Heartless [Mass Market Paperback]

Kat Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2001

To escape her life of poverty as a tenant farmer's daughter, Ariel Summers made a bargain with the devil--she would become the Earl of Greville's mistress in exchange for the schooling and refinements of a lady. But she couldn't foresee the earl's timely death, or her own disturbing attraction to his bastard son and heir, Justin Ross.

Justin never meant to demand payment from the tempting young woman his father had so callously planned to ruin. But her innocent allure provoked his ruthless nature and he vowed he would have her in his bed.

Seduction was his plan, but Justin never suspected Ariel's innocent passion would awaken emotions he had long believe dead. Now mistrust and betrayal threaten the fragile happiness the two of them have found, and Justin must convince Ariel he isn't the heartless man she believes him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Martin's (The Secret; Perfect Sin) strongly drawn portrait of two vulnerable people picking their way through the tangles of love is certain to please her fans. Upon the Earl of Greville's death in 1802, his newly legitimized bastard son, Justin Ross, inherits the Greville estates as well as Ariel Summers, a plucky girl who had pledged to become his father's mistress in exchange for schooling on how to be a lady. Though he has little interest in making Ariel consummate the bargain, when she finally graduates and comes to live with him, Justin finds his intentions skewed by his attraction to her bright spirit and his dislike of her friendship with his worst enemy. And despite Ariel's own determination to repay her debt without becoming Justin's mistress, she soon discovers her heart has different ideas. But Justin's mistrust of Ariel's loyalty and her fear that he is incapable of love threaten to pull the pair apart. Martin's villains aren't much more than cardboard, but Ariel and Justin push beyond the stereotypes of the fresh, innocent girl and the emotionally distant rake, fleshing out into nicely rounded characters. The narrative also displays an unusual sensitivity as it explores beyond a couple's hormonal compatibility and tackles the more complex wonder of enduring love. (May)Forecast: Sales in the contemporary romance/suspense field have exploded in recent years, and like many popular romance authors, Martin sagely alternates her offerings between historicals and contemporaries. But Martin's dedicated audience comes from her historicals, and this title will fare quite well.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Early nineteenth-century England doesn't offer many opportunities for a woman to change her station in life, but this doesn't deter young Ariel Summers. Living with her abusive father in a cottage as tenants of the Earl of Greville, she dreams of one day being a fine lady. She makes an unusual bargain with the Earl and he accepts, but, unbeknownst to Ariel, he dies, making their bargain the responsibility of his bastard son and heir, Justin Ross. What follows when Justin and Ariel meet is a tale full of misunderstandings and unspoken needs and desires. Both, of course, have mistaken impressions of the other. Justin longs for Ariel but fights the attraction. Ariel, especially, cannot get a clear picture of Justin because his brooding personality hides his true nature. She continually wavers between wanting and hating him, making the reader wish she or he could take Ariel by the shoulders and shake her into making up her mind and giving Justin a break. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312979444
• ISBN-13: 978-0312979447
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #737,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Currently living in Missoula, Montana, Kat Martin is the bestselling author of over fifty Historical and Contemporary Romance novels. Before she started writing in 1985, Kat was a real estate broker. During that time, she met her husband, Larry Jay Martin, also an author. Kat is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. "I love anything old," Kat says. "I love to travel and especially like to visit the places where my books are set. My husband and I often stay in out-of-the-way inns and houses built in times past. It's fun and it gives a wonderful sense of a by-gone era."

To date, Kat has over twelve million copies of her books in print. She is published in twenty foreign countries, including Germany, Norway, Sweden, China, Korea, Bulgaria, Russia, England, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Japan and Greece.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable historical, April 25, 2001

By 

Sheri Melnick (Enola, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heartless (Mass Market Paperback)

Ariel Summers, a peasant girl living in nineteenth century England, decides that she wishes to better her lot in life. She offers to become the mistress of the Earl of Greville in exchange for his providing her with the schooling to become a proper lady. Upon completion of her education, she plans to be his mistress.

Unbeknownst to Ariel, the old Earl dies prior to the completion of her schooling and the new Earl, Justin Ross, the newly legitimized son of the late Earl, inherits his father's soon to be mistress.

In the years since his father's death, Justin has relished the letters sent by Ariel, and something in those correspondances touches his hardened heart. When Justin meets Ariel, he wants her for his own. But she will not be any man's mistress, having decided that she want to try to repay Justin in some other way.

Justin deliberately hurts Ariel thinking that she has betrayed him with another. Tensions arise as she must learn to trust him again, and he learns the meaning of real love.

Kat Martin has written a well-pleasing historical that holds the reader's interest with the constant tension between the hero and heroine as they discover that their mutual attraction leads them on a journey filled with misunderstandings that ends when they find enduring love.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kat Martin scores again!, June 10, 2001

By 

Kay Lewis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heartless (Mass Market Paperback)

When I read the a review on HEARTLESS, I thought, "Oh, oh! Another plot placed in England in the early 19th century that has been done to death." Wrong! It could easily have been just another story of a poor peasant girl meets and falls in love with the local Earl....except Ms. Martin doesn't write anything just like anyone else. The peasant girl, Ariel, made a bargain with the Earl of Greville if he would send her to school so she could learn both academics and the fine art of being a lady when not to the manor born. By the time she graduates, the elderly Earl has passed on and his son, the handsome but cold-hearted Justin Ross is ready to collect on the bargain that was cast between the previous Earl and Ariel. She on the other hand has already made plans to renege on the arrangement. So begins a wonderful story of two people at opposite ends of the caste system that meet on the common ground known as love. They don't arrive at it easily, but once they do, sparks fly in the special way Ms. Martin has of making romantic scenes come alive and leaving you more then a little breathless! Oh, and as a special bonus....I understand there's a sequel to look forward to involving Justins friend, the handsome but slightly mysterious Clayton and Ariels spirtited friend Kassandra. This will be quite a twosome and I'm eagerly awaiting RESTLESS!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart FULL of love & Values, May 10, 2001

By 

Abbys (Moreno Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heartless (Mass Market Paperback)

This is my first of Kat Martin and certainly not the last. I am happy my sister introduced me to her. Because of the interesting back description, I didn't hesistate in reading this one even if I haven't heard of Kat Martin before. I was right, the book was one a kind. In the first chapter however, I thought I wouldn't like Ariel Summers. I thought she was too ambitious and too high flown but as the story progress, I ended up admiring her. I don't think I would have the courage to make such bargain. Justin was a bit too cold and too hard for me in the beginning too. I actually feared him especially after reading the part wherein his father called him to his deathbed. But then slowly, you'll get to know him. He appears cold yet inside, there is something burning waiting to set free. He is actually scared and insecure. Ariel helped loosen him up and melted that ice by offering him her warm heart.

I liked the way Kat Martin touched my heart through her words & specially the ways statements was being said. Everything seems to be said & done at the right time and at the right moment. The misunderstanding & twist of this book is truly heart quenching. This is probably the only book that really made me cry for such a long time. I mean, I have been teary eyed in some books but this one actually made me sob. I cried for Ariel. I felt for her more probably because of her past, her being a farmer's daughter who worked hard to be a Lady. I don't want to ruin it for others so I'll just suggest you read the book and watch out for the chapter 15 to 18. The page 201 is my favorite. This part went to show that a person can be worth more IF he/she chooses to be. No amount of money or title or even high powered education can belittle someone who value oneself. Selfpride and Selfworth cannot be taught, it comes from within. Absolutely wonderful. This book is certainly not heartless but full of it and more. A MUST READ!