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Once Upon a Temptation #6
Taming the Big Bad Billionaire
A coldhearted billionaire
And the innocent to tame him!
The moment he spotted Ella Riding, Roman knew she would be his. Unworldly Ella was his grandfather’s ward, living the life Roman had been denied. Ignoring his guilt at letting her fall for and marry him, he believed his revenge was faultless…
Ella may be naive, but she’s no pushover. After discovering Roman’s lies, she can’t pretend their passion-filled marriage never happened. Instead, she’ll challenge him. Roman might see himself as a big bad wolf, but she knows he could be so much more…
And the innocent to tame him!
The moment he spotted Ella Riding, Roman knew she would be his. Unworldly Ella was his grandfather’s ward, living the life Roman had been denied. Ignoring his guilt at letting her fall for and marry him, he believed his revenge was faultless…
Ella may be naive, but she’s no pushover. After discovering Roman’s lies, she can’t pretend their passion-filled marriage never happened. Instead, she’ll challenge him. Roman might see himself as a big bad wolf, but she knows he could be so much more…
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 18, 2020
104 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Pippa Roscoe
339 books52 followersPippa Roscoe writes sexy romances for Harlequin Mills & Boon and loves every happy ending in each of her books. With a major coffee addiction and a mild not-so-secret crisp eating compulsion – she spends her days fantasising about extraordinary romances, exotic locations and true love against all odds.
After graduating with a degree and a masters from Goldsmiths University, Pippa spent four years working on the BBC medical drama Holby City. After switching industries to publishing and spending five years as an editor working with incredible colleagues and inspirational authors, she finally decided to follow her own dream of writing and swapped London for Norfolk.
In her spare time she looks longingly at the countryside which she promises to roam, if she can drag herself away from her computer for long enough. She prefers to write outside in the sunshine, but during the winter is consigned to the kitchen – the warmest room in the cottage!
She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t dreaming about gorgeous brooding alpha heroes and sympathetic innocent heroines. Totally her mother’s fault of course – she gave Pippa her first romance to read at the age of seven! Pippa is inconceivably happy that she gets to share those daydreams with you all.
After graduating with a degree and a masters from Goldsmiths University, Pippa spent four years working on the BBC medical drama Holby City. After switching industries to publishing and spending five years as an editor working with incredible colleagues and inspirational authors, she finally decided to follow her own dream of writing and swapped London for Norfolk.
In her spare time she looks longingly at the countryside which she promises to roam, if she can drag herself away from her computer for long enough. She prefers to write outside in the sunshine, but during the winter is consigned to the kitchen – the warmest room in the cottage!
She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t dreaming about gorgeous brooding alpha heroes and sympathetic innocent heroines. Totally her mother’s fault of course – she gave Pippa her first romance to read at the age of seven! Pippa is inconceivably happy that she gets to share those daydreams with you all.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 6, 2020
3.5 stars.
Little Red Riding Hood gets the spotlight in this tale of vengeance served cold.
Our vengeful H is Roman, a self made Russian billionaire, often referred to, in business circles, as The Great Wolf. He's determined to use the heroine, Ella, as the pawn in his plan to destroy her guardian ( his maternal grandfather ) Vladimir Kolikov:
Now Kolikov would know that same feeling. Roman wanted Vladimir to beg and plead as he had once done. Ella Riding was the only way he could take revenge against his grandfather. And he would take it by any means necessary.
This is the H, Roman:
Roman's plan was set in stone when, at the age of 13, he'd watched his mother die a torturous death because his estranged grandfather had refused to pay her medical bills. The adolescent H grew increasingly resentful of the little girl, Ella, who ( in his mind ) had become Vladimir's spoilt and precious ward; the girl who'd replaced his mother, in his grandfather's affections.
The most interesting part of this story, was the H's ability to cloak this resentment while he wooed and manipulated the heroine. Roman repressed his wolfish, sexual, playboy persona. Instead, he disguised himself as a charming, gallant and chivalrous gentleman. He reinvented himself as the ideal romantic suitor.
He followed her all the way to her grandmother's isolated cottage in the Occitaine region of France, stopping only to adopt a goofy rescue dog named Dorcas. It was the height of Machiavellian scheming:
No. He had planned for this. He had worked out every possible variable. He needed to look, at the very least, non-threatening.
And, what easier way to neutralise a woman's defences, than to be the friendly, doting daddy to a cutiedorable doggy ?
Seven hours ago he’d been interviewing for a canine companion at the local dog shelter—for what was more predatory than a single man alone in the woods?
This is Dorcas:
Roman fed on Ella's vulnerabilities, like a sociopath. He dampened his sexual ardour, stoked her trust and became her sole confidante during her grandmother's illness. Although he was greatly attracted to Ella, sex wasn't a part of his revenge:
Roman had no intention of making this marriage real. He was a monster, but not so much of one that he would take her innocence.
This is the heroine, Ella :
Their rushed, private wedding was the H's coup d'etat. He planned to leverage the marriage in his cruel game with his grandfather. His ultimate goal: to gain control of his grandfather's company, just so he could destroy it.
What he hadn't counted on, was for the plan to backfire. The cunning old man had been scheming, for years, to unite his firm with the heroine's late father's. The H's marriage to the heroine, had accomplished exactly that. Roman saw his vengeance dissipating before his eyes, when his grandfather mocked:
So when I realised what a beautiful creature Ella would become, I knew that I had the perfect bait...for you. The innocent, naïve young woman who would tempt you into playing your hand. And I safeguarded that innocence. That naivety. Giving her everything she would need to be the perfect focus of your attention.
All I ever wanted was the joining of the two families. Mine and the Ridings’. And you have delivered it to me on a plate.
And just like that, the H realised that all his decades long planning, had been for nought, because he'd basically just played himself...
Obviously, the heroine was the sole victim of both men's vicious schemes. The fact that the old man died soon afterwards, also meant that there would be no reconciliation in that quarter.
The heroine did make an attempt to get her own revenge on the H, by taunting him with the many ways she could use his jealousy to her advantage:
‘As my own reputation means so very little to me, I would be more than happy to create such a scandal that you would see my face everywhere you went, every newspaper, every online article—I would make sure that the world knew that the Great Wolf’s wife was bringing him to his knees.’
She was joking. Surely.
‘Imagine—the wife of the world’s greatest seducer looking elsewhere for her pleasure. What would that do to your precious reputation?’
‘You’re an innocent, you wouldn’t even know how,’ he declared.
He watched in horrified fascination as his wife turned her gaze from his to some poor dolt at the neighbouring table.
But her vengeance plan fizzled out when the possessive H responded by using sex to finally lay claim to his woman, before another man did. This second part of the story was much less intense; it also limped along at a slower pace, especially when an unexpected pregnancy forced the MC's to derail their plans for a quickie divorce.
I was starting to get a little bored, when the H finally stopped being a wuss and played his last hand, by liquidating Vladimir's company. His vengeance didn't provide much satisfaction and peace, because his marriage was the collateral damage. And this time, it seemed irreparable.
The MC's reconciliation occurred only as a result of a minor character's assistance. This guy, the H's best friend Loukas, inadvertently revealed certain important truths to Ella; thus making it easier for her to end the discord in her marriage, by giving Roman a final chance to explain himself.
This isn't Pippa Roscoe's best novel, but it's certainly entertaining enough to earn a respectable rating and review. And the epilogue, with their 2 little daughters, is a commendable conclusion to these MC's romantic journey. It appears, based on a blurb for an upcoming novel, Rumors Behind the Greek's Wedding, that the H's friend, Loukas, will be paired with the heroine's business partner, Célia.
Safety: No OW, no OM, no cheating and both MC's are celibate during their 2 short separations.
Little Red Riding Hood gets the spotlight in this tale of vengeance served cold.
Our vengeful H is Roman, a self made Russian billionaire, often referred to, in business circles, as The Great Wolf. He's determined to use the heroine, Ella, as the pawn in his plan to destroy her guardian ( his maternal grandfather ) Vladimir Kolikov:
Now Kolikov would know that same feeling. Roman wanted Vladimir to beg and plead as he had once done. Ella Riding was the only way he could take revenge against his grandfather. And he would take it by any means necessary.
This is the H, Roman:
Roman's plan was set in stone when, at the age of 13, he'd watched his mother die a torturous death because his estranged grandfather had refused to pay her medical bills. The adolescent H grew increasingly resentful of the little girl, Ella, who ( in his mind ) had become Vladimir's spoilt and precious ward; the girl who'd replaced his mother, in his grandfather's affections.
The most interesting part of this story, was the H's ability to cloak this resentment while he wooed and manipulated the heroine. Roman repressed his wolfish, sexual, playboy persona. Instead, he disguised himself as a charming, gallant and chivalrous gentleman. He reinvented himself as the ideal romantic suitor.
He followed her all the way to her grandmother's isolated cottage in the Occitaine region of France, stopping only to adopt a goofy rescue dog named Dorcas. It was the height of Machiavellian scheming:
No. He had planned for this. He had worked out every possible variable. He needed to look, at the very least, non-threatening.
And, what easier way to neutralise a woman's defences, than to be the friendly, doting daddy to a cutiedorable doggy ?
Seven hours ago he’d been interviewing for a canine companion at the local dog shelter—for what was more predatory than a single man alone in the woods?
This is Dorcas:
Roman fed on Ella's vulnerabilities, like a sociopath. He dampened his sexual ardour, stoked her trust and became her sole confidante during her grandmother's illness. Although he was greatly attracted to Ella, sex wasn't a part of his revenge:
Roman had no intention of making this marriage real. He was a monster, but not so much of one that he would take her innocence.
This is the heroine, Ella :
Their rushed, private wedding was the H's coup d'etat. He planned to leverage the marriage in his cruel game with his grandfather. His ultimate goal: to gain control of his grandfather's company, just so he could destroy it.
What he hadn't counted on, was for the plan to backfire. The cunning old man had been scheming, for years, to unite his firm with the heroine's late father's. The H's marriage to the heroine, had accomplished exactly that. Roman saw his vengeance dissipating before his eyes, when his grandfather mocked:
So when I realised what a beautiful creature Ella would become, I knew that I had the perfect bait...for you. The innocent, naïve young woman who would tempt you into playing your hand. And I safeguarded that innocence. That naivety. Giving her everything she would need to be the perfect focus of your attention.
All I ever wanted was the joining of the two families. Mine and the Ridings’. And you have delivered it to me on a plate.
And just like that, the H realised that all his decades long planning, had been for nought, because he'd basically just played himself...
Obviously, the heroine was the sole victim of both men's vicious schemes. The fact that the old man died soon afterwards, also meant that there would be no reconciliation in that quarter.
The heroine did make an attempt to get her own revenge on the H, by taunting him with the many ways she could use his jealousy to her advantage:
‘As my own reputation means so very little to me, I would be more than happy to create such a scandal that you would see my face everywhere you went, every newspaper, every online article—I would make sure that the world knew that the Great Wolf’s wife was bringing him to his knees.’
She was joking. Surely.
‘Imagine—the wife of the world’s greatest seducer looking elsewhere for her pleasure. What would that do to your precious reputation?’
‘You’re an innocent, you wouldn’t even know how,’ he declared.
He watched in horrified fascination as his wife turned her gaze from his to some poor dolt at the neighbouring table.
But her vengeance plan fizzled out when the possessive H responded by using sex to finally lay claim to his woman, before another man did. This second part of the story was much less intense; it also limped along at a slower pace, especially when an unexpected pregnancy forced the MC's to derail their plans for a quickie divorce.
I was starting to get a little bored, when the H finally stopped being a wuss and played his last hand, by liquidating Vladimir's company. His vengeance didn't provide much satisfaction and peace, because his marriage was the collateral damage. And this time, it seemed irreparable.
The MC's reconciliation occurred only as a result of a minor character's assistance. This guy, the H's best friend Loukas, inadvertently revealed certain important truths to Ella; thus making it easier for her to end the discord in her marriage, by giving Roman a final chance to explain himself.
This isn't Pippa Roscoe's best novel, but it's certainly entertaining enough to earn a respectable rating and review. And the epilogue, with their 2 little daughters, is a commendable conclusion to these MC's romantic journey. It appears, based on a blurb for an upcoming novel, Rumors Behind the Greek's Wedding, that the H's friend, Loukas, will be paired with the heroine's business partner, Célia.
Safety: No OW, no OM, no cheating and both MC's are celibate during their 2 short separations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2020
Short review.
This was an emotional and romantic read. Great development of characters and storyline.
I loved the heroine, she was sweet. She at first comes across as naive, but evolves into a strong and sweet heroine that holds her own.
Hero is a brooding alpha hero. But he has a sweet and romantic side that evolves as he falls in love with the heroine.
Appreciated the storyline and development of their love story. Revenge that turns into their happy ever after. And loved the epilogue. Can't wait for Loukis and Celia's story.
This was an emotional and romantic read. Great development of characters and storyline.
I loved the heroine, she was sweet. She at first comes across as naive, but evolves into a strong and sweet heroine that holds her own.
Hero is a brooding alpha hero. But he has a sweet and romantic side that evolves as he falls in love with the heroine.
Appreciated the storyline and development of their love story. Revenge that turns into their happy ever after. And loved the epilogue. Can't wait for Loukis and Celia's story.
April 11, 2021
Thank you, thank you, thank you Pippa Roscoe. This was a bright spot in a week of gross heroes, rampant cheating, TSTL spineless heroines pining for their gross, rampantly cheating or OTT cruel soul mates that will make them miserable for the rest of their lives.
Pippa is new to me in the HP spectrum and it was so refreshing to read a tightly written HP with a saucy heroine and the requisite bad, boy wolfy brooder hero. PR takes the big bad wolf metaphor and continues it through the book consistently without being over the top. Okay, the heroine’s last name was Riding, but the overall writing was great.
It started off with four stars as the hero leads his little Red Riding Hood down the garden path and inevitably gets trapped by his own evil plan.
Once they get together and the hero persists in keeping to the revenge plan, it lost some steam. The hero then falls into the tropey trap of saving the heroine from his big bad self. Revenge plots are always a little iffy for me in an HP as the wrong people get the sharp end of the stick and that’s the case in a big way here. The evil doer gets off pretty easily.
But keeping it at four stars for the writing, a fey looking heroine with a spine of steel, and a hunky Russian bad boy with a guilty conscience.
Pippa is new to me in the HP spectrum and it was so refreshing to read a tightly written HP with a saucy heroine and the requisite bad, boy wolfy brooder hero. PR takes the big bad wolf metaphor and continues it through the book consistently without being over the top. Okay, the heroine’s last name was Riding, but the overall writing was great.
It started off with four stars as the hero leads his little Red Riding Hood down the garden path and inevitably gets trapped by his own evil plan.
Once they get together and the hero persists in keeping to the revenge plan, it lost some steam. The hero then falls into the tropey trap of saving the heroine from his big bad self. Revenge plots are always a little iffy for me in an HP as the wrong people get the sharp end of the stick and that’s the case in a big way here. The evil doer gets off pretty easily.
But keeping it at four stars for the writing, a fey looking heroine with a spine of steel, and a hunky Russian bad boy with a guilty conscience.
March 28, 2021
A fairytale re-telling that isn't Cinderella! Finally.
It's Red Riding Hood. Hero is the big bad wolf, heroine's last name is Riding, and each chapter has a quote from a critical analysis of the fairytale. Just what an English major likes to gobble up.
But -
Not what most HP readers expect or even want, so be warned. This book is romantic, with an HEA, but the narrative is dense (lots of inner monologues and descriptions).
I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much if I hadn't been warned by the other reviews and if I hadn't been in the mood for intricate descriptions. Also, it's a revenge tale, my favorite.
For more information, check out Ivy's excellent and informative review.
It's Red Riding Hood. Hero is the big bad wolf, heroine's last name is Riding, and each chapter has a quote from a critical analysis of the fairytale. Just what an English major likes to gobble up.
But -
Not what most HP readers expect or even want, so be warned. This book is romantic, with an HEA, but the narrative is dense (lots of inner monologues and descriptions).
I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much if I hadn't been warned by the other reviews and if I hadn't been in the mood for intricate descriptions. Also, it's a revenge tale, my favorite.
For more information, check out Ivy's excellent and informative review.
May 8, 2020
For the sake of the first half, 3.5 stars.
July 5, 2020
"Taming the Big Bad Billionaire" is the story of Ella and Roman.
A sweet fairy-tale like romance, filled with betrayals, angst and a common enemy.
Meet our orphaned heroine, who lives in the woods and yearns for happiness. She has been bought up by a guardian, and has an elderly grandmother, who has suffered an accident. Her savior comes in the form of an enigmatic stranger, who waltzes into her life with his dog, and literally sweeps her off her feet. She finally starts believing in a happy ending, until she realizes that he has ulterior motives for their marriage, and he might be using her- thus shattering her dreams.
How they navigate their relationship after the truth is revealed forms the story.
Sweet heroine, scarred hero, loads of past trauma and want for love and happiness. What I liked was the heroine's inner strength and ability to retaliate against the betrayals. Yeah, she gave in when she wanted to but she could also hurt the hero when needed.
My favorite character was the dog Dorcas, of-course. And the really adorable ending.
Safe
3/5
A sweet fairy-tale like romance, filled with betrayals, angst and a common enemy.
Meet our orphaned heroine, who lives in the woods and yearns for happiness. She has been bought up by a guardian, and has an elderly grandmother, who has suffered an accident. Her savior comes in the form of an enigmatic stranger, who waltzes into her life with his dog, and literally sweeps her off her feet. She finally starts believing in a happy ending, until she realizes that he has ulterior motives for their marriage, and he might be using her- thus shattering her dreams.
How they navigate their relationship after the truth is revealed forms the story.
Sweet heroine, scarred hero, loads of past trauma and want for love and happiness. What I liked was the heroine's inner strength and ability to retaliate against the betrayals. Yeah, she gave in when she wanted to but she could also hurt the hero when needed.
My favorite character was the dog Dorcas, of-course. And the really adorable ending.
Safe
3/5
June 1, 2020
Loved the 1st part more than the 2nd which was a little boring 🤔 but things became better towards the end, loved the epilogue with their 2 daughters and Pregnant h
So excited about Loukas and Celia 👍
So excited about Loukas and Celia 👍
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2021
The story is nice, but the writing style of the author is not for me. Like another review said there are chapters where there's barely conversation, only narration.
April 4, 2021
An interesting retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Read
June 1, 2020I'm not giving this a numerical score because it turns out I don't care for the epic, romantic, fairy tale aspect. I think fans of this genre will enjoy this a great deal, but I need more drink throwing and storming out of parties in a jealous rage.
June 3, 2020
Major Plot spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
This one was a flip of the coin for me with things that I really did like, but then there were some other things that I just didn’t care for at all. So this review was kind hard to make because I will be going back and forth a bit.
The June releases of Harlequin Presents each story for the month did a retelling of a fairy tale story. This one particular story retold the story of Little Red Riding Hood , which I thought was really neat because I don’t think I have ever read a retelling of that particular fairy tale. This story did a really good in the retelling with a lot of great elements form the fairy tale. I enjoyed that with each chapter there was a quote from a story called The Truth about Little Red Riding Hood by Roz Fayrer, which I never heard of but was a perfect addition to the story because with those little snippets kind of previewed what would happen the chapter with Ella and Roman as well as bring those Red Riding Hood elements as well. That was a refreshing change from normal Presents fare. I also loved the elements of the Red Riding story that were in there and how it was meshed throughout the story. Roman was very much a wolf in the story and presented a lot of wolf like qualities especially in the beginning when he was hunting innocent Ella. I loved that Ella’s last name was Riding, and was scampering through the forest the first time that she met Roman. There was even a mention of her having this red cloak like Red. And there were so many other elements from the fairy tale as well. It was a just a very well fairy tale retelling I thought, and I really enjoyed that part the story.
Aside from creating those fairy tales elements what the beginning did really well was suck me into the story with all the imagery and the heightened awareness as Roman came to “hunt” his prey in Ella. He had really elaborate plan and was clear about that plan for revenge for the reader. He even bought a dog in order to lure Ella to him and suck her into his web. It was very whimsical because their first meeting was in the forest. And OMG did that just grab me especially with smoothness and charm. I was even charmed and seduced by him, even knowing that he had alternative motives from the moment he orchestrated the meeting with Ella. It was just so good how it was written especially knowing how this wasn’t going to end well with lots of pain coming. I was so ready for it.
I do wish that there was more shown in how he charmed her and wooed and got to her to fall in love with him until she agreed to marry him. I would liked to seen the details for that entire month of what lead up to them getting married. I can imagine it in my head of what they did by Ella telling us, but I would like to have been shown. More dialogue and conversations between them especially while she was taking care of her grandmother, and was real big support to her. The little romantic moments between them like when he proposed would have been good. Stuff like that, instead just summarizing about it. Though I could see and tell that Ella was falling hard for him, and I could see how he wore her down, which was the point. I just think it would have been more impactful if that month was shown with more of the romance played up a bit.
Once the revelation scene got there, it was like a bomb went off, and it was utterly heartbreaking especially for Ella. She learned how she got play by both men in her life that she believed loved her. She was just a pawn in their revenge, and as you can imagine it hurt her bad. It was such a heart ripping out of her chest moment that was so painful that it was good. It was an amazing scene full of all kind of feels, and I was so for it. I was preparing myself for the feels, angst, and so much more.
After that revelation scene, eight months passed when Ella and Roman were reunited again. This time Ella was very intent on getting a divorce from Roman and made every attempt by sending him the divorce papers over the months, but he never sent them back. When they met again, they set the pages on fire. That scene at the club where they were talking about seduction and how to seduce someone. OMG that was so freaking hot. I could feel the tension between them. I could feel the attraction between them. The desire that was between them was pretty thick, and I loved it. It was such a good scene. It was flirty with lot good banter as well as underlying all that tension between them. What made it more interesting was how bold Ella was in that moment. She was longer that naive mouse that Roman met and sucked into his web. She was very much a strong woman and was determined to step up for herself, and I absolutely loved that.
That scene carried on to the love scene, which was already filled with tension as they interacted at Roman’s club. It just carried right on through into the bedroom. It was very steamy. It was sensual. It was tender and caring. It was very much about two souls coming together in intimacy that was beyond the physical. It was great. My favorite part of that scene was when Roman interlaced his fingers with hers just showing how much of both an emotional and physical connection that they truly have. I think that’s my favorite thing in romantic scenes is the interlacing of fingers because it says so much without saying a word. Any time those moments are in there I rejoice.
After that encounter happened between them, Ella left without saying going because she felt all these crazy emotional going on and feeling that she gave him anything that Roman wanted and still feeling played by him despite the fact she was a very willing participant in the bedroom activity. More time passed, in fact three months passed before they met again and came together once more especially once her pregnancy was thrown into the miss. From that point on, the story really started to lag for me. The feels didn’t quite hit for me like I was expecting it to especially with all that baggage between them. I felt like a lot of stuff was told instead of shown, and I just thought there needed to more moments of the two of them interacting as they worked out being a married couple and the emotions surrounding all that. Yes, I could feel the pain in Ella over Roman’s betrayal. Yes, I could tell that Roman felt very guilty for what he did to Ella. Yes, they had some complicated moments with each other as well as resolving issues in their past, but other than that it just didn’t touch me as much as I was expecting. It was just too much summary of events as well as long internal monologues going on. It made it boring and very dull, and I had to skim some of it because it wasn’t keeping my interest or giving me the feels. It just dragged too much at the end. I would have preferred to have seen the month of wooing then all that happened in the back half of the story.
Overall this story was good, and I enjoyed it. There was just so things that I just didn’t care for that made the story drag a bit. I think there needed to be a lot more scenes going on then just summarizing what what going on either between Ella and Roman, or even their internal monologues was just too much. I needed a little more action and a little more feels in the romance department. I did appreciate the LIttle Red Riding retelling aspect of the story. I thought that was handled very well and done in a great modern way. I could recognize all the elements, and how that just really brought the story to life. I think the whole first half of the book was amazing and just really sucked me into the story especially as Roman was wooing Ella. He charmed me just like he charmed her, and I knew his motives behind everything. He still seduced me so that was really well done and I fell for it. I loved that aspect of the story. I loved seeing the growth in Ella when she was reunited with Romance once again. That was just an awesome part of the story. If the beginning carried all the way through the entire book I would absolutely loved and oared it because that was just an amazing part of the story. It was still a good story. I loved that this wasn’t the typical retelling and found it very refreshing that this fairy tale that doesn’t get many retellings like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast had one done. That was handled really well, which I very much appreciated.
This one was a flip of the coin for me with things that I really did like, but then there were some other things that I just didn’t care for at all. So this review was kind hard to make because I will be going back and forth a bit.
The June releases of Harlequin Presents each story for the month did a retelling of a fairy tale story. This one particular story retold the story of Little Red Riding Hood , which I thought was really neat because I don’t think I have ever read a retelling of that particular fairy tale. This story did a really good in the retelling with a lot of great elements form the fairy tale. I enjoyed that with each chapter there was a quote from a story called The Truth about Little Red Riding Hood by Roz Fayrer, which I never heard of but was a perfect addition to the story because with those little snippets kind of previewed what would happen the chapter with Ella and Roman as well as bring those Red Riding Hood elements as well. That was a refreshing change from normal Presents fare. I also loved the elements of the Red Riding story that were in there and how it was meshed throughout the story. Roman was very much a wolf in the story and presented a lot of wolf like qualities especially in the beginning when he was hunting innocent Ella. I loved that Ella’s last name was Riding, and was scampering through the forest the first time that she met Roman. There was even a mention of her having this red cloak like Red. And there were so many other elements from the fairy tale as well. It was a just a very well fairy tale retelling I thought, and I really enjoyed that part the story.
Aside from creating those fairy tales elements what the beginning did really well was suck me into the story with all the imagery and the heightened awareness as Roman came to “hunt” his prey in Ella. He had really elaborate plan and was clear about that plan for revenge for the reader. He even bought a dog in order to lure Ella to him and suck her into his web. It was very whimsical because their first meeting was in the forest. And OMG did that just grab me especially with smoothness and charm. I was even charmed and seduced by him, even knowing that he had alternative motives from the moment he orchestrated the meeting with Ella. It was just so good how it was written especially knowing how this wasn’t going to end well with lots of pain coming. I was so ready for it.
I do wish that there was more shown in how he charmed her and wooed and got to her to fall in love with him until she agreed to marry him. I would liked to seen the details for that entire month of what lead up to them getting married. I can imagine it in my head of what they did by Ella telling us, but I would like to have been shown. More dialogue and conversations between them especially while she was taking care of her grandmother, and was real big support to her. The little romantic moments between them like when he proposed would have been good. Stuff like that, instead just summarizing about it. Though I could see and tell that Ella was falling hard for him, and I could see how he wore her down, which was the point. I just think it would have been more impactful if that month was shown with more of the romance played up a bit.
Once the revelation scene got there, it was like a bomb went off, and it was utterly heartbreaking especially for Ella. She learned how she got play by both men in her life that she believed loved her. She was just a pawn in their revenge, and as you can imagine it hurt her bad. It was such a heart ripping out of her chest moment that was so painful that it was good. It was an amazing scene full of all kind of feels, and I was so for it. I was preparing myself for the feels, angst, and so much more.
After that revelation scene, eight months passed when Ella and Roman were reunited again. This time Ella was very intent on getting a divorce from Roman and made every attempt by sending him the divorce papers over the months, but he never sent them back. When they met again, they set the pages on fire. That scene at the club where they were talking about seduction and how to seduce someone. OMG that was so freaking hot. I could feel the tension between them. I could feel the attraction between them. The desire that was between them was pretty thick, and I loved it. It was such a good scene. It was flirty with lot good banter as well as underlying all that tension between them. What made it more interesting was how bold Ella was in that moment. She was longer that naive mouse that Roman met and sucked into his web. She was very much a strong woman and was determined to step up for herself, and I absolutely loved that.
That scene carried on to the love scene, which was already filled with tension as they interacted at Roman’s club. It just carried right on through into the bedroom. It was very steamy. It was sensual. It was tender and caring. It was very much about two souls coming together in intimacy that was beyond the physical. It was great. My favorite part of that scene was when Roman interlaced his fingers with hers just showing how much of both an emotional and physical connection that they truly have. I think that’s my favorite thing in romantic scenes is the interlacing of fingers because it says so much without saying a word. Any time those moments are in there I rejoice.
After that encounter happened between them, Ella left without saying going because she felt all these crazy emotional going on and feeling that she gave him anything that Roman wanted and still feeling played by him despite the fact she was a very willing participant in the bedroom activity. More time passed, in fact three months passed before they met again and came together once more especially once her pregnancy was thrown into the miss. From that point on, the story really started to lag for me. The feels didn’t quite hit for me like I was expecting it to especially with all that baggage between them. I felt like a lot of stuff was told instead of shown, and I just thought there needed to more moments of the two of them interacting as they worked out being a married couple and the emotions surrounding all that. Yes, I could feel the pain in Ella over Roman’s betrayal. Yes, I could tell that Roman felt very guilty for what he did to Ella. Yes, they had some complicated moments with each other as well as resolving issues in their past, but other than that it just didn’t touch me as much as I was expecting. It was just too much summary of events as well as long internal monologues going on. It made it boring and very dull, and I had to skim some of it because it wasn’t keeping my interest or giving me the feels. It just dragged too much at the end. I would have preferred to have seen the month of wooing then all that happened in the back half of the story.
Overall this story was good, and I enjoyed it. There was just so things that I just didn’t care for that made the story drag a bit. I think there needed to be a lot more scenes going on then just summarizing what what going on either between Ella and Roman, or even their internal monologues was just too much. I needed a little more action and a little more feels in the romance department. I did appreciate the LIttle Red Riding retelling aspect of the story. I thought that was handled very well and done in a great modern way. I could recognize all the elements, and how that just really brought the story to life. I think the whole first half of the book was amazing and just really sucked me into the story especially as Roman was wooing Ella. He charmed me just like he charmed her, and I knew his motives behind everything. He still seduced me so that was really well done and I fell for it. I loved that aspect of the story. I loved seeing the growth in Ella when she was reunited with Romance once again. That was just an awesome part of the story. If the beginning carried all the way through the entire book I would absolutely loved and oared it because that was just an amazing part of the story. It was still a good story. I loved that this wasn’t the typical retelling and found it very refreshing that this fairy tale that doesn’t get many retellings like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast had one done. That was handled really well, which I very much appreciated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2020
A coldhearted billionaire
And the innocent to tame him!
The moment he spotted Ella Riding, Roman knew she would be his. Unworldly Ella was his grandfather’s ward, living the life Roman had been denied. Ignoring his guilt at letting her fall for and marry him, he believed his revenge was faultless…
Ella may be naive, but she’s no pushover. After discovering Roman’s lies, she can’t pretend their passion-filled marriage never happened. Instead, she’ll challenge him. Roman might see himself as a big bad wolf, but she knows he could be so much more…
And the innocent to tame him!
The moment he spotted Ella Riding, Roman knew she would be his. Unworldly Ella was his grandfather’s ward, living the life Roman had been denied. Ignoring his guilt at letting her fall for and marry him, he believed his revenge was faultless…
Ella may be naive, but she’s no pushover. After discovering Roman’s lies, she can’t pretend their passion-filled marriage never happened. Instead, she’ll challenge him. Roman might see himself as a big bad wolf, but she knows he could be so much more…
July 6, 2020
I absolutely adored the fairy tale feel if this book. I was drawn into the story from the first chapter and loved the writing. The story was emotional and angsty, but also romantic and wonderful! It was well told and the best offering with regards to the theme of the series. My favourite HP of 2020.
May 2, 2020
Ella Riding has the right last name because while walking in her Grandmothers wooded yard she runs into Roman Black. Roman has been watching and finally sees the one person that can help him keep the promise he made to his dying mother. Ella is a ward of a powerful man, Roman's grandfather who turned his back on his daughter and grandson and allowed his daughter to die rather than help her get medical care. Roman wants vengeance and Ella is going to be his means to get it. So the man known as the Great Wolf woos the lovely Ella in her Red Hooded cape. Yes you get it right? More than that would give away too much of this wonderful story. Ms. Roscoe never disappoints and writes amazing stories all the time. Another of hers for the keeper shelf.
June 25, 2020
Such a good retelling of Red Riding Hood! This story held the theme well, mixed with a bit of revenge, a few lies, and a lovely romance. Ella falls in love with the gorgeous Roman in the woods surrounding her grandmother's cottage, marries him, then realises he's nothing but a lying vengeful wolf out to get revenge upon his grandfather. But Roman's revenge is thwarted and he falls in love with his beautiful, sweet, and take-no-crap wife. This was such a good story with a mix of awesome settings and tropes. Also features a lovable wolfhound! I really enjoyed it.
May 13, 2021
Clever retelling of Little Red Riding Hood
May 30, 2020
Deceit filled revenge! With book six in the mutli-authored modern day fairy tale series Once Upon a Temptation, Pippa Roscoe brings us a tale of the big bad wolf swooping in to nab the innocent young lady. It was fast paced and held my attention from start to finish.
Roman Black is ruthless and cold. He has his sight set on taking the revenge he's wallowed in from a young age and nothing will stop him.
Ella Riding is kind, naive and caring. She has no clue who Roman is or what he has planned when she innocently falls in love and marries him. She soon finds out what kind of man she has at her side and has to decide whether the person she knew beforehand is even real.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a twist on a modern day fairy tale and watching a relationship built on lies reawaken into more as healing begins.
Roman Black is ruthless and cold. He has his sight set on taking the revenge he's wallowed in from a young age and nothing will stop him.
Ella Riding is kind, naive and caring. She has no clue who Roman is or what he has planned when she innocently falls in love and marries him. She soon finds out what kind of man she has at her side and has to decide whether the person she knew beforehand is even real.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a twist on a modern day fairy tale and watching a relationship built on lies reawaken into more as healing begins.
June 21, 2020
The story is nice, but the writing style of the author made me repeat the reading over and over again. There are chapters where there's barely conversation, only narration.
November 2, 2020
This book is shit. So annoying
February 26, 2025
I did like it, the story and connection between hero and heroine was complex for a harlequin presents. I didn't know how to feel about the hero and his actions throughout the book.
Heroine was good, she was nice but also had drive and the ability to stand up for herself. In the end she had the ability to empathize with him and forgive him.
Hero was very complex, I understood his actions once more was revealed about his childhood and his connection to his mom and how much her being cut off from her father and how she had to live, then her death and her father refusing to save her (by funding life saving treatment) affected hero so deeply. However I don't quite understand the using of heroine for his vengeance against his grandfather. But getting past that his motivations and actions make sense for the most part and somehow I felt bad for him when he betrayed heroine's trust (by selling the company when she asked him not to), pushing her away and giving her divorce papers.
I normally don't like when a heroine goes after a hero once he broke up with her, however in this case it made sense. He was convinced she (and their unborn daughter) was better off without him and did his best to push her away. The epilogue was good, I like that it showed 5 years into the future. P.
Heroine was good, she was nice but also had drive and the ability to stand up for herself. In the end she had the ability to empathize with him and forgive him.
Hero was very complex, I understood his actions once more was revealed about his childhood and his connection to his mom and how much her being cut off from her father and how she had to live, then her death and her father refusing to save her (by funding life saving treatment) affected hero so deeply. However I don't quite understand the using of heroine for his vengeance against his grandfather. But getting past that his motivations and actions make sense for the most part and somehow I felt bad for him when he betrayed heroine's trust (by selling the company when she asked him not to), pushing her away and giving her divorce papers.
I normally don't like when a heroine goes after a hero once he broke up with her, however in this case it made sense. He was convinced she (and their unborn daughter) was better off without him and did his best to push her away. The epilogue was good, I like that it showed 5 years into the future. P.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2020
Roman Black has plotted for years to finally get the revenge he needs against his grandfather. The fact that Ella Riding must be used to exact that revenge is of little consequence. Until he finds that his grandfather had actually manipulated him. And that Ella is more than she seemed.
Ella had her world ripped apart at the age of five with the death of her parents. Then, the man she fell in love with and married, helped to rip her heart out yet again. Finding out the truth about her guardian was extremely difficult, but the truth about Roman was her undoing.
Sweet story.
Ella had her world ripped apart at the age of five with the death of her parents. Then, the man she fell in love with and married, helped to rip her heart out yet again. Finding out the truth about her guardian was extremely difficult, but the truth about Roman was her undoing.
Sweet story.
May 24, 2020
"Taming the Big Bad Billionaire," by Pippa Roscoe was a really good read. Ella was Roman's grandfather. He needed a bride and she was the best option for him. Can the wolf tame naive Ella? The truth comes out and we find that Roman is doing this to avenge his family.
Read
June 1, 2020Categories
Romance, Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Once Upon a Temptation (Book #6)
Romance, Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Once Upon a Temptation (Book #6)
Read
June 1, 2020Categories
Romance, Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Once Upon a Temptation (Book #6)
Romance, Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Once Upon a Temptation (Book #6)
June 26, 2022
Prima vermaak als je een keer iets oppervlakkigs wilt lezen.
Het is precies wat je van een huis, tuin en keukenroman kan verwachten.
Het is precies wat je van een huis, tuin en keukenroman kan verwachten.
January 5, 2024
Good read
June 23, 2020
Pippa Roscoe - Taming the Big Bad Billionaire
I enjoyed the comparison of the main characters and the story Little Red Riding Hood. The twist at the end was suprising. I liked the angst but the pace was too slow for me. The hero was cynical, tortured and determined to get his revenge. They say, hurt me once, shame on you, hurt me twice, shame on me. The heroine was inexperienced and naieve throughout the story. She grew confident and somewhat out of her shell as the book progressed but lacked strength and backbone.
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I enjoyed the comparison of the main characters and the story Little Red Riding Hood. The twist at the end was suprising. I liked the angst but the pace was too slow for me. The hero was cynical, tortured and determined to get his revenge. They say, hurt me once, shame on you, hurt me twice, shame on me. The heroine was inexperienced and naieve throughout the story. She grew confident and somewhat out of her shell as the book progressed but lacked strength and backbone.
Find me on:
Goodreads
Bookbub
Amazon
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews