Wildest Hearts [Mass Market Paperback]

Jayne Ann Krentz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1993

Annie Lyncroft knew her scheme was outrageous. She'd come to the elegant penthouse to meet Oliver Rain, the richest and possibly the most dangerous man in the Pacific Northwest. Annie needed this sensual, secretive corporate maverick for what she was about to propose. Marriage!

With her brother Danny missing after a mysterious plane crash, Annie is struggling to protect his hot electronics company from the sharks who think he's not coming back. But fanciful, ethical Annie -- who usually runs a bizarre bric-a-brac shop knows Danny's alive, and she's determined to keep his company safe by putting his biggest investor at the helm. When Oliver actually says yes to the marriage of convenience, Annie dreamily envisions a few platonic weeks of helping him become a sensitive New Age guy. Oliver has a different plan; his cold, gorgeous eyes have been watching Annie, and he sees his chance to seduce the beautiful schemer. Love is the wild card destined to teach these two strong-willed opposites a lesson: icy control might run the business world, but all hell is about to break loose in the passionate territory of the heart.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Krentz ( Perfect Partners ) has turned out yet another satisfactory foray into the commingled worlds of business and romance, though its hero, Oliver Rain, is created from a patchwork of cliches: a "dangerous predator" with "iron-clad self-control" and a fortune that is "the stuff of legend." Daniel Lyncroft disappeared when his private plane went down. His sister, Annie, instinctively knows he isn't dead; determined to keep his electronics firm intact, she proposes a temporary marriage of convenience to Oliver, a financial whiz who can keep Daniel's creditors at bay. When they first met, at Daniel's engagement party, Oliver had already mentally picked Annie as the woman he would like to marry, so the marriage scheme appeals to him. Since Oliver and Annie are attracted to each other, they quickly find that one-on-one, at least, they have no problem mixing business with pleasure. However, Oliver, who as head of the family is accustomed to managing his siblings' and stepmother's lives with executive efficiency, soon discovers that in bringing home his good-intentioned but meddling bride he has introduced a loose cannon into his well-ordered life.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jayne Ann Krentz's acclaimed New York Times bestsellers include Light in Shadow, Smoke in Mirrors, Lost and Found, Soft Focus, Eye of the Beholder, Flash, and Grand Passion. She writes contemporary romantic suspense novels under her own name, futuristic novels as Jayne Castle (also available from Pocket Books), and historical romance novels under the pseudonym Amanda Quick. She lives in Seattle.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; later printing edition (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671728571
• ISBN-13: 978-0671728571
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The author of over 50 New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 35 million copies of her books in print.

Building on the success of her DREAMLIGHT TRILOGY in 2010, Jayne is now focused on writing the LOOKING GLASS TRILOGY. This series will follow the Quicksilver Mirror (a paranormal artifact) through all three of Jayne's worlds covering a time span of several hundred years.

The first LOOKING GLASS book, IN TOO DEEP, will feature Fallon Jones, a recurring character from Jayne's contemporary ARCANE SOCIETY series of novels.

When she's not writing, Jayne can be found at her favorite social networking site posting messages to her fans.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My most favourite JAK novel!!!, December 2, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Wildest Hearts (Mass Market Paperback)

Annie and Oliver stole my heart!! This is my favourite JAK novel, and I have read it several times, just because these characters are so warm, funny and loving.

Annie Lyncroft equated Oliver Rain to a panther taken on human form, so she knew she was treading on dangerous ground when she approached him with a business proposal. Her genius brother had disappeared mysterious, and is feared dead. Annie is not equipped to step into his shoes and run the firm, because it is built around her brother's electronic inventions. Oliver is a high powered businessman, friend of her brother, so she goes to Oliver with an offer that would save her brother's firm, until he can be found. A marriage on convenience. Marry her, give the business investors knowledge that Oliver Rain was there backing her brother's firm as part of the family.

Only a marriage on convenience is not convenient when both Annie and Oliver were deeply attracted to each other from first meeting. Oliver is taken off balance by the offer, only because he was slowly, calculating working to corner Annie so she would accept a marriage offer from him. Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Oliver quickly agrees to Annie's terms.

Oliver is a quite Alpha/Gamma male, a panther on the prowl and Annie soon learns making deals with the devil can mean paying a high price. And Oliver is making a clear a marriage of convenience is the first condition to be tossed out the window.

JAK is on beam, at her best, with Annie and Oliver just endearing characters, with a Quirky manservant/bodyguard tossed in called Bolt. The writing is dazzling!

JAK just does not get any better than this.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 17, 2000

By 

Tina "tinaellorascave" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wildest Hearts (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was Krentz at her hilarious, witty best. Even the murder-mystery subplot (which is not Krentz's strong suit) was suspenseful and well written this time around.

The only complaint I have with this otherwise stellar book is that the heroine was too understanding of the hero's shortcomings. There were a couple of stunts he pulled that would have caused any sane, independent woman to hightail it out of there. Nevertheless, you can only get so mad at a Krentz heroine, because in the end she always manages to bring the hero to heel.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JAK Characterization at its Best!, March 25, 2006

By 

globetrotter "globetrotter" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wildest Hearts (Mass Market Paperback)

Some might think that the characters in "Wildest Hearts" are boring and cliché, but JAK is known for her particular style of characterization, which obviously works considering the large JAK following. In "Wildest Hearts," Oliver Rain and Annie Lyncroft exhibit JAK characterization at its best. Oliver like so many of JAK's heroes is aloof, controlled, business savvy and sexy. Annie is an original. She is also intensely loyal. Unlike so many romance novels which focus on the "lovely" and "beautiful" virginal "miss," JAK waxes less on the physical and more on the sexual and romantic tension between the protagonists. Among my favourite JAK books are the ones published by Pocket Books. A lot of these books have Seattle as a backdrop. Those who know Seattle know that it's full of quirky out-of-the-box people. This unique backdrop is evident throughout "Wildest Hearts." Note for instance, Ella Presswood, Melvin Finch et al. JAK even has Oliver doing yoga. Characterization aside, "Wildest Hearts" is a great story. It moves smoothly without superfluous side stories, and even includes elements of suspense. For those who consider themselves loyal JAK fans, "Wildest Hearts" is a sure winner!