Billionaire's Bride for Revenge

Rings of Vengeance #1

by Michelle Smart

A billionaire seeking retribution…

A bride stolen for revenge!

Billionaire Benjamin has the ultimate plan for vengeance on those who betrayed steal his enemy’s fiancée, Freya, and marry her himself. It’s meant to be a convenient arrangement, yet the cool, collected prima ballerina ignites a passion in his blood! There’s nothing remotely convenient about the red-hot pleasures of their wedding night—and Benjamin is tempted to make Freya his for more than revenge…

Genres: Harlequin Presents, Harlequin, Romance, Contemporary Romance

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Michelle Smart is a Publishers Weekly bestselling romance author with a slight-to-severe coffee addiction. With over four million copies of her books sold worldwide, Michelle is now embracing the indie book world to write the passionate romance books she knows her readers love whilst continuing to write for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She is also the author of Butterflies, a standalone romantic and humorous time travel novel set in the 1990s.

A bookworm since birth, Michelle can usually be found hiding behind a paperback, or if it’s an author she really loves, a hardback.

Michelle loves hearing from readers and can be contacted directly via her website.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hero Benjamin Guillem believes he has been betrayed by his childhood friends (Javier and Luis Casillas). He gets his revenge by stealing away Javier’s fiancée (ballerina heroine Freya Clements) and marrying her himself. What he doesn’t count on is falling hard for lovely Freya.



I really enjoyed this book. Freya was a strong and lively heroine. Benjamin was a pretty good hero. I thought it was sweet how he surprised Freya by creating a beautiful dance studio in his home for her. I liked that Freya was a ballerina, it was interesting to read about.



Another entertaining story by Michelle Smart!

[Vashti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a trio about 3 best friends who are now estranged because of a bitter betrayal of friendship,loyalty,trust,and just plain olde common decency.There is the hero,a Frenchman named Benjamin,and the two devious Spainards, non identical twins Luis and Javier.The twins struck when Benjamin was at a very low point in his life as his mother had just died and when the twins presented him with a business deal that was too good to pass up,he just signed on the dotted line without reading the fine print because he trusted the twins.Well, Benjamin got bilked out of millions ,and the plot to avenge is born.
Revenge comes in the form of Javier's beautous prima ballerina fiancee.
My thoughts on this .
My first read in a very long time as some serious health issues with my husband had risen unexpectedly and my reading mojo just simply disappeared,I would pick up and put down books,but I digress,back to my thoughts.
While I loved the hero,the heroine was not a favorite. She was just too " hardened " for my taste and I felt that the hero deserved a kinder and sweeter type of girl for all he had been thru.That being said,I did enjoy this book,and by the end,the couple won me over,especially the epilogue .
Looking forward to the twins story next.
3.5 stars..

[StMargarets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense revenge story that ultimately has the hero realizing his motives for kidnapping the heroine from her fiance had more to do for his feelings for her and less to do with revenge against his bff.

The hero is the wronged party that kicks off this three book series. The twin brothers from books 2 and 3 swindled him out of profits on an investment he signed on for when his mother was dying. Because he invested in the brothers and was distracted by his mother's illness and death, he almost lost his business. So he has good reason to feel betrayed. He is also a bit jealous of the love his mother showered on the twin brothers. So to steal the heroine from her fiance seemed like the perfect revenge.

Except it wasn't.

The heroine is a ballerina, the star of the twin's new ballet company. She signed off on a marriage of convenience so that her mother could have experimental treatments to extend her life and so the heroine could concentrate on her career without interference. The hero messes that up when her fiance decides to not fight for her.

When hero hears his bff's decision, he knows he has won, but doesn't realize the *heroine* has lost. It's an interesting scene with the heroine taking him up on *his* bluff and agreeing to marry him within the week if he will sign the same contract.

Hero is convinced heroine is a golddigger (she doesn't tell him why she needs the money), but he's attracted. So they marry.

From there, the emotional entanglements increase with the H/h loving and inadvertently hurting each other. The black moment was well done with the hero not really understanding how he had let the heroine down until it was almost too late. That he didn't expect forgiveness but came through for her anyway was a nice touch.

He was a generous man (that studio - OMG!), just not one to read contracts or understand the consequences of some of his decisions. LOL.

There is a sweet baby epilogue as well with the heroine not giving up her career.

Thank you to my generous benefactor for sharing a copy of this story!

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 2.5

Revenge is the main theme of this story, to the exclusion of romance IMHO.

Benjamin was swindled from a large sum of money by two brothers he considered family. One of those brothers, Javier was engaged to Freya, a gifted ballerina . They meet at Javier's engagement party and are instantly attracted.

Two months later at another party we have Freya waiting for Javier and he's running late. Enter Benjamin saying he's was instructed by Javier to take Freya to him.

Benjamin has kidnapped Freya as revenge. He's asking for the money that's owed him. But what ends up happening is Javier isn't interested (he believes that the two are lovers as pictures were taken of the two leaving the party hand in hand and looking very cozy together).

Freya's engagement to Javier was more a business deal. He has a beautiful and talented ballerina for a wife and she in exchange is given a large sum of money that can help her poor parents and sick mother.

When Javier rejects Benjamin's offer Freya is distraught. What evolves is the two marry and will use the agreement/prenup that she had with Javier.

The two cannot fight their physical attraction. Their marriage begins based on sex but evolves into more as they begin to learn more about each other. What they find is that there is so much more to what each show the rest of the world.

What dominated this story was the animosity and revenge. I didn't find much to like in either character. Both came across angry and spiteful, with very little softness or heart that was displayed through the story. I never connected with the heroine as she came across cold and almost shrewish. The hero was okay and at times I liked him, somewhat. But towards the end he did something that just turned off him completely.

The epilogue was sweet though.

I just didn't connect to either character and found them not very likable.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good marriage of convenience story but as always this author's heroines are too bitter and hateful. I like warm and soft heroines.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I devour an HP romance, I wonder, all over again, why I do? The plots are preposterous; the characters, ridiculously exaggerated; and the relentless theme of a moneyed, ruthless hero entrapping the heroine by a pitiless, self-serving scheme. Her innocence, yuck her virginity, turns his ruthlessness into helplessness and leads to the hero being a better man, the man lurking behind layers of survival and necessity over empathy. The hero is left bare, stripped of all his power in the face of his love for the heroine; he goes from tempered steel to marshmallow in a mere 150 pages. It never ceases to amaze me why I, and countless other women, enjoy them so darn much. Smart’s Billionaire’s Bride For Revenge is a perfect example. I think, I suspect, that the reason I and others enjoy them is that life’s petty, everyday, economic impediments are pushed aside by the hero’s wealth and we are left only, solely, with the emotional impediments that thwart hero and heroine from finding fulfillment and happiness in and with each other. The ways they manoeuve their way through these emotional barriers are sex, conversation, and internal, personal realization, acts of self-honesty.

The HP often begins with a revelatory new set of circumstances for the hero and especially the heroine, which is why the revenge plot works well at throwing the protagonists into acute, extraordinary circumstances. As the hero is the one with the power and wealth, he is the instigator and the heroine is drawn into his plot like a fish in a tight net. In Billionaire’s Bride‘s case, Benjamin Guillem lures prima ballerina Freya Clements into his revenge plot by claiming that her fiancé, Javier Casillas, one of his best friends, needs her.

The first indication of the hero’s power is how all things give way before him, like the basic necessity and increasingly fraught passage of crossing a border. Benjamin takes Freya from a party and to his private plane under the guise of delivering her to her supposedly needy fiancé: “As they drove into the remote airfield less than ten minutes later she suddenly straightened. ‘I haven’t got my passport on me.’ ‘You don’t need it.’ Benjamin’s own private plane was ready to board, his crew in place”. Of course, all impediments give way before his Moneyness and Powerfulness. Yet, we cannot sustain the dick-hero, the author must hint at his redemptive potential. Benjamin has qualms, a hint of guilt at the role he’s about to play: “He ignored another wave of guilt as she climbed the metal steps onto his jet, as trusting as a spring lamb.” If Freya is the lamb, then Benjamin, by definition, must yield the knife. But the genre will stay the hand that slays, as God does an Abraham wielding the knife over Isaac.

After political boundaries are erased, the heroine’s creature comforts are taken care of. The pesky business of political reality and necessity dismissed, the heroine will have her needs met, in this case, with a drink: “Benjamin summoned a member of his crew. ‘Get Mademoiselle Clements a drink, whatever she wants. I’ll have a glass of port.’ Soon their drinks had been served and Freya sipped at her gin and tonic.” I don’t know about you, dear reader, but is there anything better than a G&T well-served. I find Benjamin’s “port” a bit of a sissy drink, but that’s me. Maybe another indication of how he’s really a softie underneath. The heroine’s power is a subtler thing; it’s about the effect she has on the hero: “There was something about this woman he reacted to in a way he could not comprehend.” Nothing too helpless yet, but to the HP reader, this will hold her while his Dickness dominates, which it must, at least until his Marshmallow Grovel.

The heroine’s moral superiority is established well and early by giving her, for an HP, an amazingly happy childhood: “Freya had been raised by parents who were permanently on the breadline. They were the kindest, most loving parents a child could wish for and if she could live her life childhood again she wouldn’t swap them for anyone. Money was no substitute for love.” Ah, but dear reader, please note, Freya has EVERYTHING the hero doesn’t, except the hero has the thing that makes the economic reality of buying groceries go away. (Aside: the HP often makes me think of Marx’s second and less famous clause to “religion being the opiate of the people,” “the sigh of the oppressed creature.” The HP, therefore, is the ultimate fantasy where all economic needs are, like Maslow’s hierarchy, met first and quickly so that we can get to the good stuff.)

What form does Benjamin’s revenge take? Freya’s fiancé and his brother, says Benjamin, caught him at a weak moment (his mother dying of cancer, you have to have at least one per HP) and they had him invest money in their schemes. They, to date, repaid his loans, but have never given him what they owe him of return on his investment: ” ‘They owe me two hundred and twenty-five million euros.’ He had earmarked that money for a charity that helped traumatised children.” A few things are happening here: the hero’s power and determination are proven once more, but his means, revenge, is an uh-uh. Hence, he’s humanized and rendered sympathetic by the “charity” for the “traumatized children”.

What role will Freya play in his revenge? Javier will have to cough up the money, or Freya must marry Benjamin instead, thus publicly humiliating Javier. (The raised eyebrows at this premise, they were hairline soaring. But there you have it, this did not diminish my enjoyment.) Benjamin’s revenge objectifies Freya:“This was revenge in its purest form and she was his weapon of choice to gain it.” Ah, but the tables will turn: his soft underbelly, Benjamin’s twinges of guilt and charitable donations will be exploited until he gives up the centring of personal meaning in power and money and transfers his loyalty to the heroine and their children (a poppet always shows up by the end and Smart’s HP is no different). He doesn’t ever have to give up the money and power, but they can now serve the heroine and their family.

Initially, Benjamin, the hero, is a cold-hearted a-hole: “Her kidnapper stared at her without an ounce of pity, waiting for her response to his bombshell [the MOC]. She responded by using the only means she had at her disposal, her only weapon. Her body.” Ah, dear reader, now we arrive at the matter’s crux: sex, the great romance equalizer, for if the hero is helpless in the face of his desire, the heroine is no less. The sex is spectacular yes, more importantly, it is singular. It’s the best sex, actually for Freya, the only sex, but so good, the only one she’ll ever need, or want. While the heroine, Freya included, is a virgin in body and the HP is about her sexual awakening at and in the hero’s hands, the hero is an emotional virgin. (The conflict, impediments, dark moment, are manifestations of the couple’s growing pains as a unity.)

The hero, which is why hes the heroine’s and our vindication fantasy, must suffer at the heroine’s more adept emotional hands: “He shifted in his seat, unsettled but momentarily trapped in a gaze that seemed to have the ability to reach inside him and touch his soul … He blinked the unexpected and wholly ridiculous thought away and flashed his teeth at her.” Flash away, pretty boy, you’re about to be hoisted on your own heartless petard. The heroine is then put through torments by the hero: the heroine becomes the hero’s expiatory vehicle. There’s a terrific scene where Freya’s feet are injured when she tries to escape Benjamin. Sins are heaped on the heroine: “The marriage agreement she had willingly signed giving herself to two separate men proved that. Freya was a gold-digger in it purest form.” Benjamin defines Freya according to the only terms he understands, monetary ones.

One of the HP’s most vindication-rich heroine moments, at least in Smart’s smart telling, is when the heroine’s gaze is turned on the hero as an object. While she’s been an object of his revenge, rendered precious and singular in the act of loving-making, he becomes the object of her physical desire (remember, sexual awakening with the emotionally satisfying pleasures of exclusivity): “Her suddenly greedy eyes soaked in everything about him, from the way his long, muscular legs filled the black jeans he wore and the way his muscles bunched beneath his black T-shirt … she could see how untamed his thick black hair had become and the shadow on his jaw hinting at black stubble about to break free … ” I adored this description for the way the heroine has tamed the hero’s wildness. His prowess and power, for which his powerful, huge body, hair’s thickness, about-to-break-outness quality of hirsuteness (tongue-in-cheek ciphers of his mate-worthiness, as well as ability to protect and succour, in his physicality, wealth, and power) will be at the heroine’s and her children’s disposal.

Because Smart is a great HP practitioner, I loved how she makes Benjamin pout over his objectification by Freya: “His wife wanted him for two things. Money for her family and sex for herself. As a husband he was surplus to requirements … ” This is where the review part kicks in. I didn’t really love either of these two, but I was fascinated by how many ideas this HP elicited. That is due to what Smart can do with it: unravel the hero’s accretions of money and power (which, note, is never political, au contraire, always apolitical) as purposeless until he can put them to good purpose in building a life with the heroine. They diminish as determinants to his self-identity, so that the heroine can have everything: in this case, a career, a baby, a faithful, loving hunk in her bed, and a chateau in Province, among other things. And what does the hero get out of it: a purposeful life, a meaningful life: ” … thanking all the deities in the skies for giving him the second chance to be a better man with this woman who completed him.” He can be a better man, the decency leached out of him by “making it” in the capitalistic world can be rediscovered, repurposed, and reinvented.

If nothing else, I hope you read Smart’s Billionaire’s Bride For Revenge to tell me I’ve over-read things. There’s a whole discussion we can have about how Freya can’t dance once she and Benjamin have spectacular, singular sex. There’s a whole conversation possible over how the hero now has possession of her body as a cipher for how he possesses her heart … With Miss Austen, who didn’t appreciate my mountain out of a molehill, Billionaire’s Bride For Revenge merits “real comfort,” Emma.

Michelle Smart’s Billionaire’s Bride For Revenge is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on May 22nd and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC from Harlequin Books, via Netgalley.

[Larami Scialfa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit meh in the middle but fairly good towards the end. Will read the rest in the series to see how the hero's two enemies work out in their own novels.

[Rgreader · Rating 1 out of 5]

The heroine. She was such a cold character that I lost interest in her journey to romance and hea. I decided to stop reading on page 56.

The hero. I got his need for revenge but then he revealed he wanted to use the money to create a charity for traumatized children....so he kidnapped the heroine to force her fiance to give him millions to fund a charity. The hero was wealthy and could fund a charity without the drama...yeah so I found the hero underwhelming.

I like revenge plots but this one failed to captivate my attention.

[Frankie · Rating 1 out of 5]

What is it with HP lately? I use to be a big fan but now I can barely stomach to read any. It is like they are trying to turn off all HP customers lately. This one was another DNF for me with totally unlikable characters and stupid plot!

[Mou: Fae of Heartfelt ARC · Rating 3 out of 5]

A revenge Story which is more connected to attraction & feelings then revenge.

[Penny Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories with ballerinas! And I cried on the last page.

Grade: A

[lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked the H more than the h 😐 she was so cold !

[Maria Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billionaire’s Bride for Revenge by Michelle Smart is a sexy and dramatic revenge romance where a kidnapping leads to a marriage of convenience and, inevitably, true love.

Ballet dancer Freya is engaged to be married to Javier Casillas. It’s not a love match, but she is willing to be the arm candy for the billionaire in return for a generous monthly allowance that will enable her to pay her mother’s medical bills. When Benjamin Guillem, a long time friend of her husband-to-be shows up to escort her to Javier, she willingly goes along – only to discover that she’s been kidnapped!

Benjamin is out for revenge after all the evidence he’s collected shows that Javier and his brother Luis took advantage of their friendship to swindle money from him. In retaliation, he’s kidnapped Javier’s fiancée Freya for ransom. Though she tries to escape, Benjamin has her well and truly trapped on his magnificent property in France. Javier refuses the ransom demand, abandoning Freya. Benjamin is not put off though, insisting on marrying Freya in Javier’s stead. Humiliating his old friend publicly is just as good as getting the money from him. Freya is desperate and agrees to the marriage, on the condition that Benjamin also agree to the same marriage settlement she had negotiated with Javier. With the deal in hand, will Benjamin and Freya discover that their marriage could be the real thing after all?

For more of this review please visit Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-bil...

A copy of this story was provided by the publisher for review.

[Riz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Couldn't feel the connection between the main characters :(

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! This is my first Michelle Smart book and I'm now a fan. This book sounds wild on the outside - Benjamin kidnaps Freya from her loveless engagement for revenge upon her fiance and his former best friend. He takes her to Provence and demands a ransom. But this is such a beautiful romance. Benjamin is a kind hero with his heart in the right place, despite his vengeance. Javier did hurt him after all. And he rescued Freya more than stole her. They each have deep personal reasons for their choice of a contract marriage and Benjamin does everything in his power to make her happy. He is thoughtful and nice and knows what he wants. Yes, he has his moment in the end, but he's not perfect! Freya is also a very relatable heroine. She has suffered a lot for her career as a ballerina and has her reasons for choosing a rich husband. She needs to look after the parents who have given her so much. I was so glad she found a happily ever after with Benjamin. I loved this story. It also contained some of my favourite things - ballet and French chateaus! I was enthralled. This one is a winner!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What started out as a revenge plot turns into a rollercoaster sexy read! Benjamin wanted to exact his revenge on his enemy by stealing said enemy's fiancée but what he hadn't bargained on is the raging chemistry between him and Freya. Now all Benjamin wants is to claim Freya as his. What ensues is a tug-o-war of emotions and plenty drama to keep the pages turning! Michelle Smart's writing is picturesque and tantalizing and her characters are sophisticated and passionate. You are never disappointed picking up a copy of her book. You're always guaranteed escape and entertainment - in Billionaire's Bride for Revenge you got just that!

Highly Recommended
4.5 Stars

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in the trilogy with Benjamin, the victim of the twins perfidy, getting revenge by kidnapping Freya the fiancée of Javier.

What Benjamin doesn’t know is that their engagement is a cold blooded affair with Freya doing it for the money to fund her mother’s experimental medical treatment. He thinks Freya is simply a gold digger.

I liked the fairy story element of this one and I adored Benjamin. Freya was less attractive for the first 5bird of the book but then I started to feel for her.

Really enjoyable story with total focus on the h/H and the development of their relationship. Another enjoyable read from MS.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billionaire's Bride for Revenge by Michelle Smart is book One in the Rings of Vengeance series. This is the story of Benjamin and Freya.
Benjamin feels betrayed and seeks to get his revenge by taking Javier's future wife to get back some of the money he feels was taken.
Freya is a beautiful ballerina who is marring Javier as a business agreement to help her family. Although she is attracted to Benjamin she is worried about what will happen to her family. When they strike a business deal between them they find it hard to fight the emotional side of the deal.

[RomLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A billionaire seeking retribution... A bride stolen for revenge!Billionaire Benjamin has the ultimate plan for vengeance on those who betrayed him: steal his enemy's fianc'e, Freya, and marry her himself. It's meant to be a convenient arrangement, yet the cool, collected prima ballerina ignites a passion in his blood! There's nothing remotely convenient about the red-hot pleasures of their wedding night--and Benjamin is tempted to make Freya his for more than revenge.

[Jess Holden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dunno what it is about this story but I could not finish it. How do you fall for someone who kidnapped you. This is just to far out of the realistic realm for me. I just couldn't relate to these characters or the plot.

[Domi Nika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insta love 😘

Main h - Freya- ballerina. I don't like ballerinas...😆 it is all nice and dandy...but theirs feets...poor feets.

Main H - Benjamine - billionaire's wronged by his 2 best friends...

He and Freya saw each other in some party - insta contact, passsion in their eyes etc... etc..

She is one of his BF fiancée and when he wronged him, he was like - let's revenge! Let's kidnap your darling, man!🤘

...

He and his brother took his money - How it will be, bro? I will give you back your fiancée when you give it to me back or I will marry her myself...👰‍♂️🤵

So...

Of course - Javier - BF didn't love Freya so much to gives him millions of euros...

And press saw her leaving her with him the day he kidnapped her - holding hands.

So he is like "she is all yours" 🤦‍♂️

Like a book...or something you can give someone... 😀

Theirs marriage was of convenience. Javier is rather cold, "save choice" for Freya cause for her is dancing and her carrer everything.

She and Javier had a deal. 🤜🤛

Marriage for money.🤑

And Benjamine just took it from her.🤪

So she is like "I want this money!"🤨

And he is like "You can have it...when you marry me..."🤔

Cause if he can not have money, it would be humiliating for Javier to have his fiancée to be just leaving him a week before their marriage...😬🫣

Ha ha ha 🫠

Boys and their egos...🙄

Freya needs the money, so she agrees...🤯

Their marriage is one hell rollearcaster. When they don't have a sex, then she is dancing and he is working...😵‍💫

But they soon find out that they have a lot of common and starts to Fall in love.🥰

When he tells her that she can work for some theater in France, she is angry that it was HE who arranged it.🙄

But he just doesn't want her to work still for JAVIER and be in Madrid when she can be in France with him.👍

They have a big fight about it like that he can not interfere with her carrear and ggggg.

I would be GLAD if someone offered me a good job! Don't get these "I worked too hard for someone to just give it to me...for free"🙄

WAKE UP! LIFE IS ALL ABOUT CONTACTS!
😁🫢🧐

He is angry, she is angry. 🙄

And when she is in her lovely Madrid...her practices for her big role just sucks...🫠

She has a studio in their house in France and she is perfect there...so why?🤔

She needs and wants his support...🫢

Her big night is coming, needs to be perfect...

So she ask him to acompany her. To theater. Javier's theater. 😊

And she practically tells him how she NEEDS HIM.🥰😙😘

And he is like "Take someone else..."😬

And I was like....Noooooo! He didn't!🤯😳🥴

But he did.💣

He even told her to leave his home.👎

For good!😱

Drama! 🍿

In the end, he goes to her premier. He apologize for his behavior...🥺

He was jealous that she rather be dancing than be with him.

Cause...yeah...it was true.😳

When she was in Madrid it was HIM, who called her everyday.

She never tried.🥺

She called him just once...cause she missed his voice.🤧

But told him something about "I wanted to ask what outfit should I wear tonight? To restaurant?"

Or something weird...

But in the end, all is dandy in the world of billionaire's and theirs wifes...🫣

[Aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Big thanks to Harlequin Books and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange of an honest review. And sorry for the delay, I’m still trying to put everything in place on my social networks and on my blog after hurricane María because of my internet issues.*

This book is the first of the Rings of Vengeance trilogy, and it was a good start.

The book has good points in its favor. First, as part of a trilogy, some of the consequences of Benjamin’s plan were practically out of the book to be explained in the next two installments —yes, I read book two already— because they involved the twins. And it could work to see the Casillas’s point of view on the next books and keep the reader intrigued about Luis and Javier. What I didn’t like of it is that those consequences affected Freya too, and we didn’t see what happened between her and Javier, only a few glimpses of it. After all they were engaged, isn’t it? Unless we see them in book three, which I will start tonight…

I found Freya a very cold woman —the coldest I’ve ever seen in Harlequin Presents books, in fact—, not letting her emotions rule her. Her steel personality is a bit shocking for a heroine, used to be more sentimental than men. That said, that part of her is what makes the story work because, if she were more sweet and emotional, what can we have? The storyline would lost its strength and purpose, in my humble opinion. We have to consider that this woman was Javier’s fiancée. If she were a bundle of emotions, would he choose her as his trophy wife? I don’t think so..

I found him contradictory in some moments of the story. He has an iron will, but at the same time his attraction to Freya makes him weak sometimes. He believed in loyalty and there are moments in which emotions took the worse in him. He’s volatile without being an abuser, and he acts as a woman would do.

Even though this story has a clear switch between hero and heroine’s ways of development, at the end they emerged as their best. The chemistry between Freya and Benjamin is there, no doubt about it. You can really feel it. What I didn’t believed completely is their love. It was a bit dysfunctional, as Benjamin’s parents' marriage was.

Full review here: https://eluniversodeaisha.wordpress.c...

[Ashton Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle Smart's Billionaire's Bride for Revenge is a classic Harlequin-style romance based on the well-known theme of marriage for revenge. The story promises drama from the outset – billionaire Benjamin decides to strike at his enemy in the most personal way possible by kidnapping his fiancée, Freya, and forcing her into marriage. The plan was supposed to be a cold, calculated revenge, but it quickly becomes apparent that emotions and feelings can thwart even the best-laid strategies.

The greatest strength of this book is the chemistry between the characters. Benjamin initially seems like a typical, somewhat cold and controlling hero of billionaire romance novels, but as the plot develops, we discover his more human side – especially when he begins to realize that Freya is not just a pawn in his game. Freya, on the other hand, as a prima ballerina, brings elegance, determination, and inner strength to the story. She is not a passive victim of circumstances, but a woman who can face difficult situations.

The plot develops quite dynamically, and the tension between the characters is palpable from the very first pages. The author skillfully builds an atmosphere of growing passion and emotional conflict – Benjamin must confront his own motives, and Freya must decide whether to trust the man who initially treated her as a tool for revenge. The “from enemies to lovers” theme is used here in a predictable but satisfying way for fans of the genre.

Michelle Smart's style is light and accessible, making the book a quick read. It's a typical one-evening story – full of emotion, drama, and romantic tension. Although some plot twists are predictable and genre tropes are clearly present, the whole thing works thanks to the well-developed relationships between the characters.

Billionaire's Bride for Revenge is an enjoyable romance for those who like stories about powerful billionaires, strong heroines, and love blossoming in the most unexpected circumstances. It is not literature that will surprise you with its psychological depth, but it definitely provides excitement and romantic entertainment. It is the perfect read for fans of contemporary romances with a touch of drama and passion.

[Darlene Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in Michelle Smart's Rings of Vengeance series. Ms Smart is new to me. I actually found her book while shopping for my sister. I was intrigued by the back cover synopsis and would up reading the book before giving it to my sister. I was hooked and had to read all three stories.

Benjamin Guillem, our hero, is a life long friend of the Casillas twins. They were raised as brothers and have been thick as thieves all their lives. When the brothers ask for his financial help on a real estate deal he doesn't hesitate. He's just been told his Mothers cancer is terminal and is distracted but knows the brothers couldn't do wrong by him. Oh but they did. Seven years later the project begins to make a profit and Benjamin discovers the twins treachery. After the legal system fails to right the wrong Ben makes a plan of revenge. One way or the other he's going to stick it to the Casillas.

Freya Clements is a prima ballerina in the Casillas brothers ballet company. Started in their Mothers honor this pet project means a lot to them. They've spent years refurbishing and putting together a troupe and it's almost opening night. Freya has agreed to marry Javier Casillas in a marriage of convenience. Javier is a cold heartless man and Freya is viewed as an ice queen. They seem perfect for each other. Freya needs Javier's money to pay for her Mothers medical bills, she's desperate. A problem arises when she and Ben meet for the first time, it's instant attraction and it's hot. Ben's plan of revenge involves Freya, now he thinks that a pretty good idea. Freya is scared, she needs Javier but she can't seem to stop longing for Ben.

This journey gives us marriage for money, love of family, hot instant lust that turns to love, lots of dancing and a happily ever after (of course). I won't spoil things any further but you'll like this story, trust me. Happy reading.

[Monica Cardoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting storyline how a person comes up with the idea to kidnap and marry their close friend’s fiancé. As the story progressed and Benjamin told his story and what his close friends did I understood a little bit more but the problem was what about Freya and what she wanted. She also had a story and hers was very sad she was caring for her mother and needed the money. She was marrying for convenience not because they loved each other they both wanted something from each other. But the moment that Ben and Freya saw each other there was this instant chemistry between them but neither of them was willing to admit it to each other. Ben and Freya have an interesting journey and I enjoyed reading about their journey and their happily ever after.

Received ARC from NetGalley in exchangne for an Honest Review

[Maddy Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benjamin stole Freya from Javier for revenge or so the story starts out but quickly you learn this is so much more. They fell in love with one look from across a garden on the night of Freya's engagement party to Javier. Luis and Javier Casillas were brothers and they took advantage of Benjamin during a very low point in his life, his mother was dying. So Benjamin takes his revenge out on Freya, but they fell in love and the rest is silence. I loved this story, Benjamin is good looking, rich and more honorable then the Casillas, his best friends. I had already read the story of Luis & Chloe and I would have like to read a little of Chloe and Benjamin and how he sort of forgave Luis. That's the reason I gave this book four stars instead of five, it's like Chloe didn't exist for Benjamin. I still recommend this story highly.

[Ishara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle Smart is one of my favourites of the 'newer' HP authors and she has penned some great books. This story did not disappoint! Loved both MCs but Benjamin was really special. In spite of the circumstances of their union, he looked out for Freya and tried to make her life easy, taking care of her. Freya was a little hard to like at first but as the story moves along, and her back story unfolds, you understand why she is the way she is.

Great start to the trilogy, but I have to admit that I'm not sure what to expect from the next 2 books as both Hs are accused of cheating their best friend out of a huge financial payout, and took advantage of hiS trust when he was in a vulnerable situation. Fingers crossed!

[Tonya Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benjamin Guillem never thought his childhood friends would do wrong by him. But they took advantage of him when he was in a low spot, and cost him a lot of money. More than that, they took away his trust. And his plan for revenge means he is going to take from them, as they did from him.

Freya Clements only wanted to dance. Ballet is in her heart and in her blood. Marrying Javier Castillos is not a love match, but one she needs to help ease her other's suffering. Taken away by Benjamin, she is now left with the only option left of replacing Javier with Benjamin.

Ok. Not really great, but not really bad.

[Stacey Houllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought this a great read. I read this novel in large print edition. It is about a ballerina who is engaged to a billlionare called Jarvis Callas to help with her mother medical bills but at a party she spots Benjamin. Benjamin has plans for revenge as Jarvis he grew up with him and owned him money from a loan seven years earlier to steal his fiancee and black mailed him for money. What they both didn't plan on was falling for each other and finding love.

[Tamra Delasalle Padgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin is looking for revenge toward Javier and his brother from the two brothers stealing money from him. Shall I steal his fiance and marry her to take out my revenge? Now all I have to do is not fall in love with Freya and my revenge will be complete. Grab your copy today and see what really happens and see if love complicates his plan.