic, sneers, then goes to shower. What does she do? Does she knife him; does she tear the pound notes in teeny, tiny pieces and leave a trail from the bathroom door to the bed. Nope, just leaves.
Secretly hoping she would tear up of the pound notes into teeny tiny pieces so they would stick to the bottom of his arrogant feet. Turns out she has other plans for the cash.
From this promising and horrific start, we have an epic, I hesitate to call it romance, struggle for sexual and emotional domination. While the H comes at dominance, revenge and other negative emotions naturally, the h ups the ante by taking one negative life lesson and honing it like fine Italian steel stiletto. Guess who she wants to use it on?
A few years after the disastrous ONS, she is an up and coming portrait painter. Her agent has set her up with cappello ass' actress-mistress. What does the h do? Does she say no like anyone with a brain to seeing her humiliator? Nope, she accepts the gig and hopes to Hannah she can handle it.
Once the H arrives with his nasty side piece and makes goo goo eyes at the h, she realizes that he doesn't recognize her. it is not over, and it is on B-A-Y-B-E-E!
The H pursues, the h deflects. The H pursues more arrogantly, the h is cruelly caustic. The H is relentless in his desire and hunt for the h, and she rejects him at every turn. We have a hero who doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going. It’s historic. It’s awesome. It doesn’t last.
The evil OW who is now a spurned evil OW sets the press on the two, and events unfold that I can not and will not despoil with spoilers. Evil OW does get fired from her acting job which is the best we can hope for, but she’s left in the dust in the drama that unfolds.
All I will say in conclusion, is that we have a heroine with a spine of steel and a revenge plot that is quite Machiavellian. She plans on planting the money on the H for a job well done. The arrogant ass-hat has his asshat handed to him, and he simply doesn’t know where to put it. He goes into the HP romance hero decline mode and even cries.
There’s a time warp and the heroine reverts back to a more inferior and submissive HP heroine and loses some of her badass points along the way.
October 12, 2017
Some great reviews here and I don't have much to add. Heroine's revenge is great - it really was a dish served up cold and it made the hero cry. I don't think I could have stomached the ending if he hadn't cried - hero was awful at the beginning.
Because the heroine got to have her catharsis and hero's manhood is now restored, I can get behind their HEA. I'm also glad that the OW got fired from her acting job. Finally some justice!
For revenge junkies. Not a lot of romance here - just stalking and cold dismissals and an OTT OW to muddy the waters. But there's drama - lots and lots of drama.
Because the heroine got to have her catharsis and hero's manhood is now restored, I can get behind their HEA. I'm also glad that the OW got fired from her acting job. Finally some justice!
For revenge junkies. Not a lot of romance here - just stalking and cold dismissals and an OTT OW to muddy the waters. But there's drama - lots and lots of drama.
September 26, 2018
I loved h, I hated H, I loved book. The book was incredibly fast paced. Thanks boogenhagen for the recommendation. One of the best HPs I have ever read. 4,5 stars because h so easily forgived him.
July 7, 2017
One of the best revenge novels I've read from a heroine against the hero. Maybe I enjoyed this tale of vengeance because I hated the Hero. And it really takes a lot for me to hate a H. This one was in a class of his own. You know, the kind that deserves a nice, long, loving blowjob. From a shark.
After their initial doomed sexual encounter when she's 19, she meets him 7 years later. He finds her irresistible. But she's not the same naive fool who blindly fell for him at first sight (I don't know why she did, he had dipshit written all over him from the start). She has since developed a spine of steel and a heart of ice and has a sharp comeback for every line he throws at her, leaving him speechless and spluttering. The verbal sparring between the two was riveting, the angst of why she hated him and how she cruelly makes him fall for her is what gives this the 4 star rating.
Of course a few caveats here and there as with most vintage romances.
The h, at 19, goes off willingly to have sex with someone she does not know at all. I'm all for love at first sight but really, giving up your viriginity to a stranger you've barely spoken two sentences to? Tsk, tsk.
And dude, you're 30 and she's 19. He calls her sexual performance "mechanical" when she tenses in pain at her first intercourse. And he doesn't recognise her when they meet up again. Not even a flash of hey, haven't we met somewhere before, exchanged bodily fluids maybe? Nothing. I kept waiting for an amnesia hook to kick in, but, nope. And worse of all, he pursues her aggresively in plain sight of his current girlfriend! Hmmm, yep, no plans to shoot the shark and hand you back your dick for surgical reattachment.
And finally, the annoying revelation in the end when you realise, the heroine should have just swallowed her pride and spoken to him about the result of their little liason long time ago. All misunderstanding could have been cleared up and a lot of pain, suffering and unnecessary angst alleviated. But still an amazingly good read. Nice grovel by H. Enjoyed it immensely!
After their initial doomed sexual encounter when she's 19, she meets him 7 years later. He finds her irresistible. But she's not the same naive fool who blindly fell for him at first sight (I don't know why she did, he had dipshit written all over him from the start). She has since developed a spine of steel and a heart of ice and has a sharp comeback for every line he throws at her, leaving him speechless and spluttering. The verbal sparring between the two was riveting, the angst of why she hated him and how she cruelly makes him fall for her is what gives this the 4 star rating.
Of course a few caveats here and there as with most vintage romances.
The h, at 19, goes off willingly to have sex with someone she does not know at all. I'm all for love at first sight but really, giving up your viriginity to a stranger you've barely spoken two sentences to? Tsk, tsk.
And dude, you're 30 and she's 19. He calls her sexual performance "mechanical" when she tenses in pain at her first intercourse. And he doesn't recognise her when they meet up again. Not even a flash of hey, haven't we met somewhere before, exchanged bodily fluids maybe? Nothing. I kept waiting for an amnesia hook to kick in, but, nope. And worse of all, he pursues her aggresively in plain sight of his current girlfriend! Hmmm, yep, no plans to shoot the shark and hand you back your dick for surgical reattachment.
And finally, the annoying revelation in the end when you realise, the heroine should have just swallowed her pride and spoken to him about the result of their little liason long time ago. All misunderstanding could have been cleared up and a lot of pain, suffering and unnecessary angst alleviated. But still an amazingly good read. Nice grovel by H. Enjoyed it immensely!
June 27, 2012
Very intense read with an incredibly strong heroine out for revenge after 7 years. My only regret is that the author did such a great job in creating a very shallow, ruthless self-centered hero, that I did not believe he was worthy of the heroine.
He didn't do anything to really redeem himself, except stalk her. His shabby attitude towards women was pervasive all the way through the book.
She had way too much integrity to ever love someone like him.
He didn't do anything to really redeem himself, except stalk her. His shabby attitude towards women was pervasive all the way through the book.
She had way too much integrity to ever love someone like him.
July 7, 2017
I hated the hero with passion! She really REALLY should have tossed him.
He's a guy who uses the services of a prostitute.
NOTHING redeemable about him.
Any hero who uses paid sex service is basically dead to me.
Now the heroine WASNT a prostitute is besides the point.
HE DIDNT KNOW THAT. He also paid her thinking she's one.
I will NOT marry/take back a guy like that even if the world peace depended on it.
STDs are the least of the concerns!
However 4 star! Heroine gives EVERYTHING back to him including paying him for services rendered!
I would have loved it if the novel ended here!
Wish this was a psycho-thriller so heroine could legit toss him!
He's a guy who uses the services of a prostitute.
NOTHING redeemable about him.
Any hero who uses paid sex service is basically dead to me.
Now the heroine WASNT a prostitute is besides the point.
HE DIDNT KNOW THAT. He also paid her thinking she's one.
I will NOT marry/take back a guy like that even if the world peace depended on it.
STDs are the least of the concerns!
However 4 star! Heroine gives EVERYTHING back to him including paying him for services rendered!
I would have loved it if the novel ended here!
Wish this was a psycho-thriller so heroine could legit toss him!
December 28, 2017
One of the best epic great romances by Mortimer.
She certainly is one of my favourite romantic authors now because all books i til now read by her has become one of my favourites.
Nick Andracas and Danielle`s love-story was one hot electric ride full of tension,angsty and a romance i will never forget.
Love both the hero and heroine very much!
She certainly is one of my favourite romantic authors now because all books i til now read by her has become one of my favourites.
Nick Andracas and Danielle`s love-story was one hot electric ride full of tension,angsty and a romance i will never forget.
Love both the hero and heroine very much!
June 29, 2021
I have to remember that this book was written almost 40 years ago, so some things are very different now. The H has a ONS with the h when she was 19 and he was divorcing his wife because she told him he was not able to father a child. He thinks that the h is a hooker and he pays her and throws her out of his hotel room after sex. She was a virgin, and of course she is ashamed of his behaviour. She runs away with the money. Seven years later she is a renowned painter and has to paint a portrait of a famous actress. The hero is her lover. He doesn't recognize her and immediately courts her. She plans her revenge: she will make him fall in love with her and treat him the same way he did, giving him back his money after sleeping with him.
It's an interesting and different story, the heroine's revenge is real.
Actually she's cold and unfeeling until the end of the book, even when the hero is in love with her. We have further twists and of course a lot of misunderstandings. Even if the heroine was cold and bitchy I didn't like the hero at all, he deserved all his pains, so I enjoyed that he suffered a lot. He was a womanizer and until the end very male chauvinist.
The heroine, at 19, besides suffering the humiliation of being treated as a w***e, got pregnant and her baby was stillborn.
Yes, she was naive and had sex with him after meeting him for the first time. Not a very smart behaviour, expecially for a virgin.
The creepy part (very 80s): when he has sex with her, thinking she's a hooker he doesn't use a condom because he thinks he's sterile... Ok she's a virgin but anyway:
1) in the 80s there was not too much concern about STD, AIDS and all, was there? How many STDs has that pig manwhore???
2) since he isn't really sterile, and had so many lovers, how many children has he fathered in 7 years??? Yuck!
3) he pays for sex???? (This is a big no-no for me)
Anyway, a good book, because the heroine is not a doormat and until the end she doesn't soften... And the hero was treated very badly for once! This is something I love of Carole Mortimer's heroines: they are strong women and stomps on heroes when they deserve it! And this one deserve it all. (in the end he even cries!!! Yesssssss!!!)
It's an interesting and different story, the heroine's revenge is real.
Actually she's cold and unfeeling until the end of the book, even when the hero is in love with her. We have further twists and of course a lot of misunderstandings. Even if the heroine was cold and bitchy I didn't like the hero at all, he deserved all his pains, so I enjoyed that he suffered a lot. He was a womanizer and until the end very male chauvinist.
The heroine, at 19, besides suffering the humiliation of being treated as a w***e, got pregnant and her baby was stillborn.
Yes, she was naive and had sex with him after meeting him for the first time. Not a very smart behaviour, expecially for a virgin.
The creepy part (very 80s): when he has sex with her, thinking she's a hooker he doesn't use a condom because he thinks he's sterile... Ok she's a virgin but anyway:
1) in the 80s there was not too much concern about STD, AIDS and all, was there? How many STDs has that pig manwhore???
2) since he isn't really sterile, and had so many lovers, how many children has he fathered in 7 years??? Yuck!
3) he pays for sex???? (This is a big no-no for me)
Anyway, a good book, because the heroine is not a doormat and until the end she doesn't soften... And the hero was treated very badly for once! This is something I love of Carole Mortimer's heroines: they are strong women and stomps on heroes when they deserve it! And this one deserve it all. (in the end he even cries!!! Yesssssss!!!)
January 1, 2024
⭐️⭐️ two stars -
Two stars for this 1984 old-school Harley from Carole Mortimer. I found this book through my library’s electronic borrowing network on Hoopla; and I’m really glad I sourced it there and not through my usual eBay sources. Not paying for this two star read is a win.
Quite a few of my fellow romance readers rated this a lot higher than I did. I picked this book up since it did come pretty highly recommended. However, as we all know, reviews are very subjective. This reviewer has learned that I don’t particularly care for the revenge trope; at least not when it’s for an action that I didn’t perceive as entirely our Hero’s fault, anyway.
********************
SPOILERS INCOMING
* the following paragraphs are the reason why this review is hidden
The plot here is very old-fashioned. A lot of the angst in this story dwells on mores and old-fashioned misogynistic attitudes. It’s pretty incomprehensible in today’s modern age how a single young woman could be judged for becoming pregnant, while the man gets off scot free. Our heroine’s parents reactions to her pregnancy brought back memories of the latter half of the twentieth century about how women were judged harshly on actions that were not entirely their sole responsibility. It takes two to tango, and all that 💃.
The grudge our heroine holds against our Hero just seems silly and misplaced. Is he a total manwhore? Yes, he is, but having Danielle blame him for a one night stand that she willingly (and albeit, naively) participated in just seems ridiculous. The character is very immature throughout the story, and I really didn’t feel sympathetic toward her.
Overall, the plot dragged. There’s not a lot of action beyond our heroine acting like a vindictive b*+tch toward the Hero. There’s a lot of repetitive thoughts from our h since her actions toward the Hero are all underhanded. He remains completely oblivious as to the heroine’s secret machinations, and he doesn’t understand her hostile attitude toward him.
The main conflict between the two mc’s becomes his frustration with her side-stepping, and his not understanding her motivations to continue her act of teasing him. You’re supposed to be on her side during all of this, but I just couldn’t get there. I was mostly frustrated that she was too immature to have an adult conversation with him and explain to him what had occurred due to their shared past experience.
********************
END SPOILERS
The whole story is our two mc’s going out on dinner dates, our h dodging his romantic advances, and then being mad at herself for her physical response to him. There just wasn’t enough meat to the plot for it to be entertaining to me. I was bored with the revenge premise, and didn’t find that piece enough of a draw to carry the action.
Would not recommend unless you’re someone who loves old-school heroine revenge plots. For me, I would try Mortimer again. I just wouldn’t recommend this story to my fellow old-school Harley romance readers.
There’s a lot better revenge books out there. Check out the revenge lists here on Good Reads for HQ’s - I’m sure you can find something better than this one.
Two weak stars.
Two stars for this 1984 old-school Harley from Carole Mortimer. I found this book through my library’s electronic borrowing network on Hoopla; and I’m really glad I sourced it there and not through my usual eBay sources. Not paying for this two star read is a win.
Quite a few of my fellow romance readers rated this a lot higher than I did. I picked this book up since it did come pretty highly recommended. However, as we all know, reviews are very subjective. This reviewer has learned that I don’t particularly care for the revenge trope; at least not when it’s for an action that I didn’t perceive as entirely our Hero’s fault, anyway.
********************
SPOILERS INCOMING
* the following paragraphs are the reason why this review is hidden
The plot here is very old-fashioned. A lot of the angst in this story dwells on mores and old-fashioned misogynistic attitudes. It’s pretty incomprehensible in today’s modern age how a single young woman could be judged for becoming pregnant, while the man gets off scot free. Our heroine’s parents reactions to her pregnancy brought back memories of the latter half of the twentieth century about how women were judged harshly on actions that were not entirely their sole responsibility. It takes two to tango, and all that 💃.
The grudge our heroine holds against our Hero just seems silly and misplaced. Is he a total manwhore? Yes, he is, but having Danielle blame him for a one night stand that she willingly (and albeit, naively) participated in just seems ridiculous. The character is very immature throughout the story, and I really didn’t feel sympathetic toward her.
Overall, the plot dragged. There’s not a lot of action beyond our heroine acting like a vindictive b*+tch toward the Hero. There’s a lot of repetitive thoughts from our h since her actions toward the Hero are all underhanded. He remains completely oblivious as to the heroine’s secret machinations, and he doesn’t understand her hostile attitude toward him.
The main conflict between the two mc’s becomes his frustration with her side-stepping, and his not understanding her motivations to continue her act of teasing him. You’re supposed to be on her side during all of this, but I just couldn’t get there. I was mostly frustrated that she was too immature to have an adult conversation with him and explain to him what had occurred due to their shared past experience.
********************
END SPOILERS
The whole story is our two mc’s going out on dinner dates, our h dodging his romantic advances, and then being mad at herself for her physical response to him. There just wasn’t enough meat to the plot for it to be entertaining to me. I was bored with the revenge premise, and didn’t find that piece enough of a draw to carry the action.
Would not recommend unless you’re someone who loves old-school heroine revenge plots. For me, I would try Mortimer again. I just wouldn’t recommend this story to my fellow old-school Harley romance readers.
There’s a lot better revenge books out there. Check out the revenge lists here on Good Reads for HQ’s - I’m sure you can find something better than this one.
Two weak stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2017
I'm going with 4 stars for the crazy of it all. There was this totally clueless hero who couldn't understand that maybe some woman just didn't want him. There was a nice heroine who kept saying no until she finally just said F*** it and decided since he wouldn't leave her alone she'd just get some long overdue revenge on the hero and then there was the hero crying at the end. That's different.
March 19, 2011
Absolutely adored the book,liked the plot n most of all really liked the fact the heroin completed the revenge and makes hero pay for his mistakes
Recommend it
Recommend it
April 29, 2015
I adoreeeee this book *_*
February 26, 2022
4.5 stars
Damn, this girl had balls the size of Texas!!
This book was so freaking awesome, I stayed up till 4 am before I hit the end because it was too good to put it aside.
I loooved it!
I'm only taking away 0.5 star because I wanted it to be juicier when it comes to the steamy bits and the OW drama wasn't exactly handled how I wanted it to be. But when I think of my level of enjoyment?
Yeah, that's a 5.
So, if you wanna read a good old harlequin where the hero messes up and the heroine makes him pay in a way he'll never forget, than this book is for you.
I loved it.
And it was my first read from Mortimer and so I truly hope I will find heroines like Danielle in her other books.
Damn, this girl had balls the size of Texas!!
This book was so freaking awesome, I stayed up till 4 am before I hit the end because it was too good to put it aside.
I loooved it!
I'm only taking away 0.5 star because I wanted it to be juicier when it comes to the steamy bits and the OW drama wasn't exactly handled how I wanted it to be. But when I think of my level of enjoyment?
Yeah, that's a 5.
So, if you wanna read a good old harlequin where the hero messes up and the heroine makes him pay in a way he'll never forget, than this book is for you.
I loved it.
And it was my first read from Mortimer and so I truly hope I will find heroines like Danielle in her other books.
August 14, 2016
finally a heroine who gives as good as she gets. This read was a prime example of the 'revenge is a dish best served cold' school of thought and the vengeance Danielle (the heroine) wreaks on the hero Nicolas is breathtaking. She doesn't really lose her grip for even a moment and is single minded in her pursuit to bring him down. Of course, once she does have him where she wants him; she converts into your average harlequin heroine; madly in love with the hero and willing to forgive his crimes - no matter how heinous they are. and that's where this otherwise intriguing story loses a star for me.
TBH, i wasn't really reading this as a romance novel. Instead it seemed more like an old school revenge story in the style of Fatal Attraction or Diabolique or Bitter Moon. Danielle's hatred seemed too impenetrable and so, it made it difficult for me to believe the ending where she's willing to forget the misery the hero had put her through (also failing to recognise her 7 years after) and love him with all her heart. Nicholas too was not a very likeable hero and came across as selfish, spoilt and sadistic man with little to redeem himself. What's more, I just couldn't buy the story he gave as justification for the atrocious way in which he behaved towards Danielle all those years ago; so I wasn't really rooting for him here.
But other than those issues, I quite enjoyed the story and loved watching the h making the H jump through hoops at her whim. What a merry dance she led him! It was absolutely fascinating - so 3 stars!
TBH, i wasn't really reading this as a romance novel. Instead it seemed more like an old school revenge story in the style of Fatal Attraction or Diabolique or Bitter Moon. Danielle's hatred seemed too impenetrable and so, it made it difficult for me to believe the ending where she's willing to forget the misery the hero had put her through (also failing to recognise her 7 years after) and love him with all her heart. Nicholas too was not a very likeable hero and came across as selfish, spoilt and sadistic man with little to redeem himself. What's more, I just couldn't buy the story he gave as justification for the atrocious way in which he behaved towards Danielle all those years ago; so I wasn't really rooting for him here.
But other than those issues, I quite enjoyed the story and loved watching the h making the H jump through hoops at her whim. What a merry dance she led him! It was absolutely fascinating - so 3 stars!
December 10, 2016
H has one night stand with h seven years ago and discards her , only after paying her with some money for their night together .
Now seven years later , Danielle is being paid to sketch Nick's current mistress . The moment he laid eyes on Danielle he wants her of course he doesn't remember her as the teenage girl he had seven years ago . Danielle wants him to know the taste of his own bitterness ans the humiliation she went through . Nick is adamant to have her and she is too stubborn to give in easily . How much I loved this . The book only got more interesting as the past was being revealed .
Well , I enjoyed reading this very much . HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those who like suspense and like being hooked to the story . This is also about a strong h , who gives what she gets . Finally a h who is not just meek , timid , beautiful to win H's heart .
Extra star for Danielle * ..
Now seven years later , Danielle is being paid to sketch Nick's current mistress . The moment he laid eyes on Danielle he wants her of course he doesn't remember her as the teenage girl he had seven years ago . Danielle wants him to know the taste of his own bitterness ans the humiliation she went through . Nick is adamant to have her and she is too stubborn to give in easily . How much I loved this . The book only got more interesting as the past was being revealed .
Well , I enjoyed reading this very much . HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those who like suspense and like being hooked to the story . This is also about a strong h , who gives what she gets . Finally a h who is not just meek , timid , beautiful to win H's heart .
Extra star for Danielle * ..
January 27, 2018
"A Past Revenge" is the story of Nicholas and Danielle.
When famous artist Danielle is asked to do the portrait of Andre, mistress to the elusive billionaire Nicholas, the request brings back a flash of painful memories.
7 years ago, a painfully naive Danielle was seduced by then married man Nicholas, and brutally left behind- and she had to deal with its heartbreaking consequences. Now as Nicholas finds himself enchanted by her, she decides to stay aloof- but to her chagrin he decides to relentlessly pursue her- only for her to vow revenge for all the pain he gave her..
Engaging read, filled with emotion, drama, passion and tears. Couldnt help root for Danielle as she was strong and determined in her plot and beliefs. Started with hating Nicholas but I did warm up to him around 5% ish by the end.
If you like obsessive heroes, and dont mind oodles of OW/OM drama, this second chance, sorta romance is for you.
Unsafe
3.5/5
When famous artist Danielle is asked to do the portrait of Andre, mistress to the elusive billionaire Nicholas, the request brings back a flash of painful memories.
7 years ago, a painfully naive Danielle was seduced by then married man Nicholas, and brutally left behind- and she had to deal with its heartbreaking consequences. Now as Nicholas finds himself enchanted by her, she decides to stay aloof- but to her chagrin he decides to relentlessly pursue her- only for her to vow revenge for all the pain he gave her..
Engaging read, filled with emotion, drama, passion and tears. Couldnt help root for Danielle as she was strong and determined in her plot and beliefs. Started with hating Nicholas but I did warm up to him around 5% ish by the end.
If you like obsessive heroes, and dont mind oodles of OW/OM drama, this second chance, sorta romance is for you.
Unsafe
3.5/5
July 7, 2017
3.5 stars.
Everything is good until the last two chapters.
Gosh, does she need to forgive him easily like that?
She doesn't sound like the character I read for the first 8 chapters, another terrible cut needed by the editor?
Who knows..
Anyway, it's a good read, the H crazy about our h and obsessed about her.
If you love a total alpha male I bet you will love the way he bahave toward her, until you find out how he treated her when she was only 19 and he was a married guy in the 30s. But of course he had his own reasons to behaved like that which our poor heroine didn't know.
In the past her story ended in a tragedy and she want a revenge which she gave a good one, until the stupid last two chapters.
Still a good classic HP story tho..
Everything is good until the last two chapters.
Gosh, does she need to forgive him easily like that?
She doesn't sound like the character I read for the first 8 chapters, another terrible cut needed by the editor?
Who knows..
Anyway, it's a good read, the H crazy about our h and obsessed about her.
If you love a total alpha male I bet you will love the way he bahave toward her, until you find out how he treated her when she was only 19 and he was a married guy in the 30s. But of course he had his own reasons to behaved like that which our poor heroine didn't know.
In the past her story ended in a tragedy and she want a revenge which she gave a good one, until the stupid last two chapters.
Still a good classic HP story tho..
December 16, 2018
For once she is the one that wants to get revenge on him. Loooove it!!!
January 23, 2015
Juicy revenge -- the perfect antidote to alphole hero stories. More at my blog: https://willaful.wordpress.com/2015/0...
March 26, 2023
I wasn’t a fan. Once I realized that it was the h with the revenge plan, I was annoyed. Vengeful heroines are not something I find compelling. And her revenge just doesn’t make any sense to me, honestly. She’s mad because she acted like a floozy at a party and the hero treated her in kind. Assumed she was a hooker, paid her, and sent her on her way. Not realizing that this random girl fancied herself in love with him after seeing him across the room. 🙄 Sure, I get she went through a trauma of a unplanned pregnancy and infant death, alone, but it’s not like she gave him the opportunity to be there for her. She didn’t even try to contact him… so from where I’m sitting, she was equally at fault, if not more so. 🤷🏼♀️ So the whole premise of this book just didn’t gel for me. I kept expecting to get the big reveal as to why she’s so deranged, but I never saw where the plot supported her level of crazy.
The best part was watching the arrogant playboy H scramble to change his whole life to woo her.
The worst part was that she was so unforgettable that 7 years later he doesn’t recognize her. Really?? Not even a glimmer of recognition? None?? I guess he deflowers virgins on the daily? Come on. 🙄
Also he’s so enamored of her and moving around his life around to please her, but immediately starts sexing up an OW when he doesn’t get his way… this is well past the middle of the book when he’s been pursuing her relentlessly. 👀 sure thing, bro 👍🏻
The best part was watching the arrogant playboy H scramble to change his whole life to woo her.
The worst part was that she was so unforgettable that 7 years later he doesn’t recognize her. Really?? Not even a glimmer of recognition? None?? I guess he deflowers virgins on the daily? Come on. 🙄
Also he’s so enamored of her and moving around his life around to please her, but immediately starts sexing up an OW when he doesn’t get his way… this is well past the middle of the book when he’s been pursuing her relentlessly. 👀 sure thing, bro 👍🏻
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2013
The hero in this story starts out looking totally unredeemable. What he did to the heroine seven years ago was at first glance unforgivable. Danielle had made a life for herself as a portrait painter and built a reputation as a cold withdrawn woman.
Nick has spent the last seven years being pretty much a man slut which only confirms the impression Danielle was left with after their encounter. In fact they only meet because Danielle has a commission to paint his current mistress, a stunning if rather nasty actress.
When he meets Danielle, Nick takes a dead set at her but doesn't recognise the young woman from one of the worst days of his life. Danielle wants nothing to do with him but as time goes on the thoughts of revenge start to take over. When the nasty actress takes revenge on her for supposedly stealing Nick, things get way out of control.
I really liked this story. Both hero and heroine had painful pasts. That didn't excuse his treatment of Danielle so I really liked how he suffered as he worked his way to redemption.
A good old fashioned angsty read with lots of emotion.
Nick has spent the last seven years being pretty much a man slut which only confirms the impression Danielle was left with after their encounter. In fact they only meet because Danielle has a commission to paint his current mistress, a stunning if rather nasty actress.
When he meets Danielle, Nick takes a dead set at her but doesn't recognise the young woman from one of the worst days of his life. Danielle wants nothing to do with him but as time goes on the thoughts of revenge start to take over. When the nasty actress takes revenge on her for supposedly stealing Nick, things get way out of control.
I really liked this story. Both hero and heroine had painful pasts. That didn't excuse his treatment of Danielle so I really liked how he suffered as he worked his way to redemption.
A good old fashioned angsty read with lots of emotion.
December 8, 2021
Finally I see the end of the road with this book showing up every now and then on my feed. Was much of a high anticipation let-down impo.
Danielle is contracted by a wealthy man to make a portrait of his mistress. Danielle has history with this man and for obv reasons wishes to avoid this business deal but her agent won’t hear of it.
So finally she meets with a man she hates for years down and his mistress. Yummy sour cherry if you say. The man has zero recollection of having ever met Danielle so all this one-sided angsty ride throughout the book is tedious. Danielle is planning for revenge and serving justice, the H is flying through life looking for ways to keep it interesting.
The mistress is catty and hates Danielle. There is a reveal which caught me by surprise and now Danielle has her chance to pay back the H in kind. I skimmed thru much of the book and couldn’t find Danielle more interesting than a wet mop (sorry) to care either way.
Hoping to land a better one next time
Danielle is contracted by a wealthy man to make a portrait of his mistress. Danielle has history with this man and for obv reasons wishes to avoid this business deal but her agent won’t hear of it.
So finally she meets with a man she hates for years down and his mistress. Yummy sour cherry if you say. The man has zero recollection of having ever met Danielle so all this one-sided angsty ride throughout the book is tedious. Danielle is planning for revenge and serving justice, the H is flying through life looking for ways to keep it interesting.
The mistress is catty and hates Danielle. There is a reveal which caught me by surprise and now Danielle has her chance to pay back the H in kind. I skimmed thru much of the book and couldn’t find Danielle more interesting than a wet mop (sorry) to care either way.
Hoping to land a better one next time
August 26, 2013
The story certainly has its touching moments, but there's absolutely no logic in the behavior of main characters.
It starts with Danielle falling deeply and irrevocably in love with Nicolas at first SIGHT. Literally. Come on, during the first meeting maybe if you like both his looks and personality, but you cannot feel deep, real love for a stranger just based on his good looks or some chemism. Based on this 'love' Danielle slept with Nicolas and he treated her horribly, so even after a dozen of years she is still deeply set to get her revenge. That I could understand. But at the end of the story, she suddenly makes silly excuses for the guy that she could make all the years before. Well, everything for a happy-end.
But what is absolutely ridiculous is Nicolas falling deeply in love with 'set-on-revenge Danielle' while she purposely acted as a total bitch all the time with him. But maybe he fell in love with her on the first sight, too. Wait, the second first sight in his case.
It starts with Danielle falling deeply and irrevocably in love with Nicolas at first SIGHT. Literally. Come on, during the first meeting maybe if you like both his looks and personality, but you cannot feel deep, real love for a stranger just based on his good looks or some chemism. Based on this 'love' Danielle slept with Nicolas and he treated her horribly, so even after a dozen of years she is still deeply set to get her revenge. That I could understand. But at the end of the story, she suddenly makes silly excuses for the guy that she could make all the years before. Well, everything for a happy-end.
But what is absolutely ridiculous is Nicolas falling deeply in love with 'set-on-revenge Danielle' while she purposely acted as a total bitch all the time with him. But maybe he fell in love with her on the first sight, too. Wait, the second first sight in his case.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2019
Warning! BIG SPOILER!
Danielle, aka Ellie, met Nicholas Andrecas, in his niece's graduation party. Within minutes of seeing him, he convinced her - in a few or any words mind you! - to leave the party with him and later have a night together in his apartment! Then, to her shock, he offered her money and asked her to leave! After 8 years, he contacted her partner and asked for her personally to portrait his latest mistress! To prove to herself she is strong enough now she accepted!
To be honest, the story moved nothing in me! Just not convincing enough! A 34 years old man seduced a 19 years old girl after mere seconds of looking at her direction - not even after speaking to her at all! He gave her money for spending the night on the assumption that any friend of his niece has no morals! What adult logic! The heroine is even worse! She kept her pregnancy to herself and when she didn't contact the hero out of pride and lost the baby, she blamed him!
To me, both these characters are pathetic. The writing style was not thorough nor deep enough to backbone the whole story or make it plausible.
Danielle, aka Ellie, met Nicholas Andrecas, in his niece's graduation party. Within minutes of seeing him, he convinced her - in a few or any words mind you! - to leave the party with him and later have a night together in his apartment! Then, to her shock, he offered her money and asked her to leave! After 8 years, he contacted her partner and asked for her personally to portrait his latest mistress! To prove to herself she is strong enough now she accepted!
To be honest, the story moved nothing in me! Just not convincing enough! A 34 years old man seduced a 19 years old girl after mere seconds of looking at her direction - not even after speaking to her at all! He gave her money for spending the night on the assumption that any friend of his niece has no morals! What adult logic! The heroine is even worse! She kept her pregnancy to herself and when she didn't contact the hero out of pride and lost the baby, she blamed him!
To me, both these characters are pathetic. The writing style was not thorough nor deep enough to backbone the whole story or make it plausible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2015
i enjoyed this one very much, a huge roller coaster! i was going to rate it a 5 but heroine's sudden change of heart did not make sense. ofc, i knew they wud end up together -> it's an HP! so, maybe, the book shud have been longer. this change of heart was too abrupt. i did not feel she loved him. nick's reasons for his behavior 7 years ago seem petty at best and did not redeem him in any way! so imagine my big surprise, when danielle fell for his excuses and put all the blame on his ex-wife! big lol!
October 9, 2022
Great read, so much pain and angst; for anyone who likes HP and revenge trope this is a must read. This heroine had a spine of steel and was unbending in her determination to avenge herself. She was a bit of an evil mastermind and stayed true to her plot almost to the end but alas, eventually she had to transform into all forgiving/loving ninny for all of us to have a traditional HEA in true HP style complete with baby making plans.
July 17, 2012
2.5 stars
The first 2/3 of the book was fantastic, the last 1/3 not so. I loved the idea, unfortunately I really disliked that not so hero. If she walked out of his life completely, this book would have had a 5 star rating.
The first 2/3 of the book was fantastic, the last 1/3 not so. I loved the idea, unfortunately I really disliked that not so hero. If she walked out of his life completely, this book would have had a 5 star rating.
March 7, 2017
What a refreshing read! I loved the fact that this boor usual HP where the hero is the one out for revenge. It's actually the other way around! And I enjoyed watching Nicholas pursued Ellie relentlessly.
March 9, 2009
A romance with a "twist": the hero who spends the whole book pining for the heroine, and not the other way around.
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