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The Maid the Greek Married
In this captivating marriage of convenience from Jackie Ashenden, will saying “I do” save Cinderella and the billionaire?
She owes him her life…
…and vows to wear his ring!
Imprisoned on a compound since childhood, housemaid Rose has no recollection of anything before. So when she learns superrich Ares Aristiades needs a wife, she proposes a her freedom in exchange for marriage!
Before binding her to him permanently, Ares gives virgin Rose a year to experience being his bride. His mansions across the globe are hers to share, but the hardened widower’s heart is locked away. Still, their charged encounters make Ares feel far too much. Especially when he doesn’t want to feel anything at all…
From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
Read all The Xenakis Reunion
Book 1: The Innocent's One-Night Proposal
Book 2: The Maid the Greek Married
She owes him her life…
…and vows to wear his ring!
Imprisoned on a compound since childhood, housemaid Rose has no recollection of anything before. So when she learns superrich Ares Aristiades needs a wife, she proposes a her freedom in exchange for marriage!
Before binding her to him permanently, Ares gives virgin Rose a year to experience being his bride. His mansions across the globe are hers to share, but the hardened widower’s heart is locked away. Still, their charged encounters make Ares feel far too much. Especially when he doesn’t want to feel anything at all…
From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.
Read all The Xenakis Reunion
Book 1: The Innocent's One-Night Proposal
Book 2: The Maid the Greek Married
191 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 29, 2022
59 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Jackie Ashenden
500 books979 followersJackie has been writing fiction since she was eleven years old. Mild mannered fantasy/SF/pseudo-literary writer by day, obsessive romance writer by night, she used to balance her writing with the more serious job of librarianship until a chance meeting with another romance writer prompted her to throw off the shackles of her day job and devote herself to the true love of her heart – writing romance. She particularly likes to write dark, emotional stories with alpha heroes who've just got the world to their liking only to have it blown wide apart by their kick-ass heroines.
She lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, the inimitable Dr Jax, two kids, two cats and some guppies (possibly dead guppies by the time you read this). When she's not torturing alpha males and their stroppy heroines, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, posting random crap on her blog, or being forced to go mountain biking with her husband.
She lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, the inimitable Dr Jax, two kids, two cats and some guppies (possibly dead guppies by the time you read this). When she's not torturing alpha males and their stroppy heroines, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, posting random crap on her blog, or being forced to go mountain biking with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 5, 2022
I've got to hand it to Jackie Ashenden: the woman is skilled at creating opening chapter scenarios that hook me and pull me in!
This opening chapter was so good that I even continued reading after discovering that the H had been scarred badly, on one side of his face, in a fire.
Normally I'd close the book and move on because my very vivid imagination can't deal with lovemaking scenes where I picture a horrifically scarred face in close proximity to the beautiful heroine.
Or to put it another way: Beauty & the Beast was only tolerable, because I knew that the spell would be broken and he'd turn into a handsome Prince.
But, Jackie A had stirred my curiosity to the point where I wanted... no, I needed to know how things were gonna unfold with these MCs.
For one thing, the storyline itself was rather unique for HPlandia. It's the second in a duology that deals with child and adult female trafficking.
The first book was The Innocent's One-Night Proposal, where Castor (that novel's H) is working with the authorities to destroy the sex trafficking rings and find his sister Ismena, who'd been abducted as a child.
In this novel, Ismena (who's now called Rose) is kept as a domestic slave at a secluded compound that's owned by the H's father-in-law. The H's wife has been dead for a decade but he still makes these annual pilgrimages to see his in laws.
Ares, the H, has seen Rose on his last couple of visits but never interacted with her because she's been trained to avoid eye contact with guests and to return to her quarters after completing her duties.
On this visit, however, he pays attention to her because she's less girlish than she used to be and she draws attention to herself by asking him to help her escape from the compound, before something worse happens to her.
The H is floored by this request because the last thing he expects to hear, is that his father-in-law is involved in the human trafficking business. But he agrees to help her, while making plans to bring down the father-in-law.
His second reason for helping her, is linked to a promise he'd made to his own dead wife and father. He'd told both that the family line wouldn't end with him, but he's been procrastinating about fulfilling this promise because he hadn't had any romantic or sexual interest in a woman, after his wife's death.
He's drawn to the beautiful Rose, thinks that she'll be an ideal wife and is very intrigued by the fact that his scars aren't repulsive to her.
This is Ares (unscarred half of his face) and Rose:
He buys her from his father-in-law, for a lot of money, because it was the most expedient method, since she might've been endangered if he'd waited until the authorities got involved. But, he includes specific conditions as part of their marital agreement.
His conditions are predicated on his desire for her to adapt to life in the free world before deciding whether or not she wants to be a real wife to him.
I appreciated the fact that he didn't bully her into the marriage or tell her that she must provide him with children. He gave her the option to go off and live a free life, where she's not beholden to him for anything he's done to help her.
It's Rose herself who's more obstinately determined to repay him for saving her and this is where the story begins to lose me.
In 0 to 60 seconds, Rose goes from being the demure and timid slave, to being a super feisty, snarky and mouthy woman who is practically throwing herself at the H just so he'd have sex with her, she'd get pregnant, have the baby and her obligation will be fulfilled.
It's slightly annoying when one character seems to be snarky and combative just for the sake of it, especially when the other character isn't doing anything that's worthy of such attitude.
So at this point, Rose seemed more like a sulky, hormonal teenager and left me asking myself silently why does she need to be...
Her personality, her appearance, her actions and her words underwent a rather drastic change and I found it a little difficult to keep up with these changes. Rose didn't seem like the same Rose because I felt like the author was trying too hard to "modernise" her in a very short space of time.
Rose didn't, at first, seem very interested in using the terms of their agreement, to get to know the man she'd married. It's only after they consummated the marriage that she's suddenly curious about his past.
I'd have given this novel at least 3.5 stars, but the omnipresent memory of Naya, the H's perfect, kind, beautiful dead wife, whom he'd been madly in love with, was a major buzzkill.
Naya was mentioned in every chapter and she was always in his thoughts. The man loved this dead woman so much that he'd been celibate after her death. He'd been a teenager when he married Naya but it's obvious that the love he shared with her, was epic.
And this is what bugged me a lot, because I started feeling sad that Naya had died in a gruesome fire and that the H had lost his soulmate.
This is not how I'm supposed to feel!
I'm supposed to feel resentment (by proxy) for the dead wife, because she's not the heroine. But Jackie Ashenden did such a good job at character creation, with Naya, that I started wishing that there was some miraculous way the H could be reunited with her instead of getting a new chance at love with the heroine.
So, I have to ask Jackie Ashenden, why on earth did you have to do this to me? Why have you written a book where I'm mourning the loss of the dead wife and getting infuriated with the heroine?
The MCs seemed to be bonded more by their sexual chemistry than by any grand, emotional connection and this is a significant weakness in the storytelling.
What's more is the fact that the H kept saying that everything he's done, in the last 10 years, has all been done to honour Naya's memory.
I realise that in modern HPlandia, there are readers who complain about slow burn romantic storylines, so that authors might feel pressured to step up their game with the sex scenes. But, in a novel where the H has such an intense and lasting love for his dead wife, it's imperative for him to develop an equivalent or greater bond with the heroine.
However, I decided against imposing any punitive penalties on this novel, because at the end of the epilogue, I was happy that these MCs had found each other and were getting their chance at happiness. Ares might never love Rose the exact same way he'd loved Naya but I was assured that he did feel love for her... For what it's worth.
There's also some off page comeuppance for the H's criminal father-in-law and his sex trafficking ring.
Safety: No OM, no OM and obviously no cheating. However the H will always love his dead wife, even though he loves the heroine too.
This opening chapter was so good that I even continued reading after discovering that the H had been scarred badly, on one side of his face, in a fire.
Normally I'd close the book and move on because my very vivid imagination can't deal with lovemaking scenes where I picture a horrifically scarred face in close proximity to the beautiful heroine.
Or to put it another way: Beauty & the Beast was only tolerable, because I knew that the spell would be broken and he'd turn into a handsome Prince.
But, Jackie A had stirred my curiosity to the point where I wanted... no, I needed to know how things were gonna unfold with these MCs.
For one thing, the storyline itself was rather unique for HPlandia. It's the second in a duology that deals with child and adult female trafficking.
The first book was The Innocent's One-Night Proposal, where Castor (that novel's H) is working with the authorities to destroy the sex trafficking rings and find his sister Ismena, who'd been abducted as a child.
In this novel, Ismena (who's now called Rose) is kept as a domestic slave at a secluded compound that's owned by the H's father-in-law. The H's wife has been dead for a decade but he still makes these annual pilgrimages to see his in laws.
Ares, the H, has seen Rose on his last couple of visits but never interacted with her because she's been trained to avoid eye contact with guests and to return to her quarters after completing her duties.
On this visit, however, he pays attention to her because she's less girlish than she used to be and she draws attention to herself by asking him to help her escape from the compound, before something worse happens to her.
The H is floored by this request because the last thing he expects to hear, is that his father-in-law is involved in the human trafficking business. But he agrees to help her, while making plans to bring down the father-in-law.
His second reason for helping her, is linked to a promise he'd made to his own dead wife and father. He'd told both that the family line wouldn't end with him, but he's been procrastinating about fulfilling this promise because he hadn't had any romantic or sexual interest in a woman, after his wife's death.
He's drawn to the beautiful Rose, thinks that she'll be an ideal wife and is very intrigued by the fact that his scars aren't repulsive to her.
This is Ares (unscarred half of his face) and Rose:
He buys her from his father-in-law, for a lot of money, because it was the most expedient method, since she might've been endangered if he'd waited until the authorities got involved. But, he includes specific conditions as part of their marital agreement.
His conditions are predicated on his desire for her to adapt to life in the free world before deciding whether or not she wants to be a real wife to him.
I appreciated the fact that he didn't bully her into the marriage or tell her that she must provide him with children. He gave her the option to go off and live a free life, where she's not beholden to him for anything he's done to help her.
It's Rose herself who's more obstinately determined to repay him for saving her and this is where the story begins to lose me.
In 0 to 60 seconds, Rose goes from being the demure and timid slave, to being a super feisty, snarky and mouthy woman who is practically throwing herself at the H just so he'd have sex with her, she'd get pregnant, have the baby and her obligation will be fulfilled.
It's slightly annoying when one character seems to be snarky and combative just for the sake of it, especially when the other character isn't doing anything that's worthy of such attitude.
So at this point, Rose seemed more like a sulky, hormonal teenager and left me asking myself silently why does she need to be...
Her personality, her appearance, her actions and her words underwent a rather drastic change and I found it a little difficult to keep up with these changes. Rose didn't seem like the same Rose because I felt like the author was trying too hard to "modernise" her in a very short space of time.
Rose didn't, at first, seem very interested in using the terms of their agreement, to get to know the man she'd married. It's only after they consummated the marriage that she's suddenly curious about his past.
I'd have given this novel at least 3.5 stars, but the omnipresent memory of Naya, the H's perfect, kind, beautiful dead wife, whom he'd been madly in love with, was a major buzzkill.
Naya was mentioned in every chapter and she was always in his thoughts. The man loved this dead woman so much that he'd been celibate after her death. He'd been a teenager when he married Naya but it's obvious that the love he shared with her, was epic.
And this is what bugged me a lot, because I started feeling sad that Naya had died in a gruesome fire and that the H had lost his soulmate.
This is not how I'm supposed to feel!
I'm supposed to feel resentment (by proxy) for the dead wife, because she's not the heroine. But Jackie Ashenden did such a good job at character creation, with Naya, that I started wishing that there was some miraculous way the H could be reunited with her instead of getting a new chance at love with the heroine.
So, I have to ask Jackie Ashenden, why on earth did you have to do this to me? Why have you written a book where I'm mourning the loss of the dead wife and getting infuriated with the heroine?
The MCs seemed to be bonded more by their sexual chemistry than by any grand, emotional connection and this is a significant weakness in the storytelling.
What's more is the fact that the H kept saying that everything he's done, in the last 10 years, has all been done to honour Naya's memory.
I realise that in modern HPlandia, there are readers who complain about slow burn romantic storylines, so that authors might feel pressured to step up their game with the sex scenes. But, in a novel where the H has such an intense and lasting love for his dead wife, it's imperative for him to develop an equivalent or greater bond with the heroine.
However, I decided against imposing any punitive penalties on this novel, because at the end of the epilogue, I was happy that these MCs had found each other and were getting their chance at happiness. Ares might never love Rose the exact same way he'd loved Naya but I was assured that he did feel love for her... For what it's worth.
There's also some off page comeuppance for the H's criminal father-in-law and his sex trafficking ring.
Safety: No OM, no OM and obviously no cheating. However the H will always love his dead wife, even though he loves the heroine too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2024
This one started strong despite the even-by-HP-standards improbability. But that third act…it was rough. She was uber-rude to push him to discuss his deceased wife, & he was uber-immature to not accept that it’s possible for a grown-ass man to still cherish the memory of his deceased wife & yet move on with a new love. I could (mostly) forgive Rose her irksome moments, given that she spent roughly 20 of her 25 years(?) as a trafficking victim (tho the convenient preservation of her virginity was a bit hard to swallow 🙄). But Ares was around 40 years old, an army veteran, a professional hardened badass, & a savvy businessman—there was no reason for his obtuseness except that it was necessary for the final conflict. Point of fact, I kept imagining Ghostly Naya hovering in the shadows, waving her arms & rolling her eyes at their antics. 👻
I did like JA’s prose & that she took some risks on story content. The sex was sexy, & Rose’s reaction to Ares + his scars was top grade—I know he’s supposed to be representing the god of war, but there was a lot Hephaestus in the way he was portrayed, & y’all know I’m a sucker for Hephaestus heroes. 🫠 So, yes…I’ll def be reading more of JA’s HPs. But ultimately I don’t know whether this will land on my keeper shelf. I’ll have to digest it further before deciding.
I did like JA’s prose & that she took some risks on story content. The sex was sexy, & Rose’s reaction to Ares + his scars was top grade—I know he’s supposed to be representing the god of war, but there was a lot Hephaestus in the way he was portrayed, & y’all know I’m a sucker for Hephaestus heroes. 🫠 So, yes…I’ll def be reading more of JA’s HPs. But ultimately I don’t know whether this will land on my keeper shelf. I’ll have to digest it further before deciding.
March 20, 2024
The June 2023 #TBRChallenge is "Love is Love." I originally thought my pick would be ODAO for this month, but as it turns out, this story features two rather unique protagonists, each of whom doubts their ability to love and/or their worthiness of another's love.
Rose is a young woman with no identity. Abducted as a child and sold into servitude, she doesn't know anything about her past or even her real name. (She was named 'Rose' by a fellow abductee.) She was given a very basic education - literacy and basic math skills - before being set to work as a house servant, cleaning rooms in a Black Sea resort owned by a Russian oligarch.
Rose has heard through the grapevine that she's about to be sold, however, and basically takes her last chance to escape from the oligarch's clutches. She approaches a man, a guest who arrives once a year and stays only a short while, and basically the only one who doesn't treat her like a servant or a sex object. She takes a chance and asks this man to help her escape. She's willing to do whatever it takes to avoid being sold on, up to and including using her body.
Luckily for her, the man she approaches doesn't care to transact business and sex. Ares Aristiades is a widower, the former son-in-law of the oligarch who basically pays an annual visit out of some sense of obligation to his deceased wife. He takes an interest in Rose because she is forward enough to request his help, and he sees a fighting spirit in her that appeals to him. He wasn't aware that his father-in-law trafficked in people, but gets straight to the point and buys Rose's freedom that same day. The two leave shortly thereafter, taking off in Ares's helicopter and leaving the Black Sea compound for good.
Rose has only known transaction in her life; she feels like she is in debt to this man (she doesn't even know his name at this point) because he bought her freedom. Ares tries to tell her she isn't, but when she insists on paying it, he tells her that what he wants in a wife, to give him heirs for his fortune. Rose quickly agrees to marry him and give him children as payment for buying her freedom, but Ares gives her conditions: they will marry, but they will spend two weeks together for every season of the year getting to know each other before they consummate the marriage. If, at the end of the year, Rose doesn't want to stay married to him, they will annul the marriage and go their separate ways.
True to his word, they fly to Istanbul, get married, and part ways. Rose learns his name when he gives her a copy of their marriage certificate as part of her identity documentation. Rose goes to Paris, gets a job and an apartment, and sets out to find out about her past - as well as her mysterious, horribly disfigured husband.
This being HP, this is of course the escapist fantasy world of ridiculous wealth. Ares is a self-made billionaire with a high tech security company. He owns villas and mansions and even freaking castles. But there is an intrusion of reality into this world: Russian oligarchy and human trafficking, both of which play pretty big roles in this story. Rose struggles a lot with adjusting to the world outside of servitude. She marvels in being able to open a bank account, dye her hair outrageous colors, watch movies and read books. Finding out who she was before she was abducted is a major goal of hers.
Ares has built up walls around his own heart, and banished every emotion he ever felt in the wake of his wife's death. He was burned in the fire that killed her, and carries the scars over literally half of his body. The pain from the burns is gone, but he blames himself for her death; everything he does after that, including his mysterious billion-dollar empire, is built in her name and trying to live a life she would approve of. He's given up on the idea of romantic love, and only now that he's getting older (I pegged him somewhere around 40) does he start thinking about fulfilling his promise to his wife (and his father) to continue the family name. He's attracted to Rose, both physically and cerebrally, and enjoys matching wills with her, but deep down he believes she could never really love him.
Rose grows to trust Ares as they have their two-week meetings every three months, and quickly grows infatuated with him. She has never looked at his disfigurement with pity or dismay; once she understands what she's feeling is sexual desire, she is all about quenching that particular thirst, LOL. She has agency and makes choices and pushes him to tell her things about himself, out of curiosity and gratitude but also because he rescued her and she loves him for that, more than anything else.
Ares learns of Rose's past identity and that brings matters to a head between them. Rose demands to know more about him than he's comfortable telling, because why should he know everything about her when she can't say the same? It ultimately drives them apart and forces them to really look at themselves and what they want - from their relationship, but also from the world in general.
I really loved this story because it is purely character driven. The "action" takes place off page, which may be off-putting to others, but it felt right to me because it allowed us to concentrate on the characters and their growing emotional entanglement. They have sexual chemistry in scads from the off, and the buildup to their first sexual encounter is delicious. What makes it better is that they appreciate each others' fighting spirit, agency, and will. The push-pull between them is really, really great.
Ares isn't an asshole, and Rose isn't an idiot. They both kinda want to save each other from themselves. Ares realizes he loves Rose and tries to exit the relationship because he doesn't feel worthy of her, but she doesn't give up and basically brings the battle to him. It's a refreshing change of pace for the typical romance beats in an HP.
I loved this and am adding this author to my auto-read and auto-buy lists. This is the second in a duology and hopefully I can still find the first one fairly easily! I have another of her books on my shelf (not related to this) which I will definitely move up Mount TBR as well.
Rose is a young woman with no identity. Abducted as a child and sold into servitude, she doesn't know anything about her past or even her real name. (She was named 'Rose' by a fellow abductee.) She was given a very basic education - literacy and basic math skills - before being set to work as a house servant, cleaning rooms in a Black Sea resort owned by a Russian oligarch.
Rose has heard through the grapevine that she's about to be sold, however, and basically takes her last chance to escape from the oligarch's clutches. She approaches a man, a guest who arrives once a year and stays only a short while, and basically the only one who doesn't treat her like a servant or a sex object. She takes a chance and asks this man to help her escape. She's willing to do whatever it takes to avoid being sold on, up to and including using her body.
Luckily for her, the man she approaches doesn't care to transact business and sex. Ares Aristiades is a widower, the former son-in-law of the oligarch who basically pays an annual visit out of some sense of obligation to his deceased wife. He takes an interest in Rose because she is forward enough to request his help, and he sees a fighting spirit in her that appeals to him. He wasn't aware that his father-in-law trafficked in people, but gets straight to the point and buys Rose's freedom that same day. The two leave shortly thereafter, taking off in Ares's helicopter and leaving the Black Sea compound for good.
Rose has only known transaction in her life; she feels like she is in debt to this man (she doesn't even know his name at this point) because he bought her freedom. Ares tries to tell her she isn't, but when she insists on paying it, he tells her that what he wants in a wife, to give him heirs for his fortune. Rose quickly agrees to marry him and give him children as payment for buying her freedom, but Ares gives her conditions: they will marry, but they will spend two weeks together for every season of the year getting to know each other before they consummate the marriage. If, at the end of the year, Rose doesn't want to stay married to him, they will annul the marriage and go their separate ways.
True to his word, they fly to Istanbul, get married, and part ways. Rose learns his name when he gives her a copy of their marriage certificate as part of her identity documentation. Rose goes to Paris, gets a job and an apartment, and sets out to find out about her past - as well as her mysterious, horribly disfigured husband.
This being HP, this is of course the escapist fantasy world of ridiculous wealth. Ares is a self-made billionaire with a high tech security company. He owns villas and mansions and even freaking castles. But there is an intrusion of reality into this world: Russian oligarchy and human trafficking, both of which play pretty big roles in this story. Rose struggles a lot with adjusting to the world outside of servitude. She marvels in being able to open a bank account, dye her hair outrageous colors, watch movies and read books. Finding out who she was before she was abducted is a major goal of hers.
Ares has built up walls around his own heart, and banished every emotion he ever felt in the wake of his wife's death. He was burned in the fire that killed her, and carries the scars over literally half of his body. The pain from the burns is gone, but he blames himself for her death; everything he does after that, including his mysterious billion-dollar empire, is built in her name and trying to live a life she would approve of. He's given up on the idea of romantic love, and only now that he's getting older (I pegged him somewhere around 40) does he start thinking about fulfilling his promise to his wife (and his father) to continue the family name. He's attracted to Rose, both physically and cerebrally, and enjoys matching wills with her, but deep down he believes she could never really love him.
Rose grows to trust Ares as they have their two-week meetings every three months, and quickly grows infatuated with him. She has never looked at his disfigurement with pity or dismay; once she understands what she's feeling is sexual desire, she is all about quenching that particular thirst, LOL. She has agency and makes choices and pushes him to tell her things about himself, out of curiosity and gratitude but also because he rescued her and she loves him for that, more than anything else.
Ares learns of Rose's past identity and that brings matters to a head between them. Rose demands to know more about him than he's comfortable telling, because why should he know everything about her when she can't say the same? It ultimately drives them apart and forces them to really look at themselves and what they want - from their relationship, but also from the world in general.
I really loved this story because it is purely character driven. The "action" takes place off page, which may be off-putting to others, but it felt right to me because it allowed us to concentrate on the characters and their growing emotional entanglement. They have sexual chemistry in scads from the off, and the buildup to their first sexual encounter is delicious. What makes it better is that they appreciate each others' fighting spirit, agency, and will. The push-pull between them is really, really great.
Ares isn't an asshole, and Rose isn't an idiot. They both kinda want to save each other from themselves. Ares realizes he loves Rose and tries to exit the relationship because he doesn't feel worthy of her, but she doesn't give up and basically brings the battle to him. It's a refreshing change of pace for the typical romance beats in an HP.
I loved this and am adding this author to my auto-read and auto-buy lists. This is the second in a duology and hopefully I can still find the first one fairly easily! I have another of her books on my shelf (not related to this) which I will definitely move up Mount TBR as well.
November 16, 2022
I know I’m reading fairytale but there should be no real magic in it! 2,5 stars!
December 14, 2022
The big question for me is - Is the H in his late 4os or early 50s or 60s n the h is 20?
How long was the h in the compound? If h had been trafficked in to the compound after H’s wife died as a child and if H visiting his father in law’s compound and h has been coming in to clean his room for 5 years before she spoke and requested to be rescued. How old is she? Considering she was a child and her friend who was trafficked with her had been adopted as a daughter in the compound after H’s wife died.
The H built up a billion dollar company in a space of 15 years after he recovered from his injuries that killed his wife. He was already have been old enough to not just marry and lose his wife but save enough from a military career to pay his hospital fee and startup a company?! Is there an age gap of more than 30 years? How old is H?
The worst story telling I have experienced as the author doesn’t know her own characters’ back story or their motivations or even their age.
Again, the story is filled with so many contradictions such as how he felt his late wife was the love of his life and even wants to do right by h and rescue as his wife would have wanted him to do it but next minute thinks love is not to be trusted. Is the character motivation for H that after being a celibate for more than a decade and is turned on by h since she doesn’t get repulsed by his scars?
The author continues to contradict herself constantly and undermines the story.
How long was the h in the compound? If h had been trafficked in to the compound after H’s wife died as a child and if H visiting his father in law’s compound and h has been coming in to clean his room for 5 years before she spoke and requested to be rescued. How old is she? Considering she was a child and her friend who was trafficked with her had been adopted as a daughter in the compound after H’s wife died.
The H built up a billion dollar company in a space of 15 years after he recovered from his injuries that killed his wife. He was already have been old enough to not just marry and lose his wife but save enough from a military career to pay his hospital fee and startup a company?! Is there an age gap of more than 30 years? How old is H?
The worst story telling I have experienced as the author doesn’t know her own characters’ back story or their motivations or even their age.
Again, the story is filled with so many contradictions such as how he felt his late wife was the love of his life and even wants to do right by h and rescue as his wife would have wanted him to do it but next minute thinks love is not to be trusted. Is the character motivation for H that after being a celibate for more than a decade and is turned on by h since she doesn’t get repulsed by his scars?
The author continues to contradict herself constantly and undermines the story.
November 16, 2022
Rose was abducted and trafficked into slavery as a child. The only reason she was not raped is because of the protection awarded by a co-abductee that was adopted by her master and his wife, a Russian Oligarch. However, she has been groped, ridiculed and treated as less than nothing all of the part of this life that she remembers.
Ares is a Greek billionaire that was horribly scarred in a fire where he attempted to rescue his wife who happened to be the Oligarch's daughter who died in the fire leaving a devastated husband Ares.
Rose, now an adult, seeks Ares's help to finally escape as she has learned that she is to be sold in the next 24 hours.
Since she cannot pay him as slaves are not paid, she offers her body as payment.
The author has written a powerful story that was well researched and masterfully touched the delicate subjects of Child Trafficking, Servitude, constant fear, demeaning and, total despair. In addition, a view of love after a heart has been shattered is also at the forefront.
The plot is gripping and awakes the raw emotions of any reader who is appalled by the concept of any debilitating treatment inflicted on a child. I highly recommend this book and rate it 5 Stars.
Ares is a Greek billionaire that was horribly scarred in a fire where he attempted to rescue his wife who happened to be the Oligarch's daughter who died in the fire leaving a devastated husband Ares.
Rose, now an adult, seeks Ares's help to finally escape as she has learned that she is to be sold in the next 24 hours.
Since she cannot pay him as slaves are not paid, she offers her body as payment.
The author has written a powerful story that was well researched and masterfully touched the delicate subjects of Child Trafficking, Servitude, constant fear, demeaning and, total despair. In addition, a view of love after a heart has been shattered is also at the forefront.
The plot is gripping and awakes the raw emotions of any reader who is appalled by the concept of any debilitating treatment inflicted on a child. I highly recommend this book and rate it 5 Stars.
March 30, 2023
That Maid the Greek Married was unexpected. I thought it was going to go down the path of a typical romance and that would have been quite dull. I like that both Ares and Rose had tough challenges to overcome, and I liked that they were both strong. I like that Rose wasn’t a pushover and didn’t just give up at the first sign of conflict like so many lovers do in romance novels, ugh.
Jackie Ashenden writes very well and I enjoyed The Maid the Greek Married. I do think she could have picked a different title as the current title lets the book down. I suppose it’s because I see this as more than just a typical romance with smut; I saw strength, I saw respect, I saw a good balance of so much with the characters Ashenden wrote about, and that’s why I wish she had picked a stronger title. I’ll definitely look at other books by this author because I enjoyed her writing style.
Jackie Ashenden writes very well and I enjoyed The Maid the Greek Married. I do think she could have picked a different title as the current title lets the book down. I suppose it’s because I see this as more than just a typical romance with smut; I saw strength, I saw respect, I saw a good balance of so much with the characters Ashenden wrote about, and that’s why I wish she had picked a stronger title. I’ll definitely look at other books by this author because I enjoyed her writing style.
priority
December 6, 2022Imprisoned on a compound since childhood, housemaid Rose has no recollection of anything before. So when she learns superrich Ares Aristiades needs a wife, she proposes a deal: her freedom in exchange for marriage!
Before binding her to him permanently, Ares gives virgin Rose a year to experience being his bride. His mansions across the globe are hers to share, but the hardened widower’s heart is locked away. Still, their charged encounters make Ares feel far too much. Especially when he doesn’t want to feel anything at all…
Before binding her to him permanently, Ares gives virgin Rose a year to experience being his bride. His mansions across the globe are hers to share, but the hardened widower’s heart is locked away. Still, their charged encounters make Ares feel far too much. Especially when he doesn’t want to feel anything at all…
December 5, 2022
A decent book
This is the 2nd book in the series and it was good. I read it out of order, so I will have to read the 1st book as well. The h had been abducted as a child, she was working as a servant for the ex in-laws of the H. She asked him to rescue her and he did. The H had terrible guilt over the death of his wife and was emotionally closed off. The h didn’t know who she was but he helped her find her family. At times the story dragged but it was good. Great epilogue.
This is the 2nd book in the series and it was good. I read it out of order, so I will have to read the 1st book as well. The h had been abducted as a child, she was working as a servant for the ex in-laws of the H. She asked him to rescue her and he did. The H had terrible guilt over the death of his wife and was emotionally closed off. The h didn’t know who she was but he helped her find her family. At times the story dragged but it was good. Great epilogue.
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November 2, 2022Miniseries
The Xenakis Reunion (Book #2)
The Xenakis Reunion (Book #2)
Read
November 2, 2022Miniseries
The Xenakis Reunion (Book #2)
The Xenakis Reunion (Book #2)
December 18, 2022
Good story, but I couldn’t figure out how old the H was, for some reason that bothered me. Lol
December 22, 2022
Love it
April 15, 2024
Two hurt people find love
Two hurt people find healing, peace, and love. The world can be scary without a safe place to fall. Memorable read.
Two hurt people find healing, peace, and love. The world can be scary without a safe place to fall. Memorable read.
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February 7, 2023So gd to read .thes novel about abducate child to be slave maid.and about guilty fear of past how hunt the feuture.its not amrican or uorpe novel.its forgen one.have many Q and many answer to the happy end.i lovet how rose take her life step its just not game its wonderful when we know what we whant and go far for our love.more courge whant still fair lovely fighat.safe and worm.
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