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Matching Pair
They were two of a kind.
Onstage at Dominic Lord's hotel at Lake Malawi, Frith Adeane sang and entertained
holidaymakers with a smoldering display of sensuality. But it was all an act.
"We're two of a kind," Dominic told her after her performance one night. "We're both hedonists, pursuing pleasure, not allowing emotion to shadow enjoyment. To Dominic, their affair was inevitable. To Frith, such a liaison seemed impossible.
They were alike all right—one having chosen to live life on the surface, the other feeling she had no other choice—neither of them having ever really been touched by love.
Onstage at Dominic Lord's hotel at Lake Malawi, Frith Adeane sang and entertained
holidaymakers with a smoldering display of sensuality. But it was all an act.
"We're two of a kind," Dominic told her after her performance one night. "We're both hedonists, pursuing pleasure, not allowing emotion to shadow enjoyment. To Dominic, their affair was inevitable. To Frith, such a liaison seemed impossible.
They were alike all right—one having chosen to live life on the surface, the other feeling she had no other choice—neither of them having ever really been touched by love.
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1986
2 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Jayne Bauling
58 books70 followersJayne was born in England but grew up in South Africa. After many years in Johannesburg and 17 women's fiction novels published in the UK, a move to White River, Mbombela in Mpumalanga, coincided with an exploration of new writing directions - youth fiction, short stories and poetry. Her YA novel E Eights won the 2009 Macmillan Writer's Prize for Africa, Stepping Solo was awarded the 2011 Maskew Miller Longman literature award for novels in English, and Dreaming of Light won the 2012 Gold Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature and was chosen for the 2014 IBBY Honour List. Her youth short story Dineo 658 MP won the 2009 MML silver medal, while This Ubuntu Thing was shortlisted for the inaugural Golden Baobab award and The Saturday Dress was shortlisted for the same award in 2014. In 2011 she also won the inaugural African Writing flash fiction prize for Settling. She has twice been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Another youth novel Our Side of the Wall was shortlisted for the Sanlam Prize. Her adult short stories have appeared in The Bed Book of Short Stories (Modjaji Books), The Edge of Things (Dye Hard Press), African Pens 2011 (Jacana), Feast, Famine & Potluck (Short Story Day Africa), the e-anthology Behind the Shadows, and (the stories An Inappropriate Woman and Witch and Bitch)in the People Opposing Women Abuse Breaking the Silence annual anthologies (Jacana). Rage and Misfortune, her retelling of the OT Samson story was published online by Ludic Press. Poetry: Symbiosis won SAFM's Express Yourself prize, Fist was placed 3rd in the 2008 POWA Women's Writing Project and published in Murmurs of the Girl in Me, while Unschooled was published in POWA's 2010 anthology Stories of the Othere(ed) Woman and The Ladies Take Tea in POWA's 2012 anthology Sisterhood. More poetry in ouroboros review, Markings, poetandgeek, Ons Klyntji, Litnet and the Lowvelder.
Her latest novel is Soccer Secrets (Cover2Cover Books).
Visit her Facebook page Jayne Bauling Writer or follow her on Twitter @JayneBauling
Her latest novel is Soccer Secrets (Cover2Cover Books).
Visit her Facebook page Jayne Bauling Writer or follow her on Twitter @JayneBauling
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 21, 2016
Re Matching Pair - J Bauling forgoes her usual rapey mean H in this one, well the H is still an arrogant alpha dude but he gets a huge comeuppance, and the great thing about it is the h was absolutely not trying to serve it to him. She was trying to get along in her chosen life as best she could. The H in this one has to beg and it is probably one of the best humblings of an HP H until Emma Darcy's serious H smackdown is written about 50 books from now.
The story starts with the 23 year old beautiful and charming h doing her holiday hotel lounge nightclub act. She has a very flirtatious and tastefully suggestive act that is backed by a young band with some serious talent. She notices a very handsome Alpha of a man watching her act and he is making his interest very obvious, even though he has a very attractive blonde accessory looking a bit perturbed sitting right next to him.
Turns out he is the owner of the luxury hotel chain the h and her band travel around doing nightclub acts for and he wants the h to come and share some quality shag time with him. He is more than happy to dismiss his current amour, in spite of her obvious chagrin at his fickleness, if the h will indulge in an affair.
He tells her that the h and himself are two of kind, and thus the world's winners, because they live a sybaritic existence and don't engage in messy emotions or delve deeply into the emotional morasses other people wind up in.
The h has some inner demons that prevent her from indulging in affairs. She met a man a 19 who introduced her to the chanteuse singing circuit as a cover for his drug smuggling, and tho she was engaged to him and thought she was in love with him, he regularly belittled and humiliated her for being unable to go to bed with him.
Then he got arrested for drug smuggling while working with the h at one of the H's hotels. The ex/manager demanded that she pose for a nude magazine to pay for his defense lawyer, and because she felt she owed him for saving her from homelessness and starvation, she did it.
Since her parents died when she was five and her old aunt made her feel that any care given to her was an obligation she had to repay, she posed for the photos, paid the defense attorney and then kicked the ex manager out of her life when he went to prison.
She then formed a new band she could control and applied for the hotel circuit act at the H's chain of hotels. Since the ex-manager was very careful to keep on her good side and treat her well, except for the sexual humiliation he inflicted upon her occasionally, the h was known to be completely innocent of any drug charges.
The h isn't in love with the ex anymore, but she also thinks she is frigid and that her whole stage persona is an elaborate act. She turns the H down for an affair after a few kisses and some flirting, she truly has no desire to be a tease. The H keeps saying mean things every time his seduction attempts fail and then he has come back the next day and apologize to the h.
What the h is feeling is shame for her frigidity and being less than normal, the H is reading it as she just isn't that into him, and it is driving him nuts. He is known as the Playboy of the Southern Hemisphere and he just can't handle being uninteresting to a woman. He isn't rapey though, he just makes some cutting comments and he mocks the h pretty terribly when she describes her messy emotions about the past and the nude pictorial he taunts her with.
He has to come back and apologize for that too, (he apologizes very well for never having to do it before.) Then he invites the h and some of the band out to his colonial English African estate, she accepts and he tries to seduce her again. The h is fascinated by the H, he proves himself to be a good companion and it is with some frustration that she realizes she is more than halfway in love with him. The frustration is that when he tries to kiss her, she freezes up and she is too ashamed of herself to tell him.
He mistakenly thinks she is still in love with the ex and being faithful to his memory. The H tries to tell her to free herself from those emotional chains and the h takes his advice, she insinuates that she will sleep with the H that night.
She thinks if she drinks enough, she can get past her physical revulsion to touch and then she will be normal. The H has no clue about her frigidity, he thinks she is getting drunk to force herself to sleep with the boss, this revolts him because he has never had to pay for sex, so he winds up rejecting her and she goes off to be sick.
The h is pretty heartsore and feels even worse when the H calls his former companion back to stay with them. They part with the H making some more vicious comments, which the h serves right back, and the H saying he never wants to see her again as he takes off with his blonde companion.
The h is very sad, but figures it is for the best as she isn't normal anyway. Then she gets approached by a music producer who wants to make her back-up band famous, she has to chose if she is going with them, (she knows she doesn't have the talent for a real recording rock act,) or to let them move on and for her to start all over trying to put together another group.
She has some very bleak moments thinking about what she will do when her looks are older and her figure ages. Then the H comes back unexpectedly and sees her with the music producer. He gets really mad. He thinks she has taken another lover and he accuses her of finding a replacement for him that doesn't use women like he does. She tells him she has and he then tries to forcibly seduce her. He figures out he is repulsing her and calls her a destroyer of men and runs off. (It was rather nice to see the H running off to be a big baby for a change.)
The h is pretty shattered by the confrontation and spends all night pondering her future. Then she sees the H walking along the beach by her little holiday chalet the next morning and she goes out to meet him. He apologizes again, he has fallen in love with her and he tells her she can laugh at him because what she warned him would happen eventually did - he fell in love with a woman who is indifferent to him and he hates it.
He asks about the music producer and the h explains that she has to decide what to do about her career and the band and the H suggests she marry him instead of starting another group. He doesn't care if she is still in love with her old ex and can't sleep with him, he just needs her in his life no matter what. He figured out he was in love when he went crazily jealous when he saw her with another guy that wasn't him.
The h starts crying and explains that she loves him too, but she is frigid and can't be with him when he asks her to marry him, because sex is very necessary for most people and she would hate it if he had to go to other women. He tells her he can't be with other women, he never slept with the blonde again after he met the h because nothing would work and he felt unfaithful.
He also tells her that if they never have a physical relationship, it is fine with him, he just has to be with her - but he thinks she isn't frigid, just inexperienced, cause she did respond to his kissing. He also says that the ex was probably angry he had to be nice to his meal ticket/cover for the drug smuggling and that the h probably couldn't sleep with the guy cause she wasn't really in love with him, just very grateful for being helped out of a bad situation. He thinks that since the h trusts him a little more now that he is very committed and they are getting married, things will work out fine in the bedroom.
Turns out the H was right and the h is really happy and the H is ecstatic, but he feels bad that he wasn't a virgin for her as he was really proud she was for him. She tells him it was just as well that one of them has some experience and on that happy note, another couple finds a permanent HEA in HPlandia.
I liked this one, it was very well done. The h's rejections of the H, even though it was only in the h's pov, were quite amusing to read, cause JB made what he was thinking really obvious to the reader - even as the h misunderstood his reactions cause she was so focused on her own inner insecurities.
This was a nice taming-of-the-rake-type story and the h was really strong in this one and quite likable, as was the H when he wasn't spouting off outrageous statements about the ladies. If you find this one, give it a go, the end is really romantic. The usual JB angst is there but the payoff is excellent.
The story starts with the 23 year old beautiful and charming h doing her holiday hotel lounge nightclub act. She has a very flirtatious and tastefully suggestive act that is backed by a young band with some serious talent. She notices a very handsome Alpha of a man watching her act and he is making his interest very obvious, even though he has a very attractive blonde accessory looking a bit perturbed sitting right next to him.
Turns out he is the owner of the luxury hotel chain the h and her band travel around doing nightclub acts for and he wants the h to come and share some quality shag time with him. He is more than happy to dismiss his current amour, in spite of her obvious chagrin at his fickleness, if the h will indulge in an affair.
He tells her that the h and himself are two of kind, and thus the world's winners, because they live a sybaritic existence and don't engage in messy emotions or delve deeply into the emotional morasses other people wind up in.
The h has some inner demons that prevent her from indulging in affairs. She met a man a 19 who introduced her to the chanteuse singing circuit as a cover for his drug smuggling, and tho she was engaged to him and thought she was in love with him, he regularly belittled and humiliated her for being unable to go to bed with him.
Then he got arrested for drug smuggling while working with the h at one of the H's hotels. The ex/manager demanded that she pose for a nude magazine to pay for his defense lawyer, and because she felt she owed him for saving her from homelessness and starvation, she did it.
Since her parents died when she was five and her old aunt made her feel that any care given to her was an obligation she had to repay, she posed for the photos, paid the defense attorney and then kicked the ex manager out of her life when he went to prison.
She then formed a new band she could control and applied for the hotel circuit act at the H's chain of hotels. Since the ex-manager was very careful to keep on her good side and treat her well, except for the sexual humiliation he inflicted upon her occasionally, the h was known to be completely innocent of any drug charges.
The h isn't in love with the ex anymore, but she also thinks she is frigid and that her whole stage persona is an elaborate act. She turns the H down for an affair after a few kisses and some flirting, she truly has no desire to be a tease. The H keeps saying mean things every time his seduction attempts fail and then he has come back the next day and apologize to the h.
What the h is feeling is shame for her frigidity and being less than normal, the H is reading it as she just isn't that into him, and it is driving him nuts. He is known as the Playboy of the Southern Hemisphere and he just can't handle being uninteresting to a woman. He isn't rapey though, he just makes some cutting comments and he mocks the h pretty terribly when she describes her messy emotions about the past and the nude pictorial he taunts her with.
He has to come back and apologize for that too, (he apologizes very well for never having to do it before.) Then he invites the h and some of the band out to his colonial English African estate, she accepts and he tries to seduce her again. The h is fascinated by the H, he proves himself to be a good companion and it is with some frustration that she realizes she is more than halfway in love with him. The frustration is that when he tries to kiss her, she freezes up and she is too ashamed of herself to tell him.
He mistakenly thinks she is still in love with the ex and being faithful to his memory. The H tries to tell her to free herself from those emotional chains and the h takes his advice, she insinuates that she will sleep with the H that night.
She thinks if she drinks enough, she can get past her physical revulsion to touch and then she will be normal. The H has no clue about her frigidity, he thinks she is getting drunk to force herself to sleep with the boss, this revolts him because he has never had to pay for sex, so he winds up rejecting her and she goes off to be sick.
The h is pretty heartsore and feels even worse when the H calls his former companion back to stay with them. They part with the H making some more vicious comments, which the h serves right back, and the H saying he never wants to see her again as he takes off with his blonde companion.
