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Another Time
This Sleeping Beauty didn't want reawakeningHelen Smith was horrified! She'd just met her fiance's brother, celebrated author Alexander Knight--who'd revealed to her that, five years ago, they'd shared one searingly passionate night together. And Helen had no recollection of it whatsoever!Alexander had written a bestselling novel based on that blazing night, portraying Helen as his "angel." And now he was determined to win his luminous angel back.But Helen refused to betray her loving fiance, Greg, for the sake of a phantom past. Yet something about Alexander aroused disturbingly real sensations in her....
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
4 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
Susan Napier
141 books153 followersPerhaps being born on Valentine’s Day was an omen that Susan Napier would become a romance writer. This New Zealand author has written over 30 Mills & Boon category romances since 1984. Napier and her husband Tony Potter met when they both worked at the Auckland Star newspaper. After they married, she left the newspaper to work for a film company where she learned the art of dialogue. After the birth of her sons, Simon and Ben, she was a freelance scriptwriter for documentaries. It was soon after that she decided to try her hand at writing the romance fiction she dearly loved.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 5, 2017
Re Another Time - Susan Napier kicks in her two cents with the October 1989 theme of Amnesia - in fact her h is so amnesiac that she doesn't even know she has amnesia. But don't worry, the H remembers everything perfectly, in fact his night with the h changed his life and got him a prize winning novel out of it to boot.
This opens in the POV of the H. He has received a wedding invitation. It is from his brother and there is some big history there. The H takes one look at the photograph inside and immediately decides to return to the family fold that has been hitherto avoided except for brief and sporadic visits over the last ten years, cause REASONS. The first five years the H was jetting off to world trouble spots, he became divorced and went wherever the action was war and worse. He also wrote slick, sexy, cynical spy novels about people doing bad things - most of which he either witnessed or indulged in, depending on the vice.
Then one night in Hong Kong, at the end of his mental tether, he was drowning himself in booze to ease the pain of witnessing man's inhumanity to man. Unable to find surcease from the utter abyss he found himself staring in, a part Asian angel appeared with platinum blonde hair and in Steely Dan's words "This Bodhisattva took him by the hand." Through her tender, innocent and virginal ministrations during a night of uninhibited love, (which Marvyn Gaye immortalized in the song 'Sexual Healing',) the H rediscovered his soul and wrote a Man Booker/Pulitzer prize winning novel out of it, using a pseudonym.
His life revitalized and his former way of existence lurved into oblivion, the H has been celibately searching for his Bodhisattva for five long years. All the while continuing to write award winning novels and getting wildly rich in the process. His angel disappeared into the mists of the Hong Kong dawn, leaving him physically alone but spiritually filled. He has never ceased to search for her however, and now with the picture enclosed in his estranged brother's wedding invitation, he has finally found her. So it is off to New Zealand from New York we go, and the drama is just getting started.
The h who is part Asian (an HPlandia first,) has jet black hair and a confident, go-getter attitude. She has learned via the vagaries of life that time's awastin' and waits for no man, so if you see something you want a piece of, you need to make an all effort to get it.
She runs a successful custom knitted sweater store, and her patterns have been featured in the Australian Vogue. She also took one look at her fiance and in the spirit of modern girls everywhere, she went after her man. She got him and the wedding invitations went out two weeks before, the big day is only a week or so away. She is looking forward to meeting the rest of her fiance's family.
His parents are nice, gardening New Zealanders and she heard a tiny bit about her fiance's wildly rich and riotous novelist brother. She is also aware of a bit of bad history between the brothers. It seems her fiance had a wild yen for his brother's girl at one time in the past. The fiance claimed the H's engagement to the fiance's unrequited love was broken, and maybe his novelist brother is still a bit perturbed by that.
So when the novelist brother actually arrives, the h isn't totally shocked when he put the flirtatious moves on her. She is absolutely stunned when he insists that five years earlier they were lovers for One Night In Hong Kong - (sorta an HP version of Chess,) cause she has been devotedly saving her pure little self for marriage for all her 24 years.
Ever since her parents died when she was 17, she has been caring for herself. She does have a sister who is married to a big chemical conglomerate executive, but they only see each other infrequently, tho they are very close - the h has an irresistible yen to travel a lot. She likes to make her dreams play out immediately, cause time is always running. But she has been rigorously meticulous in saving herself for her husband, cause her parents raised her to have standards AND morals.
The h tells the H that she has never been to Hong Kong, and to her mind she never has. She quickly comes to the conclusion that the H is a man in the grip of an obsession. Maybe he did meet some girl that vaguely resembles her and had a life changing experience. But surely time has warped his memory and besides, he must be a bit delusional cause no woman on the planet could match his idealized version of the woman he calls his Angel.
There are fierce words about who she is and where she has been, the H even remarks that his dream love had a mole on her thigh, tho her hair was white. This frightens the h a bit, cause what he describes matches a similar mark on her own body, but she isn't going to admit it. She is a nice, well brought up girl and she is still a virgin. The H is giving her some funny feelings tho, and the h is EXTREMELY uncomfortable around him. Of course it doesn't help that he is coming on to her like a Mack Truck.
The h, H and her fiance and an old female acquaintance all go out for bite to eat. The fiance produces the h's passport and the H is quick to grab it and check for the Hong Kong stamp. To the h's surprise, there is an HK port of entry mark there and she is utterly confused as to how it got there. The H is closing in like a hound on a fox, but his brother tells him to back off the aggression.
Five years ago the h had a deadly brain tumor. Chemotherapy couldn't fix it, it only turned her hair white but it grew back it's regular black color after. The h had to go to England to get special, risky surgery. (Made more risky by the fact that it wasn't the HPlandia Gold Standard American Breakthrough Surgery, but England has the NHS and the h couldn't afford private.)
The surgery worked like a dream and the h was saved at 19 years old from a premature, untimely mortal passing. The surgery did some damage tho, the h has blank spots in her memory. The memories aren't gone, exactly, the paths that lead to the memories in her brain are broken. If the brain can find another route to the area where the information is stored, the h gets her memory back.
