Reviewed by Desere
I am sure that none of us ever stops to think what the life of the hired help is like, nor their children.
They work hard to provide for their families but they also face being treated badly by their employers, and having to face their children being bullied and ridiculed for being the hired help's child.
It is a tough life but they do realise that without a job they will not be able to provide for their children so they do their job and take whatever comes their way, all the while trying everything within their power to protect their children.
But when life throws them a opportunity of a lifetime could anyone blame them for grabbing the chance to put their feet up and for once allow themselves to wallow away in luxury. Silvia Ruggiero does just this, when Pier's takes her as his mistress and the housekeeper becomes the number one woman in his life, only Piers does not stop to think what this indiscretion will do to his wife and son and nor does Silvia think what the outcome will be one day when Piers's son wants revenge and she will not be there when judgement day comes around to offer her daughter protection.
Here is where the focus comes in on Ravenna and Jonas. Jonas leans of a theft in his finances and goes after the culprit only the culprit is not who he thought it would be and instead he faces the housekeeper's daughter Ravenna, or rather daughter the to gold-digging no good woman who lured his father to her bed and away from his mother. He will extract revenge by making her pay and pay dearly, punishment will be the highlight of his plan, but once he has her at his command for-filling his every whim he falls for the temptation that is Ravenna, but he vows that having her in his bed will not make him a fool as his father had been.
The character of Ravenna was well written and I liked that the author dug a little into what life is like when you are the child of the hired help. It showed clearly that people never stop to take the time and see the person behind the title how ever low the title may be, they instead carry on with their lives never stopping to think that the person behind the title is also human and has feelings, hopes and dreams. I liked that the author gave Ravenna a backbone to stand up and fight for what needs to be done, never breaking down and allowing people to see their hurtful words and actions getting to her. A strong capable heroine.
The character of Jonas was less likeable as he pretty much treats Ravenna as scum making her work so hard her fingers are raw , but the author did also show that it all comes down to the hurt he needed to face when his mother's world crumbled and there was nothing he could do except stand by and watch as she lost the will to live. It also reminded me that once we are set on revenge their is very little that will open our eyes to the truth and we tend to push through and most of the time it is too late and the realisation of wrong hits after the damage is already too severe.
The backdrop was mostly set in a huge, expensive old and very run down mansion , for me as reader this mirrored the lives of both Ravenna and Jonas, for Jonas it represented how empty his life is even though he has it all and for Ravenna the state that her life has always been, alone in the big world trying to always face her way out of some or another situation.
The dialogue was very emotional with a touch of sensual and sexy. I am taking away a message of regret comes to late and when faced with revenge or stopping to grab hold of the life you realise you need, the best is to follow your heart instead of your actions, for when looking into your heart you will find the space for hatred is so small and overshadowed by love that nothing not even pity and guilt can kill that love once found.
I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance reads with a deep emotional and heart-warming look at the lives of the rich vs the poor and the masks kept in place for the sake of hiding pain, all blended together with a touch of sensuality.
4 star review
" He needs revenge but the revenge turns into a temptation he cannot resist"
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Reviewed by Nas
AN ENTICING DEBT TO PAY by USA Today Bestselling Author
Annie West is a Harlequin Presents release for October 2013.
Jonas Deveson doesn’t forget or forgive. So when he found
out that he had been ripped off and by none other than his father’s mistress,
he is thirsty for revenge.
Ravenna Ruggiero hated her life as the daughter of a working
class mother and later as of the other woman. She had been bullied and scorned
at. Only at one time Jonas had shown kindness to her.
Now Jonas was after revenge and there was no kindness in
him. Where was the man Ravenna remembered? It was an intriguing concept for
Ravenna and she had to find out even while Jonas blackmailed her into working
for him. Yet all sort of sparks fly being alone with him. Would they give in to
their passion and forget who they were?
AN ENTICING DEBT TO PAY is a sizzling romance packed with
emotional and sensual tension. There is mystery as well. Why has Ravenna agreed
when she didn’t steal? Who was she trying to cover for? And why?
Read this astounding romance to find out all answers. Annie
West once again mesmerizes her readers with her characters emotions. You will
be hooked in from the very first page to find answers to your questions.
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Reviewed by Maria
Things are not only quite the way they seem.
Jonas thinks he has the measure of Ravenna. She is, he believes, a predatory gold digger like her husband-stealing mother. Now that he's discovered that her mother, Silvia, has stolen money from his family, he's determined to make her pay - preferably behind prison bars. When Ravenna owns up to the theft and offers to work to repay the money, he thinks it's a case of 'like mother, like daughter'.
Ravenna alone knows how her mother has suffered down through the years. Thrown out of her family home as an unmarried, pregnant teen, she has also suffered while working as a servant, having been wrongly accused of theft in the past, without receiving an apology when her innocence was discovered and continually being treated as a social inferior. She's just lost the man she loved and Ravenna won't see her thrown into jail.
As Ravenna works on refurbishing Jonas' childhood home, a bond develops. Suddenly, Jonas realizes that maybe he's misjudged Ravenna after all.
An engaging and beautifully written romance story about how there are in fact, two sides to every story and learning the other side of the story can be surprising.
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Reviewed by Nancy Crocker
Jonas Deveson is set on
revenge. He is looking for Silvia Ruggiero. Jonas is convinced she forged the
checks against his late father’s account. Silvia was his father’s mistress, and
what better way to make her pay not only for the missing money but for the
destruction he believes Silvia caused his family. What Jonas finds is Ravenna
Ruggiero, Silvia’s daughter. Ravenna tells Jonas she took the money and will
work to pay off the debt. But sometimes things are not always as they appear.
The character of Ravenna
Ruggiero was the best part of this novel. She has gone through so much in her
life. She was a fierce warrior when faced with a life threatening illness. She
defended the one that helped her the most, in her time of need. She was
passionate and so very strong for one that has suffered so much.
I have mixed emotions about
Jonas’s character. While I understand his wanting the money back, he was brutal
at times with the way he talked to Ravenna. His tongue cut quicker than a knife
ever could. I think the thing that saved this character somewhat was his change
of attitude after learning the truth. Of course he did redeem himself in the
end. But I would have preferred a bit more groveling.
I thought the author did
a really good job showing the differences that others perceive between the
upper class and working class society. I loved how Jonas’s whole attitude
changed when he learned the truth behind everything. I really enjoyed the
Epilogue in this book. I loved how it showed the changes in the couple and what
had transpired. I recommend this book to readers who love contemporary
romances.
Favorite lines:
“If that was you being
unaffected,’ he drawled, ‘I look forward to seeing what you’re like when you
put a little effort into sex.’ He drew a slow breath, watching her stumble to a
halt. ‘I was willing to test the waters to see how far you’d go. And I wasn’t
disappointed.’
4/5 stars
I received an
Autographed Copy of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.