The h is very sad, but figures it is for the best as she isn't normal anyway. Then she gets approached by a music producer who wants to make her back-up band famous, she has to chose if she is going with them, (she knows she doesn't have the talent for a real recording rock act,) or to let them move on and for her to start all over trying to put together another group.
She has some very bleak moments thinking about what she will do when her looks are older and her figure ages. Then the H comes back unexpectedly and sees her with the music producer. He gets really mad. He thinks she has taken another lover and he accuses her of finding a replacement for him that doesn't use women like he does. She tells him she has and he then tries to forcibly seduce her. He figures out he is repulsing her and calls her a destroyer of men and runs off. (It was rather nice to see the H running off to be a big baby for a change.)
The h is pretty shattered by the confrontation and spends all night pondering her future. Then she sees the H walking along the beach by her little holiday chalet the next morning and she goes out to meet him. He apologizes again, he has fallen in love with her and he tells her she can laugh at him because what she warned him would happen eventually did - he fell in love with a woman who is indifferent to him and he hates it.
He asks about the music producer and the h explains that she has to decide what to do about her career and the band and the H suggests she marry him instead of starting another group. He doesn't care if she is still in love with her old ex and can't sleep with him, he just needs her in his life no matter what. He figured out he was in love when he went crazily jealous when he saw her with another guy that wasn't him.
The h starts crying and explains that she loves him too, but she is frigid and can't be with him when he asks her to marry him, because sex is very necessary for most people and she would hate it if he had to go to other women. He tells her he can't be with other women, he never slept with the blonde again after he met the h because nothing would work and he felt unfaithful.
He also tells her that if they never have a physical relationship, it is fine with him, he just has to be with her - but he thinks she isn't frigid, just inexperienced, cause she did respond to his kissing. He also says that the ex was probably angry he had to be nice to his meal ticket/cover for the drug smuggling and that the h probably couldn't sleep with the guy cause she wasn't really in love with him, just very grateful for being helped out of a bad situation. He thinks that since the h trusts him a little more now that he is very committed and they are getting married, things will work out fine in the bedroom.
Turns out the H was right and the h is really happy and the H is ecstatic, but he feels bad that he wasn't a virgin for her as he was really proud she was for him. She tells him it was just as well that one of them has some experience and on that happy note, another couple finds a permanent HEA in HPlandia.
I liked this one, it was very well done. The h's rejections of the H, even though it was only in the h's pov, were quite amusing to read, cause JB made what he was thinking really obvious to the reader - even as the h misunderstood his reactions cause she was so focused on her own inner insecurities.
This was a nice taming-of-the-rake-type story and the h was really strong in this one and quite likable, as was the H when he wasn't spouting off outrageous statements about the ladies. If you find this one, give it a go, the end is really romantic. The usual JB angst is there but the payoff is excellent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2020
Commitment-phobe hero is smitten with torch singer heroine and proposes an open-ended affair. Heroine is a virgin who is convinced she frigid and congratulates herself frequently for being able to put on such a sultry, sexy performance night after night in the hero's hotel(s).
Not a whole lot happens in the story - H pursues. Heroine resists. H becomes frustrated. Heroine feels guilty for "teasing." Rinse. Repeat.
It's an interesting deep dive into how two dysfunctional people manage to find common ground to finally get to sex. After so many newer HPs that only provide sex scenes to show "love," it's a relief to read actual conversations before they jump into bed. The conversations are interesting/hilarious at times because hero is a complete Neanderthal and heroine is having none of it.
Not a whole lot happens in the story - H pursues. Heroine resists. H becomes frustrated. Heroine feels guilty for "teasing." Rinse. Repeat.
It's an interesting deep dive into how two dysfunctional people manage to find common ground to finally get to sex. After so many newer HPs that only provide sex scenes to show "love," it's a relief to read actual conversations before they jump into bed. The conversations are interesting/hilarious at times because hero is a complete Neanderthal and heroine is having none of it.
September 26, 2016
An older, un-p.c., and cliche Harlequin pitting the virgin hiding under a vamp persona with one of the most verbally abusive, big-fat-jerk, manwhore of a "hero" that can be found in the genre, which is really saying something.
Some of the priceless, verbal diarrhea he spewed out while trying to seduce our heroine:
"I may have said I've wanted you for years, but I haven't exactly languished with frustration in that time. The world is full of women willing to come to my bed..."
"The way you look interests me a whole lot more than either your mind or your emotions... Complexity bores me..."
"I can do without a woman haunted by untidy leftovers from the past. A pity, since you're very desirable, but there it is. I don't like losers."
"You can really be a bitch", he murmured, his face dark. "I don't know why I'm wasting my time on you."
"I didn't realize you could be such a bitch, and the sort of man you've just described doesn't go for bitches."
And so on and so forth, you get the picture.
If all that wasn't enough, he constantly dangles his sidepiece of the week before the heroine's eyes throughout the entire...ahem...courtship, and one time, in a jealous rage, he almost rapes her. His
apology for assaulting her? You guessed it:
"You bitch. You've driven me to animal behaviour, to near-rape, with your stupid lie."
It is only when he realizes he cannot force her to bed that he proposes marriage. And he is so proud when he finally finds out about her "innocence." Another guy who hates the woman (as he has told her on many occasions that he can't stand her, just wants her body), but he can worship a membrane. It is not exactly unexpected in this type of dime-store novel but I have read enough Harlequins to know this is by no means the attitude of ALL Harlequinny heroes, no matter how throwback, mine-mine-mine, and Alpha they may be.
The heroine was not sympathetic either. Having already gone through a relationship with an abusive jerk who used her, she decides to fall into insta-love with another abusive jerk. Uh, what gives? I never got the attraction she had for him or that she kept provoking him, knowing what his violent reaction was going to be. I don't know if she was a masochist or had a martyr syndrome but I definitely don't enjoy these types of heroines.
I liked the setting in a luxury hotel in Africa, her job as a nightclub singer ,and her fraternal band members but that was pretty much the only thing I liked about Matching Pair. Sorrynotsorry.
Some of the priceless, verbal diarrhea he spewed out while trying to seduce our heroine:
"I may have said I've wanted you for years, but I haven't exactly languished with frustration in that time. The world is full of women willing to come to my bed..."
"The way you look interests me a whole lot more than either your mind or your emotions... Complexity bores me..."
"I can do without a woman haunted by untidy leftovers from the past. A pity, since you're very desirable, but there it is. I don't like losers."
"You can really be a bitch", he murmured, his face dark. "I don't know why I'm wasting my time on you."
"I didn't realize you could be such a bitch, and the sort of man you've just described doesn't go for bitches."
And so on and so forth, you get the picture.
If all that wasn't enough, he constantly dangles his sidepiece of the week before the heroine's eyes throughout the entire...ahem...courtship, and one time, in a jealous rage, he almost rapes her. His
apology for assaulting her? You guessed it:
"You bitch. You've driven me to animal behaviour, to near-rape, with your stupid lie."
It is only when he realizes he cannot force her to bed that he proposes marriage. And he is so proud when he finally finds out about her "innocence." Another guy who hates the woman (as he has told her on many occasions that he can't stand her, just wants her body), but he can worship a membrane. It is not exactly unexpected in this type of dime-store novel but I have read enough Harlequins to know this is by no means the attitude of ALL Harlequinny heroes, no matter how throwback, mine-mine-mine, and Alpha they may be.
The heroine was not sympathetic either. Having already gone through a relationship with an abusive jerk who used her, she decides to fall into insta-love with another abusive jerk. Uh, what gives? I never got the attraction she had for him or that she kept provoking him, knowing what his violent reaction was going to be. I don't know if she was a masochist or had a martyr syndrome but I definitely don't enjoy these types of heroines.
I liked the setting in a luxury hotel in Africa, her job as a nightclub singer ,and her fraternal band members but that was pretty much the only thing I liked about Matching Pair. Sorrynotsorry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2020
This book has a well-written and witty repartee. It lifts the book up above the average. The h knows how to give it back to the H and even he, with his sarcastic wit is left floundering at times. Only problem is the length (which is okay for a vintage, actually) and the repetitive situations.
*With spoilers*The h is a fighter and a survivor who knows how to live off her wits. She is a hotel singer (in Malawi) who does the sexy siren routine quite well but thinks herself a fraud as in reality she is nothing like that (surprise!). The H, the hotel chain owner is an international playboy who is spoilt for choice by his female legion. He’s smitten by the h and thinks that she is very suitable for a short fling seeing her act it out.
They even have an unpleasant history though nothing of the personal kind. Lots of layers get peeled off to reveal a complex woman that the h is.
The h has some psychological issues regarding sex and sexuality that take up much of the narrative and plot. I liked and admired her spunk to begin with, but her push-pull experiments were not only dangerous and insensitive but also got boring after a while.
The H started out as a nasty selfish pos but he reveals his more sensitive and caring side as we go on, although the book shows a very casual approach to sexual affairs of the time and place.
All said and done, no contemporary h would dare to call out a H like this h does. These days they bicker, not banter. The author showed a lot of originality in the wordplay and I enjoyed it a lot.
*With spoilers*The h is a fighter and a survivor who knows how to live off her wits. She is a hotel singer (in Malawi) who does the sexy siren routine quite well but thinks herself a fraud as in reality she is nothing like that (surprise!). The H, the hotel chain owner is an international playboy who is spoilt for choice by his female legion. He’s smitten by the h and thinks that she is very suitable for a short fling seeing her act it out.
They even have an unpleasant history though nothing of the personal kind. Lots of layers get peeled off to reveal a complex woman that the h is.
The h has some psychological issues regarding sex and sexuality that take up much of the narrative and plot. I liked and admired her spunk to begin with, but her push-pull experiments were not only dangerous and insensitive but also got boring after a while.
The H started out as a nasty selfish pos but he reveals his more sensitive and caring side as we go on, although the book shows a very casual approach to sexual affairs of the time and place.
All said and done, no contemporary h would dare to call out a H like this h does. These days they bicker, not banter. The author showed a lot of originality in the wordplay and I enjoyed it a lot.
December 7, 2019
"Matching Pair" is the story of Frith and Dominic.
Truly, a hidden gem.
In this super angst filled romance, we have a h who is a sensual hotel performer, all of which is a facade hiding a broken woman. She meets the H, the owner of the hotel and he instantly propositions her. However, she has had a traumatic past and cannot agree to his no-strings-attached relationship..until she falls in love with him. But when it comes to consummating their relationship, old inhibitions interfere and the H is repeatedly left frustrated. How long will this toxic cycle continue? Will she be finally expose her scars and make him understand?
Honestly, this was tearjerker. The h is depressed and stressed, but maintains a mask of charm and confidence to hide her pain. She has had a shitty ex and been exploited growing up, hence is extremely wary of people, hiding herself in a shell..especially against a H who confesses all he wants is her body. She has her bandmates who support her, but no confidantes.
In the book, we see her spiraling downwards, drinking and having inner breakdowns, while masquerading as a happy Madonna. She frustrates the playboy H, giving him a run for his money, but he cannot stay away from her, and continues to return back despite rejections.
What I did really like was that the H stopped when the h asked him to, and we did not get any rape scenes in the book. A lot of bruising kisses though. AND that it made me cry buckets.
Congrats on the O Frith!
Safe for me/SWE
4.5/5
Truly, a hidden gem.
In this super angst filled romance, we have a h who is a sensual hotel performer, all of which is a facade hiding a broken woman. She meets the H, the owner of the hotel and he instantly propositions her. However, she has had a traumatic past and cannot agree to his no-strings-attached relationship..until she falls in love with him. But when it comes to consummating their relationship, old inhibitions interfere and the H is repeatedly left frustrated. How long will this toxic cycle continue? Will she be finally expose her scars and make him understand?
Honestly, this was tearjerker. The h is depressed and stressed, but maintains a mask of charm and confidence to hide her pain. She has had a shitty ex and been exploited growing up, hence is extremely wary of people, hiding herself in a shell..especially against a H who confesses all he wants is her body. She has her bandmates who support her, but no confidantes.
In the book, we see her spiraling downwards, drinking and having inner breakdowns, while masquerading as a happy Madonna. She frustrates the playboy H, giving him a run for his money, but he cannot stay away from her, and continues to return back despite rejections.
What I did really like was that the H stopped when the h asked him to, and we did not get any rape scenes in the book. A lot of bruising kisses though. AND that it made me cry buckets.
Congrats on the O Frith!
Safe for me/SWE
4.5/5
October 19, 2020
She has a backbone and pride enough to tame a manwhore. Go girl! Lol
December 28, 2021
Good angst.
The heroine is a nightclub singer and the hero is the owner of the hotel where she works.
She looks sexy and sophisticated but she’s anything but.
She’s an inhibited virgin who thinks she’s frigid.
The hero is a shallow playboy who thinks she’s his equivalent female. So he proposes an affair.
She takes her time because she doesn’t want to tell him she’s a basket case.
So we have the hero trying to seduce her and she always stopping him and he’s more and more frustrated.
There’s an holiday where she understands she’s in love with him and decides to give it to him, but has to get drunk because she’s scared. The hero doesn’t take it very well, he’s hurt and he leaves her, after she puked everything and still she hasn’t told him about her hang- ups.
The hero has one of his lowest moment because he calls his ex mistress and goes to seichelles with her, leaving the heroine shattered.
She goes back to her job and decides to forget all about him, because a basket case she may be but she’s got a strong sense of self preservation and knows that after a fall you have to stand up and go on.
A couple of weeks later the hero is back and true again to have his ways with her, but after another failure he gives up, apologizes and ask her to marry him. When she explains her problems he’s really sweet because he tells her that if she’s really not able to have sex with him he will give up sex because all he wants is to live all his life loving her.
What a darling.
Of course they get married and have wonderful sex because this is hp world, and they have their hea.
The heroine needed therapy and I’m really astonished that nobody suggested her.
She was traumatized by her previous boyfriend who was a drug dealer and a criminal and of course she was terrified to repeat the unpleasant experiences she had with him.
But I liked that she always had self respect and pride.
The hero was a shallow playboy and I didn’t appreciate that he had immediately another woman after her.
That was really tacky, even if he couldn’t perform with her.
But he redeemed himself and in the end he was even sorry he wasn’t a virgin like her. That was new for a hp.
The book was good and the writer defines very well the development of both characters with their faults and mistakes.
I could understand that she wasn’t willing to expose herself to the hero since he seemed such a shallow character, so the misunderstandings.
The first part of the book was quite slow but the second was more interesting and angsty.
As regards her frigidity the hero was a dear, but I always remember with pleasure what a Diana Palmer hero would say in this case: there aren’t frigid women, darling, only incompetent men.
Ah, those were the men!
The heroine is a nightclub singer and the hero is the owner of the hotel where she works.
She looks sexy and sophisticated but she’s anything but.
She’s an inhibited virgin who thinks she’s frigid.
The hero is a shallow playboy who thinks she’s his equivalent female. So he proposes an affair.
She takes her time because she doesn’t want to tell him she’s a basket case.
So we have the hero trying to seduce her and she always stopping him and he’s more and more frustrated.
There’s an holiday where she understands she’s in love with him and decides to give it to him, but has to get drunk because she’s scared. The hero doesn’t take it very well, he’s hurt and he leaves her, after she puked everything and still she hasn’t told him about her hang- ups.
The hero has one of his lowest moment because he calls his ex mistress and goes to seichelles with her, leaving the heroine shattered.
She goes back to her job and decides to forget all about him, because a basket case she may be but she’s got a strong sense of self preservation and knows that after a fall you have to stand up and go on.
A couple of weeks later the hero is back and true again to have his ways with her, but after another failure he gives up, apologizes and ask her to marry him. When she explains her problems he’s really sweet because he tells her that if she’s really not able to have sex with him he will give up sex because all he wants is to live all his life loving her.
What a darling.
Of course they get married and have wonderful sex because this is hp world, and they have their hea.
The heroine needed therapy and I’m really astonished that nobody suggested her.
She was traumatized by her previous boyfriend who was a drug dealer and a criminal and of course she was terrified to repeat the unpleasant experiences she had with him.
But I liked that she always had self respect and pride.
The hero was a shallow playboy and I didn’t appreciate that he had immediately another woman after her.
That was really tacky, even if he couldn’t perform with her.
But he redeemed himself and in the end he was even sorry he wasn’t a virgin like her. That was new for a hp.
The book was good and the writer defines very well the development of both characters with their faults and mistakes.
I could understand that she wasn’t willing to expose herself to the hero since he seemed such a shallow character, so the misunderstandings.
The first part of the book was quite slow but the second was more interesting and angsty.
As regards her frigidity the hero was a dear, but I always remember with pleasure what a Diana Palmer hero would say in this case: there aren’t frigid women, darling, only incompetent men.
Ah, those were the men!
February 21, 2016
Liked this book. It was worth reading just for the ending alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2020
Silk shirt, violet eyes... need I say more? A nice vintage read, save for the take on the h’s perceived incurable flaw, which, judging by the suspenseful build-up, I would have totally expected to be an ambiguous genitalia or sth, had I not known it was a vintage.
July 21, 2017
4.5 stars review to come since I got to sleep for work but I don't want to forget my initial reaction after reading this book and that is wowza, holy moly. My emotions and star ratings as I read chapter to chapter were fluctuating coz holy frig, I thoroughly despised the H and what he was about. I'm like gosh d*MN what a freakin shallow pain in the ass only one thing on his mind dude! But you know what, I have to reluctantly admit that the H was who he was - he never lied about who he was and his principles and presented himself truthfully but gosh darn how I wanted to smack him! as for the h in the beginning when she was all, oh here darling and using seductive eyes glamour and all that jazz I was like oh good grief. I was initially unused to that type of h. But as I kept reading I felt so bad and sad for her. I can emphasize with her. To some extent that's what some women do hide behind their looks and /or makeup. I know I do sometimes and yes when I'm all "done up" I feel like a different person and sometimes I feel my "fake face" gives me the pass to be a different person or act a certain way. But I absolutely loved how honest and damaged and retrospective the h was and she broke my cynical heart. I love how she was being so truthful about herself and about the H - she had no illusions about that type of man he was. I loved that the h threw back what she could to the aggravating H. I also love her compassion for the OWs in the H's life. I usually I rate a book with high stars based on whether I would reread it again, the vomit inducing AWWWWsss I get from a book and finally when I reached the ending I realize gosh darn this was a good book. Yes I went through a roller coaster of emotions but I did my best to hang on - hang on to the end(!) and I'm glad I did. I think I got all the comebacks, revenge, and awwws from this book lol!! Meaning - bastard H who needs to be taken down a peg or two or in this case, on your knees, grovel, declare SUPREME defeat and SURRENDER CHECK!!!! gorgeous h and extreme shock she's also a virgin CHECK!!! a super happy dappy vomit inducing happy ending that will warm me me up to survive work till the weekend CHECKKKKK!!!! ok this turned out to be my official review lol. This book will surely be in my keeper shelf. I may possibly do a second reread very soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2020
They were two of a kind
Onstage at Dominic Lord's hotel at Lake Malawi, Frith Adeane sang and entertained
holidaymakers with a smoldering display of sensuality. But it was all an act.
"We're two of a kind," Dominic told her after her performance one night. "We're both hedonists, pursuing pleasure, not allowing emotion to shadow enjoyment. To Dominic, their affair was inevitable. To Frith, such a liaison seemed impossible.
They were alike all right--one having chosen to live life on the surface, the other feeling she had no other choice--neither of them having ever really been touched by love.
Onstage at Dominic Lord's hotel at Lake Malawi, Frith Adeane sang and entertained
holidaymakers with a smoldering display of sensuality. But it was all an act.
"We're two of a kind," Dominic told her after her performance one night. "We're both hedonists, pursuing pleasure, not allowing emotion to shadow enjoyment. To Dominic, their affair was inevitable. To Frith, such a liaison seemed impossible.
They were alike all right--one having chosen to live life on the surface, the other feeling she had no other choice--neither of them having ever really been touched by love.
January 4, 2021
What an utter trainwreck.
October 24, 2016
Good writing.
Only thing that would make their love more believable is if they had more time together.
Only thing that would make their love more believable is if they had more time together.
October 9, 2021
Jayne Bauling is a bit hit or miss for me but this is a good one. He likes being shallow - it’s a point of pride for him - and he assumes she is too. In fact he’s nasty when she mentions past events and how they hurt her. He wipes her off with a sneer for being loser enough to let the past or anything much bother her. After all he doesn’t have emotions or a heart that can be hurt so sh3 shouldn’t either, not if she wants to be a winner like he is.
She can’t turn off her emotions and her superficial act is just that, an act. She’s a walking hurt who fears love and doesn’t think she can offer anyone anything.
The resolution and ending are great. I’m rating this three stars because it dragged a bit in the middle
She can’t turn off her emotions and her superficial act is just that, an act. She’s a walking hurt who fears love and doesn’t think she can offer anyone anything.
The resolution and ending are great. I’m rating this three stars because it dragged a bit in the middle
April 19, 2024
Didn't care for this one. The H went from being an alpha jerk to a beta bore and was unappealing either way. As for the h, are we really supposed to believe that a woman who dated a drug dealer, posed nude for a porno mag, sings sexy songs and acts provocative on stage is a virgin?????? COME ON!!!! Stop insulting readers' intelligence!!
January 5, 2024
Wow, that was a merry go round of nonsense. So much 'we CAN'T be together'...okay move on. 'I CAN'T LEAVE YOU ALONE, but we CAN'T be together!!!!' It got so boring! Skip. Not worth it.
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