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Ruthless Tycoon, Innocent Wife
Marianne Carr will do anything to save her home, and ruthless businessman Rafe Steed knows it He has a score to settle with the Carr family, and after one meeting with this delicate beauty he decides he will have the house...and the girl...
Against her better judgment, Marianne is attracted to Rafe's powerful sensuality. But she is saving herself for her wedding night, and Rafe is definitely not the marrying kind Yet what this tycoon wants, he usually gets....
Against her better judgment, Marianne is attracted to Rafe's powerful sensuality. But she is saving herself for her wedding night, and Rafe is definitely not the marrying kind Yet what this tycoon wants, he usually gets....
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2008
About the author
Helen Brooks
428 books124 followersRita Bradshaw was born on 1949 in Northampton, England, where she was educated as a good Christian. She met Clive, her husband, at the age of 16 andnow the magic is still there. They have three lovely children, Cara, Faye, and Benjamin, and have always had a menagerie of animals in the house, which at the present is confined to two endearing and very comical dogs who would make a great double act on TV! The children, friends, and pets all keep the house buzzing and the food cupboards empty but Helen wouldn't have it any other way. She still lives today in Northampton with her family. Although having enjoyed some wonderful holidays abroad she has never been tempted to live anywhere else, although she rather likes the idea of a holiday home close to the sea one day.
Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming, and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in the sun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking of course!)
For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as she approached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babies and hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.
Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latter an unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.
Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of pure joy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own but she loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.
Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming, and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in the sun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking of course!)
For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as she approached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babies and hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.
Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latter an unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.
Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of pure joy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own but she loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 19, 2013
An addictive love story! The hero was a patient, kind man who respected the heroine and supported her fully.
The heroine does a great job of resisting him despite her feelings for him. In fact, they really only consummate their relationship towards the end of the book during their wedding night.
Zero love scenes but a sweet read, emotional and heart warming.
The heroine does a great job of resisting him despite her feelings for him. In fact, they really only consummate their relationship towards the end of the book during their wedding night.
Zero love scenes but a sweet read, emotional and heart warming.
April 2, 2010
Honestly, the name is unfortunate. It is like a 'kinda, sorta, nutshell' version of what the book is about. But considering that this is a fairly deep story, I think the title shortchanges the story. This title is a vestige of that time period when the Harlequin Presents titles were pretty ridiculous, and even staunch fans joked that Harlequin used a title generator algorithm or computer to come up with them. Fortunately, that's in the past, and we have moved into a period of much better titles that are poetic and they also touch on the themes of the stories and capture the sensibility of the Harlequin Presents line.
Wow, I totally digressed there. Let's get back to the review. Helen Brooks writes stories about mature men and women who have grown-up relationships, even though they struggle with some of the issues you might expect in this genre of romance. She manages to give the stories a credibility because she doesn't resort to tactics. Instead, the drama is dealing with human emotions and relationships. I like that Marianne is a whole person with a thriving career long before she met Rafe.
Marianne has no idea about the history between her mother and Rafe's father, until he explains it to her in cynical terms that she refutes from the bottom of her heart. She insists he has her mother all wrong, and they have to agree to disagree and put it aside in order to go forward with the deal to convert her family's house into a hotel (a way to save the house and keep it in the family). However, there's no way that either can settle for being merely business partners, not with the attraction and deeper emotion that simmers beneath the surface of every interaction they share. The problem is not just that Rafe has misconceptions about her mother's past relationship with his father, but the fact that Rafe has sworn off marriage and serious relationships, happy to settle for sexual affairs, and Marianne would never settle for anything but a relationship that leads to marriage.
There are things I didn't love about this story, but the quality of writing causes me to rate it four stars. I respected the depth of the characters and that they actually talk to each other and work through their issues, and not settle for drawn conclusions and decisions based on misunderstandings. I think my least favorite kind of hero is the man who goes through women as sexual playthings. I can understand that Rafe was going through a phase and acting out because of the way he was so wounded by his marriage, and I had to take that into consideration. I do like that Marianne didn't settle and didn't try to change him. Instead, she made it clear that she wouldn't change to accommodate his relationship style, and they didn't have a future together. Since Rafe had to face the fact that he had strong feelings for Marianne, he had to decide if he wanted to be with her bad enough to reevaluate his ideas about casual relationships.
So I guess this book is not really my favorite kind of story, but it was well-written and the characters were complex and well-defined. I have to give the author props for taking a tried and true theme and giving it a maturity that gives the story an appeal that is more than face value.
Wow, I totally digressed there. Let's get back to the review. Helen Brooks writes stories about mature men and women who have grown-up relationships, even though they struggle with some of the issues you might expect in this genre of romance. She manages to give the stories a credibility because she doesn't resort to tactics. Instead, the drama is dealing with human emotions and relationships. I like that Marianne is a whole person with a thriving career long before she met Rafe.
Marianne has no idea about the history between her mother and Rafe's father, until he explains it to her in cynical terms that she refutes from the bottom of her heart. She insists he has her mother all wrong, and they have to agree to disagree and put it aside in order to go forward with the deal to convert her family's house into a hotel (a way to save the house and keep it in the family). However, there's no way that either can settle for being merely business partners, not with the attraction and deeper emotion that simmers beneath the surface of every interaction they share. The problem is not just that Rafe has misconceptions about her mother's past relationship with his father, but the fact that Rafe has sworn off marriage and serious relationships, happy to settle for sexual affairs, and Marianne would never settle for anything but a relationship that leads to marriage.
There are things I didn't love about this story, but the quality of writing causes me to rate it four stars. I respected the depth of the characters and that they actually talk to each other and work through their issues, and not settle for drawn conclusions and decisions based on misunderstandings. I think my least favorite kind of hero is the man who goes through women as sexual playthings. I can understand that Rafe was going through a phase and acting out because of the way he was so wounded by his marriage, and I had to take that into consideration. I do like that Marianne didn't settle and didn't try to change him. Instead, she made it clear that she wouldn't change to accommodate his relationship style, and they didn't have a future together. Since Rafe had to face the fact that he had strong feelings for Marianne, he had to decide if he wanted to be with her bad enough to reevaluate his ideas about casual relationships.
So I guess this book is not really my favorite kind of story, but it was well-written and the characters were complex and well-defined. I have to give the author props for taking a tried and true theme and giving it a maturity that gives the story an appeal that is more than face value.
December 11, 2010
"Ruthless Tycoon, Innocent Wife" did not have an overbearing alpha hero, no rape/forced seduction, no violence, no TSTL heroine, nor a huge misunderstanding.
There was nothing offensive about this book at all.
However, it did commit the unforgivable crime of being so boring that I could not finish it. I didn't care about the characters or what happened to her house.
I just didn't care about this book. After 51% through, I called it quits and was glad for it. And I rarely DNF books...for some masochistic reason I usually stick it out to the painful end.
Not this time.
1/2 star/F
There was nothing offensive about this book at all.
However, it did commit the unforgivable crime of being so boring that I could not finish it. I didn't care about the characters or what happened to her house.
I just didn't care about this book. After 51% through, I called it quits and was glad for it. And I rarely DNF books...for some masochistic reason I usually stick it out to the painful end.
Not this time.
1/2 star/F
October 8, 2017
"Ruthless Tycoon, Innocent Wife" is the story of Rafe and Marianna.
When Marianna loses her parents in a freak accident, she never expects to come across Rafe- son of her parents' childhood friend, realize he has beef with them or that he'd purchase her legacy.
Basically the book is a LONG saga of back and forth between the leads with nothing much happening. There's a lot of no-yes-no situation, and I was tbh very bored.
I adore HB, but this is one of my least liked books by her. It follows the typical HQN formula in one of the worst ways possible.
Safe with exceptions
1.5/5
When Marianna loses her parents in a freak accident, she never expects to come across Rafe- son of her parents' childhood friend, realize he has beef with them or that he'd purchase her legacy.
Basically the book is a LONG saga of back and forth between the leads with nothing much happening. There's a lot of no-yes-no situation, and I was tbh very bored.
I adore HB, but this is one of my least liked books by her. It follows the typical HQN formula in one of the worst ways possible.
Safe with exceptions
1.5/5
March 29, 2018
Marianne Carr will do anything to save her home, and ruthless businessman Rafe Steed knows it He has a score to settle with the Carr family, and after one meeting with this delicate beauty he decides he will have the house...and the girl...
Against her better judgment, Marianne is attracted to Rafe's powerful sensuality. But she is saving herself for her wedding night, and Rafe is definitely not the marrying kind Yet what this tycoon wants, he usually gets.
Against her better judgment, Marianne is attracted to Rafe's powerful sensuality. But she is saving herself for her wedding night, and Rafe is definitely not the marrying kind Yet what this tycoon wants, he usually gets.
February 6, 2014
NO CHEMISTRY
Marriane's parents have both died in a car crash. Her family home which has been in their family for generations is now under threat as her father had many debts. In steps Rafe a millionaire businessman who claims his father was an old friend of her father. But there's animosity between them as the history between their fathers was not good.
Rafe is the typical cliched M&B hero, rich, handsome, and his associations with women are purely physical. Marianne was feisty and didn't put up with any of Rafe's crap. This was okay but very formulaic, the biggest reason for my rating was I didn't feel the connection between this couple. I just didn't see how they could love on another there was no spark or chemistry that came across.
Marriane's parents have both died in a car crash. Her family home which has been in their family for generations is now under threat as her father had many debts. In steps Rafe a millionaire businessman who claims his father was an old friend of her father. But there's animosity between them as the history between their fathers was not good.
Rafe is the typical cliched M&B hero, rich, handsome, and his associations with women are purely physical. Marianne was feisty and didn't put up with any of Rafe's crap. This was okay but very formulaic, the biggest reason for my rating was I didn't feel the connection between this couple. I just didn't see how they could love on another there was no spark or chemistry that came across.
Did Not Finish
March 23, 2017I'd still like to know who the fuck the woman was on the phone!!!!!
June 10, 2021
For once there is no Great Misunderstanding or Big Miscommunication. No, because the h is refreshingly straightforward in this one. At their first meeting, she sees the H give her the contemptuous side-eye and feels the bad mojo vibes coming from him, and asks him point-blank what his problem is. The H feels free to share and the h tells him he is wrong, but suggests that they agree to disagree. It's quite the most mature H and h I've seen in HPlandia for a long time.
We get both H and h's viewpoint in this book, which is rare for Helen Brooks. I like it because we see H's bewilderment as he responds to the h in ways he didn't expect, and he doesn't understand why he's acting the way he is. He doesn't want to want the h, but he does, and he can tell that she's attracted too, so he gives her the "I don't do relationships" speech just to make clear where he stands. The h further gives him straight talk by telling him that his lifestyle is shallow and that he is afraid of commitment.
We get both H and h's viewpoint in this book, which is rare for Helen Brooks. I like it because we see H's bewilderment as he responds to the h in ways he didn't expect, and he doesn't understand why he's acting the way he is. He doesn't want to want the h, but he does, and he can tell that she's attracted too, so he gives her the "I don't do relationships" speech just to make clear where he stands. The h further gives him straight talk by telling him that his lifestyle is shallow and that he is afraid of commitment.
August 7, 2015
Rating: 4 stars.
A decent and easy read, like most Harlequin Presents.
A decent and easy read, like most Harlequin Presents.
February 25, 2025
I don’t think Helen Brooks (Rita Bradshaw) is currently writing for Mills & Boon (Harlequin), so there is no point in my telling her that Americans don’t say phrases like “thus far”, and don’t drink instant coffee without comment or even any reaction. I found the jarring notes quite charming, actually.
Everyone in this book is very nice and kind, although it begins with a huge trauma for the heroine, so there is angst and pain from the beginning, but in a sadly realistic way. No scenes of heroes referring to heroines as “crazy bitches” or “lying whores”, as I have recently read in books in this line. The action takes place in Cornwall, not “Faux-Arabia” or “Montlandia” or other only-in-HP location. The hero is wealthy but not a prince; the heroine is a licensed occupational therapist, very young but not stuck in a terrible situation or blocked by family obligations from pursuing a career. The two leads have immediate chemistry but don’t act on it (beyond kisses) until marriage. So, should this book really be in the HP line?
Maybe not!
I thought it was a sweet, feel-good story, though.
Everyone in this book is very nice and kind, although it begins with a huge trauma for the heroine, so there is angst and pain from the beginning, but in a sadly realistic way. No scenes of heroes referring to heroines as “crazy bitches” or “lying whores”, as I have recently read in books in this line. The action takes place in Cornwall, not “Faux-Arabia” or “Montlandia” or other only-in-HP location. The hero is wealthy but not a prince; the heroine is a licensed occupational therapist, very young but not stuck in a terrible situation or blocked by family obligations from pursuing a career. The two leads have immediate chemistry but don’t act on it (beyond kisses) until marriage. So, should this book really be in the HP line?
Maybe not!
I thought it was a sweet, feel-good story, though.
April 7, 2021
It was boring. Too much thinking, too little action. No love making scenes until the last pages after their marriage. Too much talk about other things and other persons than about themselves.
Much psychological stuff with the H and h thinking where they’re coming from, questioning themselves what their motives are or who and what they are.
She was protesting and distrusting too much. I didn’t finish reading the book.
I’ve read a number of Helen Brooks’ books. She has written some excellent HP’s, but this is not one of them.
And are all Helen Brooks’ heroines blonde and thin? There seems to be a pattern there, just like with Sara Craven’s heroines. To any HP writer: please vary the looks of your heroines.
Much psychological stuff with the H and h thinking where they’re coming from, questioning themselves what their motives are or who and what they are.
She was protesting and distrusting too much. I didn’t finish reading the book.
I’ve read a number of Helen Brooks’ books. She has written some excellent HP’s, but this is not one of them.
And are all Helen Brooks’ heroines blonde and thin? There seems to be a pattern there, just like with Sara Craven’s heroines. To any HP writer: please vary the looks of your heroines.
November 17, 2024
I like that she sticks to her guns and he redeems his initial jerk behavior. Helen Brooks does smitten hero well.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
March 14, 2025
Blurb misleads. Nice love story despite H being a self righteous idiot with a nasty streak in beginning.
September 10, 2022
I want to know who was the woman who was with him in the restaurant ???
December 13, 2011
I enjoyed this book. Yeah, I would read it again. I liked how the author wrote from both Marianne and Rafe's point of view. I don't know why, but I liked it better for some reason when a story presents some point of view other than the one main character, even if it's just a snippet here or there and not in depth. Sorry for the soapbox. Enjoy
February 1, 2017
Leído el 04/02/2010
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews