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Public Scandal, Private Mistress
Things get awkward for Veronica Bell when she unexpectedly meets hotshot billionaire financier Lucien Ryder again. They shared one incredible night together in Paris, and now he's seduced her into becoming his mistress. To Veronica, Lucien's a mystery—so why is he so suspicious of who she is? Especially now that a public scandal threatens to make their hot-and-steamy romance front-page news….
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2008
About the author
Susan Napier
141 books153 followersPerhaps being born on Valentine’s Day was an omen that Susan Napier would become a romance writer. This New Zealand author has written over 30 Mills & Boon category romances since 1984. Napier and her husband Tony Potter met when they both worked at the Auckland Star newspaper. After they married, she left the newspaper to work for a film company where she learned the art of dialogue. After the birth of her sons, Simon and Ben, she was a freelance scriptwriter for documentaries. It was soon after that she decided to try her hand at writing the romance fiction she dearly loved.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 9, 2010
It doesn't take much for me to enjoy a Susan Napier book. I think she's a fantastic writer. I like the way she creates her characters. Luc and Veronica were no different. I do want to take exception to the cover, because it doesn't reflect how the characters look. Luc has almost shoulder-length black hair that he keeps in a short ponytail, and Veronica has reddish-brown hair and is very abundantly curved. When I read the book, I ignored the cover, and formed my own image of them.
Luc and Veronica get together on Bastille Day in Paris (a spontaneous decision on normally very cautious Veronica's part), and ended up enjoying a night of steamy passion. Veronica sneaks out of Luc's apartment while he is sleeping, thinking a one-night interlude was all that was in the cards with a sexy Frenchman that she went home with on an uncharacteristic whim. She jumps on her train headed for the South of France, and keeps seeing Luc along the way on her journey. Is he following her? It turns out he thinks she's following him, and she's some sort of paparazzi. He then tells her something extremely rude, which I won't repeat. It floored me a little, since Ms. Napier's heroes are not usually mean like that. A little later on, I found out why he had that reaction, and I forgave him, and so did Veronica. Veronica arrives at her destination, the vacation home of her sister's recently former employers, where she is staying for the remaining time of her holiday. To her surprise, Luc shows up, and it turns out he's the step-son of her sister's employer, Melanie. Veronica's feckless sister decides to ditch her sister (and their planned vacation together) for a chance to do a modeling shoot in the Bahamas, and volunteers Veronica to work for Melanie for her time at their vacation home. Veronica can't really get out of it, since her sister convinced Melanie that she'd be fine with it. So, she's stuck there with her ex-one night stand, who Melanie volunteers to chauffeur her around the area to check out the cuisine on Melanie's behalf (Melanie is a food writer), since she broke her arm and has limited mobility. Veronica is starting a gift-buying business, so that actually works out for her to investigate the local culture and crafts. The only scary part is hanging out with Luc, who she is still very susceptible to. And Luc is more than happy to pick up where they left off. Veronica might have been okay with a one-off one night stand, but she doesn't want to risk her heart on a sex-only affair.
I'll be the first to tell you that I don't particularly care for romances with one night stands or flings. Just not my thing. I don't find it particularly romantic. But, Ms. Napier writes this story so well, I was captivated. The emotions and the connection was there, and you could see that Luc pursuit of Veronica was about more than sex, and Veronica's feelings deeper than just the physical. Ms. Napier's beautifully-descriptive writing took me to the South of France, where the lush heat and surroundings immersed me into the story. I felt the strong attraction between Luc and Veronica, how they might have met casually, but something compelling will keep them together.
I liked that Veronica was a normal kind of woman, like someone you know, with a curvy body that Luc appreciated. And Luc was a sexy nerd who was inventing robots and selling them around the neighborhood as a boy (helping to finance his Oxford education), and is a millionaire in his late twenties, due to his financial savvy. He's very down-to-earth (not to mention sexy) and approachable, which causes him trouble when he gets into a situation with an old flame (who is presently married to a prominent man in the government) that is captured in the tabloids as a very sordid event, which explains his nasty behavior towards Veronica when they first meet again (since he thought she was trying to set him up). Pretty soon, Luc realizes that Veronica is the woman he's been looking for for a long time, and he's going to take measures to make her his.
There were many small, wonderful touches in this book, typical for Susan Napier. I wish she wrote more often, because she writes so well. I'll buy every book she publishes. She didn't let me down with this book. Public Scandal, Private Mistress was a great summer read, very enjoyable and a nice, quick read (a great way to wind down on a very hot Texas summer day).
Luc and Veronica get together on Bastille Day in Paris (a spontaneous decision on normally very cautious Veronica's part), and ended up enjoying a night of steamy passion. Veronica sneaks out of Luc's apartment while he is sleeping, thinking a one-night interlude was all that was in the cards with a sexy Frenchman that she went home with on an uncharacteristic whim. She jumps on her train headed for the South of France, and keeps seeing Luc along the way on her journey. Is he following her? It turns out he thinks she's following him, and she's some sort of paparazzi. He then tells her something extremely rude, which I won't repeat. It floored me a little, since Ms. Napier's heroes are not usually mean like that. A little later on, I found out why he had that reaction, and I forgave him, and so did Veronica. Veronica arrives at her destination, the vacation home of her sister's recently former employers, where she is staying for the remaining time of her holiday. To her surprise, Luc shows up, and it turns out he's the step-son of her sister's employer, Melanie. Veronica's feckless sister decides to ditch her sister (and their planned vacation together) for a chance to do a modeling shoot in the Bahamas, and volunteers Veronica to work for Melanie for her time at their vacation home. Veronica can't really get out of it, since her sister convinced Melanie that she'd be fine with it. So, she's stuck there with her ex-one night stand, who Melanie volunteers to chauffeur her around the area to check out the cuisine on Melanie's behalf (Melanie is a food writer), since she broke her arm and has limited mobility. Veronica is starting a gift-buying business, so that actually works out for her to investigate the local culture and crafts. The only scary part is hanging out with Luc, who she is still very susceptible to. And Luc is more than happy to pick up where they left off. Veronica might have been okay with a one-off one night stand, but she doesn't want to risk her heart on a sex-only affair.
I'll be the first to tell you that I don't particularly care for romances with one night stands or flings. Just not my thing. I don't find it particularly romantic. But, Ms. Napier writes this story so well, I was captivated. The emotions and the connection was there, and you could see that Luc pursuit of Veronica was about more than sex, and Veronica's feelings deeper than just the physical. Ms. Napier's beautifully-descriptive writing took me to the South of France, where the lush heat and surroundings immersed me into the story. I felt the strong attraction between Luc and Veronica, how they might have met casually, but something compelling will keep them together.
I liked that Veronica was a normal kind of woman, like someone you know, with a curvy body that Luc appreciated. And Luc was a sexy nerd who was inventing robots and selling them around the neighborhood as a boy (helping to finance his Oxford education), and is a millionaire in his late twenties, due to his financial savvy. He's very down-to-earth (not to mention sexy) and approachable, which causes him trouble when he gets into a situation with an old flame (who is presently married to a prominent man in the government) that is captured in the tabloids as a very sordid event, which explains his nasty behavior towards Veronica when they first meet again (since he thought she was trying to set him up). Pretty soon, Luc realizes that Veronica is the woman he's been looking for for a long time, and he's going to take measures to make her his.
There were many small, wonderful touches in this book, typical for Susan Napier. I wish she wrote more often, because she writes so well. I'll buy every book she publishes. She didn't let me down with this book. Public Scandal, Private Mistress was a great summer read, very enjoyable and a nice, quick read (a great way to wind down on a very hot Texas summer day).
March 4, 2018
Story opens with the NZ heroine tip-toeing out of a Paris apartment after a one night stand with the hero. During the Bastille day fireworks things got out of hand and she finally had her fling with a sexy Frenchman. She is fleeing a broken engagement and had hoped to be touring France with her aspiring model sister. Instead, she is going to Provence in her sister's place, to spend the rest of her holiday with a family from NZ, now living in England.
Surprise, surprise. The hero is not French, but a Kiwi - and is the stepson of the family matriarch. He too is staying with the extended family at the villa. Hero is a millionaire who has been in the tabloids because of his first lover (OW), who is now married to a stuffy English MP. There are rumors that he is having an adulterous affair with her.
A lot of the tension in the story comes from the H/h keeping their ONS a secret from the family, the hero being jealous of any man talking to the heroine and the heroine being curious about the cagey hero and his connection to the OW. Typical Susan Napier fun.
It all blows up when
Susan Napier likes to explore family dynamics and this story contains lots of minor characters to keep it interesting. Because the H/h were so attracted to each other from the beginning, she had to work to keep them apart or at least divert their attention for awhile. The descriptions of summer in Provence created a nice holiday - for the mind at least.
Surprise, surprise. The hero is not French, but a Kiwi - and is the stepson of the family matriarch. He too is staying with the extended family at the villa. Hero is a millionaire who has been in the tabloids because of his first lover (OW), who is now married to a stuffy English MP. There are rumors that he is having an adulterous affair with her.
A lot of the tension in the story comes from the H/h keeping their ONS a secret from the family, the hero being jealous of any man talking to the heroine and the heroine being curious about the cagey hero and his connection to the OW. Typical Susan Napier fun.
It all blows up when
Susan Napier likes to explore family dynamics and this story contains lots of minor characters to keep it interesting. Because the H/h were so attracted to each other from the beginning, she had to work to keep them apart or at least divert their attention for awhile. The descriptions of summer in Provence created a nice holiday - for the mind at least.
January 8, 2021
Lucian and Veronica end up spending a night together on Bastille Day but Veronica leaves while Lucian is sleeping. Veronica has no clue who Lucian is but she flees for the South of France but she keeps seeing Lucian and believes he is following her, Lucian believes she is stalking him and blows up. Once Veronica arrives though her original plans fall apart and she ends up having to spend time with Lucian again, Lucian wants more though but is Veronica willing to see where it goes?
This was fun, a bit rushed in places though. Overall good story, a bit angsty but sometimes a bit of angst is just what I am looking for.
This was fun, a bit rushed in places though. Overall good story, a bit angsty but sometimes a bit of angst is just what I am looking for.
January 1, 2021
Veronica is in France for a working holiday, but takes 5 days in Paris before heading to the South of France. While there, she has a passionate one-night-stand with a man, Luc. The next time she sees him, he's suspicious of her, believing she's a reporter tracking down his take on the scandal he's involved in back home in London. The next time after that, she's learning that he's a relative of the family she's working for and they're in close quarters for the next few weeks. But then, he learns she's not a reporter, but while attempting to get her back in his bed and make her fall in love with him, he has to defend himself against the scandal and her judgement of him.
Kind of a long story, but I like how Susan Napier really gives her characters a bit more depth. I also like how her heroes, and Luc is no exception here, sort of secretly love their heroines without being ready to admit it. Luc was quite smitten with Veronica and was only waiting for her feelings to deepen. He comes across as harsh and almost mean at times, but never really crosses the asshole line, so that makes him all the better. I really liked that there's a scene where Luc sort of loses his sexual control (and almost embarasses himself). I know I love my alpha males, but I also like tos ee some vulnerability in them...some evidence that they can be vulnerable to their heroine. Veronica was also a likeable character, with some backbone and a willingness to stand up to Luc when he deserves it. I was a bit curious to know how things worked out with Ashley and Ross and would have loved an epilogue.
Kind of a long story, but I like how Susan Napier really gives her characters a bit more depth. I also like how her heroes, and Luc is no exception here, sort of secretly love their heroines without being ready to admit it. Luc was quite smitten with Veronica and was only waiting for her feelings to deepen. He comes across as harsh and almost mean at times, but never really crosses the asshole line, so that makes him all the better. I really liked that there's a scene where Luc sort of loses his sexual control (and almost embarasses himself). I know I love my alpha males, but I also like tos ee some vulnerability in them...some evidence that they can be vulnerable to their heroine. Veronica was also a likeable character, with some backbone and a willingness to stand up to Luc when he deserves it. I was a bit curious to know how things worked out with Ashley and Ross and would have loved an epilogue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2012
After the hero and heroine had a one night stand in Paris, the heroine sneaked out of his room and went down to visit the family she was suppose to be helping, only to find her hero there and part of the family. She was embarrassed at first but then the hero kept wanting to be with her, making love to her, sharing his life with her. When drama took a hold of the situation the heroine got scared and decided to flee back to her home, not knowing that the hero loved her as much as the heroine loved him.
If you want a book that has all sorts of drama, this is it. It still isn't the typical kind of book I like but it was an interesting read.
If you want a book that has all sorts of drama, this is it. It still isn't the typical kind of book I like but it was an interesting read.
October 2, 2021
This kind of reminded me of the Marianne Faithful song 'Ballard of Lucy Jordan' but in this case the woman actually goes to Paris and has her fling instead of just dreaming about it.
I was a bit uncertain about the whole ONS part. After all what sensible woman travels alone and hooks up with a complete stranger for sex in a foreign country? And in this case, it appeared that it was the first time she had ever been overseas. What could go wrong, right? She was lucky she didn't up buried in a ditch and instead found a decent enough hero to have passionate sex with.
An enjoyable enough story
I was a bit uncertain about the whole ONS part. After all what sensible woman travels alone and hooks up with a complete stranger for sex in a foreign country? And in this case, it appeared that it was the first time she had ever been overseas. What could go wrong, right? She was lucky she didn't up buried in a ditch and instead found a decent enough hero to have passionate sex with.
An enjoyable enough story
February 16, 2020
Lame tittle, lame cover.. not in a million year i would pick this up. But girl, what would i miss if i would not give it a chance! With just 192 pages, you can write a book to equal to bunch of trilogies. Such a superb writing! I adored every sentences. Perfect opening, perfect development and perfect conclusion. A little bantering, full of sexually charging, hero and heroine has great chemistry, story and setting is good and alive, side characters are charming. Their relationship builds on a one night stand but things are so different than you might imagine.
Read this book immediately!
Read this book immediately!
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
April 30, 2022Things get awkward for Veronica Bell when she unexpectedly meets hotshot billionaire financier Lucien Ryder again. They shared one incredible night together in Paris, and now he's seduced her into becoming his mistress. To Veronica, Lucien's a mystery—so why is he so suspicious of who she is? Especially now that a public scandal threatens to make their hot-and-steamy romance front-page news
July 10, 2020
Did not like it. I really did not like that twist at the end and then 2 months separation (I feel like he would have went after her within days not just calling her then go in person after 2 months). Np.
May 21, 2015
A great quick read. I enjoyed it. My favorite scene was the first time Luc and Veronica met. I can't remember the last time I read a book where the heroine is the one propositioning to the hero and in such a straight forward way. It was kind of refreshing! And Ms. Napier was able to write that scene very well.
May 8, 2013
A good story but I didnt feel any conection to the caracters, and i found them both a bit boring. The same ting can be said about the sexscenes or rather the lack of them. To sweet for my taste. A one time book...
December 5, 2010
Did I say I love Napier's writing? Love it!
March 1, 2012
Not bad... I enjoyed taking a break with it.
December 28, 2012
Emotionally satisfying. *sigh* Put a smile on my face.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews