What do you think?
Rate this book
Secret Whispers
Burying the past gave birth to the future
Gaby returned to Shorelands, the ancestral home of her youth, to make peace with Justin's memory. She had to put thoughts of her childhood sweetheart behind her before marrying Harry.
Gaby didn't expect to run afoul of a man who had the power to obliterate both men from her mind. Callum Durrand, Justin's illegitimate brother, was now the owner of everything she'd ever loved and the man she'd have to fight if she wanted to gain control of her own home.
Somehow, though, whenever she came into contact with Callum, her thoughts just wouldn't turn to battle....
Gaby returned to Shorelands, the ancestral home of her youth, to make peace with Justin's memory. She had to put thoughts of her childhood sweetheart behind her before marrying Harry.
Gaby didn't expect to run afoul of a man who had the power to obliterate both men from her mind. Callum Durrand, Justin's illegitimate brother, was now the owner of everything she'd ever loved and the man she'd have to fight if she wanted to gain control of her own home.
Somehow, though, whenever she came into contact with Callum, her thoughts just wouldn't turn to battle....
188 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1990
1 person is currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Anne Beaumont
15 books7 followersAnne Beaumont lives on the Isle of Wight, England, UK, with its sparkling white beaches, and has three children, of whom she is immensely proud. In addition to Rosina Pyatt's historical romance novels, the author also has written contemporary romance novels as Anne Beaumont.
She started out as a Jill-of-allwriting-trades, but she says it was her experience as a magazine fiction editor, buying stories and condensing them for serialization, that taught her to separate the bones of a story from the flesh. ln her own writing she starts with her characters—-“a heroine I can identify with, then a hero who seems right for her." She says that many writers work in reverse—plot first, then characters. "That's fine," she says. 'If we all had the same method, we might all be writing the same books, and what a crashing bore that would be!"
She started out as a Jill-of-allwriting-trades, but she says it was her experience as a magazine fiction editor, buying stories and condensing them for serialization, that taught her to separate the bones of a story from the flesh. ln her own writing she starts with her characters—-“a heroine I can identify with, then a hero who seems right for her." She says that many writers work in reverse—plot first, then characters. "That's fine," she says. 'If we all had the same method, we might all be writing the same books, and what a crashing bore that would be!"
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 28, 2017
Re Secret Whispers - Anne Beaumont's final HP outing, she only has two, is about an h who is 22 and trying to reconcile her inner life which is rooted in an estate called Shorelands with her outer life, where she is a linguist and a head hunter running the Paris division of an international executive placement firm. The h is very good at her job and she lives in Paris. She has been carefully considering getting into a relationship with her boss, the company owner, that she is reasonably sure will lead to marriage.
She hasn't started dating him or anything like that, but they have worked together for some years now and he is really a perfect guy on paper. He has indicated he would be interested in her if she is interested in him. But the h has some past history and some secret whispers in her heart from her adolescence she wants to follow up on before she commits to anything.
The past history is that her grandfather was the legacy head gardener at Shorelands, when he was alive the estate had been handed down generation to generation for about 300 years and the h's family were always the head gardeners.
The h loves Shorelands, she spent several summers there as a teen and had a huge crush on the heir apparent, the only son and child of the manor. She only really met him one summer when she was 14 and he was 18 or 19 and they did not hang out together. But the h would follow him by scrambling along the trees and basically had herself a little prince charming infatuation schoolgirl crush. Then his family sold the estate and her grandfather passed on. But he left the gatekeeper's cottage, which he owned outright separately from the estate, to the h.
The estate has recently been sold again, this time to the illegitimate son of the original family. That makes the new owner the half brother of the h's schoolgirl crush. The h has been contacted by the local real estate guy about selling her gatehouse cottage and if the h is going to pursue a relationship with her boss, she will be based in Europe and it would make sense to sell the place. The h wants to go check things out and there is also the news that her former crush is at Shorelands as well, so the h has to do the infatuation test of time and go check out her old wanna be flame.
The h gets to Shorelands and the house is locked up and the locks have been changed. The gates to the cottage were locked too, fortunately the first person she meets is her old crush and he lets her in - it just takes a bit for him to recognize her and she isn't sure what to make of her former prince charming. He seems to be bit off, but the h is reserving judgement.
The h tries to break into her house, but a big guy comes up and grabs her up to throw her out. Apparently there was a squatting incident and the man, who is the new owner, isn't having any of that. The h is being carried off in his arms and she is putting up a fuss, she is very indignant that he seems to think he can keep her out of her own house and who does he think he is anyway?
The man thinks he made a little mistake and he thinks the h looks like an adorable little owl. So he carries her back to her house and gives her a roofie kiss or two along the way. He shows her were the new keys are and the h is pretty livid. She did not ask to be carried around and she doesn't want any poser wanna be lords of the manor thinking they can do a little droit de seigneur on the head gardener's granddaughter either. The owner sort of apologizes and then he helps her get the splinters out that the h picked up while trying to break in.
After he leaves, the h goes to see the local land agent and he is full of spiteful gossip about the new owner and how he is supposedly the illegitimate son of the original scions of the manor, but the land agent thinks it is some kind of con to get local acceptance. There is quite a bit of resentment for the new owner and when the h was getting help with her splinters, she noticed the new owner has some resentment towards the land agent and the legitimate brother too.
The land agent claims that the new owner stepped in and outbid the agent and the h's old crush purely to mess with his half brother, the agent also claims that the new owner is trying to get even with the legitimate branch of the family for not acknowledging him - if the new owner isn't lying about the whole thing anyways, even tho he has the same last name.
The h isn't sure what exactly is going on, but she is reserving judgement and just being happy being back in her favorite childhood place. There are a few more encounters between the new owner, the old crush and the h. Sadly the h thinks that both of them are fighting between themselves and using her and her cottage as a bone to be fought over.
She feels both of them are being patronizing, the old crush with his demeaning lady killer attitude and the new owner who refused to invite the h to a dinner party and implied that she was too low class to go. The h is angry that they are treating her like a bimbo and angry that both of them are assuming that she is an office temp flitting about from low paying job to low paying job instead of asking her about herself.
In fact there is a lot of assumptions based on village speculation from all the characters in this book. AB does a great job of showing how listening to speculation and people assuming they know when they don't can lead to a lot of misunderstandings.
One big misunderstanding is that the h doesn't have a real job, so the manor housekeeper shows up at the h's door and drags her off to be a waitress for the dinner party that the new owner did not invite her to. The h had been mucking about in the garden for a few days, she doesn't have one in Paris and she likes it, so the housekeeper assumes the h is between jobs and trying to save money by not hiring a labourer and she promises the h a tenner for her time.
The h is a nice person and really doesn't need an extra tenner, but she goes to help in the moment of crisis. The housekeeper insists the h wear a black dress to serve tho and the only black dress she has is a really fancy French designer one. The h feels pretty ludicrous in an exotic French LBD with a frilly cap and pinny over it that doesn't hide the daring cut away back, so the h can't turn around while serving.
But she helps out and serves anyway, until the old crush gets drunk and makes some really rude comments about the garter and stockings the h is wearing underneath the dress that he felt when he groped her. The h is mortified cause he was really rude right at the dinner table in front of everybody, and not only can she not get the roofie kiss of the new owner out of her mind, he smiled at her earlier and her knees went all wobbly. The H isn't smiling at her now tho and to make matters even worse, all this happened in front of the village mean rich girl, who appears to be partnered with the new owner H.
The h has also just had the sad moment that comes when you realize your teen idol is only really a badly tarnished tin god and the h has had enough of the upper class patronization and goes back to her cottage. The H shows up at her door a little bit later and apologizes for his half brother's bad behavior, He asks the h for a cup of coffee and there is an almost kissing moment. Then the H has a turn about and leaves in a big hurry. The h is feeling rejected and wondering why her little secret whispers in her heart aren't saying anything.
The H shows up the next day and apologizes for being patronizing, again. He wants to offer the h an archivist job in the manor house. He has three centuries worth of documents to be cataloged and he thought the h might like a long term position.
The h explains that she likes to garden, it is in her family genes and she also explains that the housekeeper needed a favor so she helped her out. The h tells the H that she actually has an executive job that is very well paid and she is on holiday, so the h doesn't need any temp work. The H asks her to do it as a labour of love and to delve into the history of the house.
He also gives the h the letters from his father that prove that he really is the half brother of the old crush. It seems the H's father promised to divorce his wife and marry the H's mother when she was preggers, then he changed his mind and wandered back to his wife. Since he is cooking her breakfast at the time, and the idear of the history appeals to her, the h agrees to help the H out too. The H then wanders off as he has a garden party invite and he can't bring the h along.
The h gets asked out to dinner by the old crush, ostensibly to apologize for his bad behavior. The h is thoroughly disillusioned at to his crushiness, but she is a tolerant girl and a nice dinner could be fun. The old crush puts in some more bad words about the H and then he tries to get the h to sell her cottage to him. The h keeps telling every one she isn't sure she wants to sell, but again, people are assuming and not really asking about things.
The kicker comes when the H shows up at the same restaurant with the mean village rich girl. There is dancing and when they switch partners, the H and h end up dancing together. The H makes some cutting remarks regarding gold digging uppity tarts. The h is very hurt and ready to leave, the old crush takes her home and the h finds out that the old crush was the 'squatter' who was using her cottage as a love nest.
The old crush is very patronizing about it and the h is irked that the local land agent let him get away with it and that slimey crush boy had no qualms about crashing in her home, which IS NOT his. The old crush gets drunk and passes out, the h covers him up and doesn't care that the H is going to make assumptions -- since he was with the OW and the h is making assumptions of her own. The next morning the h kicks the old crush out when he gets fresh with her and she tells him to just get away and get a life and the old crush rides off into the mists to be forgotten.
The h goes to confront the H and he apologizes for making uncalled for remarks again. It is pretty clear to the reader that the H is wildly jealous but the h doesn't see it. The H also apologizes for thinking that the h would be seduced by the crush boy. He judges that she must have slammed the crush boy down hard, by the way the man left so frustratedly.
The h's venting of her ire is waylaid by the H's apology and the two of them start spending their days together. The h's little secret heart whispers tell her she is in love, but the H doesn't seem to want to hang out in any lover-like fashion. They act like buddies during the day, the H avoids meeting her at night and the h is very afraid she is going to be heartbroken. But at least she is clear about who she wants a relationship with now and it isn't crush boy or the boss.
The H asks the h to go London with him and act as his hostess for some German business execs as she speaks the language and the OW was only trying to seduce the H to get him to sell the estate to crush boy. The h is relieved that there really isn't anything between the mean village rich girl and the H, but she is sad for the OW who was willing to sleep with another guy at the behest of the old crush who is the OW's sometime boyfriend, just to keep him happy.
While they are waiting for the guests to arrive for the dinner party, the h has a little slip up and confesses that she loves the H. The H is delighted cause he wants her anyway he can get her, he has been trying to woo her carefully and win her over. (Tho he really thinks the h just wants him cause she loves the estate.)
The h has no clue about what the H is thinking, so when he proposes, she is thrilled and in love and happy and the evening is a big success. The next day they are going back to Shorelands and the h senses something is up with the H but he isn't saying anything. The h goes to put some documents back in the H's desk and she finds a big proposal to turn the estate into a housing development over a series of years so the planning permission is easier to get.
The h is hugely disappointed in the H. She believed him when he said he bought the place because he fell in love with it and not out of revenge for his father's abandonment and his half brother's bad treatment. The H comes in and sees the h with the proposal and the h yells at him about destroying the estate.
She still loves him and she is still marrying him, but she is going to have to fight his plans. Her parents are ecologists and she knows a lot of people, so the H will just have to be married to an environmental crusader for the estate. The H grabs her up and gives her a big roofie kiss. He was worried that the h was marrying him for the estate and not himself and she just proved her love. Then he explains that the housing development proposal was the old crush's scheme, not his.
The OW met the H, noticed he had the looks and same last name as her lover and brought him to the estate to let him see the old family homestead, not realizing that her sometime lover was trying to quietly buy the place with the help of the local land agent so that they could get it cheap and make a fortune on a housing development. The H wasn't going to buy it initially, but one of crush boy's jilted local babes told the H about the development plans to get revenge on crush boy for dropping her.
The H stepped in and made a higher offer to the couple who sold it. The OW then tried to seduce the H into selling it to crush boy under the guise of fraternal feeling for the family homestead. The H was wise to the ploy tho and firmly refused any and all offers.
Then the h showed up and the H fell in love right away but the h wasn't what he had been told and so the H had to fight for time to court her, cause he made some wrong assumptions, as did the h herself.
The h is delighted she doesn't have to organize an eco campaign and that she has a lifetime of work ahead with the estate archives, but most importantly she gets to lurve it up with the H for the next fifty years. The two lovestruck lover's happily start making wedding plans in between roofie kisses for the rosy glow HP HEA and the h is really glad that she listed to the secret whispers of her inner heart that led her to fulfilling all her dreams.
This one was really well done. It isn't high on drama, but the interplay and character building are outstanding. AB knows her craft and she does it really well. It takes a little bit to build up, but once AB gets the setting and backgrounds in place, this one really rocks.
If you like mature but sweet h's, hero's who are very nice but still do some dumb moves and a little suspense about who the h will chose as the lucky guy, give this one a go and have a great day in the HPlandia way.
She hasn't started dating him or anything like that, but they have worked together for some years now and he is really a perfect guy on paper. He has indicated he would be interested in her if she is interested in him. But the h has some past history and some secret whispers in her heart from her adolescence she wants to follow up on before she commits to anything.
The past history is that her grandfather was the legacy head gardener at Shorelands, when he was alive the estate had been handed down generation to generation for about 300 years and the h's family were always the head gardeners.
The h loves Shorelands, she spent several summers there as a teen and had a huge crush on the heir apparent, the only son and child of the manor. She only really met him one summer when she was 14 and he was 18 or 19 and they did not hang out together. But the h would follow him by scrambling along the trees and basically had herself a little prince charming infatuation schoolgirl crush. Then his family sold the estate and her grandfather passed on. But he left the gatekeeper's cottage, which he owned outright separately from the estate, to the h.
The estate has recently been sold again, this time to the illegitimate son of the original family. That makes the new owner the half brother of the h's schoolgirl crush. The h has been contacted by the local real estate guy about selling her gatehouse cottage and if the h is going to pursue a relationship with her boss, she will be based in Europe and it would make sense to sell the place. The h wants to go check things out and there is also the news that her former crush is at Shorelands as well, so the h has to do the infatuation test of time and go check out her old wanna be flame.
The h gets to Shorelands and the house is locked up and the locks have been changed. The gates to the cottage were locked too, fortunately the first person she meets is her old crush and he lets her in - it just takes a bit for him to recognize her and she isn't sure what to make of her former prince charming. He seems to be bit off, but the h is reserving judgement.
The h tries to break into her house, but a big guy comes up and grabs her up to throw her out. Apparently there was a squatting incident and the man, who is the new owner, isn't having any of that. The h is being carried off in his arms and she is putting up a fuss, she is very indignant that he seems to think he can keep her out of her own house and who does he think he is anyway?
The man thinks he made a little mistake and he thinks the h looks like an adorable little owl. So he carries her back to her house and gives her a roofie kiss or two along the way. He shows her were the new keys are and the h is pretty livid. She did not ask to be carried around and she doesn't want any poser wanna be lords of the manor thinking they can do a little droit de seigneur on the head gardener's granddaughter either. The owner sort of apologizes and then he helps her get the splinters out that the h picked up while trying to break in.
After he leaves, the h goes to see the local land agent and he is full of spiteful gossip about the new owner and how he is supposedly the illegitimate son of the original scions of the manor, but the land agent thinks it is some kind of con to get local acceptance. There is quite a bit of resentment for the new owner and when the h was getting help with her splinters, she noticed the new owner has some resentment towards the land agent and the legitimate brother too.
The land agent claims that the new owner stepped in and outbid the agent and the h's old crush purely to mess with his half brother, the agent also claims that the new owner is trying to get even with the legitimate branch of the family for not acknowledging him - if the new owner isn't lying about the whole thing anyways, even tho he has the same last name.
The h isn't sure what exactly is going on, but she is reserving judgement and just being happy being back in her favorite childhood place. There are a few more encounters between the new owner, the old crush and the h. Sadly the h thinks that both of them are fighting between themselves and using her and her cottage as a bone to be fought over.
She feels both of them are being patronizing, the old crush with his demeaning lady killer attitude and the new owner who refused to invite the h to a dinner party and implied that she was too low class to go. The h is angry that they are treating her like a bimbo and angry that both of them are assuming that she is an office temp flitting about from low paying job to low paying job instead of asking her about herself.
In fact there is a lot of assumptions based on village speculation from all the characters in this book. AB does a great job of showing how listening to speculation and people assuming they know when they don't can lead to a lot of misunderstandings.
One big misunderstanding is that the h doesn't have a real job, so the manor housekeeper shows up at the h's door and drags her off to be a waitress for the dinner party that the new owner did not invite her to. The h had been mucking about in the garden for a few days, she doesn't have one in Paris and she likes it, so the housekeeper assumes the h is between jobs and trying to save money by not hiring a labourer and she promises the h a tenner for her time.
The h is a nice person and really doesn't need an extra tenner, but she goes to help in the moment of crisis. The housekeeper insists the h wear a black dress to serve tho and the only black dress she has is a really fancy French designer one. The h feels pretty ludicrous in an exotic French LBD with a frilly cap and pinny over it that doesn't hide the daring cut away back, so the h can't turn around while serving.
But she helps out and serves anyway, until the old crush gets drunk and makes some really rude comments about the garter and stockings the h is wearing underneath the dress that he felt when he groped her. The h is mortified cause he was really rude right at the dinner table in front of everybody, and not only can she not get the roofie kiss of the new owner out of her mind, he smiled at her earlier and her knees went all wobbly. The H isn't smiling at her now tho and to make matters even worse, all this happened in front of the village mean rich girl, who appears to be partnered with the new owner H.
The h has also just had the sad moment that comes when you realize your teen idol is only really a badly tarnished tin god and the h has had enough of the upper class patronization and goes back to her cottage. The H shows up at her door a little bit later and apologizes for his half brother's bad behavior, He asks the h for a cup of coffee and there is an almost kissing moment. Then the H has a turn about and leaves in a big hurry. The h is feeling rejected and wondering why her little secret whispers in her heart aren't saying anything.
The H shows up the next day and apologizes for being patronizing, again. He wants to offer the h an archivist job in the manor house. He has three centuries worth of documents to be cataloged and he thought the h might like a long term position.
The h explains that she likes to garden, it is in her family genes and she also explains that the housekeeper needed a favor so she helped her out. The h tells the H that she actually has an executive job that is very well paid and she is on holiday, so the h doesn't need any temp work. The H asks her to do it as a labour of love and to delve into the history of the house.
He also gives the h the letters from his father that prove that he really is the half brother of the old crush. It seems the H's father promised to divorce his wife and marry the H's mother when she was preggers, then he changed his mind and wandered back to his wife. Since he is cooking her breakfast at the time, and the idear of the history appeals to her, the h agrees to help the H out too. The H then wanders off as he has a garden party invite and he can't bring the h along.
The h gets asked out to dinner by the old crush, ostensibly to apologize for his bad behavior. The h is thoroughly disillusioned at to his crushiness, but she is a tolerant girl and a nice dinner could be fun. The old crush puts in some more bad words about the H and then he tries to get the h to sell her cottage to him. The h keeps telling every one she isn't sure she wants to sell, but again, people are assuming and not really asking about things.
The kicker comes when the H shows up at the same restaurant with the mean village rich girl. There is dancing and when they switch partners, the H and h end up dancing together. The H makes some cutting remarks regarding gold digging uppity tarts. The h is very hurt and ready to leave, the old crush takes her home and the h finds out that the old crush was the 'squatter' who was using her cottage as a love nest.
The old crush is very patronizing about it and the h is irked that the local land agent let him get away with it and that slimey crush boy had no qualms about crashing in her home, which IS NOT his. The old crush gets drunk and passes out, the h covers him up and doesn't care that the H is going to make assumptions -- since he was with the OW and the h is making assumptions of her own. The next morning the h kicks the old crush out when he gets fresh with her and she tells him to just get away and get a life and the old crush rides off into the mists to be forgotten.
The h goes to confront the H and he apologizes for making uncalled for remarks again. It is pretty clear to the reader that the H is wildly jealous but the h doesn't see it. The H also apologizes for thinking that the h would be seduced by the crush boy. He judges that she must have slammed the crush boy down hard, by the way the man left so frustratedly.
The h's venting of her ire is waylaid by the H's apology and the two of them start spending their days together. The h's little secret heart whispers tell her she is in love, but the H doesn't seem to want to hang out in any lover-like fashion. They act like buddies during the day, the H avoids meeting her at night and the h is very afraid she is going to be heartbroken. But at least she is clear about who she wants a relationship with now and it isn't crush boy or the boss.
The H asks the h to go London with him and act as his hostess for some German business execs as she speaks the language and the OW was only trying to seduce the H to get him to sell the estate to crush boy. The h is relieved that there really isn't anything between the mean village rich girl and the H, but she is sad for the OW who was willing to sleep with another guy at the behest of the old crush who is the OW's sometime boyfriend, just to keep him happy.
While they are waiting for the guests to arrive for the dinner party, the h has a little slip up and confesses that she loves the H. The H is delighted cause he wants her anyway he can get her, he has been trying to woo her carefully and win her over. (Tho he really thinks the h just wants him cause she loves the estate.)
The h has no clue about what the H is thinking, so when he proposes, she is thrilled and in love and happy and the evening is a big success. The next day they are going back to Shorelands and the h senses something is up with the H but he isn't saying anything. The h goes to put some documents back in the H's desk and she finds a big proposal to turn the estate into a housing development over a series of years so the planning permission is easier to get.
The h is hugely disappointed in the H. She believed him when he said he bought the place because he fell in love with it and not out of revenge for his father's abandonment and his half brother's bad treatment. The H comes in and sees the h with the proposal and the h yells at him about destroying the estate.
She still loves him and she is still marrying him, but she is going to have to fight his plans. Her parents are ecologists and she knows a lot of people, so the H will just have to be married to an environmental crusader for the estate. The H grabs her up and gives her a big roofie kiss. He was worried that the h was marrying him for the estate and not himself and she just proved her love. Then he explains that the housing development proposal was the old crush's scheme, not his.
The OW met the H, noticed he had the looks and same last name as her lover and brought him to the estate to let him see the old family homestead, not realizing that her sometime lover was trying to quietly buy the place with the help of the local land agent so that they could get it cheap and make a fortune on a housing development. The H wasn't going to buy it initially, but one of crush boy's jilted local babes told the H about the development plans to get revenge on crush boy for dropping her.
The H stepped in and made a higher offer to the couple who sold it. The OW then tried to seduce the H into selling it to crush boy under the guise of fraternal feeling for the family homestead. The H was wise to the ploy tho and firmly refused any and all offers.
Then the h showed up and the H fell in love right away but the h wasn't what he had been told and so the H had to fight for time to court her, cause he made some wrong assumptions, as did the h herself.
The h is delighted she doesn't have to organize an eco campaign and that she has a lifetime of work ahead with the estate archives, but most importantly she gets to lurve it up with the H for the next fifty years. The two lovestruck lover's happily start making wedding plans in between roofie kisses for the rosy glow HP HEA and the h is really glad that she listed to the secret whispers of her inner heart that led her to fulfilling all her dreams.
This one was really well done. It isn't high on drama, but the interplay and character building are outstanding. AB knows her craft and she does it really well. It takes a little bit to build up, but once AB gets the setting and backgrounds in place, this one really rocks.
If you like mature but sweet h's, hero's who are very nice but still do some dumb moves and a little suspense about who the h will chose as the lucky guy, give this one a go and have a great day in the HPlandia way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2021
I loved this and I don’t really know why. The heroine was “cuddlesome,” as Boogenhagen would say, so that might be it. And it’s all from her point of view only, so that was fun.
The story was a little different, too. Heroine has three men to choose from. The rich son of the manor she’s had a crush on since she was 14. Her boss. Or the new owner of the manor?
The manor itself is lovingly described at its height of beauty during an English summer. While the H/h don’t have that many scenes, they seem so right together.
This is just a nice story, complete with 80's fashion. That sailor dress brought all the boys to the yard!
Boogenhagen has all the details in her excellent review.
The story was a little different, too. Heroine has three men to choose from. The rich son of the manor she’s had a crush on since she was 14. Her boss. Or the new owner of the manor?
The manor itself is lovingly described at its height of beauty during an English summer. While the H/h don’t have that many scenes, they seem so right together.
This is just a nice story, complete with 80's fashion. That sailor dress brought all the boys to the yard!
Boogenhagen has all the details in her excellent review.
July 22, 2021
Ahh…this is one of those stories that you just feel good about when you are done reading. You aren’t always sure when you are reading it, but somehow it pulls you in to its magic just the same. It reminds me of an English serial I may watch on PBS.
Not many reviews on this and I bought the book via eBay. Stmargarets gives a very nice no spoiler review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Boogenhagen gives a very good in-depth overview with spoilers : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Heroine: Gaby, 22 year old virgin. She owns a little gardener’s cottage on a big estate in England that her grandfather used to be gardener for. She would see her grandpa in the summers when not in boarding school(parents dead). Her first summer there she falls in love with the rich family’s son(Justin). She is 14, he is 22. Her love is unrequited, as she loves him from afar and he doesn’t realize that she is even alive. (Sounds like a good set up for later loving according to HP rules!) She is now a successful headhunter in Paris and can speak multiple languages(no college, so she is obviously smart and went to a good boarding school). She is getting very close with her divorced boss(Harry) and decides to sell the cottage and put her school girl crush to rest. The family sold it years ago, and moved to different parts around the globe. So she goes to the cottage for 6 weeks, where she meets the new lord and master, Callum, who is the 1/2 brother(bastard) to Justin.
OM #1-Justin, 30 was Gaby’s “crush” he has turned out to be quite the rake(think Mr. Wickham). The best thing I can say about him, is given how he has turned out, he had enough sense not to take advantage of the gardener’s granddaughter when she was 14 and he was 22. He knew she had a crush on him, but she was not a Lolita at 14 so he took no notice of her.
OM #2- Harry, (I’m thinking Walter from Sleepless in Seattle), He is sensible, attractive, successful…everything one my want in a husband. However, he doesn’t quite appreciate the eccentricities of the h. In fact, she seems to squash her inner fire/country-ness to fit a persona she thinks is more fitting for a successful city girl. Except for the first chapter, Harry is pretty much wallowing in the background to serve as jealousy angst.
Hero, Callum, (early 30’s as he is described as a couple of years older than Justin) Callum is not perfect, but in my mind he truly earns the moniker of hero. He is the hero of old. He takes unauthorized kisses from the h and swoops her in his arms(but in a romantic, non abusive way). He is taken with the h right away, but not in a beta way. After reading about some pretty crappy heroes lately(yes Carl, that would be you!), it was nice to read about a real one.
Ow- Kat, she is not front and center, and also used as more of a jealousy angst vehicle in the story.
Basically, what we have here is the h discovering that what she thinks she wants and needs in her life is not true at all. She realizes that her first love(crush) was romanticized in her brain. She has a number pretty quickly after meeting him. She realizes that her boss, who would make a perfect husband, would also stifle a part of her that needs country living and country ways. Finally she realizes that there is one man Callum who can check off the romance boxes and love her for all her quirks and make use of her smarts as well. I see these 2 as forming a true partnership. They enjoy each other’s company, make each other laugh, have passion, and can work well together. Super happy sigh here…….
So observations/and or wonderings:
The H refers to her as his owl . This is the 2nd book I have read where appearing as an owl is an attraction for the H, Who knew🤷🏻♀️ owls were a passion inviter.(he had to kiss her every time she blinked boldly and it was sweet!)
Oh my fluttering heart…when the h fell asleep in the sun on the lounger, she woke up to find she had been moved to a shady part of the lawn. (The H moved her when she was sleeping!!!)
The whole story takes place over a week, with most of the action taking place in the first 48 hours of her arrival at the cottage. There was a lot packed into those 48 hours and as another reviewer pointed out these could have been stretched over days instead. However, I enjoyed the book so I guess it worked for me and I should just let it be.
Not many reviews on this and I bought the book via eBay. Stmargarets gives a very nice no spoiler review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Boogenhagen gives a very good in-depth overview with spoilers : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Heroine: Gaby, 22 year old virgin. She owns a little gardener’s cottage on a big estate in England that her grandfather used to be gardener for. She would see her grandpa in the summers when not in boarding school(parents dead). Her first summer there she falls in love with the rich family’s son(Justin). She is 14, he is 22. Her love is unrequited, as she loves him from afar and he doesn’t realize that she is even alive. (Sounds like a good set up for later loving according to HP rules!) She is now a successful headhunter in Paris and can speak multiple languages(no college, so she is obviously smart and went to a good boarding school). She is getting very close with her divorced boss(Harry) and decides to sell the cottage and put her school girl crush to rest. The family sold it years ago, and moved to different parts around the globe. So she goes to the cottage for 6 weeks, where she meets the new lord and master, Callum, who is the 1/2 brother(bastard) to Justin.
OM #1-Justin, 30 was Gaby’s “crush” he has turned out to be quite the rake(think Mr. Wickham). The best thing I can say about him, is given how he has turned out, he had enough sense not to take advantage of the gardener’s granddaughter when she was 14 and he was 22. He knew she had a crush on him, but she was not a Lolita at 14 so he took no notice of her.
OM #2- Harry, (I’m thinking Walter from Sleepless in Seattle), He is sensible, attractive, successful…everything one my want in a husband. However, he doesn’t quite appreciate the eccentricities of the h. In fact, she seems to squash her inner fire/country-ness to fit a persona she thinks is more fitting for a successful city girl. Except for the first chapter, Harry is pretty much wallowing in the background to serve as jealousy angst.
Hero, Callum, (early 30’s as he is described as a couple of years older than Justin) Callum is not perfect, but in my mind he truly earns the moniker of hero. He is the hero of old. He takes unauthorized kisses from the h and swoops her in his arms(but in a romantic, non abusive way). He is taken with the h right away, but not in a beta way. After reading about some pretty crappy heroes lately(yes Carl, that would be you!), it was nice to read about a real one.
Ow- Kat, she is not front and center, and also used as more of a jealousy angst vehicle in the story.
Basically, what we have here is the h discovering that what she thinks she wants and needs in her life is not true at all. She realizes that her first love(crush) was romanticized in her brain. She has a number pretty quickly after meeting him. She realizes that her boss, who would make a perfect husband, would also stifle a part of her that needs country living and country ways. Finally she realizes that there is one man Callum who can check off the romance boxes and love her for all her quirks and make use of her smarts as well. I see these 2 as forming a true partnership. They enjoy each other’s company, make each other laugh, have passion, and can work well together. Super happy sigh here…….
So observations/and or wonderings:
The H refers to her as his owl . This is the 2nd book I have read where appearing as an owl is an attraction for the H, Who knew🤷🏻♀️ owls were a passion inviter.(he had to kiss her every time she blinked boldly and it was sweet!)
Oh my fluttering heart…when the h fell asleep in the sun on the lounger, she woke up to find she had been moved to a shady part of the lawn. (The H moved her when she was sleeping!!!)
The whole story takes place over a week, with most of the action taking place in the first 48 hours of her arrival at the cottage. There was a lot packed into those 48 hours and as another reviewer pointed out these could have been stretched over days instead. However, I enjoyed the book so I guess it worked for me and I should just let it be.
July 5, 2021
The meet and "I LoVe you's" happened in one week! Way too fast! There was no reason for the rush. Would have been more believable the time been stretched out over the 6 weeks of h's vacation.
February 28, 2024
Lucky Gaby, two beautiful warring brothers AND a suave France based exec to choose from. With this HP Ms Beaumont you are truly spoiling us. To be fair it was wistful rather than heated and the "real" H was rather decent from the off (I didn't read the blurb before starting and was getting worried when Harry and Justin seemed to be the only options 30plus pages in. Neither of them trademark HP H fodder). Thankfully when Callum appears and grabs her with an iron arm, carries her then plants some unsolicited potent kisses which confuse her greatly, I could breathe a sigh of relief. Others here have covered the plot beautifully. She's the former gardener's granddaughter and inherited the gate house of Shorelands, the home now owned by the 'bastard' brother Callum. Will she trust her heart whispers? Will she choose wisely? Will she give up her multilingual executive career for a life in the country? I think we all know the answers. Although hotshot Callum undoubtedly will make use of her professional abilities.
March 20, 2022
Absolutely loved this book! H and h are both lovable and their story is just too damn cute!
priority
November 12, 2022Burying the past gave birth to the future
Gaby returned to Shorelands, the ancestral home of her youth, to make peace with Justin's memory. She had to put thoughts of her childhood sweetheart behind her before marrying Harry.
Gaby didn't expect to run afoul of a man who had the power to obliterate both men from her mind. Callum Durrand, Justin's illegitimate brother, was now the owner of everything she'd ever loved and the man she'd have to fight if she wanted to gain control of her own home.
Somehow, though, whenever she came into contact with Callum, her thoughts just wouldn't turn to battle....
Gaby returned to Shorelands, the ancestral home of her youth, to make peace with Justin's memory. She had to put thoughts of her childhood sweetheart behind her before marrying Harry.
Gaby didn't expect to run afoul of a man who had the power to obliterate both men from her mind. Callum Durrand, Justin's illegitimate brother, was now the owner of everything she'd ever loved and the man she'd have to fight if she wanted to gain control of her own home.
Somehow, though, whenever she came into contact with Callum, her thoughts just wouldn't turn to battle....
April 12, 2022
There isn't much I can add to the previous reviews of this book.
The h is refreshing as she is intelligent and nice and the H seems pretty decent as well. Shame he is related to an idiot.
h was left a gatekeepers cottage and the H kinda wants it back as its part of the estate he just bought (that belonged to the legitimate part of his family).
His legit brother was also after it but for rather more nefarious purposes (he wanted to make a profit by getting it developed).
H kinda thinks that the h is with him because she loves the estate more than him but she does set his mind at rest when she discovers the brothers plans for the place in the H's desk. She tells him she still loves him despite him being a monster and she will marry him and see him court for their HEA.
Boogenhagen has the comprehensive deets.
The h is refreshing as she is intelligent and nice and the H seems pretty decent as well. Shame he is related to an idiot.
h was left a gatekeepers cottage and the H kinda wants it back as its part of the estate he just bought (that belonged to the legitimate part of his family).
His legit brother was also after it but for rather more nefarious purposes (he wanted to make a profit by getting it developed).
H kinda thinks that the h is with him because she loves the estate more than him but she does set his mind at rest when she discovers the brothers plans for the place in the H's desk. She tells him she still loves him despite him being a monster and she will marry him and see him court for their HEA.
Boogenhagen has the comprehensive deets.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews