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Devil in Command
Stacey jumped to her sister's defense
Stacey's sister, Trisha, was a handful--no doubt about that! For years Stacey had acted as both mother and father to the headstrong girl, but most of her efforts to curb Trisha's willful ways had come to nothing.
Trisha's involvement with the older, arrogant Paul Leandros was the last straw. Stacey blamed Paul, and she decided to set him straight on the matter.
Sparks flew at their first meeting. It was a confrontation of two strongly determined personalities--and it was only the beginning...
Stacey's sister, Trisha, was a handful--no doubt about that! For years Stacey had acted as both mother and father to the headstrong girl, but most of her efforts to curb Trisha's willful ways had come to nothing.
Trisha's involvement with the older, arrogant Paul Leandros was the last straw. Stacey blamed Paul, and she decided to set him straight on the matter.
Sparks flew at their first meeting. It was a confrontation of two strongly determined personalities--and it was only the beginning...
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
4 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Helen Bianchin
380 books225 followersHelen Shirley was born on February 20 1939 in New Zealand, where she grew up, an only child possessed by a vivid imagination and a love for reading. She wrote stories for amusement in her early teenage years, and when she left leaving school, she took a secretarial job at a father-and-son legal firm.
At age twenty-one Helen joined a girlfriend and embarked on a working holiday in Australia, travelling via cruise ship from Auckland to Melbourne. Alas, no shipboard romance, as she spent all four days in her cabin suffering from sea-sickness! After fifteen months working in Melbourne, Helen and her friend bought a vehicle and took three months to drive the length and breadth of Australia, choosing to work in Cairns in order to fund the final leg of our journey to Sydney.
It was in Cairns that Helen met her future husband, Danilo Bianchin, an Italian immigrant from Treviso. He was a tobacco sharefarmer from the tobacco farming community of Mareeba. His English was pitiful, and her command of Italian was nil. Six months later they married, and Helen was flung into cooking for up to nine tobacco pickers, stringing tobacco, feeding 200 chickens, a few turkeys, ducks... plus killing, cleaning and cooking the same! Her knowledge of Italian improved, and there were hilarious moments in retrospect. Some of what she endured was cooking on a wood-burning stove, having no running hot water, a primitive shower and toilet facilities, washing uniforms for two soccer teams during the soccer season... floods, horrendous hailstone damage to tobacco crops, hardship, and the stillbirth of their first child. Then, to their joy, Helen's daughter, Lucia, was born. Three years later the couple returned to New Zealand, where they settled for sixteen years. During those early years, they added two sons, Angelo and Peter, to the family.
With multiple anecdotes of farm life in an Italian community to friends, the idea of writing a book occurred. A romance, set on a tobacco farm in Australia's far north, Queensland, featuring an Italian hero. Helen says, "the background was authentic, believe me!" However the hero was rich and owned the farm artistic license! It took her a year to complete a passable manuscript, typed on a portable typewriter at the dining room table. That first effort was deemed too short with insufficient detail. Helen rewrote it. This time it was considered too long with too much extraneous detail. She revised, then sent it to London. Four months later she received a telegram from Alan Boon (Mills & Boon) to say they intended to publish and a contract would be sent in the mail. It was the most wonderful news!
Helen wrote ten more books while living in New Zealand, then in 1981, her family resettled in Australia, on Queensland's Gold Coast. She has since published twenty-five more books. Today, with computer technology, the mechanics of writing are much easier. However, the writing process doesn't change. Helen says that she's having a good day if she can achieve 5 good pages, which she is likely to change, edit and rewrite the following day.
She loves creating characters, giving them life and providing a situation where their emotions are tested and love wins out. For her, the greatest praise is for a reader to say they couldn't put the book down... then Helen knows that she has achieved what she set out to do -- "create a moving enjoyable story which holds the reader entertained from beginning to end."
Helen's hobbies are tennis, table-tennis, judo, reading. She loves movies, and leads an active social life.
At age twenty-one Helen joined a girlfriend and embarked on a working holiday in Australia, travelling via cruise ship from Auckland to Melbourne. Alas, no shipboard romance, as she spent all four days in her cabin suffering from sea-sickness! After fifteen months working in Melbourne, Helen and her friend bought a vehicle and took three months to drive the length and breadth of Australia, choosing to work in Cairns in order to fund the final leg of our journey to Sydney.
It was in Cairns that Helen met her future husband, Danilo Bianchin, an Italian immigrant from Treviso. He was a tobacco sharefarmer from the tobacco farming community of Mareeba. His English was pitiful, and her command of Italian was nil. Six months later they married, and Helen was flung into cooking for up to nine tobacco pickers, stringing tobacco, feeding 200 chickens, a few turkeys, ducks... plus killing, cleaning and cooking the same! Her knowledge of Italian improved, and there were hilarious moments in retrospect. Some of what she endured was cooking on a wood-burning stove, having no running hot water, a primitive shower and toilet facilities, washing uniforms for two soccer teams during the soccer season... floods, horrendous hailstone damage to tobacco crops, hardship, and the stillbirth of their first child. Then, to their joy, Helen's daughter, Lucia, was born. Three years later the couple returned to New Zealand, where they settled for sixteen years. During those early years, they added two sons, Angelo and Peter, to the family.
With multiple anecdotes of farm life in an Italian community to friends, the idea of writing a book occurred. A romance, set on a tobacco farm in Australia's far north, Queensland, featuring an Italian hero. Helen says, "the background was authentic, believe me!" However the hero was rich and owned the farm artistic license! It took her a year to complete a passable manuscript, typed on a portable typewriter at the dining room table. That first effort was deemed too short with insufficient detail. Helen rewrote it. This time it was considered too long with too much extraneous detail. She revised, then sent it to London. Four months later she received a telegram from Alan Boon (Mills & Boon) to say they intended to publish and a contract would be sent in the mail. It was the most wonderful news!
Helen wrote ten more books while living in New Zealand, then in 1981, her family resettled in Australia, on Queensland's Gold Coast. She has since published twenty-five more books. Today, with computer technology, the mechanics of writing are much easier. However, the writing process doesn't change. Helen says that she's having a good day if she can achieve 5 good pages, which she is likely to change, edit and rewrite the following day.
She loves creating characters, giving them life and providing a situation where their emotions are tested and love wins out. For her, the greatest praise is for a reader to say they couldn't put the book down... then Helen knows that she has achieved what she set out to do -- "create a moving enjoyable story which holds the reader entertained from beginning to end."
Helen's hobbies are tennis, table-tennis, judo, reading. She loves movies, and leads an active social life.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 31, 2017
Australian girl is blackmailed into marriage by Greek-Australian tycoon because she needs to pay for her dingbat sister's debts. *eye roll* Yup, another one of those.
Because this is Helen Bianchin, we have 492 separate scenes of shower, bubble bath, and endless hair brushing. The "hero" actually starts off the initial forced seduction by stepping, uninvited, into the shower stall. Good grief.
We have three months of nightly marital rape that the hero declares are not rape at all because the heroine's traitorous body liked it. *Face palm* The purple prose that describes those scenes is absolutely glorious by the way.
The vicious OW tries to humiliate the heroine by serving her copious amounts of calamari and squid at dinner because she wants to flaunt her Greek Gloriousness and highlight the fact that the heroine is an uncouth outsider who wouldn't know a gourmet octopod if its tentacles wrapped themselves around her throat. Cuisine vengeance! LMAO at that one.
Later, OW, disappointed that her Machiavellian culinary scheme hasn't prompted the heroine to run screaming into the bush, decides to up the ante by viciously pushing the pregnant heroine from behind, knocking her down to the ground.
If you think that is going to warrant some kind of retribution from the hero, I have a bridge to sell you. Because the hero apparently has conferred total and permanent diplomatic immunity for the OW based on the "old family friend" euphemism. Or maybe it's because she has the best recipe for fried calamari. Who knows?
Heroine bonds with her 15 year old stepson and his teenage friends through their mutual love of Donna Summer, strobe lights, and the dance steps to the hustle. This precipitates the hero's raging jealously. Yes, over his own son. Love of disco does not grant immunity, maybe the son should have concentrated on recipes for slimy cephalopod mollusks instead.
The cherry on top of this cake is there is no grovel because on the last page, the hero and heroine admit it was love at first sight. His constant rapes were undeniable proofs, he was merely trying to tell her how he felt with his lips, hands, and magic penis. While she fought him off because she was really only fighting her own feelings.
INSANITY!!!
Because this is Helen Bianchin, we have 492 separate scenes of shower, bubble bath, and endless hair brushing. The "hero" actually starts off the initial forced seduction by stepping, uninvited, into the shower stall. Good grief.
We have three months of nightly marital rape that the hero declares are not rape at all because the heroine's traitorous body liked it. *Face palm* The purple prose that describes those scenes is absolutely glorious by the way.
The vicious OW tries to humiliate the heroine by serving her copious amounts of calamari and squid at dinner because she wants to flaunt her Greek Gloriousness and highlight the fact that the heroine is an uncouth outsider who wouldn't know a gourmet octopod if its tentacles wrapped themselves around her throat. Cuisine vengeance! LMAO at that one.
Later, OW, disappointed that her Machiavellian culinary scheme hasn't prompted the heroine to run screaming into the bush, decides to up the ante by viciously pushing the pregnant heroine from behind, knocking her down to the ground.
If you think that is going to warrant some kind of retribution from the hero, I have a bridge to sell you. Because the hero apparently has conferred total and permanent diplomatic immunity for the OW based on the "old family friend" euphemism. Or maybe it's because she has the best recipe for fried calamari. Who knows?
Heroine bonds with her 15 year old stepson and his teenage friends through their mutual love of Donna Summer, strobe lights, and the dance steps to the hustle. This precipitates the hero's raging jealously. Yes, over his own son. Love of disco does not grant immunity, maybe the son should have concentrated on recipes for slimy cephalopod mollusks instead.
The cherry on top of this cake is there is no grovel because on the last page, the hero and heroine admit it was love at first sight. His constant rapes were undeniable proofs, he was merely trying to tell her how he felt with his lips, hands, and magic penis. While she fought him off because she was really only fighting her own feelings.
INSANITY!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2018
One of the proper old skool Harlequin/Mills Boon. Typical Alpha male "I am great and powerful you will marry me and be my slave" type storyline the h naturally hates him and slaps the H a few times. The H while dominant is not quite as assholey as others in books written around this time and although he does overpower and "force seductions" the h she's soon not complaining and a slave to her masters passions oh how Times have changed since the 80's!
Of course we have evil OW who wants the H for herself and H is jealous of the h's relationship with his son because they are close in age - it seems in 80's romance times nobody married someone their own age and younger women abound.
Obligatory run away scene H chases after h, soul baring aka I always loved you etc etc and on we go to the HEA.
Did 16/17 year olds in the 80's really just move out into flats to work?because I don't remember mass home teen exodus' in the 80's. You can catch sons (Nico's/Nic's) story in The Greek's Bought Wife (Wedlocked!)all growled up and a H in his own right.
Of course we have evil OW who wants the H for herself and H is jealous of the h's relationship with his son because they are close in age - it seems in 80's romance times nobody married someone their own age and younger women abound.
Obligatory run away scene H chases after h, soul baring aka I always loved you etc etc and on we go to the HEA.
Did 16/17 year olds in the 80's really just move out into flats to work?because I don't remember mass home teen exodus' in the 80's. You can catch sons (Nico's/Nic's) story in The Greek's Bought Wife (Wedlocked!)all growled up and a H in his own right.
July 12, 2022
I keep re-reading this vintage from Helen Bianchin.
He is a cruel, dominant alpha male who lays down the law for her. So leave this book alone if you want a nice H.
This is one of my favourite love stories. 5 stars.
He is a cruel, dominant alpha male who lays down the law for her. So leave this book alone if you want a nice H.
This is one of my favourite love stories. 5 stars.
September 22, 2023
One of those Harlequins I’m ashamed to admit I liked. The H is unreal, over the top bossy and rapey. Not realistic that h would like his forcible physical intimacy so very fast when she does not like him and he’s a jerk. But in HarleyLand treacherous body syndrome kicks in.
Reread when I saw someone’s review. I cannot believe this H has the gall to claim love. He rapes her, controls her, is jealous of his own son, rips a keepsake necklace from her neck in a fit of jealousy. Even worse, h decides she must love H, mostly because she enjoys sleeping with him. Instead of chalking it up to him being experienced and determined and she justifies her weakness as "love". I don't see this one lasting.
That’s consistent behavior for her. She indulged her younger mooch sister, in fact married H to protect sis from well-deserved trouble.
Decides to leave when she discovers she's pregnant, which would have been a smart move, but she goes to H's holiday cottage! She thinks it's too late that night to catch a plane or a bus, or heaven forbid, find an inexpensive out of the way hotel in a town not too far away. She can get out of Dodge then think.
I’m leaving my rating at 3 but these people are horrible. H's teen son is the only decent person in book.
Reread when I saw someone’s review. I cannot believe this H has the gall to claim love. He rapes her, controls her, is jealous of his own son, rips a keepsake necklace from her neck in a fit of jealousy. Even worse, h decides she must love H, mostly because she enjoys sleeping with him. Instead of chalking it up to him being experienced and determined and she justifies her weakness as "love". I don't see this one lasting.
That’s consistent behavior for her. She indulged her younger mooch sister, in fact married H to protect sis from well-deserved trouble.
Decides to leave when she discovers she's pregnant, which would have been a smart move, but she goes to H's holiday cottage! She thinks it's too late that night to catch a plane or a bus, or heaven forbid, find an inexpensive out of the way hotel in a town not too far away. She can get out of Dodge then think.
I’m leaving my rating at 3 but these people are horrible. H's teen son is the only decent person in book.
January 1, 2019
I have no idea how this book made it to a 'romance' section. There is nothing romantic in getting slapped in the face or derriere, being made to submit with no consideration, coerced into marriage and sex through blackmail. The H is insane to want a stranger for wife that he coerces her into it and the h has no backbone what ever in that she acquiesces to an arrangement of marriage for 2 years with a stranger for a teen sister who wrecked a Ferrari. In the end she has done no favor to her sister who is willful and recklessly breaks rules and didn't learn the consequences of her action. H has an almost 16 year old son whom he cares for but h's 16 year is let loose to fend for herself. Its the weirdest romance anyone could ever have read. If there is a HEA and something resembling love after a couple of years, then I am sure its the Stockholm syndrome variety as the h is whole dependent on the H'a largesse and has no independence means of her own.
March 30, 2020
Stacey's sister, Trisha, was a handful--no doubt about that! For years Stacey had acted as both mother and father to the headstrong girl, but most of her efforts to curb Trisha's willful ways had come to nothing.
Trisha's involvement with the older, arrogant Paul Leandros was the last straw. Stacey blamed Paul, and she decided to set him straight on the matter.
Sparks flew at their first meeting. It was a confrontation of two strongly determined personalities--and it was only the beginning.
Trisha's involvement with the older, arrogant Paul Leandros was the last straw. Stacey blamed Paul, and she decided to set him straight on the matter.
Sparks flew at their first meeting. It was a confrontation of two strongly determined personalities--and it was only the beginning.
April 19, 2018
3.5*
Published in 1981, the heroine seemed a typical vintage Mills & Boon heroine who seems rather immature. Very "slappy" and free with the "I hate yous" but the moment the hero touched her, she'd melt.
Their wedding night was almost rapey and every subsequent night was a forced seduction. I think back then good girls did not enjoy sex, so the hero always had to like force it on the heroine?! She always got her satisfaction first though, even if the hero denied himself! All the dramas and mixed signals...both crazies!
The hero betrayed his feelings for her in his actions ( every look, touch, kiss and worship of her body with his!) and in words (could hate turn to love? could she feel more for him? Etc.)
But to be fair the heroine was only 23 and hero 37...her behaviour could be annoying and her spoiling her younger sister was irritating. I'm just glad her sister had not gotten into bigger troubles like killing someone while driving without a license!
I wish Stacey had told Paul about Christina pushing her in town; what if she lost her baby?! That evil b!tch had to be taught a lesson and I hoped Paul and his mother did not ever invite her to either of their homes!
No idea why I did such crazy sauce old skool vintage Mills & Boon! I especially love a good run away and the hero had to go after her!
Published in 1981, the heroine seemed a typical vintage Mills & Boon heroine who seems rather immature. Very "slappy" and free with the "I hate yous" but the moment the hero touched her, she'd melt.
Their wedding night was almost rapey and every subsequent night was a forced seduction. I think back then good girls did not enjoy sex, so the hero always had to like force it on the heroine?! She always got her satisfaction first though, even if the hero denied himself! All the dramas and mixed signals...both crazies!
The hero betrayed his feelings for her in his actions ( every look, touch, kiss and worship of her body with his!) and in words (could hate turn to love? could she feel more for him? Etc.)
But to be fair the heroine was only 23 and hero 37...her behaviour could be annoying and her spoiling her younger sister was irritating. I'm just glad her sister had not gotten into bigger troubles like killing someone while driving without a license!
I wish Stacey had told Paul about Christina pushing her in town; what if she lost her baby?! That evil b!tch had to be taught a lesson and I hoped Paul and his mother did not ever invite her to either of their homes!
No idea why I did such crazy sauce old skool vintage Mills & Boon! I especially love a good run away and the hero had to go after her!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 14, 2019I have read much worse books with rape, cheating, beating etc, but for some strange reason none of them felt as rapey as this one. When I read Devil in command it felt like the H was raping the h all the time. But guess what ? The H tried to show the h his love all those times he forced her to accept his ´´love making´´. The only times the H looked at the h with warmth in his eyes were on public and I wondered if it was real or pretense. The H is soo experienced so I didn't get why he didn't try to make the h fall in love with him on an emotional level instead of mocking and raping her. They never talked about anything deeper than how she can't resist him at night, they never got to know each other.
July 3, 2021
I’m big on the trope & vintage collections but this one was a DNF. I could overlook all the hair brushing & shower scenes but one thing I can’t overlook was how exhausting the heroine was. She takes the cake for sounding the most like a broken record in all harlequin world. (Even the hero agrees.) Every other word she uttered was hate, loathe, blah, blah. She doesn’t have much vocabulary I believe. Yes, heroine was definitely a CHORE. Hero definitely deserve someone better & he wasn’t even all that great to start with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2024
"Devil in Command" is the story of Stacey and Paul.
One of those old school blackmailed into marriage romances which will keep you on edge. Every sexual encounter is semi/dub/ non con, there is loads of spanking/ fighting/ scratching, the hero is so insanely obsessed with the heroine that he will go to any limits to have and keep her. Both need therapy.
Feels like walking on a tight rope, I hated it yet I didnt mind it
Safe
3/5
One of those old school blackmailed into marriage romances which will keep you on edge. Every sexual encounter is semi/dub/ non con, there is loads of spanking/ fighting/ scratching, the hero is so insanely obsessed with the heroine that he will go to any limits to have and keep her. Both need therapy.
Feels like walking on a tight rope, I hated it yet I didnt mind it
Safe
3/5
June 27, 2025
DNF at 10%
I really can’t stand vintage authors who write heroines that are overly reactive—quick to insult, get angry, or even slap someone without knowing the full story, and then show no remorse for their behavior.
They enable deceitful and mischievous siblings without holding them accountable, and despite being immature themselves, they behave as if they’re wise beyond their years. It’s frustrating and unrealistic.
I really can’t stand vintage authors who write heroines that are overly reactive—quick to insult, get angry, or even slap someone without knowing the full story, and then show no remorse for their behavior.
They enable deceitful and mischievous siblings without holding them accountable, and despite being immature themselves, they behave as if they’re wise beyond their years. It’s frustrating and unrealistic.
June 5, 2022
These vintage categories are fun, fast reads. You can't put them down.
May 23, 2014
I thought this book is good..the plot is very cheesy..but the content uh uh...I don't like the fact that the heroin always says "I hate u" with a slap to his husband then make love to him as if it's her life depend on .The hero order or command the heroin as if she's a slave but abruptly tell her I love u that's why I marry u at the end.
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August 28, 2013one of my favorite authors.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews