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The Takeover #6
Los mejores sueños
Voy a tomar las riendas
Los habitantes de Vista del Mar estaban a punto de pagarlo caro. Rafe Cameron había hecho fortuna y había vuelto para saldar viejas deudas, pero no había contado con encontrarse con Sarah Richards, su novia del instituto, que estaba decidida a evitar que perjudicase a media ciudad. Divertido al ver a Sarah convertida en benefactora, Rafe decidió escuchar sus ruegos. Aunque ni consiguiendo deshelarle el corazón iba a hacer que cambiase de planes. Hasta que una inesperada revelación lo cambió todo.
Los habitantes de Vista del Mar estaban a punto de pagarlo caro. Rafe Cameron había hecho fortuna y había vuelto para saldar viejas deudas, pero no había contado con encontrarse con Sarah Richards, su novia del instituto, que estaba decidida a evitar que perjudicase a media ciudad. Divertido al ver a Sarah convertida en benefactora, Rafe decidió escuchar sus ruegos. Aunque ni consiguiendo deshelarle el corazón iba a hacer que cambiase de planes. Hasta que una inesperada revelación lo cambió todo.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
27 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Mann
602 books1,254 followersUSA Today bestseller Catherine Mann has written women's fiction, romance, and romantic suspense for Lake Union, Harlequin, HQN, Berkley, Tule, and Sourcebooks, with titles released in more than 30 countries. Catherine’s novels have won numerous awards, including a RITA Award, the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award, and the Bookseller’s Best Award.
A South Carolinian at heart, after years of moving around the country Catherine has settled back in her home state with her Harley-riding husband. Empty nesters, they have a blended family of nine children, nine grandchildren, two dogs, and three feral cats, who all provide endless inspiration for new novels. For more information, visit: http://catherinemann.com
A South Carolinian at heart, after years of moving around the country Catherine has settled back in her home state with her Harley-riding husband. Empty nesters, they have a blended family of nine children, nine grandchildren, two dogs, and three feral cats, who all provide endless inspiration for new novels. For more information, visit: http://catherinemann.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 16, 2011
A good conclusion to the Takeover series. It was a little predictable but then this is a Harlequin as well as a romance so there was always gonna be a HEA.
I was quite glad to see that Rafe could put all his intentions of revenge behind him as carrying out his threat to raze the factory would have only have hurt the people of his hometown and deep down I am not sure he would have coped with that.
There was one shock that I hadn't seen coming at all and was very cleaverly done by Ms Mann and the other authors of the series - Ronald Worth turned out to be Rafe's biological father, his mother (Hannah) had an affair whilst working for him. Worth apparently loved her but couldn't leave his fragile wife and 2 kids. Bob (also worked at factory) also loved Hannah and took her away and raised Rafe as his own. Across the series the bond between Rafe and Bob was amazing and just goes to prove that a father is one that raises, loves, clothes and feeds a child and not necessarily the one who provides the genetic material!
I was quite glad to see that Rafe could put all his intentions of revenge behind him as carrying out his threat to raze the factory would have only have hurt the people of his hometown and deep down I am not sure he would have coped with that.
There was one shock that I hadn't seen coming at all and was very cleaverly done by Ms Mann and the other authors of the series - Ronald Worth turned out to be Rafe's biological father, his mother (Hannah) had an affair whilst working for him. Worth apparently loved her but couldn't leave his fragile wife and 2 kids. Bob (also worked at factory) also loved Hannah and took her away and raised Rafe as his own. Across the series the bond between Rafe and Bob was amazing and just goes to prove that a father is one that raises, loves, clothes and feeds a child and not necessarily the one who provides the genetic material!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2011
When I received Catherine Mann's newsletter I downloaded the link for the teenage romance of Sarah and Rafe and loved it so went on to read the full length book and enjoyed it, now I have to read the other books of this series.
What a teenaged Rafe wanted was to take revenge for his mother's death on the town's richest man, get wealthy and Sarah. Sarah on the other hand loved Rafe but she wasn't sure if she was ready to leave everything behind and go with him to LA, though the agree to elope, it isn't what they want in some way, Rafe wants to give better things to Sarah while she doesn't care about money or his thirst for revenge so they part, with Rafe silently vowing to return for her, but when he does Sarah is already engaged.
Fourteen years later, Sarah is a widow, and still works where she did. Rafe has become rich and is about to close the factory he thinks made his mother ill. Sarah angry over it dumps tea in his lap, then later apologizes kind of and tries to convince him to let go of his old grudges.
I enjoyed the book, these two talked things out, both of them were two young and immature when they first fell in love but things were different now though I did feel Rafe loved her more, he waited 2 years for her, returned for her, kept the gifts she gave him, built that cabin for her, Sarah on her part was little less observant teenager while Rafe grew up tough but I really enjoyed the book.
What a teenaged Rafe wanted was to take revenge for his mother's death on the town's richest man, get wealthy and Sarah. Sarah on the other hand loved Rafe but she wasn't sure if she was ready to leave everything behind and go with him to LA, though the agree to elope, it isn't what they want in some way, Rafe wants to give better things to Sarah while she doesn't care about money or his thirst for revenge so they part, with Rafe silently vowing to return for her, but when he does Sarah is already engaged.
Fourteen years later, Sarah is a widow, and still works where she did. Rafe has become rich and is about to close the factory he thinks made his mother ill. Sarah angry over it dumps tea in his lap, then later apologizes kind of and tries to convince him to let go of his old grudges.
I enjoyed the book, these two talked things out, both of them were two young and immature when they first fell in love but things were different now though I did feel Rafe loved her more, he waited 2 years for her, returned for her, kept the gifts she gave him, built that cabin for her, Sarah on her part was little less observant teenager while Rafe grew up tough but I really enjoyed the book.
August 17, 2012
2/2.5 - Nothing terribly wrong with the book, just didn't have enough good things to make me like it.
You can read Rafe & Sarah: The Beginning, the FREE prequel novella (5 chapters) chronicling Rafe and Sarah’s high school romance at Catherine Mann's website or click the link above. Or you can read a chapter at the end of each of the other 5 books from this series. As I read them out of order I didn't have that chance.
This book is #6 in The Takeover series and what is interesting is that book #1-5 are all written by different authors. I started with book 6 and while there are several reference to or appearances by characters from those other books, it didn't seem to be a hindrance to Rafe and Sarah's story.
This is my first Catherine Mann read and I was super excited because a boatload of my GR friends rave about her. I've had much success with these shorter Harlequin's lately so I thought this would be a nice introduction to Ms. Mann.
The story itself was fine. High school sweethearts Rafe Cameron and Sarah Richards were in love but had different goals and dreams. Rafe went off to LA to with plans to make millions, take revenge on the town's local millionaire who he blames for his mother's death and return with the means to take care of Sarah. Sarah was happy to stay in tiny Vista del Mar, California and have a simple life, simply loving Rafe. 14 years later Sarah is a widow, works as a waitress and hasn't been with a man since her husband (another boy from high school) died. Rafe is a millionaire CEO and he has successfully squashed his enemy by buying and then dismantling the factory he owned - the one he believes is responsible for his mother's death. Sarah hates who Rafe has become and she hates the fact that through his quest for revenge her happy little town is going to suffer so she tries unsuccessfully to talk Rafe out of closing down the factory.
It was a great idea but the whole story fell flat for me. I didn't like Rafe, except in flashbacks, and his desire to reconnect with Sarah felt simply like his regretting never getting into her pants. It truly wasn't until the last 80+ pages, probably when Rafe figures out he's made a lot of plans/decisions in the last 14 years unconsciously with Sarah in mind, that I finally felt like his desire was more than self indulgence. I realize that most stories are like this but Rafe was just a bit more jerk and a little less hero for way too long. The last 80+ pages were better but they didn't save the book. Rafe was still Rafe and he didn't change until the last handful of pages. I hope to read the first 5 books of this series because I'd like to see how all the characters connect and how it works with different authors and writing styles. I won't be holding this book against Mann and look forward to reading her others books.
You can read Rafe & Sarah: The Beginning, the FREE prequel novella (5 chapters) chronicling Rafe and Sarah’s high school romance at Catherine Mann's website or click the link above. Or you can read a chapter at the end of each of the other 5 books from this series. As I read them out of order I didn't have that chance.
This book is #6 in The Takeover series and what is interesting is that book #1-5 are all written by different authors. I started with book 6 and while there are several reference to or appearances by characters from those other books, it didn't seem to be a hindrance to Rafe and Sarah's story.
This is my first Catherine Mann read and I was super excited because a boatload of my GR friends rave about her. I've had much success with these shorter Harlequin's lately so I thought this would be a nice introduction to Ms. Mann.
The story itself was fine. High school sweethearts Rafe Cameron and Sarah Richards were in love but had different goals and dreams. Rafe went off to LA to with plans to make millions, take revenge on the town's local millionaire who he blames for his mother's death and return with the means to take care of Sarah. Sarah was happy to stay in tiny Vista del Mar, California and have a simple life, simply loving Rafe. 14 years later Sarah is a widow, works as a waitress and hasn't been with a man since her husband (another boy from high school) died. Rafe is a millionaire CEO and he has successfully squashed his enemy by buying and then dismantling the factory he owned - the one he believes is responsible for his mother's death. Sarah hates who Rafe has become and she hates the fact that through his quest for revenge her happy little town is going to suffer so she tries unsuccessfully to talk Rafe out of closing down the factory.
It was a great idea but the whole story fell flat for me. I didn't like Rafe, except in flashbacks, and his desire to reconnect with Sarah felt simply like his regretting never getting into her pants. It truly wasn't until the last 80+ pages, probably when Rafe figures out he's made a lot of plans/decisions in the last 14 years unconsciously with Sarah in mind, that I finally felt like his desire was more than self indulgence. I realize that most stories are like this but Rafe was just a bit more jerk and a little less hero for way too long. The last 80+ pages were better but they didn't save the book. Rafe was still Rafe and he didn't change until the last handful of pages. I hope to read the first 5 books of this series because I'd like to see how all the characters connect and how it works with different authors and writing styles. I won't be holding this book against Mann and look forward to reading her others books.
December 22, 2017
what an amazing book all about love and commitment, how two people could still each other after 14 years apart. such a good read and very romantic.
such a great story
"The people of Vista del Mar were about to pay. Now that Rafe Cameron had made his fortune, he was out to settle old debts. Except he hadn't counted on running into Sarah Richards -- his feisty ex-flame who was determined to put an end to his feud with their hometown.
Secretly amused that Sarah had turned into such a do-gooder, Rafe allowed himself to consider her pleas. But nothing, not even the thawing of his own frozen heart, would make this CEO amend his plans. Until one revelation changed everything.
The Takeover For better, for worse. For business, for pleasure. These tycoons have vowed to have it all"
such a great story
"The people of Vista del Mar were about to pay. Now that Rafe Cameron had made his fortune, he was out to settle old debts. Except he hadn't counted on running into Sarah Richards -- his feisty ex-flame who was determined to put an end to his feud with their hometown.
Secretly amused that Sarah had turned into such a do-gooder, Rafe allowed himself to consider her pleas. But nothing, not even the thawing of his own frozen heart, would make this CEO amend his plans. Until one revelation changed everything.
The Takeover For better, for worse. For business, for pleasure. These tycoons have vowed to have it all"
July 22, 2022
I've decided to take a sabbatical from hardcore, dark, angsty and hectic novels and started reading some easygoing harlequins.
This was just that, a cute, easy read. Very pleasant. I read an intro of the Sarah Rafe saga after reading the Ana and Ward novel so I decided to read the book and it's great. It's a lively slow burn.
I won't spoil it but I can safely say that this is a great conclusion to this series
This was just that, a cute, easy read. Very pleasant. I read an intro of the Sarah Rafe saga after reading the Ana and Ward novel so I decided to read the book and it's great. It's a lively slow burn.
I won't spoil it but I can safely say that this is a great conclusion to this series
July 3, 2017
Leído el 16/12/2012
March 15, 2020
troppi flashback, mi sono arresa
October 27, 2023
Great fast read
Everyone deserves a second chance. Will recommend to all my friends and family. Will read the other books in the series.
Everyone deserves a second chance. Will recommend to all my friends and family. Will read the other books in the series.
March 21, 2013
I thought this was a very good end to the series. Sarah is a great heroine and Rafe, while he could use a good smack or two ended up being well matched with her. There is a lot of info dumping at the end, including a Big Surprise Shocker (that most readers will see coming from miles away) but most of the book deals with Rafe and Sarah dealing with the problems that drove them apart as kids. Ms. Mann does a good job of showing just how much Rafe has loved Sarah for every minute of the 14 years they've been apart.
The series as a whole is okay. I don't think I would reread most of it. This is the second series I've read where different authors wrote the books that made up the series. (The first was the Maddox Communications series which I consider just a bit better than this one.) I like the idea very much. It's fun to see how different authors handle the recurring storylines and the story that runs throughout the series. But it also means some books in the series are more appealing than others.
My favorite part (which I would give 5 stars as a stand alone) was the 5 chapters of backstory on Rafe and Sarah that is tagged on to the end of the first 5 books. Fortunately Ms. Mann included a lot of that as flashbacks in this book and I think she included enough background on the business takeover the series centers around that this book probably could be read as a standalone. I don't think that's possible with the other books in the series.
Overall I thought both the book and series were pretty good. A few of the books were ho hum to me but I'm glad I stuck with the series.
The series as a whole is okay. I don't think I would reread most of it. This is the second series I've read where different authors wrote the books that made up the series. (The first was the Maddox Communications series which I consider just a bit better than this one.) I like the idea very much. It's fun to see how different authors handle the recurring storylines and the story that runs throughout the series. But it also means some books in the series are more appealing than others.
My favorite part (which I would give 5 stars as a stand alone) was the 5 chapters of backstory on Rafe and Sarah that is tagged on to the end of the first 5 books. Fortunately Ms. Mann included a lot of that as flashbacks in this book and I think she included enough background on the business takeover the series centers around that this book probably could be read as a standalone. I don't think that's possible with the other books in the series.
Overall I thought both the book and series were pretty good. A few of the books were ho hum to me but I'm glad I stuck with the series.
March 4, 2017
Sarah and Rafe were high school sweethearts. After a tough argument, Rafe leaves town to go make his riches (so he can get revenge on the man he blames for his mother's death and so he can give Sarah the life he wants to give her) and Sarah stays behind. After two years, she finally marries someone else and moves on with her life. Rafe returns 14 years later and has managed his revenge and is about to destroy the economy of the town in the name of it. She sets out show Rafe the error of his ways and to prove to him that isn't all about money and revenge. He sets out to have sex with her.
The story, the plot and the character growth were all pretty great. I liked Sarah, even if she was a bit stubborn at times. Rafe on the other hand. Eh. He started out with a rather sleazy feel. For the majority of the book I only got the feeling that he wanted her because she'd gotten away and she was his motivation for getting rich. So he could prove to her how well he'd done. And I disliked him immensely for it. He figured it out, but not with enough grovel. And my own personal issues with stories like this (the former lovers break each other's hearts and then reunite) is that, for me, it is very difficult to pull this off satisfactorily. Usually there has to be a serious realization of what was done, some major regret or turning of the tables and some serious grovel. I just don't feel like Rafe suffered enough. Oh, and I thought it was a huge copout that
The story, the plot and the character growth were all pretty great. I liked Sarah, even if she was a bit stubborn at times. Rafe on the other hand. Eh. He started out with a rather sleazy feel. For the majority of the book I only got the feeling that he wanted her because she'd gotten away and she was his motivation for getting rich. So he could prove to her how well he'd done. And I disliked him immensely for it. He figured it out, but not with enough grovel. And my own personal issues with stories like this (the former lovers break each other's hearts and then reunite) is that, for me, it is very difficult to pull this off satisfactorily. Usually there has to be a serious realization of what was done, some major regret or turning of the tables and some serious grovel. I just don't feel like Rafe suffered enough. Oh, and I thought it was a huge copout that
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2014
I want to begin by saying that I love Catherine Mann's writing but this one not so much. I will make this brief and skip my usual summary of the characters etc.
I did not care for Rafe and he was unrepentant. He did not deserve a second chance...at all...IMHO. Sorry, but I really disliked him. He did not earn his way back into her life. I wasn't all that thrilled with Sarah either but she was easier to take than Rafe. I did not find this read enjoyable as it was more frustrating than anything and I had to force myself to finish.
I went back to my Kindle because something was nagging at me. After doing a search there was not one single time in this book that Rafe apologized. No I'm sorry. No I was wrong. No I regret leaving without you. He left her brokenhearted because seeking his fortune was more important than being with her. That just so rubs me the wrong way. He was not a man, he was a coward. I simply cannot recommend this read as it left me angry, frustrated and upset.
I did not care for Rafe and he was unrepentant. He did not deserve a second chance...at all...IMHO. Sorry, but I really disliked him. He did not earn his way back into her life. I wasn't all that thrilled with Sarah either but she was easier to take than Rafe. I did not find this read enjoyable as it was more frustrating than anything and I had to force myself to finish.
I went back to my Kindle because something was nagging at me. After doing a search there was not one single time in this book that Rafe apologized. No I'm sorry. No I was wrong. No I regret leaving without you. He left her brokenhearted because seeking his fortune was more important than being with her. That just so rubs me the wrong way. He was not a man, he was a coward. I simply cannot recommend this read as it left me angry, frustrated and upset.
October 27, 2016
Tenia muchisimas ganas de leerme este libro, es el 6º de la saga multiautor NEGOCIOS DE PASION...el 6º y ultimo y me moria de ganas de leer el libro de Rafe.
No ha estado nada mal, pero esperaba algo mas... me ha sobrado una cosilla del final, que no os voy a contar, con el antiguo dueño de la empresa, pero por lo demas ha estado entretenido
8/10
No ha estado nada mal, pero esperaba algo mas... me ha sobrado una cosilla del final, que no os voy a contar, con el antiguo dueño de la empresa, pero por lo demas ha estado entretenido
8/10
January 12, 2012
For such a excellent written series this book was a let down......all the others ended with a splash and just right but this was a pit ..for such a powerful man Rafe....Rafe and Sarah ending should have end with a BIGGER splash .... was good anyway
January 30, 2016
I read all the books in this series from Harlequin. This one is book 6, and the last one. We've seen Rafe Cameron's manipulations throughout the series, but it only takes one good woman in the form of Sarah Richards Dobbs to enlighten him regarding his asinine behavior.
Read
December 24, 2014Miniseries: The Takeover
July 18, 2011
One of those books where the choices you make can come back to haunt you. High school sweathearts who argue and never make up, continue to live with the hurt of that argument, then 'grow up'.
May 30, 2012
Anything by Catherine Mann is good, this one is no exception.
March 26, 2013
Absolutely amazing end to an awesome series. Love the story and the final end to Rafes story.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews