What do you think?
Rate this book
The Beads of Nemesis
Pericles Holmes had married Morag Grant as a matter of convenience, but she had lost no time in falling in love with him. Whereupon her beautiful stepsister Delia, who always got, everything she wanted, announced that she wanted Pericles!
187 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
2 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Hunter
67 books22 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Elizabeth Mary Teresa de Guise, née Hunter on 24 October 1934 in Nairobi, Kenya. She spent much of her years in Kenya and South Africa, and studied at the Open University. Her brother Alexander also wrote Western novels. After their parents' divorce, she and her sister, decided change their surname by de Guise.
Elizabeth wrote under the pseudonym of Isobel Chace, and under her real names: Elizabeth Hunter and Elizabeth de Guise. She was a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Elizabeth passed away in May 2005, at 70.
Elizabeth Mary Teresa de Guise, née Hunter on 24 October 1934 in Nairobi, Kenya. She spent much of her years in Kenya and South Africa, and studied at the Open University. Her brother Alexander also wrote Western novels. After their parents' divorce, she and her sister, decided change their surname by de Guise.
Elizabeth wrote under the pseudonym of Isobel Chace, and under her real names: Elizabeth Hunter and Elizabeth de Guise. She was a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Elizabeth passed away in May 2005, at 70.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 31, 2019
This is a charming marriage of convenience story that I enjoyed, but will not be everyone’s cuppa.
The characters:
Heroine is one of the most martyred martyrs that ever martyred in romancelandia and that’s saying something.
Hero is a half-English/half Greek widower who is smitten from their first meeting and everyone realizes it except for Mary Sue Martyr(MSM).
There is also an interesting mother-in-law to be won over, children to attend to, a trouble-making OM to fend off and a evil step-sister OW to battle. Heroine has her hands full.
The opening is promising:
Our Brit MSM is walking down a deserted in road in Greece when hero (with his twins in the back) offers her a ride. He quickly pries out her life story and buys her some beads at the shrine of the goddess Nemesis. Then he railroads the heroine into being a governess/companion to his children so they will stay out of his mother’s hair – all before the sun sets on their first meeting.
The backstory is ridiculous:
Heroine has always been a doormat, so that when her more beautiful step-sister stole her “fiancé” she generously gave them her blessing, much to her step-sis’s derision. Then step sis caused the car accident that killed the fiancé and heroine took the blame. MSM went so far as to stand trial, endure her father’s wrath, and accept her ban from driving. That’s why heroine is in Greece and walking.
The hero does try to woo the heroine:
Hero takes her to the shrine of Nemesis because he thinks she needs a bit of justice in her life, but heroine just isn’t seeing it. He proposes marriage after seeing the OM hit on the heroine one too many times. Heroine is in love with hero now, but she just doesn’t see his interest in her. Same when hero insists they marry in England and he gives the heroine a chance to lord it over her stepsister.
Hero wants the heroine to say she loves him and to fight for him, but heroine is too shy and MSMish to do this. Even after they start having sex, she still won’t make a first move or show open affection.
The hero is a jerk but he does have his reasons:
The hero is a typical arrogant 70’s hero who talks a lot about spanking, being lord of his house, expecting obedience, etc. . . but he’s been scarred by indifferent wife number one. Theirs was an arranged marriage and not a happy one. He’s expressing more complex needs than his chauvinistic dialogue expresses on the surface.
At last, heroine grows a backbone:
The impasse is broken when the OW shows up, intending to break up their marriage. Heroine finds an unexpected ally in her mother-in-law. She takes matters into her own hands and buys the OW a one way ticket home. Mom-in-law drives her to airport and OW sputters ineffectually. A very nice scene.
The hero catches up with the heroine who is walking to the shrine of Nemesis. They finally talk it out for an HEA.
This is very old skool – but also interesting in the hero trying to push the heroine into leaving her martyrdom behind her. (Or it least channel it to him)
The characters:
Heroine is one of the most martyred martyrs that ever martyred in romancelandia and that’s saying something.
Hero is a half-English/half Greek widower who is smitten from their first meeting and everyone realizes it except for Mary Sue Martyr(MSM).
There is also an interesting mother-in-law to be won over, children to attend to, a trouble-making OM to fend off and a evil step-sister OW to battle. Heroine has her hands full.
The opening is promising:
Our Brit MSM is walking down a deserted in road in Greece when hero (with his twins in the back) offers her a ride. He quickly pries out her life story and buys her some beads at the shrine of the goddess Nemesis. Then he railroads the heroine into being a governess/companion to his children so they will stay out of his mother’s hair – all before the sun sets on their first meeting.
The backstory is ridiculous:
Heroine has always been a doormat, so that when her more beautiful step-sister stole her “fiancé” she generously gave them her blessing, much to her step-sis’s derision. Then step sis caused the car accident that killed the fiancé and heroine took the blame. MSM went so far as to stand trial, endure her father’s wrath, and accept her ban from driving. That’s why heroine is in Greece and walking.
The hero does try to woo the heroine:
Hero takes her to the shrine of Nemesis because he thinks she needs a bit of justice in her life, but heroine just isn’t seeing it. He proposes marriage after seeing the OM hit on the heroine one too many times. Heroine is in love with hero now, but she just doesn’t see his interest in her. Same when hero insists they marry in England and he gives the heroine a chance to lord it over her stepsister.
Hero wants the heroine to say she loves him and to fight for him, but heroine is too shy and MSMish to do this. Even after they start having sex, she still won’t make a first move or show open affection.
The hero is a jerk but he does have his reasons:
The hero is a typical arrogant 70’s hero who talks a lot about spanking, being lord of his house, expecting obedience, etc. . . but he’s been scarred by indifferent wife number one. Theirs was an arranged marriage and not a happy one. He’s expressing more complex needs than his chauvinistic dialogue expresses on the surface.
At last, heroine grows a backbone:
The impasse is broken when the OW shows up, intending to break up their marriage. Heroine finds an unexpected ally in her mother-in-law. She takes matters into her own hands and buys the OW a one way ticket home. Mom-in-law drives her to airport and OW sputters ineffectually. A very nice scene.
The hero catches up with the heroine who is walking to the shrine of Nemesis. They finally talk it out for an HEA.
This is very old skool – but also interesting in the hero trying to push the heroine into leaving her martyrdom behind her. (Or it least channel it to him)
August 15, 2023
Ay caramba, the heroine is such a nitwit. She's a Breck girl that washed all signs of intelligence right out of her hair. The twin plot moppets are savvier than her. The jellyfish were savvier than her.
Heroine is a nincompoop martyr to her evil stepsister. Lowercase h let sis take her boyfriend, kill him in a car wreck then Braintrust took the blame. Later when the heroine is married to Pericles Holmes (half Greek- half Britishdetective) sis swans in to steal him and slaps the h. The twins do the dirty work and push evil OW in the sea. Unfortunately she doesn't drown, but does end up going home. I can only assume that Elizabeth Hunter was trying to write a heroine that takes the high road, but give me the low road any time.
The best that can be said is that the dreaded phrase "pillow friend" is not used.
P.S.
If you want to read a martyred and misunderstood vintage heroine, Ishbel's Party is a much better one.
Heroine is a nincompoop martyr to her evil stepsister. Lowercase h let sis take her boyfriend, kill him in a car wreck then Braintrust took the blame. Later when the heroine is married to Pericles Holmes (half Greek- half British
The best that can be said is that the dreaded phrase "pillow friend" is not used.
P.S.
If you want to read a martyred and misunderstood vintage heroine, Ishbel's Party is a much better one.
January 22, 2017
This was my very first Marriage of Convenience. Also one of my very first Mills & Boons read in 1976. I've always remembered it and when I started collecting my vintage romance paperbacks it was one I particularly wanted to find.
Morag Grant is on her lonesome touring Greece when she meets Professor of Antiquities, Pericles Holmes and his twins, Kimon and Peggy. He immediately scoops her up and carries her home, disapproving of a young woman travelling alone.
Our heroine is recovering from losing her fiance, first to her selfish,shallow but pretty step-sister and then in a car accident. Delia was drunk when she crashed the car and persuaded Morag to take her place costing her reputation and her licence.
Widower Pericles is half Greek and his first marriage was an arranged marriage to a woman who thought she was in love with someone else. He is an alpha hero but not an alpha jerk. Even though we don't get to see his point of view we can see he is a gentle and thoughtful man who suffered through his first marriage.
When he asks Morag to marry him, he clearly wants her to love him but she is shy and lacks self-esteem because of her sister and assumes he wants her as a glorified governess for his children.
It takes the advent of Delia, clearly in man-catcher mode, to wake Morag up to the need to assert herself and fight for what she wants. I really loved this story and have love MOC stories ever since.
Morag Grant is on her lonesome touring Greece when she meets Professor of Antiquities, Pericles Holmes and his twins, Kimon and Peggy. He immediately scoops her up and carries her home, disapproving of a young woman travelling alone.
Our heroine is recovering from losing her fiance, first to her selfish,shallow but pretty step-sister and then in a car accident. Delia was drunk when she crashed the car and persuaded Morag to take her place costing her reputation and her licence.
Widower Pericles is half Greek and his first marriage was an arranged marriage to a woman who thought she was in love with someone else. He is an alpha hero but not an alpha jerk. Even though we don't get to see his point of view we can see he is a gentle and thoughtful man who suffered through his first marriage.
When he asks Morag to marry him, he clearly wants her to love him but she is shy and lacks self-esteem because of her sister and assumes he wants her as a glorified governess for his children.
It takes the advent of Delia, clearly in man-catcher mode, to wake Morag up to the need to assert herself and fight for what she wants. I really loved this story and have love MOC stories ever since.
February 15, 2020
I was more confused than the heroine. It wasn't horrible. The plot was fun, but I had issues with the writing.
May 18, 2022
Terribly sexist and misogynistic and yet still endearingly heart-warming if you like love stories set in the 70s in Greece. Apparently I do now.
June 4, 2022
I didn't like how the H forced the h into building confidence. She was obviously shy and reserved and he thought forcing her to deal with hated OW would make her bold. I felt bad for her.
June 26, 2022
It sounds promising, an MOC, my favorite type of plot, but I cannot get into it. Book has been next to me for six months and I’ve skipped around, read it all but I cannot read more than a couple pages and not sequentially. She is the complete doormat, to the point of creepiness.
This is set in a Greece where a few years before the story begins the Hks father forced his wife to stop painting and destroy her existing paintings because she painted better than he and no one thought it wrong. That arrogant chauvinism is nothing but a weak, needy character. Our H isn’t quite this bad.
This is set in a Greece where a few years before the story begins the Hks father forced his wife to stop painting and destroy her existing paintings because she painted better than he and no one thought it wrong. That arrogant chauvinism is nothing but a weak, needy character. Our H isn’t quite this bad.
July 24, 2025
The trouble with vintage Harlequins is that so often the heroines are stammering, naive, brainless nitwits (and the heros are unpleasant, toxic alphas like the one in this story, who treated his wife with cruelty and malice). Not sure I've come across a FMC as dimwitted as Morag the Spiritless Martyr, who was so timid and exasperating that she sucked any enjoyment out of this story.
November 18, 2021
Too much speed to marriage from which I couldn’t recover.
Read
November 7, 2025....Pericles and Morag?
Really scraping the bottom of the Character Name barrel in this one lol.
Really scraping the bottom of the Character Name barrel in this one lol.
September 22, 2023
Not funny funny but dramatically funny!
March 7, 2024
What even was this. The characters were so unlikeable and their personalities changed each page, everything moved way too quickly (I know it’s a short book but other Mills&Boons have done it so much better). The only redeeming factor was the setting and some of the description.
Read
October 13, 2018Great book
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews