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Expectant Mistress
Mistress...and mother!
Trish's body still tingled at the memory of her time with Adam four years ago, but he'd seemed more interested in dating glamorous women than settling down! Trish had vowed to forget him—until, gorgeously irresistible as ever, he appeared on her doorstep insisting it was Trish he really wanted....
Surely this time Adam was here to stay? The passion between them was as thrilling as Trish remembered. But then a fax arrived from his "fiancee"—just as Trish was about to announce she was carrying Adam's baby!
She's sexy, she's successful...and she's PREGNANT!
Trish's body still tingled at the memory of her time with Adam four years ago, but he'd seemed more interested in dating glamorous women than settling down! Trish had vowed to forget him—until, gorgeously irresistible as ever, he appeared on her doorstep insisting it was Trish he really wanted....
Surely this time Adam was here to stay? The passion between them was as thrilling as Trish remembered. But then a fax arrived from his "fiancee"—just as Trish was about to announce she was carrying Adam's baby!
She's sexy, she's successful...and she's PREGNANT!
Paperback
First published June 1, 1998
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64 people want to read
About the author
Sara Wood
254 books34 followersSara Wood was born in England. She has wonderful memories of her childhood. Her parents were desperately poor but their devotion to family life gave her a feeling of great security. Sara's father was one of four fostered children and never knew his parents, hence his joy with his own family. Birthday parties were sensational her father would perform brilliantly as a Chinese magician or a clown or invent hilarious games and treasure hunts. From him she learnt that working hard brought many rewards, especially self-respect. During her degree course she met her husband, a kind, thoughtful, attentive man who is her friend and soulmate. At 21, she married and had her first son at 22. Now she has another three children. She loved teaching in Sussex which she did for twelve years.
Her switch into writing came about in a peculiar way. Richie, her elder son, had always been nuts about natural history and had a huge collection of animal skulls. At the age of fifteen he decided he'd write an information book about collecting. Heinemann and Pan, prestigious publishers, eagerly fell on the book and when it was published it won the famous Times Information Book award. Interviews, TV and magazine articles followed. Encouraged by his success, she thought she could write too and had several information books for children published. Then she saw Charlotte Lamb being wined and dined by Mills & Boon on a television programme and decided she could do Charlotte's job! But she'd rarely read fiction before, so she bought twenty books and analysed them carefully, then wrote one of her own. Amazingly it was accepted and she began writing full time.
Sara and her husband moved to a small country estate in Cornwall which was a paradise. Her sons visited often; Richie being married to Heidi and with two daughters; Simon rushing in after some danger- filled action in Alaska or Hawaii etc, protecting the environment with Greenpeace. Sara qualified as a homeopath, caring for the health of her family and friends. But Paradise is always fleeting. Sara's husband became seriously ill and it was clear that they had to move somewhere less demanding on time and effort. After a nightmare year of worrying about him, nursing and watching him like a hawk, she was relieved when they'd sold up and moved back to Sussex. Their current house is large and thatched and sits in the pretty rolling downs with wonderful walks and views all around. They live nearer to the boys (men!) and see them often. Richie and Heidi are expecting another baby, Simon has a baby son and a new, dangerous, passion flinging himself off mountains (paragliding). The three hills nearby frequently entice him down. She adores seeing her family (mother, mother-in-law too) around the table at Christmas. Sara feels fortunate that although she's had tough times and has sometimes been desperately unhappy, she is now surrounded by love and feels she can weather any storm to come.
Her switch into writing came about in a peculiar way. Richie, her elder son, had always been nuts about natural history and had a huge collection of animal skulls. At the age of fifteen he decided he'd write an information book about collecting. Heinemann and Pan, prestigious publishers, eagerly fell on the book and when it was published it won the famous Times Information Book award. Interviews, TV and magazine articles followed. Encouraged by his success, she thought she could write too and had several information books for children published. Then she saw Charlotte Lamb being wined and dined by Mills & Boon on a television programme and decided she could do Charlotte's job! But she'd rarely read fiction before, so she bought twenty books and analysed them carefully, then wrote one of her own. Amazingly it was accepted and she began writing full time.
Sara and her husband moved to a small country estate in Cornwall which was a paradise. Her sons visited often; Richie being married to Heidi and with two daughters; Simon rushing in after some danger- filled action in Alaska or Hawaii etc, protecting the environment with Greenpeace. Sara qualified as a homeopath, caring for the health of her family and friends. But Paradise is always fleeting. Sara's husband became seriously ill and it was clear that they had to move somewhere less demanding on time and effort. After a nightmare year of worrying about him, nursing and watching him like a hawk, she was relieved when they'd sold up and moved back to Sussex. Their current house is large and thatched and sits in the pretty rolling downs with wonderful walks and views all around. They live nearer to the boys (men!) and see them often. Richie and Heidi are expecting another baby, Simon has a baby son and a new, dangerous, passion flinging himself off mountains (paragliding). The three hills nearby frequently entice him down. She adores seeing her family (mother, mother-in-law too) around the table at Christmas. Sara feels fortunate that although she's had tough times and has sometimes been desperately unhappy, she is now surrounded by love and feels she can weather any storm to come.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 11, 2019
Re Expectant Mistress - Sara Wood gets a slot in the Expecting series and provides another opportunity to wince over an utter trainwreck of an HP outing.
This is typical messy, disjointed Sara Woods, but this time she takes us to Bryher, a tiny little island that is part of the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall. The book descriptions of Bryher are very accurate, right down to the Fraggle Rock bar, and since only about 80 people live there in real life, things don't seem to change too much.
As for the rest of this mess, I am holding my nose and writing the quickest spoilerization I can, because sometimes SW just gets too squicky with it.
The h is 22 and the H is 38 when the story starts and the h is attending the engagement party of the H to another woman.
The backstory on this is that when the H was 16, he and his twin brother had to go into foster care. His brother got ill with meningitis and died as the H was rushing him to the hospital, after stealing his foster families' car because they did not believe the H's twin was that ill.
This led to the 17 yr old H being put into counseling with a woman therapist who was ten years older than him. Because this is SW's HPlandia, when the H turned 18, he married his counselor - ostensibly because the woman needed childcare for her three year old daughter. But since the H and his wife have a baby boy approximately 9 months later, I let you draw your own conclusions about that.
Years later the 16 yr old h shows up to board with the H's wife and himself. The wife is dying of cancer and the h is there because Bryher island is tiny and has no advanced career schools. Everyone likes the h, who the SW favorite fiery nature child type.
There is a roofie kiss between the h and H when his wife finally passes, the h is ashamed of being practically assaulted by a guy whose wife just died and leaves to return to her island.
When the story starts, the H decides that even tho he is engaged and looking forward to marriage with his beautiful business partner, he still has a yen for the h. So he is going to force himself upon her and when she rejects him, he will be cured of his longing for her.
The H shows up at her guesthouse home she runs on Bryher, since the h is also very into holistic healing, we get some great travelogue and a bit of herbalism. There is the usual SW back and forth and personality flips, but the salient points are:
the H puts the lurve mojo moves on the h, she leaps on it, they have a purple passion event, the h gets preggers and then the H's fiancee telegraphs the h, to her mortification and shock.
The h apparently thought that the H had gotten unengaged before he showed up for a romp, but the telegraph the fiancee sends seems to prove that line of thinking was wrong. The h has a mopey moment and the H pov is that he is entranced by the h, but we don't know if he is serious about the h or not.
There is more living on a tiny island stuff and the h and H have more misunderstandings. These are randomly brought up at various times and include the h being preggers, the H moving to the island permanently and running his business from there and the H's penchant to be on intimate terms with a variety of women who stumble into his life.
Supposedly the H is thrilled about the h having his baby, he buys a farm right next door to the h's guest house on the island from a retiring couple and helps the h's stuttering female helper learn to breath. The H also claims he isn't engaged to his business partner anymore and has to buy her out.
After many, many scenes and tantrums and some outdoor lurve club events, the H and h decide they need to get hitched, after the H explains that he can't say he loves the h out loud since his brother died, and that is also the reason he has to be emotionally unavailable.
That half hearted lurve declaration is good enough for the h, so she calls it a win and agrees to marry him and we close the book on another SW sorta HEA.
I was utterly squicked out by this one, it felt like a continuing cycle of creepy grooming and the whole thing with the H and his first wife just really, really creeped me out.
Still, I am very biased about Sara Wood and this one is a bit more coherent than her other ones, plus we do get more H pov and the island travelogue was interesting. So it might be worth a read, but I am just not feeling the lurve on this HP outing.
This is typical messy, disjointed Sara Woods, but this time she takes us to Bryher, a tiny little island that is part of the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall. The book descriptions of Bryher are very accurate, right down to the Fraggle Rock bar, and since only about 80 people live there in real life, things don't seem to change too much.
As for the rest of this mess, I am holding my nose and writing the quickest spoilerization I can, because sometimes SW just gets too squicky with it.
