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Dans le lit d'un homme d'affaires
When a merciless billionaire meets a virgin beauty…
Can the beast be tamed?
Ruthless businessman Nikos Karellis won’t risk his company to save Jacquelyn Jones’s struggling bridal boutique. But he will give her the best night of her life! Discovering that Jacquelyn’s as pure as the white wedding dresses she designs, Nikos is intrigued… But returning to Greece leaves him dangerously exposed and warring with past guilt. Could untouched Jacquelyn’s sensual surrender be this dark-hearted Greek’s redemption?
Indulge in this dramatic tale of seduction…
Can the beast be tamed?
Ruthless businessman Nikos Karellis won’t risk his company to save Jacquelyn Jones’s struggling bridal boutique. But he will give her the best night of her life! Discovering that Jacquelyn’s as pure as the white wedding dresses she designs, Nikos is intrigued… But returning to Greece leaves him dangerously exposed and warring with past guilt. Could untouched Jacquelyn’s sensual surrender be this dark-hearted Greek’s redemption?
Indulge in this dramatic tale of seduction…
146 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 6, 2019
2.5 stars.
This was a mixed bag of goodies, for me. My high expectations, based on the blurb, weren't fulfilled. I loved the heroine a lot, but the H wasn't quite up to scratch and the actual romantic storyline was muddled and shortchanged by too much focus on:
1. The H's continual preoccupation with his dead, slutty, adulterous and drug using cougar wife. The H met his dead wife when he was 18 and she was a married 33 year old party girl, socialite, druggie. He fell hopelessly in love, waited 3 years to marry her, got bullied, hit and cheated on continually and wasn't proactive enough to divorce the toxic skankho !
...I met my wife at the side of the road when she was still someone else’s wife. I knew what she was doing was wrong but I was eighteen. I was in so much trouble, with the police, with the gangs, with my father. I knew if I stayed in Sydney I’d be dead within a year. And then along comes Maria. And she wanted to be my wife and so I married her, I “reinvented myself” and now here I am. And here you are.’
2. He claimed to be over her, yet he's still having self pitiful thoughts about her, like:
...he wanted to roll over in his bed and hold the warm body of the woman he loved, not slide into cold space, wondering where she was and who she was with, and what she’d done.
But he doubted he would ever find it, if it even existed.
3. The H's pressing concerns about finding proof of his dead wife's criminal business dealings, to avoid being indicted as a co-conspirator, after the fact, by the authorities, took up too much rental space in his brain. That's understandable, I guess; anyone would be freaked out at the thought of being indicted, fined and/or jailed for a crime he'd not committed. Somehow, though, this constant focus on the OTT trainwrecky dead wife drama was irritating, after a while. Maybe the author could've included more bonding scenes between the MC's themselves, just to show that the romantic storyline was always at the forefront...
4. The heroine's continuous inner monologuing about her loser ex fiance who had dumped her and her self pity party about how that jilting had made her too depressed to focus on designing original and beautiful wedding gowns, wasn't exactly an exciting use of angst in a storyline. It was repetitive enough to give a dog a headache...
5. The H had too many Beta characteristics. It's not unfair to say that he spent 80% of the story, being afraid of, and intimidated by his gangster dad:
Hating his father. But mostly hating his own fear. He should have faced up to him before now. He should have met him, somewhere, anywhere, sorted whatever needed to be done. But he was a coward when it came to his father. No matter how much he wanted to do it, he just couldn’t take the steps he needed to take. https://bookshout.com/store/books/218...
6. His late wife even cheated on him with his dad, just before she died in a car crash and he's still unable to man up and confront the old man and put a stop to the threats, bullying and blackmail:
Any path that led back to Arthur was a path he wasn’t prepared to take. Even if his father was stealing from him. Even if he’d been naked in a tub with his wife. Nikos had walked away that night, too full of dread at starting something he couldn’t control. It was easier to ‘turn the other cheek’. Or be a ‘pathetic little girl’. Those words had been flung at his back, his father’s daggers hitting home.
https://bookshout.com/store/books/218...
7. The H also knew that Jacquelyn, the heroine, wasn't a good investment but instead of telling her upfront, he gave her false hope. That was patronizing of him and it infuriated me. I loathe people who think it's kinder to give false hope to someone. Why drag the poor woman all the way to Greece, to present her business proposal while knowing 💯% that he's not going to invest because her bridal gown business plan wasn't a good fit for his worldwide multi billion dollar chain of department stores ?
8. They spent 5 days together and in spite of their undeniable insta-lust and sexual chemistry, I wasn't convinced that they'd fallen in love so easily. The storytelling didn't lead me in that direction, because both MC's were constantly preoccupied worrying about their own problems and spent relatively less time thinking about their feelings for each other. This is truer of the H. Jacquelyn's feelings for him, always felt stronger than his for her.
9. He only realized he loved her when she was accosted and threatened by his blackmailer dad. This H has so much OTT backstory drama, that it's depressing enough to make a sober dog stop attending his AA meetings and fall off the wagon !
😭😭😭😲🙄🙄😂😂😂😉😊
10. The writing wasn't very evocative and emotive, but it's solid and the dialogue was quite good.
11. The sex scene was well written and the aftermath was extremely trainwrecky, with the heroine feeling used, played and discarded. The H did feel guilty and made amends by introducing her to potential investors in New York, leading to her sighing a contract with his chief competitor ! I understood why the author may have felt this was better for the heroine's financial independence, but it still seemed slightly weird, because she'll be doing long term business with her husband's biggest rival.
These are just my personal concerns and maybe other readers won't be bothered by them. The epilogue was lovely, however. They're back in Greece getting ready to get married and celebrating the added good fortune of his evil father's incarceration.
I must add that he overcame this fear of his father, at the end. There's a very dramatic scene where he punches the old man in an effort to save the heroine. Plus, he also finally made the right decision to call the cops and have the old gangster arrested.
There's some uplifting elements, such as the heroine's determination to save her family's bridal boutique and her love and loyalty to her parents. I also admired her strong personal moral values and her single minded determination not to live her life according to the laissez faire sexual norms of her female peers. I even felt sorry for her when she regretted breaking her own rules by sleeping with the H - especially when he was such a standoffish jerk the morning after.
But, it all worked out well for them, so that's worthy of a smile on the face of a cutiedorable doggy who's happy that these two can move on from all the pain and chaos...
Safety: No cheating, no OM and no living OW. I included the last bit, because it often seemed as if the ghost of the H's dead douchebitch wife was far too prominent.
This was a mixed bag of goodies, for me. My high expectations, based on the blurb, weren't fulfilled. I loved the heroine a lot, but the H wasn't quite up to scratch and the actual romantic storyline was muddled and shortchanged by too much focus on:
1. The H's continual preoccupation with his dead, slutty, adulterous and drug using cougar wife. The H met his dead wife when he was 18 and she was a married 33 year old party girl, socialite, druggie. He fell hopelessly in love, waited 3 years to marry her, got bullied, hit and cheated on continually and wasn't proactive enough to divorce the toxic skankho !
...I met my wife at the side of the road when she was still someone else’s wife. I knew what she was doing was wrong but I was eighteen. I was in so much trouble, with the police, with the gangs, with my father. I knew if I stayed in Sydney I’d be dead within a year. And then along comes Maria. And she wanted to be my wife and so I married her, I “reinvented myself” and now here I am. And here you are.’
2. He claimed to be over her, yet he's still having self pitiful thoughts about her, like:
...he wanted to roll over in his bed and hold the warm body of the woman he loved, not slide into cold space, wondering where she was and who she was with, and what she’d done.
But he doubted he would ever find it, if it even existed.
3. The H's pressing concerns about finding proof of his dead wife's criminal business dealings, to avoid being indicted as a co-conspirator, after the fact, by the authorities, took up too much rental space in his brain. That's understandable, I guess; anyone would be freaked out at the thought of being indicted, fined and/or jailed for a crime he'd not committed. Somehow, though, this constant focus on the OTT trainwrecky dead wife drama was irritating, after a while. Maybe the author could've included more bonding scenes between the MC's themselves, just to show that the romantic storyline was always at the forefront...
4. The heroine's continuous inner monologuing about her loser ex fiance who had dumped her and her self pity party about how that jilting had made her too depressed to focus on designing original and beautiful wedding gowns, wasn't exactly an exciting use of angst in a storyline. It was repetitive enough to give a dog a headache...
5. The H had too many Beta characteristics. It's not unfair to say that he spent 80% of the story, being afraid of, and intimidated by his gangster dad:
Hating his father. But mostly hating his own fear. He should have faced up to him before now. He should have met him, somewhere, anywhere, sorted whatever needed to be done. But he was a coward when it came to his father. No matter how much he wanted to do it, he just couldn’t take the steps he needed to take. https://bookshout.com/store/books/218...
6. His late wife even cheated on him with his dad, just before she died in a car crash and he's still unable to man up and confront the old man and put a stop to the threats, bullying and blackmail:
Any path that led back to Arthur was a path he wasn’t prepared to take. Even if his father was stealing from him. Even if he’d been naked in a tub with his wife. Nikos had walked away that night, too full of dread at starting something he couldn’t control. It was easier to ‘turn the other cheek’. Or be a ‘pathetic little girl’. Those words had been flung at his back, his father’s daggers hitting home.
https://bookshout.com/store/books/218...
7. The H also knew that Jacquelyn, the heroine, wasn't a good investment but instead of telling her upfront, he gave her false hope. That was patronizing of him and it infuriated me. I loathe people who think it's kinder to give false hope to someone. Why drag the poor woman all the way to Greece, to present her business proposal while knowing 💯% that he's not going to invest because her bridal gown business plan wasn't a good fit for his worldwide multi billion dollar chain of department stores ?
8. They spent 5 days together and in spite of their undeniable insta-lust and sexual chemistry, I wasn't convinced that they'd fallen in love so easily. The storytelling didn't lead me in that direction, because both MC's were constantly preoccupied worrying about their own problems and spent relatively less time thinking about their feelings for each other. This is truer of the H. Jacquelyn's feelings for him, always felt stronger than his for her.
9. He only realized he loved her when she was accosted and threatened by his blackmailer dad. This H has so much OTT backstory drama, that it's depressing enough to make a sober dog stop attending his AA meetings and fall off the wagon !
😭😭😭😲🙄🙄😂😂😂😉😊
10. The writing wasn't very evocative and emotive, but it's solid and the dialogue was quite good.
11. The sex scene was well written and the aftermath was extremely trainwrecky, with the heroine feeling used, played and discarded. The H did feel guilty and made amends by introducing her to potential investors in New York, leading to her sighing a contract with his chief competitor ! I understood why the author may have felt this was better for the heroine's financial independence, but it still seemed slightly weird, because she'll be doing long term business with her husband's biggest rival.
These are just my personal concerns and maybe other readers won't be bothered by them. The epilogue was lovely, however. They're back in Greece getting ready to get married and celebrating the added good fortune of his evil father's incarceration.
I must add that he overcame this fear of his father, at the end. There's a very dramatic scene where he punches the old man in an effort to save the heroine. Plus, he also finally made the right decision to call the cops and have the old gangster arrested.
There's some uplifting elements, such as the heroine's determination to save her family's bridal boutique and her love and loyalty to her parents. I also admired her strong personal moral values and her single minded determination not to live her life according to the laissez faire sexual norms of her female peers. I even felt sorry for her when she regretted breaking her own rules by sleeping with the H - especially when he was such a standoffish jerk the morning after.
But, it all worked out well for them, so that's worthy of a smile on the face of a cutiedorable doggy who's happy that these two can move on from all the pain and chaos...
Safety: No cheating, no OM and no living OW. I included the last bit, because it often seemed as if the ghost of the H's dead douchebitch wife was far too prominent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2019
Not much development of a romance or relationship for these two.
As a goodreads friend of mine stated on her review (thanks Carmen) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
too much time and focus seems to be on the hero's dead wife, deadbeat Dad and the possible crime that's taking place.
I didn't really care for the hero and his treatment of the heroine, in so many aspects. Not being upfront and honest in the business dealings, his manipulation of getting her to his island (false promises). Also found it so weird that she ends up setting up her business with a rival company from the Hero.
I liked the heroine. I also appreciated the author writing about a heroine who's view is different then most this day and age. And her sticking to her true self and beliefs (sex and it meaning something to her and wanting to keep it for marriage). A very, very nice change and wish we could see a little more of this in our heroines. There are still woman out there that for them those core convictions are real important.
I wish more emphasis was place on the development of their romance. And less on the past issues of the Hero.
As a goodreads friend of mine stated on her review (thanks Carmen) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
too much time and focus seems to be on the hero's dead wife, deadbeat Dad and the possible crime that's taking place.
I didn't really care for the hero and his treatment of the heroine, in so many aspects. Not being upfront and honest in the business dealings, his manipulation of getting her to his island (false promises). Also found it so weird that she ends up setting up her business with a rival company from the Hero.
I liked the heroine. I also appreciated the author writing about a heroine who's view is different then most this day and age. And her sticking to her true self and beliefs (sex and it meaning something to her and wanting to keep it for marriage). A very, very nice change and wish we could see a little more of this in our heroines. There are still woman out there that for them those core convictions are real important.
I wish more emphasis was place on the development of their romance. And less on the past issues of the Hero.
August 10, 2019
He was not cruel, just dumb!
August 18, 2019
Bad boy meets angel, that's the theme of this book. Biker and Bad boy Nikos with tattoos and all turn tycoon developed the hots for Ms goody two shoes,Jacquelyn. Using naivety and inexperience against her he gets her to his Greek Island and although he had no intentions of investing in her Bridal Boutique he still string her along and soon fell into passion on one night. Feeling guilty about having to meet with some criminals of his past and then realising the treasure she was, Nikos almost blew it. I liked Jacqueline she was innocent, fiesty, strong and supportive. It also had a great message about abuse of drugs and domestic violence. Cool read!
August 30, 2019
So !🤔
The first part was boring , the second part was better
Liked the h , the H !!!?🤨 was a jerk who kept talking about his dead wife (slut wife ) non stop!
The epilogue was ok no pregnancy/ baby! (Which I hate) I love cheesy epilogues
The first part was boring , the second part was better
Liked the h , the H !!!?🤨 was a jerk who kept talking about his dead wife (slut wife ) non stop!
The epilogue was ok no pregnancy/ baby! (Which I hate) I love cheesy epilogues
November 6, 2019
Nikos meets Jacquelyn when she reaches out to an old family friend for help to save her failing business. Nikos is the brother-in-law to the family friend. They are brought together and soon finds themselves attracted to each other.
Sadly, Nikos has a lot of issues regarding hie deceased wife to clean up and he dismisses Jacquelyn quite rudely. But she needs the help and is willing to fight for the chance to sit with him.
Their meeting turns into more, causing her to break a promise she made to herself. It was kind of silly, but I appreciated her old fashioned values.
Nikos’ father. OMFG! What a piece of disgusting stool! His fight against his father in honor of his mother won me over. He was pretty clueless for most of the book though.
A decent read. I was frustrated with the H and h through most of the book but it’s a HP so I got my HEA.
Sadly, Nikos has a lot of issues regarding hie deceased wife to clean up and he dismisses Jacquelyn quite rudely. But she needs the help and is willing to fight for the chance to sit with him.
Their meeting turns into more, causing her to break a promise she made to herself. It was kind of silly, but I appreciated her old fashioned values.
Nikos’ father. OMFG! What a piece of disgusting stool! His fight against his father in honor of his mother won me over. He was pretty clueless for most of the book though.
A decent read. I was frustrated with the H and h through most of the book but it’s a HP so I got my HEA.
December 10, 2019
Handsome hero with good looks and a tortured past- check. Innocent heroine- check. Kidnapping in New York- wait, what?! M&B meets the 'Fifty Shades' trilogy it seems. I'm just beginning to renew my acquaintance with M&B and the romance genre, so I'm suspending my disbelief until I read more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2019
Love it
February 16, 2020
Interesting
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
May 4, 2020Inocencia Y Sensualidad (Versión)
August 24, 2020
2/3 stars
Did Not Finish
January 29, 2021DNF 50%
November 4, 2022
Sorry but this was definitely not for me. I could not take to the heroine - saccharine, judgemental, vanilla, boring! I had no sense of why she would have been with Nikos in the first place let alone why she would have wanted them to save themselves for marriage. I do know folk who have done so and I have understood why. But there was no real explanation for why she felt like this. Jacqueline simply came across as impossibly naive, prim and smug. I just did not like her!
In Greece, Nikos was totally honest with her and she decided to have sex and then the next morning, because he sticks to what he said - she gets angry with him and starts throwing tantrums. Sorry I had absolutely no sympathy for her at all. Quite frankly, the idea that someone could have the most wonderful sex and then decide not to allow herself anymore - was simply laughable!
Still less could I understand why she said No to the hero (after she’s lost her virginity) and was prepared to lose him completely. It made absolutely no sense to me at all. Again, her internal thoughts made her sound not only a rigid Miss Prim but also gave no sense that she might actually love him as she was busy looking forward to the future when she met the man she would marry. At this point I really loathed her and wanted Nikos to walk away from her and find a real, loving woman.
I don’t like heroines with such rigid and inflexible attitudes in a Mills and Boon. There are lots of ‘clean’ romances, (how I hate that term - does it make those of who like sex in our stories dirty?) out there for those who like those kind of stories, but I don’t look for that in Mills and Boon.
The hero was bewildering. I really could not understand him one little bit. Any hotness was overwhelmed by the awful dead wife saga and the secondary story of his father.
Again - I found it impossible to empathise or understand him. I lost interest and skimmed to the end. The denouement with the father was so ridiculous and unbelievable that I really gave up. So much internal thinking and little sense of a couple falling in love. Sorry this writer does not do it for me at all and I won’t bother reading her again. I am particularly annoyed because this came as a duo along with one of my favourite writers Annie West, (Sheikh’s Royal Baby Revelation). Her book was fabulous but it’s a shame it was matched with this one.
Sorry but this book has really annoyed me and I feel really frustrated that I wasted money on it!
In Greece, Nikos was totally honest with her and she decided to have sex and then the next morning, because he sticks to what he said - she gets angry with him and starts throwing tantrums. Sorry I had absolutely no sympathy for her at all. Quite frankly, the idea that someone could have the most wonderful sex and then decide not to allow herself anymore - was simply laughable!
Still less could I understand why she said No to the hero (after she’s lost her virginity) and was prepared to lose him completely. It made absolutely no sense to me at all. Again, her internal thoughts made her sound not only a rigid Miss Prim but also gave no sense that she might actually love him as she was busy looking forward to the future when she met the man she would marry. At this point I really loathed her and wanted Nikos to walk away from her and find a real, loving woman.
I don’t like heroines with such rigid and inflexible attitudes in a Mills and Boon. There are lots of ‘clean’ romances, (how I hate that term - does it make those of who like sex in our stories dirty?) out there for those who like those kind of stories, but I don’t look for that in Mills and Boon.
The hero was bewildering. I really could not understand him one little bit. Any hotness was overwhelmed by the awful dead wife saga and the secondary story of his father.
Again - I found it impossible to empathise or understand him. I lost interest and skimmed to the end. The denouement with the father was so ridiculous and unbelievable that I really gave up. So much internal thinking and little sense of a couple falling in love. Sorry this writer does not do it for me at all and I won’t bother reading her again. I am particularly annoyed because this came as a duo along with one of my favourite writers Annie West, (Sheikh’s Royal Baby Revelation). Her book was fabulous but it’s a shame it was matched with this one.
Sorry but this book has really annoyed me and I feel really frustrated that I wasted money on it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
hq-to-read
November 5, 2019When a merciless billionaire meets a virgin beauty…
Can the beast be tamed?
Ruthless businessman Nikos Karellis won’t risk his company to save Jacquelyn Jones’s struggling bridal boutique. But he will give her the best night of her life! Discovering that Jacquelyn’s as pure as the white wedding dresses she designs, Nikos is intrigued… But returning to Greece leaves him dangerously exposed and warring with past guilt. Could untouched Jacquelyn’s sensual surrender be this dark-hearted Greek’s redemption?
Indulge in this dramatic tale of seduction…
Can the beast be tamed?
Ruthless businessman Nikos Karellis won’t risk his company to save Jacquelyn Jones’s struggling bridal boutique. But he will give her the best night of her life! Discovering that Jacquelyn’s as pure as the white wedding dresses she designs, Nikos is intrigued… But returning to Greece leaves him dangerously exposed and warring with past guilt. Could untouched Jacquelyn’s sensual surrender be this dark-hearted Greek’s redemption?
Indulge in this dramatic tale of seduction…
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews