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Tempestuous Reunion
Once, Luc Santini's inherent sensuality had proved to be Catherine Parrish's downfall. For two years she had loved him unconditionally, until she realized that this rich, powerful man regarded her as a possession--not a woman he loved enough to marry.
She fled her gilded cage--pregnant with his child. And then fate placed Luc back in her life. He didn't know about Daniel... and Catherine intended to keep it that way. But would she surrender to his erotic demands--and risk losing herself in a whirl of desire--to protect her son?
She fled her gilded cage--pregnant with his child. And then fate placed Luc back in her life. He didn't know about Daniel... and Catherine intended to keep it that way. But would she surrender to his erotic demands--and risk losing herself in a whirl of desire--to protect her son?
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1991
103 people are currently reading
1421 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Graham
1,763 books1,448 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
October 25, 2016
3-3.5
This was old school Harlequin-style 80's romance, so SUPER outdated, SUPER pseudo-sexist, and SUPER ridiculous.
But I was in the mood for it so it was fun; however, I didn't love some of the H's confessions regarding certain things towards the end.
I also didn't like how the heroine's dyslexia was manifested into forgetfulness and a constant "head in the clouds" state of mind. IMO, it wasn't an accurate depiction of it.
But like I said, this was written in the 1980's, so I think it was pretty forward for the time for this to even be mentioned. And I'm not gonna hold a 1980's book to 2016 standards. So 3+ stars.
Find me at:
This was old school Harlequin-style 80's romance, so SUPER outdated, SUPER pseudo-sexist, and SUPER ridiculous.
But I was in the mood for it so it was fun; however, I didn't love some of the H's confessions regarding certain things towards the end.
I also didn't like how the heroine's dyslexia was manifested into forgetfulness and a constant "head in the clouds" state of mind. IMO, it wasn't an accurate depiction of it.
But like I said, this was written in the 1980's, so I think it was pretty forward for the time for this to even be mentioned. And I'm not gonna hold a 1980's book to 2016 standards. So 3+ stars.
Find me at:
July 3, 2017
Wow….what a tempestuous reunion it was!!!!! A Lynne Graham vintage – secret baby, sweet and innocent heroine seduced by a gorgeous and chauvinistic Italian billionaire, amnesia, kidnapping…ooh filled with so much melodramatic moments….and yes, I did get hooked!!!
Catherine Parrish -
is eighteen, working in an art gallery has always felt abandoned and unloved by her family, has a disability meets the successful businessman, Luc, who shows an interest in her but ignores her for weeks on end. When he finally contacts her, she falls like a ton of bricks. She gives him her virginity…yes, of course she’s a virgin…remember, alpha males love those!!!!!!!.....then spends the next two years being his mistress – he makes it quite clear to her that she’s not good enough material for a wife…uneducated and no background to speak of!!!
Five years later and Luc finds her….yes, apparently he’s been searching years and years for her…why I wondered!!! Didn’t he think her not good enough when she was with him????
As usual, Catherine has been used once again by people…..she’s far too trusting and kind-hearted….but that’s who she is. Anyway, Luc forces her back to his pad, they have an argument, and she hits her head on a table when she stumbled and the next thing…..SHE HAS AMNESIA!!! She’s forgotten the last five years of her life – no idea she has a child…thank heavens little mini Luc was staying with her friend for a few days otherwise….visions of little one all on his own, no food, no Mommy!!!
Luc continues being a total unlikeable guy….he doesn’t tell Catherine about their split, spirits her in his private jet to his castle somewhere in Italy, where he makes lots of love to her and even gets her to marry him. Yes, a total so not nice guy. Allright, he has no idea that he has a son that is somewhere without his mother!!!!
So, Catherine is besotted and sooooo in love and now married to her soul-mate….things seem to be going well with this couple when Catherine suddenly regains her memory. Oh my goodness. She has to tell Luc about their son but ….hell, things just seem to not be working for her….because he discovers the secret son and – just as I thought…turns again into a nasty twit!!!!
Let me just clarify something about Luc…
yes he had trust issues too. A hard childhood and all of that and he just finds it hard to express his feelings to Catherine….oh dear…he loved her all along…all those years he pined for her!!!
It’s really weird…despite this guy’s behavior, by the end, I really liked him. He actually turns out to be a nice guy….and a great dad too!!!! Yes, he meets cute and beyond smart son, who falls in love with Dad IMMEDIATELY!!!!!
If you are a LG fan…like me….read this one. It’s really a good and fun story.
Catherine Parrish -
is eighteen, working in an art gallery has always felt abandoned and unloved by her family, has a disability meets the successful businessman, Luc, who shows an interest in her but ignores her for weeks on end. When he finally contacts her, she falls like a ton of bricks. She gives him her virginity…yes, of course she’s a virgin…remember, alpha males love those!!!!!!!.....then spends the next two years being his mistress – he makes it quite clear to her that she’s not good enough material for a wife…uneducated and no background to speak of!!!Just get rid of this guy I kept saying…and then she does. Enough is enough. When Luc leaves on yet another business trip, she leaves their home and then………disaster!!! Before she can fone him to tell him she made a mistake, she’s hit by a car and is in a coma for 3 months. But the good news!!!! She doesn’t lose their baby and she decides not to go back to Luc!!!
Five years later and Luc finds her….yes, apparently he’s been searching years and years for her…why I wondered!!! Didn’t he think her not good enough when she was with him????
As usual, Catherine has been used once again by people…..she’s far too trusting and kind-hearted….but that’s who she is. Anyway, Luc forces her back to his pad, they have an argument, and she hits her head on a table when she stumbled and the next thing…..SHE HAS AMNESIA!!! She’s forgotten the last five years of her life – no idea she has a child…thank heavens little mini Luc was staying with her friend for a few days otherwise….visions of little one all on his own, no food, no Mommy!!!
Luc continues being a total unlikeable guy….he doesn’t tell Catherine about their split, spirits her in his private jet to his castle somewhere in Italy, where he makes lots of love to her and even gets her to marry him. Yes, a total so not nice guy. Allright, he has no idea that he has a son that is somewhere without his mother!!!!
So, Catherine is besotted and sooooo in love and now married to her soul-mate….things seem to be going well with this couple when Catherine suddenly regains her memory. Oh my goodness. She has to tell Luc about their son but ….hell, things just seem to not be working for her….because he discovers the secret son and – just as I thought…turns again into a nasty twit!!!!
Let me just clarify something about Luc…
yes he had trust issues too. A hard childhood and all of that and he just finds it hard to express his feelings to Catherine….oh dear…he loved her all along…all those years he pined for her!!! Well, why did he not tell Catherine how much he loved her then?????
It’s really weird…despite this guy’s behavior, by the end, I really liked him. He actually turns out to be a nice guy….and a great dad too!!!! Yes, he meets cute and beyond smart son, who falls in love with Dad IMMEDIATELY!!!!!
It is a rather cheesy and sometimes OTTT story but I was so engrossed that I couldn’t get enough of these characters.
If you are a LG fan…like me….read this one. It’s really a good and fun story.
July 2, 2017
Classic LG. I just wonder however if it would have been a HEA if she had not gotten preggers and ran away? Cause he really was a total dirt bag to her before she left. He told her he would never marry her and that she need never worry about it cause she was a good lay.
He decided that they could continue as they were (him getting everything and her being treated like a whore) without a future cause she was just too stupid for him to marry.
He made fun of her clothes and her feelings and told her that they were happy!!! Really he was just having his milk without buying the cow!
Newsflash, she felt like a whore and not good enough for him and you wonder why she left.
He really had to work for it. Good! She was too sweet for him and he had to grovel for it!
I could see her point of view that he would have asked her to get an abortion based on his actions before.
I just wished she had had taken another lover during their separation so that he could understand how she felt when he took out another woman with him to social functions while having sex with her!
I don't sleep with them he said!!!
So really you would be cool with me going out with another guy as long as It was just you she slept with. I don't think so.
Also, how does She know you are faithful to her when he was always telling her ".... one day our association would come to an end..."
Association!!!
Wow! Just wow!
He decided that they could continue as they were (him getting everything and her being treated like a whore) without a future cause she was just too stupid for him to marry.
He made fun of her clothes and her feelings and told her that they were happy!!! Really he was just having his milk without buying the cow!
Newsflash, she felt like a whore and not good enough for him and you wonder why she left.
He really had to work for it. Good! She was too sweet for him and he had to grovel for it!
I could see her point of view that he would have asked her to get an abortion based on his actions before.
I just wished she had had taken another lover during their separation so that he could understand how she felt when he took out another woman with him to social functions while having sex with her!
I don't sleep with them he said!!!
So really you would be cool with me going out with another guy as long as It was just you she slept with. I don't think so.
Also, how does She know you are faithful to her when he was always telling her ".... one day our association would come to an end..."
Association!!!
Wow! Just wow!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2025
A second-chance story where the mistress finally gets her man. There is a little bit of everything secret baby, amnesia, a forced marriage, an OM who also wants the h and a OW who hates the h. It's an entertaining read - but good lord, these two characters.
Thank goodness they're paired together to spare the rest of the world. The heroine was unbelievably ditzy. Not only was she dyslexic (which is a fate worse than death in LG's world) but she was physically clumsy to point of hurting herself (broken ankle while with the hero the first time, hit by a car while pregnant, concussion while arguing with the hero at their reunion). Add her general dreaminess and emotionalism and you can understand why the hero was blunt to the point of cruelty. The hero was selfish and short-sighted and is attracted to 18 year-olds, but at least he's rich and can read a menu. Somehow, in time, I think their son will run rings around both of them.
Thank goodness they're paired together to spare the rest of the world. The heroine was unbelievably ditzy. Not only was she dyslexic (which is a fate worse than death in LG's world) but she was physically clumsy to point of hurting herself (broken ankle while with the hero the first time, hit by a car while pregnant, concussion while arguing with the hero at their reunion). Add her general dreaminess and emotionalism and you can understand why the hero was blunt to the point of cruelty. The hero was selfish and short-sighted and is attracted to 18 year-olds, but at least he's rich and can read a menu. Somehow, in time, I think their son will run rings around both of them.
February 25, 2024
3.5 stars. This man didn’t miss a beat in making use of the heroine's amnesia lmao. Not a millisecond of hesitation. No scruples. No nothing. He saw an opportunity and he took it like an arrogant, shameless, self-serving, Machiavellian schemer that he was. Those old-school authors got the kick out of writing about wealthy Italian/Greek sociopaths back in the day, didn't they? 😌
Luc took away Catherine's passport. Kept all the newspapers, calendars and anything that could jog her memory out of her reach. Kidnapped her to his CASTLE in Italy. Made his staff play along. Surrounded her with utmost love and care playing into her old girlish fantasies. Set out to marry and impregnate her while she was in no condition to know what was happening to her since she had no recollection of the past 4 years of her life and was blissfully unaware of their breakup. Really, there wasn’t anything that Luc hadn’t done, in the past as well as in the present, to keep her as a concubine PRISONER of his desires lmao. And I found that outrageous
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ly hot.
If there's one thing these old-school romances can teach you it is that you can get away with murder when you're rich and handsome and that having no tinge of conscience in your body always pays off. An age-old wisdom that I love to see.
A very entertaining read with a cold, determined and obsessed hero that makes sure he gets the girl one way or another 😏
Luc took away Catherine's passport. Kept all the newspapers, calendars and anything that could jog her memory out of her reach. Kidnapped her to his CASTLE in Italy. Made his staff play along. Surrounded her with utmost love and care playing into her old girlish fantasies. Set out to marry and impregnate her while she was in no condition to know what was happening to her since she had no recollection of the past 4 years of her life and was blissfully unaware of their breakup. Really, there wasn’t anything that Luc hadn’t done, in the past as well as in the present, to keep her as a concubine PRISONER of his desires lmao. And I found that outrageous
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ly hot.
‘Tomorrow, I’ll be rich,’ she mused absently.
After an arrested pause, Luc flung back his gleaming dark head and roared with laughter. ‘You’re probably the only woman in the world who would dare to say that to me before the wedding.’
If there's one thing these old-school romances can teach you it is that you can get away with murder when you're rich and handsome and that having no tinge of conscience in your body always pays off. An age-old wisdom that I love to see.
A very entertaining read with a cold, determined and obsessed hero that makes sure he gets the girl one way or another 😏
July 13, 2017
This a love or hate book. I'm on the hate side. In a rare but not unheard of situation, it's the heroine that I hate as opposed to the typical arrogant LG hero. Don't get me wrong, the hero starts off with a statement to the heroine that is pretty unforgivable, but it pales in comparison to the damage that the spineless and emotionally stupid heroine creates. Despite her obvious sexual appeal to the hero, she has all the personality of vanilla pudding.
Blancmange has been a mistress to the sexually obsessed Luc for about two years when she asks THE QUESTION. Would you ever marry me? His response is, Why would I ever marry YOU? He tosses out some other zingers like "You won't fit in my world" and blah, blah. Okay, ouch. She leaves him, good girl, with a dramatic message in lipstick on the mirror that he can't even read.
Flash forward five years and she is now spineless mother to the spawn of hell, an overly-bright and spoiled rotten plot moppet that already has Mummy's number. In the years since the H, Blancmange has glommed on to a woman who's taken care of her, and an older man that wants to take care of her. His wife has conveniently left him. Blancmange doesn't feel THAT WAY about him, but, oh...it's so...hard...so..to tell... I mean... I just don't...want to...hurt him. For the love of Pete, SPIT IT OUT! Luc sees them and swoops down on her. She falls and gets amnesia. Sorry, but I'm laughing right now. Luc is ecstatic as he has back where he wants her and now he's ready to marry her.
They get married where all she does is lie around and think how happy she is when suddenly, heck, she remembers the plot moppet. She..doesn't know...how to tell....oh Luc...It doesn't matter, Blancmange. A wannabe mistress tells Luc about the plot moppet. Luc doesn't believe her because Blancmange has always been so honest. She would never have a secret baby that she kept from him. When he realizes it's true, he is beyond furious. He gets his mini-me, overbearing tycoon tyke in training and ignores Blancmange for about five minutes
Eventually they have enough sex that HE asks for forgiveness.
Why do I hate Blancmange? Because in fiction and real life, people who NEVER make a stand, never make waves, but allow others to do it for them can create more conflict while trying to avoid conflict.
Why have
when you could have 
?
I've actually read this a couple of times, but here we go.
Blancmange has been a mistress to the sexually obsessed Luc for about two years when she asks THE QUESTION. Would you ever marry me? His response is, Why would I ever marry YOU? He tosses out some other zingers like "You won't fit in my world" and blah, blah. Okay, ouch. She leaves him, good girl, with a dramatic message in lipstick on the mirror that he can't even read.
Flash forward five years and she is now spineless mother to the spawn of hell, an overly-bright and spoiled rotten plot moppet that already has Mummy's number. In the years since the H, Blancmange has glommed on to a woman who's taken care of her, and an older man that wants to take care of her. His wife has conveniently left him. Blancmange doesn't feel THAT WAY about him, but, oh...it's so...hard...so..to tell... I mean... I just don't...want to...hurt him. For the love of Pete, SPIT IT OUT! Luc sees them and swoops down on her. She falls and gets amnesia. Sorry, but I'm laughing right now. Luc is ecstatic as he has back where he wants her and now he's ready to marry her.
They get married where all she does is lie around and think how happy she is when suddenly, heck, she remembers the plot moppet. She..doesn't know...how to tell....oh Luc...It doesn't matter, Blancmange. A wannabe mistress tells Luc about the plot moppet. Luc doesn't believe her because Blancmange has always been so honest. She would never have a secret baby that she kept from him. When he realizes it's true, he is beyond furious. He gets his mini-me, overbearing tycoon tyke in training and ignores Blancmange for about five minutes
Eventually they have enough sex that HE asks for forgiveness.
Why do I hate Blancmange? Because in fiction and real life, people who NEVER make a stand, never make waves, but allow others to do it for them can create more conflict while trying to avoid conflict.
Why have
when you could have ?I've actually read this a couple of times, but here we go.
January 29, 2018
Re Tempestuous Reunion - Lynne Graham's fifth HP adventure gives us the first offering of what will be widely considered the LG style. Not all of the books immediately following this one will be in the exact same tone or vein. LG is still finding her writing feet in these early years, but TR is the very first LG that is the embodiment of all the elements that have made LG one of the best selling authors in HPlandia.
This one starts with a prologue. Catherine, a 20 yr old orphan who is very sweet but about as sophisticated as a baby bunny, is tearfully fretting over leaving her lover of two years. Luc is her lover, a 27 yr old self made gazillionaire Italian genius who is extremely handsome, extremely smart, and an extremely arrogant, condescending slime swiller.
He never takes Catherine out, isolates her in a Manhattan apartment and essentially keeps her as his dirty secret while he travels the world being seen partying with luscious ladies with upper class backgrounds and wining and dining with high society rich acquaintances. Catherine numbly accepts the lady buffet sampling as the price of loving Luc, as he claims that he never sleeps with them and since Luc is brutally honest, Catherine believes him mostly.
Catherine is pregnant and is incredibly insecure due to Luc's insistence that she be hidden away. Luc had threatened her that consequences would be very harsh if she ever got pregnant, so Catherine very timidly asks if Luc thinks he will ever marry her. Luc makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he will never marry someone who has no education, no status and is essentially his paid blow up doll until he gets tired of her.
Now that Catherine has verified Luc's opinion for sure and terrified that if she stays he will force her to have a termination, she gathers up her resolve and writes an illegible farewell message on the bathroom mirror. Catherine is dyslexic and very sensitive about it. Due to being raised in care from birth when her mother abandoned her, she was never given the proper help to be able to overcome it. She sadly gathers her things and heads back home to England.
(Dyslexia is a common hallmark of an LG h, it wasn't given much attention back in the nineties - but LG has made it a household conversation piece, thus following the classic HP tradition of promoting awareness of various diseases and social causes. But LG's H's are the utmost supportive of the h and get her help, even when they are being jerks otherwise, they really push the message that being dyslexic is okay and nothing to be ashamed about.)
When she gets back home, she meets a strange but comforting lady on the train. The woman is quite eccentric, but very nice and Catherine has been alone a very long time, so she pours her story out and the woman reassures her that leaving Luc without telling him about the baby is right thing to do.
Then Catherine gets hit by a car and spends the next several months in hospital. The kind train lady visits everyday, Catherine has a son named Daniel and in due course moves in with the train lady to be her housekeeper and general helper. The train lady puts round that Catherine is a young widow and now five years on, the train lady has died and left her home to a religious organization.
The book starts when Catherine and Daniel have to move to London from the quiet market town life. Daniel is four and a half and quite precocious and quite angry about the move. Catherine, in keeping with her widow status, has inferred that Daniel's father is dead and Daniel is feeling that loss keenly.
The train lady has a brother, who is currently divorcing his cheating wife, and has gotten Catherine reduced rent on a flat his godmother owns, in return for a few cooked meals and some daily help. Judging by the sound of the woman, Catherine is about to get a short lesson on indentured servitude. But as Daniel is staying with one of Cathy's village friends for a few days, train lady's brother, who has a massive infatuation with Cathy, is plotting some moves of his own. He takes Catherine to lunch at the Savoy and it is there that the past rises up like a six foot tall looming specter.
Luc is at the Savoy and Cathy is horrified to see him. Tho he seems to ignore her in favor of the two men he is talking to, Cathy can feel the predatory vibes all the way across the room. Luc is not a man to suffer in silence when his will is thwarted and Cathy is hoping she can escape the reckoning. After train lady's brother attempts a very awkward marriage proposal that Cathy did not see coming, Cathy is in full agitation mode.
Luc stops her on the street and after some tense conversation about the guy she was with and where she has been for the last five years plus a wry Luc comment about how Cathy is keeping Laura Ashley in business with her busy floral prints, Cathy escapes Luc's presence to wander the streets and worry. Fortunately Luc doesn't know anything about Daniel, but Cathy can feel his stalkery stalkerific intensity and now she has a problem
Especially when Luc shows up at train brother's apartment that evening. Train brother is off on a business trip and Cathy is staying temporarily there until she can get moved. Luc demands that Cathy return to him and Cathy is livid. He treated her like garbage and a tart and he can't just waltz in and expect her to kneel at his feet. Things get heated and when Luc grabs for Cathy, she trips in her her really high heels she wears to boost her five ft height and hits her head on a table.
When she wakes up in hospital, Cathy has no clue where she is or when it is. All she sees is Luc looking frantic and ready to take on all comers if they make Cathy unhappy or scared. In true dramatic HPlandia style, Cathy has amnesia.
Luc, never one to miss an opportunity, proposes to Cathy and then sweeps his joyously weeping lover off to a huge castle in Italy. Cathy has a huge anxiety attack as she gets on the plane, she had a vision of train lady saying she mustn't leave and there is a feeling she has left something important. Luc carries her onto the plane and soon Cathy is so ecstatic that her long years of lonely loving have been rewarded and Luc finally thinks she is fit to be his bride, that she loses herself in the wonder of Luc's wanting her.
The passion is huge, the love is great and Luc is stage managing a wedding for the millenium. Even her old rival for Luc's affection, a woman who works in his company, is dispensed with as Luc fires the lady for attacking Cathy's morals and honesty.
Until Cathy's memory comes back and she realizes that she has left her son in England and now she is marrying Luc but she still doesn't explain about Daniel. There is a big fight, and Luc hints that Cathy's leaving him shook him up badly, but Luc is NOT letting her go or really explaining much other that train lady's brother will lose a badly needed business deal if Cathy doesn't marry Luc. So Cathy thinks she will just get through the wedding and then get Daniel from her friend and take off.
Cathy finds out that Luc has bought her an English house, the Italian Castle, which he spent years restoring and a whole huge wardrobe which is the accumulation of several years worth of shopping expeditions for her. Cathy realizes that Luc doesn't emote much, but he was obviously really thinking about her and he claims he has been trying to find her for years - all the things he showers on Cathy proves it, too cause none of it is something you can rush out and buy in the week that they have been reunited.
After meeting Luc's friends in a hilarious scene where Cathy tarts herself up and only comes off as avant-garde, Cathy finally admits to herself that she loves Luc and always has - so she has to find a way to explain about Daniel. The wedding goes off without a hitch, the wedding night is wonderfully purple and then Luc's long time employee/friend OW strikes.
The ex/future wanna be OW finds out about Daniel and rushes to tell Luc all about it. Luc hits the roof as he and Cathy are on the flight back to England. There is yelling and shouting and Luc claiming that he would have married her all those years ago. Which Cathy cynically thinks is well said in hindsight five years on, but not what Luc would have done at the time. She explains that she was terrified for her baby and terrified of Luc and then has a huge sobby moment from the weight of her guilt.
Thing are tense between Luc and Daniel's first meeting, but the two really are peas in a pod and as Cathy is left to trail around in remorse and self-flagellation for supposedly misjudging Luc so badly, Luc and Daniel bond.
(Frankly, Luc maybe would have married her, but it was unlikely given his behavior. Five years on, after spiraling into the depths of depression, almost losing his company while he drank himself into oblivion and then searching for Cathy for five years, Luc has believably reformed his bad behavior and obviously cares for Cathy - but in the beginning, he would have acted exactly as Cathy feared really.)
Unfortunately, while Daniel and Luc are two of a kind, Cathy and Luc are now having separate bedrooms and very polite but terse exchanges. When Luc takes Daniel to Paris for the day, Cathy realizes that her marriage is probably done. She goes to visit Train lady's brother and he is great, he and his estranged wife are getting counseling and Cathy decides it is time to end things with Luc and Daniel can stay with his father.
But Cathy is really timid and procrastinates a lot, so when she gets home she tries to avoid Luc. Luc tho, has a tracking device or guards on her at all times, so he is furious and jealous that she went to see train lady's brother. Another big fight ensues, this time Luc is complaining that she kicked him out of her room and he isn't divorcing her and she isn't to see train lady's brother anymore. Cathy explains that the housekeeper must have given them separate rooms and questions why Luc just did not throw a fit like he usually does.
Then it is time for Luc's big confession. He figured out that he acted really badly five years ago and that he frightened and intimidated Cathy into running off. He apologizes for his equally bad behavior in practically kidnapping Cathy to Italy and not even caring that she might be involved with another guy.
He also explains that when he met Cathy, he was overwhelmed, but he was 27, newly rich, his family had no use for him outside of money and then they died and he was working his way to the top and women were really a convenience for him, not something he actually respected or valued. He came to really depend on Cathy and in his usual selfish style, he had to lock her up and keep her isolated so that he was the only one focus of her attention.
Her leaving him pretty much knocked his entire world apart and his loss made him grow up. Cathy realizes that she should have demanded to be treated better, but her own insecurities and her naive dependence and love-blindness kept her in a subservient position when she had the power to change it all the time.
So now the two of them can reunite in mutually wedded bliss, because both of them have grown up and are much better partners in tandem, anchored by a very solid mutual love for each other. We leave Luc and Cathy plotting another baby and Luc declaring I love you's in three languages for the big HEA.
This one is a bit awkward in places, but it very effectively demonstrates LG's ability to take a total slime swiller sewer slurper H and redeem him enough to actually like him and get a believable HEA. Her h's also show a similar character growth over the course of the story - tho niceness is not usually a probably for an LG h - she writes the nicest ones in HPLandia, usually they aren't the worldliest tho.
It is this remarkable ability to rehabilitate the most badly behaved H's and turn them into a really worthy H that keeps LG at the top of the HPlandia author lists. Her books are renowned for their humor, their really naive h's and their uber bad but charming H's and TR is the gateway book that demonstrates just how she pulls it off - and that puts it on the required reading list for any voyager to HPlandia.
This one starts with a prologue. Catherine, a 20 yr old orphan who is very sweet but about as sophisticated as a baby bunny, is tearfully fretting over leaving her lover of two years. Luc is her lover, a 27 yr old self made gazillionaire Italian genius who is extremely handsome, extremely smart, and an extremely arrogant, condescending slime swiller.
He never takes Catherine out, isolates her in a Manhattan apartment and essentially keeps her as his dirty secret while he travels the world being seen partying with luscious ladies with upper class backgrounds and wining and dining with high society rich acquaintances. Catherine numbly accepts the lady buffet sampling as the price of loving Luc, as he claims that he never sleeps with them and since Luc is brutally honest, Catherine believes him mostly.
Catherine is pregnant and is incredibly insecure due to Luc's insistence that she be hidden away. Luc had threatened her that consequences would be very harsh if she ever got pregnant, so Catherine very timidly asks if Luc thinks he will ever marry her. Luc makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he will never marry someone who has no education, no status and is essentially his paid blow up doll until he gets tired of her.
Now that Catherine has verified Luc's opinion for sure and terrified that if she stays he will force her to have a termination, she gathers up her resolve and writes an illegible farewell message on the bathroom mirror. Catherine is dyslexic and very sensitive about it. Due to being raised in care from birth when her mother abandoned her, she was never given the proper help to be able to overcome it. She sadly gathers her things and heads back home to England.
(Dyslexia is a common hallmark of an LG h, it wasn't given much attention back in the nineties - but LG has made it a household conversation piece, thus following the classic HP tradition of promoting awareness of various diseases and social causes. But LG's H's are the utmost supportive of the h and get her help, even when they are being jerks otherwise, they really push the message that being dyslexic is okay and nothing to be ashamed about.)
When she gets back home, she meets a strange but comforting lady on the train. The woman is quite eccentric, but very nice and Catherine has been alone a very long time, so she pours her story out and the woman reassures her that leaving Luc without telling him about the baby is right thing to do.
Then Catherine gets hit by a car and spends the next several months in hospital. The kind train lady visits everyday, Catherine has a son named Daniel and in due course moves in with the train lady to be her housekeeper and general helper. The train lady puts round that Catherine is a young widow and now five years on, the train lady has died and left her home to a religious organization.
The book starts when Catherine and Daniel have to move to London from the quiet market town life. Daniel is four and a half and quite precocious and quite angry about the move. Catherine, in keeping with her widow status, has inferred that Daniel's father is dead and Daniel is feeling that loss keenly.
The train lady has a brother, who is currently divorcing his cheating wife, and has gotten Catherine reduced rent on a flat his godmother owns, in return for a few cooked meals and some daily help. Judging by the sound of the woman, Catherine is about to get a short lesson on indentured servitude. But as Daniel is staying with one of Cathy's village friends for a few days, train lady's brother, who has a massive infatuation with Cathy, is plotting some moves of his own. He takes Catherine to lunch at the Savoy and it is there that the past rises up like a six foot tall looming specter.
Luc is at the Savoy and Cathy is horrified to see him. Tho he seems to ignore her in favor of the two men he is talking to, Cathy can feel the predatory vibes all the way across the room. Luc is not a man to suffer in silence when his will is thwarted and Cathy is hoping she can escape the reckoning. After train lady's brother attempts a very awkward marriage proposal that Cathy did not see coming, Cathy is in full agitation mode.
Luc stops her on the street and after some tense conversation about the guy she was with and where she has been for the last five years plus a wry Luc comment about how Cathy is keeping Laura Ashley in business with her busy floral prints, Cathy escapes Luc's presence to wander the streets and worry. Fortunately Luc doesn't know anything about Daniel, but Cathy can feel his stalkery stalkerific intensity and now she has a problem
Especially when Luc shows up at train brother's apartment that evening. Train brother is off on a business trip and Cathy is staying temporarily there until she can get moved. Luc demands that Cathy return to him and Cathy is livid. He treated her like garbage and a tart and he can't just waltz in and expect her to kneel at his feet. Things get heated and when Luc grabs for Cathy, she trips in her her really high heels she wears to boost her five ft height and hits her head on a table.
When she wakes up in hospital, Cathy has no clue where she is or when it is. All she sees is Luc looking frantic and ready to take on all comers if they make Cathy unhappy or scared. In true dramatic HPlandia style, Cathy has amnesia.
Luc, never one to miss an opportunity, proposes to Cathy and then sweeps his joyously weeping lover off to a huge castle in Italy. Cathy has a huge anxiety attack as she gets on the plane, she had a vision of train lady saying she mustn't leave and there is a feeling she has left something important. Luc carries her onto the plane and soon Cathy is so ecstatic that her long years of lonely loving have been rewarded and Luc finally thinks she is fit to be his bride, that she loses herself in the wonder of Luc's wanting her.
The passion is huge, the love is great and Luc is stage managing a wedding for the millenium. Even her old rival for Luc's affection, a woman who works in his company, is dispensed with as Luc fires the lady for attacking Cathy's morals and honesty.
Until Cathy's memory comes back and she realizes that she has left her son in England and now she is marrying Luc but she still doesn't explain about Daniel. There is a big fight, and Luc hints that Cathy's leaving him shook him up badly, but Luc is NOT letting her go or really explaining much other that train lady's brother will lose a badly needed business deal if Cathy doesn't marry Luc. So Cathy thinks she will just get through the wedding and then get Daniel from her friend and take off.
Cathy finds out that Luc has bought her an English house, the Italian Castle, which he spent years restoring and a whole huge wardrobe which is the accumulation of several years worth of shopping expeditions for her. Cathy realizes that Luc doesn't emote much, but he was obviously really thinking about her and he claims he has been trying to find her for years - all the things he showers on Cathy proves it, too cause none of it is something you can rush out and buy in the week that they have been reunited.
After meeting Luc's friends in a hilarious scene where Cathy tarts herself up and only comes off as avant-garde, Cathy finally admits to herself that she loves Luc and always has - so she has to find a way to explain about Daniel. The wedding goes off without a hitch, the wedding night is wonderfully purple and then Luc's long time employee/friend OW strikes.
The ex/future wanna be OW finds out about Daniel and rushes to tell Luc all about it. Luc hits the roof as he and Cathy are on the flight back to England. There is yelling and shouting and Luc claiming that he would have married her all those years ago. Which Cathy cynically thinks is well said in hindsight five years on, but not what Luc would have done at the time. She explains that she was terrified for her baby and terrified of Luc and then has a huge sobby moment from the weight of her guilt.
Thing are tense between Luc and Daniel's first meeting, but the two really are peas in a pod and as Cathy is left to trail around in remorse and self-flagellation for supposedly misjudging Luc so badly, Luc and Daniel bond.
(Frankly, Luc maybe would have married her, but it was unlikely given his behavior. Five years on, after spiraling into the depths of depression, almost losing his company while he drank himself into oblivion and then searching for Cathy for five years, Luc has believably reformed his bad behavior and obviously cares for Cathy - but in the beginning, he would have acted exactly as Cathy feared really.)
Unfortunately, while Daniel and Luc are two of a kind, Cathy and Luc are now having separate bedrooms and very polite but terse exchanges. When Luc takes Daniel to Paris for the day, Cathy realizes that her marriage is probably done. She goes to visit Train lady's brother and he is great, he and his estranged wife are getting counseling and Cathy decides it is time to end things with Luc and Daniel can stay with his father.
But Cathy is really timid and procrastinates a lot, so when she gets home she tries to avoid Luc. Luc tho, has a tracking device or guards on her at all times, so he is furious and jealous that she went to see train lady's brother. Another big fight ensues, this time Luc is complaining that she kicked him out of her room and he isn't divorcing her and she isn't to see train lady's brother anymore. Cathy explains that the housekeeper must have given them separate rooms and questions why Luc just did not throw a fit like he usually does.
Then it is time for Luc's big confession. He figured out that he acted really badly five years ago and that he frightened and intimidated Cathy into running off. He apologizes for his equally bad behavior in practically kidnapping Cathy to Italy and not even caring that she might be involved with another guy.
He also explains that when he met Cathy, he was overwhelmed, but he was 27, newly rich, his family had no use for him outside of money and then they died and he was working his way to the top and women were really a convenience for him, not something he actually respected or valued. He came to really depend on Cathy and in his usual selfish style, he had to lock her up and keep her isolated so that he was the only one focus of her attention.
Her leaving him pretty much knocked his entire world apart and his loss made him grow up. Cathy realizes that she should have demanded to be treated better, but her own insecurities and her naive dependence and love-blindness kept her in a subservient position when she had the power to change it all the time.
So now the two of them can reunite in mutually wedded bliss, because both of them have grown up and are much better partners in tandem, anchored by a very solid mutual love for each other. We leave Luc and Cathy plotting another baby and Luc declaring I love you's in three languages for the big HEA.
This one is a bit awkward in places, but it very effectively demonstrates LG's ability to take a total slime swiller sewer slurper H and redeem him enough to actually like him and get a believable HEA. Her h's also show a similar character growth over the course of the story - tho niceness is not usually a probably for an LG h - she writes the nicest ones in HPLandia, usually they aren't the worldliest tho.
It is this remarkable ability to rehabilitate the most badly behaved H's and turn them into a really worthy H that keeps LG at the top of the HPlandia author lists. Her books are renowned for their humor, their really naive h's and their uber bad but charming H's and TR is the gateway book that demonstrates just how she pulls it off - and that puts it on the required reading list for any voyager to HPlandia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2017
I re-read this unfortunately and I still hated the hero. He was a jerk. I tried to see it as other people did but I can't. He loved her. I hated that he slept with OW after he first met her and I hated that he slept with OW while they were apart. I know it was five years but come on. And did anyone else think it was gross that he had slept with another woman just a week before he slept with her again? And he wanted to marry her that fast when a week before he was boinking another lady??? I was just grossed out. I know he didn't know she was alive or anything and she is the one that left him but that is one of my biggest triggers. I liked when she slapped him for it and said this is for Nice. I laughed out loud but unfortunately the rest of the book just left me sad. I know he loved her and they were apart for five years, but can't he just keep it in his pants if he really loves her. Another thing, she used her real name and he can't find her? That is just stupid. And totally unrealistic. LOL Like Harlequin Presents are so realistic. I just didn't like this book. I tried.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2013
Omg the heroine was so annoying! All she did was whine and mope around, she was rude to the hero who worshiped her, she assumed things, and at the same time pretending she was a weak damsel in distress who just screamed nonstop. Also she was full of herself. She would never admit that she was wrong, even when she was proven wrong she still wouldn't admit it. The hero was obsessively in love with her but I couldn't understand why. He deserved better than a hypocrite who claims to be someone who stands up for what she believes in but in this situation she's just a spineless coward hiding his child from him for 6 whole years just because she ASSUMED he would tell her to have an abortion. Really? Get over yourself!
January 29, 2018
Re Tempestuous Reunion - Lynne Graham's fifth HP adventure gives us the first offering of what will be widely considered the LG style. Not all of the books immediately following this one will be in the exact same tone or vein. LG is still finding her writing feet in these early years, but TR is the very first LG that is the embodiment of all the elements that have made LG one of the best selling authors in HPlandia.
This one starts with a prologue. Catherine, a 20 yr old orphan who is very sweet but about as sophisticated as a baby bunny, is tearfully fretting over leaving her lover of two years. Luc is her lover, a 27 yr old self made gazillionaire Italian genius who is extremely handsome, extremely smart, and an extremely arrogant, condescending slime swiller.
He never takes Catherine out, isolates her in a Manhattan apartment and essentially keeps her as his dirty secret while he travels the world being seen partying with luscious ladies with upper class backgrounds and wining and dining with high society rich acquaintances. Catherine numbly accepts the lady buffet sampling as the price of loving Luc, as he claims that he never sleeps with them and since Luc is brutally honest, Catherine believes him mostly.
Catherine is pregnant and is incredibly insecure due to Luc's insistence that she be hidden away. Luc had threatened her that consequences would be very harsh if she ever got pregnant, so Catherine very timidly asks if Luc thinks he will ever marry her. Luc makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he will never marry someone who has no education, no status and is essentially his paid blow up doll until he gets tired of her.
Now that Catherine has verified Luc's opinion for sure and terrified that if she stays he will force her to have a termination, she gathers up her resolve and writes an illegible farewell message on the bathroom mirror. Catherine is dyslexic and very sensitive about it. Due to being raised in care from birth when her mother abandoned her, she was never given the proper help to be able to overcome it. She sadly gathers her things and heads back home to England.
(Dyslexia is a common hallmark of an LG h, it wasn't given much attention back in the nineties - but LG has made it a household conversation piece, thus following the classic HP tradition of promoting awareness of various diseases and social causes. But LG's H's are the utmost supportive of the h and get her help, even when they are being jerks otherwise, they really push the message that being dyslexic is okay and nothing to be ashamed about.)
When she gets back home, she meets a strange but comforting lady on the train. The woman is quite eccentric, but very nice and Catherine has been alone a very long time, so she pours her story out and the woman reassures her that leaving Luc without telling him about the baby is right thing to do.
Then Catherine gets hit by a car and spends the next several months in hospital. The kind train lady visits everyday, Catherine has a son named Daniel and in due course moves in with the train lady to be her housekeeper and general helper. The train lady puts round that Catherine is a young widow and now five years on, the train lady has died and left her home to a religious organization.
The book starts when Catherine and Daniel have to move to London from the quiet market town life. Daniel is four and a half and quite precocious and quite angry about the move. Catherine, in keeping with her widow status, has inferred that Daniel's father is dead and Daniel is feeling that loss keenly.
The train lady has a brother, who is currently divorcing his cheating wife, and has gotten Catherine reduced rent on a flat his godmother owns, in return for a few cooked meals and some daily help. Judging by the sound of the woman, Catherine is about to get a short lesson on indentured servitude. But as Daniel is staying with one of Cathy's village friends for a few days, train lady's brother, who has a massive infatuation with Cathy, is plotting some moves of his own. He takes Catherine to lunch at the Savoy and it is there that the past rises up like a six foot tall looming specter.
Luc is at the Savoy and Cathy is horrified to see him. Tho he seems to ignore her in favor of the two men he is talking to, Cathy can feel the predatory vibes all the way across the room. Luc is not a man to suffer in silence when his will is thwarted and Cathy is hoping she can escape the reckoning. After train lady's brother attempts a very awkward marriage proposal that Cathy did not see coming, Cathy is in full agitation mode.
Luc stops her on the street and after some tense conversation about the guy she was with and where she has been for the last five years plus a wry Luc comment about how Cathy is keeping Laura Ashley in business with her busy floral prints, Cathy escapes Luc's presence to wander the streets and worry. Fortunately Luc doesn't know anything about Daniel, but Cathy can feel his stalkery stalkerific intensity and now she has a problem
Especially when Luc shows up at train brother's apartment that evening. Train brother is off on a business trip and Cathy is staying temporarily there until she can get moved. Luc demands that Cathy return to him and Cathy is livid. He treated her like garbage and a tart and he can't just waltz in and expect her to kneel at his feet. Things get heated and when Luc grabs for Cathy, she trips in her her really high heels she wears to boost her five ft height and hits her head on a table.
When she wakes up in hospital, Cathy has no clue where she is or when it is. All she sees is Luc looking frantic and ready to take on all comers if they make Cathy unhappy or scared. In true dramatic HPlandia style, Cathy has amnesia.
Luc, never one to miss an opportunity, proposes to Cathy and then sweeps his joyously weeping lover off to a huge castle in Italy. Cathy has a huge anxiety attack as she gets on the plane, she had a vision of train lady saying she mustn't leave and there is a feeling she has left something important. Luc carries her onto the plane and soon Cathy is so ecstatic that her long years of lonely loving have been rewarded and Luc finally thinks she is fit to be his bride, that she loses herself in the wonder of Luc's wanting her.
The passion is huge, the love is great and Luc is stage managing a wedding for the millenium. Even her old rival for Luc's affection, a woman who works in his company, is dispensed with as Luc fires the lady for attacking Cathy's morals and honesty.
Until Cathy's memory comes back and she realizes that she has left her son in England and now she is marrying Luc but she still doesn't explain about Daniel. There is a big fight, and Luc hints that Cathy's leaving him shook him up badly, but Luc is NOT letting her go or really explaining much other that train lady's brother will lose a badly needed business deal if Cathy doesn't marry Luc. So Cathy thinks she will just get through the wedding and then get Daniel from her friend and take off.
Cathy finds out that Luc has bought her an English house, the Italian Castle, which he spent years restoring and a whole huge wardrobe which is the accumulation of several years worth of shopping expeditions for her. Cathy realizes that Luc doesn't emote much, but he was obviously really thinking about her and he claims he has been trying to find her for years - all the things he showers on Cathy proves it, too cause none of it is something you can rush out and buy in the week that they have been reunited.
After meeting Luc's friends in a hilarious scene where Cathy tarts herself up and only comes off as avant-garde, Cathy finally admits to herself that she loves Luc and always has - so she has to find a way to explain about Daniel. The wedding goes off without a hitch, the wedding night is wonderfully purple and then Luc's long time employee/friend OW strikes.
The ex/future wanna be OW finds out about Daniel and rushes to tell Luc all about it. Luc hits the roof as he and Cathy are on the flight back to England. There is yelling and shouting and Luc claiming that he would have married her all those years ago. Which Cathy cynically thinks is well said in hindsight five years on, but not what Luc would have done at the time. She explains that she was terrified for her baby and terrified of Luc and then has a huge sobby moment from the weight of her guilt.
Thing are tense between Luc and Daniel's first meeting, but the two really are peas in a pod and as Cathy is left to trail around in remorse and self-flagellation for supposedly misjudging Luc so badly, Luc and Daniel bond.
(Frankly, Luc maybe would have married her, but it was unlikely given his behavior. Five years on, after spiraling into the depths of depression, almost losing his company while he drank himself into oblivion and then searching for Cathy for five years, Luc has believably reformed his bad behavior and obviously cares for Cathy - but in the beginning, he would have acted exactly as Cathy feared really.)
Unfortunately, while Daniel and Luc are two of a kind, Cathy and Luc are now having separate bedrooms and very polite but terse exchanges. When Luc takes Daniel to Paris for the day, Cathy realizes that her marriage is probably done. She goes to visit Train lady's brother and he is great, he and his estranged wife are getting counseling and Cathy decides it is time to end things with Luc and Daniel can stay with his father.
But Cathy is really timid and procrastinates a lot, so when she gets home she tries to avoid Luc. Luc tho, has a tracking device or guards on her at all times, so he is furious and jealous that she went to see train lady's brother. Another big fight ensues, this time Luc is complaining that she kicked him out of her room and he isn't divorcing her and she isn't to see train lady's brother anymore. Cathy explains that the housekeeper must have given them separate rooms and questions why Luc just did not throw a fit like he usually does.
Then it is time for Luc's big confession. He figured out that he acted really badly five years ago and that he frightened and intimidated Cathy into running off. He apologizes for his equally bad behavior in practically kidnapping Cathy to Italy and not even caring that she might be involved with another guy.
He also explains that when he met Cathy, he was overwhelmed, but he was 27, newly rich, his family had no use for him outside of money and then they died and he was working his way to the top and women were really a convenience for him, not something he actually respected or valued. He came to really depend on Cathy and in his usual selfish style, he had to lock her up and keep her isolated so that he was the only one focus of her attention.
Her leaving him pretty much knocked his entire world apart and his loss made him grow up. Cathy realizes that she should have demanded to be treated better, but her own insecurities and her naive dependence and love-blindness kept her in a subservient position when she had the power to change it all the time.
So now the two of them can reunite in mutually wedded bliss, because both of them have grown up and are much better partners in tandem, anchored by a very solid mutual love for each other. We leave Luc and Cathy plotting another baby and Luc declaring I love you's in three languages for the big HEA.
This one is a bit awkward in places, but it very effectively demonstrates LG's ability to take a total slime swiller sewer slurper H and redeem him enough to actually like him and get a believable HEA. Her h's also show a similar character growth over the course of the story - tho niceness is not usually a probably for an LG h - she writes the nicest ones in HPLandia, usually they aren't the worldliest tho.
It is this remarkable ability to rehabilitate the most badly behaved H's and turn them into a really worthy H that keeps LG at the top of the HPlandia author lists. Her books are renowned for their humor, their really naive h's and their uber bad but charming H's and TR is the gateway book that demonstrates just how she pulls it off - and that puts it on the required reading list for any voyager to HPlandia.
This one starts with a prologue. Catherine, a 20 yr old orphan who is very sweet but about as sophisticated as a baby bunny, is tearfully fretting over leaving her lover of two years. Luc is her lover, a 27 yr old self made gazillionaire Italian genius who is extremely handsome, extremely smart, and an extremely arrogant, condescending slime swiller.
He never takes Catherine out, isolates her in a Manhattan apartment and essentially keeps her as his dirty secret while he travels the world being seen partying with luscious ladies with upper class backgrounds and wining and dining with high society rich acquaintances. Catherine numbly accepts the lady buffet sampling as the price of loving Luc, as he claims that he never sleeps with them and since Luc is brutally honest, Catherine believes him mostly.
Catherine is pregnant and is incredibly insecure due to Luc's insistence that she be hidden away. Luc had threatened her that consequences would be very harsh if she ever got pregnant, so Catherine very timidly asks if Luc thinks he will ever marry her. Luc makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he will never marry someone who has no education, no status and is essentially his paid blow up doll until he gets tired of her.
Now that Catherine has verified Luc's opinion for sure and terrified that if she stays he will force her to have a termination, she gathers up her resolve and writes an illegible farewell message on the bathroom mirror. Catherine is dyslexic and very sensitive about it. Due to being raised in care from birth when her mother abandoned her, she was never given the proper help to be able to overcome it. She sadly gathers her things and heads back home to England.
(Dyslexia is a common hallmark of an LG h, it wasn't given much attention back in the nineties - but LG has made it a household conversation piece, thus following the classic HP tradition of promoting awareness of various diseases and social causes. But LG's H's are the utmost supportive of the h and get her help, even when they are being jerks otherwise, they really push the message that being dyslexic is okay and nothing to be ashamed about.)
When she gets back home, she meets a strange but comforting lady on the train. The woman is quite eccentric, but very nice and Catherine has been alone a very long time, so she pours her story out and the woman reassures her that leaving Luc without telling him about the baby is right thing to do.
Then Catherine gets hit by a car and spends the next several months in hospital. The kind train lady visits everyday, Catherine has a son named Daniel and in due course moves in with the train lady to be her housekeeper and general helper. The train lady puts round that Catherine is a young widow and now five years on, the train lady has died and left her home to a religious organization.
The book starts when Catherine and Daniel have to move to London from the quiet market town life. Daniel is four and a half and quite precocious and quite angry about the move. Catherine, in keeping with her widow status, has inferred that Daniel's father is dead and Daniel is feeling that loss keenly.
The train lady has a brother, who is currently divorcing his cheating wife, and has gotten Catherine reduced rent on a flat his godmother owns, in return for a few cooked meals and some daily help. Judging by the sound of the woman, Catherine is about to get a short lesson on indentured servitude. But as Daniel is staying with one of Cathy's village friends for a few days, train lady's brother, who has a massive infatuation with Cathy, is plotting some moves of his own. He takes Catherine to lunch at the Savoy and it is there that the past rises up like a six foot tall looming specter.
Luc is at the Savoy and Cathy is horrified to see him. Tho he seems to ignore her in favor of the two men he is talking to, Cathy can feel the predatory vibes all the way across the room. Luc is not a man to suffer in silence when his will is thwarted and Cathy is hoping she can escape the reckoning. After train lady's brother attempts a very awkward marriage proposal that Cathy did not see coming, Cathy is in full agitation mode.
Luc stops her on the street and after some tense conversation about the guy she was with and where she has been for the last five years plus a wry Luc comment about how Cathy is keeping Laura Ashley in business with her busy floral prints, Cathy escapes Luc's presence to wander the streets and worry. Fortunately Luc doesn't know anything about Daniel, but Cathy can feel his stalkery stalkerific intensity and now she has a problem
Especially when Luc shows up at train brother's apartment that evening. Train brother is off on a business trip and Cathy is staying temporarily there until she can get moved. Luc demands that Cathy return to him and Cathy is livid. He treated her like garbage and a tart and he can't just waltz in and expect her to kneel at his feet. Things get heated and when Luc grabs for Cathy, she trips in her her really high heels she wears to boost her five ft height and hits her head on a table.
When she wakes up in hospital, Cathy has no clue where she is or when it is. All she sees is Luc looking frantic and ready to take on all comers if they make Cathy unhappy or scared. In true dramatic HPlandia style, Cathy has amnesia.
Luc, never one to miss an opportunity, proposes to Cathy and then sweeps his joyously weeping lover off to a huge castle in Italy. Cathy has a huge anxiety attack as she gets on the plane, she had a vision of train lady saying she mustn't leave and there is a feeling she has left something important. Luc carries her onto the plane and soon Cathy is so ecstatic that her long years of lonely loving have been rewarded and Luc finally thinks she is fit to be his bride, that she loses herself in the wonder of Luc's wanting her.
The passion is huge, the love is great and Luc is stage managing a wedding for the millenium. Even her old rival for Luc's affection, a woman who works in his company, is dispensed with as Luc fires the lady for attacking Cathy's morals and honesty.
Until Cathy's memory comes back and she realizes that she has left her son in England and now she is marrying Luc but she still doesn't explain about Daniel. There is a big fight, and Luc hints that Cathy's leaving him shook him up badly, but Luc is NOT letting her go or really explaining much other that train lady's brother will lose a badly needed business deal if Cathy doesn't marry Luc. So Cathy thinks she will just get through the wedding and then get Daniel from her friend and take off.
Cathy finds out that Luc has bought her an English house, the Italian Castle, which he spent years restoring and a whole huge wardrobe which is the accumulation of several years worth of shopping expeditions for her. Cathy realizes that Luc doesn't emote much, but he was obviously really thinking about her and he claims he has been trying to find her for years - all the things he showers on Cathy proves it, too cause none of it is something you can rush out and buy in the week that they have been reunited.
After meeting Luc's friends in a hilarious scene where Cathy tarts herself up and only comes off as avant-garde, Cathy finally admits to herself that she loves Luc and always has - so she has to find a way to explain about Daniel. The wedding goes off without a hitch, the wedding night is wonderfully purple and then Luc's long time employee/friend OW strikes.
The ex/future wanna be OW finds out about Daniel and rushes to tell Luc all about it. Luc hits the roof as he and Cathy are on the flight back to England. There is yelling and shouting and Luc claiming that he would have married her all those years ago. Which Cathy cynically thinks is well said in hindsight five years on, but not what Luc would have done at the time. She explains that she was terrified for her baby and terrified of Luc and then has a huge sobby moment from the weight of her guilt.
Thing are tense between Luc and Daniel's first meeting, but the two really are peas in a pod and as Cathy is left to trail around in remorse and self-flagellation for supposedly misjudging Luc so badly, Luc and Daniel bond.
(Frankly, Luc maybe would have married her, but it was unlikely given his behavior. Five years on, after spiraling into the depths of depression, almost losing his company while he drank himself into oblivion and then searching for Cathy for five years, Luc has believably reformed his bad behavior and obviously cares for Cathy - but in the beginning, he would have acted exactly as Cathy feared really.)
Unfortunately, while Daniel and Luc are two of a kind, Cathy and Luc are now having separate bedrooms and very polite but terse exchanges. When Luc takes Daniel to Paris for the day, Cathy realizes that her marriage is probably done. She goes to visit Train lady's brother and he is great, he and his estranged wife are getting counseling and Cathy decides it is time to end things with Luc and Daniel can stay with his father.
But Cathy is really timid and procrastinates a lot, so when she gets home she tries to avoid Luc. Luc tho, has a tracking device or guards on her at all times, so he is furious and jealous that she went to see train lady's brother. Another big fight ensues, this time Luc is complaining that she kicked him out of her room and he isn't divorcing her and she isn't to see train lady's brother anymore. Cathy explains that the housekeeper must have given them separate rooms and questions why Luc just did not throw a fit like he usually does.
Then it is time for Luc's big confession. He figured out that he acted really badly five years ago and that he frightened and intimidated Cathy into running off. He apologizes for his equally bad behavior in practically kidnapping Cathy to Italy and not even caring that she might be involved with another guy.
He also explains that when he met Cathy, he was overwhelmed, but he was 27, newly rich, his family had no use for him outside of money and then they died and he was working his way to the top and women were really a convenience for him, not something he actually respected or valued. He came to really depend on Cathy and in his usual selfish style, he had to lock her up and keep her isolated so that he was the only one focus of her attention.
Her leaving him pretty much knocked his entire world apart and his loss made him grow up. Cathy realizes that she should have demanded to be treated better, but her own insecurities and her naive dependence and love-blindness kept her in a subservient position when she had the power to change it all the time.
So now the two of them can reunite in mutually wedded bliss, because both of them have grown up and are much better partners in tandem, anchored by a very solid mutual love for each other. We leave Luc and Cathy plotting another baby and Luc declaring I love you's in three languages for the big HEA.
This one is a bit awkward in places, but it very effectively demonstrates LG's ability to take a total slime swiller sewer slurper H and redeem him enough to actually like him and get a believable HEA. Her h's also show a similar character growth over the course of the story - tho niceness is not usually a probably for an LG h - she writes the nicest ones in HPLandia, usually they aren't the worldliest tho.
It is this remarkable ability to rehabilitate the most badly behaved H's and turn them into a really worthy H that keeps LG at the top of the HPlandia author lists. Her books are renowned for their humor, their really naive h's and their uber bad but charming H's and TR is the gateway book that demonstrates just how she pulls it off - and that puts it on the required reading list for any voyager to HPlandia.
December 15, 2025
Entertain me, my suffering puppets
First of all, I just want to say
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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First of all, I just want to say
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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February 8, 2015
This book had a little of everything. Secret babies, car accidents, amnesia...The hero was a total ass to the heroine at the beginning, causing her to leave him. When they meet again two years later, he does everything in his power to get her back. I like books where you find out that the minute he lost her he knew he had made a major mistake and has actually spent the intervening time looking for her and getting things ready for her return. These guys are just so hopeful. But the girls, as here, are so hurt that they lash out and of course the hero cannot say immediately "I made a mistake, I love you, I want you back." No instead they have to act all nasty and controlling (they've had their feelings hurt after all) and then when their women suddenly get amnesia they have to pretend the last few years haven't happened and rush the heroine into marriage before she remembers. If only these guys read romances, they'd know they were only heading for trouble...
This was a pretty indepth book even though it was only 190 pages. The words were tiny though and the margins narrow so it wasn't as short as it seemed. It was well written and the characters were well developed. The motivations made sense and the characters actions were not all over the place. The misunderstandings were fairly small and understandable. A recommended read for HP lovers.
This was a pretty indepth book even though it was only 190 pages. The words were tiny though and the margins narrow so it wasn't as short as it seemed. It was well written and the characters were well developed. The motivations made sense and the characters actions were not all over the place. The misunderstandings were fairly small and understandable. A recommended read for HP lovers.
October 7, 2021
Look, I’m not really a fan of the Secret Baby trope, but this one was good. 👌🏻 The H is cold and ruthless and j/p, and the h is innocent and naive and lovely. The older H swoops her up and seduces her and takes over her life when she was 18, keeping her all to himself in his penthouse apartment for 2 years. She runs off after he says something awful to her when she asks him about marriage. She’s 20 yrs old, alone in the world, and pregnant and destitute and scared and completely devastated. The book picks up 5 years later. He’s been searching for her, and when he finds her, enragingly with OM 😈, he uses every advantage to keep her with him, including taking advantage of her amnesia, and kidnapping her to Italy.
👀 Some girls have all the luck. 👀🤡💕💕💕
Friends, If you love the calm cool and collected obsessed j/p manipulators, Luc is your guy. 😍 #alphaholesaremyjam
4.5 ⭐️s - ONLY because she mentioned relations with OW in passing, and never clarified - I don’t like hanging OW drama. Put that ish to bed, authors! 😅
Pertinent details:
❇️ originally published in 1991 - steamy for Harlequins
❇️ found the ebook on Libby through the library
❇️ 3rd person POV
❇️ standalone
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating (while together) or sharing
- OW drama - he has an assistant who is in love with him - he doesn’t care about her - she makes problems… and we never really see a resolution to that after she pops back up to cause havoc…someone tells the h that he was seen with a different OW recently at a resort, before he finds her (the h left him and they’ve been apart for 5 years) - the h never asks him about that woman or if he was really with anyone while they were apart - I mean… she left HIM, and hid away, so it would have been pretty cheeky for her to expect celibacy. 😬🤷🏼♀️
- h was an 18-yr old v*rgin and has only been with the H - she was celibate during their separation
- H was 27 and experienced when they met - not completely positive if he was celibate during the separation. The h assumes he wasn’t, she doesn’t ask and he never says. 😐🤷🏼♀️
- dubcon - the H smexxes her when she’s not of her right mind. 😈
- manhandling and kidnapping 😈
- H intentionally tries to get her pregnant while not in her right mind 😈
- secret baby - the h never intended to tell the H 😐
👀 Some girls have all the luck. 👀🤡💕💕💕
Friends, If you love the calm cool and collected obsessed j/p manipulators, Luc is your guy. 😍 #alphaholesaremyjam
4.5 ⭐️s - ONLY because she mentioned relations with OW in passing, and never clarified - I don’t like hanging OW drama. Put that ish to bed, authors! 😅
Pertinent details:
❇️ originally published in 1991 - steamy for Harlequins
❇️ found the ebook on Libby through the library
❇️ 3rd person POV
❇️ standalone
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating (while together) or sharing
- OW drama - he has an assistant who is in love with him - he doesn’t care about her - she makes problems… and we never really see a resolution to that after she pops back up to cause havoc…someone tells the h that he was seen with a different OW recently at a resort, before he finds her (the h left him and they’ve been apart for 5 years) - the h never asks him about that woman or if he was really with anyone while they were apart - I mean… she left HIM, and hid away, so it would have been pretty cheeky for her to expect celibacy. 😬🤷🏼♀️
- h was an 18-yr old v*rgin and has only been with the H - she was celibate during their separation
- H was 27 and experienced when they met - not completely positive if he was celibate during the separation. The h assumes he wasn’t, she doesn’t ask and he never says. 😐🤷🏼♀️
- dubcon - the H smexxes her when she’s not of her right mind. 😈
- manhandling and kidnapping 😈
- H intentionally tries to get her pregnant while not in her right mind 😈
- secret baby - the h never intended to tell the H 😐
February 12, 2025
I'm addicted to angst & OTT drama and LG was the queen of them before political correctness occupied the HP Quarters.
March 31, 2019
An early Lynne Graham book (circa 1991), and it shows! Her writing technique, plot lines and characterization did not really mature until the 2000s in my opinion. These growing pains are especially evident with the heroine, Catherine. Catherine was so over-the-top that she came off as a caricature, and epitomized the angry shrew (inspired by Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew perhaps?). She yelled at poor Luc constantly and made the poorest decisions possible. I'm not sure how Luc put up with her but, like many, he was blinded by love.
I also did not care for the amnesia plot line. It's quite often used as a vehicle for conflict. But in almost all instances it just ends up painting the user in a bad light, having taken advantage of the amnesiac's temporary memory loss.
In closing, this was just an okay read for me.
I also did not care for the amnesia plot line. It's quite often used as a vehicle for conflict. But in almost all instances it just ends up painting the user in a bad light, having taken advantage of the amnesiac's temporary memory loss.
In closing, this was just an okay read for me.
February 18, 2023
A very satisfying Angsty-Full Classic by Lynne Graham."Tempestuous Reunion" is what it is,full head addicting with passionate hero and heroine,the emotional force between them so undenyable strong and sexy.!This was delicious, angsty and romantic,exactly how me likes it.!Lynne Graham are defenitely one of my favourite Romantic authors ever..!
Many readers hate the heroine Catherine Parrish,for being so snappy and for denying the hero his child for 5 years.I understand Luc´s hurt and anger near the end when he finds out.Its almost the worst betrayal to a man after cheating-to deny a man`s child-is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.But Catherine was a very somehow bright and selfless creature who was very madly in love with Luc,so i couldn`t really hate her.
Luc Santini-a typical Male of Lynne Graham`s-Alpha,jealous,possessive,arrogant,sexy and in this one a Italian!A very sexy one YUMMY!Poor man really got devastated after Catherine left him!He neglected his job,everything just for her!And i fully understand his rage,when after he has longed and missed her for five years,he sees her with another man!Gosh dear..love Luc so much.He stopped at nothing to get his Catherine after their reunion and he even took the chance with her amnesia and kidnapped her!Oh what a man!Love his Possessive and Dangerous Alpha-nature-his reaction when Catherine asked for separation was super!...(dreamy sigh)
Many readers hate the heroine Catherine Parrish,for being so snappy and for denying the hero his child for 5 years.I understand Luc´s hurt and anger near the end when he finds out.Its almost the worst betrayal to a man after cheating-to deny a man`s child-is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.But Catherine was a very somehow bright and selfless creature who was very madly in love with Luc,so i couldn`t really hate her.
Luc Santini-a typical Male of Lynne Graham`s-Alpha,jealous,possessive,arrogant,sexy and in this one a Italian!A very sexy one YUMMY!Poor man really got devastated after Catherine left him!He neglected his job,everything just for her!And i fully understand his rage,when after he has longed and missed her for five years,he sees her with another man!Gosh dear..love Luc so much.He stopped at nothing to get his Catherine after their reunion and he even took the chance with her amnesia and kidnapped her!Oh what a man!Love his Possessive and Dangerous Alpha-nature-his reaction when Catherine asked for separation was super!...(dreamy sigh)
December 27, 2021
Re-reading 2021
I despise secret baby stories, but I didn’t want to smack this h for some reason. 🤷🏻♀️
I despise secret baby stories, but I didn’t want to smack this h for some reason. 🤷🏻♀️
July 11, 2016
It was just okay. Not enough grovel after the H's many, many, big fat jerk moments. h was initially feisty and determined not to become a doormat. She had some choice scenes where she tells off H and they were quite enjoyable. But inevitably, the Harlequin Gods struck her down for her hubris and she ended up the typically, snivelly, weepy Harlequin h that we all know. Plus, my pet peeve of having the villain of the piece get away scot-free. This is fantasy and I want my revenge dish served hot with a nice grovel dessert.
December 22, 2018
I liked his groveling.
October 7, 2017
4 Truly Tempestuous Stars
“'Marry you. Why would I want to marry you? You have neither the background nor the education that I would require in my wife. There, it is said. Now you need wonder no longer.”
OMG Lynne Graham, you put everything but the kitchen sink into this book! It has:
1. An obnoxious alpha
2. A helpless, runaway heroine
3. A secret baby
4. Heroine with amnesia who forgets years of her life, including her child
5. Kidnapping
6. A spurned lover who gets his revenge by tricking the runaway heroine into marriage while she has amnesia
7. Hero learns of secret baby and loses his sh!t
Catherine fell in love with Luc Santini from the moment she met him. Her innocence and warmth wins him over and he woos her into becoming his lover. Two years later, Catherine runs away from Luc because she is pregnant and has finally realized that while she loves him, he feels nothing for her and has no plans to marry her.
Four years later, at lunch with a friend, Catherine runs into Luc. That encounter leads to an accident, which leads to her losing a chunk of her memory. The last four years. She wakes in the hospital believing that she and Luc are still together, and madly in love. Luc takes advantage of this proposes marriage, and whisks Catherine off to Italy where he plans an extravagant wedding. The trouble starts when Catherine regains her memory and remembers all that she left in London.
I loved this book. Lynne Graham’s classic books are so wonderfully written and so much better than her more recent work. This book has everything a Harlequin Presents fan loves in a good romance. I devoured it, and was turning the page for more even after the book was finished. It is a book that leaves the reader with a very satisfied soul. For HP lovers, this is Must Read .
“'Marry you. Why would I want to marry you? You have neither the background nor the education that I would require in my wife. There, it is said. Now you need wonder no longer.”
OMG Lynne Graham, you put everything but the kitchen sink into this book! It has:
1. An obnoxious alpha
2. A helpless, runaway heroine
3. A secret baby
4. Heroine with amnesia who forgets years of her life, including her child
5. Kidnapping
6. A spurned lover who gets his revenge by tricking the runaway heroine into marriage while she has amnesia
7. Hero learns of secret baby and loses his sh!t
Catherine fell in love with Luc Santini from the moment she met him. Her innocence and warmth wins him over and he woos her into becoming his lover. Two years later, Catherine runs away from Luc because she is pregnant and has finally realized that while she loves him, he feels nothing for her and has no plans to marry her.
Four years later, at lunch with a friend, Catherine runs into Luc. That encounter leads to an accident, which leads to her losing a chunk of her memory. The last four years. She wakes in the hospital believing that she and Luc are still together, and madly in love. Luc takes advantage of this proposes marriage, and whisks Catherine off to Italy where he plans an extravagant wedding. The trouble starts when Catherine regains her memory and remembers all that she left in London.
I loved this book. Lynne Graham’s classic books are so wonderfully written and so much better than her more recent work. This book has everything a Harlequin Presents fan loves in a good romance. I devoured it, and was turning the page for more even after the book was finished. It is a book that leaves the reader with a very satisfied soul. For HP lovers, this is Must Read .
June 23, 2012
good angst hp read. I do love it when a Hero makes a mistake, realizes it quickly and then has to fight his way back to earn the heroines love. In this case, this book delivered. I thought Luc was a great hero.
What I struggled with was the heroine. She was TSTL...self sacrificing individual. Her character brought the book down to a 3 stars,
What I struggled with was the heroine. She was TSTL...self sacrificing individual. Her character brought the book down to a 3 stars,
February 10, 2018
***TWO STARS***
This story started out fairly strong in the first few pages. After being a mistress to Luc for two fantastic years, Catherine finds herself pregnant. She's terrified to tell Luc about the baby, and when she asks him if he ever thought about marrying her, he shuts that shit down in a hurry by telling her there's no fucking way in the world he'd marry her. He tells her she has neither the background or education worthy of him.
BOOM!
I love asshole heroes and Luc quickly proved himself to be the cream of the crop. Catherine walks away from Luc, never telling him about her pregnancy.
Totally MY type of story!
Except it all goes rapidly downhill from there. They don't speak again for FIVE years. I'm not a fan of long stretches between the main couple's relationship, so that was the first strike, then Catherine gets amnesia. I HATE amnesia stories. What was this author thinking? Then Catherine starts acting OTT stupid and obnoxious. I detested everything about her. I hated the last 3/4ths of this story.
Total letdown.
February 7, 2011
Some good stuff here for the angsty HP lover, and a more thoughtful look at the "secret baby" plot than many I've seen. The heroine does not come off well for her decision to hide her pregnancy and the hero turns out to be less horrendous than he intitially appeared. But there was too much bickering for me; I really didn't understand why they kept fighting and then I didn't understand why they stopped, except that the requisite number of pages had been filled.
September 29, 2018
"Tempestuous Reunion" is the story of Catherine and Luc.
Five years ago, an innocent in love Catherine, mistress to the Italian Billionaire Luc decides to confront him about their future and realizes there is none.. As she is pregnant, she takes the drastic step to leave him and travel to England, only to meet with an accident and be rescued by a helpful stranger.
Now, the mother to a willful 4 year old named Daniel, Catherine struggles to keep a roof on their head when a chance encounter brings Luc back into her life. Shockingly, he still wants her and is adamant about owning her. But he does not know about his son, and before Catherine can tell him, a fall wipes her memory away..
A well written story with loads of crazy ups and downs- a passionate couple, some amnesia drama, almost groveling- I really, really loved the book until the 70% mark, especially the hero's actions which showed his remorse and how much he cared for the heroine. For instance, his sensitivity towards her dyslexia was heartwarming.
However, when the big reveal comes- the story takes a turn for the worse- the heroine goes from vengeful to sissy, the hero goes from sorry to angry and douchy, the tables turn and instead of confronting him about the past, the heroine just continues to feel crappy for keeping the hero away from his *bratty* son- yes, it was wrong but she did not do it out of spite. Also, it annoys me when a new parent comes and completely replaces the one who has been taking care of the child all along.
Ending was a-ok. No epilogue.
SWE
3/5
Five years ago, an innocent in love Catherine, mistress to the Italian Billionaire Luc decides to confront him about their future and realizes there is none.. As she is pregnant, she takes the drastic step to leave him and travel to England, only to meet with an accident and be rescued by a helpful stranger.
Now, the mother to a willful 4 year old named Daniel, Catherine struggles to keep a roof on their head when a chance encounter brings Luc back into her life. Shockingly, he still wants her and is adamant about owning her. But he does not know about his son, and before Catherine can tell him, a fall wipes her memory away..
A well written story with loads of crazy ups and downs- a passionate couple, some amnesia drama, almost groveling- I really, really loved the book until the 70% mark, especially the hero's actions which showed his remorse and how much he cared for the heroine. For instance, his sensitivity towards her dyslexia was heartwarming.
However, when the big reveal comes- the story takes a turn for the worse- the heroine goes from vengeful to sissy, the hero goes from sorry to angry and douchy, the tables turn and instead of confronting him about the past, the heroine just continues to feel crappy for keeping the hero away from his *bratty* son- yes, it was wrong but she did not do it out of spite. Also, it annoys me when a new parent comes and completely replaces the one who has been taking care of the child all along.
Ending was a-ok. No epilogue.
SWE
3/5
August 27, 2011
Absolutely loved the book,starts as usual LG books Hero Luc is mean selfish jerk and Catherine is his mistress,when she falls pregnant she first decides to test the waters and asks him about marriage,Luc every cruelly says her she neither has the education nor the class to become his wife which hurts Catherine so very much,Luc leaves and Catherine also leaves this time forever,she moves out has teh child
Its been few years she has seen Luc and one day she meets him,but then there's an accident and Catherine loses her memory and Luc thinks this is his second chance at love and this time he will not make mistake never let her go,he takes Catherine with him and from there on their journey towards HEA starts
I really liked the way Luc changes and realises his love and this time he is determined to bring his love,his happiness back in his life,he realised his mistake that day itself but by teh time he came back Catherine has left,Catherine is a strong woman,she worked hard and made a career for herself and stood on her legs tries to provide for her child but the child's attitude bothered me,Catherine just listened to every mean things the child said like "It's *your* fault we're poor and we can't afford a house" "If I had a daddy...", "*You* move to London, I'm not coming" it went on forever
Overall its a great read
Recommend it
Its been few years she has seen Luc and one day she meets him,but then there's an accident and Catherine loses her memory and Luc thinks this is his second chance at love and this time he will not make mistake never let her go,he takes Catherine with him and from there on their journey towards HEA starts
I really liked the way Luc changes and realises his love and this time he is determined to bring his love,his happiness back in his life,he realised his mistake that day itself but by teh time he came back Catherine has left,Catherine is a strong woman,she worked hard and made a career for herself and stood on her legs tries to provide for her child but the child's attitude bothered me,Catherine just listened to every mean things the child said like "It's *your* fault we're poor and we can't afford a house" "If I had a daddy...", "*You* move to London, I'm not coming" it went on forever
Overall its a great read
Recommend it
March 23, 2016
One of her best books!
June 4, 2017
Interesting and entertaining HP. It felt a little light in character development - I shouldn't have liked it, but I did. As jerky as the H seemed, I liked him. It is obvious that Luc loved Catherine (IMHO). Catherine has low self-esteem because of her dyslexia and sometimes comes across as fuzzy. But, I did like it. 3.5 stars
January 13, 2021
This book was really awful. I’m still shocked by the couple of characters because I would like to have them as patient, for free. Catherine is 18 year old when she becomes Luc’s mistress. After two years she is a broken woman: he is demeaning, debasing and using her, he keeps her prisoner with his bodyguards and doesn’t show her around, he prefers to go out with women of his social circle. She is an orphan with no family and is also dyslexic, but he treats her as if she is numb and slow. When she discovers she is pregnant she asks him if he would never marry her and he answers that no, one day or another they will part and he doesn’t want to marry her because she is not from his status. After this She runs away without telling him that she’s pregnant because she thinks he might ask her to have an abortion. This is the only good thing of this book. He is an abusive, cruel, mean self centered man, the typical abusive partner that demeans, degrades his woman, isolates her keeping her from all her friends so she is completely dependent to him and no more able to ask for help, he repeats her that she’s not good enough for him and that she is lucky to have him, he justifies his aggressions and his words telling her that it’s all her fault, so she feels responsible for his abuses. This is Luc Santini, and poor Catherine with her background is his perfect victim! He really did a good job with her and only her pregnancy could awaken her from this terrible situation. She fled, she never told of his son. She did the right thing. With a man like that, who is irredeemable, because even with psychotherapy this kind of man very very seldom change their behavior, the only thing a woman can do is run, run, run and keep running. Change your name, dye your hair, do what you want but stay away from this kind of man. Ok, but his is a book so it’s not real. After 5 years they meet again, she has an accident and loses her memory and he, what does he do? He persuades her to marry him. This is exploitation, he remains himself because he exploits her when she’s weak and not able to judge. We also know, and I don’t understand why we should know these facts, that he had other women before, during and after her, while obviously she’s as white and pure as snow. But this is only one of his many faults, I should say a minor one, even if I hate non celibate heroes... In the end she even says she is sorry because she didn’t understand how much he loved her five years ago. Of course, by the book (psychology books). I would like to have them both in my study thee times a week for at least one year of therapy. For free.
October 31, 2021
Just re-read this and I just wish he hadn't mentioned other women he slept with after he met her the first time. Ruined the book for me. Plus he wasn't celibate while they were apart even though he said he loved her so much. I just wish I hadn't re-read it. I liked how besotted he was with her thinking he might have been celibate, and even though it isn't clear, it did hint that he had been with someone else just the week before in Nice. I laughed when she slapped him and said and that is for Nice! He didn't respond to that though. I know she left him but I still like besotted heroes to actually be besotted and faithful. Just my own opinion. The little boy was a jerk too. Like Father like son.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2015
Was that the HEA? What kind of HEA and hero's grovelling was that? :O (°o°)
There are MORE things I didn't like about this book than the last one I read by Lucy Monroe, that was a "much" better :(
Review to come!
I haven't completed my challenge yet! :O
There are MORE things I didn't like about this book than the last one I read by Lucy Monroe, that was a "much" better :(
Review to come!
I haven't completed my challenge yet! :O
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