I think this book deserves a higher rating than the PBS readers have given it. It was a very good story about a man who suffered horribly, along with his family, because of another man's selfishness and greed. Understandably he wants revenge. One of the ways he seeks revenge is to take the man's daughter as his mistress for a year. The dilemma is that he knew her as a child and they were friends, and he has good memories of her and some remaining affection. I loved the way he ended up treating her (although I wasn't thrilled he expected her to give up her reputation so easily and go with her passion and go to bed with him). He ended up treating her with respect and the story involves them growing close to one another and regaining some of their childhood infatuation with one another. I got somewhat irritated with her insistance at not considering her dad's guilt when it was so evident and obvious, even to her, that he was a selfish, greedy, horrible man. I didn't like how she was supposed to be so smart, but kept falling for her dad's manipulations. I also got annoyed with her insisting on Blake not carrying out his revenge on her dad to prove he had feelings for her. After what her dad did to Blake and his family, the revenge Blake had planned for her dad was not harsh enough, by far. But it was a great book and the main characters had very admirable qualities that left you really rooting for them to end up together. I liked the secondary love story between Blake's friend, Justin, and Blake's neighbor, Samantha, also. It left me wanting a novel to be written about them. I recommend this book to readers who like reading about more than just a surface kind of relationship. They were complex characters that I liked reading about.
Product Description
Victoria Ashton has intelligence and ambition - qualities of little value to most marriage-minded gentlemen of the ton. Her own father has no idea of Victoria's hidden life as an anonymous trader in London's stock market. But her hopes of independence are shattered when her father's enemy, Blake Mallorey, assumes Charles Ashton's debts and presents Victoria with a stark choice: live with him as his mistress for one year, or condemn her family to bankruptcy. For years Blake has dreamed of justice, and his scheme becomes all the sweeter when he sees the beauty that Victoria has become. Scoundrel he may be, but Blake will not force anyone into his bed. He intends to entice Victoria, one wicked kiss at a time. But with a woman as spirited and sensual as Victoria, seduction works both ways - and a plan rooted revenge can blossom into a scandalous passion...
Victoria Ashton has intelligence and ambition - qualities of little value to most marriage-minded gentlemen of the ton. Her own father has no idea of Victoria's hidden life as an anonymous trader in London's stock market. But her hopes of independence are shattered when her father's enemy, Blake Mallorey, assumes Charles Ashton's debts and presents Victoria with a stark choice: live with him as his mistress for one year, or condemn her family to bankruptcy. For years Blake has dreamed of justice, and his scheme becomes all the sweeter when he sees the beauty that Victoria has become. Scoundrel he may be, but Blake will not force anyone into his bed. He intends to entice Victoria, one wicked kiss at a time. But with a woman as spirited and sensual as Victoria, seduction works both ways - and a plan rooted revenge can blossom into a scandalous passion...
