What do you think?
Rate this book
A Secure Marriage
"Mr. Mescal, will you marry me?"
They were the hardest words Cleo had ever said. It was out of desperation, not love, that she proposed to her dynamic boss, Jude Mescal.
Cleo could see no other way out of her predicament or to safeguard her family, but she was nevertheless surprised when he agreed. There was just one problem--Jude wanted a real marriage and children.
Jude was undeniably attractive, and very soon Cleo found her emotions involved. She just wished she knew what Jude's motives were--and how he felt about their marriage.
They were the hardest words Cleo had ever said. It was out of desperation, not love, that she proposed to her dynamic boss, Jude Mescal.
Cleo could see no other way out of her predicament or to safeguard her family, but she was nevertheless surprised when he agreed. There was just one problem--Jude wanted a real marriage and children.
Jude was undeniably attractive, and very soon Cleo found her emotions involved. She just wished she knew what Jude's motives were--and how he felt about their marriage.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
2 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Diana Hamilton
325 books74 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Diana Hamilton was born in a English town. Wanting to be a country child, her imagination came into play at an early age, transforming a neighbor’s tree into a forest, a hole in a stone wall into a gingerbread house, a gas puddle into a fairyland, complete with mountains, lakes and flower meadows. She loathed housework but made to do her share, to lessen the boredom, she told herself stories, in a very loud voice, featuring princesses and flower gardens, discovering that telling herself stories was almost as good as reading them in a book.
She loathed school with an equal passion and got through it by pretending to be somewhere else. Even so she left grammar school with respectable grades... And was sent to art college when she wanted to study to be a vet. This was nowhere as bad as it had seemed because it was there, at age 18, she first saw Peter. He had returned from two years’ active service in Korea to resume his studies, and Diana immediately fell in love with him.
Gaining a degree in advertising copywriting, Diana worked as a copywriter and married Peter. They moved to a remote part of Wales after the birth of their second child, Paul, when their daughter, Rebecca, was three years old. There, Diana enjoyed pony trekking and walking in the mountains; and her third child, Andrew, was born. Itchy feet brought them back to England to the beautiful county of Shropshire four years later and they have been there ever since, gradually restoring the rambling Elizabethan manor that Diana gave her heart to on sight, creating a garden out of a wilderness of nettles, brambles and old bedsteads.
In the mid-'70s Diana took up her pen again to write stories to read to her three children at bedtime. These were never offered for publication but the bug had bitten. Over the next 10 years she combined writing over 30 novels, published by Robert Hale of London, with bringing up her children, gardening and cooking for the restaurant of a local inn—a wonderful excuse to avoid the dreaded housework! In 1987 Diana realized her dearest ambition—the publication of her first Mills & Boon romance, Song in a Strange Land. She had come home. And that feeling persists to this day as, around 30 Harlequin/Mills & Boon romantic novels late, she was still in love with the genre.
Sadly, Diana Hamilton passed away on May 3, 2009, at her home in Shropshire, surrounded by her family. She will be sorely missed by her fans and everyone at Mills & Boon/Harlequin
Diana Hamilton was born in a English town. Wanting to be a country child, her imagination came into play at an early age, transforming a neighbor’s tree into a forest, a hole in a stone wall into a gingerbread house, a gas puddle into a fairyland, complete with mountains, lakes and flower meadows. She loathed housework but made to do her share, to lessen the boredom, she told herself stories, in a very loud voice, featuring princesses and flower gardens, discovering that telling herself stories was almost as good as reading them in a book.
She loathed school with an equal passion and got through it by pretending to be somewhere else. Even so she left grammar school with respectable grades... And was sent to art college when she wanted to study to be a vet. This was nowhere as bad as it had seemed because it was there, at age 18, she first saw Peter. He had returned from two years’ active service in Korea to resume his studies, and Diana immediately fell in love with him.
Gaining a degree in advertising copywriting, Diana worked as a copywriter and married Peter. They moved to a remote part of Wales after the birth of their second child, Paul, when their daughter, Rebecca, was three years old. There, Diana enjoyed pony trekking and walking in the mountains; and her third child, Andrew, was born. Itchy feet brought them back to England to the beautiful county of Shropshire four years later and they have been there ever since, gradually restoring the rambling Elizabethan manor that Diana gave her heart to on sight, creating a garden out of a wilderness of nettles, brambles and old bedsteads.
