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Bedded by Blackmail
In London, England, at the most glitteringsocial event of the year, all eyes are on sexySouth American billionaire Diego Saez. Alreadyinfamous for his astounding rise from rags toriches, Diego is convinced that everything andeveryone can be bought.…Society heiress Portia Lanchester has been leftpenniless. Diego wants her. Now Portia's gotonly one chance of survival—if she'll surrenderto his blackmail…and to him…in his bed!
199 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2005
26 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Julia James
476 books162 followersJulia lives in England with her family. Mills and Boon novels were Julia's first "grown up" books she read as a teenager ("Alongside Georgette Heyer and Daphne du Maurier."), and she's been reading them ever since.
Julia adores the English countryside ("And the Celtic countryside!"), in all its seasons, and is fascinated by all things historical, from castles to cottages. She also has a special love for the Mediterranean ("The most perfect landscape after England!") — she considers both are ideal settings for romance stories! In between writing she enjoys walking, gardening, needlework and baking "extremely gooey chocolate cakes" — and trying to stay fit!
Julia adores the English countryside ("And the Celtic countryside!"), in all its seasons, and is fascinated by all things historical, from castles to cottages. She also has a special love for the Mediterranean ("The most perfect landscape after England!") — she considers both are ideal settings for romance stories! In between writing she enjoys walking, gardening, needlework and baking "extremely gooey chocolate cakes" — and trying to stay fit!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 18, 2017
Julia James really likes to have the H/h indulge in hot sex that is somehow toxic to both of them. Then true love and forgiveness ride in to save the day ( and the H/h's mental health. I thought she pulled it off in Purchased for Revenge because the hero's motivation was a little clearer and the heroine's motives for sleeping with the hero were a little more noble.
Here the hero stalking the "frigid" heroine turns into a bit of revenge and blackmail when the hero misunderstands why the heroine is turning him down. The heroine thinks he's an entitled rich guy who won't be denied and then will dump her when he's done. The hero thinks she knows about his poverty stricken past and she's being a rich bitch snob by turning him down.
The heroine's motivations for having sex with the hero are so her brother can keep the family estate - and she is attracted to him.
The H/h go on to have a sexual affair that lasts a few weeks as the hero travels for work and takes the h with him. The heroine goes into a weird catatonic state when he's not with her and only comes alive at night when they have sex. The hero keeps flashing back to a horrible woman who threw him out of the house after his mother died and then later tried to seduce him when he was rich. It's all kind of weird.
Eventually the hero feels guilty and lets the heroine go. Heroine feels empty and whore- like so she liquidates her assets and gives the hero a check for a million dollars to pay for sex. Now they are even. Then she flees to the hero's home country and begins to work as a teacher in a mission. The hero shows up a few months later because his old priest friend keeps inviting him down.
Here - among the impoverished orphans, the H/h show their true identities and are now free to love each other instead of having sordid sex based on misunderstandings (from the hero's part) and negative feelings about sex (from the heroine's part). They each grovel and I just don't understand how that is supposed to work - but the H/h feel renewed and all is well for an HEA.
Here the hero stalking the "frigid" heroine turns into a bit of revenge and blackmail when the hero misunderstands why the heroine is turning him down. The heroine thinks he's an entitled rich guy who won't be denied and then will dump her when he's done. The hero thinks she knows about his poverty stricken past and she's being a rich bitch snob by turning him down.
The heroine's motivations for having sex with the hero are so her brother can keep the family estate - and she is attracted to him.
The H/h go on to have a sexual affair that lasts a few weeks as the hero travels for work and takes the h with him. The heroine goes into a weird catatonic state when he's not with her and only comes alive at night when they have sex. The hero keeps flashing back to a horrible woman who threw him out of the house after his mother died and then later tried to seduce him when he was rich. It's all kind of weird.
Eventually the hero feels guilty and lets the heroine go. Heroine feels empty and whore- like so she liquidates her assets and gives the hero a check for a million dollars to pay for sex. Now they are even. Then she flees to the hero's home country and begins to work as a teacher in a mission. The hero shows up a few months later because his old priest friend keeps inviting him down.
Here - among the impoverished orphans, the H/h show their true identities and are now free to love each other instead of having sordid sex based on misunderstandings (from the hero's part) and negative feelings about sex (from the heroine's part). They each grovel and I just don't understand how that is supposed to work - but the H/h feel renewed and all is well for an HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2019
I was in such dilemma about starring this. The story was a serious one with a haunting undertone. Both MC’s were likable. Still I wont be rereading this.
Recommended.
Recommended.
August 4, 2018
The short version: The H wants the h who is a frigid snot. She insults him and he gets her back by buying her stupid brother’s bank so she’ll have sex with him. True love ensues.
The long version:
How dare you touch me!
Wow, the heroine is one cold, frigid entitled bitch. She gives Lady Mary a run for her money in the frosty tone stakes, and this could easily be read as a warning to the gentry of England that thinks their way of doing things is the only way as they watch it all slip away in incompetence. The heroine works for an art gallery at a low salary and feels lucky that she doesn’t have to really work at a job because of her titled and financial cushion. AT least she realizes that she is lucky, but the entitled lifestyle is not endearing nor is her OTT reaction to the H.
I literally winced when the heroine lectures the bazillionaire from the wilds of Argentina (she actually doesn't know where he comes from. Just that's another continent-another country than dear olde England) on how he doesn’t understand banking in England and this is just not how it is done.
‘Mr Saez, I appreciate that you are used to the extreme volatility of the economy of South America, where banks crash and currencies become worthless overnight, but I’m afraid you must appreciate that here in England things are very different. Loring Lanchester is one hundred and fifty years old. It is one of the most highly regarded merchant banks in the City. There can be no question, no question whatsoever, of it being in trouble. Loring Lanchester is one of the soundest, most financially secure—’
Um, debt is debt sweetheart, and your brother is as thick as you are cold. Let's be glad he has a chin.
The hero has plenty of whatever the Central American equivalent of Yankee ingenuity as he pulled himself out of poverty as much for revenge against another rich bitch who killed his mother as anything else.
The hero…
Diego sat back again and wondered what she looked like naked.
The H is not much better. He had seen the heroine and, I guess, wanted to cool his man parts down with her frostier lady parts.What he wants he should get and he maneuvers the h into a dinner. Being frigid, she wants none of that and lays out her disgust for his womanizing ways. She forgets to explain why she’s so appalled so he assumes it’s because he was poor, and the revenge is on.
This is the emotional sister book of Purchased for Revenge with punitive sex that both stimulates and humiliates the heroine. Let's just say her frigidity is gone with the wind, and she lives for the sex. She does a nice role reversal which almost pushes this to a third star, but just not enough.
Final opinion:
Not as good as Purchased for Revenge, and three Julia James in a row is way too many. At least I had fun looking at pictures of handsome but callow English men and hunky Argentinan's.
The long version:
How dare you touch me!
Wow, the heroine is one cold, frigid entitled bitch. She gives Lady Mary a run for her money in the frosty tone stakes, and this could easily be read as a warning to the gentry of England that thinks their way of doing things is the only way as they watch it all slip away in incompetence. The heroine works for an art gallery at a low salary and feels lucky that she doesn’t have to really work at a job because of her titled and financial cushion. AT least she realizes that she is lucky, but the entitled lifestyle is not endearing nor is her OTT reaction to the H.
I literally winced when the heroine lectures the bazillionaire from the wilds of Argentina (she actually doesn't know where he comes from. Just that's another continent-another country than dear olde England) on how he doesn’t understand banking in England and this is just not how it is done.
‘Mr Saez, I appreciate that you are used to the extreme volatility of the economy of South America, where banks crash and currencies become worthless overnight, but I’m afraid you must appreciate that here in England things are very different. Loring Lanchester is one hundred and fifty years old. It is one of the most highly regarded merchant banks in the City. There can be no question, no question whatsoever, of it being in trouble. Loring Lanchester is one of the soundest, most financially secure—’
Um, debt is debt sweetheart, and your brother is as thick as you are cold. Let's be glad he has a chin.
The hero has plenty of whatever the Central American equivalent of Yankee ingenuity as he pulled himself out of poverty as much for revenge against another rich bitch who killed his mother as anything else.
The hero…
Diego sat back again and wondered what she looked like naked.
The H is not much better. He had seen the heroine and, I guess, wanted to cool his man parts down with her frostier lady parts.What he wants he should get and he maneuvers the h into a dinner. Being frigid, she wants none of that and lays out her disgust for his womanizing ways. She forgets to explain why she’s so appalled so he assumes it’s because he was poor, and the revenge is on.
This is the emotional sister book of Purchased for Revenge with punitive sex that both stimulates and humiliates the heroine. Let's just say her frigidity is gone with the wind, and she lives for the sex. She does a nice role reversal which almost pushes this to a third star, but just not enough.
Final opinion:
Not as good as Purchased for Revenge, and three Julia James in a row is way too many. At least I had fun looking at pictures of handsome but callow English men and hunky Argentinan's.
October 5, 2022
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/כניע...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/כניע...
April 6, 2014
This is a premise I enjoy, but this one fell FAR short on the romance. In the best of these, the H/h get to know each other better during the blackmail affair and the H begins to see that the h is not the horrible person he thought she was and there are moments of tenderness/affection/thoughtfulness interspersed with all the misunderstanding and ass-hattery. Unfortunately, that's not the case here.
September 11, 2016
I own this paperback and have read it many times over the years. The first half of the book is my favorite. I love Diego's pursuit of Portia. His passive-aggressive behavior made me swoon.
However, when things take a darker turn and Diego plays his ace, I am a bit disappointed. If you yearn for something, and then finally get it, do you then treat it poorly? Plus the final chapter is too far fetched to be believable.
Yet, I still have to give this 4 solid stars because I have reread this book many times over the last decade and will continue to keep it in my prized possession.
However, when things take a darker turn and Diego plays his ace, I am a bit disappointed. If you yearn for something, and then finally get it, do you then treat it poorly? Plus the final chapter is too far fetched to be believable.
Yet, I still have to give this 4 solid stars because I have reread this book many times over the last decade and will continue to keep it in my prized possession.
April 23, 2021
Revenge by once dirt poor hero going after the snotty rich heroine is not new in HP but this was very disturbing and not romantic at all.
It was very uncomfortable to read about stalker hero who doesn’t take no for an answer, he continued bulldozering and touching her after she clearly said no again and again. Heroine is described as frigid and because she doesn’t consent and in revenge he buys his sex from the heroine (he made sure she has no choice). Yuk.
The ending was nice though, upped one star from one star.
It was very uncomfortable to read about stalker hero who doesn’t take no for an answer, he continued bulldozering and touching her after she clearly said no again and again. Heroine is described as frigid and because she doesn’t consent and in revenge he buys his sex from the heroine (he made sure she has no choice). Yuk.
The ending was nice though, upped one star from one star.
October 14, 2015
Meh. Typical cliche Harlequin :/
August 30, 2014
Everybody is talking about the lack of groveling in this book, but, In this case, I think the problem is more with the way they fell in love that with the groveling (that was insufficient anyway). I mean, there is no reeason why she would come to love him and viceversa. He is a total bastard to her every minute they spent together, there is no good and bad moments, only bad, and he thinks the worst of her till the very end, which is not likely to end in love feelings. The motions they display at the end of the book, come from nowhere and thats a recurrent problem in HQ books....... Women (sane ones at least) don't fall in love with men that call them whore, goldigger, thief or liar, Once a misunderstanding is cleared or the H lets it go, the h can start to love him, but a normal woman would nor wet her pants with love and desire for a man while he calls her all the insults in dictionary even if he is a sex god and a gift to women.
October 15, 2013
boring.lots and lots of internal monologues not enough action or actual dialogues.
June 12, 2016
Not executed very well. Hardly any conversation in first hundred pages. Inner monologues are long and boring.
April 27, 2017
Leído el 20/12/2010
June 26, 2014
American billionaire Diego Saez used to be penniless and had nothing but now he is in London, England standing at a party where everyone can see him. He thinks that money will buy him whatever he wants. What he wants is Portia Lanchester, she used to be a society heiress but now she is penniless. She tells Diego that she will never be his and he now knows that he has to blackmail her so he can have what he wants.
This book made me sit back and think about what I would do if this happened to me. I know that it never will but I can dream. When I thought what I would do and what I would do is two separate things. You might think you will do something but what you say is something totally different.
This book made me sit back and think about what I would do if this happened to me. I know that it never will but I can dream. When I thought what I would do and what I would do is two separate things. You might think you will do something but what you say is something totally different.
March 18, 2016
So, I've been making my way through list of "Best Vengeful Harlequin Heroes". Most of them, so far, pretty good reads and then there was this one! Truly awful. How a book can get to a HEA stage with almost zero dialogue between the lead characters astounds me. Yep, pretty much zero conversation till the last 10 pages or so. She was nasty, how he treated her was unforgivable. There was almost nothing likeable about either of them. Don't you just love a heroine who is apparently a breatharian? Gaining her sustenance from G&T and champagne? Hero, throwing back scotch every other page.
January 8, 2016
I can just say I didn't like the story.
I am giving the 2.5 stars just because I sort of liked the end.
The story started with a hero who thought he could get anything he want. He had a miserable past and he took no chances with the present.
The heroine of the story was confused throughout the story of whether she hated the hero or not. Portia was not a role model and she isn't in my favourite heroine list either.
The story is okay.
June 3, 2021
In London, England, at the most glittering social event of the year, all eyes are on sexy South American billionaire Diego Saez. Already infamous for his astounding rise from rags to riches, Diego is convinced that everything and everyone can be bought....
Society heiress Portia Lanchester has been left penniless. Diego wants her.Now Portia's got only one chance of survival--if she'll surrender to his blackmail...and to him...in his bed.
Society heiress Portia Lanchester has been left penniless. Diego wants her.Now Portia's got only one chance of survival--if she'll surrender to his blackmail...and to him...in his bed.
April 16, 2021
The ILU's didn't feel realistic. The author never portrayed the h/H doing things together and getting to know etch other. So how could they fall in love? It was never clear why the h was interested in the H to me.
They just had sex during the night and then the H worked during the day and the h did.. What? Shopping and sightseeing it seems. Just a lot of inner navel gazing.
They just had sex during the night and then the H worked during the day and the h did.. What? Shopping and sightseeing it seems. Just a lot of inner navel gazing.
January 25, 2021
Ένταση και ανομολόγητα συναισθήματα υπάρχουν στις σελίδες αυτής της ιστορίας!!Ένας άκρως συγκινητικός επίλογος, που μου άφησε δάκρυα στα μάτια!!! ΠΟΛΥ ΩΡΑΙΑ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΠΟΛΥ ΣΥΓΚΙΝΗΤΙΚΗ!!!
Διαβασμένο και ξαναδιαβασμένο!!!! Πολύ αγαπημένο μου!!!!
Διαβασμένο και ξαναδιαβασμένο!!!! Πολύ αγαπημένο μου!!!!
July 6, 2016
I read this when I was 16, and even then I was like "That ain't right". It coloured my judgement on all romance novels for a long time.
August 23, 2015
A veces las apariencias engañan mas que la razón.
February 21, 2016
me costo demasiado terminarlo!
February 6, 2021
Billionaire Diego sees Portia, a beautiful woman of old English money and family and wants to sleep with her. Everyone around says she’s frigid (how sleazy) but he doesn’t think so. So he hunts her ( that is the exact word to use) even if she is very reluctant and doesn’t show any signs that she could enjoy it. She refuses him more and more times but he goes after her hard. At that, a common man with common sensibility would simply give up and find another woman. Not him. He has her investigated. He finds out her brother’s bank is bankrupted and offers to pay all their debts if she sleeps with him. So she and her brother could have their money, their beloved mansion and be happy and rich. She is affronted. She accepts. She follows him to a trip in Hong Kong. Sex is scorching hot, and she is affronted. Because with her first and last fiancé sex was boring and she couldn’t get pleasure. She is very affronted. Because he is a man she despises, a womanizer, a man who doesn’t do love and commitment. He feels something for her and decides to break and send her home. She is devastated because she was falling for him and because she feels debased and defiled. So she goes to him and offers him money for being a very good stud. He is affronted. But he is in love with her, and can’t take any pleasure in anything. They meet again and he says that he is so sorry for the way he treated her but she had her revenge in spades, then he declares his love. So this book was fun. Should have been angsty but was fun. Because Portia was very cold and nasty and I couldn’t understand why he was so obsessed by her. She really wasn’t nice. Then the blackmailing part. So you are blackmailed by a handsome young billionaire with all his teeth and hair that wants to bed you so you and your silly brother can keep your mansion, than you accept and it turns out that he is also very very very good in bed and what do you do? You play the drama queen and says how dirty you feel and how he treated you like a wh**e and almost starve yourself because how hard is what you have to do... no this is unacceptable. I think that Ms Portia there had a choice : to become his mistress or not, and yes they would have lost all their money and mansion but what else? The money and the mansion had already gone so he, Diego, was not responsible for their inability to keep their property. Portia could refuse and really I couldn’t understand why she accepted to sleep with him. She did it for money and it’s her decision, so if she feels a prostitute is because she behaves like one, she chose to be. In this case the hero was maybe a little high handed but not very unpleasant and heroine acted the martyr with a passive aggressive attitude that I didn’t appreciate. She held him responsible for her decisions and accused him for her choice of behavior. Anyway a pleasant reading.
August 5, 2018
The heroine is privileged and obnoxious and the hero is an emotionally-unbalanced stalker, but I get the sense that both of these things are on purpose, and it actually kind of works - the heroine is awful enough that you don’t really feel bad about or worried for her regarding the hero’s relentless pursuit, where if she were sweeter or less oblivious it would feel undeserved. (Yes, obviously there are some issues with this, but realistically you're not reading Harlequin category romances because you want something that is 100% up on issues of consent and realism.) That said, it is super-dramatic and the author goes for the whole blackmail plot with gusto: the hero has serious issues with privileged women and he flat-out tells the heroine that he will ruin her brother’s bank (yes I know but it’s a category romance, this is what happens in those) unless she has sex with him. The prose is extremely purple. This is old-school romance at its finest, although thankfully it’s modern enough that the author is very clear throughout that Portia is upset because Diego makes him want her - there is none of the actual old-school “kissing the heroine until she stops saying no” stuff here. Honestly, though, I just got kind of bored; I didn’t actually like either the hero or the heroine so I didn’t care that he was like an addiction etc. and oh the perils of pride. They are just both kind of awful. On the plus side, they totally deserve each other.
December 8, 2018
...uh ok. All the proper elements are here but none of them are expanded on or put in the correct order. Another time where the heroine magically falls in love with the hero when he is treating her like shit. Of course the hero has made up excuses in the end that are supposed to justify his actions. And then there is a HUGE leap in logic that the author expects us to believe to bring this couple back together. Nah, and why did the heroine do this anyway? Her bro sure as heck didn't want the biz and was stepping down anyway, sooooo there was no reason for her to do what she did for him. Awkward.
December 4, 2018
Its a good book. Abrupt ending though.
The guy doesn't even apologize properly for all he has done to her. I don't know how they fell for each other. So I'm confused there too. He was an utter bastard and she was upset to the point of actually losing weight and yet they fell in love? Where? How?
There were no good moments in the whole book. nothing that would make it obvious why she fell in love with the guy. He had no redeeming qualities.
I really don't like the ending. Too quick and too far fetched.
But it was good for 1 time read book.
The guy doesn't even apologize properly for all he has done to her. I don't know how they fell for each other. So I'm confused there too. He was an utter bastard and she was upset to the point of actually losing weight and yet they fell in love? Where? How?
There were no good moments in the whole book. nothing that would make it obvious why she fell in love with the guy. He had no redeeming qualities.
I really don't like the ending. Too quick and too far fetched.
But it was good for 1 time read book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2022
Uno corto de esos que se leen rapido y que siempre tienen un final feliz, aunque no todo comenzo color de rosa y el no la trato de la mejor manera, el amor triunfa por encima de su arrogancia y sus traumas del pasado...
June 23, 2019
3.75 ⭐️
September 21, 2019
2.5 Stars
I liked how the heroine get her revenge but I couldn't like how much H hurt the heroine and she just forgived him
I liked how the heroine get her revenge but I couldn't like how much H hurt the heroine and she just forgived him
May 8, 2020
Held the interest. Good.
August 11, 2020
WOW! Julia James I love your book! This book was one of the best I have read and that is saying a lot! I also write romance! You have written a heartfelt book with an amazing plot and wonderful characters. My heart ached for them! There is so much deep emotion and love in the book! Thank you!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews