Bought: Destitute yet Defiant

By Sarah Morgan

He’s scarred, sexy, and unashamedly Sicilian…

Silvio Brianza dragged himself up from the slums and has the scars to show it! But no amount of money can heal the invisible scars that run deep. Scars that threaten to surface when, driven by guilt and pent-up desire, he finally tracks down Jessie.

She’s defiant, desirable, and utterly disobedient…

By day, Jessie scrapes her living scrubbing floors but by night she finds her freedom singing in nightclubs. When Silvio sweeps back into her life and offers her an escape, Jessie knows that no amount of diamonds and designer dresses will make her forget their past. She is a survivor and now she must fight her attraction to him, or risk her heart… all over again!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases
• Release date: Aug 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781460393352

Sarah Morgan

USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes lively, sexy contemporary stories for Harlequin. Romantic Times has described her as 'a magician with words' and nominated her books for their Reviewer's Choice Awards and their 'Top Pick' slot. In 2012 Sarah received the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America. She lives near London with her family. Find out more at www.sararahmorgan.co

Reviews for Bought

[pnrlist · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Meh. It was the exact stereotype I always assumed of romances. I mean, I love an insecure, traumatized heroine and angst and all that, but this was just cheesy. It really read as the typical romantic garbage that sets women up for disappointment. As a teen I never understood why my mom read romance and while I obviously have found some stuff I like, the cynical tomboy in me can't help but roll my eyes at this one. (1.5 stars)

[gogglemiss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In some strange way, i liked this story.Very insecure heroine and self assured millionaire. It was rags to riches all right, but I was probably in the mood to read something like this. Yes it lacked credibility, but so what! It was enjoyable. Pure escapism.

[cranberrytarts · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was complaining about Presents the other day when someone suggested I try Morgan's books. While I didn't find this as frustrating as I do many other books in this line, I didn't love it either.

My main gripe is the heroine. Jess grew up poor on the wrong side of London and has only gotten poorer as she's gotten older. When her childhood friend turned bitter enemy comes to her rescue in a dark alley one night, she's both grateful that he came and angry that she needs his help. He's now a billionaire and being around him makes her feel inadequate.

I have to give Morgan credit for the realism in Jessie's thoughts and actions. A girl who grew up hard isn't going to feel comfortable surrounded by wealth or in the company of the rich. Jessie was extremely uncomfortable, which showed in her every thought. Unfortunately, while I understand where she was coming from, in the end Jessie just seemed immature and petty. Her insecurities worked against her. Rather than feeling sympathetic toward her, I found myself getting impatient with her. Her hi-hum, I'm not good enough attitude began to grate. In the end she started to become pathetic. That level of insecurity isn't attractive on anyone, but most especially a heroine.

I did enjoy parts of it, however, and I found the writing easy to follow. I think I'll try a few more of her novels before giving up.

[ridley_ · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Generally I give 3 stars to books that are entertaining but forgettable. This book, however, was beyond forgettable; it was derivative. It was an HP-by-numbers.

Our heroine, Jessie, is a nightclub singer in a seedy section of London. On the anniversary of her brother's death three years ago, she's singing her heart out, trying to ignore the gang of men there waiting to kill her when she's done. Sitting in the back, our hero, Silvio, is grinding his teeth at the live his best friend's sister is living rather than ask him for help. Despite her blaming him for her brother's death, Silvio saves her from trouble in an alleyway and convinces her to accept his help to keep her safe.

Even for an HP, the book lacks believability. I didn't buy the premise that a guy could work his way to billionaire real estate developer by age 30 after moving to London at age 10 and spending his childhood as a troubled immigrant kid in a bad neighborhood. Nor did I get the drama behind the heroine being chased by thugs who want her to pay up on her dead brother's debts. The hero pays them off early in the book, but then insists she must play the part of his woman because "money wasn't all they wanted." So, to protect the girl he's wanted since she was 16, he outfits her in fancy clothes and flies her down to Sicily to do rich people things with him. Uh huh.

The romantic conflict then hinges entirely on the heroine's insecurity. Listening to her constant whining about feeling out of place and not being good enough for Silvio just grated on me. Condomless, orgasmic virgin sex quieted it down a bit, but the author made sure to throw in a last "I'm going to leave you because a random socialite at a party said you were in love with a pretty actress and I wasn't good enough for you" just for good measure. Yawn.

In short: equal parts phoned in, ridiculous and annoying.

[mrsjoseph_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If you've ever read a Harlequin Romance...you know what you're going to get.