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Stormspell
Ruth was young, she was beautiful, she was ripe for love...but she was innocent,until Dominic invaded her island home,and her heart...
Dominic was rich and powerful, bored and world-weary,fighting a temptation he had never before had to face...
Indigo was the island,Indigo: Warm and colourful, and seductively romantic; drenched by the tropical sun and washed by the turquoise waters of the Caribbean...
And in the aftermath of the storm, it cast its own spell...
Dominic was rich and powerful, bored and world-weary,fighting a temptation he had never before had to face...
Indigo was the island,Indigo: Warm and colourful, and seductively romantic; drenched by the tropical sun and washed by the turquoise waters of the Caribbean...
And in the aftermath of the storm, it cast its own spell...
379 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
2 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Anne Mather
799 books360 followersAnne Mather is the pseudonym used by Mildred Grieveson, a popular British author of over 160 romance novels. She also signed novels as Caroline Fleming and Cardine Fleming.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 21, 2022
This is a longer romance than usual hp.
I only gave three stars because I think it the first part and the second are not very well balanced.
The first part is very slow, about the heroine who has been living in an almost desert island with her eccentric father for most of her life, with the company of some local servants, a doctor and the priest.
She's 17, almost 18, very young but most of all very naive and ignorant about the facts of life.
She's also very beautiful.
One day after a storm she finds an injured young man and she takes him home.
Her father is not very happy, but they help him recover from his injuries.
The man is attracted by the heroine but understands she's been living secluded and deprived of a normal and sane social life with her peer, so she's far younger than her age.
The heroine is attracted by him but she doesn't even know what men and women do together, this was really medieval, so she doesn't recognize the signs.
She finds out that he's the heir of a very rich and very important family and doesn't tell her father.
This part was very slow, with the heroine and the hero meeting only accidentally since her father, who's jealous of her, forbids her to even be alone to him.
They meet in the beach and the hero kisses her, and the day before he leaves the island they have sex.
Then he tells her he can't stay because he's already engaged, the sob.
Then he goes back to England, and starts making inquiries about her family.
One month later he sees a picture of her and her aunt, apparently she is from a wealthy family, and is now living with her aunt and her adopted cousin.
The hero goes and see her but she tells him she doesn't want to see him anymore since he's engaged (and I could add, since he's a cheater who cheated on his fiancee and doesn't want to break his engagement!)
The inconsistency here is the fact that he's 31 while she's 17 and he behaves like he was 18 too, because he does what his parents wants him to do, even marrying the woman his parents chose for him.
Isn't it crazy?
This is no alpha man.
This is a teenager.
He keeps following the heroine and meeting her, and I must admit she's the most sensible of the two, because she tries to avoid him.
One day he basically kidnaps her and he takes her to his birth place where they have sex, again.
After spending a weekend in the mountains with her cousin, the heroine has a lil accident and finds out she's pregnant and decides to go back to her island and not to tell anything to the hero, since he's going to marry his fiancee.
The man is no prize, I think that he should have left his fiancee long before he had sex with the heroine again, but he realizes in the end he loves the heroine and wants to marry her.
But when he decides to tell her she's already gone back to the island.
He follows her there and declares his love and proposes.
Better late than never.
I liked this book, as I said I found the first part too long and detailed, with so many descriptions of clothes, food, other useless things, while the second was more active and interesting.
Both characters were immediately smitten, the heroine was unbelievably naive and the hero unbelievably immature, he should have decided to break his engagement sooner, he realized that he wasn't interested in his fiancee as soon as he came back from the island and never had sex with her since he met the heroine, but, a man of 31, he was unable to make a choice, an adult and responsible choice and he kept on snooping around the heroine who, even if she was younger and more innocent, was more sensible and determined not to be the other woman.
I liked this AM heroine, she was not bitchy or doormat, she was very strong and proud even if she was in love with the idiot hero. Yes, she didn't want to tell the hero she was pregnant but on the other hand he never told her he would break his engagement, even after making love to her the second time. I appreciated her more than him. Much more.
But this is AM and she loves cheating heroes, married or engaged ones whatever... I wonder why...
Overall a good book, with all I like and some angst.
I only gave three stars because I think it the first part and the second are not very well balanced.
The first part is very slow, about the heroine who has been living in an almost desert island with her eccentric father for most of her life, with the company of some local servants, a doctor and the priest.
She's 17, almost 18, very young but most of all very naive and ignorant about the facts of life.
She's also very beautiful.
One day after a storm she finds an injured young man and she takes him home.
Her father is not very happy, but they help him recover from his injuries.
The man is attracted by the heroine but understands she's been living secluded and deprived of a normal and sane social life with her peer, so she's far younger than her age.
The heroine is attracted by him but she doesn't even know what men and women do together, this was really medieval, so she doesn't recognize the signs.
She finds out that he's the heir of a very rich and very important family and doesn't tell her father.
This part was very slow, with the heroine and the hero meeting only accidentally since her father, who's jealous of her, forbids her to even be alone to him.
They meet in the beach and the hero kisses her, and the day before he leaves the island they have sex.
Then he tells her he can't stay because he's already engaged, the sob.
Then he goes back to England, and starts making inquiries about her family.
One month later he sees a picture of her and her aunt, apparently she is from a wealthy family, and is now living with her aunt and her adopted cousin.
The hero goes and see her but she tells him she doesn't want to see him anymore since he's engaged (and I could add, since he's a cheater who cheated on his fiancee and doesn't want to break his engagement!)
The inconsistency here is the fact that he's 31 while she's 17 and he behaves like he was 18 too, because he does what his parents wants him to do, even marrying the woman his parents chose for him.
Isn't it crazy?
This is no alpha man.
This is a teenager.
He keeps following the heroine and meeting her, and I must admit she's the most sensible of the two, because she tries to avoid him.
One day he basically kidnaps her and he takes her to his birth place where they have sex, again.
After spending a weekend in the mountains with her cousin, the heroine has a lil accident and finds out she's pregnant and decides to go back to her island and not to tell anything to the hero, since he's going to marry his fiancee.
The man is no prize, I think that he should have left his fiancee long before he had sex with the heroine again, but he realizes in the end he loves the heroine and wants to marry her.
But when he decides to tell her she's already gone back to the island.
He follows her there and declares his love and proposes.
Better late than never.
I liked this book, as I said I found the first part too long and detailed, with so many descriptions of clothes, food, other useless things, while the second was more active and interesting.
Both characters were immediately smitten, the heroine was unbelievably naive and the hero unbelievably immature, he should have decided to break his engagement sooner, he realized that he wasn't interested in his fiancee as soon as he came back from the island and never had sex with her since he met the heroine, but, a man of 31, he was unable to make a choice, an adult and responsible choice and he kept on snooping around the heroine who, even if she was younger and more innocent, was more sensible and determined not to be the other woman.
I liked this AM heroine, she was not bitchy or doormat, she was very strong and proud even if she was in love with the idiot hero. Yes, she didn't want to tell the hero she was pregnant but on the other hand he never told her he would break his engagement, even after making love to her the second time. I appreciated her more than him. Much more.
But this is AM and she loves cheating heroes, married or engaged ones whatever... I wonder why...
Overall a good book, with all I like and some angst.
April 27, 2018
Anne Mather's ode to The Tempest except poor "Miranda" is pumped and then dumped by the man who washed up on her idyllic deserted island after a raging storm.
The hero was a cheating, weak wimp who took way too long to take his head out of his ass and do the right thing. 33 years old and can't stand up to mommy and daddy? Pffffttt. The guy had no moral compass. If it wasn't bad enough that he seduced the 17 year old virgin without telling her he was engaged to somebody else, he continued to pursue her while staying with his fiancee. Whaaaaa?!!!
Honestly, if the heroine hadn't grown a spine quickly, I could picture him having her as his bit on the side while keeping his parents happy with the marital merger to their handpicked fiancee. She really forced him to grow up and it was about time!
The story was saved for me by a sympathetic heroine. She might have been younger, naive and sheltered, prone to stupid mistakes, but at least she was more mature and more morally upstanding than the hero.
Plus, despite how much I disliked the hero, their connection was steaming hot and after the hero finally manned up, almost too late, I did believe in their HEA, even including the in-laws from hell. She truly loved him and he will spend the rest of his life worshipping her as she deserved.
The hero was a cheating, weak wimp who took way too long to take his head out of his ass and do the right thing. 33 years old and can't stand up to mommy and daddy? Pffffttt. The guy had no moral compass. If it wasn't bad enough that he seduced the 17 year old virgin without telling her he was engaged to somebody else, he continued to pursue her while staying with his fiancee. Whaaaaa?!!!
Honestly, if the heroine hadn't grown a spine quickly, I could picture him having her as his bit on the side while keeping his parents happy with the marital merger to their handpicked fiancee. She really forced him to grow up and it was about time!
The story was saved for me by a sympathetic heroine. She might have been younger, naive and sheltered, prone to stupid mistakes, but at least she was more mature and more morally upstanding than the hero.
Plus, despite how much I disliked the hero, their connection was steaming hot and after the hero finally manned up, almost too late, I did believe in their HEA, even including the in-laws from hell. She truly loved him and he will spend the rest of his life worshipping her as she deserved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2021
MINI REVIEW:
Written in 1983, this Anne Mather's "Stormspell" was anachronistic even for its day. The heroine is 17, the hero is 33. Ruth was raised on a small Caribbean island by her elderly father and is so sheltered she makes your typical Harlequin Presents heroine look like a fusion of Skye O'Malley & Anita Blake! Ruth rescues a stranger when he washes ashore after a shipwreck. A couple of stolen moments later, she's in love and they consummate their relationship. Then Dominic--he's the hero--drops the anvil: he's engaged and has no intention of dumping his fiancee!
Fast-forward to England a few months later. Dominic pursues Ruth while still engaged. Oh yeah, they're gonna do it again.
He's a complete dog, but I guess I like jerk heroes because I really enjoyed this one. What's interesting about this is that the first half of the book is purely from the heroine's perspective and the second is mostly the hero's. Mather's writing was at her best here. If you like cheesy romances--and I do--it's a keeper.
(B+/A- or 4 1/2 out of 5 stars)
Written in 1983, this Anne Mather's "Stormspell" was anachronistic even for its day. The heroine is 17, the hero is 33. Ruth was raised on a small Caribbean island by her elderly father and is so sheltered she makes your typical Harlequin Presents heroine look like a fusion of Skye O'Malley & Anita Blake! Ruth rescues a stranger when he washes ashore after a shipwreck. A couple of stolen moments later, she's in love and they consummate their relationship. Then Dominic--he's the hero--drops the anvil: he's engaged and has no intention of dumping his fiancee!
Fast-forward to England a few months later. Dominic pursues Ruth while still engaged. Oh yeah, they're gonna do it again.
He's a complete dog, but I guess I like jerk heroes because I really enjoyed this one. What's interesting about this is that the first half of the book is purely from the heroine's perspective and the second is mostly the hero's. Mather's writing was at her best here. If you like cheesy romances--and I do--it's a keeper.
(B+/A- or 4 1/2 out of 5 stars)
April 21, 2018
"Stormspell" is a wonderful contemporary full-head novel by Anne Mather,whose earlier works i read by her i really enjoyed.
It definitely felt like i was watching a romantic drama film with lots of Intriguing romance and drama.We watch a slowly build up of love between heroine Ruth and hero Dominic that starts at the sea.How beautiful it was,and the chemistry between them was explosive through the whole love-story of theirs...it was all desire and longing...how we love it!A incredible mix up with lots of angst.
This story really proves how it can be between two soulmates that are crazily in love with each other.They may separate...but fate always brings them back together...!
It definitely felt like i was watching a romantic drama film with lots of Intriguing romance and drama.We watch a slowly build up of love between heroine Ruth and hero Dominic that starts at the sea.How beautiful it was,and the chemistry between them was explosive through the whole love-story of theirs...it was all desire and longing...how we love it!A incredible mix up with lots of angst.
This story really proves how it can be between two soulmates that are crazily in love with each other.They may separate...but fate always brings them back together...!
August 26, 2012
The book is fascinating! Even though I read it 30 years after its publication it was like I was inside the book and I was watching and following the hero and the heroine. At many times you can feel their loneliness. Perfect characters and nice plot. 5+ stars.
August 14, 2012
Great read. I originally read this novel a few years back and I can still remember the undying love, innocence and pure passion that drove the hero and heroine into each other arms. It was actually a pretty heated novel and it was a bit long but totally worth the read.
December 1, 2023
She had even argued the justice of his right to know she was expecting his child. But always she came back to the same assessment: he had never questioned the possibility of her being pregnant, therefore he forfeited all rights to the information.
H was 32 and h was 17, he should have questioned the possibility but no, he returned to his fiancée! 🤦🏻♀️
H was 32 and h was 17, he should have questioned the possibility but no, he returned to his fiancée! 🤦🏻♀️
August 9, 2020
classic Anne Mather and it's longer than her HPs.
April 5, 2025
Thirty two year old hero is bored at a house party in the Caribbean. Instead of heeding storm warnings he takes a yacht and goes out to sea.
Seventeen year old heroine lives with her father on a small Carribean island where only locals stay and the only other white man is the priest. She has lived in this wilderness since she was five. Her father abandoned society when his wife died and now lives on the wife’s meagre inheritance. He is very sick.
Heroine knows it. They get visits from doctor of nearby big town.
Hero gets caught in the storm. His boat capsizes. He gets washed ashore.
His arm is wounded. Heroine rescues him.
She takes him to her house where her father is upset to see a young man arrive.
The father is possessive to the point of being controlling and unhealthy. He knows he’s dying but does nothing about his child’s future. Just living day by day.
Heroine is a child but the way he’s over protective. Any teenage girl would have got curious.
Anyway. Handsome invalid. Curious nubile heroine.
The hero is a scoundrel. No sense of honour or gratitude. He takes it for granted that they’re taking care of him and repays the debt by taking the girl’s virginity and leaving.
He keeps egging the heroine on and forcing her to spend time with him.
In today’s terms we would say he groomed her.
He coerces her into having sex. Seduces her. Whatever.
What a piece of work. Then he just leaves her and flies 1000s of miles away with no returning address. Suppose she gets pregnant?
Who cares? He had a good time.
So that’s as far as I’ve read.
Reading further. The girl’s father dies. The small inheritance was quite large. Her mother’s sister who had been kept away till then comes and whisks the girl away into luxury.
From beach waif to a London house.
It appears she’s pregnant.
Still reading.
Hero lands up. He’s still hovering around heroine like a fly around a piece of fruit.
One of the biggest plus points of this book is how evocative it is of the hopeful beautiful times that were the 70s and 80s.
You know as I am reading this I’m so impressed with the plots and characters and also the intelligence of the author.
I’m also shocked with the slow dumbing down of what she wrote over the years.
From this level to the newest of her books. Obviously she was directed to not write like this anymore.
It’s a pity good writer like her or of her calibre no longer can do well with current readers.
I’ve stopped buying new romances because they’re so insipid and meaningless.
Anyway. Finished reading.
I liked it.
The denouement could have happened more dramatically.
But nice story.
Hero was crazy about heroine. Just kept chasing after her.
4-1/2 stars.
Seventeen year old heroine lives with her father on a small Carribean island where only locals stay and the only other white man is the priest. She has lived in this wilderness since she was five. Her father abandoned society when his wife died and now lives on the wife’s meagre inheritance. He is very sick.
Heroine knows it. They get visits from doctor of nearby big town.
Hero gets caught in the storm. His boat capsizes. He gets washed ashore.
His arm is wounded. Heroine rescues him.
She takes him to her house where her father is upset to see a young man arrive.
The father is possessive to the point of being controlling and unhealthy. He knows he’s dying but does nothing about his child’s future. Just living day by day.
Heroine is a child but the way he’s over protective. Any teenage girl would have got curious.
Anyway. Handsome invalid. Curious nubile heroine.
The hero is a scoundrel. No sense of honour or gratitude. He takes it for granted that they’re taking care of him and repays the debt by taking the girl’s virginity and leaving.
He keeps egging the heroine on and forcing her to spend time with him.
In today’s terms we would say he groomed her.
He coerces her into having sex. Seduces her. Whatever.
What a piece of work. Then he just leaves her and flies 1000s of miles away with no returning address. Suppose she gets pregnant?
Who cares? He had a good time.
So that’s as far as I’ve read.
Reading further. The girl’s father dies. The small inheritance was quite large. Her mother’s sister who had been kept away till then comes and whisks the girl away into luxury.
From beach waif to a London house.
It appears she’s pregnant.
Still reading.
Hero lands up. He’s still hovering around heroine like a fly around a piece of fruit.
One of the biggest plus points of this book is how evocative it is of the hopeful beautiful times that were the 70s and 80s.
You know as I am reading this I’m so impressed with the plots and characters and also the intelligence of the author.
I’m also shocked with the slow dumbing down of what she wrote over the years.
From this level to the newest of her books. Obviously she was directed to not write like this anymore.
It’s a pity good writer like her or of her calibre no longer can do well with current readers.
I’ve stopped buying new romances because they’re so insipid and meaningless.
Anyway. Finished reading.
I liked it.
The denouement could have happened more dramatically.
But nice story.
Hero was crazy about heroine. Just kept chasing after her.
4-1/2 stars.
November 19, 2010
Uhm the story was about the hero being sweep over an island 'coz of an accident happen when he's out sailing, he was found by the heroine. So here he was treated by the father of the heroine and her... during his stay the hero and heroine got to know each other and instantly develop attraction until it ended up both of them having an affair.
The hero then depart to go back to London... during his departure there were no sign of resistance or tears from the heroine (though right now the hero is really guilt stricken to what happen between them). Heroine can't simply go to him, since her father is dead-set in having her go to high society places like London neither she have an appetite for that kind of life.
After sometime, having their lives resume... the hero accidentally overlook in a newspaper where a picture of the heroine was publish. Where it was said that she was an orphan now and her long-lost Aunt is taking care of her. This where the roller coaster pursue of the hero starts... don't take him wrong for all along he still carry the affair they had. It's just a matter of time that he will go back for her, but with the turn of events he somehow grab the chance.
Though the age is quite bothering, I don't mean the gap... it's the age of the girl if am not wrong she's really young... to think its not historical. (Am lazy to go over my shelves, browse over the info. been ages since I read it haha)
What I like are again the lines, on how desperate the hero wants to clear out things with her---on much he feel responsible for what happen, having the heroine response just to set it aside... but he doesn't want to!? He appeals for forgiveness, when she gave and wants him to leave her alone---he stick around... bottom line? He's quite crazy about her, he doesn't know what to do... haha
:D
The hero then depart to go back to London... during his departure there were no sign of resistance or tears from the heroine (though right now the hero is really guilt stricken to what happen between them). Heroine can't simply go to him, since her father is dead-set in having her go to high society places like London neither she have an appetite for that kind of life.
After sometime, having their lives resume... the hero accidentally overlook in a newspaper where a picture of the heroine was publish. Where it was said that she was an orphan now and her long-lost Aunt is taking care of her. This where the roller coaster pursue of the hero starts... don't take him wrong for all along he still carry the affair they had. It's just a matter of time that he will go back for her, but with the turn of events he somehow grab the chance.
Though the age is quite bothering, I don't mean the gap... it's the age of the girl if am not wrong she's really young... to think its not historical. (Am lazy to go over my shelves, browse over the info. been ages since I read it haha)
What I like are again the lines, on how desperate the hero wants to clear out things with her---on much he feel responsible for what happen, having the heroine response just to set it aside... but he doesn't want to!? He appeals for forgiveness, when she gave and wants him to leave her alone---he stick around... bottom line? He's quite crazy about her, he doesn't know what to do... haha
:D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2012
I totally LOVED this book! I felt the passion, the isolation, the pure need and the innocence.
I have never read an Anne Mather book before, and i probably will again-but this book! You could feel everything-I loved the island-i loved how the heroine,Ruth, is so innocent that she doesn't even realize she is enamored with the hero, Dominic. And Dominic...First I would like to say my Mother who is also an avid reader and has read many of Anne Mather's books--She said that the hero in this one was mean and harsh. And I have to disagree. Dominic, I think, is very misjudged-He has been following orders from his mother and father his whole life--even in the choice of who he is supposed to marry. I think Ruth changed all of that for him, she is like...whiplash to him- one minute he is trying to escape the life he is living then the next this beautiful, innocent woman saves him.
Its a beautiful story. Truly.
When Dominic is not with her-his health seems to evaporate--after Ruth, he sleeps with no one else--he manages to resist his fiancee, who is practically throwing herself at him, and he is only thinking of Ruth.
Ruth, is a completely inexperienced Seventeen year old, has never been kissed-Is a complete innocent until Dominic arrives on the island and she starts to feel things that she doesn't understand. He frightens her yet intrigues her and she always wants to be with him, yet since learning of his engagement, she knows its wrong but she wants as much as she can get. Ruth never really wanted to get married or have kids-but that changes with the appearance of Dominic. She grows up alot in this book-she goes from innocent to grown woman who knows what she wants.
When i heard Anne Mather was a mills and boons author, all i thought was, ahhh this is going to be a quick sappy read. Thankfully it wasn't-
Great Book! 4 stars!!
I have never read an Anne Mather book before, and i probably will again-but this book! You could feel everything-I loved the island-i loved how the heroine,Ruth, is so innocent that she doesn't even realize she is enamored with the hero, Dominic. And Dominic...First I would like to say my Mother who is also an avid reader and has read many of Anne Mather's books--She said that the hero in this one was mean and harsh. And I have to disagree. Dominic, I think, is very misjudged-He has been following orders from his mother and father his whole life--even in the choice of who he is supposed to marry. I think Ruth changed all of that for him, she is like...whiplash to him- one minute he is trying to escape the life he is living then the next this beautiful, innocent woman saves him.
Its a beautiful story. Truly.
When Dominic is not with her-his health seems to evaporate--after Ruth, he sleeps with no one else--he manages to resist his fiancee, who is practically throwing herself at him, and he is only thinking of Ruth.
Ruth, is a completely inexperienced Seventeen year old, has never been kissed-Is a complete innocent until Dominic arrives on the island and she starts to feel things that she doesn't understand. He frightens her yet intrigues her and she always wants to be with him, yet since learning of his engagement, she knows its wrong but she wants as much as she can get. Ruth never really wanted to get married or have kids-but that changes with the appearance of Dominic. She grows up alot in this book-she goes from innocent to grown woman who knows what she wants.
When i heard Anne Mather was a mills and boons author, all i thought was, ahhh this is going to be a quick sappy read. Thankfully it wasn't-
Great Book! 4 stars!!
December 6, 2017
Ended up one of Anne Mather`s better books.
October 31, 2019
I wanted to read this book for a long time now, finally read it and thoroughly enjoyed it too :)
This is a refreshing change compared to other books by Anne mather, here H actually apologizes for being selfish and grovels too. It's one of those oh-it-hurts-so-good books. Loved it!
This is a refreshing change compared to other books by Anne mather, here H actually apologizes for being selfish and grovels too. It's one of those oh-it-hurts-so-good books. Loved it!
October 18, 2019
The lush night released undreamed-of passions
When a tropical storm battered the tiny Caribbean island of Indigo, Ruth Jason's sheltered life was dramatically changed. Young and vulnerable, having lived virtually alone with her father on the island, she lost her heart, not surprisingly, to the shipwrecked Dominic Howard. Worldly, mysterious and handsome, he exuded a powerful attraction.
Later, in London, Ruth struggled to build a new life for herself, always haunted by her lover's image. But she knew their love was impossible. For although Dominic's spell still held her, he was bound to another woman . .
When a tropical storm battered the tiny Caribbean island of Indigo, Ruth Jason's sheltered life was dramatically changed. Young and vulnerable, having lived virtually alone with her father on the island, she lost her heart, not surprisingly, to the shipwrecked Dominic Howard. Worldly, mysterious and handsome, he exuded a powerful attraction.
Later, in London, Ruth struggled to build a new life for herself, always haunted by her lover's image. But she knew their love was impossible. For although Dominic's spell still held her, he was bound to another woman . .
March 9, 2018
I always feel queasy when Anne Mather puts a pathetically young thing who is barely 17-18 in front of a seasoned hero in his thirties. Mind you, she does this often !
This one is no different. He flirts, the girl is too naive to hold her own. A bout of impulsive sex follows. Then comes some weird problems. Ofcourse the girl gets pregnant on Day 1. Hero comes rushing to her side. HEA.
Ok one time read, 2.5 stars actually.
This one is no different. He flirts, the girl is too naive to hold her own. A bout of impulsive sex follows. Then comes some weird problems. Ofcourse the girl gets pregnant on Day 1. Hero comes rushing to her side. HEA.
Ok one time read, 2.5 stars actually.
March 9, 2015
I read this more than 20 years ago. In fact it was one of the very first romance novels I read. After all these years, I still enjoy the story & still think the hero is a jerk.
May 6, 2022
This ended up being a pretty underwhelming read. Also, I was expecting a historical romance, and this ended up reading more like a harlequin novel. I had really high hopes when I started reading this, as the writing is incredibly lovely, but the romance... not so much.
The hero and the heroine sleep together one time after just meeting and barely interacting with one another, and that's the only basis for their love story. They don't ever really get to know one another at all.
And all the interesting subplots are kind of just brushed over. Ruth had this complicated, kind of codependent relationship with her father and then he passes away and it's never brought up again, despite the fact that his influence severely impacted the way she viewed the world and love and intimacy.
Dominic is living a life based off his parents' wishes as well, not wanting to upset them after the trauma of losing his little brother. It's one of the reasons he feels like he can't marry Ruth, and instead must marry a woman his own father picked out for him. All of this resolved in one short scene near the end of the book. His fiancée shrugs her shoulders and moves on in a day after he tells her he wants to be with Ruth instead. It all felt very superficial.
Two stars.
TW: Non-con. I don't consider the first time Ruth and Dominic slept together to be entirely consensual, but it's never acknowledged that Dominic committed assault, so I'd be aware of that going in. This is not really a dark romance where the author intends for the male lead to do bad things. The way the scene was written, I don't think the author realized it wasn't fully consensual. Nevertheless, that's definitely how I saw it.
The hero and the heroine sleep together one time after just meeting and barely interacting with one another, and that's the only basis for their love story. They don't ever really get to know one another at all.
And all the interesting subplots are kind of just brushed over. Ruth had this complicated, kind of codependent relationship with her father and then he passes away and it's never brought up again, despite the fact that his influence severely impacted the way she viewed the world and love and intimacy.
Dominic is living a life based off his parents' wishes as well, not wanting to upset them after the trauma of losing his little brother. It's one of the reasons he feels like he can't marry Ruth, and instead must marry a woman his own father picked out for him. All of this resolved in one short scene near the end of the book. His fiancée shrugs her shoulders and moves on in a day after he tells her he wants to be with Ruth instead. It all felt very superficial.
Two stars.
TW: Non-con. I don't consider the first time Ruth and Dominic slept together to be entirely consensual, but it's never acknowledged that Dominic committed assault, so I'd be aware of that going in. This is not really a dark romance where the author intends for the male lead to do bad things. The way the scene was written, I don't think the author realized it wasn't fully consensual. Nevertheless, that's definitely how I saw it.
June 8, 2020
Stormspell met all my requirements in a romance novel. The story was engaging and the main characters were interesting. Dominic was different from the cruel/domineering Heroes I'm used to reading about but he was definitely intense and obsessed with the heroine, Ruth. Plus I like the caribbean setting and the HEA.
Anne Mather switched it up a bit by writing both POVs. Two novels in one.
Anne Mather switched it up a bit by writing both POVs. Two novels in one.
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February 15, 2025Not as expected
April 26, 2014
Weeelll...what the hell have I just read? I'm not sure if it's a romance, more like a teenager infatuation story. Geez.
The fact that Dominic was a thirty-two yo adult man always slipped my mind. As for Ruth, well, she's indeed a child. They're like teenagers in love who dating behind their scary parents. It said so that he was painted as a man who always getting his own way, but somehow I didn't see that his childish hidden pursuit for Ruth fitted with his character.
And don't forget the fact that he had a fiancee. Well, he eventually broken up with her (of course, it's a romance) but it took too long. Really, really not an alpha hero for my taste.
I would tolerated Ruth because she was so young, but as for Dominic, I didn't think he's mature enough. Well, if you see from different angle then you can say they're perfect for each other with their like-teenager-behaviour. *rolling eyes*
The fact that Dominic was a thirty-two yo adult man always slipped my mind. As for Ruth, well, she's indeed a child. They're like teenagers in love who dating behind their scary parents. It said so that he was painted as a man who always getting his own way, but somehow I didn't see that his childish hidden pursuit for Ruth fitted with his character.
And don't forget the fact that he had a fiancee. Well, he eventually broken up with her (of course, it's a romance) but it took too long. Really, really not an alpha hero for my taste.
I would tolerated Ruth because she was so young, but as for Dominic, I didn't think he's mature enough. Well, if you see from different angle then you can say they're perfect for each other with their like-teenager-behaviour. *rolling eyes*
March 4, 2010
The good thing about romance is that they make you feel good at times when you want to escape from the sadness around you. So long as you expect nothing from the covers this one is a good read. But then again 17 is too young age to know your mind. Incidentally the book reminded me of Juno. Most of the book deals with responsibility and very little to do with love. I found it a little drab compared to other writings of the author.
April 23, 2011
Rating: 3.5/5
November 27, 2011
The first half of the book was painfully slow.
so I gave up. ...
so I gave up. ...
January 12, 2010
Upsetting. Not as hot as the cover. Guess I expected too much from Anne Mather.
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