Barefoot Bride

by Dorothy Cork

Mike was making her pay for her lies

Amy Martin arrived in Queensland, full of confidence, all set to marry her fiance, Clifford.

She found him strangely unwelcoming--and sadly had to face the fact that he was having second thoughts about their future plans.

So to save face Amy pretended that she was going to marry the cynical Mike Saunders instead. It seemed like a good idea--until Mike stunned her by taking her up on it!

Genres: Harlequin Romance, Harlequin, Australia

Paperback

First published April 1, 1985

About the author

As an author for Mills and Boon and later for Harlequin Romance, Dorothy Cork wrote 38 romance novels. She was born in 1918 and is still alive. Her first book was published in 1965 and the last in 1985.

Quite a number of her books have been translated into a diversity of languages: Japanese, Greek, Italian, French and so on.

She also wrote a number of short stories - about half of which were published in various Australian magazines.

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heroine impulsively decides to descend on her fiance at the sugar cane farm where she grew up, but there is no one to meet her at the airport. Fortunately, she meets an old school friend and her older brother, our wealthy resort-owner hero. They put her up for the night and a few phone calls later she realizes her fiance is shacking up with an OW.

Heroine accepts her friend's offer to stay with them at the resort, much to the hero's displeasure. Heroine enjoys the entertainments offered at the resort, including ravishing kisses from the hero. Hero tells heroine to put off her wedding date and that the fiance is only using her to gain ownership of the sugar cane farm.

When heroine meets her fiance in town, she realizes that hero was right. She doesn't want the fiance to feel bad about falling in love with someone else, so she tells him she's getting married. He doesn't believe her at first because hero is famous and wealthy, but heroine sticks with her lies.

Unfortunately, ex-fiance calls the resort and hero answers and finds out he is now engaged. Heroine is apologetic, but hero decides to let the engagement stand - even though he has a mistress on a neighboring island. Hero invites ex-fiance for an engagement party. Then he plans a wedding for one week's time so heroine can go to Italy with him. (To hunt down a sister that eloped )

They actually do marry. Hero takes her to the far side of the island for their honeymoon. The first night the heroine cries with nerves, so hero leaves her alone. The next night they have sex and it's great. Unfortunately, hero hears her murmur ex-fiance's name in her sleep. He leaves the next day and stays away all night. Heroine is worried and starts to walk through the rain forest to get help. Hero finds her tangled in vine. He anoints her wounds and accuses her of being hung up on her fiance. She jumps to the conclusion that he's been sleeping with his mistress. He wants to call the marriage off.

Then the sister arrives in a boat to tell them that ex-fiances has been in a car accident and is asking for heroine. Hero takes her to the hospital. Ex-fiance pulls through and heroine calls OW to come be back at his side. She goes back to hero's house. Tells him she loves him. He loves her. OW on the island has a husband who is in a mental hospital and OW is waiting for him to recover. He never had an affair with her. HEA

This was sweet and moved along nicely. The heroine is very young and can't see how hot the hero is for her. The OM was a cad, but his heart wasn't really into acting dishonorably so the heroine didn't look too ridiculous hanging on to him for so long.

[Naksed · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read in StMargrets’ review that the heroine gets lost in the rainforest and tangled in vines. Tangled. In. Vines. Is this a Harlequin or an episode of George of the Jungle? Girl bye.

[Myrna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kept me up late. So there must be something about it.
What is it exactly?

It starts as a traditional vintage HQ.
The h gets her heckles up with hatred the moment she meets the H even before he has a chance to speak. When he does speak it is to insult and needle the h.
The h is engaged to a a guy she's had a crush since 14. The H calls her too immature and childish to marry.
Once the h realises that her fiance isn't in love with her and is marrying her for monetary reason, she decides to break off her engagement.
To do so she lies that she's fallen in love with the H and he's already proposed.
The H hears about it and "agrees" to pretend for a while.
A week later the h finds herself with a wedding band on her finger.

So why couldn't I stop reading?

I guess because of the frankness of h's thoughts. She's immature but she's capable of thinking. And I enjoyed reading about the way her thoughts change.

On the wedding night the h panics and runs away from the hero. She admits to herself she wants to be cuddled and comforted. Yet when the hero doesn't follow, she gets angry and feels humiliated. The h understands that the H is keeping an eye on her from the window. Still his neglect to run after her affects her and she refuses to go back willingly.

And so on.

[Roub · Rating 3 out of 5]

crazy harlequin! the heroine was very confused and was the kind who build castles in the sand! she fell out of love with Clifford and in love wid Mike very suddenly and so quickly dat it seemed she was fickle or rather not ready for a serious relationship. Mike was a besotted hero and i guess he fell for her innocence despite himself. he was terribly hurt when Amy called for Clifford in her sleep on their wedding night. dat was enough for any man to give up on a woman!

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. The heroine is a bit of a ninny, I still don't understand why she wanted to spare the feelings of her lying ex.

[Melluvsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover is the best part. 😍

[RomLibrary]

Mike was making her pay for her lies

Amy Martin arrived in Queensland, full of confidence, all set to marry her fiance, Clifford.

She found him strangely unwelcoming--and sadly had to face the fact that he was having second thoughts about their future plans.

So to save face Amy pretended that she was going to marry the cynical Mike Saunders instead. It seemed like a good idea--until Mike stunned her by taking her up on it!

[Prac Agrl · Rating 1 out of 5]

God!!
Glad it finally ended, half of the time it seemed i am in the h's head, i deplore finding sensible h's even if they are 20 year old. This h literally expected people to read her thoughts inside her head, she was cordial and understanding towards the asshole OM and to the H who was helping her out , all she gave him was rude words and snobbishness.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tropical Australian setting was amazing, I really enjoyed the location and the character of Amy. The only issues was it all felt a bit rapey and Mike didn’t consider Amy’s feelings at all. If he’d only listened to her more and didn’t act like a psycho then it would’ve been better.

[Caz · Rating 1 out of 5]

The heroine was such a naive doormat it was painful being stuck in her head throughout the book, the OM was a cad (perfect description) and the MMC was a brutal, arrogant, insensitive and charmless ass who treated the FMC like a barely sentient sex toy.

[2hundo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heroine is TSTL.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better writers in the genre, Dorothy Cork infuses her characters with some depth.