What do you think?
Rate this book
Imprisoned by the Greek's Ring
His vengeance won’t be complete…
Until he has her as his bride!
After ten years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, ruthless Greek Atlas Chariton is back to take revenge on Lexi Haring—the woman who put him there. He’ll meet her at the altar and bind her to him—for life! But once married, the bliss of her sensual surrender threatens to unravel his hard-won vengeance…
Until he has her as his bride!
After ten years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, ruthless Greek Atlas Chariton is back to take revenge on Lexi Haring—the woman who put him there. He’ll meet her at the altar and bind her to him—for life! But once married, the bliss of her sensual surrender threatens to unravel his hard-won vengeance…
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published March 20, 2018
63 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Caitlin Crews
1,115 books597 followersCaitlin Crews discovered her first romance novel at the age of twelve, in a bargain bin at the local five and dime. It involved swashbuckling pirates, grand adventures, a heroine with rustling skirts and a mind of her own, and a seriously mouthwatering and masterful hero. The book (the title of which remains lost in the mists of time) made a serious impression. Caitlin was immediately smitten with romances and romance heroes, to the detriment of her middle school social life. And so began her life-long love affair with romance novels, many of which she insists on keeping near her at all times, thus creating a fire hazard of love wherever she lives.
Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.
She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.
Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.
She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
June 19, 2018
After a decade in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Atlas gets revenge on the family that put him there, which includes making a bride of the girl (Lexi) whose witness testimony sealed his fate behind bars. Enjoyable revenge story. I liked both Lexi and Atlas a lot. Loved the wedding scene and Atlas's thoughts upon seeing his bride, Lexi, as she walked down the aisle. Really sweet ending to the story, too.
September 27, 2024
Hero Atlas Chariton spends ten years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. When he is released, he seeks revenge on heroine Lexi Haring, whose testimony put Atlas in jail. I really enjoyed this story. Lexi was a sweet heroine who was wronged by her late mother’s family. Atlas was an understandably angry and vengeful hero. The story had some steamy love scenes. An entertaining read by Caitlin Crews.
March 17, 2018
3.5 stars.
"Imprisoned by the Greek's Dick" ... er... "Ring" was a slow burn romp that made me laugh a lot because I have a sick kind of passion for the revenge trope in Romancelandia. The novel was very well written. I liked the author's style of writing and there were some really cool bits of dialogue early in the novel, during a tense dinner scene with the MC's and the villainous relatives. The H, Atlas, was like a sneaky big snake just circling around his victims, toying with them and hissing softly while they trembled and sweated. Caitlin Crews certainly knows how to use prose to build the kind of atmosphere that's needed for the execution of her thematic design. It was so cool. But it was not so hot on the romance scale; not for me personally. Atlas' vengeance created a situation where the heroine Lexi was far too cowed and docile for about 75% of the novel. Lexi isn't much of a fighter to start with, because her wicked uncle Richard has browbeaten her into being little more than an office drone rather than a beloved niece. I felt so sorry for poor Lexi because she's been the victim of manipulative people her entire life.
Lexi's been treated as the poor relative but she's really an heiress whose inheritance has been kept a secret by uncle Richard. The H had been employed as the CEO of Richard's company 10 yrs ago and had been responsible for saving it from financial ruin. Richard had wanted his spoilt daughter Phillipa to have a marriage of convenience with Atlas. The H had neither loved Phillipa nor had he been in a relationship with her, but he was cold bloodedly willing to marry her as part of a business deal. Meanwhile, the 18 yr old Lexie had been in love with Atlas. One fateful night, Lexie stumbled upon Atlas and Phillipa arguing. The heroine had run away and the next day Phillipa's dead body was found floating in the pool. The court had used Lexie's testimony ( the heroine had misinterpreted what she'd heard ) to sentence Atlas to life imprisonment. The novel starts with news that the H has been freed because DNA evidence had been found. Atlas has decided to marry Lexi in order to infiltrate the Worth empire and destroy them within. The bewildered heroine goes along with this plan. I wondered why she didn't just get a lawyer to sort out her half of the company for her and tell them all to just F off. Why marry this guy who just wants her half of the business ?
This brings me to another point: Atlas is not a billionaire.
*Sigh*
I am so used to these ex con guys in Harlequinland being billionaires with private jets that I was looking forward to another scene with a H flying in on his helicopter. That actually happened in another HP novel but I can't recall the title right now. Then there was Lynne Graham's H Luciano from Dark Angel; he was a billionaire too and I really need to read that again to do a review. Ok, that's enough gibberish. Where was I ? Yeah, Atlas is probably only a millionaire. The fact that he still has to work as the CEO for the Worth Co. proves that. The first part of the story has a bit of a cat and mouse theme going on, but then after the wedding it becomes a full on sex fiesta. Atlas is like a toned down version of a Dom during the sex scenes. I suppose that's expected after the guy has been celibate for 10 yrs. Lexi also turns to mush whenever he frees his penis from his pants. The girl becomes enthralled by all the hot sex in all the different positions and in all the rooms of their house. That's why I called the novel "Imprisoned by The Greek's Dick".
The heroine decides to leave Atlas after she discovers she's pregnant. He follows her, they fight, she tells him she loves him, he begs her to stay with him and they kiss. If the novel had ended at this point then I would have rated it at about 2.5 stars, but what really lifted the story was the fabulous epilogue. It's set 11 yrs in the future and the MC's have 4 sons and are expecting a daughter. It was a beautifully written epilogue. If it had not been for this epilogue, I would not have believed that Atlas truly loved Lexi. The epilogue is very detailed and well structured. The prose in the epilogue creates an atmosphere of love, peace, warmth and comfort. It was very different from the middle part of the book where there was so much tension and the earlier part that was filled with the expectation of impending doom. In the epilogue, which the omniscient narrator develops through Atlas's eyes, the H is a contented and benevolent father watching over his 4 sons with his beloved pregnant wife at his side. It was great to see such a different version of the H. He was finally a man who had found his inner peace. The author also included a scene with the birth of their daughter. The child was named after the dead Phillipa. The real killer of Lexi's cousin Phillipa was also arrested and imprisoned. The murderer ended up being none other than the girl's own father Richard ! I enjoyed seeing Karma at work here, especially as Richard had already spent 11 yrs in jail at the time the epilogue is set. It is only fitting that the reader is able to see Atlas get justice for the decade he had spent in prison.
"Imprisoned by the Greek's Dick" ... er... "Ring" was a slow burn romp that made me laugh a lot because I have a sick kind of passion for the revenge trope in Romancelandia. The novel was very well written. I liked the author's style of writing and there were some really cool bits of dialogue early in the novel, during a tense dinner scene with the MC's and the villainous relatives. The H, Atlas, was like a sneaky big snake just circling around his victims, toying with them and hissing softly while they trembled and sweated. Caitlin Crews certainly knows how to use prose to build the kind of atmosphere that's needed for the execution of her thematic design. It was so cool. But it was not so hot on the romance scale; not for me personally. Atlas' vengeance created a situation where the heroine Lexi was far too cowed and docile for about 75% of the novel. Lexi isn't much of a fighter to start with, because her wicked uncle Richard has browbeaten her into being little more than an office drone rather than a beloved niece. I felt so sorry for poor Lexi because she's been the victim of manipulative people her entire life.
Lexi's been treated as the poor relative but she's really an heiress whose inheritance has been kept a secret by uncle Richard. The H had been employed as the CEO of Richard's company 10 yrs ago and had been responsible for saving it from financial ruin. Richard had wanted his spoilt daughter Phillipa to have a marriage of convenience with Atlas. The H had neither loved Phillipa nor had he been in a relationship with her, but he was cold bloodedly willing to marry her as part of a business deal. Meanwhile, the 18 yr old Lexie had been in love with Atlas. One fateful night, Lexie stumbled upon Atlas and Phillipa arguing. The heroine had run away and the next day Phillipa's dead body was found floating in the pool. The court had used Lexie's testimony ( the heroine had misinterpreted what she'd heard ) to sentence Atlas to life imprisonment. The novel starts with news that the H has been freed because DNA evidence had been found. Atlas has decided to marry Lexi in order to infiltrate the Worth empire and destroy them within. The bewildered heroine goes along with this plan. I wondered why she didn't just get a lawyer to sort out her half of the company for her and tell them all to just F off. Why marry this guy who just wants her half of the business ?
This brings me to another point: Atlas is not a billionaire.
*Sigh*
I am so used to these ex con guys in Harlequinland being billionaires with private jets that I was looking forward to another scene with a H flying in on his helicopter. That actually happened in another HP novel but I can't recall the title right now. Then there was Lynne Graham's H Luciano from Dark Angel; he was a billionaire too and I really need to read that again to do a review. Ok, that's enough gibberish. Where was I ? Yeah, Atlas is probably only a millionaire. The fact that he still has to work as the CEO for the Worth Co. proves that. The first part of the story has a bit of a cat and mouse theme going on, but then after the wedding it becomes a full on sex fiesta. Atlas is like a toned down version of a Dom during the sex scenes. I suppose that's expected after the guy has been celibate for 10 yrs. Lexi also turns to mush whenever he frees his penis from his pants. The girl becomes enthralled by all the hot sex in all the different positions and in all the rooms of their house. That's why I called the novel "Imprisoned by The Greek's Dick".
The heroine decides to leave Atlas after she discovers she's pregnant. He follows her, they fight, she tells him she loves him, he begs her to stay with him and they kiss. If the novel had ended at this point then I would have rated it at about 2.5 stars, but what really lifted the story was the fabulous epilogue. It's set 11 yrs in the future and the MC's have 4 sons and are expecting a daughter. It was a beautifully written epilogue. If it had not been for this epilogue, I would not have believed that Atlas truly loved Lexi. The epilogue is very detailed and well structured. The prose in the epilogue creates an atmosphere of love, peace, warmth and comfort. It was very different from the middle part of the book where there was so much tension and the earlier part that was filled with the expectation of impending doom. In the epilogue, which the omniscient narrator develops through Atlas's eyes, the H is a contented and benevolent father watching over his 4 sons with his beloved pregnant wife at his side. It was great to see such a different version of the H. He was finally a man who had found his inner peace. The author also included a scene with the birth of their daughter. The child was named after the dead Phillipa. The real killer of Lexi's cousin Phillipa was also arrested and imprisoned. The murderer ended up being none other than the girl's own father Richard ! I enjoyed seeing Karma at work here, especially as Richard had already spent 11 yrs in jail at the time the epilogue is set. It is only fitting that the reader is able to see Atlas get justice for the decade he had spent in prison.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2018
Rating 3.75
Atlas is released from prison after ten years, he was wrongly accused of murder.
Lexi was eighteen at the time of her beloved cousins murder and her testimony was what put the murder, Atlas in prison. It also put the man she loved away for life.
Ten years later, Atlas is released from prison as evidence was presented that exonerated him from the murder. He has only one mission, revenge. The Worth family and Lexi will feel Atlas revenge. Ten years of pent-up furry and anger, all directed at the family and Lexi.
We open with Lexi listening to the news in her small and humble office on the Worth estate. Breaking news that Atlas has be exonerated for the murder of her dear cousin, Philippa murder and released from prison. News that she received that he was her on the Worth estate. An estate he help run/finance and brink back from the brink of financial ruin. Lexi's Uncle Richard was the one who ran things and she was beholden to him for saving her from a terrible childhood and bringing her to live with his family. She was okay if she was an after thought and was made to feel like she wasn't really part of the family. She tried to show her gratefulness but working hard in running the estate and keeping in the shadows.
But now Atlas is back and walks right into her office and announces that it's pretty much payback time. As he confronts Lexi and let's her know how it was her testimony that pretty much put him in prison and now he was going to make her and the entire Worth family pay. He continues to reveal to Lexi how he's garnered some information about her and her worth, and how she been lied to and overlooked. Atlas lets it be know she is a major part of his plan for revenge.
Atlas struggles with the feelings he had/has for Lexi and how she's transformed into a beautiful and strong woman her intelligence that she tries to hide from others. Lexi followed Atlas around when she was eighteen and he worked for the Worth family. She emanated strength and sweetness that he found endearing, as well as respected. He doesn't want to feel anything now but revenge for her and her relatives.
Atlas has been planing revenge for ten years and puts them into motion. First is marriage to Lexi and from there everything will begin to unfold to pay each and everyone back for his incarceration for ten long years.
The depth Atlas has gone to bury his feelings and protect himself becomes evident as the story progress. He struggles with what Lexi brings to the surface, emotions that are not acceptable. And Lexi, who has always loved Atlas and struggled for decades with what she believes she overheard. Not knowing what to believe anymore, she comes to hope for something more with Atlas as she agrees to the marriage arrangement.
A lot of emotion and feeling take place between the two as they struggle each with their own demons. But finding a pull that neither can deny. Wrestling with the past and present, trying to come to some understanding of what's developing or not developing with them. Wondering who that actual murdered is and then dealing with all the dysfunctional family members on top of everything else makes their marriage and life very complicated, to say the least.
But something about Lexi's changes during their marriage, she become's confident and strong in who and what she is. She has to believe that she/they can make something of their marriage and the Atlas she glimpsed from the past is still there. An event/happening transpires between the two that changes everything. A crescendo to the story unfolds in a well deserved manner/ending that leaves you very satisfied that it was given such detail and well deserved time. And the epilogue is absolutely beautiful and icing on the cake for sure.
Now this Author does have a tendency with inter dialogue, still felt it needed some work in areas in the story but I do see improvement.
Atlas is released from prison after ten years, he was wrongly accused of murder.
Lexi was eighteen at the time of her beloved cousins murder and her testimony was what put the murder, Atlas in prison. It also put the man she loved away for life.
Ten years later, Atlas is released from prison as evidence was presented that exonerated him from the murder. He has only one mission, revenge. The Worth family and Lexi will feel Atlas revenge. Ten years of pent-up furry and anger, all directed at the family and Lexi.
We open with Lexi listening to the news in her small and humble office on the Worth estate. Breaking news that Atlas has be exonerated for the murder of her dear cousin, Philippa murder and released from prison. News that she received that he was her on the Worth estate. An estate he help run/finance and brink back from the brink of financial ruin. Lexi's Uncle Richard was the one who ran things and she was beholden to him for saving her from a terrible childhood and bringing her to live with his family. She was okay if she was an after thought and was made to feel like she wasn't really part of the family. She tried to show her gratefulness but working hard in running the estate and keeping in the shadows.
But now Atlas is back and walks right into her office and announces that it's pretty much payback time. As he confronts Lexi and let's her know how it was her testimony that pretty much put him in prison and now he was going to make her and the entire Worth family pay. He continues to reveal to Lexi how he's garnered some information about her and her worth, and how she been lied to and overlooked. Atlas lets it be know she is a major part of his plan for revenge.
Atlas struggles with the feelings he had/has for Lexi and how she's transformed into a beautiful and strong woman her intelligence that she tries to hide from others. Lexi followed Atlas around when she was eighteen and he worked for the Worth family. She emanated strength and sweetness that he found endearing, as well as respected. He doesn't want to feel anything now but revenge for her and her relatives.
Atlas has been planing revenge for ten years and puts them into motion. First is marriage to Lexi and from there everything will begin to unfold to pay each and everyone back for his incarceration for ten long years.
The depth Atlas has gone to bury his feelings and protect himself becomes evident as the story progress. He struggles with what Lexi brings to the surface, emotions that are not acceptable. And Lexi, who has always loved Atlas and struggled for decades with what she believes she overheard. Not knowing what to believe anymore, she comes to hope for something more with Atlas as she agrees to the marriage arrangement.
A lot of emotion and feeling take place between the two as they struggle each with their own demons. But finding a pull that neither can deny. Wrestling with the past and present, trying to come to some understanding of what's developing or not developing with them. Wondering who that actual murdered is and then dealing with all the dysfunctional family members on top of everything else makes their marriage and life very complicated, to say the least.
But something about Lexi's changes during their marriage, she become's confident and strong in who and what she is. She has to believe that she/they can make something of their marriage and the Atlas she glimpsed from the past is still there. An event/happening transpires between the two that changes everything. A crescendo to the story unfolds in a well deserved manner/ending that leaves you very satisfied that it was given such detail and well deserved time. And the epilogue is absolutely beautiful and icing on the cake for sure.
Now this Author does have a tendency with inter dialogue, still felt it needed some work in areas in the story but I do see improvement.
July 14, 2018
I vacillated between three and four stars for this intense story of a wrongfully imprisoned hero’s revenge against the heroine who put him in jail for eleven years. The charge? Murder of the heroine’s heiress cousin who was 19 at the time. The 18 year-old heroine overheard them arguing that night and it was the heroine who discovered her cousin’s body in the pool. Hero was CEO of the family’s business and supposedly wanted to marry the heiress to gain control of the company and was enraged when she refused him.
