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Rightful Possession
To get her young brother out of serious trouble Genista needed a lot of money - and the one person who could help her was the enormously wealthy tycoon Marc Kiriakos. He agreed to help - but of course he wanted something in exchange, and what he wanted was Genista for his wife. He explained that it was a matter of convenience: he needed someone who would act as his hostess and also protect him from all the other women who were pursuing him. Genista had taken it for granted that he meant the marriage to be in name only, but it seemed she had been over-optimistic...
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
12 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
Sally Wentworth
106 books93 followersDoreen was born on 1936 or 1937 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UK. She married Donald Alfred Hornsblow, with whom she has a son Keith, in 1968. The family lived in Braughing, England.
Doreen began her publishing career at a Fleet Street newspaper in London, where she thrived in the hectic atmosphere. She started writing after attending an evening class and sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1977, she published her novels under the pseudonym Sally Wentworth. Her novels were principally set in Great Britain or in exotic places like Canary Islands or Greece. Her first works are stand-alone novels, but in 1990s, she decided to create her first series. In 1991, she wrote a book in two parts about the Barclay twins and their great love, and in 1995, she wrote the Ties of Passion Trilogy about the Brodey family, that have money, looks, style, everything... except love.
Doreen was an accounts clerk at Associated Newspapers Ltd. in London, England, and accounts clerk at Consumers' Association in Hertford, England. In 1985, she was the founding chair of the Hertford Association of National Trust Members, and named its life president. She also collected knife rests and she was member of The Knife Rest Collectors Club.
Doreen Hornsblow died from cancer on 30 August 2001, at 64 years of age.
Doreen began her publishing career at a Fleet Street newspaper in London, where she thrived in the hectic atmosphere. She started writing after attending an evening class and sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1977, she published her novels under the pseudonym Sally Wentworth. Her novels were principally set in Great Britain or in exotic places like Canary Islands or Greece. Her first works are stand-alone novels, but in 1990s, she decided to create her first series. In 1991, she wrote a book in two parts about the Barclay twins and their great love, and in 1995, she wrote the Ties of Passion Trilogy about the Brodey family, that have money, looks, style, everything... except love.
Doreen was an accounts clerk at Associated Newspapers Ltd. in London, England, and accounts clerk at Consumers' Association in Hertford, England. In 1985, she was the founding chair of the Hertford Association of National Trust Members, and named its life president. She also collected knife rests and she was member of The Knife Rest Collectors Club.
Doreen Hornsblow died from cancer on 30 August 2001, at 64 years of age.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
June 29, 2019
HE IS SUBTLE.
Beneath the zebra-skin bedspread there were black silk sheets...a sunken bath made out of black marble and big enough for at least three people, gold-plated fittings, and mirrors everywhere!
HE IS GENEROUS.
I will open accounts for you with all the leading couture houses and you can choose what you want from them.
HE'S ROMANTIC.
'Why shouldn't you give me what you've probably given to a dozen men already?... Everyone knows the reputation that stewardesses have; they're little better than flying call-girls!'
AAAAANNNDDD HE'S A GOOD DANCER
His feet stamped out the beat on the stone floor and then suddenly he threw his whole body into the dance, leaping, kicking his feet together in the air, his movements graceful and controlled and yet wild and primitive.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I GIVE YOU...MARC KIRIAKOS, MY NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND
Beneath the zebra-skin bedspread there were black silk sheets...a sunken bath made out of black marble and big enough for at least three people, gold-plated fittings, and mirrors everywhere!
HE IS GENEROUS.
I will open accounts for you with all the leading couture houses and you can choose what you want from them.
HE'S ROMANTIC.
'Why shouldn't you give me what you've probably given to a dozen men already?... Everyone knows the reputation that stewardesses have; they're little better than flying call-girls!'
AAAAANNNDDD HE'S A GOOD DANCER
His feet stamped out the beat on the stone floor and then suddenly he threw his whole body into the dance, leaping, kicking his feet together in the air, his movements graceful and controlled and yet wild and primitive.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I GIVE YOU...MARC KIRIAKOS, MY NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND
August 9, 2016
This was written in 1978 and it shows. Everyone smokes, it's glamorous to be a stewardess, and the Greek tycoons in HP land have even grosser and more sexist ideas about women than they do today. So if you like the old HPs with the borderline crazy H's, even more completely implausible reasons to marry, and grind your teeth sexism - you've come to the right place :) Again, I ask - what is wrong with me?
Basically, the British stewardess h enters into a marriage of convenience with the half-French/half-Greek tycoon H in order to save her brother from going to prison (he stole from H's company). The H really sold the h on this marriage being a job. As someone who was multilingual she'd be perfect to hostess his parties and would act as a buffer to press speculation. He didn't say no sex, but I'd have gotten the same impression as the h did. It sounded like a job to me and like the h, I don't expect sex with the boss to be in the job description.
Well, on their wedding night (private Greek island) she finds out that he definitely plans on having sex with her. She's a stewardess, so she's obviously been around, why the heck wouldn't she want to go to bed with fabulously wealthy and internationally renowned lover, Marc Kiriakos?? She wasn't a virgin what did one more man matter? Especially when he was the man. Yes. Seriously.
He gets pissed at her reluctance and attempt to flee him and rapes her (it's all fade to black). He realizes 'whoops' she was a virgin and tries to seduce her, but the poor traumatized h just lies there so he gets insulted and rapes her again. After that he promises never to touch her again and then we get lots of brooding, misunderstanding, and more misunderstanding before we learn that H loved her from the moment he saw her and had to have her. Her refusal that first night made him crazy and he had supposedly been trying ever since to make her love him and come to him freely, but always f'd that up royally by running hot/cold, and being such an arrogant shit.
What made this book stand out was the fact that the heroine did actually despise the H for a while and there was no convenient pregnancy to force the couple together. This wasn't an issue of her fighting to deny her traitorous body. She didn't want him near her. She was afraid of and repulsed by him. However, she gradually fell in love with him during the times that he let his guard down.
Basically, the British stewardess h enters into a marriage of convenience with the half-French/half-Greek tycoon H in order to save her brother from going to prison (he stole from H's company). The H really sold the h on this marriage being a job. As someone who was multilingual she'd be perfect to hostess his parties and would act as a buffer to press speculation. He didn't say no sex, but I'd have gotten the same impression as the h did. It sounded like a job to me and like the h, I don't expect sex with the boss to be in the job description.
Well, on their wedding night (private Greek island) she finds out that he definitely plans on having sex with her. She's a stewardess, so she's obviously been around, why the heck wouldn't she want to go to bed with fabulously wealthy and internationally renowned lover, Marc Kiriakos?? She wasn't a virgin what did one more man matter? Especially when he was the man. Yes. Seriously.
He gets pissed at her reluctance and attempt to flee him and rapes her (it's all fade to black). He realizes 'whoops' she was a virgin and tries to seduce her, but the poor traumatized h just lies there so he gets insulted and rapes her again. After that he promises never to touch her again and then we get lots of brooding, misunderstanding, and more misunderstanding before we learn that H loved her from the moment he saw her and had to have her. Her refusal that first night made him crazy and he had supposedly been trying ever since to make her love him and come to him freely, but always f'd that up royally by running hot/cold, and being such an arrogant shit.
What made this book stand out was the fact that the heroine did actually despise the H for a while and there was no convenient pregnancy to force the couple together. This wasn't an issue of her fighting to deny her traitorous body. She didn't want him near her. She was afraid of and repulsed by him. However, she gradually fell in love with him during the times that he let his guard down.
September 23, 2017
Naksed wrote the definitive review of this story, so I'll just that this was a fun forced marriage story. It was also a time capsule of an era where air travel was glamorous and "air hostesses" were of the coffee, tea, or me? variety.
The Greek shipping hero was immediately smitten with the heroine when, still in her uniform, she showed up at his penthouse office/apartment to plead her brother's case (he had done a bit of light embezzling to finance an invention). Hero offers a get out of jail free card if she'll marry him. Heroine agrees to a marriage of convenience. He has something else in mind. The forced seduction is a huge mistake that the H/h both pay for over the next few months.
Their impasse is eventually broken when the brother earns enough money to pay off his debt and the heroine feels she can leave. The hero tracks her down two months later and grovels. HEA
This had a very capable heroine (speaks many languages, can arrange parties and talk to people, tells off the housekeeper) with a sense of honor. The hero was nicely tied up in knots. As befitting an air hostess - there was quite the travelogue as well - France, Greece, and a stop over in the Azores.
The Greek shipping hero was immediately smitten with the heroine when, still in her uniform, she showed up at his penthouse office/apartment to plead her brother's case (he had done a bit of light embezzling to finance an invention). Hero offers a get out of jail free card if she'll marry him. Heroine agrees to a marriage of convenience. He has something else in mind. The forced seduction is a huge mistake that the H/h both pay for over the next few months.
Their impasse is eventually broken when the brother earns enough money to pay off his debt and the heroine feels she can leave. The hero tracks her down two months later and grovels. HEA
This had a very capable heroine (speaks many languages, can arrange parties and talk to people, tells off the housekeeper) with a sense of honor. The hero was nicely tied up in knots. As befitting an air hostess - there was quite the travelogue as well - France, Greece, and a stop over in the Azores.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2017
This was a surprisingly good book!
Yes, there was a disturbing scene aka rape.
However, they had her deal with it like a victim at first and he was so messed up with all his emotions that I found the whole situation explainable.
I am not justifying his actions here I am just saying that in the context of this story it worked for me.
I was pissed off we never got the prefect moment of consensual relations until the end and it was cut short that why it's not 5 stars.
Man he worked darn hard to finally get to her and she was falling for him in spite of herself.
It was a good and intense read!
Trigger warning: but it's more of a fade to black type of event and not the whole deal. That does help me as a trigger sensitive person.
Yes, there was a disturbing scene aka rape.
However, they had her deal with it like a victim at first and he was so messed up with all his emotions that I found the whole situation explainable.
I am not justifying his actions here I am just saying that in the context of this story it worked for me.
I was pissed off we never got the prefect moment of consensual relations until the end and it was cut short that why it's not 5 stars.
Man he worked darn hard to finally get to her and she was falling for him in spite of herself.
It was a good and intense read!
Trigger warning: but it's more of a fade to black type of event and not the whole deal. That does help me as a trigger sensitive person.
February 21, 2022
Not to be taken seriously.
The heroines brother stole from his company and now is facing jail.
The hero is the owner of the company, rich and Greek.
The heroine offers to pay for her brother.
The hero offers a moc for five years.
She accepts but thinks it’s a marriage in name only.
But it isn’t.
The hero basically rapes the heroine because he wants it to be real and is afraid she’d go to the press with her story (???)
After that it’s a mess.
The heroine scratches the eyes out of him every time he gets near her, he’s grumpy all the time and all around there’s a lovely atmosphere of roaring 70 that sometimes it seems to be at studio 54, with party after party, masquerades, odalisks, Arab princes, an orgy of millions running and the hero and heroine both wasting all this goods because they cannot communicate decently.
And eventually there’s a ow, a woman the hero wanted to marry years and years before, that now is free and tries to get the hero back, so the heroine who now is in love with the hero, chooses to do the right thing and leaves the hero, who, after some time, is back and reveals he always loved her but did all the wrong moves.
No, really? Are you serious or only another mentally challenged man?
The second of course.
Basically, if instead of blackmailing her and raping her on her second wedding night, he would have dated her and wooed her and simply bought her some trinket and some bunch of flowers, we would have been spared all this mayhem.
This man needed a course in basic communication for dummies.
The heroine was not a pleasant person too, very rude and not feminine.
She seems a piranha in high heels, sometimes I pitied the hero even if he was a big huge idiot himself.
If you can get past the rape, that was anyway not at all graphic, the book is pleasant enough and light reading.
The heroines brother stole from his company and now is facing jail.
The hero is the owner of the company, rich and Greek.
The heroine offers to pay for her brother.
The hero offers a moc for five years.
She accepts but thinks it’s a marriage in name only.
But it isn’t.
The hero basically rapes the heroine because he wants it to be real and is afraid she’d go to the press with her story (???)
After that it’s a mess.
The heroine scratches the eyes out of him every time he gets near her, he’s grumpy all the time and all around there’s a lovely atmosphere of roaring 70 that sometimes it seems to be at studio 54, with party after party, masquerades, odalisks, Arab princes, an orgy of millions running and the hero and heroine both wasting all this goods because they cannot communicate decently.
And eventually there’s a ow, a woman the hero wanted to marry years and years before, that now is free and tries to get the hero back, so the heroine who now is in love with the hero, chooses to do the right thing and leaves the hero, who, after some time, is back and reveals he always loved her but did all the wrong moves.
No, really? Are you serious or only another mentally challenged man?
The second of course.
Basically, if instead of blackmailing her and raping her on her second wedding night, he would have dated her and wooed her and simply bought her some trinket and some bunch of flowers, we would have been spared all this mayhem.
This man needed a course in basic communication for dummies.
The heroine was not a pleasant person too, very rude and not feminine.
She seems a piranha in high heels, sometimes I pitied the hero even if he was a big huge idiot himself.
If you can get past the rape, that was anyway not at all graphic, the book is pleasant enough and light reading.
February 16, 2014
The author never managed to convince me that these two people were in love with each other. They didn't even spend time together and heroine hated him until the last chapter. So it kept my interest but there was no chemistry.
March 16, 2019
"Rightful Possession" is the story Genista and Marc.
Im so glad this headache is over!
Egh.
The book is about a blackmail leading to marriage leading to antagonism leading to twisted feelings leading to a dramatic HEA. Phew.
Our h is a airline stewardess. Her younger brother, and only living relative gets himself in trouble, and is falsely accused of treason. To rescue him, she goes to ask wealthy French tycoon Marc Kiriakos for help- and instead is blackmailed into a marriage of convenience. She does not expect him to force his marital rights on her, but he does, resulting in marital rape. The heroine then starts hating the H, and after trying to appease her, he soon returns the antipathy. Feeling the chills yet?
Soon begins a cold marriage between a h who obviously despises the hero, makes multiple attempts to escape, and a hero who uses heroine as a hostess while lavishing expensive gifts and trinkets on her. No apparent feelings involved. We do not get his POV until the very end, so all we read about is his brooding gazes, frustrated moods, feelings of jealousy and worry and crazy obsession to keep the heroine. The heroine is bipolar at this point, hating the hero but also not..
I did not understand the 180 degree the h has suddenly midway through the book, where she starts desiring the H's attention, all the while trying to escape and help her brother out. Then she suddenly wants his love, and enter the hostile housekeeper and OW who want to keep H and h apart.
Loads and loads and loads of dramatic events later, this dysfunctional couple have consensual coitus (behind the scenes), confess their feelings, resolve the misunderstanding, thank the deities and sail off into the HEA.
I found the heroine dramatically childish, the hero obstinate, the brother stupid, and the book just frustrating.
Meh
2/5
Im so glad this headache is over!
Egh.
The book is about a blackmail leading to marriage leading to antagonism leading to twisted feelings leading to a dramatic HEA. Phew.
Our h is a airline stewardess. Her younger brother, and only living relative gets himself in trouble, and is falsely accused of treason. To rescue him, she goes to ask wealthy French tycoon Marc Kiriakos for help- and instead is blackmailed into a marriage of convenience. She does not expect him to force his marital rights on her, but he does, resulting in marital rape. The heroine then starts hating the H, and after trying to appease her, he soon returns the antipathy. Feeling the chills yet?
Soon begins a cold marriage between a h who obviously despises the hero, makes multiple attempts to escape, and a hero who uses heroine as a hostess while lavishing expensive gifts and trinkets on her. No apparent feelings involved. We do not get his POV until the very end, so all we read about is his brooding gazes, frustrated moods, feelings of jealousy and worry and crazy obsession to keep the heroine. The heroine is bipolar at this point, hating the hero but also not..
I did not understand the 180 degree the h has suddenly midway through the book, where she starts desiring the H's attention, all the while trying to escape and help her brother out. Then she suddenly wants his love, and enter the hostile housekeeper and OW who want to keep H and h apart.
Loads and loads and loads of dramatic events later, this dysfunctional couple have consensual coitus (behind the scenes), confess their feelings, resolve the misunderstanding, thank the deities and sail off into the HEA.
I found the heroine dramatically childish, the hero obstinate, the brother stupid, and the book just frustrating.
Meh
2/5
July 1, 2019
For Harley's this one's pretty good. I haven't read any in ages. But, after reading Naksed's review, I just couldn't resist. I won't give a recap since all the other reviews tell it best.
However, my only add would be.... "Note to self. Get it in writing" (Poor girl, she really assumed a lot!) ;D
However, my only add would be.... "Note to self. Get it in writing" (Poor girl, she really assumed a lot!) ;D
November 20, 2014
I liked this one. The hero was so obviously in love with the heroine from the start and I felt bad for him because she hated him (with reason).
Satisfying ending, though there should've been an epilogue where a certain employee of the hero's gets fired.
Satisfying ending, though there should've been an epilogue where a certain employee of the hero's gets fired.
March 20, 2011
Not bad but definitely a book of it's time!
Genista (bizarre name) is an air hostess. Her brother Kevin is approx 20 years old and appears to be entirely irresponsible. He 'borrows' money from his employers on the basis that he will pay it back soon and they need never know. He has no sense that what he has done is wrong and calls his sister to get him out of trouble. When Gen goes to see his employer Marc kiriakos to see if he will agree not to press charges if he is paid back, it becomes clear that a significant sum is involved, Marc suggests that the only way that Gen can afford to pay him back is if she marries him as a business arrangement. Gen reluctantly agrees. They go to his Greek island for their honey moon whereupon Marc makes it clear he intends to consummate the marriage. Gen objects and is given a 1 night reprieve. She tries to escape but he catches her and rapes her, twice. She goes out to the beach and swims into the water to make herself feel clean but gets cramp. Marc saves her and thinks she was trying to kill herself as a result of what happened.
They return to Paris and his chateau not far from same. Marc makes it clear that he will not touch her again. Gen has to deal with a malicious housekeeper. They entertain guests frequently and Marc is very tender and attentive in front of others but they have a limited relationship away from any audience. She appears to be more annoyed by his hypocrisy in this, than anything else, which the casual observer may find strange.
After some time, Gen finds that she is no longer repulsed by Marc and things appear to be improving between them.
Eventually she realises that she is in love with him but of course there is the requisite misunderstanding where she believes that he is interested in another woman.
She eventually runs away. He finds her. They have a big reconciliation on a plane. They all live hea...
The days when It was sexy to be an air hostess are well and truly gone....
Genista (bizarre name) is an air hostess. Her brother Kevin is approx 20 years old and appears to be entirely irresponsible. He 'borrows' money from his employers on the basis that he will pay it back soon and they need never know. He has no sense that what he has done is wrong and calls his sister to get him out of trouble. When Gen goes to see his employer Marc kiriakos to see if he will agree not to press charges if he is paid back, it becomes clear that a significant sum is involved, Marc suggests that the only way that Gen can afford to pay him back is if she marries him as a business arrangement. Gen reluctantly agrees. They go to his Greek island for their honey moon whereupon Marc makes it clear he intends to consummate the marriage. Gen objects and is given a 1 night reprieve. She tries to escape but he catches her and rapes her, twice. She goes out to the beach and swims into the water to make herself feel clean but gets cramp. Marc saves her and thinks she was trying to kill herself as a result of what happened.
They return to Paris and his chateau not far from same. Marc makes it clear that he will not touch her again. Gen has to deal with a malicious housekeeper. They entertain guests frequently and Marc is very tender and attentive in front of others but they have a limited relationship away from any audience. She appears to be more annoyed by his hypocrisy in this, than anything else, which the casual observer may find strange.
After some time, Gen finds that she is no longer repulsed by Marc and things appear to be improving between them.
Eventually she realises that she is in love with him but of course there is the requisite misunderstanding where she believes that he is interested in another woman.
She eventually runs away. He finds her. They have a big reconciliation on a plane. They all live hea...
The days when It was sexy to be an air hostess are well and truly gone....
September 27, 2021
What possessed me to read this book??!! 😬
This one was headache inducing. I don't know what did the ML see in her to go to such lengths cause throughout the book nothing backed his reasoning and despite understanding the FL's predicament it got plain annoying to just see her whining and being a brat throughout the book. Both these dunces were a match made in hell.
This one was headache inducing. I don't know what did the ML see in her to go to such lengths cause throughout the book nothing backed his reasoning and despite understanding the FL's predicament it got plain annoying to just see her whining and being a brat throughout the book. Both these dunces were a match made in hell.
October 10, 2012
I love angsty and fast-paced books and this is one of them.
I started it at midnight and at 1,i wanted to sleep. however,i stayed thinking and thinking for 1 whole hour and i finally ended up reading the whole book.
Reminder to myself: don't start a book at or after midnight
I started it at midnight and at 1,i wanted to sleep. however,i stayed thinking and thinking for 1 whole hour and i finally ended up reading the whole book.
Reminder to myself: don't start a book at or after midnight
September 6, 2024
2+ Mixed feelings. Came for the old skool forced marriage, choked on the rape & casual racism. Including casual racism as some of the excuse for the rape.
Written in 1978, I anticipate it'll reflect such. And it does--most old skools are rife with it. Mentions of casual sexism & racism can grind my gears but I tend to time capsule the few instances, accept/dismiss, and read on. I enjoy a lot of the vintages I read. But this particular book had many of the throwback & regressive elements at levels more than in others, so I got snagged & slowed more than a few times.
What kept me reading here was the heroine's great characterization. She knows herself, makes her own decisions, isn't a doormat even with her brother who she enters into the forced marriage to save, she's smart & holds her own & is worldly without being crass (or unbelievably innocent in a worldly position), and she reacts to the rape in a way that makes sense. And the hero--other than that big thing, but built on a platform of 'secretly in love with her, going crazy wanting her, assuming as an airline stewardess she's gotten around'--steps back, suffers greatly, and broods about how to have her somehow forgive him & maybe, desperately, more. And Wentworth's prose is fast-paced and lively.
It's a weird read--it's a 'good book' and I was satisfied with their finally reached hea ... just with several elements in between that made me go UGH NO.
Most of it hinges on the leads really needing to get brave & have a good sit-down talk, which can run thin, but at only 190pgs this one squeaks in before that contrivance goes awry.
Pick up on the subtext, and find the hero is completely besotted & completely out of his depth, in trying to deal with it, trying to make overtures & amends, and in the alien feeling of not knowing exactly what Tycoon Of Action thing to do to fix it or simply make it so. It was clear from the start (if you know this book type) his sarcastic 'think I'm asking you to marry me bc I fell in love with you at first sight?' is the real truth at the heart of his actions. There's sympathy for him in all this, and the very 70s reason of why he acted as he did--is it enough? It actually kind of is. Because that works in concert with the heroine knowing her mind.
idk. Accept it for its time, beware there's rape, enjoy the strong heroine and be glad the hero really does suffer and grovel at the end. Or, given that, skip it. It's okay to skip it.
Written in 1978, I anticipate it'll reflect such. And it does--most old skools are rife with it. Mentions of casual sexism & racism can grind my gears but I tend to time capsule the few instances, accept/dismiss, and read on. I enjoy a lot of the vintages I read. But this particular book had many of the throwback & regressive elements at levels more than in others, so I got snagged & slowed more than a few times.
What kept me reading here was the heroine's great characterization. She knows herself, makes her own decisions, isn't a doormat even with her brother who she enters into the forced marriage to save, she's smart & holds her own & is worldly without being crass (or unbelievably innocent in a worldly position), and she reacts to the rape in a way that makes sense. And the hero--other than that big thing, but built on a platform of 'secretly in love with her, going crazy wanting her, assuming as an airline stewardess she's gotten around'--steps back, suffers greatly, and broods about how to have her somehow forgive him & maybe, desperately, more. And Wentworth's prose is fast-paced and lively.
It's a weird read--it's a 'good book' and I was satisfied with their finally reached hea ... just with several elements in between that made me go UGH NO.
Most of it hinges on the leads really needing to get brave & have a good sit-down talk, which can run thin, but at only 190pgs this one squeaks in before that contrivance goes awry.
Pick up on the subtext, and find the hero is completely besotted & completely out of his depth, in trying to deal with it, trying to make overtures & amends, and in the alien feeling of not knowing exactly what Tycoon Of Action thing to do to fix it or simply make it so. It was clear from the start (if you know this book type) his sarcastic 'think I'm asking you to marry me bc I fell in love with you at first sight?' is the real truth at the heart of his actions. There's sympathy for him in all this, and the very 70s reason of why he acted as he did--is it enough? It actually kind of is. Because that works in concert with the heroine knowing her mind.
idk. Accept it for its time, beware there's rape, enjoy the strong heroine and be glad the hero really does suffer and grovel at the end. Or, given that, skip it. It's okay to skip it.
February 17, 2016
Surprisingly good, after a rocky beginning to a forced marriage of convenience. The hero was quite nice to her considering the era this was written. You can actually see the beginnings of a more believable relationship develop between them. Even the heroine after being a childish shrew at the start, buckled down to her "job' and acted a bit more level headed than the usual characters.
June 18, 2022
Uh sure. This one is like half okay. But since we don't get ANY of the hero's pov he seems like a total prick! And makes no sense for the heroine to like him. We had like a whisper of another woman, which was weird, she need to be in it all the way with her little henchwoman or not at all, since the couple had enough obstacles to over come. Glad the brother was smart and wanted to do good and wasn't just a jerk and mistreat the heroine. I'd say this was so-so but readable.
April 16, 2021
To get her young brother out of serious trouble Genista needed a lot of money - and the one person who could help her was the enormously wealthy tycoon Marc Kiriakos. He agreed to help - but of course he wanted something in exchange, and what he wanted was Genista for his wife. He explained that it was a matter of convenience: he needed someone who would act as his hostess and also protect him from all the other women who were pursuing him. Genista had taken it for granted that he meant the marriage to be in name only, but it seemed she had been over-optimistic... his rich friend helps her escape
August 5, 2023
2,5⭐
I feel very meh about it
The heroine's brother is a moron who keeps getting into trouble, so to save his ass she is forced to make a deal with the hero and agree to marry him for five years.
What she thought was a business deal turns out to be something else entirely, as the hero wants to consummate the marriage and forces her to have sex despite her refusal.
After that, not much happens and I found the whole thing rather repetitive and boring: the heroine resents the hero, he often leaves her alone because he's away on business, and she spends her time organising balls/parties for some reason I don't know.
The two can't communicate or be honest about their feelings until the very end, when the hero finally admits that he's been crazy about her since the first time he saw her, and that's why he proposed.
Personally, though, I wasn't a fan of their romance, as there was a lack of chemistry between the two.
And lastly, it's also a bit of a pet peeve of mine, even if it's not very important, but as a French person myself I can say that most of the French used in the book doesn't make sense, which somewhat undermines the hero, who is supposed to be partly French.
Safety/ Spoilers
- No cheating or sharing
- Very mild OM/OW drama
- Virgin Heroine /Experienced Hero (?) - not much details about it.
- Noncon/rape - Hero forces himself on the heroine but the scenes are faded to black/non descriptive.
I feel very meh about it
The heroine's brother is a moron who keeps getting into trouble, so to save his ass she is forced to make a deal with the hero and agree to marry him for five years.
What she thought was a business deal turns out to be something else entirely, as the hero wants to consummate the marriage and forces her to have sex despite her refusal.
After that, not much happens and I found the whole thing rather repetitive and boring: the heroine resents the hero, he often leaves her alone because he's away on business, and she spends her time organising balls/parties for some reason I don't know.
The two can't communicate or be honest about their feelings until the very end, when the hero finally admits that he's been crazy about her since the first time he saw her, and that's why he proposed.
Personally, though, I wasn't a fan of their romance, as there was a lack of chemistry between the two.
And lastly, it's also a bit of a pet peeve of mine, even if it's not very important, but as a French person myself I can say that most of the French used in the book doesn't make sense, which somewhat undermines the hero, who is supposed to be partly French.
Safety/ Spoilers
- No cheating or sharing
- Very mild OM/OW drama
- Virgin Heroine /Experienced Hero (?) - not much details about it.
- Noncon/rape - Hero forces himself on the heroine but the scenes are faded to black/non descriptive.
June 17, 2020
I've been re-reading old Harlequins I read decades ago. I shouldn't like Rightful Possession by Sally Wentworth. I should hate it. However, I loved it the first time I read it--4 decades ago--and I still found it to be a compelling read.
To save her brother from prison--he embezzled from a company owned by a Greek shipping tycoon-- Genista, a stewardess, agrees to marry the tycoon who is also half French. She assumes it's a marriage of convenience in which she'll assist him with the social functions necessary to his company. But on their wedding night, after she rejects his advances, he all but calls her a whore and rapes her. When he realizes she's no whore, but a virgin, he attempts to seduce her, but when she still resists, he rapes her again.
To wash off his touch, she goes for a midnight swim, but gets a cramp. She almost drowns, but Marc saves her. She allows him to believe she tried to kill herself, so then he backs off and leaves her alone. In private he treats her coldly, but publicly he morphs into a doting husband. To her credit, she maintains her hatred of him for a long time, and finds little ways to get back at him.
Of course in the end, the reader finds out how much he loved her all along...
Twisted, right? But I still loved it.
To save her brother from prison--he embezzled from a company owned by a Greek shipping tycoon-- Genista, a stewardess, agrees to marry the tycoon who is also half French. She assumes it's a marriage of convenience in which she'll assist him with the social functions necessary to his company. But on their wedding night, after she rejects his advances, he all but calls her a whore and rapes her. When he realizes she's no whore, but a virgin, he attempts to seduce her, but when she still resists, he rapes her again.
To wash off his touch, she goes for a midnight swim, but gets a cramp. She almost drowns, but Marc saves her. She allows him to believe she tried to kill herself, so then he backs off and leaves her alone. In private he treats her coldly, but publicly he morphs into a doting husband. To her credit, she maintains her hatred of him for a long time, and finds little ways to get back at him.
Of course in the end, the reader finds out how much he loved her all along...
Twisted, right? But I still loved it.
March 16, 2020
What?
The forced marriage trope is a pretty common one for M&B romances, but this was way too contrived. Also, rape is a no for me. I'm not up in arms about it, but it is not okay. The way it played out made it even more not okay. The hell kind of messed up hero is this? The heroine is just as messed up.
I don't hate this book. There were some sweet moments. I don't remember reading this in the past though. Was pretty forgettable, I guess.
The forced marriage trope is a pretty common one for M&B romances, but this was way too contrived. Also, rape is a no for me. I'm not up in arms about it, but it is not okay. The way it played out made it even more not okay. The hell kind of messed up hero is this? The heroine is just as messed up.
I don't hate this book. There were some sweet moments. I don't remember reading this in the past though. Was pretty forgettable, I guess.
September 10, 2024
The heroine was an idiot and the when at the end the Hero was explaining himself, unlike the image of him as a confident, smooth business man who negotiates deals on behalf of governments, acted more like an uncouth, awkward chimpanzee who alternately threatened the stupid heroine or fumed with jealousy.
January 25, 2024
Caramba, mais um livro que eu amoooo da SW, minha diva sangrenta. Seus livros perfeitos mereciam um filme... Deixar o H estupido achar que a h tentou se matar por causa dele, até a última página, porque não ????!!!!! sim eu amo, já falei?!
March 7, 2024
Slightly disjointed and there were missed opportunities for angst/resolution from Sally Wentworth. I liked the heroine, but she could be nasty, and I don't think the hero got enough page time to turn him around from the arrogant Greek façade to the deeply in love man of the ending.
July 25, 2019
Δυναμική κατάχτηση...
Perhaps one of the best HP, I've ever read...
Perhaps one of the best HP, I've ever read...
December 28, 2021
3.5 stars
well, he is mean till the end - the final is not so convincing
Anyway, a good solid old-school
well, he is mean till the end - the final is not so convincing
Anyway, a good solid old-school
May 21, 2022
I couldn't feel the romance..This is my third book by SW, and i feel her heroines are emotionally quite twisted and extreme, angsty but overplayed ....sorry, just my personal take.
September 2, 2022
Spousal rape ugh! Hard no to this one!
February 11, 2025
Truly a time-capsule story that was kind of interesting.
Not a fan of the romance though.
Not a fan of the romance though.
September 2, 2025
Once again, Ms. Wentworth gives us a slightly off-the-wall story. It was good in some places, but too ridiculous in others.
The h, Genista has a brother who's long on brains but short on common sense/street smarts, so he's conned out of money he temporarily embezzled to finance his latest invention, money he thought he'd be able to put back before anyone knew it was missing. WRONG!!!
The H, Marc (part French/English/Greek and HOT) doesn't take kindly to anyone embezzling from his financial empire, so he intends to prosecute, with kid brother spending five years in jail, unless big sister comes to the rescue, by agreeing to a marriage of convenience, as he needs a hostess for his many business dinners, as well as a token wife to keep all the predatory females away. In return, her brother will be sent to Australia and work at one of Marc's companies there and make a new start. What else could she do but agree? One stipulation: the deal's only valid for five years, the time her brother would have been in jail. (she's working out his sentence, in other words.)
Marc conveniently forgets to tell her before they're hitched that he intends the marriage to include sex! With this making Genista feel like a prostitute, she tries to escape from his island home (one of his many dwellings), only to be caught, accused of wanting to sell the true details of their marriage to the tabloids, (now that her brother was in another country) and told to stop playing games because, previous to their marriage, she had been a flight attendant and if rumors are true, she must have had her share of lovers! (In truth, there were none; she had been dating Paul, a co-pilot, but they'd only gone as far as kissing.) Then, he rapes her!!! Of course, when he realizes his error, he tries to make it up to her by seducing her gently, but that doesn't go too well!!!
WTF!!!!!! When a woman has just been raped, the last thing she wants is a man touching her, especially if that man is the one who raped her!!!!! For a sophisticated man of the world, Marc acted like a total MORON!!! He should have begged her to forgive him, said what a miserable creep he was, offered to free her from their bargain, given her time and space, anything but attempt to seduce her, right after he raped her!!! DISGUSTING!!!
She runs outside to the beach, giving him the mistaken impression that she wanted to drown herself, and because she's so hurt and angry, she tells him she did, that death was better than a life with him!
And from then on, it's a contest as to who can be the most unpleasant, say the most hurtful things, put on the best act in public, be in the worst mood in private. The trouble is, despite the rape, Genista finds herself attracted to him, yet when he attempts to kiss or touch her, she has a fit, mostly because she can't handle her own emotions. When it comes to his work, the parties she organizes (she has a flair for this and turns dull dinners into special theme events, making her the darling of their elite social circle) and the people they meet, they talk and get along together, but it's still an emotional stalemate, one of those one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back things.
A lot of the problem is that Marc acts so much like the loving, adoring husband in public and Genista believes it's all an act, and she can't face the fact that she wants it to be real. So, she continues to act as if she despises him.
There are interesting sider characters, like Marc's aunt, who takes Genista under her wing and from whom she learns about Marc's lost love, Adrienne, who left him for a wealthy older man at a time when Marc was just getting started on building his empire. There's Aly, Marc's close friend from the Middle East, who jokes about adding Genista to his "harem", but becomes a good friend to her as well, and Lynn, Genista's BFF/fellow Fl Att/former roommate, who had secretly been in love with Paul, and who gets him on the rebound, but that soon changes to love. (Too bad Ms. Wentworth didn't write a book about that.)
And then Adrienne returns to the scene!
I won't go into any more detail, except to point out two things, one sweet, the other ridiculous. The sweet one was when Genista finds the ruined temple for the goddess Aphrodite and is told the story that if you pray to her for someone to love you, she'll answer it. One evening she goes there and prays that Marc will love her.
The ridiculous one is when Marc confesses that he fell for her almost immediately, and wanted a real marriage from the start, her brother had nothing to do with it! Wouldn't it have been normal for him to have just asked her out on a date? He could have used her brother as leverage to start getting to know her, take her out, see how it goes, etc. I think blackmailing someone into marrying you is a bit extreme, but maybe that's just me!
And if you really love someone, how can you rape them???
Not a bad story, but it gets to be too much at times.
The h, Genista has a brother who's long on brains but short on common sense/street smarts, so he's conned out of money he temporarily embezzled to finance his latest invention, money he thought he'd be able to put back before anyone knew it was missing. WRONG!!!
The H, Marc (part French/English/Greek and HOT) doesn't take kindly to anyone embezzling from his financial empire, so he intends to prosecute, with kid brother spending five years in jail, unless big sister comes to the rescue, by agreeing to a marriage of convenience, as he needs a hostess for his many business dinners, as well as a token wife to keep all the predatory females away. In return, her brother will be sent to Australia and work at one of Marc's companies there and make a new start. What else could she do but agree? One stipulation: the deal's only valid for five years, the time her brother would have been in jail. (she's working out his sentence, in other words.)
Marc conveniently forgets to tell her before they're hitched that he intends the marriage to include sex! With this making Genista feel like a prostitute, she tries to escape from his island home (one of his many dwellings), only to be caught, accused of wanting to sell the true details of their marriage to the tabloids, (now that her brother was in another country) and told to stop playing games because, previous to their marriage, she had been a flight attendant and if rumors are true, she must have had her share of lovers! (In truth, there were none; she had been dating Paul, a co-pilot, but they'd only gone as far as kissing.) Then, he rapes her!!! Of course, when he realizes his error, he tries to make it up to her by seducing her gently, but that doesn't go too well!!!
WTF!!!!!! When a woman has just been raped, the last thing she wants is a man touching her, especially if that man is the one who raped her!!!!! For a sophisticated man of the world, Marc acted like a total MORON!!! He should have begged her to forgive him, said what a miserable creep he was, offered to free her from their bargain, given her time and space, anything but attempt to seduce her, right after he raped her!!! DISGUSTING!!!
She runs outside to the beach, giving him the mistaken impression that she wanted to drown herself, and because she's so hurt and angry, she tells him she did, that death was better than a life with him!
And from then on, it's a contest as to who can be the most unpleasant, say the most hurtful things, put on the best act in public, be in the worst mood in private. The trouble is, despite the rape, Genista finds herself attracted to him, yet when he attempts to kiss or touch her, she has a fit, mostly because she can't handle her own emotions. When it comes to his work, the parties she organizes (she has a flair for this and turns dull dinners into special theme events, making her the darling of their elite social circle) and the people they meet, they talk and get along together, but it's still an emotional stalemate, one of those one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back things.
A lot of the problem is that Marc acts so much like the loving, adoring husband in public and Genista believes it's all an act, and she can't face the fact that she wants it to be real. So, she continues to act as if she despises him.
There are interesting sider characters, like Marc's aunt, who takes Genista under her wing and from whom she learns about Marc's lost love, Adrienne, who left him for a wealthy older man at a time when Marc was just getting started on building his empire. There's Aly, Marc's close friend from the Middle East, who jokes about adding Genista to his "harem", but becomes a good friend to her as well, and Lynn, Genista's BFF/fellow Fl Att/former roommate, who had secretly been in love with Paul, and who gets him on the rebound, but that soon changes to love. (Too bad Ms. Wentworth didn't write a book about that.)
And then Adrienne returns to the scene!
I won't go into any more detail, except to point out two things, one sweet, the other ridiculous. The sweet one was when Genista finds the ruined temple for the goddess Aphrodite and is told the story that if you pray to her for someone to love you, she'll answer it. One evening she goes there and prays that Marc will love her.
The ridiculous one is when Marc confesses that he fell for her almost immediately, and wanted a real marriage from the start, her brother had nothing to do with it! Wouldn't it have been normal for him to have just asked her out on a date? He could have used her brother as leverage to start getting to know her, take her out, see how it goes, etc. I think blackmailing someone into marrying you is a bit extreme, but maybe that's just me!
And if you really love someone, how can you rape them???
Not a bad story, but it gets to be too much at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2021
"Δυναμική κατάκτηση"- Σάλλυ Γουέντγουορθ, Χρυσά 115, έτος έκδοσης: 1978
Για να γλυτώσει τον αδερφό της από ένα σοβαρό μπλέξιμο, η Τζενίστα δέχεται να παντρευτεί τον Μάρκ Κυριάκος, το σκληρό και ανελέητο μεγαλοεπιχειρηματία, στον οποίο εργάζεται ο αδερφός της, πιστεύοντας πως ο γάμος τους θα είναι λευκός. Ο Μάρκ, εξάλλου, της έχει ξεκαθαρίσει πώς ο μόνος λόγος που τη θέλει για γυναίκα του, είναι για να τον προστατεύει από τις γυναίκες που τον κυνηγούν. Δυστυχώς όμως, μετά τον γάμο τους η Τζενίστα ανακαλύπτει πώς άσχετα από τους πραγματικούς λόγους , που τον έσπρωξαν να την αναγκάσει να τον παντρευτεί, ο Μάρκ είχε σκοπό από την αρχή που την γνώρισε να την κάνει ολοκληρωτικά δική του...
Για να γλυτώσει τον αδερφό της από ένα σοβαρό μπλέξιμο, η Τζενίστα δέχεται να παντρευτεί τον Μάρκ Κυριάκος, το σκληρό και ανελέητο μεγαλοεπιχειρηματία, στον οποίο εργάζεται ο αδερφός της, πιστεύοντας πως ο γάμος τους θα είναι λευκός. Ο Μάρκ, εξάλλου, της έχει ξεκαθαρίσει πώς ο μόνος λόγος που τη θέλει για γυναίκα του, είναι για να τον προστατεύει από τις γυναίκες που τον κυνηγούν. Δυστυχώς όμως, μετά τον γάμο τους η Τζενίστα ανακαλύπτει πώς άσχετα από τους πραγματικούς λόγους , που τον έσπρωξαν να την αναγκάσει να τον παντρευτεί, ο Μάρκ είχε σκοπό από την αρχή που την γνώρισε να την κάνει ολοκληρωτικά δική του...
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