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Tiger's Tale
Was it only fate -- or true fortune?
When Candy told Marshall Scott's fortune at the village fete, she found the famous photographer bewitchingly handsome but infuriatingly arrogant--and enigmatic, too.
She'd lightheartedly predicted a romance in his future--but it wasn't until she'd had to knock on his door in an emergency that she'd ever imagined the prediction might involve her. She'd assumed there was another woman.
Now Marshall was asking for her help on an assignment--and although the sparks between them really flew, Candy wasn't sure if she was ready for the fire....
When Candy told Marshall Scott's fortune at the village fete, she found the famous photographer bewitchingly handsome but infuriatingly arrogant--and enigmatic, too.
She'd lightheartedly predicted a romance in his future--but it wasn't until she'd had to knock on his door in an emergency that she'd ever imagined the prediction might involve her. She'd assumed there was another woman.
Now Marshall was asking for her help on an assignment--and although the sparks between them really flew, Candy wasn't sure if she was ready for the fire....
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1990
12 people want to read
About the author
Sally Cook
82 books4 followersaka Susan Curran
Susan Griffin was born on 14 May 1952 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, daugther of Maureen McGinnity and Norman Griffin. She obtained a Bachelor in English at University Sussex on 1973. On 1976, she married Tim Curran, and they divorced on 1980. On 1980, she remarried Ray Curnow, and they divorced on 1988. On 1997, she remarried Paul Frederick Simmonds, and they live between in central Norwich, England and in the Loire valley, France. She has two children: Rufus and Evan.
She is a professional writer since 1979, and has since written or co-written more than 30 published books, including a wide range of non-fiction books and novels for Collins and Constable, she also wrote under the pseudonym of Sally Cook for Mills & Boon. She researches the life of real people to her novels, and now also to write biographies. During the course of her researches she visited many of the places in both England and France.
In the 1990s Susan set up with a group of writer friends and ran a small fiction publisher, Rampant Horse. Since 1997 she has run Curran Publishing Services Ltd, www.curranpublishing.com, which specializes in preparing mostly non-fiction books for press under subcontract from major publishers. In this capacity she has copy edited, typeset and indexed hundreds of books. For eight years until 2009, CPS had its offices in a redundant medieval church in Norwich, St Mary Coslany. Susan has been also a trustee of the Norwich Historic Churches Trust, which oversees many of Norwich’s redundant churches, since the early 1990s.
Susan Griffin was born on 14 May 1952 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, daugther of Maureen McGinnity and Norman Griffin. She obtained a Bachelor in English at University Sussex on 1973. On 1976, she married Tim Curran, and they divorced on 1980. On 1980, she remarried Ray Curnow, and they divorced on 1988. On 1997, she remarried Paul Frederick Simmonds, and they live between in central Norwich, England and in the Loire valley, France. She has two children: Rufus and Evan.
She is a professional writer since 1979, and has since written or co-written more than 30 published books, including a wide range of non-fiction books and novels for Collins and Constable, she also wrote under the pseudonym of Sally Cook for Mills & Boon. She researches the life of real people to her novels, and now also to write biographies. During the course of her researches she visited many of the places in both England and France.
In the 1990s Susan set up with a group of writer friends and ran a small fiction publisher, Rampant Horse. Since 1997 she has run Curran Publishing Services Ltd, www.curranpublishing.com, which specializes in preparing mostly non-fiction books for press under subcontract from major publishers. In this capacity she has copy edited, typeset and indexed hundreds of books. For eight years until 2009, CPS had its offices in a redundant medieval church in Norwich, St Mary Coslany. Susan has been also a trustee of the Norwich Historic Churches Trust, which oversees many of Norwich’s redundant churches, since the early 1990s.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 16, 2017
RE Tiger's Tale - Sally Cook's book has the distinction of the title being misspelled on the cover - the title is actually Tiger's Tail, a reference to a particular line in the I Ching, the Chinese book of divination. As in 'when you trod upon a tiger's tail, tread lightly.' But someone must have been asleep at the printers cause the cover reads tale, as in story. So I spent a remarkable amount of time wading through the minutiae of an h refurbishing her cottage, waiting for a big tiger to pop up and start telling his life story.
It never happens, the h is a school teacher newly arrived from London and refurbishing a dilapidated cottage that is her first purchased home. The h is fleeing London and coping with a shattered self image that was caused when her demanding boyfriend of a year dumped her for a hot blonde, but not before tearing down the h's looks and manners and making her feel ugly and bad about her lack of beauty. The h's sister lives in the village and let her know when a position opened up for a nursery class teacher and now the h is moving on into hopefully a better life.
Not a lot occurs during this story. Besides the h doing a bunch of home improvements. Unfortunately SC doesn't go into detail on things like assembling and hanging cabinets and tiling floors and laying carpet, so I was a bit disappointed. If I don't find an HP romantic, I hope to find it handy and I can always use tips on repairing and installing things from all the damages caused by throwing items during unsatisfactory HPlandia outings. That did not happen here, so as a home improvement guide it was a bust.
The I Ching gets a look-in here too, and again we don't get enough information on it to really grasp how to use it. Instead the I Ching becomes the hook to reel us into the story when the h first meets the H at the local village fete. The h was told that she needed to help out and she came up with doing an Oracle booth and giving I Ching readings. The H is coerced into having one by a lady the h assumes is his girlfriend. The H does the reading, even tho he thinks fortunetelling is silly and he never tells the h his question.
The h, who is a firm believer in the I Ching, interprets his hexagram and tells him the I Ching predicts he will be married soon and that the I Ching thinks he shouldn't be so quick to dismiss it's advice. The H is astonished and the h knows it was an accurate answer to the H's question, even tho she doesn't know what his question was.
She figures the tall glamorous blonde lady is the very handsome H's girlfriend and that she is pushing for marriage. The h has a sad little sigh that such a fantastic looking guy would never look her way, as she is a bit of a plain Jane, and then she has to contend with her new school's headmistress making comments about the unsuitability of a teacher doing a fortune telling booth.
The h thinks the H complained about her, but she has other worries and puts it out of her mind. The h is rebuilding her kitchen and while installing cabinets, she breaks a pipe and floods herself out. The plumber is up at the H's grand estate House and the h runs up there to steal his plumber. The H and h have a few words and the h is a filthy soaked mess, but the plumber comes and fixes her pipe and then takes himself off for several days.
The h needs the plumber to come back, she only has a limited amount of time before the school term starts and she needs a working kitchen by then. She thinks the H is keeping her plumber from her, so she goes to the H's house to get him.
The plumber isn't there, but the H, who is a famous photographer, needs a model for a bubble bath ad he is doing. The h agrees to help him out cause he will pay her and she needs a new couch and after he does her make up and she looks fabulous, they spend the afternoon taking pictures. There is a kiss from the H and the h is swoony, then she remembers that he has a girlfriend and warns herself off. Eventually the plumber returns from the mists of HPlandia and the h gets her kitchen finished. A month goes by with the h doing school teacher things and mooning about the H.
The h's sister sets her up with some local bank guy, but the h isn't that interested. Bank guy knows everyone in the area tho and she figures she will go out with the guy a few times to meet the local crowd. He takes her to a party and the H is there with the tall blonde lady from the fete. The h is jealous and hurt that he kissed her and then went back to his girlfriend, so she makes a big joke out the H's working method to photograph things and the H doesn't like it. Tho everyone else thinks it is just an amusing story, the h can tell the H doesn't like people making fun of his work and he retaliates nicely by letting the h know that the ad agency rejected her pictures.
The next day the H shows up to apologize for breaking the news about the ad pictures like that and invites the h to his house to see the painting that inspired the photo shoot. The h is hanging wallpaper and can't leave until it is done, so the H helps her with it instead. There is another kissing moment and the h has to warn herself about the H again.
A few days later she goes to the H's house to see his painting and we get a little bit of Scandinavian naturalist paintings, tho SC does fudge the details of Richard Bergh's Nordic Summer Evening a bit. (They did not have googles back in the day, so if you have never seen the painting, you wouldn't know the difference.)
The H then asks the h to look around his house and help him with decorating idears. Things heat up when the H tells the h he thinks he is falling in love with her and there is a big roofie kissing moment until the h runs off, cause she still thinks he has a girlfriend. The H has to go out of town for photo work for the next several weeks and the h goes out with the Bank guy until she realizes that he is interested in being more than friends. She feels a tiny bit bad for leading him on, but by now she is in love with the H. It is almost Christmas and time for the school's big nativity play.
The h is told that the old owner of the H's house would let the play happen there and so the h asks the H's housekeeper if it is okay. She says yes and the h and 100 students are butchering Silent Night when the H comes home and has a terrible fit. (I did not blame him, I would freak out too if a bunch of little kids where handling my original pricey artwork and their parents were just wandering willy nilly through my house.) The h and H get into a big shouting match and the h and all the students and PTA moms leave. Later the H calls the h and tells her that it is okay to have the Nativity Play at his house. The play is a huge success and the H shows up at the h's house a few days later.
He tells the h he loves her and the h explains about Banker Guy, cause the H thought they were serious, and then the h explains about her ex and how he made her feel ugly. The h and H have a big lurve mojo moment finally and the h blocks the thought of his girlfriend out of her mind.
The H has to travel again and won't be back until after the holidays. While he is gone the h hears that the woman she thinks is the H's girlfriend has gotten engaged and she assumes it was the H who proposed on Christmas Day, right after leaving her cottage and the big night of lurve. She also finds out that the H had an abusive father who burned all his photo's and did not want him to be a photographer. His mother drank too much after the H left home and it was only the news that his parent's had died in car crash that brought the H back his hometown. The h realizes that the H has always felt like an outsider in his own home and that he is trying to fit back in.
She is sad about how little she knows about the H, but still when he calls after he returns from his trip, she blows him off cause she thinks he is engaged. Then she has supper with the woman who she thinks the H is marrying and finds out that it isn't the H at all. The lady's boyfriend works in London in finance and they have been dating forever and he proposed on Christmas Day.
The h realizes she has been assuming way too much because of her insecurities over tall blonde women and that she doesn't look like the back end of a mule and she needs to grow up. She goes to the H and explains what she thought and apologizes for being an airhead and declares her love for the H.
The H is very forgiving, he loves her too, but he saw his parent's unhappy marriage and he wasn't willing to try relationships cause they all seem to go badly. Then he met the h and he seems to be fitting in to village life and the h finally loves him back. They resolve to marry and tell each other things and share and the h vows never to use the I Ching again, tho she does pester the H to tell her what question he asked. But the H swears he will never tell, cause the h might be shocked at how accurate the I Ching was. The h is okay with that and they proceed to lurved up bliss together for the big HPlandia rosy glow HEA.
I thought the h in this one was a bit too self involved in her own biases for most of the book. It got in the way of ever really getting a read on the H. He seemed like a very nice man, but he did not have much of a presence as the h was so busy putting her own interpretation on things to ever really find out anything pertinent about the H.
They spend so much time apart and the h never really asked him anything about himself, so it was kinda hard to see what they loved about each other. Really the only thing that saves it at the end is the h does a very nice apology and realizes that she has been an utter fool for the entire book. The H's declaration was really sweet, but still HEA sweetness aside, it was another day at the HP office and probably not one to hunt down for an HPlandia outing.
It never happens, the h is a school teacher newly arrived from London and refurbishing a dilapidated cottage that is her first purchased home. The h is fleeing London and coping with a shattered self image that was caused when her demanding boyfriend of a year dumped her for a hot blonde, but not before tearing down the h's looks and manners and making her feel ugly and bad about her lack of beauty. The h's sister lives in the village and let her know when a position opened up for a nursery class teacher and now the h is moving on into hopefully a better life.
Not a lot occurs during this story. Besides the h doing a bunch of home improvements. Unfortunately SC doesn't go into detail on things like assembling and hanging cabinets and tiling floors and laying carpet, so I was a bit disappointed. If I don't find an HP romantic, I hope to find it handy and I can always use tips on repairing and installing things from all the damages caused by throwing items during unsatisfactory HPlandia outings. That did not happen here, so as a home improvement guide it was a bust.
The I Ching gets a look-in here too, and again we don't get enough information on it to really grasp how to use it. Instead the I Ching becomes the hook to reel us into the story when the h first meets the H at the local village fete. The h was told that she needed to help out and she came up with doing an Oracle booth and giving I Ching readings. The H is coerced into having one by a lady the h assumes is his girlfriend. The H does the reading, even tho he thinks fortunetelling is silly and he never tells the h his question.
The h, who is a firm believer in the I Ching, interprets his hexagram and tells him the I Ching predicts he will be married soon and that the I Ching thinks he shouldn't be so quick to dismiss it's advice. The H is astonished and the h knows it was an accurate answer to the H's question, even tho she doesn't know what his question was.
She figures the tall glamorous blonde lady is the very handsome H's girlfriend and that she is pushing for marriage. The h has a sad little sigh that such a fantastic looking guy would never look her way, as she is a bit of a plain Jane, and then she has to contend with her new school's headmistress making comments about the unsuitability of a teacher doing a fortune telling booth.
The h thinks the H complained about her, but she has other worries and puts it out of her mind. The h is rebuilding her kitchen and while installing cabinets, she breaks a pipe and floods herself out. The plumber is up at the H's grand estate House and the h runs up there to steal his plumber. The H and h have a few words and the h is a filthy soaked mess, but the plumber comes and fixes her pipe and then takes himself off for several days.
The h needs the plumber to come back, she only has a limited amount of time before the school term starts and she needs a working kitchen by then. She thinks the H is keeping her plumber from her, so she goes to the H's house to get him.
The plumber isn't there, but the H, who is a famous photographer, needs a model for a bubble bath ad he is doing. The h agrees to help him out cause he will pay her and she needs a new couch and after he does her make up and she looks fabulous, they spend the afternoon taking pictures. There is a kiss from the H and the h is swoony, then she remembers that he has a girlfriend and warns herself off. Eventually the plumber returns from the mists of HPlandia and the h gets her kitchen finished. A month goes by with the h doing school teacher things and mooning about the H.
The h's sister sets her up with some local bank guy, but the h isn't that interested. Bank guy knows everyone in the area tho and she figures she will go out with the guy a few times to meet the local crowd. He takes her to a party and the H is there with the tall blonde lady from the fete. The h is jealous and hurt that he kissed her and then went back to his girlfriend, so she makes a big joke out the H's working method to photograph things and the H doesn't like it. Tho everyone else thinks it is just an amusing story, the h can tell the H doesn't like people making fun of his work and he retaliates nicely by letting the h know that the ad agency rejected her pictures.
The next day the H shows up to apologize for breaking the news about the ad pictures like that and invites the h to his house to see the painting that inspired the photo shoot. The h is hanging wallpaper and can't leave until it is done, so the H helps her with it instead. There is another kissing moment and the h has to warn herself about the H again.
A few days later she goes to the H's house to see his painting and we get a little bit of Scandinavian naturalist paintings, tho SC does fudge the details of Richard Bergh's Nordic Summer Evening a bit. (They did not have googles back in the day, so if you have never seen the painting, you wouldn't know the difference.)
The H then asks the h to look around his house and help him with decorating idears. Things heat up when the H tells the h he thinks he is falling in love with her and there is a big roofie kissing moment until the h runs off, cause she still thinks he has a girlfriend. The H has to go out of town for photo work for the next several weeks and the h goes out with the Bank guy until she realizes that he is interested in being more than friends. She feels a tiny bit bad for leading him on, but by now she is in love with the H. It is almost Christmas and time for the school's big nativity play.
The h is told that the old owner of the H's house would let the play happen there and so the h asks the H's housekeeper if it is okay. She says yes and the h and 100 students are butchering Silent Night when the H comes home and has a terrible fit. (I did not blame him, I would freak out too if a bunch of little kids where handling my original pricey artwork and their parents were just wandering willy nilly through my house.) The h and H get into a big shouting match and the h and all the students and PTA moms leave. Later the H calls the h and tells her that it is okay to have the Nativity Play at his house. The play is a huge success and the H shows up at the h's house a few days later.
He tells the h he loves her and the h explains about Banker Guy, cause the H thought they were serious, and then the h explains about her ex and how he made her feel ugly. The h and H have a big lurve mojo moment finally and the h blocks the thought of his girlfriend out of her mind.
The H has to travel again and won't be back until after the holidays. While he is gone the h hears that the woman she thinks is the H's girlfriend has gotten engaged and she assumes it was the H who proposed on Christmas Day, right after leaving her cottage and the big night of lurve. She also finds out that the H had an abusive father who burned all his photo's and did not want him to be a photographer. His mother drank too much after the H left home and it was only the news that his parent's had died in car crash that brought the H back his hometown. The h realizes that the H has always felt like an outsider in his own home and that he is trying to fit back in.
She is sad about how little she knows about the H, but still when he calls after he returns from his trip, she blows him off cause she thinks he is engaged. Then she has supper with the woman who she thinks the H is marrying and finds out that it isn't the H at all. The lady's boyfriend works in London in finance and they have been dating forever and he proposed on Christmas Day.
The h realizes she has been assuming way too much because of her insecurities over tall blonde women and that she doesn't look like the back end of a mule and she needs to grow up. She goes to the H and explains what she thought and apologizes for being an airhead and declares her love for the H.
The H is very forgiving, he loves her too, but he saw his parent's unhappy marriage and he wasn't willing to try relationships cause they all seem to go badly. Then he met the h and he seems to be fitting in to village life and the h finally loves him back. They resolve to marry and tell each other things and share and the h vows never to use the I Ching again, tho she does pester the H to tell her what question he asked. But the H swears he will never tell, cause the h might be shocked at how accurate the I Ching was. The h is okay with that and they proceed to lurved up bliss together for the big HPlandia rosy glow HEA.
I thought the h in this one was a bit too self involved in her own biases for most of the book. It got in the way of ever really getting a read on the H. He seemed like a very nice man, but he did not have much of a presence as the h was so busy putting her own interpretation on things to ever really find out anything pertinent about the H.
They spend so much time apart and the h never really asked him anything about himself, so it was kinda hard to see what they loved about each other. Really the only thing that saves it at the end is the h does a very nice apology and realizes that she has been an utter fool for the entire book. The H's declaration was really sweet, but still HEA sweetness aside, it was another day at the HP office and probably not one to hunt down for an HPlandia outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2015
Not bad. Decent story ok characters
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews