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Tomorrow - Come Soon
Devon's ordeal was only just beginning
When her father suddenly announced he had enough money to pay for the expensive operation that would end her years as a cripple, Devon was overjoyed.
The joy turned to horror when he confessed he had embezzled the money from Grant Harrington, his boss.
Grant demanded the debt be repaid. And Devon's horror deepened when she realized payment in cash wasn't what he had in mind.
When her father suddenly announced he had enough money to pay for the expensive operation that would end her years as a cripple, Devon was overjoyed.
The joy turned to horror when he confessed he had embezzled the money from Grant Harrington, his boss.
Grant demanded the debt be repaid. And Devon's horror deepened when she realized payment in cash wasn't what he had in mind.
182 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1983
9 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Steele
339 books113 followersJessica Steele was born on May 9, 1933 in the elegant Warwickshire town of Royal Leamington Spa. She has two super brothers, Colin and George, and a lovely sister, Elizabeth. She was a delicate child and missed a lot of school. In fact, she left school at aged 14, when she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. At 16, she started work as a junior clerk. In 1967, Jessica married with her husband, Peter and within a very short space of time they had moved from her hometown to the lovely area where they now live. Their house is built into the side of a hill, and has beautiful views over more hills and valleys. Her brothers and her sister are very close and she has plenty of nephews and nieces to make up for the fact that she and her husband have no children of their own. Both she and her husband are more than a little dog-oriented, and their current dog is a Staffordshire bull terrier named Florence. Florence is gorgeous. She loves everybody but, since she is 40 pounds of dynamite and would hurl her boisterous self at everyone she meets - given half a chance - she has to be restrained (as much as possible). She is fun.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
October 10, 2012
So you want a naive-heroine-sacrifices-her-virtue-to-blackmailing-alpha-hero-to-save-embezzling-daddy tale without the spineless heroine, alphole hero, and selfish daddy? Well look no further! Devon's father is a decent man who only wants to help his injured daughter. The hero flings around the "b----" word in the beginning but changes his tune once he realizes what's really going on. His original take on the situation was not unreasonable too, given what he saw, so he doesn't come across as willfully stupid like way too many clever tycoon heroes actually do. Sure he refuses to believe Devon's explanations, but hey he's a Harlequin hero! He tries to take good care of her later too, and can't bring himself to go through with his earlier demands. Devon is very likable and more realistic in her innocence than many Harlequin heroines, given her injury and closed off existence. She's determined to save her father and won't let the hero escape their bargain. When he retreats (after learning the truth) she pursues. Very cute.
So a very sweet story and satisfying but alas, big 1* drop for bad, bad writing. Way too many run-on sentences and dangling WTF phrases.
"But, when it looked as though he would pick her up with all his male strength and toss her back the way she had come, whether from the indignant look of her, or whether because he didn't want another interruption to his day if she tried barging in again, he stopped when Wanda, who Devon was just realising had chased after her, said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Harrington. She just took off - I couldn't ..."
Say, what?? What??
Still, a sweet read!
So a very sweet story and satisfying but alas, big 1* drop for bad, bad writing. Way too many run-on sentences and dangling WTF phrases.
"But, when it looked as though he would pick her up with all his male strength and toss her back the way she had come, whether from the indignant look of her, or whether because he didn't want another interruption to his day if she tried barging in again, he stopped when Wanda, who Devon was just realising had chased after her, said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Harrington. She just took off - I couldn't ..."
Say, what?? What??
Still, a sweet read!
May 18, 2022
What i loved the most about this story is the hopeful note in the term behind " Tomorrow, come soon" which is used by the young heroine Devon Johnston more than once. A loner since she lost her mother and fractured her hip in a car accident. Her hope for a new and better life comes alive when her father gets money for a operation in Sweden. She meets the enigmatic and dark boss of her fathers, the hero Grant Harrington who for some mistakenly reasons despises her on sight. What Devon never expect however, is when on her return from Sweden she gets to know that her father swindled money from the company he worked on to pay for her operation. Grant is furious beyond belief but can`t stop thinking of Devon`s beautiful blue eyes...to her utter despair he does what any besotted, crazy, mad hero would do. He gives her an offer to be his live-in-mistress. Ah, i just love Harlequin romance!
I have lived in Sweden almost all my life which i found fun when i was reading about Devon`s experience in this country. Overall, Jessica Steele made another hit out of this one, this story took me absolutely by storm and i could not stop reading it. I think it had to with the way how both Devon & Grant totally won me over as individuals and as a couple. Grant so badly wanted to keep on hating her but stood helpless in how his heart was starting to get possessed by Devon. Devon is a lovely lady and it took some time for her to get around in trusting Grant with her body and her heart. I am happily leaving these two lovebirds to their HEA as Grant gives one final vow to his heroine in the end of this book: "All your tomorrows are going to be happy, my dearest love, i promise you. "
I have lived in Sweden almost all my life which i found fun when i was reading about Devon`s experience in this country. Overall, Jessica Steele made another hit out of this one, this story took me absolutely by storm and i could not stop reading it. I think it had to with the way how both Devon & Grant totally won me over as individuals and as a couple. Grant so badly wanted to keep on hating her but stood helpless in how his heart was starting to get possessed by Devon. Devon is a lovely lady and it took some time for her to get around in trusting Grant with her body and her heart. I am happily leaving these two lovebirds to their HEA as Grant gives one final vow to his heroine in the end of this book: "All your tomorrows are going to be happy, my dearest love, i promise you. "
November 8, 2017
Review of a book read years ago.
This heroine had too much pride. All she had to do, from the beginning was to tell the truth about her expensive surgeries. I doubt the hero would have forced her into the mistress agreement had he known the truth. This is one failing of many of Jessica's heroines: they have far too much pride and love to martyr themselves for their families, friends, the dog etc. LOL. Ok, maybe I was kidding about the dog part, but I hope you get my drift. Haha. Omg, I really need to read this again and see if I rated it too highly. Gasp ! LOL
This heroine had too much pride. All she had to do, from the beginning was to tell the truth about her expensive surgeries. I doubt the hero would have forced her into the mistress agreement had he known the truth. This is one failing of many of Jessica's heroines: they have far too much pride and love to martyr themselves for their families, friends, the dog etc. LOL. Ok, maybe I was kidding about the dog part, but I hope you get my drift. Haha. Omg, I really need to read this again and see if I rated it too highly. Gasp ! LOL
October 17, 2012
I liken my Harlequin fetish, to my golf game. After up teem bad shots (reads), I get that one great shot (book) that keeps me coming back! This was that shot. It just sucked me in from the very first page.
This is a story about a young girl who is crippled at the age of 15 from a tragic accident that also kills her mother. It's about how she is finally given the chance to become whole again, if she can only afford the costly surgery by a renowned Swedish Doctor. It's about a father whose unconditional love for his daughter means setting aside his values and reputation to give her the chance to live a full life. It's also about a hero who has the gumption to realize that his preconceived notions are wrong and sets out to do something about them, and not just in the last few pages of the book.
IF you missed this one, I highly recommend that you give it a shot (read).... ; 0 )
This is a story about a young girl who is crippled at the age of 15 from a tragic accident that also kills her mother. It's about how she is finally given the chance to become whole again, if she can only afford the costly surgery by a renowned Swedish Doctor. It's about a father whose unconditional love for his daughter means setting aside his values and reputation to give her the chance to live a full life. It's also about a hero who has the gumption to realize that his preconceived notions are wrong and sets out to do something about them, and not just in the last few pages of the book.
IF you missed this one, I highly recommend that you give it a shot (read).... ; 0 )
December 7, 2016
The plot in this is simple. The character list small. Whether the heroine's love turns out to be Stockholm Syndrome doesn't take away from the intensity of the story.
The plot - "crippled" 22 year-old heroine is finally going to have a hip operation in Sweden. She has been a virtual shut-in since the car accident that killed her mother and crippled her at age 15. Her doting father has embezzled the money for her surgery - but the heroine doesn't know that. She just knows that his handsome boss (hero) is rude when he stops by the house the night before she was to leave for her operation.
She still thinks him rude when she returns two months later, wearing high heels for the first time. He thinks she's been off on a holiday while her father has been stealing money to keep her happy. Now her father is out of a job and might be prosecuted. Heroine goes to the hero's office to beg for her father's freedom and to explain that he stole the money for her surgery. Hero thinks she's lying because she has a hard time talking about it. (She has "hang ups" about her limp) He throws her out of his office, but eventually comes around to a plan: She sleeps with him for a week or month or whenever he tires of her - and he will keep her father out of jail.
This was really well thought out. The heroine's pain, unease, and sense of sacrifice came through loud and clear. And I enjoyed a story where the heroine's fear isn't suddenly eased by the sight of a manly chest - the buildup and the fear kept me reading.
Hero was harder to like than the heroine. He was sharp and sarcastic and combative, which is fine - the poor guy had a lot of sexual tension. But the heroine didn't have any smart banter to fling back at him, so it felt unequal. However, the hero's actions were exemplary. He backed off once he knew the h was a virgin (although he didn't set her mind at ease). He worried about her when she was gone. He made sure she rested and healed. And he covered for her father at his job.
Like I said, simple plot, few characters. But an absorbing story.
The plot - "crippled" 22 year-old heroine is finally going to have a hip operation in Sweden. She has been a virtual shut-in since the car accident that killed her mother and crippled her at age 15. Her doting father has embezzled the money for her surgery - but the heroine doesn't know that. She just knows that his handsome boss (hero) is rude when he stops by the house the night before she was to leave for her operation.
She still thinks him rude when she returns two months later, wearing high heels for the first time. He thinks she's been off on a holiday while her father has been stealing money to keep her happy. Now her father is out of a job and might be prosecuted. Heroine goes to the hero's office to beg for her father's freedom and to explain that he stole the money for her surgery. Hero thinks she's lying because she has a hard time talking about it. (She has "hang ups" about her limp) He throws her out of his office, but eventually comes around to a plan: She sleeps with him for a week or month or whenever he tires of her - and he will keep her father out of jail.
This was really well thought out. The heroine's pain, unease, and sense of sacrifice came through loud and clear. And I enjoyed a story where the heroine's fear isn't suddenly eased by the sight of a manly chest - the buildup and the fear kept me reading.
Hero was harder to like than the heroine. He was sharp and sarcastic and combative, which is fine - the poor guy had a lot of sexual tension. But the heroine didn't have any smart banter to fling back at him, so it felt unequal. However, the hero's actions were exemplary. He backed off once he knew the h was a virgin (although he didn't set her mind at ease). He worried about her when she was gone. He made sure she rested and healed. And he covered for her father at his job.
Like I said, simple plot, few characters. But an absorbing story.
April 26, 2011
If you like the stories where the heroine is hopelessly misunderstood by the hero, then you’d like this one. The hero is drawn to her, but he knows she’s a ‘bad girl’ in some way. In this case, Grant thinks that Devon’s demanding, spendthrift ways lead to her father embezzling money from his company to keep her in the style to which she had become accustomed. He showed up on their doorstep the night before Devon leaves for Sweden, not for an extravagant vacation like he thinks, but for a surgery that promises to give her full use of her hip, which was injured in the car accident that killed her mother.
Devon comes back from Sweden to find that her father has been terminated from his job at Grant’s business, and will likely be prosecuted. She approaches Grant and asks him not to prosecute her father, and she’ll do anything he wants in return. His proposition is that she live with him as his mistress. Devon is willing to do this so that she can save her father from prison.
I liked that Grant wanted to be the ruthless seducer, but he didn’t really have it in him. He was clearly in love with Devon early on. He was kind of grumpy about it, but he had every opportunity to seduce her, but he didn’t take them, after he finds out that she had a bad hip and the money was spent to get her well. From that point, he does everything he can to get her to rest as she’s supposed to so she can get the all clear at her follow up.
I thought it was cute how Devon kept throwing herself at Grant so he would go ahead and fulfill his part of the bargain before her father comes back from the business trip in Scotland that Grant sent him on. Grant seems to come up with excuses for them not to be ‘together.’ Although Devon was clueless about Grant’s feelings for her, I as the reader, was not.
I really liked this book. It was a fun read. Devon was a nice girl, and Grant finally looked past his cynicism to see that, because Cupid’s bow had struck him dead center in the heart.
Devon comes back from Sweden to find that her father has been terminated from his job at Grant’s business, and will likely be prosecuted. She approaches Grant and asks him not to prosecute her father, and she’ll do anything he wants in return. His proposition is that she live with him as his mistress. Devon is willing to do this so that she can save her father from prison.
I liked that Grant wanted to be the ruthless seducer, but he didn’t really have it in him. He was clearly in love with Devon early on. He was kind of grumpy about it, but he had every opportunity to seduce her, but he didn’t take them, after he finds out that she had a bad hip and the money was spent to get her well. From that point, he does everything he can to get her to rest as she’s supposed to so she can get the all clear at her follow up.
I thought it was cute how Devon kept throwing herself at Grant so he would go ahead and fulfill his part of the bargain before her father comes back from the business trip in Scotland that Grant sent him on. Grant seems to come up with excuses for them not to be ‘together.’ Although Devon was clueless about Grant’s feelings for her, I as the reader, was not.
I really liked this book. It was a fun read. Devon was a nice girl, and Grant finally looked past his cynicism to see that, because Cupid’s bow had struck him dead center in the heart.
March 31, 2022
How I liked this one!
Very well done, until the end you don't know what will happen and there's a lot of angst for most of the book.
The heroine was crippled in a car accident when she was 15 and has a bad limp who prevented her to have a normal social life in her teens.
Her mother died too and she's been living alone with her dad, who was driving.
She is a beautiful girl but she lives alone and isolated because she is very self conscious about her limp.
When she's 21 her father tells her he's found a great surgeon who is able to heal her hip, and since she had an insurance she also has the money for her surgery.
She leaves for Sweden where the surgeron is and where she will stay for two months.
The night before her departure, the hero, who's her father's boss, comes to visit him at home.
He doesn't see that the heroine has a limp, since she's sitting on a sofa and she doesn't stand up, due to her limp.
Two months later she's back, completely healed, even if the surgeon advised her to rest for other two months, until she will have a final check up with her doctor in England.
The hero is at her home again, and he looks at her with hatred and scorn.
The heroine's father confesses that he stole the money for her surgery from the hero's company and now he lost his job and will probably be prosecuted.
The heroine is appalled and the day after she goes to the hero's office and tries to persuade him not to prosecute her father.
The hero's father and her father were bff, and the hero tells the heroine it's all her fault if a man who is honest and clean stole the money, since he thinks she's a greedy socialite who spends lots of money and goes for men.
He tells her that she can repay him by being his mistress for some time.
The heroine tries to tell him she needed the money for her surgery, but since she still has hung ups about her limp, she's not very convincing and the hero doesn't believe her.
So he sends her father to Scotland for some time with a new job and the heroine goes to live with the hero.
The first day the hero is nasty and abusive with her and the heroine still suffers from her surgery, but the man doesn't believe her until, when they are in bed together and he's going to have sex with her, he realizes she has a fresh scar and other two on her hip, and of course realizes she was telling the truth. The hero leaves her to sleep alone.
After the heroine tells him everything about her accident, he changes completely his behaviour and the heroine is staying with him as his guest who is recovering from a major surgery.
She's pampered and cossetted and she doesn't have to lift a thing, and the hero is polite with her and never tries to make love to her.
The heroine still thinks they have an agreement and tries several times to seduce him so she can leave his house, but he always refuses.
Eventually he sends her home and she is afraid he will send her father to jail because he couldn't settle the debt as he wanted with her.
The heroine goes to her last check up with her doctor and since she's completely healed, she thinsk she will go at the hero's apartment and thank him for not prosecuting her father and taking care of her.
The hero, who was waiting for her at her house, is very worried and angry.
He was going to wait for her to ask her to marry him, and reveals he is in love with her and never wanted to prosecute her father. In the beginning he wanted her but believed her to be a gold digger, but when he understood he made a mistake he fell in love with her and wanted her as his wife.
The book was very good, the hero seems evil in the beginning, because he thinks she really is a shallow socialite whose father is forced to steal money to give what she needs.
Of course we know she's not pretending and when she's forced to go to bed with him and is scared and shivering because she's also a virgin, I coulnd't help but being very simpathetic with her and hated the hero.
his behaviour was appalling because he forced her to do things she still had some difficult to do, as going out with him and dancing, lifting weights, and of course going to bed with him to have sex.
Another thing I liked was that the heroine is not affected by TBS, either severe or mild.
Her reactions to the hero's forced kisses are always the right ones, she's afraid and repulsed, and the hero has to work very hard to get a positive reaction from her.
She really doesn't like him and she is not attracted to him and to his rude ways. She only wants out as soon as possible.
Thank god for small mercies.
Not a victim this heroine.
She's ready to sacrifice herself for her father and this is also undestandable since the man stole the money for her surgery.
But she doesn't "love" the hero immediately and it takes many weeks for her to feel something for him.
Which I appreciated. The man was grumpy all the time but thank god he didn't try to have sex with her until she was completely recovered and her doctor had said so.
Her father. Ok, I understand that he wanted his daughter to have a normal life but coulnd't he ask for a loan to the hero, who was his bff's son?
I think that the hero would have given him all the money he needed for his daughter but of course we wouldn't have a book to read.
I also liked that the hero was the one to be more in love than the heroine was.
Until the end.
Karmic justice.
Very well done, until the end you don't know what will happen and there's a lot of angst for most of the book.
The heroine was crippled in a car accident when she was 15 and has a bad limp who prevented her to have a normal social life in her teens.
Her mother died too and she's been living alone with her dad, who was driving.
She is a beautiful girl but she lives alone and isolated because she is very self conscious about her limp.
When she's 21 her father tells her he's found a great surgeon who is able to heal her hip, and since she had an insurance she also has the money for her surgery.
She leaves for Sweden where the surgeron is and where she will stay for two months.
The night before her departure, the hero, who's her father's boss, comes to visit him at home.
He doesn't see that the heroine has a limp, since she's sitting on a sofa and she doesn't stand up, due to her limp.
Two months later she's back, completely healed, even if the surgeon advised her to rest for other two months, until she will have a final check up with her doctor in England.
The hero is at her home again, and he looks at her with hatred and scorn.
The heroine's father confesses that he stole the money for her surgery from the hero's company and now he lost his job and will probably be prosecuted.
The heroine is appalled and the day after she goes to the hero's office and tries to persuade him not to prosecute her father.
The hero's father and her father were bff, and the hero tells the heroine it's all her fault if a man who is honest and clean stole the money, since he thinks she's a greedy socialite who spends lots of money and goes for men.
He tells her that she can repay him by being his mistress for some time.
The heroine tries to tell him she needed the money for her surgery, but since she still has hung ups about her limp, she's not very convincing and the hero doesn't believe her.
So he sends her father to Scotland for some time with a new job and the heroine goes to live with the hero.
The first day the hero is nasty and abusive with her and the heroine still suffers from her surgery, but the man doesn't believe her until, when they are in bed together and he's going to have sex with her, he realizes she has a fresh scar and other two on her hip, and of course realizes she was telling the truth. The hero leaves her to sleep alone.
After the heroine tells him everything about her accident, he changes completely his behaviour and the heroine is staying with him as his guest who is recovering from a major surgery.
She's pampered and cossetted and she doesn't have to lift a thing, and the hero is polite with her and never tries to make love to her.
The heroine still thinks they have an agreement and tries several times to seduce him so she can leave his house, but he always refuses.
Eventually he sends her home and she is afraid he will send her father to jail because he couldn't settle the debt as he wanted with her.
The heroine goes to her last check up with her doctor and since she's completely healed, she thinsk she will go at the hero's apartment and thank him for not prosecuting her father and taking care of her.
The hero, who was waiting for her at her house, is very worried and angry.
He was going to wait for her to ask her to marry him, and reveals he is in love with her and never wanted to prosecute her father. In the beginning he wanted her but believed her to be a gold digger, but when he understood he made a mistake he fell in love with her and wanted her as his wife.
The book was very good, the hero seems evil in the beginning, because he thinks she really is a shallow socialite whose father is forced to steal money to give what she needs.
Of course we know she's not pretending and when she's forced to go to bed with him and is scared and shivering because she's also a virgin, I coulnd't help but being very simpathetic with her and hated the hero.
his behaviour was appalling because he forced her to do things she still had some difficult to do, as going out with him and dancing, lifting weights, and of course going to bed with him to have sex.
Another thing I liked was that the heroine is not affected by TBS, either severe or mild.
Her reactions to the hero's forced kisses are always the right ones, she's afraid and repulsed, and the hero has to work very hard to get a positive reaction from her.
She really doesn't like him and she is not attracted to him and to his rude ways. She only wants out as soon as possible.
Thank god for small mercies.
Not a victim this heroine.
She's ready to sacrifice herself for her father and this is also undestandable since the man stole the money for her surgery.
But she doesn't "love" the hero immediately and it takes many weeks for her to feel something for him.
Which I appreciated. The man was grumpy all the time but thank god he didn't try to have sex with her until she was completely recovered and her doctor had said so.
Her father. Ok, I understand that he wanted his daughter to have a normal life but coulnd't he ask for a loan to the hero, who was his bff's son?
I think that the hero would have given him all the money he needed for his daughter but of course we wouldn't have a book to read.
I also liked that the hero was the one to be more in love than the heroine was.
Until the end.
Karmic justice.
October 17, 2012
3.5 stars
Definitely worth the time reading this one. Daddy embezzles money from his employer (the hero, Grant) in order for his daughter (the heroine, Devon) to get life altering operation. Of course, her condition came about by tragic means painful to both the father and h, so you don't feel judgmental towards him for going to such extremes (plus the father told the h the money came from an endowment so we don't judge her either).
When the cat gets let out of the bag, the h tries to save her dad from prison by begging the H to let her make amends. The H mistakenly thinks she's a little lying, spoiled, skank who is sucking her poor dad dry, and wants to make her pay, but not in the traditional sense (unless you're a frequent Harley reader, then his way might be considered "traditional." ;D)
We then get to enjoy the H powering on the h while she grits her teeth and takes it, because she thinks she has to save her father. This dynamic continues pretty much until almost the end when everything is quickly (like, nuclear fast quickly) resolved and everyone gets their HEA.
I you like alpha-male heroes but no real hard limits like dubious consent or physical aggression, then you should enjoy this one.
Definitely worth the time reading this one. Daddy embezzles money from his employer (the hero, Grant) in order for his daughter (the heroine, Devon) to get life altering operation. Of course, her condition came about by tragic means painful to both the father and h, so you don't feel judgmental towards him for going to such extremes (plus the father told the h the money came from an endowment so we don't judge her either).
When the cat gets let out of the bag, the h tries to save her dad from prison by begging the H to let her make amends. The H mistakenly thinks she's a little lying, spoiled, skank who is sucking her poor dad dry, and wants to make her pay, but not in the traditional sense (unless you're a frequent Harley reader, then his way might be considered "traditional." ;D)
We then get to enjoy the H powering on the h while she grits her teeth and takes it, because she thinks she has to save her father. This dynamic continues pretty much until almost the end when everything is quickly (like, nuclear fast quickly) resolved and everyone gets their HEA.
I you like alpha-male heroes but no real hard limits like dubious consent or physical aggression, then you should enjoy this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2016
Hero was so confused as to what to make of the situation. He takes her home to live with him as payment for the money that her father took to save her hip.
Yeah, it was an old crazy school story with lots of drama.
I really enjoyed it. Maybe more than I should have!?
Lol!
I must admit to being very pleased with the fact that he did not sleep with her as repayment. It would have made things difficult for their future relationship. Also, it feels wrong when this happens. It's feels like prostitution.
That's how I saw it.
Yeah, it was an old crazy school story with lots of drama.
I really enjoyed it. Maybe more than I should have!?
Lol!
I must admit to being very pleased with the fact that he did not sleep with her as repayment. It would have made things difficult for their future relationship. Also, it feels wrong when this happens. It's feels like prostitution.
That's how I saw it.
May 25, 2020
"Tomorrow - Come Soon" is the story of Devon and Grant.
The book begins the heroine getting some good news- she might finally get the operation that repairs her hip, thanks to her father's generosity. Having been disabled since the accident that killed her mother, she shares a loving bond with her father, and eagerly accepts his help. She soon realizes that the money he got was embezzled from his boss, who has now arrived to take revenge.
Soon the hero comes, she tries to bargain- and he ends up blackmailing her to be with him or her father would be prosecuted. The heroine reluctantly agrees. As they engage in a battle of wills, truth is revealed and everything changes.
Sweet and caring heroine, brooding hero, loads of family drama and HEA. I really liked the transformation the hero's character goes through after realizing the truth.
Safe
3/5
The book begins the heroine getting some good news- she might finally get the operation that repairs her hip, thanks to her father's generosity. Having been disabled since the accident that killed her mother, she shares a loving bond with her father, and eagerly accepts his help. She soon realizes that the money he got was embezzled from his boss, who has now arrived to take revenge.
Soon the hero comes, she tries to bargain- and he ends up blackmailing her to be with him or her father would be prosecuted. The heroine reluctantly agrees. As they engage in a battle of wills, truth is revealed and everything changes.
Sweet and caring heroine, brooding hero, loads of family drama and HEA. I really liked the transformation the hero's character goes through after realizing the truth.
Safe
3/5
October 10, 2012
A fun sweet romance. This heroine was super naive. She had been a bit of a recluse because of her bad limp and inability to do much that was active. The hero of course gets the wrong idea of her and misunderstandings ensue. Fun to watch the hero find out how mistaken he was about her and try to do right by her while she is still trying to fulfill the terms of his blackmail bargain. There were some writing issues with some pretty convoluted sentences. Still I would recommend this book and I might look for others by this author.
October 10, 2012
3 1/2 Stars ~ At the vulnerable age of 15, Devon lost her mother in a car accident that also left her with a severely damaged hip. After surgeries and little success, Devon spent her teens hiding from life because of her disability. Her father was devoted to her and when Devon turned 21 they found a doctor in Sweden that could make her normal again and with the funds from her endowment policy that has just matured, she'll soon be dancing. When Devon arrives home two months after her surgery, she's surprised to find her father in a meeting with his employer. Seems there hadn't really been a maturing endowment policy, that Devon's father had embezzled the money for her surgery. Of course, Grant sees the beautiful well dressed woman just arriving from an extended holiday in Sweden, and he knows just exactly what the money his employee has spent the missing money on. Devon appeals to Grant, begging him not to prosecute her father. He doesn't believe her story about a needed surgery, and makes it clear he thinks she's a promiscuous user. He gives an ultimatum; move in with him until he's tired of her, or he'll prosecute.
This early book by Jessica Steele's is the second book I've read of hers. I really liked both Grant and Devon. While we aren't given Grant's point of view, it's easy to understand how he came to his conclusions. With the loss of her mother, her own injuries to deal with, plus a grieving father, it's perfectly believable that Devon could become the recluse. I enjoyed reading Devon come out of her shell and turn Grant's world upside down. I'm looking forward to reading more from Ms. Steele.
This early book by Jessica Steele's is the second book I've read of hers. I really liked both Grant and Devon. While we aren't given Grant's point of view, it's easy to understand how he came to his conclusions. With the loss of her mother, her own injuries to deal with, plus a grieving father, it's perfectly believable that Devon could become the recluse. I enjoyed reading Devon come out of her shell and turn Grant's world upside down. I'm looking forward to reading more from Ms. Steele.
October 19, 2012
It's more a 4.5 for me. This sweet little tale was so dramatic without suffering from OTTiness. I thought it was well thought out in terms of the plot because,for instance, every move the h made fueled the H's bad opinion of her in a very plausible way. Though we know how to interpret the little things she did that ticked him off, we can appreciate both sides. It's a misunderstanding, a miscommunication even, but it's not an exasperating case of both H and h eating sympathetic stupid stew. It's a trick I've observed more than once (what's a little euphemism between HP friends?), but never to such plausible effect.
What cost it half a star was... the writing!!! Jessica Steele is the official king, queen and court-jester of pleonasm. Add to that, her sentence structures are so overly-ambitious in their complexity, I wonder (quite seriously) if she didn't scare her editor into forgetting
what comma splices look like! How did these great feats of paragraph-fudging make it to press? Seriously, no one talks how her characters (the H especially) talks in some of the dialogue. I honestly began to wonder if I had a quirky copy of the book or something! Having said this, however, I think she is an AWESOME storyteller! I would curl up in bed with her plots if they all turned out like this one.
There's built in angst with the story-line already. Added to that, when the h realizes she loves him, it picks up where her earlier, early redemption could have seen it peter out in the hands of a lesser storyteller. While the stakes changed for the H, behind the scenes of
course, they never did for our h. She kept believing he lusted for her while hating her guts. This, of course, slays her, even while she has glorious moments where her pride allows for a snappy comeback (though they were generally short-lived as he would soon verbally or 'lookically' bitch-slap the HP heroine back into her).
Some thoughts:
* I thought her father might have been motivated by guilt for the accident, though the book makes it a fact it wasn't his fault and doesn't even allude to this theory, if I can recall. I think this is why he embezzled to get her the surgery. Then there was her obvious unhappiness.
* What does it say about us that we gravitate towards these older HP's in which it seems the underlying theme is 'Woman, love the man you fear the most!"? Perhaps, in the day it was written, this kind of thing would be more acceptable. But we are modern girls, right? We'd never see this in a modern HP without ridiculing it on GoodReads until its pages fell out, right? So why do I... (we) love these old, un-pc HP's so?
What cost it half a star was... the writing!!! Jessica Steele is the official king, queen and court-jester of pleonasm. Add to that, her sentence structures are so overly-ambitious in their complexity, I wonder (quite seriously) if she didn't scare her editor into forgetting
what comma splices look like! How did these great feats of paragraph-fudging make it to press? Seriously, no one talks how her characters (the H especially) talks in some of the dialogue. I honestly began to wonder if I had a quirky copy of the book or something! Having said this, however, I think she is an AWESOME storyteller! I would curl up in bed with her plots if they all turned out like this one.
There's built in angst with the story-line already. Added to that, when the h realizes she loves him, it picks up where her earlier, early redemption could have seen it peter out in the hands of a lesser storyteller. While the stakes changed for the H, behind the scenes of
course, they never did for our h. She kept believing he lusted for her while hating her guts. This, of course, slays her, even while she has glorious moments where her pride allows for a snappy comeback (though they were generally short-lived as he would soon verbally or 'lookically' bitch-slap the HP heroine back into her).
Some thoughts:
* I thought her father might have been motivated by guilt for the accident, though the book makes it a fact it wasn't his fault and doesn't even allude to this theory, if I can recall. I think this is why he embezzled to get her the surgery. Then there was her obvious unhappiness.
* What does it say about us that we gravitate towards these older HP's in which it seems the underlying theme is 'Woman, love the man you fear the most!"? Perhaps, in the day it was written, this kind of thing would be more acceptable. But we are modern girls, right? We'd never see this in a modern HP without ridiculing it on GoodReads until its pages fell out, right? So why do I... (we) love these old, un-pc HP's so?
October 14, 2018
Jessica Steele has a weird way of writing, it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the story. I found this one boring and silly.
August 22, 2021
There are really some excellent reviews on this book. I highly recommend checking out Stmargarets https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... who has an excellent account of this story.
Agent Scully: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Danielle the book huntress: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I absolutely loved this story! The hero was not going to back down on his threat of forced seduction and our little h was so frightened. His misconceptions of her made him think she was a good time gal. However, our h was crippled at the age of 15 and hid herself away. There were no parties, or dates. She hung out with her sad dad(the mom died in crash that crippled h). So her experience with sex and boys was nil. Her dad went against his principles so his daughter’s life would not be so painful and unlivable. (No job, no marriage, no kids….) She ended up getting a special surgery which fixed her physical limitations. Unfortunately our hero doesn’t realize this and just sees a pampered, spoiled daddy’s girl….and he is going to make her pay for the downfall of her once respected dad with her body. During the forced seduction he is presented with the h’s scars and backs down….for now. The rest of the story is the H and h falling in love, yet the h never knowing when the H is going to have her pay up. It is obvious our H is besotted by the things we can read between the lines. JS gives him his 20 pages to explain his actions at the end.
Agent Scully: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Danielle the book huntress: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I absolutely loved this story! The hero was not going to back down on his threat of forced seduction and our little h was so frightened. His misconceptions of her made him think she was a good time gal. However, our h was crippled at the age of 15 and hid herself away. There were no parties, or dates. She hung out with her sad dad(the mom died in crash that crippled h). So her experience with sex and boys was nil. Her dad went against his principles so his daughter’s life would not be so painful and unlivable. (No job, no marriage, no kids….) She ended up getting a special surgery which fixed her physical limitations. Unfortunately our hero doesn’t realize this and just sees a pampered, spoiled daddy’s girl….and he is going to make her pay for the downfall of her once respected dad with her body. During the forced seduction he is presented with the h’s scars and backs down….for now. The rest of the story is the H and h falling in love, yet the h never knowing when the H is going to have her pay up. It is obvious our H is besotted by the things we can read between the lines. JS gives him his 20 pages to explain his actions at the end.
October 18, 2012
This was cute and fun. Very fun to watch the hero get angry with the heroine for over-straining herself. Wish the physical side had gone a little further, but this is from 1983 so it's not surprising that it didn't. The writing in this one was HORRIBLE -- so bad that at times I wondered if it was one of those weird situations where someone used an automatic translator to translate from another language to English. The writing was some of the worst I've seen in an HP, and that's saying a lot! But it was odd -- the story was well crafted and well-paced, it was just that the sentence structure was awful -- run-ons, confusing passive voice, missing pronouns, etc. Overall though, it was still a very satisfying read.
October 6, 2022
Devon's ordeal was only just beginning
When her father suddenly announced he had enough money to pay for the expensive operation that would end her years as a cripple, Devon was overjoyed.
The joy turned to horror when he confessed he had embezzled the money from Grant Harrington, his boss.
Grant demanded the debt be repaid. And Devon's horror deepened when she realized payment in cash wasn't what he had in mind.
When her father suddenly announced he had enough money to pay for the expensive operation that would end her years as a cripple, Devon was overjoyed.
The joy turned to horror when he confessed he had embezzled the money from Grant Harrington, his boss.
Grant demanded the debt be repaid. And Devon's horror deepened when she realized payment in cash wasn't what he had in mind.
March 26, 2022
3.5 stars Shy, innocent heroine, pay-this-debt-with-your-body scenario, and a lot of misunderstandings. It’s a very old-fashioned, old school Harlequin scenario, but overall no one’s really nasty (obviously hero is problematic, but in the grand scale of HP men he’s not that bad—and the way he cares for her later and explains himself—is pretty good) and the writing keeps your interest.
April 29, 2021
I think this is Jessica Steele’s best HP.
June 24, 2024
I loved this book!
I loved the H, the heroine, her father, the plot, the writing and execution, everythi.g. Did not skip any parts, even the ones with no interaction between the MC.
The angst was on point too. It was driven by:
- The H mistaking the h for a spoiled brat and the circumstancial evidence condemning her.
- Her disability at the beginning of the story and the vulnerablity it caused her, both emotionally and physically. (Vulnerable heroines are **chef's kiss** when well executed).
- The fact that she was honest with the H abt her operation. When he chose not believe her, she showed pride (and admittedly a little martyrdom).
- His protectiveness of her behind the hard facade and the domesticity the h thought could only be temporary.
- The heroine's love for her father. What a beautiful relationship they had, protecting each other at all costs.
- Her constant worrying abt the operation being a failure. I teared up everytime she felt any pain or expressed happiness at doing the simplest things after her surgery.
Some scenes imagined by JS made me go Aaww then Arggh then Aww. Like when the H phoned his house to talk the h and she did not pick up because she did not want people knowing she was living with him. Or everytime he came home and freaked out because she wasnt there.
I wont say more, just that I enjoyed the authors writing as much as I did the story. Off to go through the rest of her books, hoping to find one as just as gripping as this one.
I loved the H, the heroine, her father, the plot, the writing and execution, everythi.g. Did not skip any parts, even the ones with no interaction between the MC.
The angst was on point too. It was driven by:
- The H mistaking the h for a spoiled brat and the circumstancial evidence condemning her.
- Her disability at the beginning of the story and the vulnerablity it caused her, both emotionally and physically. (Vulnerable heroines are **chef's kiss** when well executed).
- The fact that she was honest with the H abt her operation. When he chose not believe her, she showed pride (and admittedly a little martyrdom).
- His protectiveness of her behind the hard facade and the domesticity the h thought could only be temporary.
- The heroine's love for her father. What a beautiful relationship they had, protecting each other at all costs.
- Her constant worrying abt the operation being a failure. I teared up everytime she felt any pain or expressed happiness at doing the simplest things after her surgery.
Some scenes imagined by JS made me go Aaww then Arggh then Aww. Like when the H phoned his house to talk the h and she did not pick up because she did not want people knowing she was living with him. Or everytime he came home and freaked out because she wasnt there.
I wont say more, just that I enjoyed the authors writing as much as I did the story. Off to go through the rest of her books, hoping to find one as just as gripping as this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2012
I didn't even mean to start reading but I couldn't help myself. I picked it up to put in a box and just got sucked right in. Nice, quick read.
March 24, 2025
This is the first time I have read this one, not sure why, but there were likeable parts, but I think it will need a re-read to feel more positive about it.
I didn’t like the hero much. I thought the way he talked to the heroine, when she’s obviously very young for her age, was rude. He seems to be driven by frustration and says unnecessarily hurtful things.
The heroine is very sweet, and I appreciated how she kept trying to force herself to like the hero for her dad’s sake.
The best relationship is between father and daughter.
3 stars (it needed some like hearted banter or witty dialogue to contrast the heavy emotional scenes).
I didn’t like the hero much. I thought the way he talked to the heroine, when she’s obviously very young for her age, was rude. He seems to be driven by frustration and says unnecessarily hurtful things.
The heroine is very sweet, and I appreciated how she kept trying to force herself to like the hero for her dad’s sake.
The best relationship is between father and daughter.
3 stars (it needed some like hearted banter or witty dialogue to contrast the heavy emotional scenes).
June 6, 2024
Very sweet. The hero did a lot of ‘splainin of his motivations and feelings at the end of the story. I kind of liked that (often the happily ever after part of the story is too short and abrupt) but this guy was really thorough. Like *really*. Not complaining but just saying. Also sometimes Jessica Steele’s writing is a bit funky. A read a digital version and kept wondering if the OCR software that (I presume) was used to scan the book made errors. Which I think it probably did. But I also suspect some of these “errors” might have just been Steele’s funky writing style.
Still, a fun read.
Still, a fun read.
June 5, 2024
This is the first time that the Hero actually hates the protagonist. All the theft and the stolen put her father and her in a bad situation. Obviously Grant would not know what Charles Johnson was plotting.
Devon was a very innocent woman and very believable. Only Grant could not see that.
There is not much going on after she goes live with and decide to tell him the truth.
Grant feels guilty and sends her back to her home. And she does not need to "pay" him back.
He was totally in love with her and forgives her father.
Devon was a very innocent woman and very believable. Only Grant could not see that.
There is not much going on after she goes live with and decide to tell him the truth.
Grant feels guilty and sends her back to her home. And she does not need to "pay" him back.
He was totally in love with her and forgives her father.
May 30, 2025
This one is ridiculous, JS playing to her favorites and strengths, and a pleasure. A Greater Steele.
It also has some prose/structure that, even for JS, is convoluted--which is saying something. She crams a lot of backstory, emotion, and reaction wherever she can, sometimes passing them off as dialogue tags, and always including several-page-asides between the heroine's musings to begin the book to give backstory. (I figure at some point editors checked for typos and then let JS have her way--and why not given her proficiency in emotion that so many other Harlequin authors lack, but also her prolific writing and sales.)
It pays to take your time parsing JS, and the more you read of her, the more you learn her language. Text and subtext. And this one has a lot of delicious and heartswoop subtext as the hero runs the gauntlet of his feelings for the heroine.
The beginning of this one had me going hmmm, I'm not going to like the heroine much. But it also had me waiting for the twist that JS would introduce to goose her from her morose existence. Happened, and then things got moving in grand fashion.
JS heroes often act as they do to teach the heroine a lesson. They think she's spoiled or tarred-by-the-same-brush as someone bad; but they're also seething with attraction, so they crack and do something even they think is grotty. But they stick to it with frayed nerves, temper, and sarcasm as, by god, she'll learn. In the end of course, they learn their own necessary lesson.
Emotions run high in this book, as does the chemistry and sexual tension. Which is good as that's really the whole plot as well. Aside the couple there's a doting dad and that's it on main characters.
Put me in mind of Tethered Liberty (where I've noted before was the first Steele I read and my longstanding top-JS) with the plot construction and dynamic between the leads. This type of story is a slanted Beauty & the Beast retelling -- he's beastly, they misjudge each other, and in close confines they fall in inexplicable, complete, HEA love.
It's pretty preposterous too and that's glorious.
Despite her low state at the start, the heroine has grit. I think she fell into a rut that her father enabled, along with understandable mental & physical issues, but when pushed (to recover from the surgery and then by Grant), she pushes back and begins to flourish. She's determined in many ways, including doing what is seemingly required to meet her end of the bargain that will save her father from ruin and worse. When she starts to want the consummation of the bargain is when things get complicated and interesting for her (and the hero), and her world, though still kept rather small, finds itself opening up.
Grant is an excellent version of JS' hero-type who journeys through a spectrum of hate: first of the heroine based on his quick appraisal and her seeming treatment of others, and then of himself in stages, until he realizes the hate is love *and* she's worthy of it.
I think that's somewhat why the ending Grovel isn't as long or detailed as in other JS titles. If you pay attention (and know the JS ways) you get a lot of what he's going through, including when the hate turns to self-loathing for still desiring her even though he despises her, to hating himself for misjudging and mistreating her after he's put all the pieces together. Here he caretakes and pines and it's lovely.
His final means of putting her off -- to make her recoil to bolster his own attempts at resisting her -- is almost too mean. It's unnecessary at that stage for him to lie that he's not attracted. He could have come up with something else, something more fitting. But, then we wouldn't have the continued tension, misunderstandings, and roller-coaster for the heroine that get resolved together during the Grovel, so. That he's ready to get married in a thrice, the following day, makes up for a lot, there.
Something else JS gave page to is Grant's complicated feelings about Devon's father, and she made it make sense that Grant wouldn't fully punish, prosecute the father--and then would hire him back to the business, reinstated in every sense. This is important for the couple as well, given how rightly important the father is to Devon. Their future with a doting grandpa, restored to his integrity and watching his daughter blossom, is assured.
Their compatibility beyond the bedroom is salted in. They're hard workers; they have interests in common beyond his business and her being a recluse. He's handy around the house, can cook, is patient with and happy to show her what she doesn't know how to do yet (I'm talking about dancing but, yanno). She's handy around the house, can sew and cook, and is eager to try new things.
Devon has to have a wishlist of new things to do that's miles long. She's sheltered but has spirit, and Grant will be the perfect companion for conquering them. Hooray their HEA.
It also has some prose/structure that, even for JS, is convoluted--which is saying something. She crams a lot of backstory, emotion, and reaction wherever she can, sometimes passing them off as dialogue tags, and always including several-page-asides between the heroine's musings to begin the book to give backstory. (I figure at some point editors checked for typos and then let JS have her way--and why not given her proficiency in emotion that so many other Harlequin authors lack, but also her prolific writing and sales.)
It pays to take your time parsing JS, and the more you read of her, the more you learn her language. Text and subtext. And this one has a lot of delicious and heartswoop subtext as the hero runs the gauntlet of his feelings for the heroine.
The beginning of this one had me going hmmm, I'm not going to like the heroine much. But it also had me waiting for the twist that JS would introduce to goose her from her morose existence. Happened, and then things got moving in grand fashion.
JS heroes often act as they do to teach the heroine a lesson. They think she's spoiled or tarred-by-the-same-brush as someone bad; but they're also seething with attraction, so they crack and do something even they think is grotty. But they stick to it with frayed nerves, temper, and sarcasm as, by god, she'll learn. In the end of course, they learn their own necessary lesson.
Emotions run high in this book, as does the chemistry and sexual tension. Which is good as that's really the whole plot as well. Aside the couple there's a doting dad and that's it on main characters.
Put me in mind of Tethered Liberty (where I've noted before was the first Steele I read and my longstanding top-JS) with the plot construction and dynamic between the leads. This type of story is a slanted Beauty & the Beast retelling -- he's beastly, they misjudge each other, and in close confines they fall in inexplicable, complete, HEA love.
It's pretty preposterous too and that's glorious.
Despite her low state at the start, the heroine has grit. I think she fell into a rut that her father enabled, along with understandable mental & physical issues, but when pushed (to recover from the surgery and then by Grant), she pushes back and begins to flourish. She's determined in many ways, including doing what is seemingly required to meet her end of the bargain that will save her father from ruin and worse. When she starts to want the consummation of the bargain is when things get complicated and interesting for her (and the hero), and her world, though still kept rather small, finds itself opening up.
Grant is an excellent version of JS' hero-type who journeys through a spectrum of hate: first of the heroine based on his quick appraisal and her seeming treatment of others, and then of himself in stages, until he realizes the hate is love *and* she's worthy of it.
I think that's somewhat why the ending Grovel isn't as long or detailed as in other JS titles. If you pay attention (and know the JS ways) you get a lot of what he's going through, including when the hate turns to self-loathing for still desiring her even though he despises her, to hating himself for misjudging and mistreating her after he's put all the pieces together. Here he caretakes and pines and it's lovely.
His final means of putting her off -- to make her recoil to bolster his own attempts at resisting her -- is almost too mean. It's unnecessary at that stage for him to lie that he's not attracted. He could have come up with something else, something more fitting. But, then we wouldn't have the continued tension, misunderstandings, and roller-coaster for the heroine that get resolved together during the Grovel, so. That he's ready to get married in a thrice, the following day, makes up for a lot, there.
Something else JS gave page to is Grant's complicated feelings about Devon's father, and she made it make sense that Grant wouldn't fully punish, prosecute the father--and then would hire him back to the business, reinstated in every sense. This is important for the couple as well, given how rightly important the father is to Devon. Their future with a doting grandpa, restored to his integrity and watching his daughter blossom, is assured.
Their compatibility beyond the bedroom is salted in. They're hard workers; they have interests in common beyond his business and her being a recluse. He's handy around the house, can cook, is patient with and happy to show her what she doesn't know how to do yet (I'm talking about dancing but, yanno). She's handy around the house, can sew and cook, and is eager to try new things.
Devon has to have a wishlist of new things to do that's miles long. She's sheltered but has spirit, and Grant will be the perfect companion for conquering them. Hooray their HEA.
May 21, 2022
Tomorrow - Come Soon was about Devon Johnston and Grant Harrington.
When Devon was 15 1/2 years old, her family was involved in a car crash that took her mother's life and left Devon with a "tricky" hip that all but crippled her. When she walked, her hip would jerk in the most painful manner, and it would take several minutes for her to go from a sitting position to standing without falling before she could walk. This bad hip caused Devon to withdraw from society, for everyone would watch her ungainly gait...and some would even ridicule her, so she would stay home instead. Having endured two very painful surgeries with no positive effect on her hip, she had all but resigned herself to being trapped at home with a "gimpy" limp for the rest of her life. However, when Devon turned 22, her father told her he had not only found a doctor in Sweden who could do corrective surgery on her hip, but that, apparently, when she had turned 21, some sort of annuity in her name had matured and it was enough to cover the operation.
The night before she was to leave for Sweden, Grant, her father's boss paid her dad a visit. Her father introduced them and Grant, taking one look at Devon, was very rude to her for the entire time he was at their home.
Two months later, Devon returned from Sweden and wanted to show her father how well she was doing and that the surgery had, indeed, been successful. Not having notified him that she was arriving, she went into the sitting room to surprise him, doing a pirouette in her first pair of heels to show off her ability to move without the limp. However, not being used to twirling, she stumbled and fell into Grant, not having known he was there. Grant, still believing she had been away on vacation spending the money her father had embezzled in order to keep up with her high fashioned, money-grubbing ways, was once again very rude to her. After he left, her father broke down and told her the truth about where the money had come from and that he was concerned about her should Grant send him to prison.
The next day, hoping to spare her father from a prison sentence, Devon went to appeal to Grant's better nature. Though she tried to tell him about her surgery, she struggled with the hang-up and the low self-esteem that came with all the years of hiding her injury, Grant didn't believe a word she said. She told him she would do anything to save her father. But Grant ordered her out of his office, saying there was nothing she had that he wanted anything to do with. However, before the day was out, Grant had a new plan. He told Devon that he would send her father to Scotland to work for a month and, while he was gone, she would move into his house and become his bedmate, for a week, a month, or however long he decided it would take to pay him back. At first, Devon thought he was asking her to marry him, but then it sank in as to just what he wanted her to do. Though she was a virgin still, she was willing to do whatever she had to in order to keep her father out of jail, for he had already sacrificed so much of his life for her in the six years since the accident.
After her father left for Scotland, she moved into Grant's house. However, that night, though Devon tried to calm her nerves, her body did not yield to Grant's overtures. At one point, Devon cried out, not with pleasure but rather in pain. Caught off guard, Grant turned on the light and saw the scars from her three surgeries. Forcing her to explain, he finally began to believe her concerning the accident and her injuries...and he left the room and did not return. After that night, Devon did not return to Grant's bed and, after a week of having lived with him, he still did not take her back to his bed. Instead, he made certain she did nothing to acerbate her scars and instructed his housekeeper to not let her help around his home, at least not until her doctor gave her the "all clear".
Three weeks into their forced cohabitation, and frustrated that Grant had seemed to back out of their deal, Devon was worried he would take out his frustrations on her father and send him to jail after all. She was upset that Grant seemed to be delaying allowing her to fulfill her part of the bargain as she wanted it done before her father returned from Scotland. So she made a clumsy attempt at seducing him because, for her father's peace of mind, she wanted Grant's act of retribution to be done with before he returned and found her living at Grant's place. The grand seduction Devon had planned seemed to fall short in the eyes of her would-be seducee. All he did in return was talk to her in monosyllabic sentences, and glower at her, though he didn't seem capable of keeping his eyes off her. Angered by his attitude, she asked him outright if he was planning on waiting till after her doctor's appointment before continuing with his retribution. When she got angry then asked what he was waiting for, and told him that her father would remember her doctor's appointment and might just show up for it, Grant told her he still wanted her, but that the allotted time just might not be enough for the desire he felt for her to be quenched. When she told him she was healed enough to fulfill her end of the deal, Grant got ugly and said that "tonight my fancy is, for a more experienced woman.", and he left the house, and he repeated the maneuver a second time as well.
The closer it got to her doctor's appointment, the more hateful Grant got with Devon, even to the point of nearly consummating their deal. But though Devon kept telling him she was prepared to fulfill her end of the deal, he hatefully said to her, "Had you more experience...then you would know that there's nothing more guaranteed to turn a man off than to have a woman throw herself at him.". Arrogant b*st*rd. But then, two days before her doctor's appointment, Grant told her to pack her things for he would be taking her back home and that her father would be returning as well.
Finally, the day came for her doctor's visit. The night before, Grant had told her he would take her, but she told him her father had been looking forward to attending her final visit, so he would be the one to take her. Grant wasn't happy but he chose not to argue with her. However, that morning, she told her dad she would be going alone. Devon was thrilled at the end of the visit when the doctor gave her the news she was done with visiting him over her hip...she was well enough to move on without another visit.
Devon, thinking it was time to bring things to a conclusion and get all of her ducks in a row where other people needed to be "thanked" for her recovery, knew that she had to find closure with the bargain between her and Grant. After leaving the doctor's office, rather than going home, she went to Grant's place instead. Not finding him there, and after waiting for some time for him to return from work, she called her father and gave him the news from the doctor. When he asked her where she was calling from, she was inadvertently honest and told him she was at Grant's place. She heard him say something that didn't make sense, "there's been a foul-up", but he hung up before she could ask what he meant. Deciding her "thank you" to Grant would be relegated in the form of a letter, she was ready to leave his house behind but, before she could exit, Grant returned. Apparently, he had been waiting at her father's home for her return, had been told by her father where she was, had raced home, and was obviously furious with Devon. With the arrival of Grant, things began to fall into place...finally.
To say this story was full of angst and drama would be putting it mildly. The other emotions that filled the pages ran the gamut and kept me on my toes to the point I wanted to throw the book at times. The twists and turns were a rollercoaster ride through hell for most of the book. However, one of the bad things about it was that there was absolutely no humor to ease the tension. It desperately needed a relief valve at several points of the book to make it a touch easier to read. Another bad point of the book was all the horrible words that Grant continuously threw at Devon, hurtful things that were unnecessary to have ever uttered. There was also the point that Grant just didn't apologize for his attitude towards Devon, or his treatment of her. Sure, he explained it to her, but he didn't ask her for forgiveness which, to me said he wasn't at all sorry for his harsh words and attitude. It also made me question the veracity of his feelings for her.
While the characters seemed to be mature, Devon and her father were the only ones to truly show any amount of integrity, even though her father sacrificed his for his daughter. Grant didn't really show any integrity unless you consider the fact that he didn't follow through on his demand to bed Devon.
While it was a well-written novel, it didn't earn a five-star rating, mainly because of Grant's character and attitude towards Devon. I can only award it a three-star rating, though Devon's character deserved five stars alone.
When Devon was 15 1/2 years old, her family was involved in a car crash that took her mother's life and left Devon with a "tricky" hip that all but crippled her. When she walked, her hip would jerk in the most painful manner, and it would take several minutes for her to go from a sitting position to standing without falling before she could walk. This bad hip caused Devon to withdraw from society, for everyone would watch her ungainly gait...and some would even ridicule her, so she would stay home instead. Having endured two very painful surgeries with no positive effect on her hip, she had all but resigned herself to being trapped at home with a "gimpy" limp for the rest of her life. However, when Devon turned 22, her father told her he had not only found a doctor in Sweden who could do corrective surgery on her hip, but that, apparently, when she had turned 21, some sort of annuity in her name had matured and it was enough to cover the operation.
The night before she was to leave for Sweden, Grant, her father's boss paid her dad a visit. Her father introduced them and Grant, taking one look at Devon, was very rude to her for the entire time he was at their home.
Two months later, Devon returned from Sweden and wanted to show her father how well she was doing and that the surgery had, indeed, been successful. Not having notified him that she was arriving, she went into the sitting room to surprise him, doing a pirouette in her first pair of heels to show off her ability to move without the limp. However, not being used to twirling, she stumbled and fell into Grant, not having known he was there. Grant, still believing she had been away on vacation spending the money her father had embezzled in order to keep up with her high fashioned, money-grubbing ways, was once again very rude to her. After he left, her father broke down and told her the truth about where the money had come from and that he was concerned about her should Grant send him to prison.
The next day, hoping to spare her father from a prison sentence, Devon went to appeal to Grant's better nature. Though she tried to tell him about her surgery, she struggled with the hang-up and the low self-esteem that came with all the years of hiding her injury, Grant didn't believe a word she said. She told him she would do anything to save her father. But Grant ordered her out of his office, saying there was nothing she had that he wanted anything to do with. However, before the day was out, Grant had a new plan. He told Devon that he would send her father to Scotland to work for a month and, while he was gone, she would move into his house and become his bedmate, for a week, a month, or however long he decided it would take to pay him back. At first, Devon thought he was asking her to marry him, but then it sank in as to just what he wanted her to do. Though she was a virgin still, she was willing to do whatever she had to in order to keep her father out of jail, for he had already sacrificed so much of his life for her in the six years since the accident.
After her father left for Scotland, she moved into Grant's house. However, that night, though Devon tried to calm her nerves, her body did not yield to Grant's overtures. At one point, Devon cried out, not with pleasure but rather in pain. Caught off guard, Grant turned on the light and saw the scars from her three surgeries. Forcing her to explain, he finally began to believe her concerning the accident and her injuries...and he left the room and did not return. After that night, Devon did not return to Grant's bed and, after a week of having lived with him, he still did not take her back to his bed. Instead, he made certain she did nothing to acerbate her scars and instructed his housekeeper to not let her help around his home, at least not until her doctor gave her the "all clear".
Three weeks into their forced cohabitation, and frustrated that Grant had seemed to back out of their deal, Devon was worried he would take out his frustrations on her father and send him to jail after all. She was upset that Grant seemed to be delaying allowing her to fulfill her part of the bargain as she wanted it done before her father returned from Scotland. So she made a clumsy attempt at seducing him because, for her father's peace of mind, she wanted Grant's act of retribution to be done with before he returned and found her living at Grant's place. The grand seduction Devon had planned seemed to fall short in the eyes of her would-be seducee. All he did in return was talk to her in monosyllabic sentences, and glower at her, though he didn't seem capable of keeping his eyes off her. Angered by his attitude, she asked him outright if he was planning on waiting till after her doctor's appointment before continuing with his retribution. When she got angry then asked what he was waiting for, and told him that her father would remember her doctor's appointment and might just show up for it, Grant told her he still wanted her, but that the allotted time just might not be enough for the desire he felt for her to be quenched. When she told him she was healed enough to fulfill her end of the deal, Grant got ugly and said that "tonight my fancy is, for a more experienced woman.", and he left the house, and he repeated the maneuver a second time as well.
The closer it got to her doctor's appointment, the more hateful Grant got with Devon, even to the point of nearly consummating their deal. But though Devon kept telling him she was prepared to fulfill her end of the deal, he hatefully said to her, "Had you more experience...then you would know that there's nothing more guaranteed to turn a man off than to have a woman throw herself at him.". Arrogant b*st*rd. But then, two days before her doctor's appointment, Grant told her to pack her things for he would be taking her back home and that her father would be returning as well.
Finally, the day came for her doctor's visit. The night before, Grant had told her he would take her, but she told him her father had been looking forward to attending her final visit, so he would be the one to take her. Grant wasn't happy but he chose not to argue with her. However, that morning, she told her dad she would be going alone. Devon was thrilled at the end of the visit when the doctor gave her the news she was done with visiting him over her hip...she was well enough to move on without another visit.
Devon, thinking it was time to bring things to a conclusion and get all of her ducks in a row where other people needed to be "thanked" for her recovery, knew that she had to find closure with the bargain between her and Grant. After leaving the doctor's office, rather than going home, she went to Grant's place instead. Not finding him there, and after waiting for some time for him to return from work, she called her father and gave him the news from the doctor. When he asked her where she was calling from, she was inadvertently honest and told him she was at Grant's place. She heard him say something that didn't make sense, "there's been a foul-up", but he hung up before she could ask what he meant. Deciding her "thank you" to Grant would be relegated in the form of a letter, she was ready to leave his house behind but, before she could exit, Grant returned. Apparently, he had been waiting at her father's home for her return, had been told by her father where she was, had raced home, and was obviously furious with Devon. With the arrival of Grant, things began to fall into place...finally.
To say this story was full of angst and drama would be putting it mildly. The other emotions that filled the pages ran the gamut and kept me on my toes to the point I wanted to throw the book at times. The twists and turns were a rollercoaster ride through hell for most of the book. However, one of the bad things about it was that there was absolutely no humor to ease the tension. It desperately needed a relief valve at several points of the book to make it a touch easier to read. Another bad point of the book was all the horrible words that Grant continuously threw at Devon, hurtful things that were unnecessary to have ever uttered. There was also the point that Grant just didn't apologize for his attitude towards Devon, or his treatment of her. Sure, he explained it to her, but he didn't ask her for forgiveness which, to me said he wasn't at all sorry for his harsh words and attitude. It also made me question the veracity of his feelings for her.
While the characters seemed to be mature, Devon and her father were the only ones to truly show any amount of integrity, even though her father sacrificed his for his daughter. Grant didn't really show any integrity unless you consider the fact that he didn't follow through on his demand to bed Devon.
While it was a well-written novel, it didn't earn a five-star rating, mainly because of Grant's character and attitude towards Devon. I can only award it a three-star rating, though Devon's character deserved five stars alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2017
I'm trying to write this keeping in mind that this was a vintage romance and not contemporary but why why why are vintages so prude-ish? I mean the dialogue was so stilted and there was just lack of closeness between the H and h. I really liked the story line but the H just acted more like a father than a lover iykwim. I mean there should be glances and touches and sighs... How would you fall in love without them? I mean they did of course but love isn't as cut and dried as vintages put it. I guess I just wasn't in the mood for a vintage and I shouldn't have started it.
March 23, 2025
Heroine's father embezzled his employer in order to pay for his daughter's operation after she was gravely injured in a car accident. The employer thinks the heroine's father stole from him to provide a lavish lifestyle for his spoiled, beautiful daughter. After all, she is a blue-eyed blonde who is wearing the latest "Swedish suit" and has probably been partaking in "free love" with all and sundry. When she tries to explain that the money her father stole was for an operation, the hero asks if the operation was an abortion?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When she says no, he then asks if it was for a boob job. LMAO. He blackmails her into becoming his mistress with the threat of prosecuting her father if she does not obey. She reluctantly agrees to “sacrifice” herself like all good girls do.
Only when hero takes her to bed does he discover the scars from her operation and starts to mellow out a bit. Since he has dishonored an innocent virgin, he chivalrously asks for her hand. The heroine, who has long since fallen in love (lol), ecstatically acquiesces. Good old embezzling dad is hired back at his post and all ends well in another unintentionally comical and cringey episode of 1980s Harlequinlandia.
Only when hero takes her to bed does he discover the scars from her operation and starts to mellow out a bit. Since he has dishonored an innocent virgin, he chivalrously asks for her hand. The heroine, who has long since fallen in love (lol), ecstatically acquiesces. Good old embezzling dad is hired back at his post and all ends well in another unintentionally comical and cringey episode of 1980s Harlequinlandia.
October 12, 2012
The fact that I haven't had a real book on my hands was what really delighted me to read this book. Unearthing this treasure certainly made me feel like I won the jackpot prize in the lottery!
Summarizing the whole book, the heroine, Devon Johnston, suffers from a hip trauma caused by a car accident when she was 15 years old. She lost her mother and since then, she isn't able to walk properly not until her father decided to let her undergo a very expensive, life-changing surgery. Little did she know her father embezzled his employer's money to fund her operation abroad. When reality hit her, her father's boss, Grant Harrington, takes matters into his own hands.
So my review.. I love the story! Published two years ahead of my birth year, I got curious about the setting and the plot and it's still connects to the present times, which made me like it all the more. Heroine being helpless and all at the same time looking for the welfare of his father, which is admirable, the hero being mercurial and at the same time caring and sweet, well, who wouldn't fall for this kind of story? So it's a four-star for me.;)
Summarizing the whole book, the heroine, Devon Johnston, suffers from a hip trauma caused by a car accident when she was 15 years old. She lost her mother and since then, she isn't able to walk properly not until her father decided to let her undergo a very expensive, life-changing surgery. Little did she know her father embezzled his employer's money to fund her operation abroad. When reality hit her, her father's boss, Grant Harrington, takes matters into his own hands.
So my review.. I love the story! Published two years ahead of my birth year, I got curious about the setting and the plot and it's still connects to the present times, which made me like it all the more. Heroine being helpless and all at the same time looking for the welfare of his father, which is admirable, the hero being mercurial and at the same time caring and sweet, well, who wouldn't fall for this kind of story? So it's a four-star for me.;)
October 25, 2012
I love how Jessica Steele creates conflict in her heroes, who end up loving the very one they hate and distrust. Then they must grovel a little! Her heroes can be ruthless.
That's how this one went. Grant blamed Devon for her father's theft. He thought she was a glamor girl and a lush, feeding off her father. Boy was he wrong!
Not five stars, cuz Grant was a little too much. He's a yo-yo, blowing hot and cold, playing nice and nasty. He didn't grovel enough, either. I just didn't like him as much as most Steele heroes.
But all happy at the end.
Jessica Steele writes Harlequin Romances and some Hqn Presents. She is now about 80 years old, sad to say. Steele is one of the worst writers, in terms of syntax, grammar, etc. Her sentence construction is ... unusual. But IMO, she is among the best at Hqn in terms of storytelling and sexual tension. Her heroines are virgins, and the wanting drives the heroes nuts.
I read this eons ago. I've got the entire Steele collection.
That's how this one went. Grant blamed Devon for her father's theft. He thought she was a glamor girl and a lush, feeding off her father. Boy was he wrong!
Not five stars, cuz Grant was a little too much. He's a yo-yo, blowing hot and cold, playing nice and nasty. He didn't grovel enough, either. I just didn't like him as much as most Steele heroes.
But all happy at the end.
Jessica Steele writes Harlequin Romances and some Hqn Presents. She is now about 80 years old, sad to say. Steele is one of the worst writers, in terms of syntax, grammar, etc. Her sentence construction is ... unusual. But IMO, she is among the best at Hqn in terms of storytelling and sexual tension. Her heroines are virgins, and the wanting drives the heroes nuts.
I read this eons ago. I've got the entire Steele collection.
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