The story opens eleven years later with the hero exonerated by DNA evidence. Heroine knows he’s going to come for her and her family – and he does.
The first half of the story is the hero confronting the family, revealing that the “poor relation” heroine is actually worth half of the entire family fortune, and pressuring her into marrying him so he can control the company. That’s the revenge against the family and it’s very well done. The cold anger of the hero is fun to watch.
The revenge against the virgin heroine takes place in the second half of the story where the hero uses sex to express his ??? Hard to say what all those emotions are – rage/lust/thwarted hope/obsession/love of some sort. He feels lots of things but doesn’t know how to process any of his feelings as revenge turns to something else. The heroine is equally bemused. She loved her wedding dress and makeover and has hopes she can make the marriage work. (She had a crush on the hero growing up)
The marriage does work – it’s just not like the H/h thought it would be. Revenge never turns out to be a positive force and the hero finds this out when the heroine leaves him for the black moment.
As other reviewers have said, the epilogue is what makes the story. It takes place eleven years later (nice symmetry, CC!). The cousin’s killer is revealed (he’s in jail) and the H/h have children and a happy life. Now that’s the best revenge.
I think I’ll have to read this again for a more accurate rating. There was a lot going on. CC loves her inner monologues/thinky thoughts and this story has a lot of rumination. If that is not your thing – you probably won’t like this one.
Same with intense sex scenes that are not hearts and flowers. Hero is angry. Heroine is surrendering. There’s lots of musing about a woman’s ability to yield and absorb a man’s aggression and then turn it into a more positive emotion (or a baby for that matter).
So lots to think about with this one.
The story opens eleven years later with the hero exonerated by DNA evidence. Heroine knows he’s going to come for her and her family – and he does.
The first half of the story is the hero confronting the family, revealing that the “poor relation” heroine is actually worth half of the entire family fortune, and pressuring her into marrying him so he can control the company. That’s the revenge against the family and it’s very well done. The cold anger of the hero is fun to watch.
The revenge against the virgin heroine takes place in the second half of the story where the hero uses sex to express his ??? Hard to say what all those emotions are – rage/lust/thwarted hope/obsession/love of some sort. He feels lots of things but doesn’t know how to process any of his feelings as revenge turns to something else. The heroine is equally bemused. She loved her wedding dress and makeover and has hopes she can make the marriage work. (She had a crush on the hero growing up)
The marriage does work – it’s just not like the H/h thought it would be. Revenge never turns out to be a positive force and the hero finds this out when the heroine leaves him for the black moment.
As other reviewers have said, the epilogue is what makes the story. It takes place eleven years later (nice symmetry, CC!). The cousin’s killer is revealed (he’s in jail) and the H/h have children and a happy life. Now that’s the best revenge.
I think I’ll have to read this again for a more accurate rating. There was a lot going on. CC loves her inner monologues/thinky thoughts and this story has a lot of rumination. If that is not your thing – you probably won’t like this one.
Same with intense sex scenes that are not hearts and flowers. Hero is angry. Heroine is surrendering. There’s lots of musing about a woman’s ability to yield and absorb a man’s aggression and then turn it into a more positive emotion (or a baby for that matter).
So lots to think about with this one.
July 15, 2018
So I was just not into this. Way too much thinky thoughts and tacky kinky sex punishments and then the big denouement of the h always loving the H, which I found to be a bit unbelievable, mainly cause what was there to love?
Then we have an H who is irked cause the daughter he originally wanted to marry for a fortune said no, then she died. Unfortunately his admission that the girl refused him made it more likely to me that he did in fact murder her. It was a little late in the book to try and resolve that conundrum, tho CC did her best.
How can you respect an H who is only in it for the wealth and position he thinks is his due? Go write mega blockbuster apps and earn your own fortune. Even 11 years on, he still doesn't want to work for it, he wants to marry it and he does. So no kudos for being a alpha HP H there, this H comes across as just another gold digger.
I did not even feel bad for his imprisonment, as he did not seem to be all that different character-wise from before he went to jail. His poor little me attitude really grated and the h was a fool to encourage it.
I just did not care, I was bored and I certainly wasn't sharing anybody's pain in this. The h was an idiot, she tried hard, but her lust blinded her to a ton of other options and welp, I was just not feeling the lurve on this - even with the epilogue.
Then we have an H who is irked cause the daughter he originally wanted to marry for a fortune said no, then she died. Unfortunately his admission that the girl refused him made it more likely to me that he did in fact murder her. It was a little late in the book to try and resolve that conundrum, tho CC did her best.
How can you respect an H who is only in it for the wealth and position he thinks is his due? Go write mega blockbuster apps and earn your own fortune. Even 11 years on, he still doesn't want to work for it, he wants to marry it and he does. So no kudos for being a alpha HP H there, this H comes across as just another gold digger.
I did not even feel bad for his imprisonment, as he did not seem to be all that different character-wise from before he went to jail. His poor little me attitude really grated and the h was a fool to encourage it.
I just did not care, I was bored and I certainly wasn't sharing anybody's pain in this. The h was an idiot, she tried hard, but her lust blinded her to a ton of other options and welp, I was just not feeling the lurve on this - even with the epilogue.
September 4, 2019
Too hot book with a mean jerk H! I liked it very much!
October 24, 2020
Imprisoned by the Greek's Ring was a slow build romance...I didn't see the love until the last chapter then I felt the love. The heroine and hero never talked and got to really know each other because the hero was so focused on carrying out his revenge. He succeeded.
I felt annoyed the heroine wasn't angry towards her family. They treated her like a servant when she was family.
The chemistry between the hero and heroine was palpable...this was good because this was a forced marriage. I think I would've stopped reading had the chemistry been bland. Why? The hero spent too much time on revenge. The hero & heroine never went on a date!
The ending was perfect. I was relieved the bad relative got locked up.
I felt annoyed the heroine wasn't angry towards her family. They treated her like a servant when she was family.
The chemistry between the hero and heroine was palpable...this was good because this was a forced marriage. I think I would've stopped reading had the chemistry been bland. Why? The hero spent too much time on revenge. The hero & heroine never went on a date!
The ending was perfect. I was relieved the bad relative got locked up.
March 19, 2018
3.75 stars
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I didn't love it, but I didn't dislike it either. This revenge story is contrary to what I was expecting. I have to admit I admired Atlas' calm anger and manner of revenge considering that he'd lost eleven long years of his life being incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit. I expected any man or woman who'd gone through that ordeal would turn into a very harsh, embittered monster frothing with venom at the mouth in his/her thirst for revenge and I'd thought like I'm going to hate him for the things he was going to do in his righteous anger, but he turned out to be a total antithesis of my expectations. There were times at the beginning when I was the one bristling with anger on his behalf while he stood/sat calmly listening to Lexi or her family the worthless Worths dishing out platitudes to him whatever happened, happened, let's move on,' kind. I was like WTF?? Especially when Lexi tells him her family didn't mean to hurt him.
Now, in his quest for revenge, Atlas wants eleven years of the people who'd wronged him to compensate for the eleven years he's lost. So, he manipulates Lexi's manipulative uncle ---who knew he did not kill his daughter, Philippa-- to regain his position of CEO of the Worth Trust, rightfully so, as he was the one who'd transformed the Worth manor and its grounds from a crumbling old heap of family stones into a recreational destination in London making the Worth men richer than they could ever dream of being. He and his useless sons have to bear Atlas as a family member by marriage and also watch him take over the rein of the Worth empire, making them answerable to him for everything, which I didn't think was much suffering considering they anyway don't do much for the trust and also their funds will continue to overflow as long as he's there at the top of the helm doing everything to keep the trust flourishing. Yet, when he saw that the oldest son, Gerard, did do some work and wasn't utterly useless like his younger, forever-drunk brother, Harry, he allowed him to stay in his marketing position. And, he felt slightly remorseful for sacking Harry even though the guy was liability and had a trust fund that would see him living comfortably even if he didn't work a day in his life.
As for revenge on Lexi --the woman's whose tearful testimony had sealed his incarceration on the basis of her spin of what she'd seen between him and her cousin the night she was murdered-- he used the information his investigators had about her actual position in the Worth family to bind her to him so as to secure his position as the CEO of the Worth trust. In the bargain, he made her aware of her real position in the family and what she was really due.
Lexi was eight when her drug-addict parents died and would have had a tough life if her mother's brother had not taken her under his wings. That's why she feels indebted to him and was happy to dine off the scraps and condescension he and his sons dished out to her. They treated her like a charity case and hired help, giving her a small room in a carriage house at the farthest end of their estate where she did all the estate work while they did none and also while they had the manor to live she was living in a tiny bedsit. She's spent her entire life blending in the scenery. Now, she is hurt to know that she'd been treated unjustly for twenty years. Also, seeing that Atlas was exonerated, she beginning to wonder if she had misinterpreted what she'd seen the night of her cousin's murder. When she was eighteen, she had a huge crush on him and used to follow him everywhere which could have been the reason for her misjudgement, but that thought didn't come to her until the very end of the book.
I found Lexi too meek and martyish. She could've used the ammunition that Atlas gave her and used it to be more assertive and secure her status in the family and instead of allowing Atlas to call all the shots could have worked out a deal with him which would benefit them both seeing that she needed him as much as he needed her. By marrying her, Atlas would secure his position in the family so that they don't scheme to throw him out like they did last time whereas with him being at the helm the Worth trust would certainly keep flourishing. I guess somewhere deep inside, it was her guilt and the hope Atlas would soften after marriage that made her easily surrender to Atlas' order to marry him.
And, Atlas was softening toward her, even if he was loathe to admit it. Where before he used to feel affection and sympathy toward the poor Worth relation, ten years later he was slammed by her beauty. Once he sees her walk down the aisle in her bridal outfit, he's a complete goner. Furthermore, her eager responses to his kisses and touch brings him down to his knees and he's having a hard time remembering he'd married her for revenge. He talks himself into believing this unexpected craving and weakness he has for her is because he'd gone without a woman for ten years and thinks he'll use this weakness to make her his sex-slave in their marital bed. But, Lexi is not protesting. Neither was she lying on her back and gritting her teeth enduring his exploration of her body rather she was also enjoying exploring every part of his body as much as he was enjoying hers. But, after two months of marriage when she finds that she's pregnant and that Atlas still kept himself apart despite giving her the orgasms she enjoys, she leaves him. Where she was always ready to jump in to defend her uncle and cousins even after she'd got to know what they'd done to her, she was quick to write Atlas off. If she felt that Atlas didn't care for her other than the sex, she too, gave him no signs that she cared for him either. Actually, the author didn't bother to show their relationship developing as much as she'd concentrated on the long internal monologues and reflections which is a regular feature of her books.
Their two month marriage period comprises of a steamy wedding night sex that runs to two chapters, but I have to warn majority of the scenes contains internal monologues, one chapter for each MC's thoughts, then the entire next chapter is Atlas's reflection on their two month marriage where he starts by convincing himself that every time he's having sex with Lexi it is revenge because he didn't want to listen to his heart that was telling him otherwise, then its another jump where he recalls his current situation with the Worths, his interaction with Harry when he sacks him then Lexi says a few thought-provoking words to him as she berates him for the sacking and next day he discovers she's left him. And, that's it. There was so much potential for more interaction and dialogue between Atlas and Lexi to show the development of deeper feelings between them, but sadly that didn't happen.
Nevertheless, Atlas traces Lexi to the house in Martha Vineyards where her cousin was murdered and we have a much lengthy dialogue between the two than they ever had in the entire book --the other was when their first meeting after he was exonerated. They end up voicing their hurt and bitterness. It would have been so much nicer if the author had written such scenes between them in their marriage. It would have perked up the story. If nothing else, at least the two of them together trying to work out who really murdered Philippa. I know it's not an Intrigue line, but no one seemed to be bothered that the girl's murderer was roaming free. We only get to know who he was in the epilogue. Nevertheless, I loved the epilogue which takes us eleven years ahead in time with Atlas at peace with his wife, Lexi, and their four sons with a girl on the way.
As usual, I love the premise of this author's books, but I find her execution of the story very sad. Nevertheless, I may not have loved the book, but I still liked it somewhat.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I didn't love it, but I didn't dislike it either. This revenge story is contrary to what I was expecting. I have to admit I admired Atlas' calm anger and manner of revenge considering that he'd lost eleven long years of his life being incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit. I expected any man or woman who'd gone through that ordeal would turn into a very harsh, embittered monster frothing with venom at the mouth in his/her thirst for revenge and I'd thought like I'm going to hate him for the things he was going to do in his righteous anger, but he turned out to be a total antithesis of my expectations. There were times at the beginning when I was the one bristling with anger on his behalf while he stood/sat calmly listening to Lexi or her family the worthless Worths dishing out platitudes to him whatever happened, happened, let's move on,' kind. I was like WTF?? Especially when Lexi tells him her family didn't mean to hurt him.
Now, in his quest for revenge, Atlas wants eleven years of the people who'd wronged him to compensate for the eleven years he's lost. So, he manipulates Lexi's manipulative uncle ---who knew he did not kill his daughter, Philippa-- to regain his position of CEO of the Worth Trust, rightfully so, as he was the one who'd transformed the Worth manor and its grounds from a crumbling old heap of family stones into a recreational destination in London making the Worth men richer than they could ever dream of being. He and his useless sons have to bear Atlas as a family member by marriage and also watch him take over the rein of the Worth empire, making them answerable to him for everything, which I didn't think was much suffering considering they anyway don't do much for the trust and also their funds will continue to overflow as long as he's there at the top of the helm doing everything to keep the trust flourishing. Yet, when he saw that the oldest son, Gerard, did do some work and wasn't utterly useless like his younger, forever-drunk brother, Harry, he allowed him to stay in his marketing position. And, he felt slightly remorseful for sacking Harry even though the guy was liability and had a trust fund that would see him living comfortably even if he didn't work a day in his life.
As for revenge on Lexi --the woman's whose tearful testimony had sealed his incarceration on the basis of her spin of what she'd seen between him and her cousin the night she was murdered-- he used the information his investigators had about her actual position in the Worth family to bind her to him so as to secure his position as the CEO of the Worth trust. In the bargain, he made her aware of her real position in the family and what she was really due.
Lexi was eight when her drug-addict parents died and would have had a tough life if her mother's brother had not taken her under his wings. That's why she feels indebted to him and was happy to dine off the scraps and condescension he and his sons dished out to her. They treated her like a charity case and hired help, giving her a small room in a carriage house at the farthest end of their estate where she did all the estate work while they did none and also while they had the manor to live she was living in a tiny bedsit. She's spent her entire life blending in the scenery. Now, she is hurt to know that she'd been treated unjustly for twenty years. Also, seeing that Atlas was exonerated, she beginning to wonder if she had misinterpreted what she'd seen the night of her cousin's murder. When she was eighteen, she had a huge crush on him and used to follow him everywhere which could have been the reason for her misjudgement, but that thought didn't come to her until the very end of the book.
I found Lexi too meek and martyish. She could've used the ammunition that Atlas gave her and used it to be more assertive and secure her status in the family and instead of allowing Atlas to call all the shots could have worked out a deal with him which would benefit them both seeing that she needed him as much as he needed her. By marrying her, Atlas would secure his position in the family so that they don't scheme to throw him out like they did last time whereas with him being at the helm the Worth trust would certainly keep flourishing. I guess somewhere deep inside, it was her guilt and the hope Atlas would soften after marriage that made her easily surrender to Atlas' order to marry him.
And, Atlas was softening toward her, even if he was loathe to admit it. Where before he used to feel affection and sympathy toward the poor Worth relation, ten years later he was slammed by her beauty. Once he sees her walk down the aisle in her bridal outfit, he's a complete goner. Furthermore, her eager responses to his kisses and touch brings him down to his knees and he's having a hard time remembering he'd married her for revenge. He talks himself into believing this unexpected craving and weakness he has for her is because he'd gone without a woman for ten years and thinks he'll use this weakness to make her his sex-slave in their marital bed. But, Lexi is not protesting. Neither was she lying on her back and gritting her teeth enduring his exploration of her body rather she was also enjoying exploring every part of his body as much as he was enjoying hers. But, after two months of marriage when she finds that she's pregnant and that Atlas still kept himself apart despite giving her the orgasms she enjoys, she leaves him. Where she was always ready to jump in to defend her uncle and cousins even after she'd got to know what they'd done to her, she was quick to write Atlas off. If she felt that Atlas didn't care for her other than the sex, she too, gave him no signs that she cared for him either. Actually, the author didn't bother to show their relationship developing as much as she'd concentrated on the long internal monologues and reflections which is a regular feature of her books.
Their two month marriage period comprises of a steamy wedding night sex that runs to two chapters, but I have to warn majority of the scenes contains internal monologues, one chapter for each MC's thoughts, then the entire next chapter is Atlas's reflection on their two month marriage where he starts by convincing himself that every time he's having sex with Lexi it is revenge because he didn't want to listen to his heart that was telling him otherwise, then its another jump where he recalls his current situation with the Worths, his interaction with Harry when he sacks him then Lexi says a few thought-provoking words to him as she berates him for the sacking and next day he discovers she's left him. And, that's it. There was so much potential for more interaction and dialogue between Atlas and Lexi to show the development of deeper feelings between them, but sadly that didn't happen.
Nevertheless, Atlas traces Lexi to the house in Martha Vineyards where her cousin was murdered and we have a much lengthy dialogue between the two than they ever had in the entire book --the other was when their first meeting after he was exonerated. They end up voicing their hurt and bitterness. It would have been so much nicer if the author had written such scenes between them in their marriage. It would have perked up the story. If nothing else, at least the two of them together trying to work out who really murdered Philippa. I know it's not an Intrigue line, but no one seemed to be bothered that the girl's murderer was roaming free. We only get to know who he was in the epilogue. Nevertheless, I loved the epilogue which takes us eleven years ahead in time with Atlas at peace with his wife, Lexi, and their four sons with a girl on the way.
As usual, I love the premise of this author's books, but I find her execution of the story very sad. Nevertheless, I may not have loved the book, but I still liked it somewhat.
March 20, 2018
3.5 stars
So sad :( but great epilogue with 5 kids! I am happy :)
So sad :( but great epilogue with 5 kids! I am happy :)
Read
July 31, 2023A great revenge story!
Loved the shout out to Mills and Boon.
Loved the shout out to Mills and Boon.
May 5, 2018
Caitlin Crews’s Imprisoned By the Greek’s Ring is a cautionary tale about revenge, a redemptive story of two broken people learning to love, and a sly meta-romance. It is outlandish, exaggerated, high strung, and over-the-top. Its premise is unlikely; its romance, hyperbolic; its hero and heroine, made of clichés and uberness. In a nutshell, it’s an HP romance and delivered exactly what I sought: an immersive id-reading experience. It is apropos that it kept me up till the wee hours and I crawled into work (looking quite deceptively crisp and business-like, with a string of meetings to plan for and endure) with major bleary-eyed book hangover. (And to whomever left espressos and stickie buns in the common room, you have my eternal gratitude.) Crews is one of the masters of the genre and she drew me in (it took some work) and left me on the bank and shoal of time, happy to have spent a few hours with her visceral characters and plot.
Imprisoned By the Greek’s Ring is typical HP stuff, made of a Minotaur-invaded narrative maze of improbability and dark, rich emotion. Atlas Chariton is released from prison ten years after serving time for murdering the Worth heiress. Except he didn’t kill Phillipa Worth. The prosecution’s star witness, Phillipa’s Cinderella cousin, Lexi Haring, testified otherwise. Atlas is out and out for revenge against the Worths, against Lexi, who is stowed away in a shabby office on the Worth estate, taking care of family business drudge-work, barely scraping by. Atlas has a nefarious plan: he discovered that Lexi is as much an heiress as Phillipa. He will force/blackmail/coerce Lexi to marry him, and reveal the fortune the Worths have thus far hidden from her: this way, he can destroy the Worths and make Lexi miserable. Win-win! Maybe he’ll finally have some relief from the rage that consumes his every waking moment.
Atlas and Lexi have the usual misery-fest backstories. Lexi’s parents were drug addicts who left her ” … to raise herself while her parents chased dragons … “. Atlas’s parents were abusive, but he worked and worked and worked until he was running the Worths’ business, which is how he found himself accused of the daughter’s murder. Imprisoned is more Atlas’s story, which Crews unfolds as a cautionary tale against the emotional ravages of seeking revenge. Atlas is driven by, understandably, anger: “Atlas was used to fury. He was used to rage. That black, choking spiral that had threatened to drag him under again and again … ” And my favourite: “… furious was who he was and ever would be. Atlas was fine with that.” We’re fine with it too. Atlas’s anger is righteous and driven by injustice and a deep injury to his worth. He doesn’t care that Lexi is a pawn in his destruction of the Worths and he especially doesn’t care because she allowed them to use her to destroy him. His rage against her is bitter and sexy: ” ‘You have no idea how angry I am, little girl … But you will. Believe me, you will.’ ”
In the meanwhile, Lexi loved Atlas then and loves him yet. Their confrontations are made of Atlas’s fury and Lexi’s apologies. After a while, however, she stops apologizing for speaking what she believed, at the time, was the truth. If Atlas is innocent, so is Lexi, even if her suffering cannot reach the depths and heights of his. It was, I admit, hard to buy Atlas’s response to his experiences. His business success, out of prison no less, his sangfroid, and his sheer handling of life cannot be possible given the trauma he endured. And this is the problem with the smorgasbord of trauma that romance imposes on its protagonists. Atlas’s anger is believable; his coping is not. This took me out of the romance.
What kept me IN was Crew’s writing and being swept away by Atlas and Lexi’s antagonistic, glorious marriage of convenience. They were intelligent equals, able to speak truth and hold their own. Their marriage bed said what they couldn’t in Atlas’s case and wouldn’t in Lexi’s. Crews makes their relationship so emotionally rich that I was able to overlook the overblown premise. Crews also brought Atlas back from the brink in a clever, interesting way. She made Atlas grapple with feelings he couldn’t name as a way of showing the road to his healing. When he was hurtful towards Lexi, for example, he pushed his emotional engagement away, not looking at it, not identifying it: ” … something in the way she looked at him made a most unpleasant sensation unwind, deep inside him, almost as if – But no. Atlas didn’t do shame.”
Lexi and Atlas took on flesh and I cared about them and wanted them to be together. I also couldn’t resist Crews’s ironic meta-romance commentary: ” ‘You ought to write for Mills and Boon.’ ‘My understanding is that romance novels come with a happy ending.’ Atlas had replied smoothly. Horribly. ‘This, Lexi, is life. Not a romance novel … ‘ ” Even though it was late and I was super-tired, exchanges like this elicited a sly smile. In the end, while Miss Austen may be scandalized by the visceral love scenes, I loved Imprisoned and would say that it shows “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.
Caitlin Crews’s Imprisoned By the Greek’s Ring is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on March 20th and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-ARC from Harlequin, via Netgalley.
Imprisoned By the Greek’s Ring is typical HP stuff, made of a Minotaur-invaded narrative maze of improbability and dark, rich emotion. Atlas Chariton is released from prison ten years after serving time for murdering the Worth heiress. Except he didn’t kill Phillipa Worth. The prosecution’s star witness, Phillipa’s Cinderella cousin, Lexi Haring, testified otherwise. Atlas is out and out for revenge against the Worths, against Lexi, who is stowed away in a shabby office on the Worth estate, taking care of family business drudge-work, barely scraping by. Atlas has a nefarious plan: he discovered that Lexi is as much an heiress as Phillipa. He will force/blackmail/coerce Lexi to marry him, and reveal the fortune the Worths have thus far hidden from her: this way, he can destroy the Worths and make Lexi miserable. Win-win! Maybe he’ll finally have some relief from the rage that consumes his every waking moment.
Atlas and Lexi have the usual misery-fest backstories. Lexi’s parents were drug addicts who left her ” … to raise herself while her parents chased dragons … “. Atlas’s parents were abusive, but he worked and worked and worked until he was running the Worths’ business, which is how he found himself accused of the daughter’s murder. Imprisoned is more Atlas’s story, which Crews unfolds as a cautionary tale against the emotional ravages of seeking revenge. Atlas is driven by, understandably, anger: “Atlas was used to fury. He was used to rage. That black, choking spiral that had threatened to drag him under again and again … ” And my favourite: “… furious was who he was and ever would be. Atlas was fine with that.” We’re fine with it too. Atlas’s anger is righteous and driven by injustice and a deep injury to his worth. He doesn’t care that Lexi is a pawn in his destruction of the Worths and he especially doesn’t care because she allowed them to use her to destroy him. His rage against her is bitter and sexy: ” ‘You have no idea how angry I am, little girl … But you will. Believe me, you will.’ ”
In the meanwhile, Lexi loved Atlas then and loves him yet. Their confrontations are made of Atlas’s fury and Lexi’s apologies. After a while, however, she stops apologizing for speaking what she believed, at the time, was the truth. If Atlas is innocent, so is Lexi, even if her suffering cannot reach the depths and heights of his. It was, I admit, hard to buy Atlas’s response to his experiences. His business success, out of prison no less, his sangfroid, and his sheer handling of life cannot be possible given the trauma he endured. And this is the problem with the smorgasbord of trauma that romance imposes on its protagonists. Atlas’s anger is believable; his coping is not. This took me out of the romance.
What kept me IN was Crew’s writing and being swept away by Atlas and Lexi’s antagonistic, glorious marriage of convenience. They were intelligent equals, able to speak truth and hold their own. Their marriage bed said what they couldn’t in Atlas’s case and wouldn’t in Lexi’s. Crews makes their relationship so emotionally rich that I was able to overlook the overblown premise. Crews also brought Atlas back from the brink in a clever, interesting way. She made Atlas grapple with feelings he couldn’t name as a way of showing the road to his healing. When he was hurtful towards Lexi, for example, he pushed his emotional engagement away, not looking at it, not identifying it: ” … something in the way she looked at him made a most unpleasant sensation unwind, deep inside him, almost as if – But no. Atlas didn’t do shame.”
Lexi and Atlas took on flesh and I cared about them and wanted them to be together. I also couldn’t resist Crews’s ironic meta-romance commentary: ” ‘You ought to write for Mills and Boon.’ ‘My understanding is that romance novels come with a happy ending.’ Atlas had replied smoothly. Horribly. ‘This, Lexi, is life. Not a romance novel … ‘ ” Even though it was late and I was super-tired, exchanges like this elicited a sly smile. In the end, while Miss Austen may be scandalized by the visceral love scenes, I loved Imprisoned and would say that it shows “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.
Caitlin Crews’s Imprisoned By the Greek’s Ring is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on March 20th and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-ARC from Harlequin, via Netgalley.
July 24, 2022
His vengeance won’t be complete…
Until he has her as his bride!
After ten years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, ruthless Greek Atlas Chariton is back to take revenge on Lexi Haring — the woman who put him there. He’ll meet her at the altar and bind her to him — for life!
But once married, the bliss of her sensual surrender threatens to unravel his hard-won vengeance…
Conveniently wedded, passionately bedded!
Until he has her as his bride!
After ten years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, ruthless Greek Atlas Chariton is back to take revenge on Lexi Haring — the woman who put him there. He’ll meet her at the altar and bind her to him — for life!
But once married, the bliss of her sensual surrender threatens to unravel his hard-won vengeance…
Conveniently wedded, passionately bedded!
March 1, 2018
When you spent 90-95% of the book having one character constantly spew hateful things to the other character, you can't expect a reader to a) enjoy it and b/ to believe in the HEA. I'm sorry - but this didn't work for me because the Hero was just so full of anger throughout the book that didn't buy into the "love" at the end. A good romance read should start with angst but slowly BUILD on the connection, bond and love....
April 1, 2018
3.5 stars because it kept me reading. I did NOT love this book. Neither character endeared themselves to me. Atlas, too bitter and twisted (as you would be if you spent over a decade in prison for something you didn't do), Lexi - no spine until near the end of the book.
IMO, CC wrote herself into a corner with the amount of time Atlas spent in prison. I think this turned his character into an overdone version of who he could have been.
All in all, I'm a big fan of Caitlin Crews. This one was not nearly as bad as The Prince's Nine-Month Scandal
IMO, CC wrote herself into a corner with the amount of time Atlas spent in prison. I think this turned his character into an overdone version of who he could have been.
All in all, I'm a big fan of Caitlin Crews. This one was not nearly as bad as The Prince's Nine-Month Scandal
March 23, 2019
3.5 stars
August 7, 2024
The writing is good, but unfortunately there was so much internal narration, it was really boring to read. Very typical of mills and boon romances, unfortunately. They have to move with the times...
So I'm giving an ok only review, which is a pity, as I usually love this author's books.
So I'm giving an ok only review, which is a pity, as I usually love this author's books.
April 16, 2018
Imprisoned by the Greek’s Ring by Caitlin Crews is a passionate romance with revenge and family secrets providing plenty of drama for the couple.
Lexi Haring lost her parents at a young age and was taken in by her uncle, though always made to feel like she was a second rate citizen. The ‘poor’ relation, she was relegated to servants quarters and had to work hard to prove herself to the Worth family. When her best friend and cousin was found murdered, Lexi told the truth in court – or the truth as she knew it. An overheard conversation between her cousin and Atlas Chariton, the CEO of the family company convinced the jury that he was the guilty party and Atlas went to jail.
Ten years later, Atlas has been released from jail and is determined to seek revenge for a crime he never committed. During his incarceration he learned facts about Lexi that show she’s in fact an heiress, and marrying her will ensure the money is his, and that Lexi will have to pay for what she did. With no options, Lexi agrees to the marriage, in part as penance for her role in convicting an innocent man. Atlas is determined to fill their nights with sex while remaining an emotionally uninterested party, to Lexi’s dismay. Will they find happiness or misery ever after?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-imp...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
Lexi Haring lost her parents at a young age and was taken in by her uncle, though always made to feel like she was a second rate citizen. The ‘poor’ relation, she was relegated to servants quarters and had to work hard to prove herself to the Worth family. When her best friend and cousin was found murdered, Lexi told the truth in court – or the truth as she knew it. An overheard conversation between her cousin and Atlas Chariton, the CEO of the family company convinced the jury that he was the guilty party and Atlas went to jail.
Ten years later, Atlas has been released from jail and is determined to seek revenge for a crime he never committed. During his incarceration he learned facts about Lexi that show she’s in fact an heiress, and marrying her will ensure the money is his, and that Lexi will have to pay for what she did. With no options, Lexi agrees to the marriage, in part as penance for her role in convicting an innocent man. Atlas is determined to fill their nights with sex while remaining an emotionally uninterested party, to Lexi’s dismay. Will they find happiness or misery ever after?
For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-imp...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.
March 15, 2018
A very intense revenge romance with the hero being wrongly accused of a crime and the heroine seemingly having a part to play in his incarciration makes this very intense and at times can push your emotions, wonderfully written romance.
May 20, 2018
This is the first time I've read Caitlin Crews under this pseudonym in Harlequin Presents, an imprint I've tended to avoid since I remember it as being rather bland and tame, but it is bland and tame no longer, and I found this novel to be wonderfully intense and complex, and it gets a 5-star rating from this reader.
Lexi Haring, the heroine, is a Cinderella-like character, one who was brought to the impressive Worth estate by her Uncle Richard when she was just 8 years old, the daughter of her disowned and disgraced, drug-addicted mother, and her equally addicted father. Now, 20 years later, after having been treated by her uncle and the rest of the Worth family as a simple drone of a secretary, kowtowing to their needs when they aren't ignoring her existence, maintaining their business records, living off the grounds of the wealthy family estate like a pauper, in a tiny hovel of an apartment and thrilled to have it, while always remaining almost invisible to the family, meek and mild, accepting of any crumbs they throw her way, and grateful for those crumbs, but that's all about to change in a way neither she nor the Worth family ever anticipated.
The reason why everything is about to change is that Atlas Chariton is being released from what was to have been a life sentence for murdering Phillipa Worth, Lexi's cousin, and the only true friend she's ever had. It was 18-year-old Lexi's testimony on the witness stand at Atlas' trial, that she'd overheard an argument between Atlas and Phillipa the night before Phillipa's dead body was found strangled and floating in the swimming pool. He's spent the last decade imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, but has just been released after DNA evidence brought up as his appeal, proved, without question, that he was completely innocent of the crime--and now he's back, with only one thing on his mind--revenge. He burns with it, and has spent the entire time of his incarceration planning and plotting precisely how he will exact that revenge on Lexi and the rest of the Worth family, and while her uncle and relatives assume he'll merely want monetary compensation, they are in for a rude awakening, and so is Lexi, now 28, who has been feeling guilty about her honest testimony for the past decade, quiet, mousy and alone, and doing her best to stay invisible and not make any waves. It was impossible not to equate her with Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.
And if Lexi was Jane Eyre, then Atlas was most definitely Heathcliff, from Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Tall, darkly handsome, imposing, snide, controlling, and seething with anger and resentment at having spent the past 10 years of his life in a prison cell for a crime he didn't commit. I'll stop storytelling at this point because from here on out, the way Atlas slowly unveils his plans for retribution, and the way Lexi fits into his plan, you are not going to want to put this book down, I know I didn't, and I'd hate to spoil it for you. I must, however, mention the level of heat in this novel, something I've never encountered before in this imprint. It was graphic, hot and steamy, and a welcome addition to the emotional narrative. To top off this incredible novel there's also the whodunit. If Atlas didn't murder Phillipa, who did? The answer to this question, will surprise you, just as it surprised me.
What I can tell you is that this novel was far better than any Harlequin Presents novel I've ever read, and the skillful way Ms. Crews, wove two of my favorite novels of all time into this tale of love, regrets, retribution, and redemption was nothing less than masterful. It was a beautifully written tale, filled with angst and emotion--I absolutely loved it, and highly recommend it.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
Lexi Haring, the heroine, is a Cinderella-like character, one who was brought to the impressive Worth estate by her Uncle Richard when she was just 8 years old, the daughter of her disowned and disgraced, drug-addicted mother, and her equally addicted father. Now, 20 years later, after having been treated by her uncle and the rest of the Worth family as a simple drone of a secretary, kowtowing to their needs when they aren't ignoring her existence, maintaining their business records, living off the grounds of the wealthy family estate like a pauper, in a tiny hovel of an apartment and thrilled to have it, while always remaining almost invisible to the family, meek and mild, accepting of any crumbs they throw her way, and grateful for those crumbs, but that's all about to change in a way neither she nor the Worth family ever anticipated.
The reason why everything is about to change is that Atlas Chariton is being released from what was to have been a life sentence for murdering Phillipa Worth, Lexi's cousin, and the only true friend she's ever had. It was 18-year-old Lexi's testimony on the witness stand at Atlas' trial, that she'd overheard an argument between Atlas and Phillipa the night before Phillipa's dead body was found strangled and floating in the swimming pool. He's spent the last decade imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, but has just been released after DNA evidence brought up as his appeal, proved, without question, that he was completely innocent of the crime--and now he's back, with only one thing on his mind--revenge. He burns with it, and has spent the entire time of his incarceration planning and plotting precisely how he will exact that revenge on Lexi and the rest of the Worth family, and while her uncle and relatives assume he'll merely want monetary compensation, they are in for a rude awakening, and so is Lexi, now 28, who has been feeling guilty about her honest testimony for the past decade, quiet, mousy and alone, and doing her best to stay invisible and not make any waves. It was impossible not to equate her with Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.
And if Lexi was Jane Eyre, then Atlas was most definitely Heathcliff, from Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Tall, darkly handsome, imposing, snide, controlling, and seething with anger and resentment at having spent the past 10 years of his life in a prison cell for a crime he didn't commit. I'll stop storytelling at this point because from here on out, the way Atlas slowly unveils his plans for retribution, and the way Lexi fits into his plan, you are not going to want to put this book down, I know I didn't, and I'd hate to spoil it for you. I must, however, mention the level of heat in this novel, something I've never encountered before in this imprint. It was graphic, hot and steamy, and a welcome addition to the emotional narrative. To top off this incredible novel there's also the whodunit. If Atlas didn't murder Phillipa, who did? The answer to this question, will surprise you, just as it surprised me.
What I can tell you is that this novel was far better than any Harlequin Presents novel I've ever read, and the skillful way Ms. Crews, wove two of my favorite novels of all time into this tale of love, regrets, retribution, and redemption was nothing less than masterful. It was a beautifully written tale, filled with angst and emotion--I absolutely loved it, and highly recommend it.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
April 1, 2018
I'm in the middle on this one. On the one hand, there were times it was riveting and the story had some serious potential. On the other hand, I felt the execution wasn't that good. Two scenes in one day encompass the entire first half of the book. I'm not a fan of that kind of timeline. The events leading up to the marriage were completely glossed over, there was minimal interaction between the two MCs in the month before they married, only a wedding gown fitting and a flashback to a lunch.
The wedding and wedding night went on and on...and did I mention it went on? 😳 Then, more exposition of what happened in the following weeks. One or two more scenes and then, bam, climatic scene and ending. I didn't have a problem with how it ended, just that it happened before I knew what was happening, and I absolutely loved the epilogue.
The revenge set-up was shaky, at best, but I can forgive that in Harleyville. However, any right thinking woman would've hauled her butt to an estate lawyer and sued the whole family, but then the book would've ended a lot sooner. I liked the MCs even if the H was a tad too one dimensional. I didn't find the h to be a doormat or weak, I thought she was exactly how someone would be finding out their entire life was based on lies, she really came around to me.
My main beef was the writing. It just felt like a free-writing rough draft with lots of repetition and pacing problems. Too much inner thoughts between dialogue. It definitely felt like someone said something, then sat there while paragraphs of inner thoughts transpired. I couldn't help but picture the Soap Opera pause, I think you know what I'm saying. 😏 I think the editors need to man up a bit and send some of these stories back with solid revision recommendations, tell the writer to tighten it up. This story could've spent much more time building the relationship instead of paragraphs of inner thoughts after each utterance.
The wedding and wedding night went on and on...and did I mention it went on? 😳 Then, more exposition of what happened in the following weeks. One or two more scenes and then, bam, climatic scene and ending. I didn't have a problem with how it ended, just that it happened before I knew what was happening, and I absolutely loved the epilogue.
The revenge set-up was shaky, at best, but I can forgive that in Harleyville. However, any right thinking woman would've hauled her butt to an estate lawyer and sued the whole family, but then the book would've ended a lot sooner. I liked the MCs even if the H was a tad too one dimensional. I didn't find the h to be a doormat or weak, I thought she was exactly how someone would be finding out their entire life was based on lies, she really came around to me.
My main beef was the writing. It just felt like a free-writing rough draft with lots of repetition and pacing problems. Too much inner thoughts between dialogue. It definitely felt like someone said something, then sat there while paragraphs of inner thoughts transpired. I couldn't help but picture the Soap Opera pause, I think you know what I'm saying. 😏 I think the editors need to man up a bit and send some of these stories back with solid revision recommendations, tell the writer to tighten it up. This story could've spent much more time building the relationship instead of paragraphs of inner thoughts after each utterance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2025
Whoa. The story IMPRISONED BY THE GREEK'S RING told in under two hundred pages was *chef's kiss* brilliant. Finally, a contemporary enemies-to-lovers that actually sells the enmity and isn't just two petty under-caffeinated bitches whining about something trivial. Lexi gave testimony eleven years ago that sent the hero, Atlas, to jail. Now, freshly exonerated, he has come back to her and her family to seek his revenge. Which revolves, in a roundabout way, marriage. To her.
The sexual tension was great. The build-up was A+. The sex scenes were surprisingly kinky (I mean, for a Harlequin). I first got hooked on this author through her historical viking romance that had a master/slave relationship with semi-consensual sadomasochism and it was spicy. So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that many of her other Harlequin offerings are rather loosely laced and feature about one or two more chili peppers than you can usually expect from this line.
What really made this book, though, was the back and forth between the h and the H. They both felt so betrayed and had tragic backstories that made them loath to trust one another. I thought that Lexi's worshipful childhood crush on the hero really shaped their relationship (in a good way), and I liked how even though the hero desperately wanted revenge, it didn't make him too cruel (I hate it when heroes are too mean to their ladies).
I *was* expecting a bigger showdown between the h/H and the villain at the end. If he could have saved her, I felt like that would have really cemented himself as being the hero that Lexi always saw him as, as well as, you know, providing a redemption arc for his cruelty. But that didn't happen, and I was sad. But that's okay, because this still had all of my favorite tropes and I still loved it.
4.5 stars
The sexual tension was great. The build-up was A+. The sex scenes were surprisingly kinky (I mean, for a Harlequin). I first got hooked on this author through her historical viking romance that had a master/slave relationship with semi-consensual sadomasochism and it was spicy. So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I found out that many of her other Harlequin offerings are rather loosely laced and feature about one or two more chili peppers than you can usually expect from this line.
What really made this book, though, was the back and forth between the h and the H. They both felt so betrayed and had tragic backstories that made them loath to trust one another. I thought that Lexi's worshipful childhood crush on the hero really shaped their relationship (in a good way), and I liked how even though the hero desperately wanted revenge, it didn't make him too cruel (I hate it when heroes are too mean to their ladies).
I *was* expecting a bigger showdown between the h/H and the villain at the end. If he could have saved her, I felt like that would have really cemented himself as being the hero that Lexi always saw him as, as well as, you know, providing a redemption arc for his cruelty. But that didn't happen, and I was sad. But that's okay, because this still had all of my favorite tropes and I still loved it.
4.5 stars
June 9, 2018
Lexie's mother, Yvonne Worth, was disinherited upon her marriage. Lexie was 8 when her junkie parents have died. She went to live her mother's brother Richard.The latter had 3 children :Gerald, Harry and Philippa (who was almost the same age as Lexie). When Lexie was 18, Atlas (Greek name for one of the titans) came to work for the Worths. Thgen Philippa was found dead - choked and drowned. Atlas was convicted of her murder and was sent to prison.
Now, 10 years later, Atlas is exonerated and freed from the American prison. He returns to England wanting revenge. Lexie, the poor relation, is kind like Cinderella,working for the family charity trust ,living on the estate, but not treated as family. Atlas has a surprise for her : Yvonne was never disinherited and all her money is still there in trust, waiting for Lexie ! At the familky dinner Atlas demands his job as CEO back + expects to marry the heiress- Lexie !
And so revenge begins with the wedding .Atlas never knew love from his parents .He is cold, but passionate about sex.
Lexie, still a virgiun at 28 , learns of Richard's betrayal .Still, she defends her family to Atlas .She is hurt by his indifference to her feelings and decides to leave him..
Will Atlas learn to love ? Who was really responsible for Philippa's death and why ?
Lexie moves from a docile and subservient person to assertive .Even her cousins change...
Now, 10 years later, Atlas is exonerated and freed from the American prison. He returns to England wanting revenge. Lexie, the poor relation, is kind like Cinderella,working for the family charity trust ,living on the estate, but not treated as family. Atlas has a surprise for her : Yvonne was never disinherited and all her money is still there in trust, waiting for Lexie ! At the familky dinner Atlas demands his job as CEO back + expects to marry the heiress- Lexie !
And so revenge begins with the wedding .Atlas never knew love from his parents .He is cold, but passionate about sex.
Lexie, still a virgiun at 28 , learns of Richard's betrayal .Still, she defends her family to Atlas .She is hurt by his indifference to her feelings and decides to leave him..
Will Atlas learn to love ? Who was really responsible for Philippa's death and why ?
Lexie moves from a docile and subservient person to assertive .Even her cousins change...
January 9, 2025
Started reading it in the Russian translation (called «Сделай первый шаг»), but the quality of that translation was so atrocious, I had to stop and find the original English version (it was included in the “Harlequin Presents - April 2018 - Box Set 2 of 2” collection).
The story seemed to have an interesting murder mystery as a minor subplot, but the real perpetrator was glaringly obvious from the beginning, and his motive, which was revealed at the end of the book, was absolutely ridiculous.
The text had a few funny moments - most of them unintentional, especially in the description of the “spicy” scenes. I mean, I understand the purpose of such writing is to titillate, but one still has to make an attempt at maintaining continuity and coherence. I walked away from the chapter that wholly consisted of such a scene with a firm belief that both participants would greatly benefit from taking an anatomy class.
The writing itself felt meandering and repetitive. A lot of the narration consists of internal monologues of the two characters, and since there isn’t much happening plot-wise in the whole book, they keep going over the same thoughts, emotions, arguments, and internal struggles “again and again and again” (to quote a much used expression in the book).
Also, I’m not a native English speaker, so I don’t have a clear instinctive delineation between the British and American dialects of the English language in my mind. But even I could tell pretty soon into the book that the author wasn’t British herself, because certain elements in the text felt very obviously and purposefully “put on” (as someone would do when they are trying to sound a certain way, but are lacking in skill or experience to believably pull it off). For instance, she would repeatedly avoid contractions (“Do you not?”) or overuse distinctly British or just unusual words (“bedsit” was used to death).
But the thing that annoyed me the most was the author’s love for a very lazy-sounding expression “something like” - this was used countless times, and not one instance actually required it (“he felt something like pride”, “sounding something like apologetic”, “looking something like kind” - gaaah).
The story seemed to have an interesting murder mystery as a minor subplot, but the real perpetrator was glaringly obvious from the beginning, and his motive, which was revealed at the end of the book, was absolutely ridiculous.
The text had a few funny moments - most of them unintentional, especially in the description of the “spicy” scenes. I mean, I understand the purpose of such writing is to titillate, but one still has to make an attempt at maintaining continuity and coherence. I walked away from the chapter that wholly consisted of such a scene with a firm belief that both participants would greatly benefit from taking an anatomy class.
The writing itself felt meandering and repetitive. A lot of the narration consists of internal monologues of the two characters, and since there isn’t much happening plot-wise in the whole book, they keep going over the same thoughts, emotions, arguments, and internal struggles “again and again and again” (to quote a much used expression in the book).
Also, I’m not a native English speaker, so I don’t have a clear instinctive delineation between the British and American dialects of the English language in my mind. But even I could tell pretty soon into the book that the author wasn’t British herself, because certain elements in the text felt very obviously and purposefully “put on” (as someone would do when they are trying to sound a certain way, but are lacking in skill or experience to believably pull it off). For instance, she would repeatedly avoid contractions (“Do you not?”) or overuse distinctly British or just unusual words (“bedsit” was used to death).
But the thing that annoyed me the most was the author’s love for a very lazy-sounding expression “something like” - this was used countless times, and not one instance actually required it (“he felt something like pride”, “sounding something like apologetic”, “looking something like kind” - gaaah).
August 9, 2018
Lexi Haring's testimony put Atlas Chariton in prison for a crime he didn't commit. She has spent 10 years reliving how she could have done it differently. When evidence comes out that exonerates him, his first stop is her office, where he tells her his step by step plan for getting revenge on her and the only family she has ever known. She is the lynchpin in his plan, and feels she can do nothing less than go along with it, especially when she learns that the uncle who rescued her from her parents' life of addiction, only did so to keep her true wealth from her.
Atlas has had 10 years to plot his revenge, building his hatred and fury for the Worth family until his plan could be enacted. The only thing he didn't take into account was Lexi's innocence.
While I can't imagine how I'd feel if I'd spent 10 years in prison for a crime I had not committed, I thought Atlas was unreasonably hard on Lexi. I enjoyed the story, but, wow, there was a lot of angst!!
Atlas has had 10 years to plot his revenge, building his hatred and fury for the Worth family until his plan could be enacted. The only thing he didn't take into account was Lexi's innocence.
While I can't imagine how I'd feel if I'd spent 10 years in prison for a crime I had not committed, I thought Atlas was unreasonably hard on Lexi. I enjoyed the story, but, wow, there was a lot of angst!!
April 16, 2018
I liked the pacing and writing of this story a lot. While there were a few times when I thought the hero acted a bit over the top and the heroine could be a bit passive, overall the story worked and the chemistry between the two main characters was great. I also thought the first love scene was pretty dang hot!
My favorite part about this book was actually the end. I really enjoyed how the author brought the hero and heroine together in a realistic fashion. It wasn't easy for either character and it felt very true to the story.
The good writing definitely outweighed any nagging problems I felt about the overall story and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
My favorite part about this book was actually the end. I really enjoyed how the author brought the hero and heroine together in a realistic fashion. It wasn't easy for either character and it felt very true to the story.
The good writing definitely outweighed any nagging problems I felt about the overall story and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
February 16, 2021
This was gothic! Hero is out of jail after 10 years and seeks revenge! He marries heroine to destroy her and her family. I found this book a little weird because even if the hero repeats that he wants to make them pay for 10 years I didn’t find him so cruel or evil. He had sex with h every night but he never raped her or forced her or humiliated her. They worked together but he was never really mean to her. He fired her cousin because he didn’t do anything good in his work, I think this is reasonable not cruel. His revenge was more words than deeds and in the end she leaves him and he follows her so I didn’t feel so much cruelty in his behavior. Anyway it was a good book.
September 17, 2022
Boy, is this bad. Every sentence in every conversation requires half a page of melodramatic mental anguish, explanations and agonizing. And not in a good way. Any potential angst got lost in the mess of bad writing.
A single dinner conversation took nearly 70 pages. This is the exact opposite of “show, not tell.” The idea sounded so great, but the execution was painful. I really tried to like this and skipped ahead a few times to see if it got better, but no such luck.
This is the kind of HQ that you have to slog through to find the little gems here and there. I have read good ones by Caitlin Crews, but this is not one of them.
A single dinner conversation took nearly 70 pages. This is the exact opposite of “show, not tell.” The idea sounded so great, but the execution was painful. I really tried to like this and skipped ahead a few times to see if it got better, but no such luck.
This is the kind of HQ that you have to slog through to find the little gems here and there. I have read good ones by Caitlin Crews, but this is not one of them.
March 29, 2018
Atlas is framed for a crime he did not commit based on a conversation that Lexi overheard. He decides the Worth family will pay when he is exonerated. He decides he will marry Lexi and force her cousins and Uncle to attend. He has facts about her life that she doesn't know. Her family that took her in has treated her like a servant and made her think they were doing her a favor. This was well written although I felt kind of angry all the way throught the book, waiting for Atlas to show some compassion. A good read, well written and a good story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews