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His Mistress for a Million
Jobless, homeless and humble housekeeper Cleo Taylor seeks a suitable position of employment. All good offers accepted…Billionaire tycoon Andreas Xenides seeks beautiful woman for business contract on the luxury island of Santorini. mistress for a month. one million dollars.Training will be given….
183 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published February 23, 2010
28 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Trish Morey
509 books220 followersTrish Morey always fancied herself a writer, but was sternly advised that she better better think about getting a real job instead. Which Trish figures must be why she spent her university years washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant by night and picking gherkins for an Adelaide Hills primary producer by day. (Enough to put you off "real jobs" for life).
It was another twelve years, an accounting career and two babies on that Trish once again turned her mind to writing. it was a further eleven years (and two more babies:)) before Trish sold her first book to Harlequin Presents, and her dream of being a published author came true.
Some forty books later, Trish is now an award winning and USA Today Bestselling Author of some 40+ books. Trish still loves writing romance but these days combines it with all the fun, drama and sisterhood of women, family and girlfriends.
When she’s not out traveling the world in search of inspiration for her stories, Trish lives with her husband, Daisy their over enthusiastic Cavoodle pup, Daisy, and Leo, their very old and totally unenthusiastic cat, down on the glorious South Coast of South Australia where the waves crash over the granite rocks and splash upon the golden sands.
It was another twelve years, an accounting career and two babies on that Trish once again turned her mind to writing. it was a further eleven years (and two more babies:)) before Trish sold her first book to Harlequin Presents, and her dream of being a published author came true.
Some forty books later, Trish is now an award winning and USA Today Bestselling Author of some 40+ books. Trish still loves writing romance but these days combines it with all the fun, drama and sisterhood of women, family and girlfriends.
When she’s not out traveling the world in search of inspiration for her stories, Trish lives with her husband, Daisy their over enthusiastic Cavoodle pup, Daisy, and Leo, their very old and totally unenthusiastic cat, down on the glorious South Coast of South Australia where the waves crash over the granite rocks and splash upon the golden sands.
Trish reckons she has the best job in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 19, 2023
I needed a book that was released in 2010, so I went to the bookshelf and I found this one, I love Trish Morey’s stories, tick and I am very partial to a Greek hero, tick and I am so glad I picked this one, I loved it from start to finish.
Aussie, Cleo Taylor has made a mistake, she jets off to London to meet, Kurt only he is not the guy she though he was, she is now working as a cleaner in a dingy hotel and living pretty much in the broom cupboard, when billionaire Andreas Xenides walks in and offers her a job for one month, come to Santorini and pretend to by my mistress, he will give her a million dollars for it, will she be able to convince anyone that she is a mistress?
Andreas has finally got his revenge, now to look to the future and when he meets the beautiful cleaner, she is just the person he needs to take back home with him, he is more than happy to give lessons on being a mistress, but Cleo is not going to be easy to convince but a contract is written including her stipulation that there will be no sex, he will do what he can to change that.
This is such a great story with a Cinderella vibe, I loved Cleo, she is strong and caring and beautiful and you can see why Andreas lost his heart to her, and Andreas a fabulous hero Cleo made him see what love could be, they had a very sensual journey it was beautiful even if there was another party doing her best to put a stop to their relationship, but love won over and of course what a setting the beautiful Santorini.
I would highly recommend this one to any romance reader.
Aussie, Cleo Taylor has made a mistake, she jets off to London to meet, Kurt only he is not the guy she though he was, she is now working as a cleaner in a dingy hotel and living pretty much in the broom cupboard, when billionaire Andreas Xenides walks in and offers her a job for one month, come to Santorini and pretend to by my mistress, he will give her a million dollars for it, will she be able to convince anyone that she is a mistress?
Andreas has finally got his revenge, now to look to the future and when he meets the beautiful cleaner, she is just the person he needs to take back home with him, he is more than happy to give lessons on being a mistress, but Cleo is not going to be easy to convince but a contract is written including her stipulation that there will be no sex, he will do what he can to change that.
This is such a great story with a Cinderella vibe, I loved Cleo, she is strong and caring and beautiful and you can see why Andreas lost his heart to her, and Andreas a fabulous hero Cleo made him see what love could be, they had a very sensual journey it was beautiful even if there was another party doing her best to put a stop to their relationship, but love won over and of course what a setting the beautiful Santorini.
I would highly recommend this one to any romance reader.
February 28, 2011
3.5 stars. I started liking this book when I got to this passage:
“Pretend to be your what?... You must be insane!”
“I assure you I’m perfectly serious.”
“But your mistress? Who even uses that word anymore?”
And though it’s a fairly conventional modern Harlequin Presents, I kept liking it. Andreas is arrogant but not really an asshat... well okay, he does consider getting the heroine pregnant on purpose, but I confess, in a romance that never bothers me. ;-) And there are lots of little touches that worked for me: Cleo, a high school dropout, discovering a love for archeology while on a Greek island; the workaholic, revenge-driven tycoon finding out it’s more fun to spend time with Cleo.
Admittedly the set-up is ridiculous: offering a total stranger 1 million dollars to pretend to be your mistress, because you want someone who won’t get attached? Jaw. Drop. Didn’t this guy ever hear of an escort service? I got around it by writing it in my head as him having been subconsciously in love with her at first sight.
A bigger problem was that the story was nicely set-up for a big emotional drama… which was then resolved, with almost no description of the emotions involved, in less than four pages. Major, major let-down and it lost the book a potential 4 star review and a coveted spot on my "angsty-goodness shelf." I still enjoyed it.
“Pretend to be your what?... You must be insane!”
“I assure you I’m perfectly serious.”
“But your mistress? Who even uses that word anymore?”
And though it’s a fairly conventional modern Harlequin Presents, I kept liking it. Andreas is arrogant but not really an asshat... well okay, he does consider getting the heroine pregnant on purpose, but I confess, in a romance that never bothers me. ;-) And there are lots of little touches that worked for me: Cleo, a high school dropout, discovering a love for archeology while on a Greek island; the workaholic, revenge-driven tycoon finding out it’s more fun to spend time with Cleo.
Admittedly the set-up is ridiculous: offering a total stranger 1 million dollars to pretend to be your mistress, because you want someone who won’t get attached? Jaw. Drop. Didn’t this guy ever hear of an escort service? I got around it by writing it in my head as him having been subconsciously in love with her at first sight.
A bigger problem was that the story was nicely set-up for a big emotional drama… which was then resolved, with almost no description of the emotions involved, in less than four pages. Major, major let-down and it lost the book a potential 4 star review and a coveted spot on my "angsty-goodness shelf." I still enjoyed it.
August 8, 2013
BEWARE.............................
.............LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS.............
So here’s the plot….this really “idiotic” girl from the Australian Outback meets a guy on the internet. Her “nanna” gives her money to travel to London…but what does she do??/ Doesn’t buy a return ticket home (which we all know is cheaper than a one-way!)…but worse than that…she gives the guy...yes from the internet, her money and her “virginity”! And what happens next??? You guessed correctly!!! He dumps her and disappears with all her money….and even worse than that…the sex wasn’t even that great!!!! The only good thing she was left with???? Her backpack with her somewhat not that many possessions!!!
What’s a girl suppose to do in this situation? Yes, find a job, save money to buy that now very expensive ticket back home to the Outback!!! Oh yes…things are not going well for Cleo Taylor….she’s now a cleaning lady at a run-down and seedy hotel, overworked and underpaid by the greasy and beyond seedy Greek owner.
No, this is not the kind of heroine I want to meet – but…….yes, there was one thing about her that redeemed her in my eyes……….she wore a PINK eyeshade with the word “PRI NCESS”. Yes, she might be short and a bit dumpy but does display a little bit of style!!!!!!!!!!
So here she is, in London, destitute and without a job because the rather nasty and vengeful billionaire tycoon, Andreas Xenides as bought the hotel and is closing it……..he has major issues with the hotel owner…long history but he’s getting his revenge back for what the seedy and oily Dimitri/Darius did to his family years ago.
Okay, so now you get the picture!!!!
Rich billionaire gets the hots for the cleaning lady and suddenly he sees a way to get into her!!! You see, Andreas had a one night stand with his PA….but he really isn’t into her but she is…the deed happened when he was drunk…PLEEZZZZZ?????.so he has to do something drastic. Why not just tell the one night stander to buzz off?? But no, it’s a bit more complicated than that. She’s the daughter of his mother’s best friend and she’s also an amazing PA……….
Right…let’s move on quickly with the story….the billionaire offers Cleo $1m dollars to pose for a month, as his mistress..uh…mistress….does anyone use that term these days??? Yes, they do…in Mills & Boon/Harlequin stories!!!
Now, one would think that the cleaning lady would JUMP at the offer. But does Cleo jump? No. That’s right…she doesn’t want to be seen as …..no….i am not going to use the word she uses!!! However, I am sure that you know the word!!!! ARE YOU FOR REAL CLEO??
You just cannot say no to this GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY!!!Thankfully, Cleo soon begins tasting the life of luxury – beauty spas, a new wardrobe…chosen by Andres naturally…what is it about these alpha heroes that have to buy their women a full wardrobe????----back to Cleo. She is suddenly transformed into this glamorous and gorgeous and sexy woman. What money can do for you!!!!
Next she’s on his private jet...jetting off to Santorini
and his fabulous and incredible home –
together with her new look and new wardrobe and make-up and yes…a new hairstyle!!! Don’t you just love what rich men can do for us women!!!With such a romantic setting and Cleo’s new look, Andreas is suddenly struck with much pain in his “groin”…yes, he thinks she’s hot and very sexy. Forget the one night-stander, who just by the way, lives in the same house as Andreas and Cleo…as it’s explained…Andreas works from his home and it’s convenient to have a live-in PA…oh boy, is she a number!!! Sweet and so manipulating...Cleo has no clue about this woman…Lara is her name. Now Lara cannot take no for an answer and regardless of Andreas telling her off….she persists!!! She’s a woman who never gives up until the end!!!!
Andreas is now besotted with Cleo...of course he is….she’s such a sweet person who is not after his money…she loves the simple things in life...like buying those cheap souverniers for her family in the Outback..you haven’t forgotten where she comes from have you??? And then…she loves Greek history especially about Santorini and the volcanoes…she buys books at the museum and tells Andreas that when she gets back home, she is going to study Greek History!!!!!!!!! Does this impress the guy or not??/ This is the woman for him…to have on his arm and have his Greek babies!!!
No, this is not their HEA. Wicked Lara tells Cleo something very very bad about Andreas and its bye bye Andreas. Cleo buys her one way ticket back home and imagine the shock Andreas gets when he turns back home on his jet because he wants to tell Cleo what he really feels for her. Surprise...surprise…she ain’t there anymore.
Cleo is back in the Outback…still a cleaning lady at the local hotel.
Missing Andreas of course.
One day, a sleek sport scar screeches to a stop in front of the hotel. Andreas is back to do some groveling. Cleo plays a bit hard to get but not too much. Everyone in the town and her family just luv Andreas. So what else can a girl do but give in to this gorgeous billionaire!!! And return to the glorious Santorini sunsets!!!
Gosh…is this a long review??? Funny, I just couldn't stop writing!!!!
Yes, it’s a sweet and cute story with some funny and quirky characters and although it wasn’t one of my favorite Trish Morey’s books, I did manage to enjoy reading about the Outback Girl and the Greek Billionaire. And how could I forget the gorgeous backdrop setting of Santorini...one of my favorite Greek islands (I spent part of my honeymoon there…sorry had to include this little titbit in!!).
An enjoyable and fun read.
January 13, 2015
Cleo grew up amongst the spinifex and red soil of an outback town. She was the Muriel of Kangaroo Crossing, never expected to amount to much. She fell in love with a Karl on the Internet, and with the money her Nanna gave her she bought a one-way ticket to London. Karl turned out to be yucky. He took her virginity, took her money, and then kicked her out.
For ages in this book, I was under the impression that Cleo had been intending to start a business with Karl. I can get a bit skimmy when I read the intro stuff, so I had this whole other background for Cleo, where I was trying to guess what business she was going to start with Karl. I thought probably some sort of adventure tour equipment hire thing, where studly Karl took clients rock climbing and Cleo took the bookings. When actually, the money was just for her return ticket home. And Karl was a pasty string of a man, so it was an all round disappointment.
Cleo’s too proud to borrow money from her mum to get home (which is a very romance thing, but speaking from experience: just borrow the money), so she’s found a job cleaning a disgusting hotel. She gets room and board and 50 quid a week. I’m outraged. Cleo is AUSTRALIAN. In this country, we have a robust set of protections and a generous minimum wage for all employees. It is her duty to fight for the rights of the worker whenever she encounters such injustices. Or at the very least, turn on the charm and get the take home pay bumped up to something more reasonable. And by turn on the charm I naturally mean be assertive but professional, not that she should flash a bit of boob or anything like that.
Anyway, one day, Cleo bumps into a suit in the hotel hallway. She’s covered in stale beer and pizza smells from cleaning a gross room, and the suit thinks she is very unattractive and when he hears her Australian accent, is naturally unsurprised about the beer smell. I guess I have to cop that on the chin, but it’s a struggle. I long for the day when Australia is better known for its citizens’ modest and spritely cleverness, rather than beer smells and poisonous critters.
The suit is Andreas, and he has arrived to take his revenge on the hotel owner. He’s bought the dump, and now he’s moving all the guests to other hotels and settling redundancy packages on the legitimately employed staff (nice). The hotel owner once cheated Andreas’ dad in business, and now Andreas has brought him low. That’s all fine, but Cleo is a cash in hand employee, and her employment status is potentially a legal grey area. She has been sleeping in a broom closet of a room, and when one of Andreas’ employees flings open her door she screams up the place. The employee is all judgemental about how people shouldn’t be a asleep at five in the afternoon, and hey guy: have you no understanding of how hotels work? People are basically there to be asleep. If a place lets you check in at 2 PM, there is no reason that you can’t be in bed asleep by 2:07 if that’s your thing. What a jerk! I really hated that guy who only had one line in this book.
Andreas requests Cleo’s presence in the manager’s office, so he can explain the new regime to her. Cleo shows up braless, and Andreas is immediately – hello, knockers! He’s seen her in cleaning stink and flannel pyjamas, and not thought much, but one glance of those emancipated girls beneath a thin t-shirt and he’s done for. He listens sympathetically to her hard luck story, and then offers her the mistress gig. She’s not buying it, so he keeps upping the price until we’re at that million Australian dollars mark, and she’d have to be insane to let that go, and she’s not, so it’s on.
Her swanning transformation is pretty quick – she gets some foils and some new clothes and some advice about makeup, and they’re off to Santorini. I should mention that at this stage the gig is to be a pretend mistress, and Andreas isn’t disclosing his reasons to Cleo, but it’s basically because he’s slept with his PA and now she’s getting all clingy, and he doesn’t want to lose her as a PA, so he’s hoping that if he turns up with another chick she’ll get the message that she’s been dumped. He’s assuming that will be the end of it.
The PA, though, is not a numpty and she pretty quickly gets Cleo’s story out of her, and works out that Cleo is temporary. Then she has her scheme set to go to move Cleo along.
While I was a bit irritated with Cleo for not having a plan to start an outdoor adventure business, and for not getting herself a better salary and conditions, she completely makes up for it in Santorini by becoming awesome. She has a lot of free time on her hands when Andreas is off doing billionaire stuff, so she goes to tourist spots and falls in love with ancient history. She finds out that Santorini may have been Atlantis! She’s so enthusiastic she can’t wait to tell Andreas! When she gets back to Australia she’s going to enrol in a Classics degree in a university in Sydney! I completely adored her for this. I’ve sometimes looked longingly at that course, or the medieval history one at that university. This is by far and away my favourite planned use of income from pretending to be a billionaire’s mistress. It’s far and away better than some sad thing like paying for a family member to have an operation that will save their life. I am now on the hunt for heroines who have really great plans for their pretend mistress income, like hunting pirate gold or photographing wildlife in Mongolia or creating an app that’s basically the next Candy Crush, but also saves the environment somehow.
Andreas is adorably obsessed with how hot Cleo is, and he loves her enthusiasm for ancient history, so I thought he was great. He should probably have done something more proactive about the PA lady, and it’s maybe slightly dodgy that he fantasises about getting Cleo accidentally on purpose pregnant. I kind of get that though, because he clearly thought it would make her even hotter, and he could parade her and her pregnant belly around the world, because there is no surer proof of a man’s virility than impregnating an Australian.
I even liked the nasty PA lady. This is all happy fun stuff, and really very sweet.
For ages in this book, I was under the impression that Cleo had been intending to start a business with Karl. I can get a bit skimmy when I read the intro stuff, so I had this whole other background for Cleo, where I was trying to guess what business she was going to start with Karl. I thought probably some sort of adventure tour equipment hire thing, where studly Karl took clients rock climbing and Cleo took the bookings. When actually, the money was just for her return ticket home. And Karl was a pasty string of a man, so it was an all round disappointment.
Cleo’s too proud to borrow money from her mum to get home (which is a very romance thing, but speaking from experience: just borrow the money), so she’s found a job cleaning a disgusting hotel. She gets room and board and 50 quid a week. I’m outraged. Cleo is AUSTRALIAN. In this country, we have a robust set of protections and a generous minimum wage for all employees. It is her duty to fight for the rights of the worker whenever she encounters such injustices. Or at the very least, turn on the charm and get the take home pay bumped up to something more reasonable. And by turn on the charm I naturally mean be assertive but professional, not that she should flash a bit of boob or anything like that.
Anyway, one day, Cleo bumps into a suit in the hotel hallway. She’s covered in stale beer and pizza smells from cleaning a gross room, and the suit thinks she is very unattractive and when he hears her Australian accent, is naturally unsurprised about the beer smell. I guess I have to cop that on the chin, but it’s a struggle. I long for the day when Australia is better known for its citizens’ modest and spritely cleverness, rather than beer smells and poisonous critters.
The suit is Andreas, and he has arrived to take his revenge on the hotel owner. He’s bought the dump, and now he’s moving all the guests to other hotels and settling redundancy packages on the legitimately employed staff (nice). The hotel owner once cheated Andreas’ dad in business, and now Andreas has brought him low. That’s all fine, but Cleo is a cash in hand employee, and her employment status is potentially a legal grey area. She has been sleeping in a broom closet of a room, and when one of Andreas’ employees flings open her door she screams up the place. The employee is all judgemental about how people shouldn’t be a asleep at five in the afternoon, and hey guy: have you no understanding of how hotels work? People are basically there to be asleep. If a place lets you check in at 2 PM, there is no reason that you can’t be in bed asleep by 2:07 if that’s your thing. What a jerk! I really hated that guy who only had one line in this book.
Andreas requests Cleo’s presence in the manager’s office, so he can explain the new regime to her. Cleo shows up braless, and Andreas is immediately – hello, knockers! He’s seen her in cleaning stink and flannel pyjamas, and not thought much, but one glance of those emancipated girls beneath a thin t-shirt and he’s done for. He listens sympathetically to her hard luck story, and then offers her the mistress gig. She’s not buying it, so he keeps upping the price until we’re at that million Australian dollars mark, and she’d have to be insane to let that go, and she’s not, so it’s on.
Her swanning transformation is pretty quick – she gets some foils and some new clothes and some advice about makeup, and they’re off to Santorini. I should mention that at this stage the gig is to be a pretend mistress, and Andreas isn’t disclosing his reasons to Cleo, but it’s basically because he’s slept with his PA and now she’s getting all clingy, and he doesn’t want to lose her as a PA, so he’s hoping that if he turns up with another chick she’ll get the message that she’s been dumped. He’s assuming that will be the end of it.
The PA, though, is not a numpty and she pretty quickly gets Cleo’s story out of her, and works out that Cleo is temporary. Then she has her scheme set to go to move Cleo along.
While I was a bit irritated with Cleo for not having a plan to start an outdoor adventure business, and for not getting herself a better salary and conditions, she completely makes up for it in Santorini by becoming awesome. She has a lot of free time on her hands when Andreas is off doing billionaire stuff, so she goes to tourist spots and falls in love with ancient history. She finds out that Santorini may have been Atlantis! She’s so enthusiastic she can’t wait to tell Andreas! When she gets back to Australia she’s going to enrol in a Classics degree in a university in Sydney! I completely adored her for this. I’ve sometimes looked longingly at that course, or the medieval history one at that university. This is by far and away my favourite planned use of income from pretending to be a billionaire’s mistress. It’s far and away better than some sad thing like paying for a family member to have an operation that will save their life. I am now on the hunt for heroines who have really great plans for their pretend mistress income, like hunting pirate gold or photographing wildlife in Mongolia or creating an app that’s basically the next Candy Crush, but also saves the environment somehow.
Andreas is adorably obsessed with how hot Cleo is, and he loves her enthusiasm for ancient history, so I thought he was great. He should probably have done something more proactive about the PA lady, and it’s maybe slightly dodgy that he fantasises about getting Cleo accidentally on purpose pregnant. I kind of get that though, because he clearly thought it would make her even hotter, and he could parade her and her pregnant belly around the world, because there is no surer proof of a man’s virility than impregnating an Australian.
I even liked the nasty PA lady. This is all happy fun stuff, and really very sweet.
February 7, 2017
I was really hoping for a 4 star for my first book of 2017, but I chose poorly.
Cute but not all the way there story of a Cinderella, makeover, pretend mistress story.
The h was duped by a guy and gave her virginity and her grandmother's money to him so she's reduced to working under the radar at a low-rent hotel. The H in search for vengeance has bought the loan on the hotel and is calling it in on the man that ruined his father. The H is Greek, 'nuff said. I don't know if Greeks are truly as vengeful as they are made out to be in fiction, or if it is just an ethnic stereotype, but this guy must be half-Greek as he drops the ball on the revenge play as he and the h get closer.
The H stupidly had an affair with his PA who also happens to be a hometown girl as well as another blonde x-ray, and lives at his townhouse. H must be a lesser tycoon as he only has one other bedroom. He hires the h to be a pretend mistress for a million in Australian dollars, to scare the PA away. Don't know why he hires this girl as for other than her breasts, she needs a total makeover plus she shies away from him every time he touches her. The h agrees to this charade, sans sex (yep okay) so she can pay her Nanna back. She's semi-virgin although she pretends to have more experience than she does. She had bad sex with her ex and is on the fence about the hero.
Their first foray as mistress and benefactor doesn't go well as it's on the yacht of another tycoon the H wants to do business with. The h gets seasick, and the yacht has to make an extra circle back to drop them off. The H is peeved and the h told him she was a bad bargain. I was hoping that the h might try and wend her way back to other tycoon and mend the fences, but didn't happen.
Bad bargain or not, the H has a serious yen for her. This is where a star dropped as his attraction to the h jumps up out of nowhere and approaches a little bit of obsession. They do the deed and it's AMAZING. He ends up taking time off to show her the sights of Santorini. Very un-tycoonish.
The PA is in and out of the scene with vague symptoms of dizziness and upset stomach. Uh oh, what could it be? While the H is called away, the PA makes an audacious panzer movement and is actually caught rifling through the H's drawers looking for the contract. The h holds her own for a while against the "You are nothing but a whore" insults but caves against the majesty that is motherhood.
The h is gone when our tycoon comes back. He's not happy to hear that the x-ray is pregnant with the baby his mother wants so much. He's even less happy when he finds out it was all a scam. PA, You're fired!
The h has already gone home to Australia where the H hunts her down. HEA.
Cute but not all the way there story of a Cinderella, makeover, pretend mistress story.
The h was duped by a guy and gave her virginity and her grandmother's money to him so she's reduced to working under the radar at a low-rent hotel. The H in search for vengeance has bought the loan on the hotel and is calling it in on the man that ruined his father. The H is Greek, 'nuff said. I don't know if Greeks are truly as vengeful as they are made out to be in fiction, or if it is just an ethnic stereotype, but this guy must be half-Greek as he drops the ball on the revenge play as he and the h get closer.
The H stupidly had an affair with his PA who also happens to be a hometown girl as well as another blonde x-ray, and lives at his townhouse. H must be a lesser tycoon as he only has one other bedroom. He hires the h to be a pretend mistress for a million in Australian dollars, to scare the PA away. Don't know why he hires this girl as for other than her breasts, she needs a total makeover plus she shies away from him every time he touches her. The h agrees to this charade, sans sex (yep okay) so she can pay her Nanna back. She's semi-virgin although she pretends to have more experience than she does. She had bad sex with her ex and is on the fence about the hero.
Their first foray as mistress and benefactor doesn't go well as it's on the yacht of another tycoon the H wants to do business with. The h gets seasick, and the yacht has to make an extra circle back to drop them off. The H is peeved and the h told him she was a bad bargain. I was hoping that the h might try and wend her way back to other tycoon and mend the fences, but didn't happen.
Bad bargain or not, the H has a serious yen for her. This is where a star dropped as his attraction to the h jumps up out of nowhere and approaches a little bit of obsession. They do the deed and it's AMAZING. He ends up taking time off to show her the sights of Santorini. Very un-tycoonish.
The PA is in and out of the scene with vague symptoms of dizziness and upset stomach. Uh oh, what could it be? While the H is called away, the PA makes an audacious panzer movement and is actually caught rifling through the H's drawers looking for the contract. The h holds her own for a while against the "You are nothing but a whore" insults but caves against the majesty that is motherhood.
The h is gone when our tycoon comes back. He's not happy to hear that the x-ray is pregnant with the baby his mother wants so much. He's even less happy when he finds out it was all a scam. PA, You're fired!
The h has already gone home to Australia where the H hunts her down. HEA.
April 9, 2012
Santorini, Greece
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★★★½☆ Satisfactory if you like Greek billionaires, heroines being used to break-off with hotelier’s assistant/one-night-stand/mistress, revenge plots, makeovers, misunderstandings, heroes who can’t cope with their evolving emotions, and beautiful Greek Islands, all of which I like on occasion. Geez, just imagining Santorini kicks it up a ½ star!
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★★★½☆ Satisfactory if you like Greek billionaires, heroines being used to break-off with hotelier’s assistant/one-night-stand/mistress, revenge plots, makeovers, misunderstandings, heroes who can’t cope with their evolving emotions, and beautiful Greek Islands, all of which I like on occasion. Geez, just imagining Santorini kicks it up a ½ star!
January 15, 2013
I have read ALOT of HP and to be honest this one deserves a 3 star at the most but the way the h Cleo made the OW cry was delicious !!! Ahhh if only heroines in other HPs were this smart in dealing with OW :))
May 24, 2013
Off off Yunanistan'a gitmek istiyorum kitap sağolsun ne de güzel anlatmış :) Fakir güzel(çok güzel değil, kendi tabiriyle) kız ve zengin yakışıklı iş adamının anlaşmalı ilişkileri ve sonrasında rolden gerçeğe dönüşen bir aşk... Karanlık bir şey üzerine kurulu olan hikaye daha sonra değişik bir yöne kaydı... Hikaye her ne kadar oldukça bilindik olsa da hoşuma gitti :)
June 17, 2011
Thought this would be a four star book right up until the end. The confrontation and quick resolution of what should have been a traumatic event was covered in mere pages and then they were off a speedy HEA.
June 8, 2011
I liked this one, it was a nice little story. I liked both leads and especially enjoyed the setting on the Greek island of Santorini, it seemed beautiful.
August 15, 2011
In a word, this book was beautiful. I loved every moment of it. Yes, the story was cliché, with the poor woman more or less being coerced into a deal with the rich guy who has crazy amounts of money... You know the sort. But for some reason, these stories are just wonderful. For some reason, they really bring out the meaning of love to me.
Throughout this book, I never once felt bored, I never once felt that the story was too slow. In fact, I wished the story could have been longer so that I could have savored their love for a longer time.
This is gonna be a small spoiler!
Cleo and Andreas were the most unlikeliest couple you could ever meet.
Cleo wasn't a classic beauty, she was barely even considered pretty. A high-school dropout, she was cheated by a man who took her virginity and all the money she had. Hence, she had to work in a hotel as a cleaner. Yes, sad life. But she somehow did it. She didn't shun away from the work, not like many others would have done. She chose to work her way home.
Andreas on the other hand was simply drop-dead gorgeous. Rich, he had turned his company around from bankruptcy. But he was out for revenge. In a way, you could say revenge led him to her. He went to London to get revenge on the man who had stolen his father's fortune and left his father a broken man. In the process, he found so much more then just revenge. He found love, though of course he didn't know it yet.
So, he wanted to discourage his PA from any thoughts of matrimony with him. Hence, he decided to get a fake mistress. Yes, I know it sounds stupid. It's very unrealistic yes. But somehow, there's where the beauty is in.
Blah blah blah he found her, go read it for yourself to find out how! :) He took her back to Greece with him. A little off-topic here, but is it me or are Greek and Italian men in romance books just awesomely hot, super rich, and just amazing? Anyway, what happens next I'm sure you can figure out. I mean what can a hot-blooded Greek male do with a girl who turns out to be pretty gorgeous when all dressed up? And who actually has curves? Whatever, I always find myself jealous of the heroines in romance novels. They're too beautiful for their own good! But whatever:)
So basically, they fall in love. But as usual, the guy never realises until she's gone. Of course she knows, but she's not someone who will ask for more than what she deserves. In fact, she doesn't even take what she deserves! After he finally realises he loves her, he goes to Australia looking for her. He finds her. Declares his love for her. They get married. Live happily ever after. Though it may seem stupid, there's just something about it that makes me smile.
This book made me laugh and made me cry. As usual, it was when he finally admitted he loved her and all he wanted was her. I know I read this in practically all the romance books I read, but honestly, it's just so sweet! All the heroes in this books have so different characters, yet they would go all the way for love in the end.
However, there was one part that I felt that the author could have elaborated on. I felt that she should have elaborated a little more on how both parties felt. It would have made what was an awesome book, in my opinion, even better.
All in all, I truly loved this book. Yes, the story line may have been unrealistic and all. I mean, how often do you find a seriously hot guy trying to find a pretend mistress that won't expect anything? That aside, the love that they felt for each other really touched my heart and made me feel really good. Somehow, the way the author wrote it made me feel like I could be there actually, with such a hot guy loving me for me. Sigh... It's such an impossible thing to happen but romance novels always make me hope. Especially such impossible romances.
It's been such a long time since I've read such a good Harlequin book. A more or less perfect one in my opinion. But really, this book made my day. It's certainly worth reading!
Throughout this book, I never once felt bored, I never once felt that the story was too slow. In fact, I wished the story could have been longer so that I could have savored their love for a longer time.
This is gonna be a small spoiler!
Cleo and Andreas were the most unlikeliest couple you could ever meet.
Cleo wasn't a classic beauty, she was barely even considered pretty. A high-school dropout, she was cheated by a man who took her virginity and all the money she had. Hence, she had to work in a hotel as a cleaner. Yes, sad life. But she somehow did it. She didn't shun away from the work, not like many others would have done. She chose to work her way home.
Andreas on the other hand was simply drop-dead gorgeous. Rich, he had turned his company around from bankruptcy. But he was out for revenge. In a way, you could say revenge led him to her. He went to London to get revenge on the man who had stolen his father's fortune and left his father a broken man. In the process, he found so much more then just revenge. He found love, though of course he didn't know it yet.
So, he wanted to discourage his PA from any thoughts of matrimony with him. Hence, he decided to get a fake mistress. Yes, I know it sounds stupid. It's very unrealistic yes. But somehow, there's where the beauty is in.
Blah blah blah he found her, go read it for yourself to find out how! :) He took her back to Greece with him. A little off-topic here, but is it me or are Greek and Italian men in romance books just awesomely hot, super rich, and just amazing? Anyway, what happens next I'm sure you can figure out. I mean what can a hot-blooded Greek male do with a girl who turns out to be pretty gorgeous when all dressed up? And who actually has curves? Whatever, I always find myself jealous of the heroines in romance novels. They're too beautiful for their own good! But whatever:)
So basically, they fall in love. But as usual, the guy never realises until she's gone. Of course she knows, but she's not someone who will ask for more than what she deserves. In fact, she doesn't even take what she deserves! After he finally realises he loves her, he goes to Australia looking for her. He finds her. Declares his love for her. They get married. Live happily ever after. Though it may seem stupid, there's just something about it that makes me smile.
This book made me laugh and made me cry. As usual, it was when he finally admitted he loved her and all he wanted was her. I know I read this in practically all the romance books I read, but honestly, it's just so sweet! All the heroes in this books have so different characters, yet they would go all the way for love in the end.
However, there was one part that I felt that the author could have elaborated on. I felt that she should have elaborated a little more on how both parties felt. It would have made what was an awesome book, in my opinion, even better.
All in all, I truly loved this book. Yes, the story line may have been unrealistic and all. I mean, how often do you find a seriously hot guy trying to find a pretend mistress that won't expect anything? That aside, the love that they felt for each other really touched my heart and made me feel really good. Somehow, the way the author wrote it made me feel like I could be there actually, with such a hot guy loving me for me. Sigh... It's such an impossible thing to happen but romance novels always make me hope. Especially such impossible romances.
It's been such a long time since I've read such a good Harlequin book. A more or less perfect one in my opinion. But really, this book made my day. It's certainly worth reading!
July 8, 2015
I started reading Harlequin novels when I was a teen. They were quick comfort reads. I knew what to expect and rarely would they exceed those expectations, but they always met them.
Modern Harlequins are more likely to exceed those expectations. The formulary is much less obvious and they usually read like any other book with the exception of the required happy ending. It’s less often that you have a powerless female character who meets a powerful male character and he sheds some of his arrogance in favor of finding love for her, a traditional theme for early Harlequins.
His Mistress for a Million by Trish Morey, though, follows exactly that theme, or almost does. I’m not going to say much more than that for the fear of spoiling it, but while everything seems to follow a specific pattern, a modern element is introduced to bring something newer to the traditional storyline.
However, that’s not why I wanted to mention this book on my blog. It’s more that Trish Morey has reminded me of the strength of Harlequin novels, especially the shorter ones. This is a Harlequin Presents. What the imprint promises is a passionate romance in an exotic locale. The funny thing is that the exotic location in this case, the island of Santorini, is a place I visited as a child. This fact made me think about why I enjoyed the book, since I didn’t fit its proper audience.
The answer there is tangled and yet simple. The characters draw me in. Sure, they’re not the same as me, one being an Australian who is impoverished after believing a man she met over the Internet and the other a Greek tycoon, but I can identify with their circumstances. She’s trying to make the best of things, aware of her own stupidity and determined to learn from it. He’s stuck in an uncomfortable situation where another woman has built up expectations about what he’d thought was a purely business relationship, as in she works for him, but he has no interest in emotional ties and is looking for a way out of this one. The characters might be exotic by type, but what they’re going through has analogs in my life or in the lives of family and friends around me, if not to the same degree.
Then there’s the part that’s unique to me and others who have been to Santorini. While most readers are learning about a unique place, I’m refreshing memories and seeing how the island portrayed in the book is different from the one I visited as time and tourism has shifted the face of the locale.
And in a blending of the two, Cleo is not your typical tourist. Instead of shopping, she wants to explore the complicated history of Santorini and read up on the possibility that Atlantis had once existed on top of the volcano that burst to form the cone of modern Santorini. As she’s telling Andreas snippets of what she learns, I’m remembering hefting boulders bigger than I was over my head (pumice), but at the same time, I’m sharing in Andreas’ delight in a woman who shares his love of this place that he calls home.
So, to come full circle, it’s the people and the places that I enjoy in these romances, but especially the people and how they can come from such different circumstances but find something to draw them together. Trish Morey does an excellent job of doing just that.
Modern Harlequins are more likely to exceed those expectations. The formulary is much less obvious and they usually read like any other book with the exception of the required happy ending. It’s less often that you have a powerless female character who meets a powerful male character and he sheds some of his arrogance in favor of finding love for her, a traditional theme for early Harlequins.
His Mistress for a Million by Trish Morey, though, follows exactly that theme, or almost does. I’m not going to say much more than that for the fear of spoiling it, but while everything seems to follow a specific pattern, a modern element is introduced to bring something newer to the traditional storyline.
However, that’s not why I wanted to mention this book on my blog. It’s more that Trish Morey has reminded me of the strength of Harlequin novels, especially the shorter ones. This is a Harlequin Presents. What the imprint promises is a passionate romance in an exotic locale. The funny thing is that the exotic location in this case, the island of Santorini, is a place I visited as a child. This fact made me think about why I enjoyed the book, since I didn’t fit its proper audience.
The answer there is tangled and yet simple. The characters draw me in. Sure, they’re not the same as me, one being an Australian who is impoverished after believing a man she met over the Internet and the other a Greek tycoon, but I can identify with their circumstances. She’s trying to make the best of things, aware of her own stupidity and determined to learn from it. He’s stuck in an uncomfortable situation where another woman has built up expectations about what he’d thought was a purely business relationship, as in she works for him, but he has no interest in emotional ties and is looking for a way out of this one. The characters might be exotic by type, but what they’re going through has analogs in my life or in the lives of family and friends around me, if not to the same degree.
Then there’s the part that’s unique to me and others who have been to Santorini. While most readers are learning about a unique place, I’m refreshing memories and seeing how the island portrayed in the book is different from the one I visited as time and tourism has shifted the face of the locale.
And in a blending of the two, Cleo is not your typical tourist. Instead of shopping, she wants to explore the complicated history of Santorini and read up on the possibility that Atlantis had once existed on top of the volcano that burst to form the cone of modern Santorini. As she’s telling Andreas snippets of what she learns, I’m remembering hefting boulders bigger than I was over my head (pumice), but at the same time, I’m sharing in Andreas’ delight in a woman who shares his love of this place that he calls home.
So, to come full circle, it’s the people and the places that I enjoy in these romances, but especially the people and how they can come from such different circumstances but find something to draw them together. Trish Morey does an excellent job of doing just that.
October 7, 2013
Akıcı bir çeviri ve güzel bir kurgu .. Keyifle okunana bir HQ oldu benim için :)
July 8, 2015
livrinho de banca fofo!
March 12, 2024
The first Mills and Boons Book I have read, and one of the worst books I have read. Only 2 pages of raunchy scenes, wouldn't even call it sex scenes. It felt like a 16 year old had written this. Full of immature moments from every character. And why all the talk of babies. Bizarre.
July 15, 2019
This book was not good... man I struggle to finish this. This is basically porn it had no story.
August 8, 2021
Brilliant, absolutely loved it. Could not put it down
March 16, 2022
Nice book.
April 16, 2025
Pretty enjoyable for a modern Harlequin/Cinderella story. She's got backbone and he articulates his feelings.
3.5 stars bumped up, so I remember to look for other Trish Moreys.
3.5 stars bumped up, so I remember to look for other Trish Moreys.
May 14, 2021
I really did not like this book. [SPOILER] There is something about the plot, about the Andreas and Cleo, about the writing style. All of it just didn't work for me.
July 13, 2013
Magnatas Gregos
Ao Bel-Prazer
Trish Morey
H. Paixão 166
2010
Andreas passa dos limites do bom senso, primeiro faz uma proposta descabida para Cleo, pedido para que ela finja ser sua amante por um mês, em troca da bagatela de um milhão de dólares.
Já que era fingimento porque o grande objetivo dele era levá-la para cama?
Andreas me cansa, apesar de ter sido carinhoso com Cleo, apagando, definitivamente da memória, a primeira vez dela, que foi horrível. Neste ponto tenho que tirar o chapéu, ele foi um verdadeiro amante, macho e sedutor. Sabendo com muita habilidade levá-la ao limite do prazer.
Só por esse motivo vou dar 3 estrelas...
Agora se você estiver de bom humor, pode ser que goste, até há passagens interessantes, mas pra mim não deu certo, mas cada um e cada um, certo?
Ao Bel-Prazer
Trish Morey
H. Paixão 166
2010
Andreas passa dos limites do bom senso, primeiro faz uma proposta descabida para Cleo, pedido para que ela finja ser sua amante por um mês, em troca da bagatela de um milhão de dólares.
Já que era fingimento porque o grande objetivo dele era levá-la para cama?
Andreas me cansa, apesar de ter sido carinhoso com Cleo, apagando, definitivamente da memória, a primeira vez dela, que foi horrível. Neste ponto tenho que tirar o chapéu, ele foi um verdadeiro amante, macho e sedutor. Sabendo com muita habilidade levá-la ao limite do prazer.
Só por esse motivo vou dar 3 estrelas...
Agora se você estiver de bom humor, pode ser que goste, até há passagens interessantes, mas pra mim não deu certo, mas cada um e cada um, certo?
February 1, 2015
Ahhh, how do I even begin to describe this book? Which would make a review even harder to come up with. The kindest I can say about this was that it was much of a cliché read. It was nothing to get much hyped about though.
February 8, 2013
the story is kinda good in it's own way but i feel there's no depth to the story
May 18, 2013
I've read this book twice. I like it that I like the hero.
January 9, 2015
i loved the idea it's kind different but truly i didn't love the end it's just boring
March 15, 2015
It's kinda cliche, but I still had fun reading it.
December 26, 2012
Typical "Mills and Boon" book, but entertaining...
April 27, 2017
Leído el 04/01/2011
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews