Return of the Untamed Billionaire

Irresistible Russian Tycoons #4

by Carol Marinelli

An explosive reunion!
Every night prima ballerina Anya Ilyushin dances for Roman Zverev - the man who once captured her heart before shattering it. Anya has buried the fragments behind an impenetrable wall, but when Roman saunters into her dressing room their fierce attraction is rekindled... Beneath Roman's wealth and sophistication lies an untamed wildness - there's nothing civilised about what he feels for Anya! He left before their longing could consume them both, but memories are branded into his soul. Now he's back - and determined to make Anya his own!

Genres: Harlequin Presents, Harlequin, Romance, Second Chance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction

286 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2016

About the author

Carol Marinelli was born in England to Scottish parents, then emigrated to Australia, where there are loads of Scottish and English people who did exactly the same, so she’s very at home there.

She lives in the outer suburbs of Melbourne—pretty much in her car, driving her three children to their various commitments.

Carol writes for the Harlequin Presents and Medical lines and she also writes contemporary women's fiction (with a dark twist).
When she's not writing she's reading, when she's not reading she's writing.

Reviews

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read the first 3 books in Carol Marinelli's Irresistible Russian Tycoons Series - the 1st The Price of his Redemption, which I really liked,
is Daniil Zverev's and Libby Tennent's story https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... and the 2nd, The Cost of the Forbidden, which I also liked Sev Derzhavin and Naomi Johnson's story, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2.... and the 3rd Billionaire Without a Past is Nikolai Eristov's and Rachel Cary'
s story, which I really loved....
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..., I was so looking forward to Roman Zverev (Daniil's brother) and Anya Ilyushin, someone from the men's past in Russia and now a ballerina and who we have met in the previous books.

Sadly, this was the least favorite in the series for me.

I started off disliking Anya but compared to Roman.....I just could not warm up to him at all. Halfway through I began to like Anya....her dedication to her dancing, her love for Roman.......but I could understand her feelings towards him...betrayal and his coldness!!! And the way he treated her was really awful......and how arrogant was he expecting her to get over his reasons for not contacting her all those years....and worst of all, his reasons for his marriage to some other woman..........I would not take his bullshit!!!! Sorry, but he really got my "goat".....I don't care if he redeems himself!!!!

All in all, this has been a really good Series.

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warning: disordered eating.

This was a two-star read (dull and depressing backstory for the H/h) until CM pulled it all together at the end for a weak 3 stars overall. Heroine is the daughter of the cook who worked at the Russian orphanage where all the heroes in the series grew up. At seventeen, she hooked up once with the angry twin who didn’t get adopted. This almost ruined her career as a ballerina, so hero decided he was toxic for her. He enlisted in the French Foreign Legion and she went on to success in the ballet world.

Heroine never had sex again – and barely ate again. After the French Foreign Legion, hero was a mail order groom to an older French woman. He learned manners, etc. . He also grew his money that he invested while in the Legion. He stayed with his wife until she died of cancer.

They meet up again at the wedding of the one of the brothers. Hero has known all along where the heroine has been. Heroine has a hard time forgiving him for that as well as his first marriage.
They begin a sexual relationship and eventually talk out their issues. Heroine doesn’t think she’ll ever have children because of her eating disorder, but she becomes pregnant.

I’m super late reviewing this, so I can’t remember all the specifics about the ending. But it was heart-warming to see all the dysfunctional orphans enjoying their friends and families years later.
But the warning about disordered eating still holds. Heroine is obsessed with food in a dangerous way. Plus, she’s not very likable. Mileage may vary on this one.

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand any of the positive reviews for this book. There was nothing likable about either the hero or heroine in this book. They were both cold & screwed up. Who likes to read a fictional romance book about a hero (Roman) who answered an ad to marry & be a sex toy to a middle age woman because he needed to "improve" himself in order to be worthy to his brother and former love? A man who has no regret on the decision to leave the supposedly love of his life and marry someone else so that he can have "a lot of adventurous sex" with the other woman? I also hated the heroine who was needy, jealous and twisted in her own way. How can anyone call this a love or romance story? This author has written many twisted harlequin romance books and I don't understand the attraction but to each his own... For full disclosure, I received a free copy for an honest review. No way would I have ever paid good money for this kind of junk reading.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Torn On This Book (may contain spoilers)

I wanted to like it I really did but I didn't like how the H made decisions for everyone's lives. I loved Anya and i really felt her pain. The author made me feel it so intensely so in that respect it was great. But (spoiler) I didnt like that the H married another older woman from an advertisement and had 'risque' sex with her and loved her eventually. He could have learned manners and such without marrying another woman. He also had other women that he took to hotels. She had no one as HP likes to do and he was jealous about the other supposed man she had in her life. She loved him so much and stayed true to him and never loved anyone else like he did and I am just so sick of this. I am old school and I don't want the h to do that but just once can't an H stay true too. Yes this book made me cry and yes she eventually forgave him for him marrying but the wife conveniently died but what if she hadn't?? Would I recommend it? No except to those many people on the 'don't hate me' forum. :) You want angst?? This is it! Go for it. But for all others be warned. I wish I would have been warned. I would never ha bcc e subjected myself to this grief. Lol. It's only a book I know but still. I wish I hadn't! Now I need something to cleanse my romance reading palate!!!

[Hemavathy DM Suppiah-Devi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a poorly written book. Roman's reasons for not getting in touch with Anya were weak, as were his reasons for marrying Celeste. I liked Anya. She was strong, dedicated to her craft and career and was obviously very much in love with Roman. I could very much understand her feeling betrayed by him. And he never once apologised for what he had done. Her treated her pretty cavalierly and expected to just pick up where he had left off.
Rotten hero.

[Margo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the absolute worst heroes I have ever encountered. His behavior was absolutely terrible and I'm seriously considering never reading anything from this author again because this wasn't romantic, it was toxic.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Save yourself now and go read (or reread) Billionaire Without a Past. That Hero was so fantastic, it’s hard to believe the same author wrote this cold, insensitive, selfish, unloving bastard.

Book 4 of the series and I’d say the worst of them, mainly because I have a difficult time with the H, his attitude, and his choices.

He’d left behind the heroine... they were ‘too young, too poor, and she had a potential career as a ballerina’ if she dedicated herself to it. He takes off without notice to be in the Legion for 10 years, and uses that time frame to amass wealth. On exiting (with wealth!), he chooses to marry an older (middle-aged) woman in reply to her advert for a toy boy/adventurous lover. Okay, the book tries hard to justify that choice. (The heroine accidentally spots the two of them together kissing during their marriage and is heartbroken, again.)

Then, there’s two additional reasons he was a lousy Hero. The wife dies and he *still* doesn’t seek out the heroine for more than a year. And in that year, he sleeps with other women in hotels (and admits that to the h as well!). That’s the final straw for me. Seriously, he still wasn’t ‘ready’ to track down his so-called love of his life?! Not buying it, he’s not an H.

So 14 years have gone by, aka the heroine’s entire 20’s, and she’s never been with anyone but him/aka celibate the entire separation. He refuses to apologize for the Other Woman (women) and demands the OW be spoken of nicely and respectfully. He believes she must have been with another man and brushes aside her admitted 14 YEARS of faithfulness without the grovel that deserves. There was never a grovel, period.

He was equally self-absorbed and uncaring in his relationship with his identical twin.

For someone was who supposedly trying to make a better man out of himself, he came off as a selfish, cold bastard. The ending was rushed. The Epilogue had too much confusing writing.

He’s negative stars, she maybe was a partial star for the suffering she endured because of him. The positive star is pretty much just for wrapping up the other parts of the series. Those characters were worth reading about. This one was a disappointing and epic fail with a worthless H.

7/21 addition: So, I reread the other three in this series (books I highly recommend), and like someone who can’t look away from an accident scene, I decided to “skim” this one for the parts where it showed the prior series characters. I’m more convinced than ever that he ended up really loving his first wife... and I think if she’d lived, he would’ve stayed with her. There was never enough written in this book to make it seem like he was truly, powerfully, undeniably driven to be with the heroine now and forever. I’m not sure there was any scene where he placed higher regard on the heroine vs. everything he positively thought or said about the first wife. Even the “love” note he shows the heroine at the end was written *before* he spent years with the first wife. He also said he didn’t consider their 14 years apart as wasted time... he had no regrets about being away from her. I wasn’t a huge fan of this heroine, but I’m still sorry she’s such the second choice to him.

[Frankie · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was not one thing that I liked about this book! To begin with, the writer must not know English very well because there were a lot of dialogue that made no sense at all and if there was any romance or chemistry between these characters, I failed to see. Roman's wife had more appeal & love than any real feelings for Anya. In other books for this series, Anya was a cold bitch and in this one she's too needy and easily forgives. As for Roman, he is loathsome. After leaving Anya when they were young to join the "legion", years later after he has done his duty he answers an Ad by a middle age woman who is looking for a younger man to marry for 2 yrs and have "adventurous" sex. He forgets all about his love for Anya and ends up being his wife's sex toy at first and then falls in love with her until she dies. He had lots of "adventurous sex" with said wife and fond memories which he recalls over & over and defends her against anything negative that Anya may say about her - or the choices he made. I received a fee copy for an honest review. If you enjoy reading about a man who prostitutes himself in the name of "improving" himself and who shows very little respect, passion or love for the heroine, well then this is the book for you!

[Isa Centeno · Rating 1 out of 5]

Que libro más pesado

[Reads by Starburst · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written romance on the second chance trope,Return of the Untamed Billionaire by Carol Marinelli managed to keep me hooked from the start.Anya is a strong independent heroine who has seen her share of tough times.I loved that she was so dedicated to her craft and was willing to sacrifice for the same.At first,she is hurt and lashing at Roman,which I totally understood from her perspective.She was not perfect and had flaws,which made her more realistic.Roman is an alpha hero who knows that he needs Anya back in his life no matter what.He too has his own emotional baggage and insecurities to deal with.I loved how he supports Anya and is proud of her choices.The tension and attraction between the main characters is really intense at the start but it dwindles a little bit in the later chapters.The pace is fast throughout and held my interest throughout.I also liked how the author payed attention to very little things in the story.Overall,an enjoyable romance because of its well characterized characters who won my heart!

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable series

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just was not to my liking.

[LilyRosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not know how to rate this. Compared to the other three books in the series this was dark and bleak, the characters were more damaged and the wounds in their psyche more profound.

There were no traces of the quirky humour and underlying joy from the other books. The backgrounds of the two MC's showed the brutality of poverty in much more vivid ways than in the other books. It had a Dickensian level of misery and sadness to it.

I was prepared to hate the heroine because, in her appearance in the other books, she came across as cold, mean, narcissistic and arrogant, but I started to understand her better in this one and she grew on me.

The hero came across as a soul-less, cold, selfish swine who had no thought for anyone else or the damage he had done for those who loved him.


I hated the choices he made - firstly joining the Foreign Legion.
I know it is conveyed as a romantic, adventurous lark for young men, but in reality they become mercenary soldiers. They don't fight for a cause they believe passionately in or in defence of their own country, but they wreck destruction where-ever they are deployed in poor countries.

Second rotten decision -to become a toyboy to a rich woman. That kinda made my skin crawl. Especially answering an add for adventurous sex. What does that even mean? I don't even want to think about what types of debauchery that might involve.

I hated how he constantly defended his first wife to the supposed love of his life. He hurt the heroine so badly. It felt cruel, because it felt like he was in love with his cougar benefactor.


Third rotten decision - not to tell anyone where he was despite him knowing where they all were.

I did not understand how the eating disorder got resolved in the end for the heroine. It is a mental illness that can be fatal. It doesn't just go away without intensive therapy.

A problem with the structure was that the past and present kept blurring which got very confusing at times.

But on the plus side, the writing in this book was flawless. CM really creates in-depth characters and builds well-defined settings. Which is why I am stuck on the rating for this.

In terms of the writing it is a 5 star; in terms of how flat and depressed I felt after reading it, it is one star. But there was one shining moment of joy in the epilogue with the little girl they adopted. That made my heart soar.

[Helen Moulden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had already read book two in the series. I recently managed to get the other three but read book four by mistake before reading one and three. It is hard to give a proper review when you don't read the books in order. But I did enjoy the story and the characters. I will probably understand it more once I have read book one - Daniil's story. Loved the ending of Roman and Anya's story.

[Tmstprc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good. So often Harlequins are over the top. This entire series was very good.

[Biggaletta Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it however I like Carol Marinelli's book because they are original and well written. I feel this book is much too ambitious and dark for the short harlequin format and would have been done better justice in a larger format. However great read!

So Anya a ballerina finds her first love Roman again, each of them having a past. Roman is a hard core alpha male but decent and dedicated to Anya. Anya has too much psychological issues which display themselves as potential eating disorders. So Carol Marinelli did research on this book, plenty however I felt that Anya potential bulimia and anorexia should have been addressed. It was in a way hinting Roman would take care of her, however at some point Naomi from another book commented Anya was stealing food.

Now I never really liked Naomi from one of the books, however this time she was a complete bitch for her comments. If you ever see a super thin person slip food into their bag it's because they have issues and need to be treated with compassion not saying 'look she's stealing food.' That annoyed me so much. Then give her food as a gift later on...WTF!

I would have liked more of it, and also to know Anya got over her eating issues partly caused by her ambition to be a prima ballerina.

Roman was cool, I like Carol Marinelli's heroes in this series.

[Mudpie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made the mistake of reading several 1/2* reviews and was prepared to hate this book. It has so many things I hated like hero defending the Other Woman whom he MARRIED? Abandoned his loved ones never intending to make contact again? Married an older woman for "adventurous sex"?! Gosh! With this prejudice I started reading this final of 4 Russian heroes series ...boy am I glad I gave this book a chance! Whoever wrote those reviews seemed to only see the bad and ignored the why and how. The author reminded me why I like her books normally...the charcters have depth and we are who we are because of circumstances. Or rather how we deal with what life throws us that makes our true characters emerge. I have always been intrigued by ballet dancers' lives and their world and Anya's story showed us the cost of achieving the status as a top prima ballerina. What a dog eats dog world and if she appeared cold it was because of all she's been through and how she coped with a broken heart. Likewise Roman did what he did out of love...never would I expect to like or feel grateful to the Other Woman but Celeste gave Roman a taste of his first real home and civilisation. In a way she prepared Roman for life after the Legion. This is by far one of the more interesting Mills & Boon I've ever read. Now to find the rest of the books in the series!

[shms · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually dislike new HP's preferring to live in the HP world of old, douche bag H's and all so I have to confess total shock and surprise that I found a new HP that actually held my attention. I found it riveting.

I'm not sure whether it was the whole ballet thing, so refreshingly different and quite well drawn or the characters, both intense and not perfect at all. I never really connected with either the H or the h but something about the book did it for me. Maybe it suited my mood, being the first book I picked up in month after being ill, or maybe it really was because it was fairy tale and fantasy. The other characters told me that there are other books in the series but can't say I'm lining them up for the tbr pile.

[Se Mcgregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the conclusion to the series. Book two was probably the one I liked least of the four. One thing that has to be said. Roman (this book) and Daniil (book one) are identical twins - apart from a scar on Daniil's cheek. Couldn't they have used the same cover "actor" for continuity purposes? The story even mentions them going to Romans Paris apartment where his butler mistakes Daniil for him. Aside from that, I loved the series ending. Carol Marinelli sure loves writing about Russian orphans made good - House of Kolovsky series.

[RomLibrary · Rating 1 out of 5]

An explosive reunion!

Every night, prima ballerina Anya Ilyushin dances for Roman Zverev—the man who once captured her heart, before shattering it. Anya has buried the fragments behind an impenetrable wall, but when Roman saunters into her dressing room, their fierce attraction is rekindled…

Beneath Roman's wealth and sophistication lies an untamed wildness—there's nothing civilized about what he feels for Anya! He left before their longing could consume them both, but memories were branded onto his soul. Now he's back and determined to make Anya his own!

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plotting of the book was way too choppy. There was flashbacks but they blended with the present so you had no idea what was happening. So that was his kid right? I mean the doctor was wrong right or was she raped?! Not fixed or answered. I liked that they grew up together, that was sweet. But I'm sick of heroes ditching heroines to 'make it' with out her. It's an annoying trope and lacks imagination on the author's and hero's parts. 'I'd hold you back!' How? By loving and supporting me? Bleh. Read it but there are flaws.

[Harlequin Books]

"Spot-on emotional descriptions make Marinelli’s Irresistible Russian Tycoons story a strong one. Both Anya and Roman’s feelings are real, particularly in Anya’s angst over both Roman and her career" (4 stars @ RT Book Reviews).

Miniseries: Irresistible Russian Tycoons

[L H · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of drama...
I like my old man is to be with a good dose of angst...but this had black love and tooooo much of dark history

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was exciting to read about the last of the four boys that grew up in a Russian orphanage. Can Roman win back Anya's shattered heart? Will secrets finally be revealed?

[Titania Remakes the World · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes "love" or "being loyal" is tough-love.

I'd say this one was the most complicated, most true-to-life, heartbreaking of the series. Roman really sacrificed himself for his twin and Anya, his early childhood love.
I really think if he'd tried to hang on to both of them in their teenage years, it would've doomed them all to the vicious cycles of poverty and all the ugliness & crime that they would have lived in--with him front & center as the "vulgar-animal & life-ruiner".
Most importantly, he didn't want to BE the "animal that ruins everything he touches" as he'd been programmed into believing he was. He truly believed all that crap, and didn't want to be burden or embarrassment parasiting off a more successful Anya and his twin. There was NO WAY he wanted to be an embarrassment to them, or be in a position where they are having to surveillance & care-take him by "teaching" him how to behave. So he set his twin & Anya free, and he went out and methodically made himself (in his mind) better, "human", civilized, and "worthy".
Heartbreaking Choices: I had a REALLY hard time with some of his choices, just heartbreaking, but really had to think about it. In-real-life, I've desperately loved jobs/people, but due to life, despite what YOU REALLY-REALLY WANT, you have to force yourself to move-on with other jobs or people. Ex: dearly loving several exes, but they are just too damaged to love, so force yourself to move-on. He had previously set Anya free THREE+ times. They had HUGE crushes for each other in the orphanage. He never tried to hook up with her in the orphanage and didn't try after he left the orphanage. He only hooked up with 20-yr-old-Anya after she ran into him on the street and he walked away AGAIN, & she literally chased after him & jumped on his back. AT this point, despite their huge unrequited crushes, he'd already had tons of bad/unskilled sex with other girls before he had sex with her. (Again, this is more true-to-life, people try to move-on and make the best with what they've got.)
Then her mother accused him of wrecking Anya's career, so he sacrificed himself, set her free AGAIN to avoid trapping her in their miserable squalor. Then joined the Foreign Legion knowing it's extremely dangerous, he could die but willing to take that risk for a better life. In a way, I'd say it was almost suicidal to kill "the beast" he thought he was. He learned a lot of character values, made a fortune in stocks, and had even more sex (most likely still bad).
But after the Foreign Legion, even though rich, still felt he was unworthy to approach Anya or his twin, he felt he needed to improve his human-behaviors--he knew nothing of how to eat, couldn't even stand to be hugged and panicked in a person's home.
So he found a temporary relationship (Celine) to train him and he really grew to deeply care for this person that gave him his FIRST home/caring/household-training/sex-training/mothering/parenting, and stayed with her an extra year while she was dying. I REALLY don't think he was "consciously" training for getting back with Anya.
I think when he previously freed his twin & Anya, it was with zero strings or expectations of getting back with them. They supposedly had Fabulous futures awaiting them, so he just got on with improving his life & self with a HUGE EFFORT and RISK. IF he had hopes for a future with them, they were microscopic, completely unconscious, hidden.
What I might've liked: If this ever gets a chance for an updated version, I'd like to see more evidence of Roman's thought process in getting involved with Celine, doubts, and whether he was thinking of Anya at the end of the 2-yr-agreement. Also, what was going through his head & actions after the death of Celine and the month before meeting Anya.
------------
Series: Author: PLEASE Write More!!! I unexpectedly, really liked this series. Very emotional books. These guys were unwanted --the wrong coloring, very neglected, in a Russian orphanage in an extremely impoverished part of Russia. (In my personal experience, extreme poverty is soaked-in & becomes a vicious self-perpetuating cycle of anti-education, alcoholism, drugs, violence, suicide & early death. They would've had to do something extreme and extraordinary to break out of that area and the whole vicious cycle.)
They would've been better off raised by wolves--at least they would've gotten some social skills or emotional skills in giving/receiving love. They really sacrificed their own love for each other, sometimes very heartbreaking, to free each other to succeed.

[Aracely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leí este libro porque quería cerrar esta serie , solo esta en inglés por ahora . Me he llevado una sorpresa porque la protagonista de esta novela no es nada de como la describen en los libros anteriores, al contrario , es una mujer que vive entregada a su carrera y esperando al único hombre que ha amado , aún cuando no sabe si está vivo o muerto. El hombre no está muerto y más bien ha rehecho su vida y no volvió por el,a cuando pudo haberlo hecho . Sus razones para no buscar a la joven que daba todo por el no me sirven . 4 estrellas por la historia en general porque si calificó individualmente los personajes , Román saldría muy mal parado.

[Elgyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Řekla bych, že autorka má poněkud zkreslené představy o anorexii. Aňja celou knížku skuhrá, že kvůli baletu nejí a nemůže mít děti. 18 měsíců nemá menstruaci a pak otěhotní v podstatě po prvním sexu?
Z minulých dílů jsem žila v iluzi, že Aňja je nejtalentovanější baletka široko daleko. Teď najednou je sice pilná, ale stěží průměrná? Přesto má v plánu tančit aspoň do čtyřiceti a druhé dítě chce hned, aby se brzy mohla vrátit ke kariéře?
Celý příběh je vachrlatý :-/

s. 6 nan-
esla

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an alright book but Anya and Roman's relationship  is ........... something and I don't mean it in a good way,thank God the other characters help save the book.The flashbacks of their first "time" was just unbelievable  and it felt rushed and cold and not passionate, like it was just an in and out job and that's it.Their relationship was not healthy in the slightest, there was a point where carried her over his shoulder,that put me off, hopefully the other couples  in the  book series will be better than them.

[Pamela Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like Roman from start to end. At the end of the book you find he loved Anya from the beginning, but yet never contacted her when he got out of the foreign legion but instead married Celeste to help her as a mail order husband. He wouldn't let Anya talk about Celeste which had hurt her terribly. Also didn't contact his twin brother to find out how he was doing which he wasn't. In my mind he had no good reason to stay away from Anya for so long and hurting her so badly. very disappointing.

I liked the first 3 books in the series.

[Amara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Things to like:

Carol Marinelli
Harlequin Presents
Russian heroes
Ballerinas



Things to dislike:

Are we sure this is Carol Marinelli?
Feels more like a cheap Amazon KU by Marian Tee
Where were the Russian pet names? The sexy Russian names like Dmitri, Mikhail, and Alexei?
This was not romanticized ballet, this was the real bulimic, no menstruating kind.


I liked Roman's brother, Daniil's story. But this.....woof.