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Elizabeth and Violet #2
Her Best Worst Mistake
She thinks he's stuffy. He thinks she's spoilt. Then the gloves come off and so do their clothes!
For six years Violet Sutcliffe has known that Martin St Clair is the wrong man for her best friend. He's stuffy, old before his time, conservative. He drives Violet nuts - and the feeling is entirely mutual. Then, out of nowhere, her friend walks out just weeks before her wedding to Martin, flying to Australia on a mission of self-discovery. Back in London, Violet finds herself feeling sorry for suddenly-single Martin. At least, she tells herself it's pity she feels. Then he comes calling one dark, stormy night and they discover that beneath their mutual dislike there lies a fiery sexual chemistry.
It's crazy and all-consuming - and utterly wrong. Because not only are they chalk and cheese, oil and water, but Martin once belonged to her best friend. A friend Violet is terrified of losing. What future can there be for a relationship with so many strikes against it?
For six years Violet Sutcliffe has known that Martin St Clair is the wrong man for her best friend. He's stuffy, old before his time, conservative. He drives Violet nuts - and the feeling is entirely mutual. Then, out of nowhere, her friend walks out just weeks before her wedding to Martin, flying to Australia on a mission of self-discovery. Back in London, Violet finds herself feeling sorry for suddenly-single Martin. At least, she tells herself it's pity she feels. Then he comes calling one dark, stormy night and they discover that beneath their mutual dislike there lies a fiery sexual chemistry.
It's crazy and all-consuming - and utterly wrong. Because not only are they chalk and cheese, oil and water, but Martin once belonged to her best friend. A friend Violet is terrified of losing. What future can there be for a relationship with so many strikes against it?
170 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2012
145 people are currently reading
5012 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Mayberry
159 books1,149 followersSarah Mayberry was born in Melbourne, Australia, and is the middle of three children. From the time that she first “stole” paper from kindergarten and stapled it together to make “books,” Sarah has always wanted to be a writer. In line with this ambition, on graduation from high school she completed a bachelor of arts degree majoring in professional writing, then sat down to write a book. When inspiration didn’t strike, she began to wonder if, perhaps, she needed to live some life first before writing about it.
This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.
But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.
In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.
Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.
Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often.
This still left the burning question of how to pay the rent. She found her way into trade journalism, working off the principle that it was better to write anything for a living than nothing at all. Her time there lead to the opportunity to launch a new decorator magazine for one of Australia’s major retailers, an invaluable and grueling experience that she found very rewarding.
But the opportunity to write fiction for a living soon lured Sarah away. She took up a post as storyliner on Australia’s longest running soap, Neighbours. Over two years she helped plot more than 240 hours of television, as well as writing freelance scripts. She remembers her time with the show very fondly — especially the dirty jokes and laughter around the story table — and still writes scripts on a freelance basis.
In 2003 she relocated to New Zealand for her partner’s work. There Sarah served as storyliner and story editor on the country’s top-rating drama, Shortland Street, before quitting to pursue writing full time.
Sarah picked up a love of romance novels from both her grandmothers, and has submitted manuscripts to Harlequin many times over the years. She credits the invaluable story structuring experience she learned on Neighbours as the key to her eventual success — along with the patience of her fantastic editor, Wanda.
Sarah is revoltingly happy with her partner of twelve years, Chris, who is a talented scriptwriter. Not only does he offer fantastic advice and solutions to writing problems, but he’s also handsome, funny and sexy. When she’s not gushing over him, she loves to read romance and fantasy novels, go to the movies, sew and cook for her friends. She has also become a recent convert to Pilates, which she knows she should do more often.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 627 reviews
August 20, 2014
5 stars – Contemporary Romance
Oh, but I really enjoyed this one! There are opposites attract stories and then there are opposites ignite, combust, and singe my Kindle stories and this is definitely the latter. Whew!
And the premise is one of my favorites...seemingly stodgy, stuffy, rich, straitlaced Darcy-esque hero and free-spirited, quirky, flamboyant, provocative heroine clash, battle, and then inevitably end up lusting and scorching up the sheets...and pretty much any stable surface.
But Sarah Mayberry has penned an insightful, affecting story and given depth to Martin’s and Violet’s characters that dispels clichés and stereotypes. And talk about a swoonalicious, husband-worthy hero! I absolutely loved Martin! *sigh*
Her Best Worst Mistake is a sequel/spin-off of Hot Island Nights that takes place during the same time period, and I enjoyed this much more having read Hot Island Nights first.
It’s a sexy, fun, super steamy, and emotionally gratifying romance with a memorable H/h. 5 stars!
Oh, but I really enjoyed this one! There are opposites attract stories and then there are opposites ignite, combust, and singe my Kindle stories and this is definitely the latter. Whew!
And the premise is one of my favorites...seemingly stodgy, stuffy, rich, straitlaced Darcy-esque hero and free-spirited, quirky, flamboyant, provocative heroine clash, battle, and then inevitably end up lusting and scorching up the sheets...and pretty much any stable surface.
But Sarah Mayberry has penned an insightful, affecting story and given depth to Martin’s and Violet’s characters that dispels clichés and stereotypes. And talk about a swoonalicious, husband-worthy hero! I absolutely loved Martin! *sigh*
Her Best Worst Mistake is a sequel/spin-off of Hot Island Nights that takes place during the same time period, and I enjoyed this much more having read Hot Island Nights first.
It’s a sexy, fun, super steamy, and emotionally gratifying romance with a memorable H/h. 5 stars!
November 22, 2015
Her Best Worst Mistake is such a sexy, tender, enemies to lovers tale with a slow to grow, but very sweet romance. I enjoyed this story and the characters who learn the importance of not judging someone as lacking before truly getting to know them.
Sarah Mayberry writes some of the best stories! She knows how to get to the heart of her characters and make them come alive. They're the kinds of people you'd want to have for your own friends or lovers, and that makes for stories that draw you in and keep you coming back for more!
Thanks, Shawna and AnneOK, for encouraging me to read this book and AnneOK for lending it to me!!!
May 30, 2012
“Shut up,” he said, and then he kissed her, because there was no other way of conveying how he felt.
Kids: “Mom, what’s for supper?” Me: ….. Kids: “MOM!” Me: [waves absently towards the kitchen]. Daughter: “She’s reading one of those books again.”
May 18, 2012
***edited to add quotes, additional comments and minor revision***
Grade: B+ or 4 solid stars...Entertaining Opposites Attract Story
Memorable Quote 1 - Droopy Drawers confronts Violet
Her Best Worst Mistake has one of my favorite tropes! It’s where the uptight hero gets shook up by the free-spirited heroine! Violet sets stuffy Martin's pants on fire!
Martin a.k.a. Droopy Drawers shows believable personal growth. His ambition to move up in the world proves more complex than initially presented. Martin is Violet's perfect match. He rocks her world! This hero and heroine have chemistry, and their love scenes were hot, Hot, HOT! (I loved the mango scene.)
At times, I worried the usual plot devices (poor communication, big misunderstandings, pregnancy, self-sacrifice) would be used as obstacles. They were not! Yay! The characters understood each other and worked through their issues, except one major issue that could have blown up in their faces, but it was handled well and stayed true to the characters.
Sarah Mayberry made me care about the characters. Their actions made me laugh, get angry, fan my heated face, cheer, and cry. Her characterizations remind me of Julie James and Susan Elizabeth Phillips with her humor, witty dialogue, and heartwarming storytelling. I needed a book like this after all the dark stuff I've been reading! Please note this book is a sequel, but it can stand alone. This is my first Mayberry book. I’m looking forward to more of her work!
Memorable Quote 2
Grade: B+ or 4 solid stars...Entertaining Opposites Attract Story
Memorable Quote 1 - Droopy Drawers confronts Violet
There was something about the way he was looking at her that made her feel even more nervous.
“So? I remembered you like the peach schnapps. It’s not a big deal.”
“Isn’t it? I remember that you hate escargot. And that you refuse to see any movie with Kate Beckinsale in it. And that you have every George Michael album ever made.”
She blinked. “Why would you remember all of that?
“I don’t know. I used to think it was because you annoyed me.” He took a step toward her. “I used to think it was because your perfume would get in my clothes and stay with me for days afterward, even though I’d barely brushed up against you.”
He took another step toward her and something powerful and undeniable thudded in the pit of her stomach.
“You hate me,” she said, staring at him, knowing she should put some distance between them before this became something it shouldn’t.
“Do I?”
Her Best Worst Mistake has one of my favorite tropes! It’s where the uptight hero gets shook up by the free-spirited heroine! Violet sets stuffy Martin's pants on fire!
Martin a.k.a. Droopy Drawers shows believable personal growth. His ambition to move up in the world proves more complex than initially presented. Martin is Violet's perfect match. He rocks her world! This hero and heroine have chemistry, and their love scenes were hot, Hot, HOT! (I loved the mango scene.)
At times, I worried the usual plot devices (poor communication, big misunderstandings, pregnancy, self-sacrifice) would be used as obstacles. They were not! Yay! The characters understood each other and worked through their issues, except one major issue that could have blown up in their faces, but it was handled well and stayed true to the characters.
Sarah Mayberry made me care about the characters. Their actions made me laugh, get angry, fan my heated face, cheer, and cry. Her characterizations remind me of Julie James and Susan Elizabeth Phillips with her humor, witty dialogue, and heartwarming storytelling. I needed a book like this after all the dark stuff I've been reading! Please note this book is a sequel, but it can stand alone. This is my first Mayberry book. I’m looking forward to more of her work!
Memorable Quote 2
”Thank you,” she said.
He looked bemused. “For what?”
“For everything. For being amazing in bed and endlessly patient, for sacrificing … for me and bringing me all the way around the world simply because you were worried about me, even though it meant you were probably going to spend your holidays alone. For the way you always put your hand on the small of my back to guide me across the street and the way you let me be in charge of the television remote control and the way you have never, not once, judged me or mistrusted me or made me feel small or unwanted.”
“Violet, sweetheart…” He blinked and she realized that he was close to tears.
Her Martin. Mr. Uptight. Mr. Repressed.
July 17, 2014
4 stars
I liked this one a lot. The banter was fun, there was lots of smexy in it and the opposites attract kind of thing is cool. I just had a feeling it was too short and, so I didn't get a feeling of depth...or something. I don't feel up to writing a 'real' review now, but here are some quotes...
"How had she ever disliked this man? How had she ever found him stuffy or staid or repressed? He was a modern day knight—honorable, devoted, passionate—and she was head over freaking heels in love with him."
"He was a good man. A real man. The kind who honored his commitments and did the right thing and stood up for what he believed in. He also cooked like a dream and fucked like a god and he made her feel important and sexy and special."
“What would you do if told you that I loved you?” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. It felt like the bravest thing she’d ever said, but she needed to know. She was besotted with this man, and she was reasonably certain the feeling was mutual, but it was so much what she wanted, so perfect, she couldn’t quite believe in it.
“I’d say hallelujah, because I’m crazy ape bonkers for you, Violet Sutcliffe.”
“Sweetheart... You think I’m going to let you go now that I have you in my clutches? You think I want to go back to living in black and white now that I know what Technicolor looks like?”
I liked this one a lot. The banter was fun, there was lots of smexy in it and the opposites attract kind of thing is cool. I just had a feeling it was too short and, so I didn't get a feeling of depth...or something. I don't feel up to writing a 'real' review now, but here are some quotes...
"How had she ever disliked this man? How had she ever found him stuffy or staid or repressed? He was a modern day knight—honorable, devoted, passionate—and she was head over freaking heels in love with him."
"He was a good man. A real man. The kind who honored his commitments and did the right thing and stood up for what he believed in. He also cooked like a dream and fucked like a god and he made her feel important and sexy and special."
“What would you do if told you that I loved you?” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. It felt like the bravest thing she’d ever said, but she needed to know. She was besotted with this man, and she was reasonably certain the feeling was mutual, but it was so much what she wanted, so perfect, she couldn’t quite believe in it.
“I’d say hallelujah, because I’m crazy ape bonkers for you, Violet Sutcliffe.”
“Sweetheart... You think I’m going to let you go now that I have you in my clutches? You think I want to go back to living in black and white now that I know what Technicolor looks like?”
December 31, 2017
I don’t know if this will be my last review of the year, but thank you Sarah Mayberry for letting me go out strong. Her Best Worst Mistake was wonderful.
‘Despite having one of my least favorite tropes of when a lover goes from one friend to another (too similar to the sibling-sibling trope), I was won over.
Wild child Violet and stuffed shirt Martin have despised and cut at each other for years while he was engaged to the more serene and straight laced Elizabeth. Violet and Elizabeth have been best friends for years, REAL best friends.
After E ditches Martin for some very good reasons and runs off to Australia, Violet checks on Martin. Mean words are tossed around, but eventually the two come together for a blazing affair.
Except it’s not just an affair. They slowly open up to each other and makes small changes because they grow as opposed to because they have to. I was sold. Martin evolves from a stuffy prig into a burning hunk that can handle Violet’s craziness. Violet makes her own changes as well. Surprisingly it is Martin who is the first to lay his emotions on the line and disregard any disapproval that may come their way from the outside.
“Not so long ago, you despised me,” she said. “You could barely stand to look at me.”
“And now I can’t keep my hands off you or get you out of my head. Which one of those reactions is the more accurate reflection of my true feelings, do you think, Violet? Let me give you a clue here—even though we’re arguing, even though I’m almost one hundred percent certain that you’re about to walk out on me, I have a hard-on with your name on it. That’s how much I can barely stand to look at you.”
The rawness of his confession brought tears to her eyes. He was so much braver than her.
Sarah does a great job with women’s friendship or at least she does for me. Within Reach was a winner for me as well although it may not be the 5 stars I rated it. re-read time I guess. I think one reason I enjoyed both of these books is that the friends' relationship reminded me of my best friend who died several years ago. Alicia would definitely have been the Violet which is one reason to love it.
Back to the story, Violet’s guilt over the relationship with Martin is a little over the top, but she is worried about losing the friendship of the one person who has always been there for her.
‘Despite having one of my least favorite tropes of when a lover goes from one friend to another (too similar to the sibling-sibling trope), I was won over.
Wild child Violet and stuffed shirt Martin have despised and cut at each other for years while he was engaged to the more serene and straight laced Elizabeth. Violet and Elizabeth have been best friends for years, REAL best friends.
After E ditches Martin for some very good reasons and runs off to Australia, Violet checks on Martin. Mean words are tossed around, but eventually the two come together for a blazing affair.
Except it’s not just an affair. They slowly open up to each other and makes small changes because they grow as opposed to because they have to. I was sold. Martin evolves from a stuffy prig into a burning hunk that can handle Violet’s craziness. Violet makes her own changes as well. Surprisingly it is Martin who is the first to lay his emotions on the line and disregard any disapproval that may come their way from the outside.
“Not so long ago, you despised me,” she said. “You could barely stand to look at me.”
“And now I can’t keep my hands off you or get you out of my head. Which one of those reactions is the more accurate reflection of my true feelings, do you think, Violet? Let me give you a clue here—even though we’re arguing, even though I’m almost one hundred percent certain that you’re about to walk out on me, I have a hard-on with your name on it. That’s how much I can barely stand to look at you.”
The rawness of his confession brought tears to her eyes. He was so much braver than her.
Sarah does a great job with women’s friendship or at least she does for me. Within Reach was a winner for me as well although it may not be the 5 stars I rated it. re-read time I guess. I think one reason I enjoyed both of these books is that the friends' relationship reminded me of my best friend who died several years ago. Alicia would definitely have been the Violet which is one reason to love it.
Back to the story, Violet’s guilt over the relationship with Martin is a little over the top, but she is worried about losing the friendship of the one person who has always been there for her.
January 27, 2022
This is an amazingly sweet, tender 'Opposites Attract' story with a scorching sexual chemistry. Martin is a repressed, stodgy stuffed-shirt, who is in a humdrum relationship of 6 yrs with the h, Violet’s bff. The h revels in her bad girl image and loves shocking and baiting him. They had been sparring and snarking at each other for years as each disapproved of the other as a bad influence on Elizabeth, the bff.
Of course, it hid an elemental attraction which each is unaware of. Things come to a head when Elizabeth breaks off with him and sails off to Australia. Violet, contrarily feel sorry for Martin and when she goes to him with a peace offering, things and clothes conflagrate and they are on each other like bunnies on a mission.
Martin has to be the sweetest, most sensitive H ever. And there’s something about a repressed fastidious guy that calls out a challenge to any red-blooded girl and our h is equal to the task. But as she gets to know him, his immense capacity of niceness makes Violet shed her aggressive, in your face persona to be an equal partner in an affair where both participate unreservedly, unable to refuse each other.
Downside - Violet’s guilt and her inability to deal with it and dragging out telling E was a bummer.
And some people may see the triangle and the H’s long relationship with the bff as a turn-off. (The bff has a simultaneously progressing book of her own.) I hate sister/bff triangles myself but this one is special because of Martin!
And conversely, Martin is too good to be true!
“He was a good man. A real man. The kind who honored his commitments and did the right thing and stood up for what he believed in. He also cooked like a dream and fucked like a god and he made her feel important and sexy and special.”
Of course, it hid an elemental attraction which each is unaware of. Things come to a head when Elizabeth breaks off with him and sails off to Australia. Violet, contrarily feel sorry for Martin and when she goes to him with a peace offering, things and clothes conflagrate and they are on each other like bunnies on a mission.
Martin has to be the sweetest, most sensitive H ever. And there’s something about a repressed fastidious guy that calls out a challenge to any red-blooded girl and our h is equal to the task. But as she gets to know him, his immense capacity of niceness makes Violet shed her aggressive, in your face persona to be an equal partner in an affair where both participate unreservedly, unable to refuse each other.
Downside - Violet’s guilt and her inability to deal with it and dragging out telling E was a bummer.
And some people may see the triangle and the H’s long relationship with the bff as a turn-off. (The bff has a simultaneously progressing book of her own.) I hate sister/bff triangles myself but this one is special because of Martin!
And conversely, Martin is too good to be true!
“He was a good man. A real man. The kind who honored his commitments and did the right thing and stood up for what he believed in. He also cooked like a dream and fucked like a god and he made her feel important and sexy and special.”
May 3, 2020
I am not sure why I read this one. The blurb was not my favorite.
The plot was simple - the heroine got involved with her BFF's ex-fiance. If it wasn't for the timing of their relationship then maybe I would have given it a thumbs up.
Their relationship started just one month after heroine's BFF broke up with her fiance. It started with sex then things got complicated as you know.
What I liked-
1. The hero (who was BFF's fiance) and BFF hadn't slept for 1 month and then they broke up. The hero and heroine started to screw with each other after one month of the break up so the hero was celibate for two months and the heroine was celibate for 1 year. Normally I would have preferred at least a decent level of time gap like 6 months to one year but 1 month was way to early.
They know each other for 6 years through the BFF. Despite their disliking, they managed to notice every single thing about each other. It was clear that BFF and the hero were perfect mismatched. The two people who were in a relationship where they didn't even know each other truly.
2. The Hero was no manwhore. He was a perfect gentleman. And the heroine wasn't a virgin. She was celibate for one year, but her teenage days were wild.. flirting, lots of sex, partying, having a relationship with her school teacher, got expelled from 4 schools etc.
3. I liked the hero when he was with BFF, he was respectable and a good fiance to her. And when he was with the heroine he treated her the way a girl should be treated. He supported her when she was needed. He understood her and try to love her the way she deserved. Most importantly, he treated her like his best, not his second best.
4. About the heroine, she was kinda troubled by the fact that how her friend will take the news that she falls in love with her ex-fiance. Except that she was full of energy. she was hot and passionate. Despite having the troubled teenage years.. she turned out pretty good. She established a business from nothing. She took pride that she is confident, dressed sexily, enjoy sex and didn't care about other people's opinion about her.
Overall, it was good for me. I took a risk and I liked it. If you want to find Shortcoming of the books then you will find plenty. But I choose to ignore those ... No book is perfect or good enough so I am taking the positive side here...
The plot was simple - the heroine got involved with her BFF's ex-fiance. If it wasn't for the timing of their relationship then maybe I would have given it a thumbs up.
Their relationship started just one month after heroine's BFF broke up with her fiance. It started with sex then things got complicated as you know.
What I liked-
1. The hero (who was BFF's fiance) and BFF hadn't slept for 1 month and then they broke up. The hero and heroine started to screw with each other after one month of the break up so the hero was celibate for two months and the heroine was celibate for 1 year. Normally I would have preferred at least a decent level of time gap like 6 months to one year but 1 month was way to early.
They know each other for 6 years through the BFF. Despite their disliking, they managed to notice every single thing about each other. It was clear that BFF and the hero were perfect mismatched. The two people who were in a relationship where they didn't even know each other truly.
2. The Hero was no manwhore. He was a perfect gentleman. And the heroine wasn't a virgin. She was celibate for one year, but her teenage days were wild.. flirting, lots of sex, partying, having a relationship with her school teacher, got expelled from 4 schools etc.
3. I liked the hero when he was with BFF, he was respectable and a good fiance to her. And when he was with the heroine he treated her the way a girl should be treated. He supported her when she was needed. He understood her and try to love her the way she deserved. Most importantly, he treated her like his best, not his second best.
4. About the heroine, she was kinda troubled by the fact that how her friend will take the news that she falls in love with her ex-fiance. Except that she was full of energy. she was hot and passionate. Despite having the troubled teenage years.. she turned out pretty good. She established a business from nothing. She took pride that she is confident, dressed sexily, enjoy sex and didn't care about other people's opinion about her.
Overall, it was good for me. I took a risk and I liked it. If you want to find Shortcoming of the books then you will find plenty. But I choose to ignore those ... No book is perfect or good enough so I am taking the positive side here...
April 3, 2015
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3.5 STARS⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 24, 2015
A firecracker that fizzles out.
Well, loved the start of this with BFFs Violet and Elizabeth, Elizabeth's stuffy fiancé, and spitting matches they have. Then the twist. Okay, the story needed it, but the reasoning behind Elizabeth's decisions were unconvincing or poor rationalizations. Then there's some misplaced guilt that riddles Violet for the second 50% of the book--absolutely ridiculousness that bored me and made me want to strangle her for how long it lasted as the events clearly changed. I get crippling insecurity, but the trope of all her strength being falsehoods to hide her debilitating self-worth issues made me groan.
The story had promise, but the idea that Violet is a hot mess that can only be fixed by true love coddling, giving up his hopes to prove her worth to him--Vomit. Simply illustrates why MF romance holds little appeal to me.
Quote that elicited eye-roll strain:
Well, loved the start of this with BFFs Violet and Elizabeth, Elizabeth's stuffy fiancé, and spitting matches they have. Then the twist. Okay, the story needed it, but the reasoning behind Elizabeth's decisions were unconvincing or poor rationalizations. Then there's some misplaced guilt that riddles Violet for the second 50% of the book--absolutely ridiculousness that bored me and made me want to strangle her for how long it lasted as the events clearly changed. I get crippling insecurity, but the trope of all her strength being falsehoods to hide her debilitating self-worth issues made me groan.
The story had promise, but the idea that Violet is a hot mess that can only be fixed by true love coddling, giving up his hopes to prove her worth to him--Vomit. Simply illustrates why MF romance holds little appeal to me.
Quote that elicited eye-roll strain:
Because she wasn’t a natural-born slut. She wasn’t feckless and troubled and attention-seeking. She wasn’t a nuisance, an embarrassment, a liability to be written off at the earliest possible moment. She was loved. She was valued. She counted. She took a deep, cleansing breath, then let it out.
January 1, 2018
I've had this on my TBR forever (My copy is a used SuperRomance - not this edition), so I'm glad Vintage's review prompted me to finally pick it up. It has not been over-hyped, imo. It's a really sweet, heartfelt enemies to lovers story.
I do enjoy a starchy hero and a poor little rich girl and this H/h are well-drawn. I really came to like the hero and then I *loved* him when he told off her dad at a crucial moment in his social climbing. *spoiler alert* heroine was more important to him than joining a club.
The heroine was a bit *too* guilty about scooping up her best friend's ex, and the hero was incredibly understanding of her need to work through her conflicting emotions.
Highly recommended!
I do enjoy a starchy hero and a poor little rich girl and this H/h are well-drawn. I really came to like the hero and then I *loved* him when he told off her dad at a crucial moment in his social climbing. *spoiler alert* heroine was more important to him than joining a club.
The heroine was a bit *too* guilty about scooping up her best friend's ex, and the hero was incredibly understanding of her need to work through her conflicting emotions.
Highly recommended!
Read
May 10, 2015This is kind of when I concluded that Sarah Mayberry was, uh, just not for me.
I didn't hate it by any means. I was much less instinctively ARGH NOPE than I was over Suddenly You.
But, for whatever reason, Sarah Mayberry just doesn't speak to me / work for me. And that's neither an indictment of Sarah Mayberry or, errr, me :)
I tried this one because the heroine is supposedly a 'bad' girl and I tend to be more sympathetic to unsympathetic people because I tend to identify more easily with them. Because contrary.
The set up of this one is basically that: Violet's wet friend is engaged to this stuffy dude, but then she walks out on him and flies to Australia on some kind of mission of self-discovery. Where she ends up falling for some other dude instead.
This leaves Violet with the stuffy-ex, Martin. Needless to say, they don't like each other because he thinks Violet is shallow and outrageous and she thinks he has something girthful and pointy-ended up his fundamental. Except sexual chemistry happens and slowly they start to fall for each other.
There's actually quite a bit that I liked about this, especially compared to Suddenly You. I like the simplicity of Mayberry's storytelling: from what I've read of her, she tends to write relatively ordinary people falling in love in relatively ordinary ways. And that's very lovely and very romantic. I also like that Martin isn't really a hero type - he's just a nice guy, who (apparent initially being Judgey McJudge Judge) treats Violet really well. It's kind of really refreshing to read books where the hero demonstrates his affection for the heroine by - shock horror - being nice to her. (Although he does drink peach schnapps which made me think he was probably batting for my time, not Violet's). Violet is also direct and self-assertive and decent, which I appreciated a lot. They both have their vulnerabilities, in each chase broadly shaped from where they've gone from: Violet was essentially taught she was a dirty, dirty slut who didn't deserve anything good and Martin is a self-made man, and is therefore insecure about his place in the world he wishes to inhabit. Again, something I really liked was that the way they came to understand each other, strengths and vulnerabilities both, and their romance is very much one of mutual care-taking. Helping each other believe in the best about themselves.
Don't get me wrong, that is super super romantic.
There were, however, a couple of places that HBWM lost me. Both of which were substantial enough to hinder my ability to commit to the book as much as I've wanted.
The major cause of plot angst revolves around the fact that Violet's BFF (the one who dumped Martin and ran to Australia) was seeing Martin first and therefore ... despite the fact Wossname self-evidently didnt't/doesn't want him ... Violet picking him out the 'slightly used ex-boyfriend' bin is some kind of massive transgression against the Woman Code.
Seriously? Is this true? Is this a thing?
Because that is freakin' batshit.
Like, yes, if you know your friend still has feelings for the other person, then it's bad form to rush in there genitals first. But if your friend has run to Australia where she is marrying someone else ... I would say that counts as pretty comprehensive evidence that the ex is safe for entry.
Sorry to make this gendered because that's bullshit ... but I absolutely can't see a situation in which I would object to one of my friends dating one of my exs. The only circumstances in which I can see it not being a good idea would be in the case of deep acrimony or residual feelz.
And I did actually think less and less of Best Friend Woman as the book progressed because Violet genuinely seemed to believe that her developing romance with Martin with be the end of her friendship with Wosserface and I couldn't for a moment imagine what advantage Violet thought she derived from friendship with this reactionary nutter getting married in Australia.
(My deepest apologies if I've attacked some deeply held belief here but ... it makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.)
The other place the book lost me ... well ... it's honestly kind of similar to the place the other book lost me. Violet is perceived to be a slut because she parties, drinks, swears, flirts and dresses in revealing clothing. As the book unfolds, it is demonstrated to us that is an incorrect assessment of Violet because she is actually a nice person and doesn't sleep around that much. Thus the message of the book seems to be that partying, drinking, swearing, flirty and dressing in revealing clothes does not a slut make.
Okay. Yes. I agree with this.
So far so good.
But where I the HBWM and I differ is that the book seems to feel the problem is that certain women suffer by being erroneously classified as sluts when they're not (the phase 'natural born slut' comes up a lot with reference to Violet). Whereas I feel the problem is that there is a category called 'slut' into which some women are arbitrarily socially sorted.
I don't believe this category exists. Or rather, I believe it exists only a social construct designed to control women.
I don't believe there is any behaviour in which Violet could have engaged -- up to and including sleeping around liberally -- that would have made her a slut.
I believe a woman who sleeps around a lot is a woman who sleeps around a lot.
And because of this I found the 'Violet isn't a slut really' arc kind of unsatisfying and frustrating.
I didn't hate it by any means. I was much less instinctively ARGH NOPE than I was over Suddenly You.
But, for whatever reason, Sarah Mayberry just doesn't speak to me / work for me. And that's neither an indictment of Sarah Mayberry or, errr, me :)
I tried this one because the heroine is supposedly a 'bad' girl and I tend to be more sympathetic to unsympathetic people because I tend to identify more easily with them. Because contrary.
The set up of this one is basically that: Violet's wet friend is engaged to this stuffy dude, but then she walks out on him and flies to Australia on some kind of mission of self-discovery. Where she ends up falling for some other dude instead.
This leaves Violet with the stuffy-ex, Martin. Needless to say, they don't like each other because he thinks Violet is shallow and outrageous and she thinks he has something girthful and pointy-ended up his fundamental. Except sexual chemistry happens and slowly they start to fall for each other.
There's actually quite a bit that I liked about this, especially compared to Suddenly You. I like the simplicity of Mayberry's storytelling: from what I've read of her, she tends to write relatively ordinary people falling in love in relatively ordinary ways. And that's very lovely and very romantic. I also like that Martin isn't really a hero type - he's just a nice guy, who (apparent initially being Judgey McJudge Judge) treats Violet really well. It's kind of really refreshing to read books where the hero demonstrates his affection for the heroine by - shock horror - being nice to her. (Although he does drink peach schnapps which made me think he was probably batting for my time, not Violet's). Violet is also direct and self-assertive and decent, which I appreciated a lot. They both have their vulnerabilities, in each chase broadly shaped from where they've gone from: Violet was essentially taught she was a dirty, dirty slut who didn't deserve anything good and Martin is a self-made man, and is therefore insecure about his place in the world he wishes to inhabit. Again, something I really liked was that the way they came to understand each other, strengths and vulnerabilities both, and their romance is very much one of mutual care-taking. Helping each other believe in the best about themselves.
Don't get me wrong, that is super super romantic.
There were, however, a couple of places that HBWM lost me. Both of which were substantial enough to hinder my ability to commit to the book as much as I've wanted.
The major cause of plot angst revolves around the fact that Violet's BFF (the one who dumped Martin and ran to Australia) was seeing Martin first and therefore ... despite the fact Wossname self-evidently didnt't/doesn't want him ... Violet picking him out the 'slightly used ex-boyfriend' bin is some kind of massive transgression against the Woman Code.
Seriously? Is this true? Is this a thing?
Because that is freakin' batshit.
Like, yes, if you know your friend still has feelings for the other person, then it's bad form to rush in there genitals first. But if your friend has run to Australia where she is marrying someone else ... I would say that counts as pretty comprehensive evidence that the ex is safe for entry.
Sorry to make this gendered because that's bullshit ... but I absolutely can't see a situation in which I would object to one of my friends dating one of my exs. The only circumstances in which I can see it not being a good idea would be in the case of deep acrimony or residual feelz.
And I did actually think less and less of Best Friend Woman as the book progressed because Violet genuinely seemed to believe that her developing romance with Martin with be the end of her friendship with Wosserface and I couldn't for a moment imagine what advantage Violet thought she derived from friendship with this reactionary nutter getting married in Australia.
(My deepest apologies if I've attacked some deeply held belief here but ... it makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.)
The other place the book lost me ... well ... it's honestly kind of similar to the place the other book lost me. Violet is perceived to be a slut because she parties, drinks, swears, flirts and dresses in revealing clothing. As the book unfolds, it is demonstrated to us that is an incorrect assessment of Violet because she is actually a nice person and doesn't sleep around that much. Thus the message of the book seems to be that partying, drinking, swearing, flirty and dressing in revealing clothes does not a slut make.
Okay. Yes. I agree with this.
So far so good.
But where I the HBWM and I differ is that the book seems to feel the problem is that certain women suffer by being erroneously classified as sluts when they're not (the phase 'natural born slut' comes up a lot with reference to Violet). Whereas I feel the problem is that there is a category called 'slut' into which some women are arbitrarily socially sorted.
I don't believe this category exists. Or rather, I believe it exists only a social construct designed to control women.
I don't believe there is any behaviour in which Violet could have engaged -- up to and including sleeping around liberally -- that would have made her a slut.
I believe a woman who sleeps around a lot is a woman who sleeps around a lot.
And because of this I found the 'Violet isn't a slut really' arc kind of unsatisfying and frustrating.
June 2, 2012
This is Martin, the dumped fiancee's story, so far he has come across as stick in the mud, repressed etc but we see a different side to him. He has become something from nothing and he values that, it annoyed me sometimes but he grew on me and he really did care for Elizabeth and didn't see how she was stifling herself.
Violet and Martin have never gotten along. She is Elizabeth's best friend and has always felt that Martin and Elizabeth were not suited. Violet is pretty damaged and filled with baggage because of her family and what starts out as lust between the two turns into more but Violet is scared to tell Elizabeth because Elizabeth is her best friend and family and was there for her when her family wasn't. I liked Martin how he stood up for Violet and they both realized that they fought too much before because there was some attraction between them, not that they would have done anything about it, they both were too loyal to Elizabeth.
These two were opposites and a perfect balance to each other.
All in all the book was pretty hot & enjoyable and I loved how Martin was there for Violet every step of the way even when she was hiding them from Elizabeth.
Violet and Martin have never gotten along. She is Elizabeth's best friend and has always felt that Martin and Elizabeth were not suited. Violet is pretty damaged and filled with baggage because of her family and what starts out as lust between the two turns into more but Violet is scared to tell Elizabeth because Elizabeth is her best friend and family and was there for her when her family wasn't. I liked Martin how he stood up for Violet and they both realized that they fought too much before because there was some attraction between them, not that they would have done anything about it, they both were too loyal to Elizabeth.
These two were opposites and a perfect balance to each other.
All in all the book was pretty hot & enjoyable and I loved how Martin was there for Violet every step of the way even when she was hiding them from Elizabeth.
May 11, 2012
If you are a fan of Sarah Mayberry and her Blaze line novels, you must have come across Hot Island Nights which was released in September of 2010. In Hot Island Nights, Sarah leaves readers with a tantalizing glimpse into the relationship between Victoria and Martin and I for one was drawn towards it so much so that I mentioned in my review about wanting to read their own story. And finally, with Her Best Worst Mistake which turns out to be Sarah’s first self-pubbed story, she gives her die-hard fans the story of Martin and Violet and believe me, I couldn’t have asked for a more fitting story for the two of them.
Violet Sutcliffe and Martin St Clair tolerates each other’s presence for one reason alone. Their love for Violet’s best friend Elizabeth who happens to be Martin’s fiance is what keeps the claws sheathed behind a veneer of civility whenever they are around each other. Violet thinks Martin to be a bit stiff under the collar, someone who needs to loosen up a bit and live a little. Martin thinks Violet to be a bit too much, a bit too flashy and just a tad too much of everything.
When Elizabeth leaves a floundering Martin behind in the wake of her realizing that her life is not going in a direction that she wants or needs, Violet is surprised by the feelings of sympathy and a riot of whole other emotions that cruises through her at the thought of Martin being all alone. While Violet battles with the unsettling feelings that seems to unravel deep inside of her all the while thinking that Martin despises her, Martin proves her wrong by turning up on her doorstep and leaves her reeling from the most explosive sexual encounter of her life.
Sarah definitely turns up the heat in this one. I for one have missed the heat she so effectively turns up in her Blaze books, not that I haven’t immensely enjoyed her Super Romance titles – I have. But, a girl needs a little bit of heat every now and then and in Her Best Worst Mistake Sarah gives us that and so much more with each encounter between Martin and Violet turning more explosive than the previous one. Don’t be lulled into thinking that its all about heat and explosions in this story. True to Sarah’s style, she gives readers two characters who have gone through their fair share of trouble in life to become the people they are today.
I loved, loved, loved Martin. I wanted to hug him and never let him go after reading the first couple of chapters. And my love for everything to do with Martin seemed to grow exponentially as the story continued. I wanted to be the one to ruffle his feathers, to make him lose that legendary cool and control of his. And when Violet does just that by merely walking into the same room as he is in; I felt like jumping out of my chair and shouting out “Hallelujah!” at the top of my voice. I was that invested in his character and the emotions that he invoked in me.
Violet was such a swell heroine. I loved her vivacious and bold nature right from the very start. Her loyalty towards her best friend is what keeps the guilt meter at an all time high when she is with Martin. But the attraction and the feelings of the more tender nature that courses through her when she is with Martin are ones not to be denied and I loved her for being true to those feelings, even when all the while conflicted with what she thinks is right and what she considers to be wrong.
The best part about the book was how well Sarah handles the crackling heat between Violet and Martin that they never even identify to be as such. I loved how realistically Sarah portrayed the turn of their relationship. I am always a reader who finds it a bit funny when two people who have such an explosive sexual chemistry right from the very start manages to just stay away from each other until the very last minute until the author is well and ready to deliver on all that tension. In my experience, if two people have that explosive a sexual attraction, it would be hard to just walk away when things tend to reach the point of no return pretty easily. And I loved Sarah for making Martin and Violet’s attraction just that – something I could identify with and loved from the very beginning.
If you have already read and enjoyed Hot Island Nights, I am sure you would have already grabbed your copy of Violet and Martin’s story and enjoyed it as much as I have. If you haven’t, don’t worry, you can still read Her Best Worst Mistake as a standalone. But reading the two books together makes for an awesome loosely tied series which I cannot recommend highly enough!
Explosive, beautiful and tender – a romance not to be missed!
Rating=4.75/5
Original review posted on MBR's Realm of Romance
Quotes included below the review!
Violet Sutcliffe and Martin St Clair tolerates each other’s presence for one reason alone. Their love for Violet’s best friend Elizabeth who happens to be Martin’s fiance is what keeps the claws sheathed behind a veneer of civility whenever they are around each other. Violet thinks Martin to be a bit stiff under the collar, someone who needs to loosen up a bit and live a little. Martin thinks Violet to be a bit too much, a bit too flashy and just a tad too much of everything.
When Elizabeth leaves a floundering Martin behind in the wake of her realizing that her life is not going in a direction that she wants or needs, Violet is surprised by the feelings of sympathy and a riot of whole other emotions that cruises through her at the thought of Martin being all alone. While Violet battles with the unsettling feelings that seems to unravel deep inside of her all the while thinking that Martin despises her, Martin proves her wrong by turning up on her doorstep and leaves her reeling from the most explosive sexual encounter of her life.
Sarah definitely turns up the heat in this one. I for one have missed the heat she so effectively turns up in her Blaze books, not that I haven’t immensely enjoyed her Super Romance titles – I have. But, a girl needs a little bit of heat every now and then and in Her Best Worst Mistake Sarah gives us that and so much more with each encounter between Martin and Violet turning more explosive than the previous one. Don’t be lulled into thinking that its all about heat and explosions in this story. True to Sarah’s style, she gives readers two characters who have gone through their fair share of trouble in life to become the people they are today.
I loved, loved, loved Martin. I wanted to hug him and never let him go after reading the first couple of chapters. And my love for everything to do with Martin seemed to grow exponentially as the story continued. I wanted to be the one to ruffle his feathers, to make him lose that legendary cool and control of his. And when Violet does just that by merely walking into the same room as he is in; I felt like jumping out of my chair and shouting out “Hallelujah!” at the top of my voice. I was that invested in his character and the emotions that he invoked in me.
Violet was such a swell heroine. I loved her vivacious and bold nature right from the very start. Her loyalty towards her best friend is what keeps the guilt meter at an all time high when she is with Martin. But the attraction and the feelings of the more tender nature that courses through her when she is with Martin are ones not to be denied and I loved her for being true to those feelings, even when all the while conflicted with what she thinks is right and what she considers to be wrong.
The best part about the book was how well Sarah handles the crackling heat between Violet and Martin that they never even identify to be as such. I loved how realistically Sarah portrayed the turn of their relationship. I am always a reader who finds it a bit funny when two people who have such an explosive sexual chemistry right from the very start manages to just stay away from each other until the very last minute until the author is well and ready to deliver on all that tension. In my experience, if two people have that explosive a sexual attraction, it would be hard to just walk away when things tend to reach the point of no return pretty easily. And I loved Sarah for making Martin and Violet’s attraction just that – something I could identify with and loved from the very beginning.
If you have already read and enjoyed Hot Island Nights, I am sure you would have already grabbed your copy of Violet and Martin’s story and enjoyed it as much as I have. If you haven’t, don’t worry, you can still read Her Best Worst Mistake as a standalone. But reading the two books together makes for an awesome loosely tied series which I cannot recommend highly enough!
Explosive, beautiful and tender – a romance not to be missed!
Rating=4.75/5
Original review posted on MBR's Realm of Romance
Quotes included below the review!
December 27, 2015
I had such high hopes for this one...but urgh I couldn't even finish it.
Martin and Violet have hated one another over the past 6 years while Martin has been dating Violet's best friend. Violet is confident and free (slutty-ish) and Martin is ambitious and restrained (stuck-up-ish). When Martin's girlfriend unexpectedly dumps him and leaves the country...these two get it on.
Best bit: I really like this author, she writes well... she creates memorable characters..
Worst bit:....but these characters I wish I could forget. Especially Violet. I rolled my eyes when she was described as a buxom red head (because she's outrageous and feisty she HAS to have red hair, right? Urgh!!!!) and by the dinner scene I no longer wanted to read about her. Ok, so she slept with her best friend's ex, it happens. We read about her guilt and her devotion etc etc. But then when she finds herself at a dinner party a few nights later, and Martin is obvioulsy ignoring her and trying to stay away, she goes to the bathroom, takes off her (now moist) knickers and goes and puts them in his pocket. To show him she ... um, can't want him but knows he wants her. Yeah...that doesn't even... I mean....WHAT????
I kept reading (I don't know why...maybe all the high ratings made me think this had to get better) but things just got worse. I have a real problem with female characters who are either so damaged they wreak of drama, drama, drama; or they act with little or no self-respect. Violet was both.
I want heroines who kick ass, who hold onto their pride/dreams/knickers because they are funny/strong/smart/afraid/rebellious. Heroines who make me laugh or think or crumble. Violet was none of these things. She was just a mess.
Funniest bit: The bit where I paid $7 for this book. Ok, yeah...maybe not so funny.
Most complex obstacle: falling for your best friend's ex fiancé, who seems to have let a 6 year relationship have very little effect on him (was he in a coma?)
Recommendation: Save yourself the money unless you're desperate for a "my father doesn't love me so I'll sleep around to get attention", angsty, sexy romp with no depth or originality.
1- I want my brain back - star.
Martin and Violet have hated one another over the past 6 years while Martin has been dating Violet's best friend. Violet is confident and free (slutty-ish) and Martin is ambitious and restrained (stuck-up-ish). When Martin's girlfriend unexpectedly dumps him and leaves the country...these two get it on.
Best bit: I really like this author, she writes well... she creates memorable characters..
Worst bit:....but these characters I wish I could forget. Especially Violet. I rolled my eyes when she was described as a buxom red head (because she's outrageous and feisty she HAS to have red hair, right? Urgh!!!!) and by the dinner scene I no longer wanted to read about her. Ok, so she slept with her best friend's ex, it happens. We read about her guilt and her devotion etc etc. But then when she finds herself at a dinner party a few nights later, and Martin is obvioulsy ignoring her and trying to stay away, she goes to the bathroom, takes off her (now moist) knickers and goes and puts them in his pocket. To show him she ... um, can't want him but knows he wants her. Yeah...that doesn't even... I mean....WHAT????
I kept reading (I don't know why...maybe all the high ratings made me think this had to get better) but things just got worse. I have a real problem with female characters who are either so damaged they wreak of drama, drama, drama; or they act with little or no self-respect. Violet was both.
I want heroines who kick ass, who hold onto their pride/dreams/knickers because they are funny/strong/smart/afraid/rebellious. Heroines who make me laugh or think or crumble. Violet was none of these things. She was just a mess.
Funniest bit: The bit where I paid $7 for this book. Ok, yeah...maybe not so funny.
Most complex obstacle: falling for your best friend's ex fiancé, who seems to have let a 6 year relationship have very little effect on him (was he in a coma?)
Recommendation: Save yourself the money unless you're desperate for a "my father doesn't love me so I'll sleep around to get attention", angsty, sexy romp with no depth or originality.
1- I want my brain back - star.
June 26, 2012
5.00 Stars - Contemporary Romance.
This one was so good that it came as an unexpected surprise! A short neat entertaining read full of witty tidbits and steamy romance while sporting an interesting plot, this one featured a beta gentleman hero who turned rather naughty and proved to be quite a lovable rogue when fell in love with his all time polar opposite of a nemesis heroine.
I do recommend it if you are looking for a quick spicy yet fluffy romantic read to lift up your spirits.
This one was so good that it came as an unexpected surprise! A short neat entertaining read full of witty tidbits and steamy romance while sporting an interesting plot, this one featured a beta gentleman hero who turned rather naughty and proved to be quite a lovable rogue when fell in love with his all time polar opposite of a nemesis heroine.
I do recommend it if you are looking for a quick spicy yet fluffy romantic read to lift up your spirits.
April 15, 2019
Violet Sutcliffe simply can't stand it anymore, sitting at the boring party, looking at her best friend's stuffy fiancee schmooze some important people, whom she describes as :
And then there's the fiancee himself:
The two of them don't get along, at all. They keep snipping at each other, the only reason it hasn't got to the point of doing physical harm is because the both care for Elizabeth.
And then things change. Elizabeth breaks of the wedding and goes to Australia to find her father. And Violet, well Violet suddenly feels sorry for Martin (the stuffy fiancee :D). Her peace offering doesn't exactly goes as planned.
And then on a rainy London night, Martin comes to her flat, and sparks fly, and things that should never have happened - happen. And it feels like the world turned upside down.
Both of them go on with ignoring each other, but then one night, at a party, they see each other, and things get out of control. There's this dress you see, and a certain pair of black lace panties. (Just imagine the model with red hair)
And so an affair begins. Neither of them is sure what exactly it means, both try to convince themselves that it's just physical, but:
And deeper feelings start to develop:
I liked the book a lot. Both Marin and Violet are great, and their relationship with all the ups and downs, with the raw feelings was spellbinding.
There was something that dragged too much - the not coming clean with Elizabeth part, it simply didn't seem like such an obstacle.
But still, the book is reccommended, if nothing else then because of this:
*Sigh*
4.5
E, be real. These people are the walking dead.” Violet’s gaze swept over the well-dressed crowd attending the Heart Foundation’s annual fundraiser. “Older than Moses, richer than God and more boring than a truckload of accountants.”
And then there's the fiancee himself:
He was wearing a classic black tuxedo, but he somehow managed to look stuffy rather than suave. But that was his gift—taking anything stylish, fun or frivolous and stifling the life out of it.
The two of them don't get along, at all. They keep snipping at each other, the only reason it hasn't got to the point of doing physical harm is because the both care for Elizabeth.
And then things change. Elizabeth breaks of the wedding and goes to Australia to find her father. And Violet, well Violet suddenly feels sorry for Martin (the stuffy fiancee :D). Her peace offering doesn't exactly goes as planned.
And then on a rainy London night, Martin comes to her flat, and sparks fly, and things that should never have happened - happen. And it feels like the world turned upside down.
Both of them go on with ignoring each other, but then one night, at a party, they see each other, and things get out of control. There's this dress you see, and a certain pair of black lace panties. (Just imagine the model with red hair)
And so an affair begins. Neither of them is sure what exactly it means, both try to convince themselves that it's just physical, but:
“Maybe I just have a good memory.”
She was starting to feel uncomfortable. Or perhaps exposed was the better word.
“You have an appalling memory. You forget Elizabeth’s birthday every year.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.”
There was something about the way he was looking at her that made her feel even more nervous.
“So? I remembered you liked the peach schnapps. It’s not a big deal.”
“Isn’t it? I remember that you hate escargot. And that you refuse to see any movie with Kate Beckinsale in it. And that you have every George Michael album ever made.”
She blinked. “Why would you remember all of that?
“I don’t know. I used to think it was because you annoyed me.” He took a step toward her. “I used to think it was because you were always wearing short skirts and low cut tops and laughing too loud. I used to think it was because your perfume would get in my clothes and stay with me for days afterward, even though I’d barely brushed up against you.”
He took another step toward her and something powerful and undeniable thudded in the pit of her stomach.
“You hate me,” she said, staring at him, knowing she should put some distance between them before this became something it shouldn’t.
“Do I?”
And deeper feelings start to develop:
“Shut up,” he said, then he kissed her, because there was no other way of conveying how he felt.
Protective and aroused and amused and admiring were only the tip of the iceberg. Every minute, every second with Violet was a revelation. She was astounding—strong and fragile, fiery and gentle, shy and bold. A walking, talking contradiction. A puzzle. A mystery a man could spend a glorious lifetime unraveling.
I liked the book a lot. Both Marin and Violet are great, and their relationship with all the ups and downs, with the raw feelings was spellbinding.
There was something that dragged too much - the not coming clean with Elizabeth part, it simply didn't seem like such an obstacle.
But still, the book is reccommended, if nothing else then because of this:
“Thank you,” she said.
He looked bemused. “For what?”
“For everything. For being amazing in bed and endlessly patient, for sacrificing the Savage Club for me and bringing me all the way around the world simply because you were worried about me, even though it meant you were probably going to spend your holidays alone. For the way you always put your hand on the small of my back to guide me across the street and the way you let me be in charge of the television remote control and the way you have never, not once, judged me or mistrusted me or made me feel small or unwanted.”
“Violet, sweetheart...” He blinked and she realized that he was close to tears.
Her Martin. Mr. Uptight. Mr. Repressed.
*Sigh*
4.5
life-is-too-short
March 11, 2019So far this weekend I’ve complained about books being too quippy in effort to engage, but this just wasn’t quippy enough. By 35%, I just didn’t know who these people were, and there’s some quick p in v just based on all their past, like, white hot hatred for each other. I don’t care about white hot hatred that’s a thin cover for white hot lust, but I like it when I can feel it. And well, really, these two literally put me to sleep. Reading on my iPad, it fell right the fuck on my face. I wasn’t drifting. I was full blown asleep. I think it’s important to mention that local time it felt like 7:45 cause DST is (god awful) fully in effect as of today. I think it’s important to mention I’m a night owl all days but Friday (idk, but I’m serious)
So. Yeah. Not for me.
So. Yeah. Not for me.
June 7, 2025
RE-READ JUN 2025: So, so good!!! *fans self*
RE-READ OCT 2020 **4.5 stars** : You can tell how much I love this book that I actually read it in print (no audiobook!) But to my mind, this is one of the BEST examples of the enemies to lovers trope: true animosity that lasted for YEARS, an explosive sexual chemistry, a true obliviousness during the "enemy" years that their supposed hatred really masked their deep attraction and a realization on both parts that they didn't really know each other and when they did, they fell head over heels in love. Their journey is so hot, sexy and romantic that I sigh heavily every time I re-read it.
This time around, I'm also more understanding of Violet's fears towards confessing to her best friend in all the world that she hooked up with her ex-fiance weeks after she dumped him. After all, I fooled around once with a friend's crush and I've never told her about it (and we're still friends, 30+ years later and I have no plans to tell her. ;)
In my opinion, you don't have to start with the first book Hot Island Nights unless you're anal about those things. :) In fact, I read Violet's story first and then started on Elizabeth's but I DNFed it as I didn't care for the MCs or the way she treated Martin. The stories happen concurrently and you may get mild spoilers of what's happening in Elizabeth's life but nothing you wouldn't figure out on your own (like she ends up with the Aussie dude.)
Original Review: Jan 2013
Her Best Worst Mistake has the perfect combination of tropes for me: enemies to lovers, steamy secret affair, stuffy hero AND main characters that have been secretly lusting for each other for years. No wonder that I re-read parts of this book all the freaking time.
Martin and Violet can't stand each other but as Martin is engaged to Elizabeth, Violet's best friend, they socialize frequently. When Elizabeth breaks the engagement, Martin & Violet find out that their animosity masked a deep sexual attraction.
One of the awesome things about this book is that Martin & Violet didn't really know they had the hots for each other until they're having super hot sex. If you had asked them even a few minutes before the clothes started flying, they would have told you how much they couldn't stand each other. After they do it for the first time, they are totally shocked, thinking it was a fluke never to be repeated. What follows is some of hottest sex scenes I've read in a long time. The build-up and anticipation were just scorching! I just wish the secret affair part would have lasted longer!
What messed up this book was Violet's reluctance at the end to come clean with Elizabeth. Yes, she had her reasons but that dragged on too long, specially because Elizabeth had moved on already. It's not as if she still had any feelings for Martin.
Regardless of the end, I totally recommend this book, specially if you like any of these tropes.
RE-READ OCT 2020 **4.5 stars** : You can tell how much I love this book that I actually read it in print (no audiobook!) But to my mind, this is one of the BEST examples of the enemies to lovers trope: true animosity that lasted for YEARS, an explosive sexual chemistry, a true obliviousness during the "enemy" years that their supposed hatred really masked their deep attraction and a realization on both parts that they didn't really know each other and when they did, they fell head over heels in love. Their journey is so hot, sexy and romantic that I sigh heavily every time I re-read it.
This time around, I'm also more understanding of Violet's fears towards confessing to her best friend in all the world that she hooked up with her ex-fiance weeks after she dumped him. After all, I fooled around once with a friend's crush and I've never told her about it (and we're still friends, 30+ years later and I have no plans to tell her. ;)
In my opinion, you don't have to start with the first book Hot Island Nights unless you're anal about those things. :) In fact, I read Violet's story first and then started on Elizabeth's but I DNFed it as I didn't care for the MCs or the way she treated Martin. The stories happen concurrently and you may get mild spoilers of what's happening in Elizabeth's life but nothing you wouldn't figure out on your own (like she ends up with the Aussie dude.)
Original Review: Jan 2013
Her Best Worst Mistake has the perfect combination of tropes for me: enemies to lovers, steamy secret affair, stuffy hero AND main characters that have been secretly lusting for each other for years. No wonder that I re-read parts of this book all the freaking time.
Martin and Violet can't stand each other but as Martin is engaged to Elizabeth, Violet's best friend, they socialize frequently. When Elizabeth breaks the engagement, Martin & Violet find out that their animosity masked a deep sexual attraction.
One of the awesome things about this book is that Martin & Violet didn't really know they had the hots for each other until they're having super hot sex. If you had asked them even a few minutes before the clothes started flying, they would have told you how much they couldn't stand each other. After they do it for the first time, they are totally shocked, thinking it was a fluke never to be repeated. What follows is some of hottest sex scenes I've read in a long time. The build-up and anticipation were just scorching! I just wish the secret affair part would have lasted longer!
What messed up this book was Violet's reluctance at the end to come clean with Elizabeth. Yes, she had her reasons but that dragged on too long, specially because Elizabeth had moved on already. It's not as if she still had any feelings for Martin.
Regardless of the end, I totally recommend this book, specially if you like any of these tropes.
November 24, 2012
This is an incredible 5 star read. I could not put this book down and finished it in one sitting. The chemistry between the H/h screams from the pages. The story of "opposites attract" grabbed me from the very first page.
I highly recommend. One of the best books I have read this year.
I highly recommend. One of the best books I have read this year.
January 8, 2013
This is the classic case of "Maybe it's not just for me." It has some pretty good reviews on GR (which I am not sure how that happened).
Not my kind of book. Meh.
Not my kind of book. Meh.
October 14, 2025
this was short, but packed an emotional punch ✨ plus, the hero was so good!
June 16, 2012
3 ½ stars. Pleasant fun enjoyable romance. Better than most. Almost too sweet.
STORY BRIEF:
Sequel to Hot Island Nights. In HIN Elizabeth breaks her engagement to Martin and goes to Australia to meet her birth father. While there, Elizabeth falls in love with Nate. Elizabeth’s best friend is Violet. Violet and Martin have insulted and sniped at each other for years. Martin is a stuffy hardworking lawyer. Martin thinks Violet dresses too provocatively and parties too much. This book begins when Elizabeth dumps Martin and leaves for Australia. Violet feels sorry for Martin and takes him a bottle of schnapps. Things start happening between them. Violet feels guilty that she is attracted to Martin. She doesn’t want to hurt her friendship with Elizabeth.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The personality conflict is the best part. It’s fun watching these two snipe at each other, yet they can’t resist their lust. It’s desperate and hot. I liked the sex scenes. Martin’s intense desire for Violet made me smile. I liked the way Martin treated Violet. He was wonderful about her troubled issues. It’s better than the average romance, but I’d like a little more meat to go to 4 stars.
DATA:
Kindle count story length: 3,206 (290 KB). Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: about 8. Setting: mostly current day England. Copyright: 2012. Genre: contemporary romance.
STORY BRIEF:
Sequel to Hot Island Nights. In HIN Elizabeth breaks her engagement to Martin and goes to Australia to meet her birth father. While there, Elizabeth falls in love with Nate. Elizabeth’s best friend is Violet. Violet and Martin have insulted and sniped at each other for years. Martin is a stuffy hardworking lawyer. Martin thinks Violet dresses too provocatively and parties too much. This book begins when Elizabeth dumps Martin and leaves for Australia. Violet feels sorry for Martin and takes him a bottle of schnapps. Things start happening between them. Violet feels guilty that she is attracted to Martin. She doesn’t want to hurt her friendship with Elizabeth.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
The personality conflict is the best part. It’s fun watching these two snipe at each other, yet they can’t resist their lust. It’s desperate and hot. I liked the sex scenes. Martin’s intense desire for Violet made me smile. I liked the way Martin treated Violet. He was wonderful about her troubled issues. It’s better than the average romance, but I’d like a little more meat to go to 4 stars.
DATA:
Kindle count story length: 3,206 (290 KB). Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: about 8. Setting: mostly current day England. Copyright: 2012. Genre: contemporary romance.
August 20, 2023
I loved this novella!!! I heard about it on Fated Mates and ran to pick it up bc I love an unhinged plot.
The main female character, Violet, is a chaos demon with a red lip. She has always been irked by her prim and proper best friend’s prim and proper fiancé, Martin, and, over the years, they learned to tolerate each other for her sake.
Listen, this doesn’t matter, but the best friend in question goes through some drama and breaks up with Martin and flees to Australia to meet her long lost dad (again, who cares). Violet, troublemaker that she is, feels the need to comfort Martin with some peach schnapps (I know, odd choice), and one thing leads to another and they are now having an affair like five minutes after her best friend left him!!!!
This was surprisingly emotional, and I absolutely loved the dynamic between Violet and Martin, who were complete opposites. So satisfying! This was a quick, fun read.
The main female character, Violet, is a chaos demon with a red lip. She has always been irked by her prim and proper best friend’s prim and proper fiancé, Martin, and, over the years, they learned to tolerate each other for her sake.
Listen, this doesn’t matter, but the best friend in question goes through some drama and breaks up with Martin and flees to Australia to meet her long lost dad (again, who cares). Violet, troublemaker that she is, feels the need to comfort Martin with some peach schnapps (I know, odd choice), and one thing leads to another and they are now having an affair like five minutes after her best friend left him!!!!
This was surprisingly emotional, and I absolutely loved the dynamic between Violet and Martin, who were complete opposites. So satisfying! This was a quick, fun read.
March 15, 2020
re-read. honestly i still think that this is one of the best "enemies" (not sure if they are considered one) to lovers romance. desperately convincing himself that Elizabeth was the one for him, Martin didn't realise that all the while, it was actually Violet that he wanted. i love how Martin wasn't the uptight man he was with E, when he's with Violet.
also, i personally don't think this is considered 'cheating', especially if you read E's story.
also, i personally don't think this is considered 'cheating', especially if you read E's story.
August 9, 2012
Originally reviewed here.
It wasn't any one single review of HER BEST WORST MISTAKE that led me to give Sarah Mayberry a try. It was just the general rumblings making their way through my little portion of the blogosphere. Most recently, Kenda dubbed it "The Biggest Sparkle for My Romance Buck" in her mid-year roundup. Collectively, these sparkly rumblings convinced me to purchase the ebook and see if it was my kind of story. On the surface of things, the cover gave me a Julie James vibe (always a good thing). It also happens to perfectly match one of my favorite scenes in the book, a feat that always earns big points with me. And the fact that it's a contemporary romance set in England did my Sarra Manning-loving little heart good. HER BEST WORST MISTAKE is Mayberry's latest release. It is in ebook form only (at this point) and is both a novella and a spin-off of her earlier Blaze novel Hot Island Nights. In Mayberry's words, "Both stories can be read in isolation and still make perfect sense, but I hope that together they form a neat little duo." Love that. As for myself, I still haven't read the earlier book, but I definitely don't feel like you need to in order to love this one.
Violet Sutcliffe is all the colors of the rainbow. She's vocal and vibrant and not interested in changing. The one thing in this world she loves is her best friend Elizabeth. Her opposite in every way, Elizabeth doesn't make a wrong move. She goes about her life deliberately and methodically and she is engaged to marry a man even more rigid than she is. Violet suffers Martin St. Clair for Elizabeth's sake and Elizabeth's sake only. He's everything Violet despises from too staid to too repressed to too stifling of her best friend. Nevertheless, she's determined to support Elizabeth all the way to the altar if that's what will make her happy. Which is why no one is caught more off guard than Violet when Elizabeth up and severs her engagement and runs off to Australia to find herself and her long lost father (not necessarily in that order). At once relieved and utterly befuddled, Violet tells herself she need never see boring old Martin again. But she can't seem to stop herself from feeling sorry for the poor stiff. And so she stops by his office late one night with a pity gift/peace offering. And thus an unlikely and unwelcome spark is ignited.
HER BEST WORST MISTAKE is deliciously readable. I'm admittedly a fan of the socially awkward guy finding his sea legs so to speak when it comes to romance (hello, Ian from All I Ever Wanted), but I'm not often a fan of falling for your best friend's guy (let alone her fiancé). So this story really could have gone either way for me. I went in cautious and quickly found myself both incredibly at home and incredibly fond of Violet and Martin and their untenable situation. Sarah Mayberry impressed me with her clean, vivid writing style as well as her sympathetic characterization skills. Violet is nothing like me. Neither is Martin, for that matter. But I loved the two of them immediately. Their respective back stories are complicated and they play a direct role in their presents, not only providing explanation for why they are the way they are but for why they've been alone for so long and why they, beyond the shadow of a doubt, belong together. And do they ever. This is not a fade to black romance, and yet each encounter contributed to the book's progression as it underscored their rightness as a pair. It can be difficult to hook me on an introductory novella. I thoroughly enjoy a well-written one tossed in in the middle of a series I'm already in love with, but I don't often connect right off the bat with new characters in an abbreviated length. This was so not a problem here. It honestly felt like a full-length novel and I closed it out perfectly satisfied. I've thought of Violet and Martin countless times since and look forward to returning to their tale in the future. I will also be checking out more Sarah Mayberry after this highly successful foray into her work. Recommended for fans of Sarra Manning and Julie James.
It wasn't any one single review of HER BEST WORST MISTAKE that led me to give Sarah Mayberry a try. It was just the general rumblings making their way through my little portion of the blogosphere. Most recently, Kenda dubbed it "The Biggest Sparkle for My Romance Buck" in her mid-year roundup. Collectively, these sparkly rumblings convinced me to purchase the ebook and see if it was my kind of story. On the surface of things, the cover gave me a Julie James vibe (always a good thing). It also happens to perfectly match one of my favorite scenes in the book, a feat that always earns big points with me. And the fact that it's a contemporary romance set in England did my Sarra Manning-loving little heart good. HER BEST WORST MISTAKE is Mayberry's latest release. It is in ebook form only (at this point) and is both a novella and a spin-off of her earlier Blaze novel Hot Island Nights. In Mayberry's words, "Both stories can be read in isolation and still make perfect sense, but I hope that together they form a neat little duo." Love that. As for myself, I still haven't read the earlier book, but I definitely don't feel like you need to in order to love this one.
Violet Sutcliffe is all the colors of the rainbow. She's vocal and vibrant and not interested in changing. The one thing in this world she loves is her best friend Elizabeth. Her opposite in every way, Elizabeth doesn't make a wrong move. She goes about her life deliberately and methodically and she is engaged to marry a man even more rigid than she is. Violet suffers Martin St. Clair for Elizabeth's sake and Elizabeth's sake only. He's everything Violet despises from too staid to too repressed to too stifling of her best friend. Nevertheless, she's determined to support Elizabeth all the way to the altar if that's what will make her happy. Which is why no one is caught more off guard than Violet when Elizabeth up and severs her engagement and runs off to Australia to find herself and her long lost father (not necessarily in that order). At once relieved and utterly befuddled, Violet tells herself she need never see boring old Martin again. But she can't seem to stop herself from feeling sorry for the poor stiff. And so she stops by his office late one night with a pity gift/peace offering. And thus an unlikely and unwelcome spark is ignited.
HER BEST WORST MISTAKE is deliciously readable. I'm admittedly a fan of the socially awkward guy finding his sea legs so to speak when it comes to romance (hello, Ian from All I Ever Wanted), but I'm not often a fan of falling for your best friend's guy (let alone her fiancé). So this story really could have gone either way for me. I went in cautious and quickly found myself both incredibly at home and incredibly fond of Violet and Martin and their untenable situation. Sarah Mayberry impressed me with her clean, vivid writing style as well as her sympathetic characterization skills. Violet is nothing like me. Neither is Martin, for that matter. But I loved the two of them immediately. Their respective back stories are complicated and they play a direct role in their presents, not only providing explanation for why they are the way they are but for why they've been alone for so long and why they, beyond the shadow of a doubt, belong together. And do they ever. This is not a fade to black romance, and yet each encounter contributed to the book's progression as it underscored their rightness as a pair. It can be difficult to hook me on an introductory novella. I thoroughly enjoy a well-written one tossed in in the middle of a series I'm already in love with, but I don't often connect right off the bat with new characters in an abbreviated length. This was so not a problem here. It honestly felt like a full-length novel and I closed it out perfectly satisfied. I've thought of Violet and Martin countless times since and look forward to returning to their tale in the future. I will also be checking out more Sarah Mayberry after this highly successful foray into her work. Recommended for fans of Sarra Manning and Julie James.
May 8, 2012
Okay... i originally wrote this lllooooooooonnnnnggggg rambling review on why i loved this book, but i realised that it was all over the place, so i decided to do it this way;
1 star for a really sweet, emotional, tug-at-your-heartstrings story which i was soooo not expecting;
1 star for Martin, that on-the-surface stuffed shirt who was REALLY, a sweet, but oh-so deliciously dirty, SEX god underneath;
1 star for Violet, with her snarky, smart remarks and her semi wild-child dressing and tendencies;
1 star for Phillip Island!!! What? Well, besides the fact that i did not read Hot Island Nights and only NOW have i figured out that, it takes place on Phillip Island, BUT Phillip Island is where my hubby grew up and seriously, that Phillip Island was mentioned here, made me waaaayyyy excited :);
and finally;
1 star for Sarah Maybery who is an AWESOME writer!
LOVED THIS BOOK! Hooray for self-pubbing!! And finally if i can just put this out there; PLEASE Ms. Mayberry, PLEASE write more Harlequin Blazes', i ADORED your Harlequin Blazes and really miss you writing them!!!
1 star for a really sweet, emotional, tug-at-your-heartstrings story which i was soooo not expecting;
1 star for Martin, that on-the-surface stuffed shirt who was REALLY, a sweet, but oh-so deliciously dirty, SEX god underneath;
1 star for Violet, with her snarky, smart remarks and her semi wild-child dressing and tendencies;
1 star for Phillip Island!!! What? Well, besides the fact that i did not read Hot Island Nights and only NOW have i figured out that, it takes place on Phillip Island, BUT Phillip Island is where my hubby grew up and seriously, that Phillip Island was mentioned here, made me waaaayyyy excited :);
and finally;
1 star for Sarah Maybery who is an AWESOME writer!
LOVED THIS BOOK! Hooray for self-pubbing!! And finally if i can just put this out there; PLEASE Ms. Mayberry, PLEASE write more Harlequin Blazes', i ADORED your Harlequin Blazes and really miss you writing them!!!
October 17, 2019
So a beloved Twitter friend asked for a searing enemies-to-lovers romance, where the love interests clearly LOATHE one another but also clearly need to bang it out. Well, Queen Sarah MacLean offered up Her Best Worst Mistake and holy shit this is perfection.
I've highlighted over 50 passages from this story, and all I can really say is that I adore it. I need to do another re-read or you can follow along with our live-Tweet with #BestWorstBuddyRead.
Also, I really appreciated Violet's worry about how her falling for Martin would affect her best friendship with Elizabeth (who Martin is engaged to at the beginning of the story - don't worry they are completely broken up before any of the romance begins). This is a difficult trope, and it is handled SUPERBLY.
CW: there is a fatphobic comment near the end of the story that was just really dumb and unnecessary.
I've highlighted over 50 passages from this story, and all I can really say is that I adore it. I need to do another re-read or you can follow along with our live-Tweet with #BestWorstBuddyRead.
Also, I really appreciated Violet's worry about how her falling for Martin would affect her best friendship with Elizabeth (who Martin is engaged to at the beginning of the story - don't worry they are completely broken up before any of the romance begins). This is a difficult trope, and it is handled SUPERBLY.
CW: there is a fatphobic comment near the end of the story that was just really dumb and unnecessary.
June 16, 2012
This was a very good read but I didn't like that the heroine took all of the book to come clean with her best friend. The hero was not clearly defined but I liked him a lot anyway. The love story and the writing were also very good.
HERO is undefined, a poor boy who succeeded with a lot of effort to become a successful lawyer and be accepted by upper society by conforming to strict etiquette. When he's dumped by his fiance, he finds himself entangled in a passionate affair with his ex-fiance's irreverent friend, a woman he's disliked for many years.
SCENES/CONTENT: few/hot
GENRE/TONE: contemporary/drama
LENGHT: 185 pages
HERO is undefined, a poor boy who succeeded with a lot of effort to become a successful lawyer and be accepted by upper society by conforming to strict etiquette. When he's dumped by his fiance, he finds himself entangled in a passionate affair with his ex-fiance's irreverent friend, a woman he's disliked for many years.
SCENES/CONTENT: few/hot
GENRE/TONE: contemporary/drama
LENGHT: 185 pages
May 17, 2022
I read Hot Island Nights, my first by this author, and finally got around to reading the sequel, Her Best Worst Mistake.
Very very enjoyable but, oh my the sex scenes! Haha, still fanning myself.
This is a genuine, and entertaining book with unexpected depth.
Very very enjoyable but, oh my the sex scenes! Haha, still fanning myself.
This is a genuine, and entertaining book with unexpected depth.
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