The H later insists that the h thinks his brother is so familiar and fell in love with him because the brother subconsciously reminded her of the H. But now the Real Deal is ready, willing and able to perform and the H is getting his Angel back - as he is quick to remind the reader, he is only MOSTLY reformed - tho has has been dutifully celibate for the last five years. Cause really, once you have had the best, why bother with the rest.
The h isn't buying that tactic. She is insisting she is going to marry the man she proposed to, well they mutually agreed to marry each other, anyways. She may have been passing through Hong Kong overnight five years ago, but she really loves her fiance and NOT the H.
The H then drops the big bombshell. His brother did not fall in unrequited love with the H's then lady fiancee ten years earlier. His brother, the h's current fiance, had a full fledged affair with the H's wife for close to two years while the H was off reporting. The H was a roving reporter back then and he came back early and found his wife and his brother in bed together. His brother and his wife felt too guilty to fess up and his wife was only loving towards the H to hide the truth.
The H broke his brother's nose, got a divorce and proceeded to live a very dissolute existence in the World's Most Dangerous Places for the next five years, getting more bitter and more cynical the entire time. Cause if you can't even trust your family, (his parents suspected the affair but said nothing either), who can you trust? TRUST NO ONE. (Mulder liked that motto too.) But then the H had his big night with the h, and he IS NOT LETTING HER GO! even if he has to bully and coerce his way to keeping her.
The h has a backbone tho, and when the brothers start fighting, she comes down like the Wrath of Kahn on both of them. But she has doubts, tho she genuinely feels sorry that everybody had such a bad time back then, surely those old flames are well extinguished now, truly. Plus she understands why her fiance failed to mention the pertinent details, no one wants to remember misery and family destroying anguish.
She has also told her fiance that she was mistaken in her virginity, but hasn't mentioned who she lost it to. She still has H feeling funny in her tummy moments, and she has finally remembered their Night of Bliss, it was REALLY blissful. But then it would probably seem that way in her memories, cause she thought her fling would be her only chance at passion - she left for the risky surgery the next day and she truly believed she wouldn't make it out alive to experience anything again and she wanted to live it up.
The h decides that the best way to get over one man, the H, is to get right under another man, the fiance. She puts the lurvin' word on the fiance and that night waits in anticipatory glee. Except people should really leave a night light on, cause the man who lurves her up as the best thing since sliced bread is NOT her fiance, he is passed out drunk on the floor of his dad's study.
The h thinks the memory of the H is vanquished in the glorious ascendant passion filled night spent with her fiance. At breakfast the next morning, the H pops up the toast, offers the kiwi fruit and OJ served with a lascivious grin over the wonderful joy and luv they created together in the darkness of the dreamy night. The h goes nuclear, the meltdown is awesome and the H is accused of rape. He doesn't care, cause there is no way the wedding can go on now. The entire house knows what happened.
Then the H's and fiance's mum makes a stand. She sends the H off, cause the h is beyond words. She looks as if she has been hit by a club. Well she has really, just the wrong one.
The mum also lets the h know that the fiance's affair with the H's wife resulted in a child. The H's ex wife and the fiance really are in love, but their mutual guilt is keeping them apart. The h needs to choose, tho the implication is the h needs to leave or choose the H, cause the fiance is preparing to distance himself even more from his son and the h will really be second best compared to the H's ex wife in the fiance's heart. The h leaves, the wedding is cancelled and we find the h again in Hong Kong. She staying with her sister and recovering from the drama.
The H shows up while the h and her sister are at an outdoor Hong Kong cafe, and suggests in a nice Parisian accent, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" The sister is ready to send him on his lecherous way, but YES! PLEASE!, the h definitely would like to lay with the H, so off they go with mutual avowals of love for the big HEA.
This one was a drama ride through the wrecky, rocky coast of HPlandia. I loved the drama and the tension and the wondering just how serious the H was - SN did a great job on the wondering of the H's real motivations.
Where this one lost a point for me was on the feelings of the h. I eventually bought into the H's love and that it was borderline obsession with a dream, but I figured the H loves his mental ablutions deluding himself, so he was in it gung-ho until death do them part. I did question the h's depth of feeling longevity tho. She was very strong personality-wise and she was great at achieving her goals, I just wasn't quite sure the H was the long term goal she really wanted, I did not quite feel the depth of her love.
That doubt keeps this one from being an HP classic, but it does make it a pretty good runner up and worth a read in HPlandia.
This opens in the POV of the H. He has received a wedding invitation. It is from his brother and there is some big history there. The H takes one look at the photograph inside and immediately decides to return to the family fold that has been hitherto avoided except for brief and sporadic visits over the last ten years, cause REASONS. The first five years the H was jetting off to world trouble spots, he became divorced and went wherever the action was war and worse. He also wrote slick, sexy, cynical spy novels about people doing bad things - most of which he either witnessed or indulged in, depending on the vice.
Then one night in Hong Kong, at the end of his mental tether, he was drowning himself in booze to ease the pain of witnessing man's inhumanity to man. Unable to find surcease from the utter abyss he found himself staring in, a part Asian angel appeared with platinum blonde hair and in Steely Dan's words "This Bodhisattva took him by the hand." Through her tender, innocent and virginal ministrations during a night of uninhibited love, (which Marvyn Gaye immortalized in the song 'Sexual Healing',) the H rediscovered his soul and wrote a Man Booker/Pulitzer prize winning novel out of it, using a pseudonym.
His life revitalized and his former way of existence lurved into oblivion, the H has been celibately searching for his Bodhisattva for five long years. All the while continuing to write award winning novels and getting wildly rich in the process. His angel disappeared into the mists of the Hong Kong dawn, leaving him physically alone but spiritually filled. He has never ceased to search for her however, and now with the picture enclosed in his estranged brother's wedding invitation, he has finally found her. So it is off to New Zealand from New York we go, and the drama is just getting started.
The h who is part Asian (an HPlandia first,) has jet black hair and a confident, go-getter attitude. She has learned via the vagaries of life that time's awastin' and waits for no man, so if you see something you want a piece of, you need to make an all effort to get it.
She runs a successful custom knitted sweater store, and her patterns have been featured in the Australian Vogue. She also took one look at her fiance and in the spirit of modern girls everywhere, she went after her man. She got him and the wedding invitations went out two weeks before, the big day is only a week or so away. She is looking forward to meeting the rest of her fiance's family.
His parents are nice, gardening New Zealanders and she heard a tiny bit about her fiance's wildly rich and riotous novelist brother. She is also aware of a bit of bad history between the brothers. It seems her fiance had a wild yen for his brother's girl at one time in the past. The fiance claimed the H's engagement to the fiance's unrequited love was broken, and maybe his novelist brother is still a bit perturbed by that.
So when the novelist brother actually arrives, the h isn't totally shocked when he put the flirtatious moves on her. She is absolutely stunned when he insists that five years earlier they were lovers for One Night In Hong Kong - (sorta an HP version of Chess,) cause she has been devotedly saving her pure little self for marriage for all her 24 years.
Ever since her parents died when she was 17, she has been caring for herself. She does have a sister who is married to a big chemical conglomerate executive, but they only see each other infrequently, tho they are very close - the h has an irresistible yen to travel a lot. She likes to make her dreams play out immediately, cause time is always running. But she has been rigorously meticulous in saving herself for her husband, cause her parents raised her to have standards AND morals.
The h tells the H that she has never been to Hong Kong, and to her mind she never has. She quickly comes to the conclusion that the H is a man in the grip of an obsession. Maybe he did meet some girl that vaguely resembles her and had a life changing experience. But surely time has warped his memory and besides, he must be a bit delusional cause no woman on the planet could match his idealized version of the woman he calls his Angel.
There are fierce words about who she is and where she has been, the H even remarks that his dream love had a mole on her thigh, tho her hair was white. This frightens the h a bit, cause what he describes matches a similar mark on her own body, but she isn't going to admit it. She is a nice, well brought up girl and she is still a virgin. The H is giving her some funny feelings tho, and the h is EXTREMELY uncomfortable around him. Of course it doesn't help that he is coming on to her like a Mack Truck.
The h, H and her fiance and an old female acquaintance all go out for bite to eat. The fiance produces the h's passport and the H is quick to grab it and check for the Hong Kong stamp. To the h's surprise, there is an HK port of entry mark there and she is utterly confused as to how it got there. The H is closing in like a hound on a fox, but his brother tells him to back off the aggression.
Five years ago the h had a deadly brain tumor. Chemotherapy couldn't fix it, it only turned her hair white but it grew back it's regular black color after. The h had to go to England to get special, risky surgery. (Made more risky by the fact that it wasn't the HPlandia Gold Standard American Breakthrough Surgery, but England has the NHS and the h couldn't afford private.)
The surgery worked like a dream and the h was saved at 19 years old from a premature, untimely mortal passing. The surgery did some damage tho, the h has blank spots in her memory. The memories aren't gone, exactly, the paths that lead to the memories in her brain are broken. If the brain can find another route to the area where the information is stored, the h gets her memory back.
The H later insists that the h thinks his brother is so familiar and fell in love with him because the brother subconsciously reminded her of the H. But now the Real Deal is ready, willing and able to perform and the H is getting his Angel back - as he is quick to remind the reader, he is only MOSTLY reformed - tho has has been dutifully celibate for the last five years. Cause really, once you have had the best, why bother with the rest.
The h isn't buying that tactic. She is insisting she is going to marry the man she proposed to, well they mutually agreed to marry each other, anyways. She may have been passing through Hong Kong overnight five years ago, but she really loves her fiance and NOT the H.
The H then drops the big bombshell. His brother did not fall in unrequited love with the H's then lady fiancee ten years earlier. His brother, the h's current fiance, had a full fledged affair with the H's wife for close to two years while the H was off reporting. The H was a roving reporter back then and he came back early and found his wife and his brother in bed together. His brother and his wife felt too guilty to fess up and his wife was only loving towards the H to hide the truth.
The H broke his brother's nose, got a divorce and proceeded to live a very dissolute existence in the World's Most Dangerous Places for the next five years, getting more bitter and more cynical the entire time. Cause if you can't even trust your family, (his parents suspected the affair but said nothing either), who can you trust? TRUST NO ONE. (Mulder liked that motto too.) But then the H had his big night with the h, and he IS NOT LETTING HER GO! even if he has to bully and coerce his way to keeping her.
The h has a backbone tho, and when the brothers start fighting, she comes down like the Wrath of Kahn on both of them. But she has doubts, tho she genuinely feels sorry that everybody had such a bad time back then, surely those old flames are well extinguished now, truly. Plus she understands why her fiance failed to mention the pertinent details, no one wants to remember misery and family destroying anguish.
She has also told her fiance that she was mistaken in her virginity, but hasn't mentioned who she lost it to. She still has H feeling funny in her tummy moments, and she has finally remembered their Night of Bliss, it was REALLY blissful. But then it would probably seem that way in her memories, cause she thought her fling would be her only chance at passion - she left for the risky surgery the next day and she truly believed she wouldn't make it out alive to experience anything again and she wanted to live it up.
The h decides that the best way to get over one man, the H, is to get right under another man, the fiance. She puts the lurvin' word on the fiance and that night waits in anticipatory glee. Except people should really leave a night light on, cause the man who lurves her up as the best thing since sliced bread is NOT her fiance, he is passed out drunk on the floor of his dad's study.
The h thinks the memory of the H is vanquished in the glorious ascendant passion filled night spent with her fiance. At breakfast the next morning, the H pops up the toast, offers the kiwi fruit and OJ served with a lascivious grin over the wonderful joy and luv they created together in the darkness of the dreamy night. The h goes nuclear, the meltdown is awesome and the H is accused of rape. He doesn't care, cause there is no way the wedding can go on now. The entire house knows what happened.
Then the H's and fiance's mum makes a stand. She sends the H off, cause the h is beyond words. She looks as if she has been hit by a club. Well she has really, just the wrong one.
The mum also lets the h know that the fiance's affair with the H's wife resulted in a child. The H's ex wife and the fiance really are in love, but their mutual guilt is keeping them apart. The h needs to choose, tho the implication is the h needs to leave or choose the H, cause the fiance is preparing to distance himself even more from his son and the h will really be second best compared to the H's ex wife in the fiance's heart. The h leaves, the wedding is cancelled and we find the h again in Hong Kong. She staying with her sister and recovering from the drama.
The H shows up while the h and her sister are at an outdoor Hong Kong cafe, and suggests in a nice Parisian accent, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" The sister is ready to send him on his lecherous way, but YES! PLEASE!, the h definitely would like to lay with the H, so off they go with mutual avowals of love for the big HEA.
This one was a drama ride through the wrecky, rocky coast of HPlandia. I loved the drama and the tension and the wondering just how serious the H was - SN did a great job on the wondering of the H's real motivations.
Where this one lost a point for me was on the feelings of the h. I eventually bought into the H's love and that it was borderline obsession with a dream, but I figured the H loves his mental ablutions deluding himself, so he was in it gung-ho until death do them part. I did question the h's depth of feeling longevity tho. She was very strong personality-wise and she was great at achieving her goals, I just wasn't quite sure the H was the long term goal she really wanted, I did not quite feel the depth of her love.
That doubt keeps this one from being an HP classic, but it does make it a pretty good runner up and worth a read in HPlandia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2019
I was the one who drew first blood, Angel. I was the one you turned to in your need, who showed you the glory of being a woman. And how you loved me for it...all through the long night. How hot and sweet you were, and eager, so eager to know everything. You were the most uninhibited lover I've ever had... my best lover... my last lover... my once and only lover...'
A tale on uninhibited mystic love, "Another Time" is the story of Helen and Alex.
Past: Five years ago, Alexander Knight is a frustrated journalist on the verge of giving up on life. Lost in booze and women, things change when one night in Hong-Kong, he meets a blonde angel, who rescues him from darkness, gives him her virginity, steals his heart, and disappears. He falls in love with her enigma, discovering the meaning of life, writing Angel in the Dark as an ode to their coming together. He subsequently has become a bestselling author, but never gives up his search for her. It remains unfruitful, until now..
Present: Helen Smith is on the verge of marrying her fiance, Greg Knight, a man she's known and come to love, when his older brother Alex shows up on the scene. He soon starts pursuing Helen, claiming her as his angel, and that she had a one night stand with him five years ago! Helen finds it outrageous- why, she has never visited Hong Kong, and much less slept with a stranger! And she is a virgin! But subsequent confrontations with Alex mixed with her missing memory from her illness makes her face some harsh truths. But Alex is not going to let her marry Greg, and will even resort to manipulations to get what is his. And Greg might not have been 100% honest about his past too..
Conflict: The heroine is stuck between two brothers- one who she believes she loves, and one who is crazily in love with her. There's a lot of push and pull, and seduction attempts between the three, and we soon find out . It's all a BIG messed up family drama.
Resolution:The turning point is when, out of guilt, the h tries to seduce the brother and the hero decides to finally take the situation in his hand. Also, FINALLY his mother spills the beans.
Romance: Insanely obsessed hero, confused heroine, passionate sex scenes, and relentless pursuit and devotion.
Angst: Minimal
I really enjoyed this story. It was crazy to the MAX, but it had every trope possible- amnesia, brother to brother drama, soulmates and a hero who was fixated on the heroine like a dog with a bone.
Safe/SWME
4/5
A tale on uninhibited mystic love, "Another Time" is the story of Helen and Alex.
Past: Five years ago, Alexander Knight is a frustrated journalist on the verge of giving up on life. Lost in booze and women, things change when one night in Hong-Kong, he meets a blonde angel, who rescues him from darkness, gives him her virginity, steals his heart, and disappears. He falls in love with her enigma, discovering the meaning of life, writing Angel in the Dark as an ode to their coming together. He subsequently has become a bestselling author, but never gives up his search for her. It remains unfruitful, until now..
Present: Helen Smith is on the verge of marrying her fiance, Greg Knight, a man she's known and come to love, when his older brother Alex shows up on the scene. He soon starts pursuing Helen, claiming her as his angel, and that she had a one night stand with him five years ago! Helen finds it outrageous- why, she has never visited Hong Kong, and much less slept with a stranger! And she is a virgin! But subsequent confrontations with Alex mixed with her missing memory from her illness makes her face some harsh truths. But Alex is not going to let her marry Greg, and will even resort to manipulations to get what is his. And Greg might not have been 100% honest about his past too..
Conflict: The heroine is stuck between two brothers- one who she believes she loves, and one who is crazily in love with her. There's a lot of push and pull, and seduction attempts between the three, and we soon find out . It's all a BIG messed up family drama.
Resolution:The turning point is when, out of guilt, the h tries to seduce the brother and the hero decides to finally take the situation in his hand. Also, FINALLY his mother spills the beans.
Romance: Insanely obsessed hero, confused heroine, passionate sex scenes, and relentless pursuit and devotion.
Angst: Minimal
I really enjoyed this story. It was crazy to the MAX, but it had every trope possible- amnesia, brother to brother drama, soulmates and a hero who was fixated on the heroine like a dog with a bone.
Safe/SWME
4/5
January 2, 2019
Dear boogenhagen’s review was great so I just wanted to say that it was total OTT train wreck. Luckily for me that I cannot say hero was sweet. But those below mentioned quotes melted my old cynical heart. ;)
“That's what you gave me that night, Helen,' his voice was soft and slow, enveloping her in its warmth, 'a belief in myself, the knowledge that I could still touch and be touched by emotion.”
(...)
“you know me, don't you? In your heart you know... I was the one who drew first blood, Angel. I was the one you turned to in your need, who showed you the glory of being a woman. And how you loved me for it...all through the long night. How hot and sweet you were, and eager, so eager to know everything. You were the most uninhibited lover I've ever had... my best lover... my last lover... my once and only lover. ”
“That's what you gave me that night, Helen,' his voice was soft and slow, enveloping her in its warmth, 'a belief in myself, the knowledge that I could still touch and be touched by emotion.”
(...)
“you know me, don't you? In your heart you know... I was the one who drew first blood, Angel. I was the one you turned to in your need, who showed you the glory of being a woman. And how you loved me for it...all through the long night. How hot and sweet you were, and eager, so eager to know everything. You were the most uninhibited lover I've ever had... my best lover... my last lover... my once and only lover. ”
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August 19, 2019
I would have loved this one more if the heroine hadn't pushed the hero away so much. I like the hero to be the pursuer but the heroine has to give in time sometime! Preferably not on the last page, such that we don't even get to enjoy them together after all that angst.
3 stars because the hero is an awesome, besotted blond and the heroine is part Asian (her great-great-grandmother was Chinese) which was probably done just for the 'exoticism' factor but I've never seen a mixed-race character in a Harlequin before, so kudos to Napier.
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3 stars because the hero is an awesome, besotted blond and the heroine is part Asian (her great-great-grandmother was Chinese) which was probably done just for the 'exoticism' factor but I've never seen a mixed-race character in a Harlequin before, so kudos to Napier.
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March 22, 2014
4 1/2 Stars ~ Imagine meeting your future brother-in-law and having him insist that you're the angel who pulled him out of his black hole and gifted him with the most amazing night of passion. So amazing that he'd found absolution and she'd been his inspiration to redeem himself from the dark pessimism that had haunted him. Only Helen had never been to Hong Kong as Alex insisted and she most certainly hadn't lost her virginity to him in a passionate one night stand. Alex can't understand how the woman he's remained celibate for these past five years, doesn't remember him. That is until Greg lets him know that five years ago, Helen had spent a flying stop over in Hong Kong on her way from New Zealand to England. She'd had a brain tumour and new surgical techniques were offered in London, but as a result of her surgery she had some blank spots in her memory. Alex can't give up on his angel, and he insists that she read his literary acclaimed novel in which he writes of woman who in one miraculous night of lovemaking set him on a "journey out of the darkness of unspeakable despair into the light of freedom—physical, emotional and spiritual..."
While Helen's relationship with Alex's brother Greg was a bit of a whirlwind, they were engaged but not lovers. She's reluctant to tell Greg that she had one night of passion with Alex, especially as the brothers already had bad blood over the affair Greg had with Alex's, since divorced, wife. The wedding's mere weeks away, and Alex pushes Helen to realize that she's not really in love with Greg, that Greg's only a substitute for all her forgotten feelings for him. And when Helen's memories come flooding back, it becomes all too much for her. If she goes to Alex it will destroy Greg and it will cause an irreparable rift in the family.
I adore amnesia stories! Susan Napier writes such devilishly delicious heroes, who often have tortured pasts and need redemption. There's not a doubt that Alex loves Helen and I adored that now that he's found his angel again, there was no way he was going to let her go. Greg was a bit of wet noodle and I couldn't quite understand how Helen could fall for him on his own merits. Helen is an amazing heroine, the scenes where she's remembering her first encounter with Alex are profoundly moving. Ms. Napier has never disappointed me. This is one for the keeper shelf.
While Helen's relationship with Alex's brother Greg was a bit of a whirlwind, they were engaged but not lovers. She's reluctant to tell Greg that she had one night of passion with Alex, especially as the brothers already had bad blood over the affair Greg had with Alex's, since divorced, wife. The wedding's mere weeks away, and Alex pushes Helen to realize that she's not really in love with Greg, that Greg's only a substitute for all her forgotten feelings for him. And when Helen's memories come flooding back, it becomes all too much for her. If she goes to Alex it will destroy Greg and it will cause an irreparable rift in the family.
I adore amnesia stories! Susan Napier writes such devilishly delicious heroes, who often have tortured pasts and need redemption. There's not a doubt that Alex loves Helen and I adored that now that he's found his angel again, there was no way he was going to let her go. Greg was a bit of wet noodle and I couldn't quite understand how Helen could fall for him on his own merits. Helen is an amazing heroine, the scenes where she's remembering her first encounter with Alex are profoundly moving. Ms. Napier has never disappointed me. This is one for the keeper shelf.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2019
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE COINCIDENCE! Reformed Bad Boy Extraordinaire/International Playboy/Best-Selling author Alexander Knight had a wonderful, life-transforming revelation. And he owes it all to a one-night-stand with a mysterious white-haired, delicate-looking woman who disappears in the morning before he wakes up. It is such a beautiful experience that Alex decides he no longer wants to be a drunk and a waste of space and he owes it all to this beautiful, mysterious angel...
WHOM he writes about in a new novel and RAKES IN A TON OF CASH.
He searches and searches for this angel for five years until one day, he comes across his brother's engagement announcement in a newspaper and realizes... HOLY CRAP, ANGEL and BRO'S FIANCEE ARE THE SAME WOMAN! He smiles and thinks slyly to himself, heh, maybe he's not so reformed after all.
So Alex zooms over to Australia where his parents, brother, and mysterious "angel" live and decides he will claim his angel once and for all, all consequences be damned.
Only she doesn't remember him. In fact, she's a little afraid of him and is determined to marry his brother. WHAT KIND OF DEVIOUS, EVIL GAME IS SHE PLAYING? WHY IS SHE MESSING WITH HIM LIKE THIS? HE LOVES HER SO MUCH. SHE'S HIS ANGEL!
I loved this book. LOVED it. Bonus: Heroine is part-Asian. YAY! I love multi-racial romances! And Alex is so crazy determined and in love...my favorite kind of hero. :::sigh:::
WHOM he writes about in a new novel and RAKES IN A TON OF CASH.
He searches and searches for this angel for five years until one day, he comes across his brother's engagement announcement in a newspaper and realizes... HOLY CRAP, ANGEL and BRO'S FIANCEE ARE THE SAME WOMAN! He smiles and thinks slyly to himself, heh, maybe he's not so reformed after all.
So Alex zooms over to Australia where his parents, brother, and mysterious "angel" live and decides he will claim his angel once and for all, all consequences be damned.
Only she doesn't remember him. In fact, she's a little afraid of him and is determined to marry his brother. WHAT KIND OF DEVIOUS, EVIL GAME IS SHE PLAYING? WHY IS SHE MESSING WITH HIM LIKE THIS? HE LOVES HER SO MUCH. SHE'S HIS ANGEL!
I loved this book. LOVED it. Bonus: Heroine is part-Asian. YAY! I love multi-racial romances! And Alex is so crazy determined and in love...my favorite kind of hero. :::sigh:::
July 6, 2012
I have to say amnesy is not my cup of tea. I'm sorry but it was not for me. I found the whole story boring BORING WITH CAPITAL LETTERS :(
THe story was complicated, with her who forgot him after their night of sex, because of a brain tumor. She forgot him but he didn't forget her! He had a sort of epiphany after the sex and he spent 5 years writing about her and looking for her.
ANd where he found her? In his own home, as his brother's fiancèe. The same brother who had a fling with his brother's wife ten years ago... so we have two brothers:
the first one who had a fling with his brother's wife and he's now fiancèe
the next one who had sex with his brother's fiancèe (when she wasn't his brother fiancèe).
We had 2 brothers who want to stay with the other's brother significant one? LOL
In this maelstrom of brothers feelings she is uncertain, confused, with no memory (but in the end she will remember) and with no direction. But her mother-in-law (in a way or another, as she didn't decide for the brother, yet!) will give her advice. Leave both my sons, go away and think about it. 5 days before the wedding!
In the end they have their HEA but I feel disconcerted and bored to tears :(
Maybe it's not the right time for me to read Harlequin, because lately I didn't manage to find anything I like :(
THe story was complicated, with her who forgot him after their night of sex, because of a brain tumor. She forgot him but he didn't forget her! He had a sort of epiphany after the sex and he spent 5 years writing about her and looking for her.
ANd where he found her? In his own home, as his brother's fiancèe. The same brother who had a fling with his brother's wife ten years ago... so we have two brothers:
the first one who had a fling with his brother's wife and he's now fiancèe
the next one who had sex with his brother's fiancèe (when she wasn't his brother fiancèe).
We had 2 brothers who want to stay with the other's brother significant one? LOL
In this maelstrom of brothers feelings she is uncertain, confused, with no memory (but in the end she will remember) and with no direction. But her mother-in-law (in a way or another, as she didn't decide for the brother, yet!) will give her advice. Leave both my sons, go away and think about it. 5 days before the wedding!
In the end they have their HEA but I feel disconcerted and bored to tears :(
Maybe it's not the right time for me to read Harlequin, because lately I didn't manage to find anything I like :(
April 17, 2016
i cud not rate it more as i felt heroine was horribly confused and needed therapy. i dunt for one minute believe in their HEA after Helen's persistence all throughout the book to get married to Greg, even after she remembered the night she had slept wid Alex and how special it was. Alex was absolutely besotted while she did not seem to return his feelings, not even near the end. he had fallen in love wid her dat one night whereas she forgot all about it and moved on wid her life.
November 22, 2020
Susan Napier is an author who continually pushes the expected norms when it comes to writing romances, especially at a time during which not many authors were inclined to do so. Ms. Napier’s novels are about feminism, equal rights, and at times heroines who hold onto the concept of independence to the point where it becomes a tad annoying to read the book. But never let it be said that Ms. Napier writes conventional romances, as this title itself is testament of.
Another Time was first published in 1989 and given the concept that is explored in this book, I rightfully guessed from the onset that this would not be well received by most readers. At certain points at the beginning of the story, even I was unsure of how I felt about what was taking place, up till the point where more salient details came to light later on.
24 year old Helen Smith is engaged and getting ready for her nuptials with the help of her future in-laws. With her fiance away, Helen is not at all ready for the havoc that is wrought by the introduction of her fiance’s brother, Alexander Knight (Alex).
With a reputation that precedes him, both professionally and otherwise, Alex makes Helen uncomfortable right from the start. Alex mistaking Helen to be someone else, the woman who had haunted his dreams for the past five years makes Helen want to understand where he is coming from when he makes untoward remarks and comments that a future brother-in-law rightfully should not be making.
However, as the events unfold and more details emerge, things aren’t as straightforward as they seem to be at first. Helen who does not remember her time with Alex, is determined to do right by her fiance, even when her body clamors to be with her fiance’s brother. Forcing herself to go through the motions is made impossible by the fact that Alex is everywhere she turns, unrelenting on his goal to win back the woman he believes to be his, even if it means stealing her away from his own brother.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this novel’s premise is not for everyone. Most readers would not be able to get past the fact that Alex is seemingly the one in the wrong, when truth couldn’t be far from it. While I loved Alex as a hero, I believe his sensuality was the most well done factor in the book, something Ms. Napier excels at and amazes me with time and yet again. For a novel that was written and published in the late 80’s, Another Time certainly packs a punch with scenes of passion done so right, which is classic Ms. Napier.
While the novel lost some of its allure towards the latter half of it, I believe the key reason behind that factor was Helen herself, who could not seem to understand the love she has for Alex and vice versa. She fails to see where Alex was coming from, when what they had shared together at a certain point in time had been transcendental. I would have liked it better had Helen come to terms with her feelings, as complex as they seemed to be, and met Alex halfway when all was said and done.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy this story for the most part, or at least the parts where Alex made my senses hum. I believe the ending felt more bereft due to the lack of an epilogue which would have gone a long way towards making this more well rounded.
Recommended for fans of Susan Napier and those that love reading unorthodox romances. Another Time is perhaps, not for everyone.
Final Verdict: Another Time is a novel that pushes the envelope when it comes to the genre. However, Ms. Napier’s mastery in delivering sensually charged stories is the saving grace when it comes to Alex and Helen.
Rating = 3.5/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
Another Time was first published in 1989 and given the concept that is explored in this book, I rightfully guessed from the onset that this would not be well received by most readers. At certain points at the beginning of the story, even I was unsure of how I felt about what was taking place, up till the point where more salient details came to light later on.
24 year old Helen Smith is engaged and getting ready for her nuptials with the help of her future in-laws. With her fiance away, Helen is not at all ready for the havoc that is wrought by the introduction of her fiance’s brother, Alexander Knight (Alex).
With a reputation that precedes him, both professionally and otherwise, Alex makes Helen uncomfortable right from the start. Alex mistaking Helen to be someone else, the woman who had haunted his dreams for the past five years makes Helen want to understand where he is coming from when he makes untoward remarks and comments that a future brother-in-law rightfully should not be making.
However, as the events unfold and more details emerge, things aren’t as straightforward as they seem to be at first. Helen who does not remember her time with Alex, is determined to do right by her fiance, even when her body clamors to be with her fiance’s brother. Forcing herself to go through the motions is made impossible by the fact that Alex is everywhere she turns, unrelenting on his goal to win back the woman he believes to be his, even if it means stealing her away from his own brother.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this novel’s premise is not for everyone. Most readers would not be able to get past the fact that Alex is seemingly the one in the wrong, when truth couldn’t be far from it. While I loved Alex as a hero, I believe his sensuality was the most well done factor in the book, something Ms. Napier excels at and amazes me with time and yet again. For a novel that was written and published in the late 80’s, Another Time certainly packs a punch with scenes of passion done so right, which is classic Ms. Napier.
While the novel lost some of its allure towards the latter half of it, I believe the key reason behind that factor was Helen herself, who could not seem to understand the love she has for Alex and vice versa. She fails to see where Alex was coming from, when what they had shared together at a certain point in time had been transcendental. I would have liked it better had Helen come to terms with her feelings, as complex as they seemed to be, and met Alex halfway when all was said and done.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy this story for the most part, or at least the parts where Alex made my senses hum. I believe the ending felt more bereft due to the lack of an epilogue which would have gone a long way towards making this more well rounded.
Recommended for fans of Susan Napier and those that love reading unorthodox romances. Another Time is perhaps, not for everyone.
Final Verdict: Another Time is a novel that pushes the envelope when it comes to the genre. However, Ms. Napier’s mastery in delivering sensually charged stories is the saving grace when it comes to Alex and Helen.
Rating = 3.5/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
April 30, 2012
The heroine didn't remember the hero for she almost died having a brain tumor. Once the surgery was complete she didn't remember the hero at all but when she met his brother, a short engagement changed all of that. The hero remembers her and quite vividly, I might add. He will do anything to get her to remember and call of this farce of a wedding. For she only belongs with one man, him...
It was a decent novel, nothing that quite stands out, although I did enjoy the read to some degree.
It was a decent novel, nothing that quite stands out, although I did enjoy the read to some degree.
April 11, 2016
Unrealistic. And h`s love is not convincing after trying so hard to get married to the wrong brother who incidentally was in love with (H`s ex-wife) all along.
March 17, 2021
The H is so much in love and so determined to win her over. I love it when a H is so open about his feelings for the h. He does all these wonderful things. His love and lust are definitely worth 5 stars.
But I take one star off because the h is nasty. She has amnesia, but that is no excuse for being nasty.
She is engaged to be married to the H’s brother and she wants to go through with the wedding without telling the groom that she has slept with his brother 5 years ago.
And it was not only in the past that she and the H made out. She lets the H kiss her naked breasts (being engaged to his brother) and would have gone all the way if the H hadn’t stopped. Even after that she stays in the engagement with his brother.
What was especially nasty is that towards the end of the book, she urged her fiance (the H’s brother) to have sex with her. Her fiance was not really into it, but she insisted on doing it with him that same night. And that is after the H told her that he loves her, how much she means to him, that he hasn’t had sex with another woman after that night with her, that he remained faithful to her all those 5 years.
I don’t believe in her love for him. He deserves so much better. Susan Napier should write a sequel in which he dumps this nasty h and finds himself a better woman.
But I take one star off because the h is nasty. She has amnesia, but that is no excuse for being nasty.
She is engaged to be married to the H’s brother and she wants to go through with the wedding without telling the groom that she has slept with his brother 5 years ago.
And it was not only in the past that she and the H made out. She lets the H kiss her naked breasts (being engaged to his brother) and would have gone all the way if the H hadn’t stopped. Even after that she stays in the engagement with his brother.
What was especially nasty is that towards the end of the book, she urged her fiance (the H’s brother) to have sex with her. Her fiance was not really into it, but she insisted on doing it with him that same night. And that is after the H told her that he loves her, how much she means to him, that he hasn’t had sex with another woman after that night with her, that he remained faithful to her all those 5 years.
I don’t believe in her love for him. He deserves so much better. Susan Napier should write a sequel in which he dumps this nasty h and finds himself a better woman.
December 6, 2021
The H is genuinely obsessed with the h. He would make a religion out of her if he could as he thinks she has been the source of his physical, mental and emotional salvation and he lets her know from the get go that he is going to try and win her. All is not as it should be with the h's fiancé which gets revealed gradually, although .
It was adorable that the H was celibate since the last 5 years. Would have liked more post marriage HEA for the H and h considering they spent a lot of the book going back and forth. The love scenes were not detailed.
It was adorable that the H was celibate since the last 5 years. Would have liked more post marriage HEA for the H and h considering they spent a lot of the book going back and forth. The love scenes were not detailed.
September 20, 2021
This might have been better in the fantasy genre because you really have to suspend belief even more than normal for an HP.
Hero has a life-changing ONS 5 years ago in Hong Kong, spends the next years searching for her, and then, low and behold, she shows up as his brother's fiance in New Zealand. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns...."
On top of that, he claims undying love and total transformation from the few hours he spent with her. Wow, is this guy in for a disappointment when she inevitably topples from the unrealistic pedestal he has put her on. No-one can be such a paragon/ angel. The guy is a bit delusional and living in lala land. But still, this was a great romance.
Low angst, unrealistic, but highly entertaining. Gotta a love a guy who is completely smitten but not cruel with it.
Hero has a life-changing ONS 5 years ago in Hong Kong, spends the next years searching for her, and then, low and behold, she shows up as his brother's fiance in New Zealand. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns...."
On top of that, he claims undying love and total transformation from the few hours he spent with her. Wow, is this guy in for a disappointment when she inevitably topples from the unrealistic pedestal he has put her on. No-one can be such a paragon/ angel. The guy is a bit delusional and living in lala land. But still, this was a great romance.
Low angst, unrealistic, but highly entertaining. Gotta a love a guy who is completely smitten but not cruel with it.
April 18, 2024
ok, but very dysfunctional.
June 19, 2024
I was curious to try one of these but it was not well written, the characters were unbelievable and it wasn't enjoyable. unfortunately not one i'd recommend.
March 3, 2024
This was entertaining reading, but what a far-fetched story! The h is about to get married, then meets her fiancé's brother, who insists they've met before, were in fact once lovers! It should have occurred to her that this might have had something to do with her brain surgery several years ago.
It seems she thought she might die on the operating table so why not pick up a strange guy and have sex first? She disappears after giving her V card to the H, then can't remember him after the operation. But he never forgot her!
Quite a coincidence, finding she's about to marry his brother. It makes as much sense as the h making a living by knitting sweaters, and traveling all over the world while she knits!
To make it even more convoluted, the fiancé is really still in love with the married woman he shagged and knocked up a few years back. That's why he was willing to wait until he married the h before they had sex, because secretly he didn't want any other woman and was subconsciously hoping something would happen to call the wedding off. Something does! The h remembered everything and realizes she didn't want any man but the H, yet she runs away to clear her head, he follows her, and HEA!!
It's a fun read, but it's still kind of dumb.
It seems she thought she might die on the operating table so why not pick up a strange guy and have sex first? She disappears after giving her V card to the H, then can't remember him after the operation. But he never forgot her!
Quite a coincidence, finding she's about to marry his brother. It makes as much sense as the h making a living by knitting sweaters, and traveling all over the world while she knits!
To make it even more convoluted, the fiancé is really still in love with the married woman he shagged and knocked up a few years back. That's why he was willing to wait until he married the h before they had sex, because secretly he didn't want any other woman and was subconsciously hoping something would happen to call the wedding off. Something does! The h remembered everything and realizes she didn't want any man but the H, yet she runs away to clear her head, he follows her, and HEA!!
It's a fun read, but it's still kind of dumb.
September 5, 2024
Initially, I found the story intriguing, with its unique plot and compelling characters. However, my enjoyment was marred by the sudden turn of events towards the middle and ending. The mother's attempt to normalize cheating as a mistake in choosing the wrong partner and finding the right one in their spouse's younger brother was utterly appalling. It was disgraceful to witness the justification of such behavior, especially when it involved moving on with the brother without getting a divorce first. The deceitful actions of Greg and his family, hiding the truth about his son with Alice from Helen, further added to the repugnance. Despite the distasteful supporting characters, the unwavering love and chemistry between the leads, Alex and Helen, provided a glimmer of hope. Their genuine affection and commitment to each other amidst the chaos caused by those around them were commendable. In the end, I found myself rooting for Alex and Helen to break away from their toxic family and start afresh. Alex's unwavering devotion to Helen, as portrayed throughout the story, truly defined him as a hero in my eyes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2024
This Sleeping Beauty didn't want reawakening
Helen was horrified! She'd just met her fiance's brother, celebrated author Alexander Knight—who'd revealed to her that, five years ago, they'd shared one searingly passionate night together. And Helen had no recollection of it whatsoever! Alexander had written a bestselling novel based on that blazing night, portraying Helen as his "angel." And now he was determined to win his luminous angel back.
But Helen refused to betray her loving fiance, Greg, for the sake of a phantom past. Yet something about Alexander aroused disturbingly real sensations in her
Helen was horrified! She'd just met her fiance's brother, celebrated author Alexander Knight—who'd revealed to her that, five years ago, they'd shared one searingly passionate night together. And Helen had no recollection of it whatsoever! Alexander had written a bestselling novel based on that blazing night, portraying Helen as his "angel." And now he was determined to win his luminous angel back.
But Helen refused to betray her loving fiance, Greg, for the sake of a phantom past. Yet something about Alexander aroused disturbingly real sensations in her
May 13, 2024
There's smitten, there's besotted, and then there is "batshit crazy". The creepy, arrogant MFC of this book could be the poster boy for the latter category. He's so obsessed by his brother's fiance that he enters her room, keeps the lights off, and lets her think she's bonking the fiance (who's a gutless liar and no prize in any event), an act which I found absolutely appalling. She should have run far, far away, but she was a confused, indecisive hot mess (and her stalker wasn't going to stop hunting her down in any event regardless of what she wanted). I wasn't sold on her sudden epiphany of love for him at the very end, or in their HEA.
February 2, 2011
Interesting story line and a plot I haven't seen before, but includes a questionable scene at the end of the book - which I think legally qualifies as rape - but which the hero shrugs off as 'making love' and the heroine gets over pretty quickly.
March 6, 2015
Very good book. Turns the usual M&B cliche of the one night stand that leaves the hero cynical and searching on it's head - instead he is redeemed and re-finds hope in her arms. Then of course, years later they meet again...
December 27, 2017
شلالات القمر
من روايات عبير الجديدة
يبحث عنها منذ خمس سنين امرأة من نسج احلامه
ملاك دون اسم نجح في هذه الليلة في تبدبد ظلام حياته إلي الابد .......حلم الصين حلم ليلة.........
وأخيرا وجدها .مبتسمة و مشرقة كانت هنا أمام عينيه خطيبة شقيقه
من روايات عبير الجديدة
يبحث عنها منذ خمس سنين امرأة من نسج احلامه
ملاك دون اسم نجح في هذه الليلة في تبدبد ظلام حياته إلي الابد .......حلم الصين حلم ليلة.........
وأخيرا وجدها .مبتسمة و مشرقة كانت هنا أمام عينيه خطيبة شقيقه
January 25, 2010
One of my absolute favorite HP's of all time. I just Loved Alex and I love the unexpected tuns the book takes. I read it years ago and still remember it well. That in itself says a lot!!
April 22, 2012
Titre vf : Rêve de Chine
April 29, 2016
O herói é bastante persuasivo! Adoro!
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