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Ruthless
Ruthless! by Lee Wilkinson released on Jun 24, 2002 is available now for purchase.
- GenresRomance
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 10, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 9, 2022
Married to the enemy?
Arriving in Manhattan, Lisa Hayward had expected to be greeted by her brother, rather than Thornton Landers, a businessman with a sexy Southern drawl and seduction on his mind! "My friends call me Thorn," he had said, and when Lisa had asked him what his enemies called him he had replied, "Ruthless."
Lisa tried to keep Thorn at a distance, but it was impossible! Swept off her feet by his ruthless charm and powerful persuasion, in no time at all she'd agreed to marry him--only to discover that a darker motive lay behind Thorn's proposal: revenge!
Arriving in Manhattan, Lisa Hayward had expected to be greeted by her brother, rather than Thornton Landers, a businessman with a sexy Southern drawl and seduction on his mind! "My friends call me Thorn," he had said, and when Lisa had asked him what his enemies called him he had replied, "Ruthless."
Lisa tried to keep Thorn at a distance, but it was impossible! Swept off her feet by his ruthless charm and powerful persuasion, in no time at all she'd agreed to marry him--only to discover that a darker motive lay behind Thorn's proposal: revenge!
March 31, 2025
This is the second of Ms. Wilkinson's books that I've read where the H is seeking vengeance because of a supposed wrong done to a relative. In this case, it's his stepsister, who in his eyes could do no wrong. (Boy, was HE a nincompoop!) He saw her as lively, high spirited, impulsive but good-natured, whereas she was actually self-centered, manipulative, deceitful and conniving. And he hadn't a clue that her feelings for him were far from sisterly!
What's worse, he proves himself to be conniving and manipulative, as he deliberately sweeps the h off her feet and marries her, all the while planning to use her as a means of revenge against her brother (who also was his brother-in-law) for his supposed bad treatment of the H's "innocent" stepsister, which led to her death.
At least, in the other book the H had reason to believe the h was responsible for everything, so his revenge plan (though misguided) was understandable, but this time it was just cruel, since the h not only wasn't involved, but didn't even know her brother, since she hadn't seen him since she was three years old, due to her parents'' divorce. (Her bitter father had deliberately kept her mother's letters to her brother from him, letting him think she didn't care, while he apparently didn't care about his daughter, since the author mentioned nothing about the h having any relationship with her father.)
And once again, you have a parent killed in an accident, as the book starts with the h heading for New York from England to see her brother after 18 years, when their mother dies in a car crash. Dad kicked the bucket too, from a heart attack. There's a pattern here, and I suspect Ms. Wilkinson had a less-than-perfect relationship with her parents and they either died in accidents or perhaps it was a wish fulfillment expressed in her books???
But I digress! This book was a good story, but a frustrating one, as the H wants to stick to his anger at the h's brother without considering his side of the story, but he also realizes that his feelings for the h run a lot deeper than he ever intended and he starts feeling guilty over the way he used her. She, in turn, tries to hate him but knows she loves him (despite resenting him) and sets out to prove that he's wrong about her brother, and (in a real switch) looks to the OW for help!
In this case, the "OW" is a spoiled socialite who had set her sights on the H (despite his disinterest), and refused to admit defeat. She was also the BFF of his late stepsister!
Yes, the story gets really convoluted at times (something that would have been perfect on a daytime soap) yet it still holds your interest and yes, the H does a grovel at the end and deserves the angst he gets when he's convinced the h is going to leave him. Her later statement: "I'd forgotten one thing, that I love you", was so sweet and heartwarming, but you kind of wish she had held out a bit more, to make him miserable just a little longer.
Another flawed, but good one.
What's worse, he proves himself to be conniving and manipulative, as he deliberately sweeps the h off her feet and marries her, all the while planning to use her as a means of revenge against her brother (who also was his brother-in-law) for his supposed bad treatment of the H's "innocent" stepsister, which led to her death.
At least, in the other book the H had reason to believe the h was responsible for everything, so his revenge plan (though misguided) was understandable, but this time it was just cruel, since the h not only wasn't involved, but didn't even know her brother, since she hadn't seen him since she was three years old, due to her parents'' divorce. (Her bitter father had deliberately kept her mother's letters to her brother from him, letting him think she didn't care, while he apparently didn't care about his daughter, since the author mentioned nothing about the h having any relationship with her father.)
And once again, you have a parent killed in an accident, as the book starts with the h heading for New York from England to see her brother after 18 years, when their mother dies in a car crash. Dad kicked the bucket too, from a heart attack. There's a pattern here, and I suspect Ms. Wilkinson had a less-than-perfect relationship with her parents and they either died in accidents or perhaps it was a wish fulfillment expressed in her books???
But I digress! This book was a good story, but a frustrating one, as the H wants to stick to his anger at the h's brother without considering his side of the story, but he also realizes that his feelings for the h run a lot deeper than he ever intended and he starts feeling guilty over the way he used her. She, in turn, tries to hate him but knows she loves him (despite resenting him) and sets out to prove that he's wrong about her brother, and (in a real switch) looks to the OW for help!
In this case, the "OW" is a spoiled socialite who had set her sights on the H (despite his disinterest), and refused to admit defeat. She was also the BFF of his late stepsister!
Yes, the story gets really convoluted at times (something that would have been perfect on a daytime soap) yet it still holds your interest and yes, the H does a grovel at the end and deserves the angst he gets when he's convinced the h is going to leave him. Her later statement: "I'd forgotten one thing, that I love you", was so sweet and heartwarming, but you kind of wish she had held out a bit more, to make him miserable just a little longer.
Another flawed, but good one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2022
This is good despite a strange plot. H thinks h's brother had pushed his wife, the H's young stepsister, down the steps causing a miscarriage before the girl overdosed on drugs, thus it's all the brother's fault. H decides to ruin the brother financially and is well on his way when he discovers the brother has a sister! And the sister is coming to New York and she's pretty, sweet, innocent, etc. Wow. Catnip time.
We know what proceeds. H sweeps h off her feet into marriage despite her inner Danger! warnings, and they are just married and at their honeymoon Florida key when she discovers a fax from her brother warning her not to marry H. Too late! She loves H (for some reason, probably physical) and he has no problem seducing her.
A few weeks later she manages to get the ex-wife's/sister's old friend to spill the beans in H's hearing. No, h's brother did not beat his wife or push her down the steps. The girl deliberately fell to cover the abortion she had. H is horribly contrite, h leaves, gets to the street from his penthouse (naturally), decides she loves the jerk and goes back. HEA.
I never quite understand why someone thinks marriage is a great way to get revenge. Unless the guy intends to be cruel, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually, financially, how does he get revenge? Or is the girl's family supposed to wail and gnash their teeth just because he's sleeping with their little princess??? The Ruthless H is emotionally and sexually cruel, using her love and passion to humiliate her.
On the other hand the marry-to-revenge trope can be lots of fun when authors do it well. This one is pretty good because we see H's thoughts several times. He clearly has reservations about the whole thing but he's in lust along with the burning revenge motive so goes on.
We know what proceeds. H sweeps h off her feet into marriage despite her inner Danger! warnings, and they are just married and at their honeymoon Florida key when she discovers a fax from her brother warning her not to marry H. Too late! She loves H (for some reason, probably physical) and he has no problem seducing her.
A few weeks later she manages to get the ex-wife's/sister's old friend to spill the beans in H's hearing. No, h's brother did not beat his wife or push her down the steps. The girl deliberately fell to cover the abortion she had. H is horribly contrite, h leaves, gets to the street from his penthouse (naturally), decides she loves the jerk and goes back. HEA.
I never quite understand why someone thinks marriage is a great way to get revenge. Unless the guy intends to be cruel, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually, financially, how does he get revenge? Or is the girl's family supposed to wail and gnash their teeth just because he's sleeping with their little princess??? The Ruthless H is emotionally and sexually cruel, using her love and passion to humiliate her.
On the other hand the marry-to-revenge trope can be lots of fun when authors do it well. This one is pretty good because we see H's thoughts several times. He clearly has reservations about the whole thing but he's in lust along with the burning revenge motive so goes on.
April 29, 2023
Lisa hardly knew her brother, Mark, whom she was seperated from after the divorce of her parents long time ago. Therefore, when she reads a letter from him addressed to her mother, she is very thilled and excited, and when he suggests that she travels to New York to live with him as he is willing to find her a job, she wastes no time going to him! Unfortunately, she meets Thorn Landers in the airport who tells her he is her brothers friend and boss! Even though Lisa has her suspicions concerning Thorn, she has no choice but to live with him till Mark returns from Hong Kong, unbeknown to her that Thorn wants to actually avenge the death of his sister whom he thinks miscarriged and got addicted to drugs because of Mark!
The main characters are really something! The heroine is too silly and naive for someone to take seriously! She is more of a seventeen years old girl at the begining of the book rather than the twenty one years old woman she claims to be! She is a doormat with no will at all. Even when she tries he BEST acts, she surrunders far too soon! At the very end when she finally leaves, she goes back to him confessing love instead of him appologizing and asking for forgiveness or at least confessing love first!!! Shocking 🤯 really. The hero is too domineering, calculating and stubborn to be liked as well. Even though he knows Lisa is innocent and had no connection to her brother's life, he took his revenge on her rather than her brother. his hard heart was too much for me especially when he was welling to let Lisa leave rather than beg for forgiveness. A coward! 😒
I wouldn't recommend this book to any sane reader AT ALL! It ruins the moon.
The main characters are really something! The heroine is too silly and naive for someone to take seriously! She is more of a seventeen years old girl at the begining of the book rather than the twenty one years old woman she claims to be! She is a doormat with no will at all. Even when she tries he BEST acts, she surrunders far too soon! At the very end when she finally leaves, she goes back to him confessing love instead of him appologizing and asking for forgiveness or at least confessing love first!!! Shocking 🤯 really. The hero is too domineering, calculating and stubborn to be liked as well. Even though he knows Lisa is innocent and had no connection to her brother's life, he took his revenge on her rather than her brother. his hard heart was too much for me especially when he was welling to let Lisa leave rather than beg for forgiveness. A coward! 😒
I wouldn't recommend this book to any sane reader AT ALL! It ruins the moon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews