| Title | : | Ruthless Russian, Lost Innocence |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0373129203 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780373129201 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 192 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2010 |
Vadim is haunted by the ghosts of his past. He wants Ella more than he has ever desired any woman, but he is sure that passion is all they can ever share – until he discovers that his beautiful mistress is expecting his baby!
Ruthless Russian, Lost Innocence Reviews
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This was a pretty good book. I had some issues with some of the choices for execution that Ms. Shaw made, and I'll discuss those.
Russian Hero: Major points there. However, I didn't like that his edgy, dangerousness was mainly due to his ruthless manner in which he would go through women. He was a serious womanizer who never got emotional with his bed-partners. His pursuit of Ella was pretty coldblooded, although there was serious sexual tension and attraction between them. I didn't like how he would think of her as nothing but a sex partner, and he said something pretty cruel to her, although it was in the heat of a moment in which he was grieving what he lost in his past. I have to say, I didn't really like him all that much. He was alright, and he came around. But not a favorite hero of mine. That's a shame, since I love my Russian heroes. I liked the depth that Ms. Shaw gave him, showing his point of view, and how he was tortured by the loss that he blamed on his own actions. I think it could have made him more sensitive to the heroine's needs. But, it didn't seem to do that.
Heroine who is unwilling to marry or make a commitment to a man: I liked this aspect, but Ella's actions seem to belie this. She had a father who was really cruel, cheating on her mother (who was physically frail and had a heart problem), and locking Ella up in a room that was known to be haunted. He squandered the family fortunes on gambling, booze, and women. In other words, the worst role model ever, definitely enough to make a girl sour on men. And yet, Ella fell for a man who had some of her father's traits (at least the cruel womanizer ones) really fast. She told herself that she was just going to have a no-strings sexual affair with him, but she showed emotional involvement very fast. Also, for a woman who prized her independence from a man, it didn't quite ring true that she would allow herself to become a man's mistress. She didn't like him using that term, but she allowed him to treat her as his mistress. I think she should have set more boundaries with him. Such as: not sleeping over, not allowing him to buy her clothes, and jewelry, and having more control over the time she spent with him. That would have rang more true with me, given her emotional scars.
So, I was not blown over by this book, although it had some really good steamy romance, emotional intensity, and was fast-moving. I just had trouble with some of the actions that the characters took, and I wasn't too fond of how things unfolded. One thing that frustrates me is when the heroine falls way too easily for the hero. Where's the conflict in that? I want to see the hero have to do some chasing, and dealing with his feelings for a woman he can't get out of his mind. It seemed as though all he had to do was kiss Ella, and she melted. I realize that the strong attraction is important to the storyline, but I'd like to see some backbone as the heroine fights the attraction. After all, we know the hero is fighting his feelings. Why not show the heroine doing more of the same? I would have preferred that Vadim had to spend more time actually wooing Ella, and showing his feelings evolve as he worked hard to get her. She seemed to be a fairly quick conquest. Too quick for me. It was almost as though her hormones got the best of her.
Overall, this was a good read. I'll probably keep it because of the Russian hero.
Rating: 3.5/5.0. -
Wow went from 2 to 5 this time
On re-read I loved this book. No idea why I gave it two before. It touched me so much and yes when he was a jerk I hated him but he won me over. And I loved the heroine. She had a tragic back story and her Father was just cruel but I loved who she became. I loved that she played the violin and I was disappointed with her decision at the end. I also liked when the hero had his revelation. It really touched me. The scene on the beach made me cry. Just a wonderful book. All unicorns and sunshine my friends. -
The heroine Ella is a woman unwilling to commit or get married after seeing her father cheating on her docile sick mother and abusing them both. Now she is a famous talented violinist and is totally devoted to her career. The hero, a playboy Russian tycoon is instantly in lust with Ella and his pursuit of her is ruthless and relentless!
I liked both the hero and the heroine. They were a bit more complex than I originally assumed. Vadim is a very dark tortured hero. He has a scarred painful past and doesn't really think he's worthy of being loved. He was married once but his wife left him because she couldn't handle his ambitions and obsession with his career. He lost his wife and 5 year old daughter after their house was flattened by avalanche while he was away on business. He can't let go of his guilt and painful memories and when Ella gets pregnant his past comes back to haunt him.
This is a touching emotional read. The characters are far from perfect, but the chemistry between the leads is wonderfully written and believable! -
This book frustrated me. I know it's not my book and I didn't write it but the author made some choices that just bothered me. Here's an example of the type of thing I mean. He comes on to her. She says "no thank you I don't want to date you in fact I'm too involved in my music to date anyone". Several times this happens. When she finally gives in and he finds out she's a virgin, he blows a gasket. He says words to the effect that "If I'd known you were a virgin, I'd never had taken you to bed. I only sleep with experienced lovers, yada yada." And do you know what she didn't say? She didn't say "I told you to go away and leave me alone asshole."
As for the rest he blows hot and cold. She gets her feelings hurt when he says nasty things and she just falls back into his arms at the drop of a hat. The ending was too quick. Overall just below so so for me. -
I'm on the fence about this one. I liked it in the beginning and then found myself getting bored in the middle; then finally my interest resumed towards the end again. I liked the characters and the depth, but it didn't feel like much of a love story - at least from the H's point of view.
The H - Vadim- is a commitment-phobe billionaire playboy ( as they so often are inHP's) and has a tragic past. The heroine - Ella- too is scarred in her own way. So obviously, their mutual emotional baggages make it difficult for them to come together - until the pregnancy (quite predictably).
Now for me, the problem with the 'accidental pregnancy' trope is that it always make me wonder if the HEA is the result of a baby being in the picture, rather than the protagonists actually being in love with each other. And so, I didn't quite buy into the 'love story', especially with the H constantly referring to the h as his 'mistress' in his mind as well as verbally and the h thinking about her career in music and a traumatic childhood with equal frequency. they don't really face their demons in this story, they just calmly accept the next best option - a future with each other - which would have worked, had the plot been better developed. It wasn't though, so this is only a 2 and a half star read for me at best. although, to be fair, I guess it's definitely worth a one time read; if you have nothing better on your shelf. :) -
Another winner from CS. The plot is about Ella, a gifted violinist and Vadim, a Russian playboy billionaire. For once the title of the book was very apt. Ella was a shy, introverted, nervous h, while Vadim was just ruthless. He was a tough one to love but Ella gets there slowly and surely.
Ella is sweet and has faced some abuse while growing up. She is uncertain in all her decisions and can be easily mollified. Vadim meets her and wants to sleep with her. He gets persistent and Ella barely holds up against it. I felt she was too much of a damsel in distress and needed some growing up to do.
The h and H didn’t have much chemistry in the beginning of the book. I also wasn’t sure of their age gap. It seemed that Vadim was rather old since his daughter was 5 when she passes away and he’s been a widower for a decade.
Vadim seemed more of a sad recluse to me as opposed to a sexy playboy billionaire. He was however ruthless in the sense that he kept going Jekyll and Hyde on Ella. I disliked how she couldn’t hang on to her backbone each time he decided to come back or humiliate her.
Vadim’s love making however was extremelllly hot. The stuff of fantasies but Ella didn’t match that passion imo. She was a wilted, jaded flower all the time. Guess I can’t bring perfect justice to my thoughts at this time.
But Ella needed to give Vadim some chase. Vadim also deeply grieved the passing away of his wife and daughter. A wife which he vehemently confessed to have loved and then lost. I’m not sure how he’d replace someone like that with Ella who was forever in the shadows, hiding and passively agreeable.
The end. -
La calidez de su cuerpo de colo en el de ella y sus corazones latieron al mismo tiempo....
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Not so bad, it just didn’t grip me.
I liked that the heroine was an accomplished musician, but I didn’t like, that in the end, she gives it up for wife and motherhood... why?! Its a fiction novel, the author could have easily made her have it all!! 🙄
I didnt like the Hero, he isn’t as nasty and overbearing as many others, but I didnt like how he was constantly comparing the heroine to his late wife, in his mind... and, until the end of the book, it seems the heroine comes out as second choice. ☹️ -
I was surprised to like this one, as it turned out a better book than the title suggested. They were not my favorite characters (she would drive me crazy with her frailties and he with his chauvinism) but their characters rang very true and were well described. It would have even rated a four star, if the author (1) would take out the line about how after five day absence her body "craved for its master." Its written in 2010 for God's sake, surely the English girl knows better, and (2) the cause of death for his former family would be changed to something other than the avalanche (extremely unlikely in Russia that is mostly flat). If Irina's village was in the Ural mountains it would have made more sense, but as it was in Siberia, its woods and plains out there, short hills at the most... its hardly Switzerland
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this was not dat bad but i did not like it. ella was supposed 2 be playboy-phobic, yet she cud not resist vadim. vadim was the worst type of man. he was very disgusting the way he wud think dat ella is getting too attached 2 him, but nevamind he wud satisfy his lust then get rid of her, he cud not care abt her feelings. at the end ofc we learn dat he had a tragic past, his wife n daughter had died but really the way he acted was as if he hated women. i thought a betrayal wud have been a better cause 4 his behaviour than loss of his loved ones. even more disgusting, each time he wud think how he wud replace ella wid another blonde just as soon as he had had his fill. the book repeatedly had those 2 words "another blonde". was dat his mantra !? neway, vadim just spoiled the book 4 me, he was yuck !
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After witnessing her father break her mother’s heart with his numerous affairs, Ella Stafford had vowed never to fall in love. A gifted violinist who plays with an orchestra, she is devoted to her music and not interested in dating any man – especially enigmatic Russian oligarch Vadim Aleksandrov. Disturbingly sexy Vadim has a reputation as a playboy, but Ella is known as the Ice Princess and turns down all his invitations to dinner - until he kisses her and she begins to melt!
Vadim is haunted by the ghosts of his past. He wants Ella more than he has ever desired any woman, but he is sure that passion is all they can ever share – until he discovers that his beautiful mistress is expecting his baby! -
Standalone/Cliffhanger: Standalone
Ages of H and h: Ella is 24 and I'm guessing that Vadim is in his mid 30s
Multi-Luv'n/Ménages:
Was There Descriptive Sex:
Descriptive Sex &/Or Drama Between H/h With OW/OM:
>>If So, Before or After H/h Hookup:
Contains Cheating:
Amount of Sex In The Book:
HEA/HFN/etc Ending:
Will This Meet My 'Safety Gang' Buddies' Approval:
Any Triggers/Warnings: Yes
>>Detail: Dead wife and child 10 years prior. Vadim blames himself for their deaths in an avalanche, i think he found their bodies too.
Do You Recommend This Book: Yes.
Will You Re-read This Book: Maybe
Would You Read More Books By This Author: Yes -
Two emotionally scarred people meet and fall in love. There is not blackmail nor big misunderstanding here, only two very careful people who are afraid to get hurt. He's not bad and she's sweet. He wants to have an affair with her without love, she is afraid to love but eventually they have an affair. She's pregnant and eventually they declares their love and all is well. Low angst, no cheating, very light reading.
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2 Stars
I couldn't love the Hero in this book I felt like I needed to punch him more than once -
Read in the
One-Click Buy: May 2010 Harlequin Presents
Synopsis - At 24, violinist Ella Stafford has a reputation as an ice princess and prefers music to romance. While she is an exceptionally gifted and accomplished musician, she suffers crippling stage fright and only grudgingly circulates at the gatherings after her performances. When she catches Russian tycoon Vadim Alekdsandrov’s attention at such an event in Paris, her immediate impression is that he is gorgeous and dangerous – way out of her league. He reminds her of her womanizing father, and she resists his advances and her own traitorous attraction to him. On the other hand, she doesn’t want to die a virgin and realizes that she has allowed her fear and hatred of her father to control her life for too long. Perhaps an affair with the Russian is just what the doctor ordered.
Vadim is drawn as much by Ella’s passionate playing as her cool beauty and pursues her with the same focus that drove him to become a billionaire. He keeps other people at a distance emotionally, in part due to the coldness of his upbringing and the cruelty of his time in the army, but also from the guilt and sorrow of having lost his wife and child ten years ago while he was building him empire. If he couldn’t love sweet Irina enough to be a good husband, he was obviously not cut out for meaningful relationships. Vadim finds himself feeling more deeply for Ella than any woman since then and tries to push her away emotionally, but everything changes when they find out she is pregnant.
Review - I was thoroughly disgusted with Ella when she dressed up for impromptu dinner at the house. Of course, I was even angrier with Vadim when he yelled at Ella in bed after he found out that she was a virgin. I know their respective tragedies should make them sympathetic, but I was ready to consign them both to misery before the end of Chapter 7. However, I somehow pressed on to see how he would mess up and whether his ultimate grovel would be worth it. The reconciliation was rather anticlimactic yet hard to believe. I think I need to swear off Harlequin Presents for a while, or at least the ones that I haven’t checked out ahead of time. -
This book was interesting to read once for me. It was different in comparison to other Harlequins that I read. The Hero, Vadim, and Heroine, Ella, both have their own emotional baggage, starting from their childhoods. But do to this it is really hard for either of them to open up to each other. All he wants is a mistress, but as they get to know each other they start opening up to each other she finds away to pass the barriers to his heart and becomes really important to him. She never wanted to have a relationship, especially the way her mother was treated by her philandering father. So she uses her uprising violinist career as a defense. But with Vadim's pursuit of her, her defenses start get broken down.
I liked how they got to know each other better during their relationship. But it seemed to drag on and it was hard to get through in the beginning/middle of the book that I had to take breaks from reading it. It didn't start picking up until the last 3rd of the book. I liked how it ended and was glad that I decided to finish reading it. -
Bu ayki Stars Of Romance serisinden Chantelle Shawın Melek Yüzlü romanı da müzik temalarında kurgulanmıştı..Geçmişi ile barışamamış bir adam ve erkeklere güvenemeyen bir kadın vardı..İkisinin de geçmişten yaraları vardı..
Ella Keman virtiözü Vadim ise Rus milyarder idi..Vadim hiç bir kadına bağlanmadan yaşıyordu..Sert bir karakter idi...Geçmişinde karısı ve çocuğunu kaybetmenin vicdan azabını yaşayan bir adamdı..O yüzden hiç bir kadınla çok uzun ilişkilere girmemişti..Ella'ya kadar...Ama Ella onu sadeliği ve saflığı,inatçılığı ile oldukça çarpacaktı..Ella'da babasının sorumsuz ve ahlaksız hayatı yüzünden erkeklere güvenemiyordu..Vadim ona tam da onu hatırlatıyordu...Onu ilk gördğünde işte o yüzden kaçmak istemişti...Fakat ne yapsa Vadim'den kaçamıyordu..İki tarafta inatçıydı..Aralarındaki önce tutku sonra arkadaşlık dostluk sonra aşk geldi.. -
Eleanor Stafford, apprezzata violinista, non frequenta la vita mondana né ha mai perso la testa per uno sconosciuto.
Ella ha sempre dedicato tutte le sue energie alla musica, quindi è la prima a stupirsi dell'effetto che l'incontro con Vadim Aleksandrov ha su di lei. Fin dal primo sguardo che si scambiano, infatti, capisce che fra loro c'è qualcosa di unico e, nonostante provi con tutte le proprie forze a respingere quella consapevolezza, finisce con l'ammettere l'attrazione che prova per uno dei playboy più ricchi e belli che abbia mai incontrato. -
Man, I hate it when a decent read disappoints. The writer did a good job of creating damaged characters only to rush the denouement and waste a lot of her effort. I'd definitely read another book by her, but I'm kind of disappointed by this one :(
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Muy entretenida con un toque de profundizar en por que son asi los personajes para mi gusto tendria que ser un poco mas extensa pero linda historia sin terceros en discordia.
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i love it
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Sweet story but nothing that really stands out to make it more than 3 stars. No angst it even a jerky hero. Decent enough read.
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Meh...the author seemed at a loss for words at some points in the story, repeating her self from earlier in the book. MEh..