The h is 22 and the H is 38 when the story starts and the h is attending the engagement party of the H to another woman.
The backstory on this is that when the H was 16, he and his twin brother had to go into foster care. His brother got ill with meningitis and died as the H was rushing him to the hospital, after stealing his foster families' car because they did not believe the H's twin was that ill.
This led to the 17 yr old H being put into counseling with a woman therapist who was ten years older than him. Because this is SW's HPlandia, when the H turned 18, he married his counselor - ostensibly because the woman needed childcare for her three year old daughter. But since the H and his wife have a baby boy approximately 9 months later, I let you draw your own conclusions about that.
Years later the 16 yr old h shows up to board with the H's wife and himself. The wife is dying of cancer and the h is there because Bryher island is tiny and has no advanced career schools. Everyone likes the h, who the SW favorite fiery nature child type.
There is a roofie kiss between the h and H when his wife finally passes, the h is ashamed of being practically assaulted by a guy whose wife just died and leaves to return to her island.
When the story starts, the H decides that even tho he is engaged and looking forward to marriage with his beautiful business partner, he still has a yen for the h. So he is going to force himself upon her and when she rejects him, he will be cured of his longing for her.
The H shows up at her guesthouse home she runs on Bryher, since the h is also very into holistic healing, we get some great travelogue and a bit of herbalism. There is the usual SW back and forth and personality flips, but the salient points are:
the H puts the lurve mojo moves on the h, she leaps on it, they have a purple passion event, the h gets preggers and then the H's fiancee telegraphs the h, to her mortification and shock.
The h apparently thought that the H had gotten unengaged before he showed up for a romp, but the telegraph the fiancee sends seems to prove that line of thinking was wrong. The h has a mopey moment and the H pov is that he is entranced by the h, but we don't know if he is serious about the h or not.
There is more living on a tiny island stuff and the h and H have more misunderstandings. These are randomly brought up at various times and include the h being preggers, the H moving to the island permanently and running his business from there and the H's penchant to be on intimate terms with a variety of women who stumble into his life.
Supposedly the H is thrilled about the h having his baby, he buys a farm right next door to the h's guest house on the island from a retiring couple and helps the h's stuttering female helper learn to breath. The H also claims he isn't engaged to his business partner anymore and has to buy her out.
After many, many scenes and tantrums and some outdoor lurve club events, the H and h decide they need to get hitched, after the H explains that he can't say he loves the h out loud since his brother died, and that is also the reason he has to be emotionally unavailable.
That half hearted lurve declaration is good enough for the h, so she calls it a win and agrees to marry him and we close the book on another SW sorta HEA.
I was utterly squicked out by this one, it felt like a continuing cycle of creepy grooming and the whole thing with the H and his first wife just really, really creeped me out.
Still, I am very biased about Sara Wood and this one is a bit more coherent than her other ones, plus we do get more H pov and the island travelogue was interesting. So it might be worth a read, but I am just not feeling the lurve on this HP outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2019
This is the third book by Sara Wood that I'm reading. I'm slowly making my way through the Expecting! Series of Harlequin and this is the second book. I've already read eleven other books from the series.
The story opens with Adam being late to his own engagement party because he glanced at the picture on his desk, a picture of three women together - his late wife Christine, his stepdaughter Petra, and Trish. And then he starts thinking about Trish. Meanwhile, Trish is getting ready to attend Adam and Louise's ceremony. To which her friend Petra has invited her. Ahem! Trish Pearce is worried about coming face-to-face with Petra's 'unfairly young stepfather' again. Especially after what happened between them four years ago, only two months after his wife's death.
He's thirty-eight to her twenty-two. Adam Foster runs his computer software business in London, to where he relocated a few years back from the small town of Truro. He is a hotshot who is working non-stop to save the world from the millennium time bomb. All hail the computer lord! Trish lives in Scilly Isles, which is practically a village with no proper roads even and where she runs a bed and breakfast. There are no proper shops there even. For a story written in 1998, it is so old school yet hilariously good, especially when Trish talks about computers in the terms which make it sound like alien technology.
Adam and Christine's son Stephen is nineteen. A fact Louise rubs in when she thinks that Trish is out to snatch her fianceé. Christine had died after suffering from cancer of the spine, and during her last days, Trish was staying with them while attending University and had kept Christine in high spirits. His and Louise's is a love arrangement, an extension of their business arrangement. Adam doesn't want to be emotionally vulnerable again and he thinks Trish would be better off with a man her age. Though he wants her, her exuberance, her everything ensnares him, but there's something in his past that is holding him back from confessing his love.
I didn't have any issues regarding their age gap but what really struck me was that the story squicked me out too, exactly like boogenhagen shelved the book as. Maybe it was because of the way it was written. Constantly referring to the age gap plus the toxic city compared to the idyllic island life!
I must mention again how funny this book is though. Adam chases after Trish like it's nobody's business! Trish is more than happy in her quaint island - Bryher, but she wasn't aware that there was a surprise coming in the form of Mack Rowe, yep, brilliant and hilarious wordplay, right there! She lives with her Granny there. And oh my, Granny Hicks is another funny character, a bright old horse. What laughs she gives.
I loved the way it ended, with the last few paras acting as an epilogue, giving a glimpse of their future on Bryher with their kids. But towards the end, the story fell flat. Trish's insecurity with Adam was a little irritating, especially considering her nature throughout the book.
The story opens with Adam being late to his own engagement party because he glanced at the picture on his desk, a picture of three women together - his late wife Christine, his stepdaughter Petra, and Trish. And then he starts thinking about Trish. Meanwhile, Trish is getting ready to attend Adam and Louise's ceremony. To which her friend Petra has invited her. Ahem! Trish Pearce is worried about coming face-to-face with Petra's 'unfairly young stepfather' again. Especially after what happened between them four years ago, only two months after his wife's death.
He's thirty-eight to her twenty-two. Adam Foster runs his computer software business in London, to where he relocated a few years back from the small town of Truro. He is a hotshot who is working non-stop to save the world from the millennium time bomb. All hail the computer lord! Trish lives in Scilly Isles, which is practically a village with no proper roads even and where she runs a bed and breakfast. There are no proper shops there even. For a story written in 1998, it is so old school yet hilariously good, especially when Trish talks about computers in the terms which make it sound like alien technology.
Love seemed so wonderful in films. The truth was that it made you feel as if you were balancing on the brink of a precipice with uncertainties nibbling away at the edge.
Adam and Christine's son Stephen is nineteen. A fact Louise rubs in when she thinks that Trish is out to snatch her fianceé. Christine had died after suffering from cancer of the spine, and during her last days, Trish was staying with them while attending University and had kept Christine in high spirits. His and Louise's is a love arrangement, an extension of their business arrangement. Adam doesn't want to be emotionally vulnerable again and he thinks Trish would be better off with a man her age. Though he wants her, her exuberance, her everything ensnares him, but there's something in his past that is holding him back from confessing his love.
I didn't have any issues regarding their age gap but what really struck me was that the story squicked me out too, exactly like boogenhagen shelved the book as. Maybe it was because of the way it was written. Constantly referring to the age gap plus the toxic city compared to the idyllic island life!
I’m tired of pussyfooting about! I did my best to lure you into my bed and you turned me down!
I must mention again how funny this book is though. Adam chases after Trish like it's nobody's business! Trish is more than happy in her quaint island - Bryher, but she wasn't aware that there was a surprise coming in the form of Mack Rowe, yep, brilliant and hilarious wordplay, right there! She lives with her Granny there. And oh my, Granny Hicks is another funny character, a bright old horse. What laughs she gives.
I loved the way it ended, with the last few paras acting as an epilogue, giving a glimpse of their future on Bryher with their kids. But towards the end, the story fell flat. Trish's insecurity with Adam was a little irritating, especially considering her nature throughout the book.
April 8, 2019
Too much misunderstanding...
August 9, 2018
O herói luta contra o amor e está prestes a se casar com outra... é meio estúpido! A heroína acha que não é boa o bastante. Ele queria tirar ela do sistema antes de começar a vida com a outra mulher. Diferença grande de idade entre os dois. Gostei.
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His sole purpose in coming was to rid himself of Trish for ever so that he could get on with his chosen path in life.
His eyes glittered, as hard as granite. ‘Oh, she has. Beauty, sophistication, grace, social skills——’
Trish laughed. It was that or wince at his eulogy and she had no intention of betraying herself again. ‘OK, OK!
Don’t make me feel too inadequate?
She grew rigid with horror. Adam loved someone else. Louise had been betrayed by them both. Trish’s eyes widened in utter dismay. She’d made a mockery of everything she believed in: fidelity, honesty, consideration for others... Suddenly she felt sick with shame. A shaft of light gleamed on Adam’s gold signet ring and it flashed accusingly at her.
He’d wanted her; she’d obliged. How tacky, cheap, nasty...!
‘Were you after a bit of fun before your wedding? A quick fumble with good old Trish, because you thought she had the hots for you?’
‘I don’t think so! Now it turns out you’re as callous and as casual about relationships as a bunch of young lads out on the pull! You didn’t even have the decency to take precautions!’
He’d blown it. He’d been unbelievably stupid. So much for clearing the field for his relationship with Louise!
July 23, 2015
Well this had a bunch of potential that it didn't really live up to. It also had one of the weirder setups of any HP that I've read. Let's see he got married at 18 to a 30 year old and then they immediately had a son to go along with the daughter his wife already had. And then when he was 34 or so, a young girl (16 years old) comes to board with them while his wife is dying of cancer and everybody loves her cuz she's just so lovable. This includes the hero who makes a pass at her just after the wife dies 2 years later. This all happens 4 years before the book starts. Where can it possibly go from there? Lots of crazy places let me tell you. Let's just say the hero has some weird motivations but he does go all in for the heroine about 2/3rds of the way through the book and a lot of time is spent trying to work things out between them which was nice. In Harleys you don't often get to see a couple trying to work on an established relationship so I enjoyed that.
May 4, 2016
I'm just happy I finally finished this, okay?
There's a reason why I don't read harlequin books. The "I can't stop my body from betraying me because of this all-consuming lust for you" bull. I... I can't do it right now. I don't have the mindset for it and it just grates me. So yeah, taking a break from these books.
Plus Adam annoyed me in the first part of the book. He had a fiancee and he still went to Trish's island to hit on her just so she could "thoroughly" reject him and push his mind from their past and face the future with Louise. Just... just a dick move.
August 13, 2014
Was a good read....very emotional tear-jerker. The hero has encased his emotions in steel but the heroine keeps poking holes in his walls....& he is slowly starting to realize his emotions but he keeps fighting for 4 years & becomes engaged to another woman. Once they meet again at his engagement party all their feelings come to a head & he follows her to her island home. Still keeping part of himself hidden away the heroine doesn't believe he loves her & misunderstandings follow as he tries to prove himself. They are joined by some wonderful supporting characters including her wild grandma, best friend Petra(also his step-daughter), and his son.
December 27, 2012
Read this in 2010.
I thought the novel was pretty emotional. I certainly had tears in my eyes at more than one point. I couldn't get over how stupid the hero was, he was going to marry another woman while making love with another. If that wasn't a clue to break up with your fiance, I don't know what was.
I thought the novel was pretty emotional. I certainly had tears in my eyes at more than one point. I couldn't get over how stupid the hero was, he was going to marry another woman while making love with another. If that wasn't a clue to break up with your fiance, I don't know what was.
January 5, 2017
I was amused and charmed during the first third of the book, a steady 3* seemed apparent. It rapidly went downhill after that, with silly (imagined) misunderstandings and the h who at first seemed strong and level headed was reduced to a complete ninny. The lack of declaration from the H and his reasons just made this whole plot seem very contrived.
June 23, 2018
Not worth the price
I bought this book after reading the sample. It sounded like the heroine was more plain and gets the guy. So I bought it. The book was hard to read. The storyline was not consistent and did not make sense a lot of the time. The editing was poor. Misspelling and no punctuation in areas. Writing did not flow. Disappointing
I bought this book after reading the sample. It sounded like the heroine was more plain and gets the guy. So I bought it. The book was hard to read. The storyline was not consistent and did not make sense a lot of the time. The editing was poor. Misspelling and no punctuation in areas. Writing did not flow. Disappointing
March 19, 2022
Here is a story that you love to hate. In the opening paragraph Adam is running late for his own engagement party. And thinking of another woman. Later he and Trish get together on her island. When she is about to tell him of her preganancy she finds out via telegram that he is still engaged. Now what is she to do. She keeps quiet. But...if you want to know more read this book. I will be rereading it again. But when I am not so emotionally upset with the plot line. Need to step away for a bit. Like Sara Wood's other works. I know that this was written in the 90's but it could be about this time line also.
October 29, 2009
What can I say, I needed a book that started with E to finish October. Had Trish (the heroine) been a real person, someone would have bludgeoned her to death long ago. Yeah, I didn't buy any of it. The island sounded nice though.
March 20, 2011
a nice read,heroin is head strong n fights her feelings every turn of the book and hero je also fights his feelings(the age gap between them is more younger hero-older hero)absolutely liked the twist-turns n story keeps holding you
Recommend it
Recommend it
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews