Return to Deepwater

by Lucy Gillen

Tarin had always dreamed of going back to Deepwater, where she had been happy as a child. Perhaps she had dreamed of once more meeting tier childhood hero, Darrel Bruce.

Now she was going back, but as Darrel's secretary -- did that necessarily mean that her dreams would come true?

Genres: Harlequin Romance, Harlequin

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable. It's a sweet romance set in Scotland between the lord of the manor (now a hotel) hero and his new secretary who used to have a crush on him back in the day. When the author described the hero, I was immediately taken with him and I finally clued in about chapter three. Good heavens this is brown-eyed Jamie Fraser before Jamie Fraser was a gleam in Diana Gabaldon's eye. His personality isn't Jamie's unless you count that mix of strength and tenderness, a strong sense of honor, and an attraction to a "fighting" heroine.


The story opens with the heroine contemplating her interview with the hero the next day. She has traveled from Surrey and is staying with her widowed uncle, the only one of the family who stayed in the small village in Scotland. She had spent all of her childhood summers in this village and she remembers the hero with great fondness. Her uncle reminds her that the families have had a feud for two hundred years, ever since the hero's ancestor kidnapped the heroine's ancestor and made her his wife. Heroine dismisses this as nonsense. There's no reason she can't have a working relationship with the hero.

Their interview takes place with the hero on horseback and the heroine in the middle of the road, almost causing him to be unseated. He quickly figures out who she is (after some harsh words) and tells her to report the next day. She wants to give him references, etc. . . But he dismisses that - saying her family has always been known for "being honest." This pleases the heroine's uncle and makes continuing the feud less plausible.

However, the heroine hides behind the feud and her professional demeanor to hide her attraction. Hero feels it, too and pushes her many times until she comes back fighting, with her eyes flashing and a smart reply. Their situation is further complicated with the introduction of the OW, a rich American who has an interest in the hotel, and her brother, who has an interest in the heroine.

Their workplace relationship is deepened with the hero shows up on the weekend at her uncle's house, wanting to see him about water pumps. The heroine is baking and is so flustered that she grabs the burnt cake with her bare hands. Hero quickly takes her to the doctor and takes care of her.
She is even more flustered by his kindness than his bantering.

She can't do any office work until her hands heal, so she takes lots of long walks. She runs into OM who is on horseback. Then hero and OW show up (also on horseback). Hero offers to teach her to ride, as does OM. Heroine feels cornered. She wants to have the hero teach her, but she chooses the OM and immediately regrets it.

OM pressures her to go riding on her first day back at the office, heroine is trying to get out of it, by saying she doesn't have a horse and couldn't borrow one from her employer. OM says hero would let her since she's a pretty girl. Heroine doesn't have the confidence to ask, but hero brings it up. Now she feels ashamed she using his horse when he wanted to teach her. Hero can't believe she thinks him that ungenerous. They end their conversation with some lovely kissing (not punishing - lovely), which is interrupted by the OW, who is outraged. Heroine is ashamed because she's kissing someone who isn't free. OW slaps her and heroine runs off, but not before telling hero she's quitting.

Heroine doesn't get the riding lesson, because the OM cancels on her. She thinks hero is behind it. The next day she goes to work and the OM tells her that the hero has to marry the OW because their family loaned the hero a lot of money and the only way he can repay it is to join the family. Heroine doesn't believe it because she's seen all these letters from accounting firms and knows he has other investments besides the hotel. She defends hero.

Hero wants to know what OM was talking about and she finds herself telling him what the OM said. Hero is offended that she thought he would stoop so low. And btw, he's not going out with the OW. Heroine realizes her mistake, but can't make him listen. She mopes around all weekend and finally tells her uncle what she did. He tells her to suck it up and apologize, but she doesn't think the hero wants anything to do with her.

She does go into work on Monday and sorts the mail, putting two accounting firm letters on the hero's desk. Then the OM lures her away while his sister steals the letters. The hero is furious because he didn't want them to know he was paying off the loan until the last minute (seems they were interested in him defaulting so they could get their hands on the manor).

Now heroine is wracked with guilt and she goes home as the hero works the phones to have his money transferred. When her uncle returns late, he tells her he's been talking to the hero and she should go to him. Heroine is afraid to since she messed everything up for him. Hero shows up and demands to see heroine. She says no, so he climbs through the window and puts her over one shoulder, reliving the ancient kidnapping. He owns the manor outright now and he needs a wife -same as his ancestor. I love yous. HEA.

This is a low angst story unless you count the heroine feeling like she's disappointing the hero and herself by trying to run away from her feelings. He is obviously attracted to her, likes to banter with her, but is concerned when her feelings (or hands) are hurt. She *is* honest - and honestly flustered with her strong feelings. There were a lot of places where she could have lied to make life easier, but for the most part she doesn't because she holds herself to high standards.

What I liked about their interactions was the high level of sexual tension that was so artfully written there wasn't a hardening nipple or a tightening groin in sight. The feud, along with the descriptions of the manor house and all the family portraits added to the romance - so that I didn't mind the missing angst. This is a good one if you are the mood for a nice story and a hot hero.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this book, apart from jumping to the very end to check what happened. I dislike romances where the heroine chases the hero. The heroine in this book apparently decided to apply for a job with someone because she used to be infatuated with him, despite the two families having some bad blood between them.

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Available on Open Library.

The heroine Tarin had crush on the Hero Darell since childhood. She goes back to Scotland to work for him since she is intrigued to see him as an adult woman.

There is a backstory about his ancestors kidnapping one of her female ancestors to take as a bride, so there is a bit of a feud between both families.

It’s a sweet story, the Hero is clearly attracted to the heroine, and makes many references to his ancestor getting it right, by carting off his bride. There is some OW action, and in fact this story lost a star since, at one point the OW slapped the heroine when she found the H and h kissing in the office, but the Hero never defended the heroine from the OW. In fact this incident is not cleared up even at the end. Why did he allow the OW to treat the heroine, or any employee in that manner?

There is some tension because it seems the H owes the family of the OW money and he might lose his home, which is now a hotel. Anyway it is resolved at the end and he pays back the OW, so she has no hold over him. He proposes to the heroine and all is well and it ends there. So abrup! It really could have been so much better.

[Ellyn (Mrs. Darcy in my Dreams) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seemed to have a lot of needless arguing. It needed more plot!

[Lynn Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyable read and characters