What do you think?
Rate this book
Capable of Feeling
"I need a wife, Sophy, but not to share my bed."
To Sophy Marley, who believed she was frigid, it seemed the perfect arrangement. Jonathan Phillips, her kind and understanding boss, was offering Sophy a marriage of convenience.
He needed someone to help care for his niece and nephew, and Sophy already loved the children as if they were her own. Her feelings for Jon, however, were less clear.
In sharing a roof together, Sophy became increasingly aware of her husband and of her growing desire to make their marriage a real one in every sense.
To Sophy Marley, who believed she was frigid, it seemed the perfect arrangement. Jonathan Phillips, her kind and understanding boss, was offering Sophy a marriage of convenience.
He needed someone to help care for his niece and nephew, and Sophy already loved the children as if they were her own. Her feelings for Jon, however, were less clear.
In sharing a roof together, Sophy became increasingly aware of her husband and of her growing desire to make their marriage a real one in every sense.
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1978
57 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,125 books668 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 19, 2025
Fun story of a heroine who is convinced she is frigid after being traumatized by her first painful (physically and emotionally) sexual experience four years before. Her partner was a socially acceptable guy her snobby parents pushed on to her. Heroine is also convinced she is ugly based on her mother’s horrible comments throughout her life. She now works as a PA for our hero, a computer genius, and goes beyond the call of duty when the hero needs her to look after his orphaned niece and nephew.
The heroine genuinely likes the hero and mothers him because he is often forgetful about everyday things like passports.
I kept picturing our “beta” hero as Clark Kent (as played by Christopher Reeves) – hiding that hunky body behind baggy suits and those piercing blue eyes behind glasses.
The story opens with the H proposing a marriage of convenience because he’s lost another nanny and he wants the kids to have stability. The heroine, who has just heard that her bully boy ex is back in town with his pregnant wife, is goaded into accepting. (Bully boy told her no man would ever want her or want to marry her).
From there the heroine slowly starts to see through Clark Kent’s disguise – especially when his quick rugby reflexes allow him to rescue an old lady when he doesn’t realize the h is looking. Inspired by the hot weather, the heroine buys everyone cooler clothes – including the hero. (She passes on the Blouson Jacket for the hero because she thinks he’s too conservative.) The hero wears all the clothes she has bought him without demur, but in his own home, he seems happiest parading around in nothing but a white towel.
Poor heroine – she’s getting the equivalent of the beautiful male puffing out his feathers.
Bully boy puts in two appearances trying to assault the heroine in her own home. The first time the hero thinks the heroine still has feelings for BB, so he doesn’t respond all that forcefully. But the second time the hero says they’re going to PRESS CHARGES.
*Swoon*
A rapey character is actually going to face justice.
There’s also an OTT bunny boiler OW who tells the heroine such a tall tale that only someone with such low self-esteem would believe. That leads to the black moment, which leads to the phone booth moment when Clark Kent reveals his true nature. He’s superman, he’s been in love with her since he met her at a party and has been slowly trying to win her trust.
I really liked the H, who was a bit neurotic himself about hiding his true self from susceptible women. He’s been a babe magnet since university, but that kind of lifestyle almost cost him his degree and caused a lot of heartache.
I thought the heroine’s reactions to the cruelty of BB and her parents were understandable, and I was glad she landed herself such a nice hero. The two kids were cute and had some interesting observations about the crazy adults in their lives.
For the PJ fan girls - there is no sponging in this one (everyone is healthy)- but the heroine does give the hero a massage.
The heroine genuinely likes the hero and mothers him because he is often forgetful about everyday things like passports.
I kept picturing our “beta” hero as Clark Kent (as played by Christopher Reeves) – hiding that hunky body behind baggy suits and those piercing blue eyes behind glasses.
The story opens with the H proposing a marriage of convenience because he’s lost another nanny and he wants the kids to have stability. The heroine, who has just heard that her bully boy ex is back in town with his pregnant wife, is goaded into accepting. (Bully boy told her no man would ever want her or want to marry her).
From there the heroine slowly starts to see through Clark Kent’s disguise – especially when his quick rugby reflexes allow him to rescue an old lady when he doesn’t realize the h is looking. Inspired by the hot weather, the heroine buys everyone cooler clothes – including the hero. (She passes on the Blouson Jacket for the hero because she thinks he’s too conservative.) The hero wears all the clothes she has bought him without demur, but in his own home, he seems happiest parading around in nothing but a white towel.
Poor heroine – she’s getting the equivalent of the beautiful male puffing out his feathers.
Bully boy puts in two appearances trying to assault the heroine in her own home. The first time the hero thinks the heroine still has feelings for BB, so he doesn’t respond all that forcefully. But the second time the hero says they’re going to PRESS CHARGES.
*Swoon*
A rapey character is actually going to face justice.
There’s also an OTT bunny boiler OW who tells the heroine such a tall tale that only someone with such low self-esteem would believe. That leads to the black moment, which leads to the phone booth moment when Clark Kent reveals his true nature. He’s superman, he’s been in love with her since he met her at a party and has been slowly trying to win her trust.
I really liked the H, who was a bit neurotic himself about hiding his true self from susceptible women. He’s been a babe magnet since university, but that kind of lifestyle almost cost him his degree and caused a lot of heartache.
I thought the heroine’s reactions to the cruelty of BB and her parents were understandable, and I was glad she landed herself such a nice hero. The two kids were cute and had some interesting observations about the crazy adults in their lives.
For the PJ fan girls - there is no sponging in this one (everyone is healthy)- but the heroine does give the hero a massage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2017
I've read this twice, with skimming. Each time I see a review I forget I've read the book which is not a great sign.
Just re-read this and have to say that just once, JUST ONCE,
Plus the heroine is an idiot.
Just re-read this and have to say that just once, JUST ONCE,
Plus the heroine is an idiot.
April 28, 2016
Re Capable of Feeling - PJ brings us a tale of hidden identities and sneaky motives with this one. She has got an h who thinks she is frigid but is really a sex kitten waiting to be jump-started and a sneaky Alpha H who is willing to don a beta nerdy disguise to get his girl.
The h in this one is the usual PJ type, she is tall, beautiful and doesn't know it, and only wants to have children and a home but feels so inadequate due to past trauma that she thinks it is impossible.
Her parents are horrors, in the classic PJ tradition, and she currently works as a mother hen/secretary for the H who is the guardian of his orphaned niece and nephew. The h's parents are the socially pretentious type and pretty much threw her at the local lothario bully boy when she was 19.
The h had a massive crush on the LBB at the time. She agreed to a physical relationship that was over after the first time when he berated her for her frigidity and humiliated and hurt her - she recovered from the crush but not the damage.
The h has withdrawn from men ever since, but she agreed to work for the absent-minded computer genius H, as he appears to have the sexual desires and potency of a rock. The h is dining with her parents as the story starts and her useless and completely tactless mother is nattering about the h's former LBB coming over to dine as well - the h is NOT down with that.
Luckily for the h, the H calls her up and asks her to come over and stay with the children. His latest nanny insinuated herself into his bed and he kicked her out and he has to go off on a business trip. The h enthusiastically agrees and flees her parent's home with her mother's harangue ringing in her ears. She arrives at the H's and the children explain the nanny's nocturnal wanderings to her.
She is shocked cause the H is about as sexy as potato, she can't imagine him with any woman - he just doesn't have the predatory male air- maybe it is a side effect of his glasses. Then she notices how broad the H's shoulders are in his badly fitting clothes (courtesy of all the Rugby and Rowing he did in college according to his nephew,) but she dismisses the thought as a side effect of the local heat wave. The H has a proposition for the h that he wants to talk about and the h is shocked again when he says he needs to marry.
The H then explains that the nanny incident has made him realize the children need a mother and he feels the h would fit that role admirably. The h tells him she isn't cut out for marriage and the H explains that he travels so much in his computer engineering job that the children will have to go into care if she won't marry him. The h tells him it will have to be a platonic marriage and the H agrees.
He arranges the wedding for right after he returns from his emergency business trip, that will put it three days later. The h agrees and she is happy, cause she is getting kids and a home and won't have to deal with unwanted physical attention or reveal her frigidity.
The H gets another emergency call to go to Nassau, they are having big computer problems there, but he puts the trip off to marry the h. They all go to inform the h's parents of the wedding and the LBB is there with his mean wife. The H delivers verbal smackdowns to both the h's mum and the LBB and his new wife when they disparage the h, and she has a warm feeling cause the H defended her - though it did seem a bit out of character from his usual vagueness.
The H takes off on his trip and the h decides to update his wardrobe, he appears to be missing a lot of clothes as he seems to always run into the h partially undressed and all that male skin is having an unsettling effect on the h - especially when he has a headache and the h is offering massaging and maybe some sponging, (tho the H sadly hasn't learned the PJ euphemisms yet, he is a very smart man and picks up things quickly.)
The H gets back from his trip and the new clothes look really good on him, all the sudden the h is very aware of what a cutie he really is - especially when he forgets his glasses, which he has been doing a lot and it doesn't seem to affect his eyesight all that much.
There is a growing tension in the h and she can't blame the heat any longer. When the H takes her to a party given by his friends and another woman attempts to deride the H's lovemaking skills, the h is really quick with a graphic defense, which the H overhears.
The H informs her later that he is NOT a sexless eunuch and the h knows she is falling in love - she just doesn't know what to do about it. Then the LBB shows up one afternoon and tries it on with the h. The h is frightened and fortunately the H comes home and the LBB leaves.
The h is angry with the H for not defending her against the LBB's insinuations and his physical handling, and the H explains that he thought the h was still carrying a torch for the LBB. He seems to believe her when she assures him that isn't so and the H wants to talk, but he gets called away on another emergency for a few days.
While he is gone the h is coming to terms with how much she wants the H and she is trying to figure out how to seduce him. There has been some passionate kissing and the h has been freezing up, afraid she might betray her love, but she is determined to get past it and nab her man. The H calls to let her know he is on his way home and the h gets dressed up to meet him.
She hears a car in the drive and flings open the door, but it isn't the H -it is LBB whose new wife has just left him under some dubious circumstances. The h's so helpful mother sent him over. He has been drinking and he attacks the h. She is screaming and trying to get away when the H bursts in and rescues her.
The H totally believes her story, even tho LBB lies through his teeth saying the h invited it and the H insists the h press police charges. The h is shocky but the H is soothing. When they get home, passion overrides them both and they wind up consummating the marriage against a wall. This leads to more rides on the tower of power and the h is feeling pretty happy that the H has proved she isn't frigid.
Then the H has to go out again and he is acting very mysterious. The h knows something is up, but it isn't until a strange woman shows and tells her that she and the H became lovers in Nassau that the h really starts to panic.
The OW tells her that she and the H are in love and he is divorcing the h and the h gets the house and will keep the children. The h is puzzled at that because they aren't her kids, and she tells the OW that the children are the H's responsibility. The OW is very convincing about the love affair and so when the H shows up, the h decides she IS keeping the kids and the house and she kicks the H out.
The H and the OW leave and the h won't talk to the H when he calls. The H's boss's wife shows up and the h explains about what the OW said. The boss's wife is shocked and the h is starting to panic again. There is a big thunderstorm going on and the h is frightened. The boss's wife meanly tells her to hide her head under a pillow and leaves. The h does go hide under the H's pillow, cuddling his shirt for safety, when the H shows up and the big confessions begin.
The H explains that the OW was lying through her teeth, she has stalker fixations and absolutely nothing happened, he has been trying to avoid her and she wasn't taking no for an answer. The stalker OW is being sent into care in another country.
He also explains that he has been camouflaging himself like a wolf in sheep's clothing cause he knew the h was wary of men and he fell in love with her. Apparently he got the idear for the disguise in college - he initially was a party boy but when his friends got into drugs and one died and he almost got sent down from lack of studying, he turned over a new leaf and got some glasses.
He kept up the disguise when he met the h, cause he was determined to have her in his life forever but had to set up a sneaky stealth approach so she wouldn't run off. He loves her madly and she loves him back and he only threatened to send the kids into care as a way to get her to rush into the marriage. It is pink sparklie HEA's and another successful outing in HPLandia.
I liked this one, PJ did the sneaky Alpha disguise really well and this h wasn't overly neurotic. For once an evil guy got his just deserts and the h's parents were pretty much written off as useless. The female stalker part was well done and tho the boss's wife was a bit awkward, it was the only weird moment in the story.
This is a great PJ trip and I highly recommend it, there is minimal h neurosis in this one and when the h does have her panics, they are all realistic responses. I liked the H in this one too, which is unusual for this particular PJ time period. PJ gives broad hints the H isn't what the h thinks he is, but the disguise is well done and the reasons for it were nice too. Definitely give this one a go if you like PJ and even if you aren't a fangirl, it is still a great read.
The h in this one is the usual PJ type, she is tall, beautiful and doesn't know it, and only wants to have children and a home but feels so inadequate due to past trauma that she thinks it is impossible.
Her parents are horrors, in the classic PJ tradition, and she currently works as a mother hen/secretary for the H who is the guardian of his orphaned niece and nephew. The h's parents are the socially pretentious type and pretty much threw her at the local lothario bully boy when she was 19.
The h had a massive crush on the LBB at the time. She agreed to a physical relationship that was over after the first time when he berated her for her frigidity and humiliated and hurt her - she recovered from the crush but not the damage.
The h has withdrawn from men ever since, but she agreed to work for the absent-minded computer genius H, as he appears to have the sexual desires and potency of a rock. The h is dining with her parents as the story starts and her useless and completely tactless mother is nattering about the h's former LBB coming over to dine as well - the h is NOT down with that.
Luckily for the h, the H calls her up and asks her to come over and stay with the children. His latest nanny insinuated herself into his bed and he kicked her out and he has to go off on a business trip. The h enthusiastically agrees and flees her parent's home with her mother's harangue ringing in her ears. She arrives at the H's and the children explain the nanny's nocturnal wanderings to her.
She is shocked cause the H is about as sexy as potato, she can't imagine him with any woman - he just doesn't have the predatory male air- maybe it is a side effect of his glasses. Then she notices how broad the H's shoulders are in his badly fitting clothes (courtesy of all the Rugby and Rowing he did in college according to his nephew,) but she dismisses the thought as a side effect of the local heat wave. The H has a proposition for the h that he wants to talk about and the h is shocked again when he says he needs to marry.
The H then explains that the nanny incident has made him realize the children need a mother and he feels the h would fit that role admirably. The h tells him she isn't cut out for marriage and the H explains that he travels so much in his computer engineering job that the children will have to go into care if she won't marry him. The h tells him it will have to be a platonic marriage and the H agrees.
He arranges the wedding for right after he returns from his emergency business trip, that will put it three days later. The h agrees and she is happy, cause she is getting kids and a home and won't have to deal with unwanted physical attention or reveal her frigidity.
The H gets another emergency call to go to Nassau, they are having big computer problems there, but he puts the trip off to marry the h. They all go to inform the h's parents of the wedding and the LBB is there with his mean wife. The H delivers verbal smackdowns to both the h's mum and the LBB and his new wife when they disparage the h, and she has a warm feeling cause the H defended her - though it did seem a bit out of character from his usual vagueness.
The H takes off on his trip and the h decides to update his wardrobe, he appears to be missing a lot of clothes as he seems to always run into the h partially undressed and all that male skin is having an unsettling effect on the h - especially when he has a headache and the h is offering massaging and maybe some sponging, (tho the H sadly hasn't learned the PJ euphemisms yet, he is a very smart man and picks up things quickly.)
The H gets back from his trip and the new clothes look really good on him, all the sudden the h is very aware of what a cutie he really is - especially when he forgets his glasses, which he has been doing a lot and it doesn't seem to affect his eyesight all that much.
There is a growing tension in the h and she can't blame the heat any longer. When the H takes her to a party given by his friends and another woman attempts to deride the H's lovemaking skills, the h is really quick with a graphic defense, which the H overhears.
The H informs her later that he is NOT a sexless eunuch and the h knows she is falling in love - she just doesn't know what to do about it. Then the LBB shows up one afternoon and tries it on with the h. The h is frightened and fortunately the H comes home and the LBB leaves.
The h is angry with the H for not defending her against the LBB's insinuations and his physical handling, and the H explains that he thought the h was still carrying a torch for the LBB. He seems to believe her when she assures him that isn't so and the H wants to talk, but he gets called away on another emergency for a few days.
While he is gone the h is coming to terms with how much she wants the H and she is trying to figure out how to seduce him. There has been some passionate kissing and the h has been freezing up, afraid she might betray her love, but she is determined to get past it and nab her man. The H calls to let her know he is on his way home and the h gets dressed up to meet him.
She hears a car in the drive and flings open the door, but it isn't the H -it is LBB whose new wife has just left him under some dubious circumstances. The h's so helpful mother sent him over. He has been drinking and he attacks the h. She is screaming and trying to get away when the H bursts in and rescues her.
The H totally believes her story, even tho LBB lies through his teeth saying the h invited it and the H insists the h press police charges. The h is shocky but the H is soothing. When they get home, passion overrides them both and they wind up consummating the marriage against a wall. This leads to more rides on the tower of power and the h is feeling pretty happy that the H has proved she isn't frigid.
Then the H has to go out again and he is acting very mysterious. The h knows something is up, but it isn't until a strange woman shows and tells her that she and the H became lovers in Nassau that the h really starts to panic.
The OW tells her that she and the H are in love and he is divorcing the h and the h gets the house and will keep the children. The h is puzzled at that because they aren't her kids, and she tells the OW that the children are the H's responsibility. The OW is very convincing about the love affair and so when the H shows up, the h decides she IS keeping the kids and the house and she kicks the H out.
The H and the OW leave and the h won't talk to the H when he calls. The H's boss's wife shows up and the h explains about what the OW said. The boss's wife is shocked and the h is starting to panic again. There is a big thunderstorm going on and the h is frightened. The boss's wife meanly tells her to hide her head under a pillow and leaves. The h does go hide under the H's pillow, cuddling his shirt for safety, when the H shows up and the big confessions begin.
The H explains that the OW was lying through her teeth, she has stalker fixations and absolutely nothing happened, he has been trying to avoid her and she wasn't taking no for an answer. The stalker OW is being sent into care in another country.
He also explains that he has been camouflaging himself like a wolf in sheep's clothing cause he knew the h was wary of men and he fell in love with her. Apparently he got the idear for the disguise in college - he initially was a party boy but when his friends got into drugs and one died and he almost got sent down from lack of studying, he turned over a new leaf and got some glasses.
He kept up the disguise when he met the h, cause he was determined to have her in his life forever but had to set up a sneaky stealth approach so she wouldn't run off. He loves her madly and she loves him back and he only threatened to send the kids into care as a way to get her to rush into the marriage. It is pink sparklie HEA's and another successful outing in HPLandia.
I liked this one, PJ did the sneaky Alpha disguise really well and this h wasn't overly neurotic. For once an evil guy got his just deserts and the h's parents were pretty much written off as useless. The female stalker part was well done and tho the boss's wife was a bit awkward, it was the only weird moment in the story.
This is a great PJ trip and I highly recommend it, there is minimal h neurosis in this one and when the h does have her panics, they are all realistic responses. I liked the H in this one too, which is unusual for this particular PJ time period. PJ gives broad hints the H isn't what the h thinks he is, but the disguise is well done and the reasons for it were nice too. Definitely give this one a go if you like PJ and even if you aren't a fangirl, it is still a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2017
I miss Penny Jordan so much. She never disappointed me. Her books are full of angst and passion. This one was great. Lots of misunderstandings, jealousy, evil OM, evil OW and an alpha hero who pretends to be beta so as to win the heroine's love. :)
September 28, 2020
Reduced from the original 4-stars to 3 because . . . stupidity.
If you're familiar with astrology you may know that the planet Mercury occasionally goes into retrograde (moves backward or "naps"), which causes chaos over the areas it governs such as communications, agreements, and codes including computer codes. Well, Mercury must have been in retrograde during the events of the last 20 pages causing hero Jon—a computer expert caught up in a MOC agreement—to act like the poorest communicator to ever have communicated. Or maybe, in addition to getting crankier, I also reread this while Mercury was in, ahem, retrograde. Sigh.
I don't blame Sophy for buying it all. Not knowing where she stood with Jon and being left in the dark made her vulnerable to the wannabe OW's manipulation.
It all worked out happily of course. Too bad Jon's intelligence moved into retrograde because before that I was really enjoying the book. :(
If you're familiar with astrology you may know that the planet Mercury occasionally goes into retrograde (moves backward or "naps"), which causes chaos over the areas it governs such as communications, agreements, and codes including computer codes. Well, Mercury must have been in retrograde during the events of the last 20 pages causing hero Jon—a computer expert caught up in a MOC agreement—to act like the poorest communicator to ever have communicated. Or maybe, in addition to getting crankier, I also reread this while Mercury was in, ahem, retrograde. Sigh.
I don't blame Sophy for buying it all. Not knowing where she stood with Jon and being left in the dark made her vulnerable to the wannabe OW's manipulation.
It all worked out happily of course. Too bad Jon's intelligence moved into retrograde because before that I was really enjoying the book. :(
April 27, 2022
Unusually good hero for PJ standards.
He's the perfect geek, a computer geek, who can't dress properly and wears spectacles, who's absent minded and has two nephews from his late brother to care for.
The heroine is his pa and sometimes his nanny and his house keeper.
He asks her to be his nanny for some time since his last one tried to seduce him.
The heroine is the usual uber sensitive and easily traumatized young woman in PJ books, she had a previous lover, a handsome young man she dated for some time before having sex with him once.
It was not a good expereince since he couldn't arouse her, and the man blamed her and told her she was cold and she wouldn't find any man to marry.
She became cold to any other man because she thought she was frigid.
I think that if human race depended on how good it was a woman's first time with a man and every woman who had a painful and unsatisfying first time would stop having sex forever, well we would be already exstinct.
Every woman knows that experience make perfection so if the first time is not good you'll only have to repeat until you get it right. Maybe with another partner, the right one this time.
Our PJ heroine has a self-confidence lowest that the low so she thinks she only can't feel anything so the title.
The hero asks her to marry for his nephews' sake and she accepts, because she wants to be married to someone and she likes his children.
So it begins.
She realizes that:
-the hero is actually very good withour clothes on
-she's not indifferent to his presence
-he's always going around the house in bathings or with a lil towel around his waist that shows his very hunkiness to perfection
-she starts feeling very hot in his presence
-she starts sleeping very bad (heroine, wake up, this is called frustration)
-oh, the hero is actually also very rich, so not a bad catch after all
They have some lurving moments but he doesn't make many moves to persuade her to have sex with him or to have a real marriage with him.
And there's the evil om, the one who's still going hitting at the heroine with her supposed frigidity, and he becomes very nasty trying to attack her twice.
There's also a would be ow, whom the hero tried to avoid like the plague and who's still trying to get him and she's actually a dangerous stalker who needs hospitalization.
But all is well in the end.
The hero's behaviour is a cover, because he's a real hunk and women harassed him since he was a teenager so since he's not a womanizer he tried to keep them distant.
But it's the heroine the only woman he ever loved, since he first saw her, and so eventually they are happy and going at it like rabbits because, surprise surprise, the heroine is not frigid at all and sex with her hunk husband is very, very satisfying.
Very good book, usual misunderstandings that you find in PJ books but with a nicer hero and a non virgin heroine, so I appreciated the novelty.
He's the perfect geek, a computer geek, who can't dress properly and wears spectacles, who's absent minded and has two nephews from his late brother to care for.
The heroine is his pa and sometimes his nanny and his house keeper.
He asks her to be his nanny for some time since his last one tried to seduce him.
The heroine is the usual uber sensitive and easily traumatized young woman in PJ books, she had a previous lover, a handsome young man she dated for some time before having sex with him once.
It was not a good expereince since he couldn't arouse her, and the man blamed her and told her she was cold and she wouldn't find any man to marry.
She became cold to any other man because she thought she was frigid.
I think that if human race depended on how good it was a woman's first time with a man and every woman who had a painful and unsatisfying first time would stop having sex forever, well we would be already exstinct.
Every woman knows that experience make perfection so if the first time is not good you'll only have to repeat until you get it right. Maybe with another partner, the right one this time.
Our PJ heroine has a self-confidence lowest that the low so she thinks she only can't feel anything so the title.
The hero asks her to marry for his nephews' sake and she accepts, because she wants to be married to someone and she likes his children.
So it begins.
She realizes that:
-the hero is actually very good withour clothes on
-she's not indifferent to his presence
-he's always going around the house in bathings or with a lil towel around his waist that shows his very hunkiness to perfection
-she starts feeling very hot in his presence
-she starts sleeping very bad (heroine, wake up, this is called frustration)
-oh, the hero is actually also very rich, so not a bad catch after all
They have some lurving moments but he doesn't make many moves to persuade her to have sex with him or to have a real marriage with him.
And there's the evil om, the one who's still going hitting at the heroine with her supposed frigidity, and he becomes very nasty trying to attack her twice.
There's also a would be ow, whom the hero tried to avoid like the plague and who's still trying to get him and she's actually a dangerous stalker who needs hospitalization.
But all is well in the end.
The hero's behaviour is a cover, because he's a real hunk and women harassed him since he was a teenager so since he's not a womanizer he tried to keep them distant.
But it's the heroine the only woman he ever loved, since he first saw her, and so eventually they are happy and going at it like rabbits because, surprise surprise, the heroine is not frigid at all and sex with her hunk husband is very, very satisfying.
Very good book, usual misunderstandings that you find in PJ books but with a nicer hero and a non virgin heroine, so I appreciated the novelty.
April 29, 2013
I enjoyed this one...and I would have rated it higher, but there were just way too many things going on that made this more complex than it needed to be. If the author had just stuck with the theme of frigidity along with a geeky (but very sexy) hero and evil OM, I think that would have been enough for me.
But the heroines constant insecurities, evil OW who appears out of the blue, things that go bump in the night, parents that don't give a damn about their daughter, a near rape, and adopted children threatened with foster care and my head started to spin.
But the heroines constant insecurities, evil OW who appears out of the blue, things that go bump in the night, parents that don't give a damn about their daughter, a near rape, and adopted children threatened with foster care and my head started to spin.
May 15, 2016
Did I really just read a Harlequin Present book? Because Jon was so sweet, I could lick him all day.
I wonder if he missed the classes of "How to be an Asshole Hero 101" and "How to Deliberately Misunderstand a Heroine and be a Suspicious Jerk" because he was very supportive of Sophy when dealing with her useless parents, and he totally believed her when he caught her with OM and that useless OM sprouting cruel lies. But he surely didn't miss "How to Blackmail a Heroine so She Would Do Your Bidding" class, because he kindly told her that the kids might be sent to a home if she didn't marry him like immediately. But he did it in a non-cruel way and for all the right reason (he was so in love with her) so it's okay.
And behind all those baggy clothes and glasses hid a delicious Alpha male virility. So if you'll excuse me, I have a Jon to lick.
I wonder if he missed the classes of "How to be an Asshole Hero 101" and "How to Deliberately Misunderstand a Heroine and be a Suspicious Jerk" because he was very supportive of Sophy when dealing with her useless parents, and he totally believed her when he caught her with OM and that useless OM sprouting cruel lies. But he surely didn't miss "How to Blackmail a Heroine so She Would Do Your Bidding" class, because he kindly told her that the kids might be sent to a home if she didn't marry him like immediately. But he did it in a non-cruel way and for all the right reason (he was so in love with her) so it's okay.
And behind all those baggy clothes and glasses hid a delicious Alpha male virility. So if you'll excuse me, I have a Jon to lick.
June 13, 2020
"Capable of Feeling" is the story of Sophy and Jon.
Oh god..No.
The heroine is a secretary, living with a set of overbearing parents. She has had a crappy ex, who made her lose faith in all men and sex. She gets proposed a marriage of convenience by her sweet and awkward boss, and agrees to take care of the boss's niece and nephew. And drama ensues.
Somehow we get a psychotic OM who is hell bent on rape, crazy obsessed OW who continue to create misunderstandings, an impulsive heroine and a helpless hero.
I honestly did not feel their love and left feeling creeped out by the molestation attempts, which were followed by lovemaking. Um no.
SWE/Safe
2/5
Oh god..No.
The heroine is a secretary, living with a set of overbearing parents. She has had a crappy ex, who made her lose faith in all men and sex. She gets proposed a marriage of convenience by her sweet and awkward boss, and agrees to take care of the boss's niece and nephew. And drama ensues.
Somehow we get a psychotic OM who is hell bent on rape, crazy obsessed OW who continue to create misunderstandings, an impulsive heroine and a helpless hero.
I honestly did not feel their love and left feeling creeped out by the molestation attempts, which were followed by lovemaking. Um no.
SWE/Safe
2/5
May 1, 2016
this was a fun read! Sophy behaved like a gauche teenager! Jon was no beta! why did he marry her when he knew she found him physically unappealing!? Sophy was really the strangest character. she was sexless up until she married Jon and suddenly she discovered he was an attractive man ! lol. the kids only added to the fun side of things. they were outspoken and said the most inappropriate things which really made for some awkward situations in the book.
March 5, 2012
Sophy thought she was incapable of love, not to mention she thought she was frigid as well. At least that's what her first lover Chris told her. She was confused and every time a man took her into his arms, she froze. She never thought she would get married but that all changed when her boss Jon asked her to marry him. At first Sophy was shocked, then Jon told her, it was for his niece and nephew, whom his deceased brother and law had fathered. Jon told her that they needed stability and a mother because Sophy was so fond of them, she said yes.. but that's when the problems started.
I really really really loved this books. It was one of the best harlequins I've read, ever! Of course I absolutely adore Penny Jordan. She was an amazing woman and so talented. R.I.P Penny! <3
I really really really loved this books. It was one of the best harlequins I've read, ever! Of course I absolutely adore Penny Jordan. She was an amazing woman and so talented. R.I.P Penny! <3
April 13, 2022
Should be aptly named ‘INcapable of feeling’. While I couldn’t put it down expecting a climax any minute, it’d instead be yet another cliff hanger. PJ was a little crazy and abrupt telling her story in this one.
The H was beta and very passive. He couldn’t drive and needed the h to drive him around. The h was tall and lanky and wore the pants on more occasions than the H did in their relationship.
I couldn’t be convinced on PJ’s ploy to have the H act beta to win over the h since she’d been traumatized in the past by OM. Whatevs PJ
The H was beta and very passive. He couldn’t drive and needed the h to drive him around. The h was tall and lanky and wore the pants on more occasions than the H did in their relationship.
I couldn’t be convinced on PJ’s ploy to have the H act beta to win over the h since she’d been traumatized in the past by OM. Whatevs PJ
March 4, 2022
This book has been rereleased under the name His Untouched Bride.
I think even a non PJ fan would like this one. Lots of great reviews for it.( Boogenhagen, AnneE, and Stmargarets to name a few!)
Stmargarets description of the hero being a Christopher Reeve Clark Kent is spot on.
There is something to be said for a handsome, take charge hero who disguises himself as less capable introverted sexless man waiting to be released from his cage by a wary injured heroine.
Heroine, 26 Tall red head made to feel inferior by her more socially acceptable, petite, pampered, coiffed mom.
We do not know much about her dad, but you can bet he is a beta who goes along with whatever the wife says.
Sophy has sworn off men and sex even though she wants a family. When she was 18, she thought she was in love with the socially acceptable Chris. Since she loved him, and he was pressuring her, she had sex with him. It was her one and only time she had sex, and it scarred her. She meets the hero when she is drunk at party a couple of years ago. He was impressed with her language skills and hired her to work for him. In the last 2 years she has essentially become his work wife. She often works out of his home and fills in as nanny to his niece and nephew when he is in a bind. She loves the 2 moppets, and they love her.
Hero, 34-
Jon is one of the forerunners in this new exciting world of computers taking over the work place(1978) He is sought after for his trouble shooting skills. He is also sought after for possible husband material by many women. Hence his trouble with keeping nannies. They are eager to fill the wife gap in his life. He, on the other hand is just not interested. Is it because, like the h thinks, that he is asexual? Or is it because someone else has already captured his heart.
The h mentions to the H that her mom says he needs a wife not a nanny. He agrees and proposes to the h. He tells her that it will be a MOC, no hanky panky.
The story unfolds with her being the perfect wife. She takes care of the kids and meets the hero’s needs as wife and secretary. She even starts to feel that getting to know the the hero more intimately might not be such a bad idea. Of course, he likes to parade around the house in short cut offs and towels making the h go all a flutter.
The H makes it clear to the h that he does want her. He knows she has to be handled gently. After her brief painful sexual encounter at 18, her confidence as a lover/woman are nil.
Unfortunately not everything can be smooth sailing for our couple. The h’s ex Chris who is married visits her on 2 different occasions. I won’t go into details about him, but he is a creep who eventually gets called out on it.
The h and H finally succumb to their mutual passion, and the h is able to give as good as she gets in the love department. But then we need to get a visit from our next bump in the road.
The H’s American “girlfriend” . Her ties to reality are questionable.
Issues finally get resolved with the help of a mediator. The h and H are on their way to a great HEA. IT helps when the H says things like this:
‘I gambled that their supposed plight would push you into marrying me far faster than any amount of reasoned argument,’ he admitted wryly, ‘but believe me I would never have done it. They’re my brother’s children, Sophy, and I love them very much, just as I shall love our own very much…but never quite as much as I love you.”
.
Aww, these two won’t have to worry about empty nester syndrome, because our H loves her to distraction!
I think even a non PJ fan would like this one. Lots of great reviews for it.( Boogenhagen, AnneE, and Stmargarets to name a few!)
Stmargarets description of the hero being a Christopher Reeve Clark Kent is spot on.
There is something to be said for a handsome, take charge hero who disguises himself as less capable introverted sexless man waiting to be released from his cage by a wary injured heroine.
Heroine, 26 Tall red head made to feel inferior by her more socially acceptable, petite, pampered, coiffed mom.
We do not know much about her dad, but you can bet he is a beta who goes along with whatever the wife says.
Sophy has sworn off men and sex even though she wants a family. When she was 18, she thought she was in love with the socially acceptable Chris. Since she loved him, and he was pressuring her, she had sex with him. It was her one and only time she had sex, and it scarred her. She meets the hero when she is drunk at party a couple of years ago. He was impressed with her language skills and hired her to work for him. In the last 2 years she has essentially become his work wife. She often works out of his home and fills in as nanny to his niece and nephew when he is in a bind. She loves the 2 moppets, and they love her.
Hero, 34-
Jon is one of the forerunners in this new exciting world of computers taking over the work place(1978) He is sought after for his trouble shooting skills. He is also sought after for possible husband material by many women. Hence his trouble with keeping nannies. They are eager to fill the wife gap in his life. He, on the other hand is just not interested. Is it because, like the h thinks, that he is asexual? Or is it because someone else has already captured his heart.
The h mentions to the H that her mom says he needs a wife not a nanny. He agrees and proposes to the h. He tells her that it will be a MOC, no hanky panky.
The story unfolds with her being the perfect wife. She takes care of the kids and meets the hero’s needs as wife and secretary. She even starts to feel that getting to know the the hero more intimately might not be such a bad idea. Of course, he likes to parade around the house in short cut offs and towels making the h go all a flutter.
The H makes it clear to the h that he does want her. He knows she has to be handled gently. After her brief painful sexual encounter at 18, her confidence as a lover/woman are nil.
Unfortunately not everything can be smooth sailing for our couple. The h’s ex Chris who is married visits her on 2 different occasions. I won’t go into details about him, but he is a creep who eventually gets called out on it.
The h and H finally succumb to their mutual passion, and the h is able to give as good as she gets in the love department. But then we need to get a visit from our next bump in the road.
The H’s American “girlfriend” . Her ties to reality are questionable.
Issues finally get resolved with the help of a mediator. The h and H are on their way to a great HEA. IT helps when the H says things like this:
‘I gambled that their supposed plight would push you into marrying me far faster than any amount of reasoned argument,’ he admitted wryly, ‘but believe me I would never have done it. They’re my brother’s children, Sophy, and I love them very much, just as I shall love our own very much…but never quite as much as I love you.”
.
Aww, these two won’t have to worry about empty nester syndrome, because our H loves her to distraction!
May 7, 2018
Originally published in 1986, and you can tell.
If you're looking for a satisfying vintage Penny Jordan HP, this is a great one!
Includes beta hero, bitchy mom, evil ex-boyfriend, 2 needy kids, heroine who decorates/shops like a pro (and has no clue about sexual attraction...hee hee), and a convoluted plot line with crazy OW and secrets and...yeah. Pure vintage Harly!
Entertaining!
4.5 stars
If you're looking for a satisfying vintage Penny Jordan HP, this is a great one!
Includes beta hero, bitchy mom, evil ex-boyfriend, 2 needy kids, heroine who decorates/shops like a pro (and has no clue about sexual attraction...hee hee), and a convoluted plot line with crazy OW and secrets and...yeah. Pure vintage Harly!
Entertaining!
4.5 stars
February 6, 2021
*read in the Conveniently His set with The Demetrios Virgin*
Capable of Feeling is vintage (1978) PJ of a MOC between Jonathan Phillips and his personal assistant Sophy. I tracked this down because I saw it on an Evilest OW of HP list, and OW Lillian is certifiable, but she’s really only around for one scene. Past wannabe OW Lorraine is equally bitchy, but she’s also only round for a scene…so that was a bummer.
The book opens with Jon having to fire another nanny for wanting to jump his bones, so he suggests a MOC to Sophy to help care for his dead bro’s kids whom she loves. Sophy is a bit of a mess. She suffers from a very low self-esteem from her mother’s constant insults, and is traumatized from a painful deflowering from her rapey ex Chris. She also has zero to no heat tolerance… I had to dbl check her age with all her hot flashes. :) Jon is a stud in geeks clothing. He hides his sexiness behind practiced bumbling and baggy cords. He’s not alpha at all, but nice.
Bottom Line- This one’s sweet. It has no real angst, low drama, and is predictable. It’s obvious Jon is smitten, there’s no other reason for him being so patient with her “Queen of the Prudes” behavior. (h hang-up comes from fear of disappointing Jon. Rapey ex said she was a lousy lay and she believes him.) I typically don’t like tame/nice HP’s, but I kept picturing Jon as Ronald Miller pre-makeover, so that got me through. (P. Dempsey is my life long crush/celebrity free pass since being a tween. He shares this status with only M. McConaughey who I added a few years later… He had me at “alright alright alright” in Dazed and Confused. I’m nothing if not loyal. 😏
Capable of Feeling is vintage (1978) PJ of a MOC between Jonathan Phillips and his personal assistant Sophy. I tracked this down because I saw it on an Evilest OW of HP list, and OW Lillian is certifiable, but she’s really only around for one scene. Past wannabe OW Lorraine is equally bitchy, but she’s also only round for a scene…so that was a bummer.
The book opens with Jon having to fire another nanny for wanting to jump his bones, so he suggests a MOC to Sophy to help care for his dead bro’s kids whom she loves. Sophy is a bit of a mess. She suffers from a very low self-esteem from her mother’s constant insults, and is traumatized from a painful deflowering from her rapey ex Chris. She also has zero to no heat tolerance… I had to dbl check her age with all her hot flashes. :) Jon is a stud in geeks clothing. He hides his sexiness behind practiced bumbling and baggy cords. He’s not alpha at all, but nice.
Bottom Line- This one’s sweet. It has no real angst, low drama, and is predictable. It’s obvious Jon is smitten, there’s no other reason for him being so patient with her “Queen of the Prudes” behavior. (h hang-up comes from fear of disappointing Jon. Rapey ex said she was a lousy lay and she believes him.) I typically don’t like tame/nice HP’s, but I kept picturing Jon as Ronald Miller pre-makeover, so that got me through. (P. Dempsey is my life long crush/celebrity free pass since being a tween. He shares this status with only M. McConaughey who I added a few years later… He had me at “alright alright alright” in Dazed and Confused. I’m nothing if not loyal. 😏
July 15, 2019
ما كتب خلف الكتاب:
عرفت صوفي انها لم تعد تستطيع ان تستجيب لاي رجل.....بعدما فعل كريس معها منذ سنين تركها تقاسي من جرح كان هو السبب في حصوله صدقت كل ماقاله عنها .........فتاة هشة باردة !
وريما لهذا ايضا قبلت الزواج من رئيسها في العمل جوناثان فيليبس .
جوناثان كان لطيف للغاية فلم تشعر صوفي بانها مهددة حين عرض عليها الزواج لم يحصل شيء يثير قلقها الابعد ان امضت فترة على وجودها في منزله عندما ادركت انها لاتعرف
جون .......ولاتعرف نفسها حتى !......
حزينة هي للجرح الذي تركه كريس خائفة من مشاعرها
تجاه جون .........م
كنت أحب هذه الرواية كثيراً عندما كنت مراهقة... هي قصة عن صوفي مساعدة جوناثان الذي عرض عليها الزواج لأنه يحبها... عاشا سوياً مع أبناءه حتى أدركت صوفي أنها تحبه أيضاً.
عرفت صوفي انها لم تعد تستطيع ان تستجيب لاي رجل.....بعدما فعل كريس معها منذ سنين تركها تقاسي من جرح كان هو السبب في حصوله صدقت كل ماقاله عنها .........فتاة هشة باردة !
وريما لهذا ايضا قبلت الزواج من رئيسها في العمل جوناثان فيليبس .
جوناثان كان لطيف للغاية فلم تشعر صوفي بانها مهددة حين عرض عليها الزواج لم يحصل شيء يثير قلقها الابعد ان امضت فترة على وجودها في منزله عندما ادركت انها لاتعرف
جون .......ولاتعرف نفسها حتى !......
حزينة هي للجرح الذي تركه كريس خائفة من مشاعرها
تجاه جون .........م
كنت أحب هذه الرواية كثيراً عندما كنت مراهقة... هي قصة عن صوفي مساعدة جوناثان الذي عرض عليها الزواج لأنه يحبها... عاشا سوياً مع أبناءه حتى أدركت صوفي أنها تحبه أيضاً.
January 5, 2018
A sweet, enjoyable read. Very “soap opera-ish”.
The h is clueless. Her ex is an abusive ass. The H is sweet and adorable. He has a crazy stalker. The kids are precocious.
An decent read with lots of “stuff” happening.
The h is clueless. Her ex is an abusive ass. The H is sweet and adorable. He has a crazy stalker. The kids are precocious.
An decent read with lots of “stuff” happening.
April 28, 2022
Given it a four because I have terrible hots for geeky betas who are actually alphas. "Pour encourager les autres " as they say.
February 28, 2016
I really loved this book. I thought the love story was so sweet. I really like books with the Hero in love with the Heroine for a while and the need to prove himself. The problem for me in the story was the hero was too stand offish I wanted more of his real romantic self. I also wanted the Heroine to realize she was strong and showed it when she stood up for her husband. Real typical Penny Jordan, enjoyable!
June 9, 2021
Claiming his convenient bride!
Jon Phillips needs a wife in name only to help care for his niece and nephew, and his beautiful employee Sophy already loves the children as if they were her own. So it isn't hard for Sophy to agree to what seems like the perfect convenient arrangement.
But in sharing a roof together, Sophy becomes increasingly aware of her husband and her desire to make their marriage real in every sense. Can she ever be more than his untouched bride?
Jon Phillips needs a wife in name only to help care for his niece and nephew, and his beautiful employee Sophy already loves the children as if they were her own. So it isn't hard for Sophy to agree to what seems like the perfect convenient arrangement.
But in sharing a roof together, Sophy becomes increasingly aware of her husband and her desire to make their marriage real in every sense. Can she ever be more than his untouched bride?
March 31, 2019
Just okay.
The heroine thought the Hero was a sexless nerd type, but duh 🙄 he was capable of feeling!
It was kinda cute in the start but got draggy and boring.
The heroine thought the Hero was a sexless nerd type, but duh 🙄 he was capable of feeling!
It was kinda cute in the start but got draggy and boring.
February 1, 2018
You've all read those TSTL heroines but how about a TSTL hero?
Basic Plot: Sophy had a bad sexual experience with her first boyfriend so she became frigid and never had another. Her boss Jon says, "hey, we should marry so my kids are stable" and Sophy, thinking her boss is also sexless/asexual/frigid, agrees. But surprise surprise, he's not.
Both of these characters I swear are so dumb that it's hard to break down the worst moments. Being written in the 70s doesn't let it off the hook.
1. Jon marries Sophy straight away for his kids - Were there no such thing as nannies in the 70s/80s? Was it common to exploit female labour by simply marrying a woman so she'd do everything instead? And yes, Sophy does everything from the cleaning, to helping the kids, to buying Jon clothes, and organising his undies. She already had a job with him as her boss, remember.
2. Sophy is attacked by her ex and Jon has a sook - Sophy's ex attacks her while she's in a bikini and Jon arrives at a bad moment while the ex is forcing himself on her. Sophy does the whole "it's not what it looks like" scene, because it's not but then Jon simply RUNS AWAY while she's crying about how her ex forced himself on her. Hello! She's scared of sexual encounters, why would she be lying about something like that?? What a terrible hero.
3. Jon doesn't take no for an answer - When they finally get together Sophy says "No" for whatever reason, and Jon counters it with "Yes... yes." C'MON! The poor woman's been attacked and now she can't even say No to her husband? Jon can suck it.
4. Jon's ex pretends they're in love & Jon has a sook again - So Jon's ex lover or wanna-be lover, Lillian, goes up to Sophy and starts lying about how she and Jon are together, how they want each other, how they've been sleeping together all this time, and that Sophy can keep Jon's kids because he doesn't want them. Sophy believes it (Okay...) BUT then, like a normal person, she confronts Jon about the truth while Lillian is STILL THERE IN THE HOUSE. You'd think it'd be resolved in seconds right? But Jon says absolutely nothing about the truth and then him and Lillian leave, get in a car together and drive off! Then he calls Sophy later saying she had it wrong and that he loved her but WTF. These characters act like they're 12... just running away from conversations and problems.
I'm pretty sure the author just didn't want to deal with her characters having face-to-face conversations or something.
Bonus: Sophy's mum is still best buds with Sophy's abusive ex - Do parents really care about their kid's ex that much?
I can't deal.
Basic Plot: Sophy had a bad sexual experience with her first boyfriend so she became frigid and never had another. Her boss Jon says, "hey, we should marry so my kids are stable" and Sophy, thinking her boss is also sexless/asexual/frigid, agrees. But surprise surprise, he's not.
Both of these characters I swear are so dumb that it's hard to break down the worst moments. Being written in the 70s doesn't let it off the hook.
1. Jon marries Sophy straight away for his kids - Were there no such thing as nannies in the 70s/80s? Was it common to exploit female labour by simply marrying a woman so she'd do everything instead? And yes, Sophy does everything from the cleaning, to helping the kids, to buying Jon clothes, and organising his undies. She already had a job with him as her boss, remember.
2. Sophy is attacked by her ex and Jon has a sook - Sophy's ex attacks her while she's in a bikini and Jon arrives at a bad moment while the ex is forcing himself on her. Sophy does the whole "it's not what it looks like" scene, because it's not but then Jon simply RUNS AWAY while she's crying about how her ex forced himself on her. Hello! She's scared of sexual encounters, why would she be lying about something like that?? What a terrible hero.
3. Jon doesn't take no for an answer - When they finally get together Sophy says "No" for whatever reason, and Jon counters it with "Yes... yes." C'MON! The poor woman's been attacked and now she can't even say No to her husband? Jon can suck it.
4. Jon's ex pretends they're in love & Jon has a sook again - So Jon's ex lover or wanna-be lover, Lillian, goes up to Sophy and starts lying about how she and Jon are together, how they want each other, how they've been sleeping together all this time, and that Sophy can keep Jon's kids because he doesn't want them. Sophy believes it (Okay...) BUT then, like a normal person, she confronts Jon about the truth while Lillian is STILL THERE IN THE HOUSE. You'd think it'd be resolved in seconds right? But Jon says absolutely nothing about the truth and then him and Lillian leave, get in a car together and drive off! Then he calls Sophy later saying she had it wrong and that he loved her but WTF. These characters act like they're 12... just running away from conversations and problems.
I'm pretty sure the author just didn't want to deal with her characters having face-to-face conversations or something.
Bonus: Sophy's mum is still best buds with Sophy's abusive ex - Do parents really care about their kid's ex that much?
I can't deal.
November 15, 2020
That was pretty dull. We had two side crazy people messing with the couple. Two kids who did all the relationship building fro the couple. And a last minute 'I always wanted you' reveal. Eh, very boring. Skip.
November 25, 2021
I read this several months ago and had no problem remembering it. I liked both characters and she had the obligatory nasty relatives and he has no intention of letting their marriage remain unconsummated, he's just a little sneaky and patient.
December 9, 2022
A Penny Jordan must-read. The h is sweet and damaged, and instead of being the normal judgemental crab, this H takes a novel approach.
March 12, 2023
I gave it three stars earlier.
Reading it again now. Five stars. I didn’t appreciate the nuances before.
Reading it again now. Five stars. I didn’t appreciate the nuances before.
November 22, 2021
3.5-star
MEH or the BAD:
Romance was slow to develop. Book was mostly from h's POV & the rest is 3rd person. So, we see 26yo secretary h's changing perception of her boss of 2 yrs (34yo tall/geeky-dressing & forgetful computer-analyst H) as a sexless & forgetful yet smart & nice man to an attractive & decisive husband in the following weeks, after agreeing to marry him MOC-style to give his niece & nephew full-time care (since H's job meant constant travel & nannies he hired tended to quit). Didn't like that h's insecurites about her looks made her easily duped by her charming but abusive ex-BF, although understandable given that her socially-conscious mother had been haranguing her about her looks for years. Liked that h did try to move past her ex-BF's insults by dating other men in the next few years. But her self-consciousness only made intimacy attempts with them more awkward and, thus, re-confirming her view of herself as sexually frigid. Didn't like that H waited 2 years to make his move on h and that he deceived her that long about his true character. It made him seem not that interested in her.
The GOOD:
Overall romance development & character development. Some angst from h's developing awareness of her changing feelings for H. Good sexual chemistry made so from their un-verbalized emotional tension as h became more aware of H as a man & H's awareness of her new attraction to him. Liked H's patient love for h to endure her unflattering regard of him as a sexless man in the 2 years he'd wanted her and that he turned down women who pursued him. Good generalized S scenes with some foreplay details.
Good writing to turn h's bad choice with her ex-BF & her attempts to not be frigid into a major dramatic point in her romance with H & her changing view of herself, as H shows her how desirable she is to him & her awareness of her own sexual arousal to H. Good ploy to make H pretend to be a dowdy geeky man with his loose wool clothes & thick glasses to cover up his good masculine looks to ward off women.
Sexual History:
h was devirginized by her ex-BF & slept with him only that 1 painful time (he bit her breast & did other painful things to h that was not detailed. Later we find out that ex-BF physically abused his current wife.). After her ex-BF, she dated & tried to get intimate with other men but she'd freeze up, confirming her ex-BF's accusations of her being sexually frigid. She eventually gave up dating. H is her 2nd lover. H was a manho in early college until a friend's drug-overdose & his failing college grades shook him up to become serious with his studies. It didn't stop the girls from pursuing him though so he started wearing thick glasses & then later paired them with loose & dowdy clothes, which seem to work in waring off unwanted female attention. Not sure how long he was celibate before h though. But a couple women complained to h a out H not falling into bed with them no matter their pursuit.
MEH or the BAD:
Romance was slow to develop. Book was mostly from h's POV & the rest is 3rd person. So, we see 26yo secretary h's changing perception of her boss of 2 yrs (34yo tall/geeky-dressing & forgetful computer-analyst H) as a sexless & forgetful yet smart & nice man to an attractive & decisive husband in the following weeks, after agreeing to marry him MOC-style to give his niece & nephew full-time care (since H's job meant constant travel & nannies he hired tended to quit). Didn't like that h's insecurites about her looks made her easily duped by her charming but abusive ex-BF, although understandable given that her socially-conscious mother had been haranguing her about her looks for years. Liked that h did try to move past her ex-BF's insults by dating other men in the next few years. But her self-consciousness only made intimacy attempts with them more awkward and, thus, re-confirming her view of herself as sexually frigid. Didn't like that H waited 2 years to make his move on h and that he deceived her that long about his true character. It made him seem not that interested in her.
The GOOD:
Overall romance development & character development. Some angst from h's developing awareness of her changing feelings for H. Good sexual chemistry made so from their un-verbalized emotional tension as h became more aware of H as a man & H's awareness of her new attraction to him. Liked H's patient love for h to endure her unflattering regard of him as a sexless man in the 2 years he'd wanted her and that he turned down women who pursued him. Good generalized S scenes with some foreplay details.
Good writing to turn h's bad choice with her ex-BF & her attempts to not be frigid into a major dramatic point in her romance with H & her changing view of herself, as H shows her how desirable she is to him & her awareness of her own sexual arousal to H. Good ploy to make H pretend to be a dowdy geeky man with his loose wool clothes & thick glasses to cover up his good masculine looks to ward off women.
Sexual History:
h was devirginized by her ex-BF & slept with him only that 1 painful time (he bit her breast & did other painful things to h that was not detailed. Later we find out that ex-BF physically abused his current wife.). After her ex-BF, she dated & tried to get intimate with other men but she'd freeze up, confirming her ex-BF's accusations of her being sexually frigid. She eventually gave up dating. H is her 2nd lover. H was a manho in early college until a friend's drug-overdose & his failing college grades shook him up to become serious with his studies. It didn't stop the girls from pursuing him though so he started wearing thick glasses & then later paired them with loose & dowdy clothes, which seem to work in waring off unwanted female attention. Not sure how long he was celibate before h though. But a couple women complained to h a out H not falling into bed with them no matter their pursuit.
August 15, 2023
This book was a hot mess. We'll start, I suppose, with the fact that Jordan has no idea what computers are or what anyone would do with them. Jon, our hero, is, we're assured, a "top computer man" which means he swans around the world being absent-minded and, for a Jordan hero, surprisingly beta. Sophy is his intrepid and loyal secretary. They have a marriage of convenience. So far, so good, I guess. The problem is, Jordan can't bring herself to write a non-alphahole hero, so we're basically informed that Jon is the equivalent of Clark Kent - he's just been wearing his glasses and being Clark for the last three years to the point where Sophy has no idea that Superman even exists. But when he whips off his glasses, hoo boy, he's super hot, extremely well-muscled, and has women falling all over him at all times (Sophy assumed he was asexual). If it were implied at any point that Sophy had simply been wrong - she has plenty of issues and hangups of her own, maybe she just couldn't pick up on the fact that her boss was hot? maybe he had a dating/sex life that he kept private from her? - that would have worked for me, but instead he's simply been in nerd-disguise for years and years and everyone else in Sophy's life has also been fooled.
Add in the truly ridiculous number of times over the course of the book and, of course, towards the end and the plot is a hot mess even for a Penny Jordan novel.
There were some interesting ideas here but Jordan failed on the execution, basically.
Add in the truly ridiculous number of times over the course of the book and, of course, towards the end and the plot is a hot mess even for a Penny Jordan novel.
There were some interesting ideas here but Jordan failed on the execution, basically.
September 26, 2023
Have you ever read a book where you would like to bang the main characters heads together? I mean seriously can two people be so dense to not see what the other is feeling!?
This was a really engrossing story (head banging urge not withstanding) Again a bit of communication would go a long way.
Considering the childhood the main female had, it's understandable she would have self esteem issues, but to be compounded by a hard, hurtful first boyfriend who took his inadequacies out on her, it's no surprise her self worthless in the toilet.
Our main male character did not yelp matters by putting into play a subterfuge plot to get her to marry him for his wards and not to let her know her feelings. Maybe had he join of her past he would have handled differently.
It had an HEA, but too many threads were left hanging. My bloodthirsty little heart wanted to see the main females character's parents get their cummupance especially her horrid mother. It would have been good as well to find out the consequences the devil boyfriend was given.
Nonetheless it made me cry, which is a good indication that I liked the book as it got my emotions involved.
This was a really engrossing story (head banging urge not withstanding) Again a bit of communication would go a long way.
Considering the childhood the main female had, it's understandable she would have self esteem issues, but to be compounded by a hard, hurtful first boyfriend who took his inadequacies out on her, it's no surprise her self worthless in the toilet.
Our main male character did not yelp matters by putting into play a subterfuge plot to get her to marry him for his wards and not to let her know her feelings. Maybe had he join of her past he would have handled differently.
It had an HEA, but too many threads were left hanging. My bloodthirsty little heart wanted to see the main females character's parents get their cummupance especially her horrid mother. It would have been good as well to find out the consequences the devil boyfriend was given.
Nonetheless it made me cry, which is a good indication that I liked the book as it got my emotions involved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2017
91-صعود من الهاوية
روايات عبير الجديدة
عرفت صوفي انها لم تعد تستطيع ان تستجيب لاي رجل.....بعدما فعل كريس معها منذ سنين تركها تقاسي من جرح كان هو السبب في حصوله صدقت كل ماقاله عنها ...فتاة هشة باردة !
وربما لهذا ايضا قبلت الزواج من رئيسها في العمل جوناثان فيليبس .
جوناثان كان لطيف للغاية فلم تشعر صوفي بانها مهددة حين عرض عليها الزواج لم يحصل شيء يثير قلقها الا بعد ان امضت فترة على وجودها في منزله عندما ادركت انها لا تعرف
جون ...ولا تعرف نفسها حتى !...
حزينة هي للجرح الذي تركه كريس خائفة من مشاعرها تجاه جون ...
روايات عبير الجديدة
عرفت صوفي انها لم تعد تستطيع ان تستجيب لاي رجل.....بعدما فعل كريس معها منذ سنين تركها تقاسي من جرح كان هو السبب في حصوله صدقت كل ماقاله عنها ...فتاة هشة باردة !
وربما لهذا ايضا قبلت الزواج من رئيسها في العمل جوناثان فيليبس .
جوناثان كان لطيف للغاية فلم تشعر صوفي بانها مهددة حين عرض عليها الزواج لم يحصل شيء يثير قلقها الا بعد ان امضت فترة على وجودها في منزله عندما ادركت انها لا تعرف
جون ...ولا تعرف نفسها حتى !...
حزينة هي للجرح الذي تركه كريس خائفة من مشاعرها تجاه جون ...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews