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Marrying The Enemy!
For better, or for worse…Alexia had known that coming home after all these years would be difficult-even more so as she'd be living under the same roof as York Masterton. The last time they'd met, Alexia had been an innocent teenager. Now she was a sophisticated woman who knew what she her rightful inheritance.York didn't bother to hide his suspicious dislike of Alexia-until he realized that, far from hating her, he wanted to marry her! And he'd give everything he owned to be able to trust his new wife. Especially now that she was having his baby….
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1997
3 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Power
145 books33 followersFollowing in her father's footsteps, Elizabeth Power wanted to be a writer from a very early age. Once she realised that copying Rupert Bear stories word for word from her albums wasn't really the thing to do, she was on her way!
By the age of fourteen, Elizabeth had produced her first full-length novel—alas! never published—and by the age of fifteen her teenage years meant life was so full that all literary ambitions became somewhat overshadowed.
Married in her early twenties, Elizabeth found that the needs of the home became her priority. Despite the ever present nagging little voice in her conscience that constantly reminded her of those unfulfilled writing ambitions, the creativity had stopped.
A few weeks before her thirtieth birthday, Elizabeth was thinking about what she had done with her first thirty years and realised she had been telling herself that she would "start writing tomorrow" for at least twelve of them! She couldn't help wondering, "whatever happened to that dream?" Within two weeks her "tomorrow" would come when fate took a hand in the form of redundancy!
Writing was now Elizabeth's life. After several attempts, the letter that was to change her life arrived from Mills & Boon. They wanted to publish her book. The novels flowed, and they have continued to publish her books ever since.
Living in England's beautiful West Country, she likes nothing better than taking walks with her husband along the coast or in the adjoining woods, and enjoying all that nature has to offer.
Travelling ranks very highly among Elizabeth's pleasures, and so many places she has visited have been recreated in her books.
Of her writing, emotional intensity is paramount. She says, "Times, places and trends change, but emotion is timeless." A powerful storyline with maximum emotion set in a location in which one can really live and breathe whilst the story unfolds is what she strives for.
By the age of fourteen, Elizabeth had produced her first full-length novel—alas! never published—and by the age of fifteen her teenage years meant life was so full that all literary ambitions became somewhat overshadowed.
Married in her early twenties, Elizabeth found that the needs of the home became her priority. Despite the ever present nagging little voice in her conscience that constantly reminded her of those unfulfilled writing ambitions, the creativity had stopped.
A few weeks before her thirtieth birthday, Elizabeth was thinking about what she had done with her first thirty years and realised she had been telling herself that she would "start writing tomorrow" for at least twelve of them! She couldn't help wondering, "whatever happened to that dream?" Within two weeks her "tomorrow" would come when fate took a hand in the form of redundancy!
Writing was now Elizabeth's life. After several attempts, the letter that was to change her life arrived from Mills & Boon. They wanted to publish her book. The novels flowed, and they have continued to publish her books ever since.
Living in England's beautiful West Country, she likes nothing better than taking walks with her husband along the coast or in the adjoining woods, and enjoying all that nature has to offer.
Travelling ranks very highly among Elizabeth's pleasures, and so many places she has visited have been recreated in her books.
Of her writing, emotional intensity is paramount. She says, "Times, places and trends change, but emotion is timeless." A powerful storyline with maximum emotion set in a location in which one can really live and breathe whilst the story unfolds is what she strives for.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 12, 2018
Well, this was a muddled mess. As Preeti's review explains, this story is trope overload and then some.
Unfortunately, none of the tropes are handled particularly well.
The first phase of the story is the 27 year-old heroine returning to England from New Zealand after a ten year absence. She is just in time for the funeral of her grandfather who kicked out her teen mother when she was pregnant with the heroine. Her mother never forgave her father, but she did visit once when the heroine was 17. That's where the bad blood between the heroine and the hero began.
The hero is the heroine's step cousin, he is the other heir to the property and he was close to the heroine's grandfather. He hated that the heroine's mother made her father sad, so he was hostile to them both during their visit. There was some kind of nocturnal visit by the heroine to the hero's bedroom to steal his car keys, but the hero though the mother was trying to pimp her teenage daughter to him. So he complied by subjecting her to punishing kisses. The mother denied it and then she came on to the hero - all in one dramatic night.
The hero also says he doesn't believe the heroine is really the same girl because this version is thin and has striking premature grey hair. (The heroine was a brunette and was heavier at 17) So in this first phase you have this skepticism and an attraction/shame spiral between the H/h with an OW who owns the local stable adding to the hostility. There's also a reporter (OM) who worked with the h in New Zealand, and he's now back in the UK to dig up dirt. Heroine is afraid he'll tell the world the truth about her mother
This attraction/shame spiral abruptly ends when the H/h go on a tour of the countryside and start talking about poetry and Lorna Doone. Okay. Here's the signal for the insane jealousy phase of our story.
The H/h abruptly marry and have six weeks of bliss off page. Then the OM shows up to blackmail the heroine into an interview.
The heroine couldn't articulate anything -not even a good word about her mother. She hung around for the abuse way too long and fell in love with a raging, jealous lunatic for no discernible reason. The hero went from hate to love to hate to love so fast I think his mental transmission fell out. Bleah.
Beware stories with an ! in the title. Lesson learned.
Unfortunately, none of the tropes are handled particularly well.
The first phase of the story is the 27 year-old heroine returning to England from New Zealand after a ten year absence. She is just in time for the funeral of her grandfather who kicked out her teen mother when she was pregnant with the heroine. Her mother never forgave her father, but she did visit once when the heroine was 17. That's where the bad blood between the heroine and the hero began.
The hero is the heroine's step cousin, he is the other heir to the property and he was close to the heroine's grandfather. He hated that the heroine's mother made her father sad, so he was hostile to them both during their visit. There was some kind of nocturnal visit by the heroine to the hero's bedroom to steal his car keys, but the hero though the mother was trying to pimp her teenage daughter to him. So he complied by subjecting her to punishing kisses. The mother denied it and then she came on to the hero - all in one dramatic night.
The hero also says he doesn't believe the heroine is really the same girl because this version is thin and has striking premature grey hair. (The heroine was a brunette and was heavier at 17) So in this first phase you have this skepticism and an attraction/shame spiral between the H/h with an OW who owns the local stable adding to the hostility. There's also a reporter (OM) who worked with the h in New Zealand, and he's now back in the UK to dig up dirt. Heroine is afraid he'll tell the world the truth about her mother
This attraction/shame spiral abruptly ends when the H/h go on a tour of the countryside and start talking about poetry and Lorna Doone. Okay. Here's the signal for the insane jealousy phase of our story.
The H/h abruptly marry and have six weeks of bliss off page. Then the OM shows up to blackmail the heroine into an interview.
The heroine couldn't articulate anything -not even a good word about her mother. She hung around for the abuse way too long and fell in love with a raging, jealous lunatic for no discernible reason. The hero went from hate to love to hate to love so fast I think his mental transmission fell out. Bleah.
Beware stories with an ! in the title. Lesson learned.
September 2, 2017
When a book juggles so many tropes, it’s bound to flounder or leave you floundering for solid ground.
I tried to put them in a list but maybe I missed a few. And the list goes on and on like the story!
So let me see..
*Spoilers*
Opens on a funeral
Shunned/ran out of town h but back for the inheritance or..
H the local lord of the manor
Kissing cousins
Convoluted family tree/ history
Long separation
Doppelganger h or the real thing?
Amnesia?
Underage seduction gone bad (in the past)
Mother as the ow/competition..ewww!
Marrying the enemy (so says the title)
In a virgin and clueless
Blackmail by om and letting him muddy waters
Cheating alleged
Pregnant? – Is it mine?
Marriage in trouble
Ow creates (more) trouble
Could be talked out but nada
Hate u love u
H in accident, she runs over to scream and swoon - MU resolved
But wait! Miscarriage alert
And yes, there’s more…
I tried to put them in a list but maybe I missed a few. And the list goes on and on like the story!
So let me see..
*Spoilers*
Opens on a funeral
Shunned/ran out of town h but back for the inheritance or..
H the local lord of the manor
Kissing cousins
Convoluted family tree/ history
Long separation
Doppelganger h or the real thing?
Amnesia?
Underage seduction gone bad (in the past)
Mother as the ow/competition..ewww!
Marrying the enemy (so says the title)
In a virgin and clueless
Blackmail by om and letting him muddy waters
Cheating alleged
Pregnant? – Is it mine?
Marriage in trouble
Ow creates (more) trouble
Could be talked out but nada
Hate u love u
H in accident, she runs over to scream and swoon - MU resolved
But wait! Miscarriage alert
And yes, there’s more…
December 28, 2017
A magical romance that left me wanting more
I loved York and Alex. They are a beautiful couple. Well written and engaging. A must read for all romance readers
I loved York and Alex. They are a beautiful couple. Well written and engaging. A must read for all romance readers
June 7, 2012
I'm a fan of Elizabeth Powers's books, there is something about the very emotional stories she writes that apeals to me, and this is another good book of hers.
At first the story is a little difficult to get into, there seemed to be a lot of hints to lots of different things that you don't really make sense of until much later in the book. That is frustrating, but it certainly keeps you interested, and keeps you reading!
The relationship between the hero and heroine is full of ups and downs, as well as plenty of passion, betrayal, angst, etc - all those lovely things that you want out of a Presents! The heroine's background is interesting, and well written to have some great emotional impact.It was particularly interesting to have a grey haired heroine (hereditary premature greying), it would have been nice if this had been reflected on the cover.
The bitchy-other-woman character and plot was unnecessary and I feel that it ruined the flow of the book, it seemed forced in.
Overall, this is a very entertaining book.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
At first the story is a little difficult to get into, there seemed to be a lot of hints to lots of different things that you don't really make sense of until much later in the book. That is frustrating, but it certainly keeps you interested, and keeps you reading!
The relationship between the hero and heroine is full of ups and downs, as well as plenty of passion, betrayal, angst, etc - all those lovely things that you want out of a Presents! The heroine's background is interesting, and well written to have some great emotional impact.It was particularly interesting to have a grey haired heroine (hereditary premature greying), it would have been nice if this had been reflected on the cover.
The bitchy-other-woman character and plot was unnecessary and I feel that it ruined the flow of the book, it seemed forced in.
Overall, this is a very entertaining book.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
June 12, 2019
For better, or for worse…
Alexia had known that coming home after all these years would be difficult—even more so as she'd be living under the same roof as York Masterton. The last time they'd met, Alexia had been an innocent teenager. Now she was a sophisticated woman who knew what she wanted: her rightful inheritance.
York didn't bother to hide his suspicious dislike of Alexia—until he realized that, far from hating her, he wanted to marry her! And he'd give everything he owned to be able to trust his new wife. Especially now that she was having his baby
Alexia had known that coming home after all these years would be difficult—even more so as she'd be living under the same roof as York Masterton. The last time they'd met, Alexia had been an innocent teenager. Now she was a sophisticated woman who knew what she wanted: her rightful inheritance.
York didn't bother to hide his suspicious dislike of Alexia—until he realized that, far from hating her, he wanted to marry her! And he'd give everything he owned to be able to trust his new wife. Especially now that she was having his baby
April 5, 2023
A little better than ok but it dragged and the characters never solidified.
Reread and like better, bumping to 3 stars. This still has too much manufactured angst vs. feels-real angst and the h is an IDIOT to let the supposed OM in her bedroom. Have him wait downstairs, get changed, then do the interview.
Reread and like better, bumping to 3 stars. This still has too much manufactured angst vs. feels-real angst and the h is an IDIOT to let the supposed OM in her bedroom. Have him wait downstairs, get changed, then do the interview.
June 3, 2025
This was pretty good (a silver-haired h was interesting) but also a bit silly, as the h came close to blowing up her marriage over something she said years ago, in a moment of despair, when she was still a teenager! (She sure was desperate for a friend, considering the creep she trusted!) That was just a bit too over-the-top, at least for me.
This book had a "caught in a compromising situation" episode, but whereas it's usually the h who jumps to the wrong conclusion, this time it was the H in that role, and the h being the victim of circumstance. And he only half "runs away", by avoiding the h as much as possible and living apart half the time.
There's the OM and OW of sorts, as the h never dated the OM, just thought of him as a friend for a short time, and foolishly confided in him, which he used against her when she turned down his attempt to be more than friends. This crummy creep held a grudge against her for almost a decade and returned to play games with her and be a perfect candidate for "Jerk of the Year", but the h was also a jerk for allowing him to get away with his behavior, rather than confess her secret to the H, which was really her mother's secret, not hers!
As for the h's mother, what a piece of work! She should have put the blame on her messed-up life where it belonged, on both her and the h's father (never seen), who couldn't have been all that much in love with her if he allowed himself to be so easily manipulated by her father (the h's grandfather and the H's adopted uncle). Instead, she blames her father (only partially right there), the H (for not succumbing to her crude seduction attempt) and the h (because she couldn't handle the responsibilities of being a parent), and tanks her life with drinking, partying, and earning her living by the world's oldest profession. Meanwhile, she could have come home and accepted help from her father, but she refused, and deprived her daughter of a better life, talk about selfish! She deserved her fate. (Not that her "my way or the highway" father was any prize, either. But he paid for that, as well.)
The OW was a friend of the H (though it was obvious she wanted to be more, and not-so-obvious if she ever was at one time) and a definite enemy of the h, and actually had the nerve to tell her - married to the H and pregnant with his baby - that she was waiting in the wings for her to screw things up, so she could take her place! UNBELIEVABLE! She also didn't waste time trying to cause trouble for the couple, as if that would endear her to the H!
Unfortunately, the H made the same mistake so many h's do, when they're tough on the H but give the OM a free pass. For a time, it was the same with the H, being insulting and suspicious of the h, while thinking the OW's motives were for the best. HAH!!
He was also unreasonably judgmental of the h back when she was a vulnerable teenager and under her mother's thumb, and his reaction to what he thought she was up to really hurt her.
There's a bit of a mislead at the end, where you start thinking the worst, only to have things turn around for a real HEA.
I think the author should have filled readers in more on the h's life while in New Zealand, too many blanks there. (It was clever though, the way she makes you wonder about the h's true identity at first.)
It's a good read, despite its flaws.
This book had a "caught in a compromising situation" episode, but whereas it's usually the h who jumps to the wrong conclusion, this time it was the H in that role, and the h being the victim of circumstance. And he only half "runs away", by avoiding the h as much as possible and living apart half the time.
There's the OM and OW of sorts, as the h never dated the OM, just thought of him as a friend for a short time, and foolishly confided in him, which he used against her when she turned down his attempt to be more than friends. This crummy creep held a grudge against her for almost a decade and returned to play games with her and be a perfect candidate for "Jerk of the Year", but the h was also a jerk for allowing him to get away with his behavior, rather than confess her secret to the H, which was really her mother's secret, not hers!
As for the h's mother, what a piece of work! She should have put the blame on her messed-up life where it belonged, on both her and the h's father (never seen), who couldn't have been all that much in love with her if he allowed himself to be so easily manipulated by her father (the h's grandfather and the H's adopted uncle). Instead, she blames her father (only partially right there), the H (for not succumbing to her crude seduction attempt) and the h (because she couldn't handle the responsibilities of being a parent), and tanks her life with drinking, partying, and earning her living by the world's oldest profession. Meanwhile, she could have come home and accepted help from her father, but she refused, and deprived her daughter of a better life, talk about selfish! She deserved her fate. (Not that her "my way or the highway" father was any prize, either. But he paid for that, as well.)
The OW was a friend of the H (though it was obvious she wanted to be more, and not-so-obvious if she ever was at one time) and a definite enemy of the h, and actually had the nerve to tell her - married to the H and pregnant with his baby - that she was waiting in the wings for her to screw things up, so she could take her place! UNBELIEVABLE! She also didn't waste time trying to cause trouble for the couple, as if that would endear her to the H!
Unfortunately, the H made the same mistake so many h's do, when they're tough on the H but give the OM a free pass. For a time, it was the same with the H, being insulting and suspicious of the h, while thinking the OW's motives were for the best. HAH!!
He was also unreasonably judgmental of the h back when she was a vulnerable teenager and under her mother's thumb, and his reaction to what he thought she was up to really hurt her.
There's a bit of a mislead at the end, where you start thinking the worst, only to have things turn around for a real HEA.
I think the author should have filled readers in more on the h's life while in New Zealand, too many blanks there. (It was clever though, the way she makes you wonder about the h's true identity at first.)
It's a good read, despite its flaws.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2014
Ehmm..i don't know why i can't find the climax of this story.
April 10, 2019
Were they really ever enemies? Not much falling in love, just sex. Eh, didn’t really believe it in the end. Skip.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews