Bargain with the devil (A Candlelight ecstasy romance) [Import] [Paperback]

Jayne Castle (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Corgi (1983)
• ISBN-10: 0552122289
• ISBN-13: 978-0552122283
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

More About the Author

When a curtain opened allowing travel between Earth and a new world, it was a tourism opportunity like no one could have envisioned. Travelers moved back and forth between worlds with ease until...the curtain closed.

Abandoned on the new world with no access to Earth technology, the unexpected colonists had to learn to survive. And survive they did. JAYNE CASTLE chronicles the lives of their descendants in her best selling HARMONY SERIES. Turns out folks on HARMONY are starting to exhibit paranormal abilities and -- wouldn't you know it -- some of those people with psychic talents descend from members of the ARCANE SOCIETY (a bestselling series that Jayne writes under her two other pen names, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ and AMANDA QUICK).

Jayne is busy working on CANYONS OF NIGHT, Book 3 in the LOOKING GLASS TRILOGY due out in Summer 2011. Writing as JAYNE ANN KRENTZ she will release Book I, IN TOO DEEP, in Winter 2011. And writing under her historical pen name, AMANDA QUICK, she will contribute Book II in the trilogy, QUICKSILVER, in Spring 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute early Jayne Castle(Krentz) work from October 1981, December 1, 2002

By 

Louise Rotman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bargain with the Devil (Candlelight Ecstasy Romance) (Paperback)

Hunter Manning has been plotting a revenge on Paul Rylan for destroying his father 14 years ago by a takeover of his father's business. He begins his revenge by trying to seduce Paul's son Eric's new wife in hopes to ruin the marriage. Stacy Rylan, Paul's daughter, offers herself in an immediate marriage to stop the threat. What could be better than turning a Rylan into a loyal Manning! As silly as the plot sounds, it actually works, and the sexist story is fun to read.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent older krentz title! short and sweet!, January 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Bargain with the Devil (Candlelight Ecstasy Romance) (Paperback)

I collect the older as well as the newer jayne ann krentz books and this one is right up there with some of her classics like "Second Wife" and "Corporate Wife". The premise that the heroine gets involved with the hero to become his vengence target to protect her brother and sister-in-law works and makes for a suspenseful relationship. They are both strong characters and attracted to each other and after the initial agreement start the complications are just starting. :-) You do wish this book would be longer like her full length novels now but it has the benefit of not having any hokie religious philosophies or weird hobbies as gimmicks.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting, but dating hurts it, October 23, 2004

By 

Deborah MacGillivray "Author," (US & UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bargain with the Devil (Candlelight Ecstasy Romance) (Paperback)

Bargain with the Devil by Jayne Castle (early Jayne Ann Krentz) shows a lot of sparkle and wit, and the delightful writing of Krentz, but boy this one dates! It's so surprising to see just what as considered as "romance" in 1981. What was acceptable. The male comes off not just as Alpha - which I truly love - but overbearing, which hurts this effort. If they plan on re-releasing this one, I hope they update it to where readers of today can enjoy this. The premise is a little contrived, but a bit of judicious editing could turn it around.

Hunter Manning was zeroing in on Stacey Ryland's beautiful "blonde" sister-in-law. Her brother's marriage was new, and he was under pressure taking over the family business, so it left his new wife wide-open for Hunter to target. He has come to Arizona, to extract revenge for his father's death. Stacey's powerful and greedy father forced out Manning's father in a leveraged buyout, and within a year Manning's father was dead. Manning blamed Ryland. Now fourteen years later, the time has come to extract vengeance. He has decided to seduce Stacey's sister-in-law, so distract her brother from business, thus can bring the Ryland empire down.

Only, Hunter did not count on Stacey. She derails Hunter's plan by offering herself as payment for his vengeance. She convinces him, why bother with the sister-in-law when you can go after the daughter. Her offer is to pretend they are having an affair, but Hunter makes a counter offer of marriage. He wants a "Ryland woman he can make into a Manning woman". What she does not tell him is there is no love loss between Stacey and her father, and Hunter marrying her will not hurt her father as Hunter imagines.

Within days, Stacey finds herself married and on her wedding night, her father calls and tells Hunter he knows Hunter married Stacey for vengeance, but it won't work, because there is little affection between father and daughter. Hunter is not pleased and now the marriage is off to rough start.

The premise seems a bit forced. It's hard for the reader to believe Stacey would marry a man who was nearly a total stranger, and make no effort to get to know him before the marriage, just to keep Hunter from going after her brother. If you can get past that and ignore the "make a Ryland witch into a Manning witch", "...or I'll give you the beating you deserve" or "my woman" tossed in repetitively from the nearly Tarzan chest thumping hero, it's a good read; just know going in you have to put up with these problems.