In the mid-'70s Diana took up her pen again to write stories to read to her three children at bedtime. These were never offered for publication but the bug had bitten. Over the next 10 years she combined writing over 30 novels, published by Robert Hale of London, with bringing up her children, gardening and cooking for the restaurant of a local inn—a wonderful excuse to avoid the dreaded housework! In 1987 Diana realized her dearest ambition—the publication of her first Mills & Boon romance, Song in a Strange Land. She had come home. And that feeling persists to this day as, around 30 Harlequin/Mills & Boon romantic novels late, she was still in love with the genre.
Sadly, Diana Hamilton passed away on May 3, 2009, at her home in Shropshire, surrounded by her family. She will be sorely missed by her fans and everyone at Mills & Boon/Harlequin
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 10, 2020
I don’t know what to make of this book. The h goes from being a cool, confident bitchy sort to a long-suffering emotional wreck. And he, from a hot drool-worthy boss, turns into a stupid brow-beating husband. It was a mess- of their own making and the reader suffers for the bulk of the book.
She proposes to her hot boss (for whom she has no hots!) so as to get her hands on her inheritance (she is an heiress) and pay a blackmailing ex! The H/h both come from old banking families that have been partners in the past. Her uncle is in frail health and is already suffering due to his son’s escapades. So, when her slime ball of an ex threatens to spread lies about her and so distress the uncle, she (stupidly) decides to comply without confiding in anyone.
Now the H is this super-hot guy who supposedly “moves like a cat, a mean, moody, magnificent cat.” Who wouldn't be hooked by this opening line? But, the h acts very indifferently, even condescendingly towards him, which really grates on the nerves.
So, she's this bitch for the initial 3-4 chapters, even wondering how she would feel when he would “claim his conjugal rights—the very phrase made her squirm. She didn't know how she would bear it. Close her eyes and think of England, she supposed! ” Very squirmy thoughts for a 'proposer'. I thoroughly disliked her at this point.
And, what to make of her, because within days, she realizes that she has always been in love with him! But, I guess that is all par for the course for HPs. They settle into marital bliss of sorts (a chapter or two of real bliss for the reader as well) before all hell breaks loose and stupidity reigns till almost the last page.
The H walks in on the ex forcing himself on her and predictably misconstrues, and Ice Age sets in. He refuses to listen to her, and she doesn’t try hard enough.
So basically, the h goes from bitch to likable to stupid. And he goes from swoon-worthy to a**hole to absent.
ETA- But never it be said that this was a boring book!
She proposes to her hot boss (for whom she has no hots!) so as to get her hands on her inheritance (she is an heiress) and pay a blackmailing ex! The H/h both come from old banking families that have been partners in the past. Her uncle is in frail health and is already suffering due to his son’s escapades. So, when her slime ball of an ex threatens to spread lies about her and so distress the uncle, she (stupidly) decides to comply without confiding in anyone.
Now the H is this super-hot guy who supposedly “moves like a cat, a mean, moody, magnificent cat.” Who wouldn't be hooked by this opening line? But, the h acts very indifferently, even condescendingly towards him, which really grates on the nerves.
So, she's this bitch for the initial 3-4 chapters, even wondering how she would feel when he would “claim his conjugal rights—the very phrase made her squirm. She didn't know how she would bear it. Close her eyes and think of England, she supposed! ” Very squirmy thoughts for a 'proposer'. I thoroughly disliked her at this point.
And, what to make of her, because within days, she realizes that she has always been in love with him! But, I guess that is all par for the course for HPs. They settle into marital bliss of sorts (a chapter or two of real bliss for the reader as well) before all hell breaks loose and stupidity reigns till almost the last page.
The H walks in on the ex forcing himself on her and predictably misconstrues, and Ice Age sets in. He refuses to listen to her, and she doesn’t try hard enough.
So basically, the h goes from bitch to likable to stupid. And he goes from swoon-worthy to a**hole to absent.
ETA- But never it be said that this was a boring book!
March 9, 2017
Re A Secure Marriage - Diana Hamilton's second foray into HPlandia is a MOC where a blackmailed h asks her boss to marry her in order to gain control of her inheritance to pay the blackmailer off.
The h is a 24 yr old personal assistant to the big businessman banker H. She has a finance degree of her own and is essentially getting work experience before she takes over her family's securities firm. She is being blackmailed by a guy she used to date.
The h had been seeing the slime slurper occasionally when he set her up to spend the night in a hotel room with him after he deliberately caused a car accident. The slime slurper threatens to tell her uncle, who is in precarious health, about the night spent together and he will imply that it consisted of more than her spending the night in a chair unless she pays him a ton of money.
For some reason, the h thinks that her family will not believe the truth, (and I felt sad that she felt so insecure around them but it was probably more of a plot device really,) so the h proposes to her boss. He is the only man she knows that has as much, if not more money than she does and therefore won't be a fortune hunter.
Plus she figures he is so focused on his own firm, he will be happy to let her do her own thing with hers. The boss agrees immediately to the marriage, but the h neglects to tell him she is being blackmailed. Which was kind of silly, cause he would have sorted it right away and probably wouldn't even have required marriage, but we do need a story here, so marry they do.
There is some awkwardness and the h is dreading having to lay back and think of England for the lurve mojo moment, but the H and h are actually really compatible and start to develop a nice relationship. Then the slime slurper slithers back in and the H loses his mind when he finds the man attacking the h and he thinks she is meeting her lover. The h tries to explain but the H isn't listening.
Cue up the big mopey moment that is made even worse when the h tells the H she is preggers and the H asks "Whose the baby daddy?" It doesn't go over well and the word divorce is bandied about. But the H is still feeling possessive and declares separate lives while trapped in matrimony instead, so he can continue to be an icy rotten sarcastic person to the h during the infrequent moments they run into each other. (The h has such a respected family name, she is going to need a fake daddy name for the baby, doncha know.)
Then the H's sister shows up and gets the full story from the h. The H decides that the h and he are buying a house in the country, and since his sister told him what really happened, he figures the h hates him now and offers her a real divorce.
There is a bit of misunderstanding arguments about who actually wants to divorce whom and we finally all get to the same page that everybody loves everybody and nobody wants to divorce anybody and the H is sorry he ever questioned the baby's parentage and the h is sorry she did not explain the situation earlier.
Then the H confesses that he was glad the slime slurper blackmailed her, cause the H had a sneaky devious plan to get the h to marry him in mind but she beat him to it by proposing her own self. He loves her so much he was going to make her love him and since the h came around to feeling the same way when she got to know him better after the marriage, we can be assured that they will happily settle into their new country home with baby for the HEA.
Aside from the utterly ridiculous reason the h proposes and her TSTL moment about not calling in the police at least, (and her having advance uni degrees too,) this is a pretty good story. The courtship after marriage was really well done and I have to admit I laughed when the h was considering the love club consummation and literally imagined she would just "think of England."
Overall this is not a bad sophomore effort for HPlandia and this one is a good example of the really icily sarcastic H that DH will use in later works on poor misunderstood h's.
The h is a 24 yr old personal assistant to the big businessman banker H. She has a finance degree of her own and is essentially getting work experience before she takes over her family's securities firm. She is being blackmailed by a guy she used to date.
The h had been seeing the slime slurper occasionally when he set her up to spend the night in a hotel room with him after he deliberately caused a car accident. The slime slurper threatens to tell her uncle, who is in precarious health, about the night spent together and he will imply that it consisted of more than her spending the night in a chair unless she pays him a ton of money.
For some reason, the h thinks that her family will not believe the truth, (and I felt sad that she felt so insecure around them but it was probably more of a plot device really,) so the h proposes to her boss. He is the only man she knows that has as much, if not more money than she does and therefore won't be a fortune hunter.
Plus she figures he is so focused on his own firm, he will be happy to let her do her own thing with hers. The boss agrees immediately to the marriage, but the h neglects to tell him she is being blackmailed. Which was kind of silly, cause he would have sorted it right away and probably wouldn't even have required marriage, but we do need a story here, so marry they do.
There is some awkwardness and the h is dreading having to lay back and think of England for the lurve mojo moment, but the H and h are actually really compatible and start to develop a nice relationship. Then the slime slurper slithers back in and the H loses his mind when he finds the man attacking the h and he thinks she is meeting her lover. The h tries to explain but the H isn't listening.
Cue up the big mopey moment that is made even worse when the h tells the H she is preggers and the H asks "Whose the baby daddy?" It doesn't go over well and the word divorce is bandied about. But the H is still feeling possessive and declares separate lives while trapped in matrimony instead, so he can continue to be an icy rotten sarcastic person to the h during the infrequent moments they run into each other. (The h has such a respected family name, she is going to need a fake daddy name for the baby, doncha know.)
Then the H's sister shows up and gets the full story from the h. The H decides that the h and he are buying a house in the country, and since his sister told him what really happened, he figures the h hates him now and offers her a real divorce.
There is a bit of misunderstanding arguments about who actually wants to divorce whom and we finally all get to the same page that everybody loves everybody and nobody wants to divorce anybody and the H is sorry he ever questioned the baby's parentage and the h is sorry she did not explain the situation earlier.
Then the H confesses that he was glad the slime slurper blackmailed her, cause the H had a sneaky devious plan to get the h to marry him in mind but she beat him to it by proposing her own self. He loves her so much he was going to make her love him and since the h came around to feeling the same way when she got to know him better after the marriage, we can be assured that they will happily settle into their new country home with baby for the HEA.
Aside from the utterly ridiculous reason the h proposes and her TSTL moment about not calling in the police at least, (and her having advance uni degrees too,) this is a pretty good story. The courtship after marriage was really well done and I have to admit I laughed when the h was considering the love club consummation and literally imagined she would just "think of England."
Overall this is not a bad sophomore effort for HPlandia and this one is a good example of the really icily sarcastic H that DH will use in later works on poor misunderstood h's.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2011
Cleo is Jude’s efficient, financially savvy assistant. But she wants to be his wife, so she can inherit her fortune. She puts her proposal to Jude in terms he can understand: mutual financial benefit. He agrees, so long as she accepts a real marriage. Cleo never allowed herself to consider Jude that way, although he’s always been an attractive man, although a bit cold-natured. But she’s going to make the most of her marriage, and she realizes that the man she married for money is the man she loves.
Unfortunately, the reason for marriage bites its ugly head, and causes Jude to lose all trust in her. Things only get worse when she tells him she’s pregnant, because he doesn’t believe he’s the father of their child.
Despite that fact, this was a good read, with a nice old school vibe. So, I got my entertainment’s worth out of this story.
Unfortunately, the reason for marriage bites its ugly head, and causes Jude to lose all trust in her. Things only get worse when she tells him she’s pregnant, because he doesn’t believe he’s the father of their child.
Despite that fact, this was a good read, with a nice old school vibe. So, I got my entertainment’s worth out of this story.
December 31, 2021
I re-read this today while waiting for my bread to rise. I'm hoping my bread turns out better than the book. If you're interested in giving this one a try, I would suggest reading Preeti's review. It sums everything up nicely and you can go in with your "eyes wide open".
This had such great potential. The set up was fabulous. The characterization of H/h was very strong - she is a savvy business woman, he is a successful businessman. Both come from wealthy families so they are on equal footing. She is his PA, runs the business like a charm, and humors him at every turn. He knows he is being humored but is okay with it because he respects her abilities and her mind.
But by chapter 3 they both undergo lobotomies (or are swapped for aliens) and the plot disintegrates.
My original rating still stands at 2 stars, basically because of all the traditional WTF HP moments. I mean after all that is why I read this stuff. It certainly can't be for the romance. I don't know about you, but most of these are NOT romantic. I have a 50 to 1 average. That is, I have to read 50 WTF, mediocre HPs before I can get to that really great one that makes it all worthwhile. Does anyone have a better batting average? If so, what is the secret sauce? :D
This had such great potential. The set up was fabulous. The characterization of H/h was very strong - she is a savvy business woman, he is a successful businessman. Both come from wealthy families so they are on equal footing. She is his PA, runs the business like a charm, and humors him at every turn. He knows he is being humored but is okay with it because he respects her abilities and her mind.
But by chapter 3 they both undergo lobotomies (or are swapped for aliens) and the plot disintegrates.
My original rating still stands at 2 stars, basically because of all the traditional WTF HP moments. I mean after all that is why I read this stuff. It certainly can't be for the romance. I don't know about you, but most of these are NOT romantic. I have a 50 to 1 average. That is, I have to read 50 WTF, mediocre HPs before I can get to that really great one that makes it all worthwhile. Does anyone have a better batting average? If so, what is the secret sauce? :D
February 11, 2023
She does things behind his back, she keeps secrets from him and then she whines that he doesn’t trust her.
June 1, 2011
It was a okay read for me,the way Jude jumped to conclusions and from there on his cold,rude behaviour towards Cleo and when he rejected his own child i was done with the jerk,but i m also angry at Cleo she should have not hidden about the blackmail n then he rejected his child she should have said to do a DNA so it confirms the paternity
Did'nt enjoyed it much
Did'nt enjoyed it much
May 19, 2016
It was a okay read for me, nothing special.
May 24, 2025
Reread this book, I honestly did not remember it.
It is a good read. Has all the elements:
- Old Harlequin
- Arrogant male lead
- Strong but vulnerable female lead
- lots of drama, angst and tears
- the type of book that if the couple communicated effectively there would be no story or a 4 page one
Definitely worth a read.
It is a good read. Has all the elements:
- Old Harlequin
- Arrogant male lead
- Strong but vulnerable female lead
- lots of drama, angst and tears
- the type of book that if the couple communicated effectively there would be no story or a 4 page one
Definitely worth a read.
November 20, 2017
It would have been better if H didn't repeatedly told here he was ready to give her a "divorce" at the end. I don't know what some authors think but a "loving" man wouldn't offer divorce as means of forgiveness from his wife, let alone repeat the offer at least six times in half an hour. As if he was trying to convince her the divorce was the most logical think!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
pback-to-read
March 13, 2018"Mr. Mescal, will you marry me?"
They were the hardest words Cleo had ever said. It was out of desperation, not love, that she proposed to her dynamic boss, Jude Mescal.
Cleo could see no other way out of her predicament or to safeguard her family, but she was nevertheless surprised when he agreed. There was just one problem--Jude wanted a real marriage and children.
Jude was undeniably attractive, and very soon Cleo found her emotions involved. She just wished she knew what Jude's motives were--and how he felt about their marriage
They were the hardest words Cleo had ever said. It was out of desperation, not love, that she proposed to her dynamic boss, Jude Mescal.
Cleo could see no other way out of her predicament or to safeguard her family, but she was nevertheless surprised when he agreed. There was just one problem--Jude wanted a real marriage and children.
Jude was undeniably attractive, and very soon Cleo found her emotions involved. She just wished she knew what Jude's motives were--and how he felt about their marriage
February 20, 2024
This was good, but with snags. For instance, i didn't agree with the heroine's reasoning for purposing marriage or her decision not to confide in the H afterwards...both Mcs just had to prolong tbe misuderstanding right till the end. However, i liked the h and how she was striving to make her marriage work and was totally committed to it. It was a surprise when at the end, the H I can surely believe in their Hea and strengh togather as a family.
October 18, 2023
This was a good one, not good enough to give it another star, but it'll still hold your interest. Don't be surprised however, if you think the h was a bit of a dunce not to tell the H the reason she needed that money so badly, as she was innocent of any wrongdoing. As for the H, you might want to choke him for not giving the h a chance to explain when circumstances made her look guilty. He behaves like a lot of h's do, jumping to the wrong conclusion, then not wanting to listen to reason.
They both cause themselves a lot of hurt and unhappiness that needn't have happened.
They both cause themselves a lot of hurt and unhappiness that needn't have happened.
November 6, 2017
زواج في المزاد
April 7, 2021
I really liked this book.
January 29, 2017
I got seasick with all the “ I hate him “ to “I love him” the heroin did on every other page. Make up your mind girl! Needs more groveling! Although the last ten pages is the H/h talking things out so it makes up for the lack of groveling.
Read
June 17, 2018"Mr. Mescal, will you marry me?"
They were the hardest words Cleo had ever said. It was out of desperation, not love, that she proposed to her dynamic boss, Jude Mescal.
Cleo could see no other way out of her predicament or to safeguard her family, but she was nevertheless surprised when he agreed. There was just one problem--Jude wanted a real marriage and children.
Jude was undeniably attractive, and very soon Cleo found her emotions involved. She just wished she knew what Jude's motives were--and how he felt about their marriage.
They were the hardest words Cleo had ever said. It was out of desperation, not love, that she proposed to her dynamic boss, Jude Mescal.
Cleo could see no other way out of her predicament or to safeguard her family, but she was nevertheless surprised when he agreed. There was just one problem--Jude wanted a real marriage and children.
Jude was undeniably attractive, and very soon Cleo found her emotions involved. She just wished she knew what Jude's motives were--and how he felt about their marriage.
Read
March 22, 2019What mess! So much miscommunication and assumptions and “secret love”, just no. Not believable, not interesting, very choppy to follow. Skip.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews