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Storm Centre
She couldn't refuse a dying man's wish
It took just one phone call to shatter Lauren's peace. A peace painfully acquired through the years since her bitter divorce from Andreas Keralides.
His mother's frantic phone call was intended to bring Lauren to Andreas's bedside. A near-fatal accident had robbed him of his strength--and memory. He'd forgotten the incident that had changed their lives--thought they were still blissfully married.
But Lauren would never forget. Especially when she considered the wife and son who had succeeded her in Andreas's heart!
It took just one phone call to shatter Lauren's peace. A peace painfully acquired through the years since her bitter divorce from Andreas Keralides.
His mother's frantic phone call was intended to bring Lauren to Andreas's bedside. A near-fatal accident had robbed him of his strength--and memory. He'd forgotten the incident that had changed their lives--thought they were still blissfully married.
But Lauren would never forget. Especially when she considered the wife and son who had succeeded her in Andreas's heart!
188 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
6 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Lamb
261 books316 followersSheila Ann Mary Coates Holland
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
January 27, 2021
It keeps getting crazier and crazier here, lol. Whatever... I think I really love this author by now. Having read five of her books, never once did I get bored(!). Perturbed, exasperated, appaled yes but certainly not bored. My creepy masochistic AF reader personality found her perfect writer match in Ms. Lamb's works🤷🏻♀️. What can I say, this woman could write.
But back to this book, I must admit that it feels more like a big fat prank being played on readers rather than a love story , lmao😂.
SPOILERS ARE COMING
So, the entire book (although I have to say I got suspicious early on and the big revelation at the end did not come as the biggest surprise) the reader is supposed to believe that the hero is a big fat jerk who cheated on his wife, fathered another woman's child while still being married to the heroine, Lauren, and consequently married said OW a tad later. Lauren, having consulted with her very few functioning brain cells, decided to divorce him right away and go on her merry(?) way to become an artist. Five years later, the day her engagement to another man was announced in the media, the hero got into a car crash and lost his memory of the last 5 years (how convenient, he-he). The hero and his mother decided to play a PRUNK on poor doormat compassionate Lauren and use her pity and the hero's "amnesia" as a weapon against none other but herself. The number of times I wanted to beat some sense into Lauren throughout the book... At least she realized how pathetically she leapt at the amnesia excuse to spend time with her ex-husband... not enough heartbreak, never enough.
With her crazy bitch in love mood on, neither pride nor common sense, nothing apparently, could stop Lauren from walking directly in the path of the t̶r̶a̶i̶n̶ hero.
But guess what??? All the angst and drama and tears and suffering and self-loathing and rubbing salt into old wounds were for AB-SO-TU-LY NOTHING because as it turned out the hero didn't actually cheat on Lauren and it was a big misunderstanding all way through (one of many in the story, lmao).
But pretty little masochists who love their "asshole heroes/jerks" reading shelf more than their next meal will not be disappointed either way because this is Charlotte Lamb's book we are talking about here! The hero is still a big fat jerk despite being a loyal husband. Face slapping, light (urk) manhandling, sexist remarks, name calling ("Little bitch", a favourite by him or CL) and other crap thrown right at your unsuspecting (¿¿¿???) face are guaranteed 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Apologies, nice grovelling, decent behavior from the hero? You WILL NOT find them here even if you gather a searching team.
I was here for crazy angst, drama llama, jealousy, toxic AF relationship and an obsessed with his woman anti-hero this book delivered. I think it might last me a life-time. Probably. Not.
I loved the story nearly as much as Savage Surrender but the heroine did disappoint me too much. She wasn't entirely a doormat, she had a spark but her "crazy in love" attitude made her make really poor life decisions.
But back to this book, I must admit that it feels more like a big fat prank being played on readers rather than a love story , lmao😂.
SPOILERS ARE COMING
So, the entire book (although I have to say I got suspicious early on and the big revelation at the end did not come as the biggest surprise) the reader is supposed to believe that the hero is a big fat jerk who cheated on his wife, fathered another woman's child while still being married to the heroine, Lauren, and consequently married said OW a tad later. Lauren, having consulted with her very few functioning brain cells, decided to divorce him right away and go on her merry(?) way to become an artist. Five years later, the day her engagement to another man was announced in the media, the hero got into a car crash and lost his memory of the last 5 years (how convenient, he-he). The hero and his mother decided to play a PRUNK on poor doormat compassionate Lauren and use her pity and the hero's "amnesia" as a weapon against none other but herself. The number of times I wanted to beat some sense into Lauren throughout the book... At least she realized how pathetically she leapt at the amnesia excuse to spend time with her ex-husband... not enough heartbreak, never enough.
With her crazy bitch in love mood on, neither pride nor common sense, nothing apparently, could stop Lauren from walking directly in the path of the t̶r̶a̶i̶n̶ hero.
But guess what??? All the angst and drama and tears and suffering and self-loathing and rubbing salt into old wounds were for AB-SO-TU-LY NOTHING because as it turned out the hero didn't actually cheat on Lauren and it was a big misunderstanding all way through (one of many in the story, lmao).
But pretty little masochists who love their "asshole heroes/jerks" reading shelf more than their next meal will not be disappointed either way because this is Charlotte Lamb's book we are talking about here! The hero is still a big fat jerk despite being a loyal husband. Face slapping, light (urk) manhandling, sexist remarks, name calling ("Little bitch", a favourite by him or CL) and other crap thrown right at your unsuspecting (¿¿¿???) face are guaranteed 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Apologies, nice grovelling, decent behavior from the hero? You WILL NOT find them here even if you gather a searching team.
I was here for crazy angst, drama llama, jealousy, toxic AF relationship and an obsessed with his woman anti-hero this book delivered. I think it might last me a life-time. Probably. Not.
I loved the story nearly as much as Savage Surrender but the heroine did disappoint me too much. She wasn't entirely a doormat, she had a spark but her "crazy in love" attitude made her make really poor life decisions.
April 13, 2017
Hard to know how to rate this. The writing was superb, as always, and my attention was captivated the whole time. However, I’m rating this by how I felt at the end of my reading experience.
I felt manipulated. Like I had read a second chance story of manipulation and not romance.
Oh, I could see the twists coming (neither one had cheated on the other while they were married and the child wasn’t the hero’s). The author didn’t manipulate me, but she allowed all of her characters to manipulate the heroine and in a weird way I felt complicit in their bad behavior.
The hero by faking amnesia.
The hero’s mother by aiding and abetting his story.
The heroine’s father by never telling her the hero’s actions after she left him.
The heroine’s fiancé/friend who lied to the hero that they were having a sexual affair.
The OW who climbed in the drunk hero’s bed and passed her child off as his for the world to see. (And the OW cheated with her sister’s husband).
It was all so cold-blooded. A slap in jealousy I can understand, but weeks and weeks of pretending?
And now the heroine will join the manipulations by letting the poor child continue to believe the H is his father and covering for the cousin who cheated on his sickbed wife. Gross.
I felt manipulated. Like I had read a second chance story of manipulation and not romance.
Oh, I could see the twists coming (neither one had cheated on the other while they were married and the child wasn’t the hero’s). The author didn’t manipulate me, but she allowed all of her characters to manipulate the heroine and in a weird way I felt complicit in their bad behavior.
The hero by faking amnesia.
The hero’s mother by aiding and abetting his story.
The heroine’s father by never telling her the hero’s actions after she left him.
The heroine’s fiancé/friend who lied to the hero that they were having a sexual affair.
The OW who climbed in the drunk hero’s bed and passed her child off as his for the world to see. (And the OW cheated with her sister’s husband).
It was all so cold-blooded. A slap in jealousy I can understand, but weeks and weeks of pretending?
And now the heroine will join the manipulations by letting the poor child continue to believe the H is his father and covering for the cousin who cheated on his sickbed wife. Gross.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2023
Holy crap on a cracker!
My hero, what a dream boat! Why did he hit her you ask? Of course she deserved it because she told him that while they had been divorced she'd slept with another man. Right after this he tears her clothes off and rapes her.
Does he ever apologize to her? Does he even feel bad? Does she hold it against him? Nopity nope nope.
I suppose it's worth reading for the crazy old schoolness of it all?
He hit her, the blow almost knocking her head off her neck. Ears ringing, she stared at him in shock.
"You swine!"
He hit her again and tears sprang into her eyes, she was shaking, suddenly terrified because there was savage jealousy in his eyes and he was a black stranger, a primitive barbaric enemy who might do anything.
My hero, what a dream boat! Why did he hit her you ask? Of course she deserved it because she told him that while they had been divorced she'd slept with another man. Right after this he tears her clothes off and rapes her.
Does he ever apologize to her? Does he even feel bad? Does she hold it against him? Nopity nope nope.
I suppose it's worth reading for the crazy old schoolness of it all?
January 13, 2017
Strictly for fans of CL's sadistic anti-heroes and the masochist women who love them.
January 25, 2011
It seemed like I should have loved this -- it’s chock full of the crazy, with amnesia, insane jealousy, imprisonment, all that good stuff. But somehow I just wasn’t feeling it.
It’s a seriously old skool romance -- Andreas not only rapes his ex-wife Lauren, he hits her. (What does it say that I find the hitting more shocking than the rape?) None of which is a (fictional!) dealbreaker for me, but there has to be some sense of satisfaction by the ending and again, I just wasn’t feeling it. Andreas never worked for me as a hero; I never felt convinced that his passionate feelings excused his bad behavior. YMMV.
It’s a seriously old skool romance -- Andreas not only rapes his ex-wife Lauren, he hits her. (What does it say that I find the hitting more shocking than the rape?) None of which is a (fictional!) dealbreaker for me, but there has to be some sense of satisfaction by the ending and again, I just wasn’t feeling it. Andreas never worked for me as a hero; I never felt convinced that his passionate feelings excused his bad behavior. YMMV.
March 25, 2025
It's official now: I'm a hundred percent masochist!
December 29, 2014
2.5 stars. Damn it's hard to rate a Lamb (I made a rhyme).
Her technical skills as a writer are FAR above many of the other writers in the series genre. She can draw you in and make you feel what the h is feeling. I feel like I have to give a grudging extra .5 stars for that.
Her content, however, was far too disturbing for me to rate this higher. The ex lit major in me wants to give credit where credit is due for writing skill and that's why this rating system is so hard. I've been trying to base my ratings solely on (as the scale indicates) how much I "liked" a book and go with that gut reaction versus a more technical rating. *sigh*
The hero was too violent, hateful, and angry. We saw perhaps an ounce of tenderness in 200+ pounds of angry, jealous male. The 2 consecutive ear-ringing slaps with no apology or show of remorse were too much. He was obsessed by the fact that in the 5 years they were divorced she slept with another man. She didn't, although she had the right (bet he wasn't celibate). However, if she had I'm afraid he'd have killed her over it.
Thing is, there were characters in this book who saw exactly what the hero was, which makes me think that Lamb wasn't drinking her own Kool Aid. Lauren's father despised the H and was very turned off by the fact that the H saw his daughter as a possession. He was scared for her, I think. So was I.
So was I.
Her technical skills as a writer are FAR above many of the other writers in the series genre. She can draw you in and make you feel what the h is feeling. I feel like I have to give a grudging extra .5 stars for that.
Her content, however, was far too disturbing for me to rate this higher. The ex lit major in me wants to give credit where credit is due for writing skill and that's why this rating system is so hard. I've been trying to base my ratings solely on (as the scale indicates) how much I "liked" a book and go with that gut reaction versus a more technical rating. *sigh*
The hero was too violent, hateful, and angry. We saw perhaps an ounce of tenderness in 200+ pounds of angry, jealous male. The 2 consecutive ear-ringing slaps with no apology or show of remorse were too much. He was obsessed by the fact that in the 5 years they were divorced she slept with another man. She didn't, although she had the right (bet he wasn't celibate). However, if she had I'm afraid he'd have killed her over it.
Thing is, there were characters in this book who saw exactly what the hero was, which makes me think that Lamb wasn't drinking her own Kool Aid. Lauren's father despised the H and was very turned off by the fact that the H saw his daughter as a possession. He was scared for her, I think. So was I.
So was I.
January 2, 2022
I * CAN * NOT * STOP * DEVOURING * CL * BOOKS
She just keeps bringing my catnip:
✅ Obsessed, manipulative, jealous/possessive, ruthless bulldozing asshat H 😈
✅ Hopelessly devoted h 🤦🏼♀️ Oh. Honey. 😬
✅ DRAAAAAAAMA and misunderstandings GALORE
✅ OM drama - H is one jealous mf-er and will take out anyone in his way
✅ OW drama (this is the best kind)
✅ A*M*N*E*S*I*A (maybe?? 😅)
✅ jealous rages and manhandling
✅ meddling family
I mean. 👀 This is all homerun material for me. 🤷🏼♀️💀
Bottom Line? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ instead of 5 because I felt like he could have come for her sooner also there’s a bit of unresolved OW drama. It’s not explicitly spelled out that he was celibate during their separation. AAAAND and he slaps her twice…and feel like that deserves some groveling, or at the very least, an apologetic look. 🤷🏼♀️ It’s a low bar. 😅
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no actual cheating - but there is perceived cheating
- no sharing
- OW drama - an Evil Cackling Whore conspired to make h think the H cheated
- OM drama - H is very jealous of h’s friend who she ends up engaged to after her divorce from the H. H is jealous of really any male at all in the h’s vicinity
- H tricks h into coming to his island home and then keeps her there against her will
- H goes into a jealous rage when the h lies to him and tells him she slept with OM - he slaps her twice 😡
- dubcon
- manhandling
- h was a 19-yr old virgin and is only with the H - she’s celibate during their 5-year separation
- H is an experienced older man - he did not sleep with the Evil Cackling Whore OW during their divorce/separation, but it is mentioned in passing that he’d been pictured out with random women after the OW’s death, and that’s never addressed. So, it’s unclear if he was celibate during their 5-year separation. 🤷🏼♀️
She just keeps bringing my catnip:
✅ Obsessed, manipulative, jealous/possessive, ruthless bulldozing asshat H 😈
✅ Hopelessly devoted h 🤦🏼♀️ Oh. Honey. 😬
✅ DRAAAAAAAMA and misunderstandings GALORE
✅ OM drama - H is one jealous mf-er and will take out anyone in his way
✅ OW drama (this is the best kind)
✅ A*M*N*E*S*I*A (maybe?? 😅)
✅ jealous rages and manhandling
✅ meddling family
I mean. 👀 This is all homerun material for me. 🤷🏼♀️💀
Bottom Line? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ instead of 5 because I felt like he could have come for her sooner also there’s a bit of unresolved OW drama. It’s not explicitly spelled out that he was celibate during their separation. AAAAND and he slaps her twice…and feel like that deserves some groveling, or at the very least, an apologetic look. 🤷🏼♀️ It’s a low bar. 😅
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no actual cheating - but there is perceived cheating
- no sharing
- OW drama - an Evil Cackling Whore conspired to make h think the H cheated
- OM drama - H is very jealous of h’s friend who she ends up engaged to after her divorce from the H. H is jealous of really any male at all in the h’s vicinity
- H tricks h into coming to his island home and then keeps her there against her will
- H goes into a jealous rage when the h lies to him and tells him she slept with OM - he slaps her twice 😡
- dubcon
- manhandling
- h was a 19-yr old virgin and is only with the H - she’s celibate during their 5-year separation
- H is an experienced older man - he did not sleep with the Evil Cackling Whore OW during their divorce/separation, but it is mentioned in passing that he’d been pictured out with random women after the OW’s death, and that’s never addressed. So, it’s unclear if he was celibate during their 5-year separation. 🤷🏼♀️
May 9, 2020
Once you step into Charlotte`s world,you can never get out of it until its over,i have been captured by many books by this author,the dramatic plot with its cruel anti-heroes are always unforgettable,and this one surely top the list.
"Storm Centre" are one emotional and HELL AS SEXY INTENSE second-chance lovestory in which the Dynamic and Dangerous Hero Andreas Keralides uses every little trick to win his heroine back.
You name it people,pretending amnesia-blackmail-kidnapping-inprisonment-blackmail-seduction...the whole freaking package.I really hated to love this Anti-hero..but oh was he irresistable..!
Lauren Grey really seemed to hate him first,so i was deeply surprised when she shouted out her love for him to the OM after a few pages.She REALLY hated that she loved Andreas so much.And i knew and felt that there was deeply huge misunderstandings between them,and WOW was i right..!
I know that many feels that Andreas dominates Lauren,but i felt like both of them dominated EACH OTHER!They both had equal power,desire and love for each other.They had a undestroyable bond a deep connection that made them addicted to each other..the way they couldn`t get enough each other showed it.The intense jealousy they felt WOW..Andreas was REALLY murderous and scary in those times.But isn`t that the entertainment we all enjoy..!
An unforgettable read i will never get over,WOAH Charlotte really are an expert when it comes to epic angsty romances..!
WARNING!There are a scene where the Hero slaps the heroine two times.
"Storm Centre" are one emotional and HELL AS SEXY INTENSE second-chance lovestory in which the Dynamic and Dangerous Hero Andreas Keralides uses every little trick to win his heroine back.
You name it people,pretending amnesia-blackmail-kidnapping-inprisonment-blackmail-seduction...the whole freaking package.I really hated to love this Anti-hero..but oh was he irresistable..!
Lauren Grey really seemed to hate him first,so i was deeply surprised when she shouted out her love for him to the OM after a few pages.She REALLY hated that she loved Andreas so much.And i knew and felt that there was deeply huge misunderstandings between them,and WOW was i right..!
I know that many feels that Andreas dominates Lauren,but i felt like both of them dominated EACH OTHER!They both had equal power,desire and love for each other.They had a undestroyable bond a deep connection that made them addicted to each other..the way they couldn`t get enough each other showed it.The intense jealousy they felt WOW..Andreas was REALLY murderous and scary in those times.But isn`t that the entertainment we all enjoy..!
An unforgettable read i will never get over,WOAH Charlotte really are an expert when it comes to epic angsty romances..!
WARNING!There are a scene where the Hero slaps the heroine two times.
December 21, 2021
Annoying AF book.
Plot is;
the h divorced the H when she caught him in bed with another woman. The H married that ow and had a son. Five years later, the asshole was in a car accident on the day her engagement to om was announced and he has amnesia. The idiot h helps in his recovery and is pushed around by everyone.🙄 this is a CL book, so expect rape and 👋 slapping around.
DNF 40% because of the push over doormat h who makes excuses so she can be close to her cheating ex hub/H without losing face. Just admit that you’re a spineless no self respecting female.🤷🏻♀️
Asshole H who’s suppose to love the h, but he married the ow who broke them up, then when the ow wife died 2 years later, went on to date/sleep with even more OWs for 2 more years, and then only came around to get the h back, when h got herself engaged. I didn’t get to the rape and slapping part yet before I DNF. Just seeing a doormat in a book will have me DNF these days. Not sorry.🤷🏻♀️
And somehow we are to believe that this H actually loved the Doormat?
🚩Spoiler (with the help of other reviewers spoilers😁)
No, he didn’t cheat during his marriage.
When the h found him in bed with the ow, that was a misunderstanding.
It doesn’t matter though, because the h thinks he did and acted like a complete tstl pushover doormat.
🤬But the asshole did marry that ow found in bed, I doubt he was celibate🙄 and he allowed people to think she birthed his son.
😠And he went on to date more people for 2 years after the wife died, he didn’t try to get the h back right afterwards.
Nope he was too busy getting photographed with numerous beautiful ows around town.
He didn’t have amnesia.
Plot is;
the h divorced the H when she caught him in bed with another woman. The H married that ow and had a son. Five years later, the asshole was in a car accident on the day her engagement to om was announced and he has amnesia. The idiot h helps in his recovery and is pushed around by everyone.🙄 this is a CL book, so expect rape and 👋 slapping around.
DNF 40% because of the push over doormat h who makes excuses so she can be close to her cheating ex hub/H without losing face. Just admit that you’re a spineless no self respecting female.🤷🏻♀️
Asshole H who’s suppose to love the h, but he married the ow who broke them up, then when the ow wife died 2 years later, went on to date/sleep with even more OWs for 2 more years, and then only came around to get the h back, when h got herself engaged. I didn’t get to the rape and slapping part yet before I DNF. Just seeing a doormat in a book will have me DNF these days. Not sorry.🤷🏻♀️
And somehow we are to believe that this H actually loved the Doormat?
🚩Spoiler (with the help of other reviewers spoilers😁)
No, he didn’t cheat during his marriage.
When the h found him in bed with the ow, that was a misunderstanding.
It doesn’t matter though, because the h thinks he did and acted like a complete tstl pushover doormat.
🤬But the asshole did marry that ow found in bed, I doubt he was celibate🙄 and he allowed people to think she birthed his son.
😠And he went on to date more people for 2 years after the wife died, he didn’t try to get the h back right afterwards.
Nope he was too busy getting photographed with numerous beautiful ows around town.
He didn’t have amnesia.
September 29, 2014
I went into this book knowing that the hero had some anger issues. That aside, I still thought it was an above average old school HP.
September 22, 2014
One of my all time favourite by CL I know it's no p.c but seriously this guy really loves his wife and I could feel it throughout so if your looking for an insanely jealous hero this is for u!
December 25, 2022
I have a limit as regards how much sexism I can tolerate.
Ok, it’s old and you can feel it, but the sexism and toxic masculinity here borders on abuse.
At the beginning of all there’s a big misunderstanding. An evil ow who pretends to sleep with the hero so the heroine, young and naive, leaves him and asks for divorce.
Years later, when she’s getting married to om, who sadly is not a man she knew after her divorce but the good old friend of her who’s always been secretly in love with her forever, the hero has a bad car accident and sadly doesn’t die but loses his memory waking up still thinking he’s married to the heroine.
Evil ex mother in law asks the heroine to go and pretend to be his wife and the heroine answers to go f**k herself and her son too. But no! No! She goes back to him pretending to be still his loving wife but why??? Why if they’ve been divorced for years and he’s been sleeping with every woman from 18 on while she of course never slept with another nor even her fiancé!!!!
So she’s basically kidnapped by her ex husband and his falsely good mother and the man had regained his memory but doesn’t tell her because he has decided that, as every good dog who doesn’t want the bone but doesn’t want anyone else to have it, he wants his runway wife back. Now that she has finally moved on.
He mentally abused her and gaslight her until she gives up and there’s the big revelation in the end where the big misunderstanding is finally cleared.
The plot is good, the author is of course good but sorry the man is one of the worst in my memory. Abusive, cheater and never even saying sorry.
In the end it’s basically her who’s the one saying sorry because she didn’t believe him after finding him in bed with ow!!!! Stupid her! He will keep on cheating on her time and again because hey, he’s a man and has needs and promises he will be faithful as long as she will give it to him. Aaaaarrrgggghhhh!
Nope! I’m sorry but in this case I could not even enjoy the good writing style and the twist and turns because I really had the impression that the author hated women in general.
Never again, I swear.
Ok, it’s old and you can feel it, but the sexism and toxic masculinity here borders on abuse.
At the beginning of all there’s a big misunderstanding. An evil ow who pretends to sleep with the hero so the heroine, young and naive, leaves him and asks for divorce.
Years later, when she’s getting married to om, who sadly is not a man she knew after her divorce but the good old friend of her who’s always been secretly in love with her forever, the hero has a bad car accident and sadly doesn’t die but loses his memory waking up still thinking he’s married to the heroine.
Evil ex mother in law asks the heroine to go and pretend to be his wife and the heroine answers to go f**k herself and her son too. But no! No! She goes back to him pretending to be still his loving wife but why??? Why if they’ve been divorced for years and he’s been sleeping with every woman from 18 on while she of course never slept with another nor even her fiancé!!!!
So she’s basically kidnapped by her ex husband and his falsely good mother and the man had regained his memory but doesn’t tell her because he has decided that, as every good dog who doesn’t want the bone but doesn’t want anyone else to have it, he wants his runway wife back. Now that she has finally moved on.
He mentally abused her and gaslight her until she gives up and there’s the big revelation in the end where the big misunderstanding is finally cleared.
The plot is good, the author is of course good but sorry the man is one of the worst in my memory. Abusive, cheater and never even saying sorry.
In the end it’s basically her who’s the one saying sorry because she didn’t believe him after finding him in bed with ow!!!! Stupid her! He will keep on cheating on her time and again because hey, he’s a man and has needs and promises he will be faithful as long as she will give it to him. Aaaaarrrgggghhhh!
Nope! I’m sorry but in this case I could not even enjoy the good writing style and the twist and turns because I really had the impression that the author hated women in general.
Never again, I swear.
July 15, 2022
"Storm Centre" is the story of Lauren and Andreas.
WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF.
Heroine is a happy divorcee, keen on marrying her long term fiance. That is when, her ex mother in law blackmails her to come to help her ex husband. The reason- he has been in an accident, has amnesia, and still remembers her as his wife. She is easily convinced, and ends up meeting him.
The rest of the story is predictable. My issue is the two slaps the hero "blessed" the heroine with in fits of jealousy.. and the fact that she pushed it under the rug.. and the fact that he had no regrets being so coercive and manipulative.
BIG NOPE.
Unsafe
1/5
WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF.
Heroine is a happy divorcee, keen on marrying her long term fiance. That is when, her ex mother in law blackmails her to come to help her ex husband. The reason- he has been in an accident, has amnesia, and still remembers her as his wife. She is easily convinced, and ends up meeting him.
The rest of the story is predictable. My issue is the two slaps the hero "blessed" the heroine with in fits of jealousy.. and the fact that she pushed it under the rug.. and the fact that he had no regrets being so coercive and manipulative.
BIG NOPE.
Unsafe
1/5
September 25, 2010
But he hit her, people! Enough to snap her head back and make her see stars. And we're OK with this???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2015
This was a hard one to rate. I came up with the decision of four stars for the first part of the book, and two stars for the second part averages out to three.
Lauren and Andreas were married five years ago. Lauren divorced Andreas after walking in on him in bed with another woman! Dun dun DUUUUNNNNNNNN!
Five years later, Lauren is recently engaged to a long-time friend, someone who Andreas was incredibly jealous of when they were married, and Andreas, now a widower (he married the chick Lauren found him in bed with shortly after the divorce and the OW had his baby a few weeks weeks after the wedding) with a son. Then Lauren receives the news from her former mother-in-law that Andreas has been in a terrible car wreck, has amnesia, and cannot remember the last five years, thus believing the two of them are still married.
Of course Lauren has to rush to his side, because she believes he's dying and she hates him, but she also kind of still loves him, but thankfully, she does so after getting a few good digs in.
A few chapters in, Andreas is feeling better, though he is still convinced they are still married. He wants to return to Greece to finish his convalescence and of course, because Lauren is ostensibly his wife, wants her to come along. Lauren, her father, and her fiance all wonder if he's faking it, but she can't figure out what his reasoning would be.
And here's where I have to start spoiler tagging.
One thing I liked about Lauren is that even though she realizes early on that she still loves him, that does not mean it makes it okay for him to cheat on her or to treat her like crap. Love him or not, she still wants away from him because she knows that he can (and probably will) hurt her and since he's not apologizing for cheating on her or even acknowledging the role he played in their divorce, he's likely to do it again.
So there I was, minding my own business, reading and enjoying the krazysauce angstastic melodrama of this book and then page 121 happened. Unfortunately, I don't have the book with me or I would quote the paragraph, but basically, Andreas is demanding to know if Lauren slept with the guy who is now her fiance and in her anger, she lies and tells him she did. His response, 80s alphole male that he is? He hits her. Twice. These aren't just little "love taps" either, the kind to snap someone out of a trance, or whatever. The book states they make her ears ring.
This is a hard limit for me. I can get around some forced seduction, as long as the FMC is into it by the time things get rolling, because I know that that's just how these books were published back then. It generally wasn't okay for a woman to enjoy sex with a man she was fighting with or ostensibly hated unless it was forced on her. That doesn't make the trope okay, but if I got pissed off every time I read a Harley, particularly written 20-30 years ago, featuring a guy holding a woman down and forcing her to take his caresses and her eventually enjoying them, I'd either be pissed off all the time while reading, or I'd never read this genre again. I can even get around the disturbing control issues he had when they were married (he didn't want her wearing trousers, eventually forbade her to go to her father's house because of the presence of the guy he was jealous of, and didn't want her to paint because, again, jealous). Again, getting pissed off every time an HP used an over-controlling, jealous alphole as its romantic lead is like picking up a snake in the yard and then being surprised when it bites you. But trope or not, there is never an excuse for a man to hit a woman in anger in one of these books and certainly not enough to do it twice. And seriously, the book doesn't even react to this. She cowers from him in the next paragraph down, but he distracts her by their argument and the book never mentions it again. No bruising (and I'm sorry, but two open-handed slaps that are hard enough to make your "ears ring" are going to leave at least a red mark), no commentary on it from Lauren's part, and definitely no apology from Andreas realizing that he's gone too far. Just on with the book. What's that? You claim you've slept with another man after catching me in bed with another woman? SMACK! SMACK! Bitch! How could you do that to me?
So after that, I really didn't care about Andreas and I hoped he got as much grief as possible. By this point the book has hinted that there might have been more going on with what Lauren saw with the OW than she thought, but Andreas is keeping his mouth shut.
Three stars is probably a bit too high to rate this book because of the slap(s), but at the same time, I was really enjoying the silliness before that happened. It was thoroughly a guilty pleasure prior to that point and after that, I was really just ready to be done with the book. If it hadn't happened so close to the end, I might have put it down right then and there. Plus, I kept reading hoping that the book would make some reference to it, but unfortunately, no. So I probably wouldn't recommend this one unless you're willing to deal with the "normal" 80s Harley rapey MMC, combined with some domestic abuse.
Lauren and Andreas were married five years ago. Lauren divorced Andreas after walking in on him in bed with another woman! Dun dun DUUUUNNNNNNNN!
Five years later, Lauren is recently engaged to a long-time friend, someone who Andreas was incredibly jealous of when they were married, and Andreas, now a widower (he married the chick Lauren found him in bed with shortly after the divorce and the OW had his baby a few weeks weeks after the wedding) with a son. Then Lauren receives the news from her former mother-in-law that Andreas has been in a terrible car wreck, has amnesia, and cannot remember the last five years, thus believing the two of them are still married.
Of course Lauren has to rush to his side, because she believes he's dying and she hates him, but she also kind of still loves him, but thankfully, she does so after getting a few good digs in.
A few chapters in, Andreas is feeling better, though he is still convinced they are still married. He wants to return to Greece to finish his convalescence and of course, because Lauren is ostensibly his wife, wants her to come along. Lauren, her father, and her fiance all wonder if he's faking it, but she can't figure out what his reasoning would be.
And here's where I have to start spoiler tagging.
One thing I liked about Lauren is that even though she realizes early on that she still loves him, that does not mean it makes it okay for him to cheat on her or to treat her like crap. Love him or not, she still wants away from him because she knows that he can (and probably will) hurt her and since he's not apologizing for cheating on her or even acknowledging the role he played in their divorce, he's likely to do it again.
So there I was, minding my own business, reading and enjoying the krazysauce angstastic melodrama of this book and then page 121 happened. Unfortunately, I don't have the book with me or I would quote the paragraph, but basically, Andreas is demanding to know if Lauren slept with the guy who is now her fiance and in her anger, she lies and tells him she did. His response, 80s alphole male that he is? He hits her. Twice. These aren't just little "love taps" either, the kind to snap someone out of a trance, or whatever. The book states they make her ears ring.
This is a hard limit for me. I can get around some forced seduction, as long as the FMC is into it by the time things get rolling, because I know that that's just how these books were published back then. It generally wasn't okay for a woman to enjoy sex with a man she was fighting with or ostensibly hated unless it was forced on her. That doesn't make the trope okay, but if I got pissed off every time I read a Harley, particularly written 20-30 years ago, featuring a guy holding a woman down and forcing her to take his caresses and her eventually enjoying them, I'd either be pissed off all the time while reading, or I'd never read this genre again. I can even get around the disturbing control issues he had when they were married (he didn't want her wearing trousers, eventually forbade her to go to her father's house because of the presence of the guy he was jealous of, and didn't want her to paint because, again, jealous). Again, getting pissed off every time an HP used an over-controlling, jealous alphole as its romantic lead is like picking up a snake in the yard and then being surprised when it bites you. But trope or not, there is never an excuse for a man to hit a woman in anger in one of these books and certainly not enough to do it twice. And seriously, the book doesn't even react to this. She cowers from him in the next paragraph down, but he distracts her by their argument and the book never mentions it again. No bruising (and I'm sorry, but two open-handed slaps that are hard enough to make your "ears ring" are going to leave at least a red mark), no commentary on it from Lauren's part, and definitely no apology from Andreas realizing that he's gone too far. Just on with the book. What's that? You claim you've slept with another man after catching me in bed with another woman? SMACK! SMACK! Bitch! How could you do that to me?
So after that, I really didn't care about Andreas and I hoped he got as much grief as possible. By this point the book has hinted that there might have been more going on with what Lauren saw with the OW than she thought, but Andreas is keeping his mouth shut.
Three stars is probably a bit too high to rate this book because of the slap(s), but at the same time, I was really enjoying the silliness before that happened. It was thoroughly a guilty pleasure prior to that point and after that, I was really just ready to be done with the book. If it hadn't happened so close to the end, I might have put it down right then and there. Plus, I kept reading hoping that the book would make some reference to it, but unfortunately, no. So I probably wouldn't recommend this one unless you're willing to deal with the "normal" 80s Harley rapey MMC, combined with some domestic abuse.
March 21, 2016
4 Conflicting Stars
“My dear, the trap was obvious and you know it. You walked into it freely. I didn’t make you come. How could I?”
This book was a difficult read. There was a point where I put it down and refused to read any more, but I came back to it an hour later because I couldn’t put it out of my head.
Lauren found her husband Andreas in their bed with another woman five years earlier. She did the only thing she could do and divorced him. Now, it’s five years later and she is engaged to someone else.
Out of the blue she get’s a call from Andreas’ mother – he’s been in a horrible accident, is in very bad condition and lost the last five years of his memory. He still believes that they are married and is frantic because she isn’t there with him. Can she please come to the hospital and pretend to be his wife before he makes himself worse.
This book is about a manipulative family that has no concern for this woman. They want to use her for their own ends. Andreas is cruel and controlling. While he had Lauren pinned to the bed, he HIT her – TWICE! when she answered his question and intimated that she slept with her fiancé! He. Hit. Her!!
Lauren knew that they were manipulating her and she went along with it anyway. Maybe she still loved him, but not to that damned extent! There became a point when I lost all sympathy for this woman. Yes, it all turned out wine and roses in the end, but that journey was way too abusive. In my disgusted opinion, her future will be more of the same.
I have to call this one a Great Read because it was such a beautifully written book in spite of the awfulness of the characters. Bravo Charlotte Lamb for making me simultaneously love and hate this book. I know I will read it again, just to see if it is truly as conflicting as it was the first time around.
“My dear, the trap was obvious and you know it. You walked into it freely. I didn’t make you come. How could I?”
This book was a difficult read. There was a point where I put it down and refused to read any more, but I came back to it an hour later because I couldn’t put it out of my head.
Lauren found her husband Andreas in their bed with another woman five years earlier. She did the only thing she could do and divorced him. Now, it’s five years later and she is engaged to someone else.
Out of the blue she get’s a call from Andreas’ mother – he’s been in a horrible accident, is in very bad condition and lost the last five years of his memory. He still believes that they are married and is frantic because she isn’t there with him. Can she please come to the hospital and pretend to be his wife before he makes himself worse.
This book is about a manipulative family that has no concern for this woman. They want to use her for their own ends. Andreas is cruel and controlling. While he had Lauren pinned to the bed, he HIT her – TWICE! when she answered his question and intimated that she slept with her fiancé! He. Hit. Her!!
Lauren knew that they were manipulating her and she went along with it anyway. Maybe she still loved him, but not to that damned extent! There became a point when I lost all sympathy for this woman. Yes, it all turned out wine and roses in the end, but that journey was way too abusive. In my disgusted opinion, her future will be more of the same.
I have to call this one a Great Read because it was such a beautifully written book in spite of the awfulness of the characters. Bravo Charlotte Lamb for making me simultaneously love and hate this book. I know I will read it again, just to see if it is truly as conflicting as it was the first time around.
August 8, 2017
Amnesia! Kidnapped to a Greek island with no way of escape! An ex-husband hell-bent on revenge! An old conspiracy to rid the antiquated Greek family of the British upstart! A heroine who wants nothing but to be free of this old but not forgotten marriage!
This is HP drama at its highest level, and both the heroine and the hero have their tempers running on high. They throw hurtful words at each other, but can't get enough of each other -- that cover with the monkey-looking man is deceitful. It is nonstop action and soap opera drama, with Charlotte Lamb at her finest. You can't fault her writing at any stage of this book -- from the heroine's initial shock at the hero's car accident and near-death and her raging unwillingness to be dragged back into the family. to the whirlwind courtship that resulted in the motherless heroine's marriage into a hotbed of antiquated ideas. It's not just one thing that threatened to blow up in their faces, but a whole truckload of issues. The hero's father's antagonism and arranged marriage for his son. The cultural difference between the heroine's unconventional upbringing with her famous artist father and the hero's close-knit family (he lives with his entire family in a big manor and they converse with one another in Greek). Not to mention both families (heroine's father and close friend versus hero's father and original fiancee) contrived at every possible turn to rip apart this couple. It was a measure of the couple's chemistry (and insanity?) that they couldn't stay away from each other. Both were pulsing balls of passion and fury. I'm surprised when they did the wild monkey dance that the bed didn't explode in an atomic bomb.
Do I want a romance like this? HELL NO. I don't even know if it could be classified as a romance. There's no finer feeling in this hotbed of suspicion and conspiracy, from both sides and both families. But such is the prowess of Charlotte Lamb that every scene compels the reader onto the next. Nothing is dragged out longer than it should be, no misunderstanding is left standing because one or another character feels that another should "figure it out" on his or her own while the reader is burning with annoyance at the stupidity of the characters. Charlotte Lamb, you will be missed.
This is HP drama at its highest level, and both the heroine and the hero have their tempers running on high. They throw hurtful words at each other, but can't get enough of each other -- that cover with the monkey-looking man is deceitful. It is nonstop action and soap opera drama, with Charlotte Lamb at her finest. You can't fault her writing at any stage of this book -- from the heroine's initial shock at the hero's car accident and near-death and her raging unwillingness to be dragged back into the family. to the whirlwind courtship that resulted in the motherless heroine's marriage into a hotbed of antiquated ideas. It's not just one thing that threatened to blow up in their faces, but a whole truckload of issues. The hero's father's antagonism and arranged marriage for his son. The cultural difference between the heroine's unconventional upbringing with her famous artist father and the hero's close-knit family (he lives with his entire family in a big manor and they converse with one another in Greek). Not to mention both families (heroine's father and close friend versus hero's father and original fiancee) contrived at every possible turn to rip apart this couple. It was a measure of the couple's chemistry (and insanity?) that they couldn't stay away from each other. Both were pulsing balls of passion and fury. I'm surprised when they did the wild monkey dance that the bed didn't explode in an atomic bomb.
Do I want a romance like this? HELL NO. I don't even know if it could be classified as a romance. There's no finer feeling in this hotbed of suspicion and conspiracy, from both sides and both families. But such is the prowess of Charlotte Lamb that every scene compels the reader onto the next. Nothing is dragged out longer than it should be, no misunderstanding is left standing because one or another character feels that another should "figure it out" on his or her own while the reader is burning with annoyance at the stupidity of the characters. Charlotte Lamb, you will be missed.
March 7, 2013
I debated between 4 and 3 stars on this one, so I guess it's a 3.5. It felt too long, and I was annoyed by how the heroine allowed herself to be trapped. It did have its good moments too, especially since we are allowed to see glimpses of the hero's feelings at times. Kind of stark and hardcore hitting scene -- I'm used to rapes and sometimes slaps (especially to calm "hysteria") in these old stories, but hardcore knocks that leave the heroine cringing like an animal, just because the hero is mad at her, was a new level for me. The ending and explanation was also pretty dumb and unnecessarily complicated. Still, I guess I picked four stars for the good angsty bits.
June 26, 2022
3 1/2 Stars ~ When Lauren had divorced Andreas five years ago, she'd been devastated by his betrayal. After an argument, Lauren had spent the night at her father's but in the early morning she'd realized how silly it all was and she sped off to see Andreas. Eager to make up, she'd swept into their bedroom only to find Andreas deeply asleep and his apparent lover peering up at her with a self-satisfied smile. Lauren had immediately fled, and with her father's aid she hid herself in Scotland with an aunt while her solicitors handled the divorce. Andreas had tried to get in touch with her but she shut him down and even refused to see his mother. The last spike into her heart was when a week after the divorce, Andreas married his lover who a few weeks later gave birth to his son.
When Andrea's mother, Lydia, called in distress to tell Lauren Andreas was on his deathbed after a serious car accident, Lauren was shaken. He'd nearly bled to death and complicating matters was he seriously believed that Lauren was still his wife, and that Lauren had been in the car with him and she must be dead or she'd be with him. Begging her, Lydia convinces Lauren to come to the hospital and pretend that she is still Andreas wife. How could she deny Andreas when his life was at stake? But one visit turned into two, and then into weeks and Andreas, though healing physically, still could not remember the years after their divorce, in fact, he was unaware that he had a son, or that his son's mother had died.
Physically recovered enough to leave the hospital, Andreas insists that they go to his Greek island. Lauren is torn between her hatred of the man he proved to be and the man who treats her with the genuine tenderness as he'd done when they were first married. But once on the island, it becomes clear that Andreas' memory has been restored and he'd duped her into coming knowing that it was near to impossible to leave the island without his consent. Trapped, Lauren has to face Andreas wrath as he's convinced that she had been unfaithful during their marriage, and it's obvious to Lauren he has no intention to atone for his own betrayal.
This is a very old skool Harley with a very arrogant and domineering Greek hero. Ms. Lamb is a masterful story teller, and I found myself swept up in all the angsty bits. It's obvious from the beginning that there is a story behind Andreas infidelity, one that Lauren should have heard before they divorced. But their marriage had enemies in both their families that strove to keep them apart.
When Andrea's mother, Lydia, called in distress to tell Lauren Andreas was on his deathbed after a serious car accident, Lauren was shaken. He'd nearly bled to death and complicating matters was he seriously believed that Lauren was still his wife, and that Lauren had been in the car with him and she must be dead or she'd be with him. Begging her, Lydia convinces Lauren to come to the hospital and pretend that she is still Andreas wife. How could she deny Andreas when his life was at stake? But one visit turned into two, and then into weeks and Andreas, though healing physically, still could not remember the years after their divorce, in fact, he was unaware that he had a son, or that his son's mother had died.
Physically recovered enough to leave the hospital, Andreas insists that they go to his Greek island. Lauren is torn between her hatred of the man he proved to be and the man who treats her with the genuine tenderness as he'd done when they were first married. But once on the island, it becomes clear that Andreas' memory has been restored and he'd duped her into coming knowing that it was near to impossible to leave the island without his consent. Trapped, Lauren has to face Andreas wrath as he's convinced that she had been unfaithful during their marriage, and it's obvious to Lauren he has no intention to atone for his own betrayal.
This is a very old skool Harley with a very arrogant and domineering Greek hero. Ms. Lamb is a masterful story teller, and I found myself swept up in all the angsty bits. It's obvious from the beginning that there is a story behind Andreas infidelity, one that Lauren should have heard before they divorced. But their marriage had enemies in both their families that strove to keep them apart.
January 17, 2014
this is one amazing hot read ! it lost 2 stars bcoz of the 5 years they wasted n andreas harsh attitude. they shud have sought each other out n cleared the air but i see from where this separation was coming from. they were both very bitter bcoz they thought they had been betrayed, they believed the other had been unfaithful n it was false in both cases. 5 years ago, circumstances were against them, people were against them. they had been tricked, they had been wronged. my heart felt not only 4 lauren but 4 andreas as well. i dunt appreciate andreas behaviour, beating n raping lauren. but he was very bitter n desperate. in 5 years, he had not been able 2 4get her despite knowing colby had fucked her n she had moved on, planning 2 marry philippe after all. but i also felt so bad 4 lauren bcoz andreas did go ahead n marry martine. though in the end, he is past redeemed when the truth is revealed. but imagine how lauren must have suffered when she learned of the marriage n then dat andreas had a son. at one point, she admitted dat she took a man home the day andreas married martine, she wanted 2 be fucked n 2 4get but she cud not go ahead wid it. my heart bled 4 her
November 20, 2014
The whole divorce and five years separation thing made me a bit of an unhappy reader. Especially since the hero married a mega-bitch during that time. The story was good, though. Another instance of lack of communication almost ruining a relationship forever.
June 7, 2011
I would have given this book five stars if not for the scene in which the hero slaps the heroine twice in jealous rage.
Read
June 11, 2024ليه مفيش تقييم بالسالب أو صفر
July 11, 2016
The whole situation was beyond screwed up. The hero did the heroine an injustice by not letting her be more comfortable, so she easily believed the hero would cheat on her. The heroine being wounded of pride and terribly hurt did the hero an injustice by just running off. Ugh, it was a mess!
September 18, 2015
من الروايات المفضله لدي
اعد قراءتها ومازلت احبها
اعد قراءتها ومازلت احبها
June 26, 2022
I wish I could say that I was bothered or outraged by this story, but I am not! I loved every, manipulative crazy moment of it. I needed this story as I recently read a Robyn Donald story that left me unsatisfied in the alpha male department(crazy, I know!)
CL knows how to write. This story had amnesia, second chances, a dead but damaging ow, misunderstandings, jerky family members, and lots and lots of manipulators!
So let’s look at our players in our tale of woe and romance…
Heroine, Lauren,24(was 18 when she met and married the older hero) There is evidence that the h has a spine at times. However, her spine often liquifies when she gets within hero distance. She is an English beauty and he is a Greek rogue. They have a passionate love, which results in jealous rows and arguments. Usually they would make up, but when she comes home to find him in bed with the preferred Greek girl of the family, the marriage was over. She refused to see him. She left the country. She filed for divorce. The story opens 5 years later with the h engaged to a longtime friend. Her ex MIL, who she actually got along with her, pleads for her to come to the hospital as her ex husband was in a serious crash. He is wavering between life and death and conveniently has amnesia. He still thinks the h is his wife!
Hero, Andreas(30’s?) He wakes up in the hospital asking for his beloved wife Lauren, thinking she may have died in the crash. The last thing he remembers is them being in NYC. He doesn’t even remember his son, you know the one he had with the ow that the h caught him in bed with, you know the one he later married after he and the h divorced. She is the same ow that died 2 years ago, leaving him open to pursue the h(which he didn’t)
EX father in law: He is now dead, but when he was alive he had it in for our little heroine. He wanted his son to marry the nice Greek cousin Martine.
Martine: The ow who didn’t want to lose out on being the lady of the villa looks for any opportunity to thwart the hero’s new marriage. She has the dad on her side, which is helpful. She is dead when the story opens(more on her in the spoilers)
Ex Mother in law, Lydia: She liked the heroine. In fact she did her very best to get the h to come back to the H to work things out. She finally stopped as the h continually froze her out of her life. Now she needs the heroine in order for her beloved son to recuperate. The Doctors have said it will be detrimental to his recovery if truths are revealed before he is ready. Since the h loves her ex mil(and loves her ex for that matter) she is convinced to go spend time with him at the hospital.
Jimmy, the h’s artist dad, wasn’t keen on his daughter marrying the H. He knew the h was out of her element marrying the older, charismatic Greek hero. When she came running home after the infidelity incident, he was there to console and support her….along with the om that the father hoped she would have married.
Phillip, 30’s?- longtime friend of the family. He is instrumental in fostering the h’s art career. He is always there for her. He is comfortable. He is stable. He has been in love with the h forever. He is upset over her marriage to the powerful, magnetic greek H. He too was there when the h’s marriage blew up. However, Phillip is also patient. At the opening of the story, he is engaged to marry the h. It took him 5 years, but the h is his.
I am pretty sure I can’t write the rest without spoilers, so here they come! Stop🛑NOW if you do not want spoilers.
So, part of me is disgusted by the fact that I enjoyed this story, but like Joey from friends and chocolate dessert, I am actually not sorry at all!
April 19, 2024
Batshit possessive Greek Andreas fakes amnesia to get his ex wife, painter Lauren back after 5 years. So much to unpack in this one where h found him in bed with OW cousin who he then went on to marry. I think Michelle Reid did a similar thing with the race car driver Guy who got caught in the same way. Ofc both were passed out drunk so it was all evil OW machinations. The OM and hs father also stuck their oars in hence 5 years pass by. This was turbulent, passionate and involved the H smacking her across the face (twice). It's the one thing I find really unforgivable in CL's mighty oeuvre tbh. MV is never ok. No excuse and no exception.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2023
At first, I thought I'd give this another star, but on second thought, it doesn't deserve one. It's one of those stories that had a lot of potential but didn't live up to it.
It starts off different (not to mention interesting), with the h, Lauren, getting a call from Lydia, the mother of her ex-husband, Andreas, and told that he was in a serious car accident and is asking for her, believing they're still married! (They've been divorced five years.) As it's possible he may not recover, could she please go and see him? And so, it begins....
And it's a crazy course of confusion after that. There was much Ms. lamb could have done that she didn't and too much she did that she shouldn't.
Instead, she goes for batshit situations that don't make sense, like a deceitful OW, Martina who tricks Andreas, while the man she really loves (Giorgio) is the womanizing husband of her ill sister, Rhea, who can't make love with her husband, or her heart may go kaput, so he seduced her sister because she looks so much like his wife, whom he really loves but can't sleep with. (Can you say GROSS!!! I sure can!!)
However, Martina, the evil and frustrated OW, had wanted to marry the H, Andreas, but he fell for aspiring artist, Lauren instead. (Her father was a famous artist and the gallery owner where his works were shown, Phillip, is the OM who has longed for Lauren for a long time.) Having sex with Giorgio isn't enough, Martine wants to wreck Andreas's marriage to Lauren out of spite.
(Actually, that marriage was pretty wrecked already. She was only 19 while he was around 30, his Greek family (with the exception of his mother) didn't exactly welcome her, his father made it clear he despised her and didn't think her good enough for his son, and Lauren didn't know how to cope with it all, so she spent a lot of time at her dad's studio, painting, and saw a lot of Phillip, which made Andreas jealous. They spent more time arguing than anything else, and aside from HOT sex, they had nothing in common. but of course, we're supposed to believe this is a case of "true love". I guess Ms. Lamb figures her readers are either real romantic or real dumb!)
Anyway, Martina waits until Lauren and Andreas had a huge fight, and she ran home to Daddy, and he got drunk, then put her plan into action, by getting into bed with a passed-out Andreas, hoping to convince him they did the naughty! Instead, it was Lauren who was convinced, when she came back to apologize and found them together.
You can pretty much guess what's next: Lauren runs back to Daddy (when she should have tried to waken Andreas to yell and scream at him and she would have discovered he was passed out drunk, not sleeping from passion fulfilled), and later refuses to see Andreas, who's kept away from her, with some help from dad and Phillip, who uses the opportunity to his advantage, by telling Andreas (without Lauren's knowledge) that he and Lauren are now lovers, and will marry as soon as the divorce is final.
In truth, though Lauren (after several years) got engaged to Phillip, they were never lovers, though not for lack of trying on his part. She couldn't admit, even to herself, that she didn't want any man but Andreas, despite his marrying Martina. In fact, when she found out he had gotten married she deliberately determined to sleep with a guy she met at a party to try and forget, but beyond a few kisses, she couldn't go through with it. (And she sure wasn't too bright, to bring him home with her, since she had just met him that night. He could have refused to take no for an answer and raped her. Ms. Lamb didn't say, but I would think she must have had one too many when she made that decision.) At any rate, Martina had croaked so less loony to worry about.
Anyway, to help Andreas recover, Lauren keeps up the marriage charade, and ends up staying with him on his Greek island home, from which there's no escape (though she tries to get a good-looking guy to help her, not knowing he was a guest at the villa, and Andreas sent him packing fast). Out of anger and frustration, Lauren tends to get snarky, even with Lydia, actually saying that if she had seen Andreas lying in the street bleeding to death, she'd walk right by without caring! I seriously doubt that, but what a hell of a thing to say to his mother! She was 24 but sounded like a teenage brat.
As you'd expect, there's plenty of denial, arguing, heated moments of passion, repressed feelings and desires, LOTS of anger (guess who was faking amnesia?), and moments of truth, like Lauren realizing a lot of her resentment was because Andreas seemed to give up so quickly after she left, not trying all that hard to get her back. He claimed for a while he couldn't find her (she had gone to France for a bit and to Northern England, but that wasn't so far away, and for a rich, powerful man with tons of connections, he should have been able to find her in no time, so that didn't make sense.)
Andreas, for his part, was bitter and hurt that she didn't trust him enough to at least talk to him about what (she thought) had happened, and also because, to get back at him (since she thought his marriage to Martina had been real, not the sham that it was) she made him think for a time that she had slept with Phillip. all that accomplished was making him slap her hard, twice!! She tells him (many times): "I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!! I HA... (yeah, we get the idea. After about 100 times, i think we should.)
Yes, this is a real batshit crazy tale!
If Ms. Lamb wanted to throw in some violence, why didn't she have him push her away from him, which knocked her off balance, so she fell, instead of getting a slap that made her ears ring???? And then another one????? COME ON, NOW!!!
Then, when she told the truth, that she got engaged to Phillip without consummating the event, and they never went beyond a few lukewarm kisses, he told her he trusted and believed her, something she never did for him.
The truth about his marriage is revealed by his mother, Lydia (his crummy father croaked, BTW), Lauren finds out the whole story, including why Andreas married Martina. She was pregnant with Giorgio's baby (unbeknownst to him) and Andreas was afraid if rhea found out it would (literally) kill her, so he married Martine to save the family honor, and it would be in name only and then it would end. Then, her death really ended it. Andreas tells Lauren she had to hear the truth from his mother, because he knew she's never have believed him. A true martyr! BOO HOO!!
The biggest weakness was that Ms. Lamb threw in too many characters that weren't necessary, in order to take care of a situation that didn't need taking care of. I'm talking about the adorable little boy who was supposedly Andreas's son. Ms. Lamb missed a good opportunity, as she could have made it that he was his son, that Martine had drugged him (in those days, it wasn't thought of as rape) and he didn't even remember, but wanted to do right by his child, so he married her. Then, she could have shown Lauren having conflicting emotions, on the one hand liking the boy but on the other hand, feeling natural resentment towards the Andreas's child with another woman. Having her try to overcome this while they attempt to rebuild their relationship would have been a lot better than this crazy Greek soap opera nonsense.
Also, another thing I get sick of is the OM in way too many novels getting away with way too much. Too often, they appear to be the caring, patient nice guy, just waiting for his chance, when really, they're possessive, controlling and downright crappy. Phillip showed his temper quite a few times and took it upon himself to make up the story about he and Lauren being lovers, for her own good, of course. and dumbo Lauren actually believes that! She's so quick to defend Phillip but so quick to condemn Andreas. I wanted to see her give him HELL for interfering, then kick him to the curb, where all dogs belong. I HATE when the h gives the OM a free pass while expecting the H to be perfect. Grow up, Little Girl!
And we're supposed to believe Phillip was waiting around for Lauren, not only since her divorce, but even while she was married, certain it wouldn't work, and she'd come back??? Either he was consoling himself with a bunch of hookups, or else he's got some problems a case full of Viagra couldn't solve. Either way, NO WAY was this guy in love!
For that matter, the HEA for Lauren and Andreas seemed as genuine as an honest politician, which means I'd give that second marriage even less time than their first!
Read this if you love nonsense.
It starts off different (not to mention interesting), with the h, Lauren, getting a call from Lydia, the mother of her ex-husband, Andreas, and told that he was in a serious car accident and is asking for her, believing they're still married! (They've been divorced five years.) As it's possible he may not recover, could she please go and see him? And so, it begins....
And it's a crazy course of confusion after that. There was much Ms. lamb could have done that she didn't and too much she did that she shouldn't.
Instead, she goes for batshit situations that don't make sense, like a deceitful OW, Martina who tricks Andreas, while the man she really loves (Giorgio) is the womanizing husband of her ill sister, Rhea, who can't make love with her husband, or her heart may go kaput, so he seduced her sister because she looks so much like his wife, whom he really loves but can't sleep with. (Can you say GROSS!!! I sure can!!)
However, Martina, the evil and frustrated OW, had wanted to marry the H, Andreas, but he fell for aspiring artist, Lauren instead. (Her father was a famous artist and the gallery owner where his works were shown, Phillip, is the OM who has longed for Lauren for a long time.) Having sex with Giorgio isn't enough, Martine wants to wreck Andreas's marriage to Lauren out of spite.
(Actually, that marriage was pretty wrecked already. She was only 19 while he was around 30, his Greek family (with the exception of his mother) didn't exactly welcome her, his father made it clear he despised her and didn't think her good enough for his son, and Lauren didn't know how to cope with it all, so she spent a lot of time at her dad's studio, painting, and saw a lot of Phillip, which made Andreas jealous. They spent more time arguing than anything else, and aside from HOT sex, they had nothing in common. but of course, we're supposed to believe this is a case of "true love". I guess Ms. Lamb figures her readers are either real romantic or real dumb!)
Anyway, Martina waits until Lauren and Andreas had a huge fight, and she ran home to Daddy, and he got drunk, then put her plan into action, by getting into bed with a passed-out Andreas, hoping to convince him they did the naughty! Instead, it was Lauren who was convinced, when she came back to apologize and found them together.
You can pretty much guess what's next: Lauren runs back to Daddy (when she should have tried to waken Andreas to yell and scream at him and she would have discovered he was passed out drunk, not sleeping from passion fulfilled), and later refuses to see Andreas, who's kept away from her, with some help from dad and Phillip, who uses the opportunity to his advantage, by telling Andreas (without Lauren's knowledge) that he and Lauren are now lovers, and will marry as soon as the divorce is final.
In truth, though Lauren (after several years) got engaged to Phillip, they were never lovers, though not for lack of trying on his part. She couldn't admit, even to herself, that she didn't want any man but Andreas, despite his marrying Martina. In fact, when she found out he had gotten married she deliberately determined to sleep with a guy she met at a party to try and forget, but beyond a few kisses, she couldn't go through with it. (And she sure wasn't too bright, to bring him home with her, since she had just met him that night. He could have refused to take no for an answer and raped her. Ms. Lamb didn't say, but I would think she must have had one too many when she made that decision.) At any rate, Martina had croaked so less loony to worry about.
Anyway, to help Andreas recover, Lauren keeps up the marriage charade, and ends up staying with him on his Greek island home, from which there's no escape (though she tries to get a good-looking guy to help her, not knowing he was a guest at the villa, and Andreas sent him packing fast). Out of anger and frustration, Lauren tends to get snarky, even with Lydia, actually saying that if she had seen Andreas lying in the street bleeding to death, she'd walk right by without caring! I seriously doubt that, but what a hell of a thing to say to his mother! She was 24 but sounded like a teenage brat.
As you'd expect, there's plenty of denial, arguing, heated moments of passion, repressed feelings and desires, LOTS of anger (guess who was faking amnesia?), and moments of truth, like Lauren realizing a lot of her resentment was because Andreas seemed to give up so quickly after she left, not trying all that hard to get her back. He claimed for a while he couldn't find her (she had gone to France for a bit and to Northern England, but that wasn't so far away, and for a rich, powerful man with tons of connections, he should have been able to find her in no time, so that didn't make sense.)
Andreas, for his part, was bitter and hurt that she didn't trust him enough to at least talk to him about what (she thought) had happened, and also because, to get back at him (since she thought his marriage to Martina had been real, not the sham that it was) she made him think for a time that she had slept with Phillip. all that accomplished was making him slap her hard, twice!! She tells him (many times): "I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!! I HA... (yeah, we get the idea. After about 100 times, i think we should.)
Yes, this is a real batshit crazy tale!
If Ms. Lamb wanted to throw in some violence, why didn't she have him push her away from him, which knocked her off balance, so she fell, instead of getting a slap that made her ears ring???? And then another one????? COME ON, NOW!!!
Then, when she told the truth, that she got engaged to Phillip without consummating the event, and they never went beyond a few lukewarm kisses, he told her he trusted and believed her, something she never did for him.
The truth about his marriage is revealed by his mother, Lydia (his crummy father croaked, BTW), Lauren finds out the whole story, including why Andreas married Martina. She was pregnant with Giorgio's baby (unbeknownst to him) and Andreas was afraid if rhea found out it would (literally) kill her, so he married Martine to save the family honor, and it would be in name only and then it would end. Then, her death really ended it. Andreas tells Lauren she had to hear the truth from his mother, because he knew she's never have believed him. A true martyr! BOO HOO!!
The biggest weakness was that Ms. Lamb threw in too many characters that weren't necessary, in order to take care of a situation that didn't need taking care of. I'm talking about the adorable little boy who was supposedly Andreas's son. Ms. Lamb missed a good opportunity, as she could have made it that he was his son, that Martine had drugged him (in those days, it wasn't thought of as rape) and he didn't even remember, but wanted to do right by his child, so he married her. Then, she could have shown Lauren having conflicting emotions, on the one hand liking the boy but on the other hand, feeling natural resentment towards the Andreas's child with another woman. Having her try to overcome this while they attempt to rebuild their relationship would have been a lot better than this crazy Greek soap opera nonsense.
Also, another thing I get sick of is the OM in way too many novels getting away with way too much. Too often, they appear to be the caring, patient nice guy, just waiting for his chance, when really, they're possessive, controlling and downright crappy. Phillip showed his temper quite a few times and took it upon himself to make up the story about he and Lauren being lovers, for her own good, of course. and dumbo Lauren actually believes that! She's so quick to defend Phillip but so quick to condemn Andreas. I wanted to see her give him HELL for interfering, then kick him to the curb, where all dogs belong. I HATE when the h gives the OM a free pass while expecting the H to be perfect. Grow up, Little Girl!
And we're supposed to believe Phillip was waiting around for Lauren, not only since her divorce, but even while she was married, certain it wouldn't work, and she'd come back??? Either he was consoling himself with a bunch of hookups, or else he's got some problems a case full of Viagra couldn't solve. Either way, NO WAY was this guy in love!
For that matter, the HEA for Lauren and Andreas seemed as genuine as an honest politician, which means I'd give that second marriage even less time than their first!
Read this if you love nonsense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2012
Keeping in mind that this is an older HP and I am reviewing in 2012...but he slaps her, twice! Here's the thing, the story was pretty good. They had been married 5 years earlier, they have a fight and h runs off. She returns in the morning to find 'slut cousin' in bed with with him (H is sound asleep, so you KNOW what that means) She runs off and divorces him. 5 years later, ex-M-I-L calls and says that he has been in car accident and wants to see h. For me, this is where the h starts to go down hill...she let's him lie to her, manipulate her, slap her, and kidnap her...Overall, I think the story tries to paint it as so much passion and so much anger that it just kind of overflows and for the most part it works. I also think there were a few hints that she 'liked' it rough....but he still slapped her. All in all not bad, the h is wimpy and H is not too bad and the sory works...enjoy
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