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Prodigal Sister
Two fiances at once seemed a bit excessive...
Sarah had left her Welsh home under something of a cloud, and she wanted to return with flags flying. So she said she'd be arriving for her sister's wedding with a surprise guest--her fiance.
Only Sarah was the one to be surprised--or rather shocked to find Rupert Clare, her fiance, entertaining a previous girlfriend in the bedroom of his London home.
As luck would have it, the local squire gallantly presented himself as Sarah's intended, and he succeeded in making things infinitely worse... because Rupert showed up, too!
Sarah had left her Welsh home under something of a cloud, and she wanted to return with flags flying. So she said she'd be arriving for her sister's wedding with a surprise guest--her fiance.
Only Sarah was the one to be surprised--or rather shocked to find Rupert Clare, her fiance, entertaining a previous girlfriend in the bedroom of his London home.
As luck would have it, the local squire gallantly presented himself as Sarah's intended, and he succeeded in making things infinitely worse... because Rupert showed up, too!
Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Catherine George
443 books73 followersDeirdre Matthews was born in a village on the Welsh-English border, where the public library featured largely in her life. Her mother, who looked upon literature as a basic necessity of life, fervently encouraged her passion for reading, little knowing it would one day motivate her daughter into writing her first novel.
At 18, she met a future Engineer, who had set in a pendant a gold sovereign, that his grandmother put in his hand when he was born, and she have never taken off since. After their marriage he swept her off to Brazil, where he worked as Chief Engineer of a large gold-mining operation in the mountains of Minas Gerais, a setting which later provided a very popular background for several of her early novels. Nine happy years passed there before the question of their small son's education decided their return to Britain. Not long afterward a daughter was born, and for a time she lived a fulfilled life as a wife and mother who always made time to read, especially in the bath!
Her husband's job took him abroad again, to Portugal, West Africa, and various countries of the Middle East, but this time she stayed home with the family. And spent a lot of lonely evenings in between the reunions when her husband came home on leave. "Instead of reading other people's novels all the time," he suggested one day, "why not have a shot at writing one yourself?" So she did.
But first she took a creative writing course. Encouraged by the other students' enthusiasm for her contributions, she decided to try her hand at romance, and read countless Mills & Boon novels as research before writing one herself. Her first novel was accepted in 1982 as Catherine George, which Romantic Times voted best of its genre for that year, along with more than sixty written since.
These days son and daughter have fled the nest, but they return with loving regularity to where she and her husband back for good from his travels live, with Prince, the most recent Labrador, in a house built at the end of Victoria's reign in four acres of garden on the cliffs between the beautiful Wye Valley and the River Severn.
At 18, she met a future Engineer, who had set in a pendant a gold sovereign, that his grandmother put in his hand when he was born, and she have never taken off since. After their marriage he swept her off to Brazil, where he worked as Chief Engineer of a large gold-mining operation in the mountains of Minas Gerais, a setting which later provided a very popular background for several of her early novels. Nine happy years passed there before the question of their small son's education decided their return to Britain. Not long afterward a daughter was born, and for a time she lived a fulfilled life as a wife and mother who always made time to read, especially in the bath!
Her husband's job took him abroad again, to Portugal, West Africa, and various countries of the Middle East, but this time she stayed home with the family. And spent a lot of lonely evenings in between the reunions when her husband came home on leave. "Instead of reading other people's novels all the time," he suggested one day, "why not have a shot at writing one yourself?" So she did.
But first she took a creative writing course. Encouraged by the other students' enthusiasm for her contributions, she decided to try her hand at romance, and read countless Mills & Boon novels as research before writing one herself. Her first novel was accepted in 1982 as Catherine George, which Romantic Times voted best of its genre for that year, along with more than sixty written since.
These days son and daughter have fled the nest, but they return with loving regularity to where she and her husband back for good from his travels live, with Prince, the most recent Labrador, in a house built at the end of Victoria's reign in four acres of garden on the cliffs between the beautiful Wye Valley and the River Severn.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 28, 2020
Dysfunction billed as a romance. Where to start with all my objections?
The heroine? She's the "prodigal sister" who took the blame for a car accident that left her with serious injuries. On the plus side, that wired jaw and plastic surgery left her slim and beautiful. (Don't try this at home, kids!)
She's also been betrayed by her fiance (she caught him with his former mistress in his bedroom) and to make matters worse, she has to go her sister's wedding without an escort.
Poor martyr heroine right?
Not for long. Her true colors show when she allows the local squire to tell her family that he is her fiance and then proceeds to treat him like trash.
But the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, because the heroine's family is equally annoying. Her father is a minister who likes to judge first and then magnanimously give his forgiveness later. Heroine's mother likes to pop off at a moment's notice. Older sister is just happy heroine keep her jaw wired shut long enough for her to marry a middle-aged money bags with two kids.
Hero shows ups and proves that a good offense is better than any defense. He accuses the heroine of being judgmental and unforgiving for not immediately trusting his word that there was an innocent explanation for the naked woman in his bed. Then he rapes her after witnessing a farewell kiss between the heroine and her fake fiance.
Hero then sulks that he had to rape her for her first time and didn't give him a chance to show what a great lover he was. So he sends her a note ending their engagement.
Heroine is angry he had a great time and she didn't. Since heroine and hero are so unlikable, I couldn't feel a bit of angst about their situation when she fell pregnant.
And now I can't forgive CG for making me just as unforgiving as all of her awful, awful characters.
I guess that makes me a prodigal reviewer.
The heroine? She's the "prodigal sister" who took the blame for a car accident that left her with serious injuries. On the plus side, that wired jaw and plastic surgery left her slim and beautiful. (Don't try this at home, kids!)
She's also been betrayed by her fiance (she caught him with his former mistress in his bedroom) and to make matters worse, she has to go her sister's wedding without an escort.
Poor martyr heroine right?
Not for long. Her true colors show when she allows the local squire to tell her family that he is her fiance and then proceeds to treat him like trash.
But the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, because the heroine's family is equally annoying. Her father is a minister who likes to judge first and then magnanimously give his forgiveness later. Heroine's mother likes to pop off at a moment's notice. Older sister is just happy heroine keep her jaw wired shut long enough for her to marry a middle-aged money bags with two kids.
Hero shows ups and proves that a good offense is better than any defense. He accuses the heroine of being judgmental and unforgiving for not immediately trusting his word that there was an innocent explanation for the naked woman in his bed. Then he rapes her after witnessing a farewell kiss between the heroine and her fake fiance.
Hero then sulks that he had to rape her for her first time and didn't give him a chance to show what a great lover he was. So he sends her a note ending their engagement.
Heroine is angry he had a great time and she didn't. Since heroine and hero are so unlikable, I couldn't feel a bit of angst about their situation when she fell pregnant.
And now I can't forgive CG for making me just as unforgiving as all of her awful, awful characters.
I guess that makes me a prodigal reviewer.
March 30, 2023
When l read the blurb l thought the book was going to be interesting. The heroine catched her new fiancee in bed ( she was in bed naked and he was in the room in a short robe) with his ex girlfriend. That very day the heroine was to introduce him to her family. A second Hero came to the rescue and presented himself as the fiancee so that the heroine would save face. Thereafter things get quite complicated.
The book is full of conversations, ( endless conversations) which most were boring. Another reviewer warned me that the dialogues were out of left field and she was right.
The book is full of conversations, ( endless conversations) which most were boring. Another reviewer warned me that the dialogues were out of left field and she was right.
June 6, 2024
Ugh forgot I had read this. Maybe it was selective amnesia? Garbage in, garbage out?
Anyhoo, this is the one where the Great Big Terrible Misunderstanding stems from the heroine walking in on her fiance’s ex-girlfriend (love of his life) lounging around in his bed in a tarty negligee. Heroine runs out, then asks a mere acquaintance to go home to her parents with her and pretend he is her actual fiance.
Another Big, Terrible Misunderstanding involved heroine’s nasty, evil, little troll of a sister who lets martyr heroine take the fall for a car accident. There is absolutely no comeuppance or even the slightest remorse as the nasty troll is spewing out her little passive aggressive insults to the heroine, like she hates and resents her for saving her reputation to the detriment of her own.
The hero eventually explains that his ex-girlfriend was in his bedroom because she and her husband were in town and hero let them stay with him, as he is over her and they are all great friends now. Heroine fell for it but I don't buy that story for a minute ROFL. Even if I were to accept that the ex’s husband was also there at this cozy sleepover, I say they all had a three some thar night. Good thing heroine ran or it might have become a real orgy!
Yeah, no wonder I wanted to forget this as soon as I read it!
Anyhoo, this is the one where the Great Big Terrible Misunderstanding stems from the heroine walking in on her fiance’s ex-girlfriend (love of his life) lounging around in his bed in a tarty negligee. Heroine runs out, then asks a mere acquaintance to go home to her parents with her and pretend he is her actual fiance.
Another Big, Terrible Misunderstanding involved heroine’s nasty, evil, little troll of a sister who lets martyr heroine take the fall for a car accident. There is absolutely no comeuppance or even the slightest remorse as the nasty troll is spewing out her little passive aggressive insults to the heroine, like she hates and resents her for saving her reputation to the detriment of her own.
The hero eventually explains that his ex-girlfriend was in his bedroom because she and her husband were in town and hero let them stay with him, as he is over her and they are all great friends now. Heroine fell for it but I don't buy that story for a minute ROFL. Even if I were to accept that the ex’s husband was also there at this cozy sleepover, I say they all had a three some thar night. Good thing heroine ran or it might have become a real orgy!
Yeah, no wonder I wanted to forget this as soon as I read it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2015
Re Prodigal Sister- CG could be compared to an HPlandia/HRtopia Rosamund Pilcher or Maeve Binchy. She has quite a few interrelated novels depicting romances set amidst a background of English and Welsh village life. PS is the first of these and it's related books are This Time Round and Consolation Prize , both in HRtopia. The main couple from PS are also secondary characters in CG's , Reform of the Rake.
All of CG's linked books can be found under the Pennington, Pennington Country, and the Dysart Dynasty series in both worlds.
PS starts out with our h moving from home after being involved in car wreck in which she and her model sister were involved. The h was accused of driving without a license when the brakes on the car failed and this has caused her some intense antagonism from both her family and other villagers.
Her father is the local rector for the church, so while her parents are openly forgiving, many people see her actions as pretty unforgivable in light of her sister's minor injuries. Her sister wasn't damaged, she went on to a big modeling career, but there has been a lot tension in the family because of the accident.
The h begins working for the H, a former reporter turned epic historical writer (think Bernard Cornwell,)as his researcher and typist. The H is ending a long affair with a popular rising actress and over the course of the two years working for the H, he has recovered from his heartbreak sufficiently to begin a long round of woman chasing and catching/releasing.
The h was in love at first sight and is wildly jealous, but fiercely determined to keep the relationship professional. The H scuppers this when he begins chasing the h and gradually wins her with a proposal of marriage. The h then gets news that the model sister is getting married. She plans to spring the H on the family as a surprise and only tells her family that she is bringing a special guest while declining to be a bridesmaid.
The day they are supposed to leave for the wedding, the h walks into find the H's former actress lover in his bed and the H coming out of the bathroom. Shocked, the h leaves for the wedding and is agonizing about what to do. Fortunately she runs into a childhood acquaintance, the grandson of an Earl and the local village Squire, and he offers her sympathy and a listening ear when she describes the recent upset. When he gives her a ride to her parent's home, he announces he is the surprise guest and that he and the h are engaged. Everyone is overjoyed and the h is flabbergasted.
She agrees to the deception until the wedding is over and everything is going along swimmingly, there is lots of family interaction and the sisters manage to repair their relationship, then the H shows up at the wedding and is distinctly irate over the new fiance. The H acts like the employer who got an invitation and dropped in and after a few heated exchanges where the H claims the h misjudged the situation, the h and H agree to a truce and the h agrees to work for the H on his local research.
Then the H gets into an accident with an angry cat and winds up getting a concussion. When he dramatically collapses at the h's house, her parents put him in the guest bedroom overnight. He has a nightmare and the h goes in to wake him, but winds up falling asleep in the H's bed. Her mum finds them in the morning and is so upset and shocked that the whole story comes out. The H finally explains that the actress was using his bed (supposedly her husband was there too, although there was no evidence of another man), as a temporary stopover after illness from a trans-atlantic flight and the H had spent the night in another room. He was really coming out of the bathroom where he had gone to get his shaving kit when the h found them.
The h isn't overjoyed with love, she and the H both seem to think she should have trusted him. Later that day the Squire stops by and the h and he part ways amicably with the h telling him she will mail his mother's ring they used back to him. The H shows up while the Squire is kissing the h goodbye and they have another argument. Later on, during a walk the H dragged the h out on, he ends up raping her in a fit of jealous rage when she won't agree to marry him .
This is rather late in the book and the H is unrepentant (Rule #1 in HPlandia, bad H behavior is always the h's fault), plus the h seems more angry over the H's utter failure to give her any pleasure, considering his vast womanizing experience, than over the fact that she was just violently assaulted. The H takes off the next day after leaving a note for the h saying they don't seem to meet each other's requirements for spouses.
The h begins looking for a new job when HPlandia rule # 2 strikes and she finds out her maiden voyage on the waters of experience ended in a pregnancy. She manages to land a job and is unhappily contemplating life as a single mum when she tries to call the H to get him to write a reference. She can't get an answer over several days and so she goes to the H's house. She uses her key to get in, when the H comes in and she asks for a reference. He has obviously been spending days in a drunken haze and the h forces him to get cleaned up and eat some french onion soup (which is a pretty decent cure for a hangover, BTW).
The h asks the H to marry her as she is now expecting and after a bit of verbal exchange in which divorce is discussed but neither wants to give up custody, they agree to marry and make the best of it. The h is unhappy that it has come to this, but she is the daughter of a rector and she doesn't want to hurt her parents anymore than she already has. They have to be married in the father's church, but the h is very unenthusiastic about the whole thing. They have a very small wedding planned, no honeymoon and the h winds up crying when her previous wedding outfit won't fit her.
She has to buy a new dress and is successfully hiding the pregnancy when her father apologizes for his past treatment and she is so happy, it looks like she is happy to marry the H, the h even invited his former lover. Later on that night, she gets a bit toasted and winds up having a nightmare which the H wakes her from. It turns out that the model sister was actually driving that night only she was intoxicated and dragged the h behind the wheel so she wouldn't be breathalyzed and have her big career ruined. Since the h hit the windshield and broke her jaw, she couldn't say what really happened and agreed to help her sister out.
Unfortunately neither one of them realized the repercussions would be so serious and while the sister told her husband, she did not tell the parents as the father has a bad heart and had already had one attack when the h's little sister snuck out for a wild party. (Mari-Sian, the younger sister, was pretty interesting throughout the book, I keep hoping for her to get her own.) She explains all this to the H and asks him to stay with her for the night as they had been sleeping in separate beds.
The H agrees and the inevitable happens, the H tells the h he loves her and the h demands that he do a better job with the lurve club so she will give him a second chance. The H apparently succeeds and vows true lurve and fidelity and the h avows back for the big HEA.
This isn't a bad book, even though the trauma of rape is pretty much disregarded by both parties. The h is fairly likable and while the H may or may not be faithful - there is part where the H goes to the South of France after raping the h and it is casually implied he had some flings- the h seems to be prepared to turn a blind eye and buy his explanations after the pregger card is dealt to her. I fall in the midrange on believability, but the H and h do seem to be a very happy couple in the follow up Reform of the Rake.
All of CG's linked books can be found under the Pennington, Pennington Country, and the Dysart Dynasty series in both worlds.
PS starts out with our h moving from home after being involved in car wreck in which she and her model sister were involved. The h was accused of driving without a license when the brakes on the car failed and this has caused her some intense antagonism from both her family and other villagers.
Her father is the local rector for the church, so while her parents are openly forgiving, many people see her actions as pretty unforgivable in light of her sister's minor injuries. Her sister wasn't damaged, she went on to a big modeling career, but there has been a lot tension in the family because of the accident.
The h begins working for the H, a former reporter turned epic historical writer (think Bernard Cornwell,)as his researcher and typist. The H is ending a long affair with a popular rising actress and over the course of the two years working for the H, he has recovered from his heartbreak sufficiently to begin a long round of woman chasing and catching/releasing.
The h was in love at first sight and is wildly jealous, but fiercely determined to keep the relationship professional. The H scuppers this when he begins chasing the h and gradually wins her with a proposal of marriage. The h then gets news that the model sister is getting married. She plans to spring the H on the family as a surprise and only tells her family that she is bringing a special guest while declining to be a bridesmaid.
The day they are supposed to leave for the wedding, the h walks into find the H's former actress lover in his bed and the H coming out of the bathroom. Shocked, the h leaves for the wedding and is agonizing about what to do. Fortunately she runs into a childhood acquaintance, the grandson of an Earl and the local village Squire, and he offers her sympathy and a listening ear when she describes the recent upset. When he gives her a ride to her parent's home, he announces he is the surprise guest and that he and the h are engaged. Everyone is overjoyed and the h is flabbergasted.
She agrees to the deception until the wedding is over and everything is going along swimmingly, there is lots of family interaction and the sisters manage to repair their relationship, then the H shows up at the wedding and is distinctly irate over the new fiance. The H acts like the employer who got an invitation and dropped in and after a few heated exchanges where the H claims the h misjudged the situation, the h and H agree to a truce and the h agrees to work for the H on his local research.
Then the H gets into an accident with an angry cat and winds up getting a concussion. When he dramatically collapses at the h's house, her parents put him in the guest bedroom overnight. He has a nightmare and the h goes in to wake him, but winds up falling asleep in the H's bed. Her mum finds them in the morning and is so upset and shocked that the whole story comes out. The H finally explains that the actress was using his bed (supposedly her husband was there too, although there was no evidence of another man), as a temporary stopover after illness from a trans-atlantic flight and the H had spent the night in another room. He was really coming out of the bathroom where he had gone to get his shaving kit when the h found them.
The h isn't overjoyed with love, she and the H both seem to think she should have trusted him. Later that day the Squire stops by and the h and he part ways amicably with the h telling him she will mail his mother's ring they used back to him. The H shows up while the Squire is kissing the h goodbye and they have another argument. Later on, during a walk the H dragged the h out on, he ends up raping her in a fit of jealous rage when she won't agree to marry him .
This is rather late in the book and the H is unrepentant (Rule #1 in HPlandia, bad H behavior is always the h's fault), plus the h seems more angry over the H's utter failure to give her any pleasure, considering his vast womanizing experience, than over the fact that she was just violently assaulted. The H takes off the next day after leaving a note for the h saying they don't seem to meet each other's requirements for spouses.
The h begins looking for a new job when HPlandia rule # 2 strikes and she finds out her maiden voyage on the waters of experience ended in a pregnancy. She manages to land a job and is unhappily contemplating life as a single mum when she tries to call the H to get him to write a reference. She can't get an answer over several days and so she goes to the H's house. She uses her key to get in, when the H comes in and she asks for a reference. He has obviously been spending days in a drunken haze and the h forces him to get cleaned up and eat some french onion soup (which is a pretty decent cure for a hangover, BTW).
The h asks the H to marry her as she is now expecting and after a bit of verbal exchange in which divorce is discussed but neither wants to give up custody, they agree to marry and make the best of it. The h is unhappy that it has come to this, but she is the daughter of a rector and she doesn't want to hurt her parents anymore than she already has. They have to be married in the father's church, but the h is very unenthusiastic about the whole thing. They have a very small wedding planned, no honeymoon and the h winds up crying when her previous wedding outfit won't fit her.
She has to buy a new dress and is successfully hiding the pregnancy when her father apologizes for his past treatment and she is so happy, it looks like she is happy to marry the H, the h even invited his former lover. Later on that night, she gets a bit toasted and winds up having a nightmare which the H wakes her from. It turns out that the model sister was actually driving that night only she was intoxicated and dragged the h behind the wheel so she wouldn't be breathalyzed and have her big career ruined. Since the h hit the windshield and broke her jaw, she couldn't say what really happened and agreed to help her sister out.
Unfortunately neither one of them realized the repercussions would be so serious and while the sister told her husband, she did not tell the parents as the father has a bad heart and had already had one attack when the h's little sister snuck out for a wild party. (Mari-Sian, the younger sister, was pretty interesting throughout the book, I keep hoping for her to get her own.) She explains all this to the H and asks him to stay with her for the night as they had been sleeping in separate beds.
The H agrees and the inevitable happens, the H tells the h he loves her and the h demands that he do a better job with the lurve club so she will give him a second chance. The H apparently succeeds and vows true lurve and fidelity and the h avows back for the big HEA.
This isn't a bad book, even though the trauma of rape is pretty much disregarded by both parties. The h is fairly likable and while the H may or may not be faithful - there is part where the H goes to the South of France after raping the h and it is casually implied he had some flings- the h seems to be prepared to turn a blind eye and buy his explanations after the pregger card is dealt to her. I fall in the midrange on believability, but the H and h do seem to be a very happy couple in the follow up Reform of the Rake.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2017
Then why were you there at the wedding with that damn'
great bauble on your finger, and the highly eligible Mr Lloyd-Ellis
stuck to you like glue, looking like some bloody pop-star in his
white suit and his dark glasses?
This is the easiest way to explain what hooked me to this story. I had no idea who the H was and who the OM was!!! This rarely happens and I needed to know. Even the blurb toys with you.
Both were unique, with their own strengths and possible futures. The h knew both for some time, both wanted our h and her life would change no matter who she picked.
Here you get moody, broody, playboy writer vs town's golden boy, charming, high school crush. Just to keep the suspense going, I won't reveal the H's identity.
Most of the obstacle in true love's path are linked to trust issues and a lack of communication.
The h is not exactly driven by emotion. She is seriously attracted to the H and is in awe of him. The H sees the h as a challenge and goes out of his way to woo her. Both of them never saw each other as individuals or had a chance to connect.
This relation started with intense attraction on both sides, love came with time.
The title links back to the h's backstory and insecurities. This explains our h's reasoning and actions, I approve.
It also got me thinking, do blurbs these days give a lot away?
great bauble on your finger, and the highly eligible Mr Lloyd-Ellis
stuck to you like glue, looking like some bloody pop-star in his
white suit and his dark glasses?
This is the easiest way to explain what hooked me to this story. I had no idea who the H was and who the OM was!!! This rarely happens and I needed to know. Even the blurb toys with you.
Both were unique, with their own strengths and possible futures. The h knew both for some time, both wanted our h and her life would change no matter who she picked.
Here you get moody, broody, playboy writer vs town's golden boy, charming, high school crush. Just to keep the suspense going, I won't reveal the H's identity.
Most of the obstacle in true love's path are linked to trust issues and a lack of communication.
The h is not exactly driven by emotion. She is seriously attracted to the H and is in awe of him. The H sees the h as a challenge and goes out of his way to woo her. Both of them never saw each other as individuals or had a chance to connect.
This relation started with intense attraction on both sides, love came with time.
The title links back to the h's backstory and insecurities. This explains our h's reasoning and actions, I approve.
It also got me thinking, do blurbs these days give a lot away?
December 8, 2019
Meaningless drama as usual...
August 20, 2013
4 Stars ~ As a much celebrated author, Rupert had gained himself a reputation as a lady's man, especially after the greatly publicized breakup with the famous actress, Naomi. For Sarah it was love at first sight when she went to work for Rupert as his secretary-researcher. When Rupert's roving eye fell on her, she did her best to avoid compromising situations and to keep him at arms length. This only seemed to challenge Rupert, and soon he was in full pursuit and wearing down Sarah's resolve not to be his next conquest. She was surprised when he proposed, and though he didn't proclaim an undying love, Sarah accepted. Rupert wants to get their marriage on the go, but Sarah slows him down as her sister is getting married and she doesn't want to steal her limelight. In fact, all she's told her parents is that she too is engaged but she's kept Rupert's identity a surprise. On the morning they are to travel to the country for her sister's day, Sarah lets herself into Rupert's London home, only to discover his old flame, Naomi in his bed and Rupert in his short robe exiting the master bathroom. Of course, Sarah runs.. all the way home. On the train, a young man sitting opposite turns out to be her teenage crush, Rhodri, He's from the wealthiest local family and the fact that he's gorgeous and fun loving makes him a tremendous catch. Seeing her distress, he gets her to confide her story about Rupert and when he drives her home from the train station, he announces to Sarah's family that he's the surprise fiance. While Sarah feels guilty deceiving her family, she's relieved not to put a damper on her sister's big day, only while she's sitting beside Rhodri in the church, in the back pew there is Rupert, shooting daggers at her with his eyes.
This is one of those stories that I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Sarah's typed up so many of Rupert's books to know that his heroes are not ones to profess their undying love to their heroines, but she desperately needs for him to say the words to her. And when he doesn't, she feels insecure and worries about his playboy lifestyle that he vows is all in the past. There's an underlying story of conflict between Sarah and her sister, that helps to explain her reactions. Rupert's deeply hurt when Sarah assumes the worst at finding Naomi in his bed and doesn't wait for his explanation. Rupert's a bit of a rake, but he's passionate about Sarah and when he encounters Rhodri all his possessive instincts roar up. A word of caution, there is a scene of uncontrolled sex, though not graphic, may be off putting for some readers. Sarah, of course, does some rather stupid things that only make matters worse and Rupert does a wonderful wallow in his own misery. I really enjoyed their story.
Rhodri has his own story in, Consolation Prize.
This is one of those stories that I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Sarah's typed up so many of Rupert's books to know that his heroes are not ones to profess their undying love to their heroines, but she desperately needs for him to say the words to her. And when he doesn't, she feels insecure and worries about his playboy lifestyle that he vows is all in the past. There's an underlying story of conflict between Sarah and her sister, that helps to explain her reactions. Rupert's deeply hurt when Sarah assumes the worst at finding Naomi in his bed and doesn't wait for his explanation. Rupert's a bit of a rake, but he's passionate about Sarah and when he encounters Rhodri all his possessive instincts roar up. A word of caution, there is a scene of uncontrolled sex, though not graphic, may be off putting for some readers. Sarah, of course, does some rather stupid things that only make matters worse and Rupert does a wonderful wallow in his own misery. I really enjoyed their story.
Rhodri has his own story in, Consolation Prize.
September 5, 2019
Two fiances at once seemed a bit excessive...
Sarah had left her Welsh home under something of a cloud, and she wanted to return with flags flying. So she said she'd be arriving for her sister's wedding with a surprise guest--her fiance.
Only Sarah was the one to be surprised--or rather shocked to find Rupert Clare, her fiance, entertaining a previous girlfriend in the bedroom of his London home.
As luck would have it, the local squire gallantly presented himself as Sarah's intended, and he succeeded in making things infinitely worse... because Rupert showed up, too!
Sarah had left her Welsh home under something of a cloud, and she wanted to return with flags flying. So she said she'd be arriving for her sister's wedding with a surprise guest--her fiance.
Only Sarah was the one to be surprised--or rather shocked to find Rupert Clare, her fiance, entertaining a previous girlfriend in the bedroom of his London home.
As luck would have it, the local squire gallantly presented himself as Sarah's intended, and he succeeded in making things infinitely worse... because Rupert showed up, too!
August 26, 2021
The h had lust at first sight for the H, the H paraded legions of women in front of her (actual affairs which she helped him dump later) and she still seekritly wuved him until he finally decided to add her to the pursue list but had to propose marriage for it.
The H had major anger management issues and narcissism, and the OM definitely should have gotten the h.
H literally rapes her, both talk 2 sentences about it and move on, she falls preggo because obviously, he never contacts her afterwards and runs off to South of France to get drunk and maybe laid. She is the one who approaches him finally, by entering his house and he finds her in the study or something requesting a job reference. Other story lines have been discussed by reviewers but this was a hot mess.
MANY references made to the pregnancy as a burden, an intruder, a complication, a liability, a road block, you name it, the future parents said it out loud.
100% expect to see the H cheating in the very near future. Might even choke her dead out of anger one day.
The H had major anger management issues and narcissism, and the OM definitely should have gotten the h.
H literally rapes her, both talk 2 sentences about it and move on, she falls preggo because obviously, he never contacts her afterwards and runs off to South of France to get drunk and maybe laid. She is the one who approaches him finally, by entering his house and he finds her in the study or something requesting a job reference. Other story lines have been discussed by reviewers but this was a hot mess.
MANY references made to the pregnancy as a burden, an intruder, a complication, a liability, a road block, you name it, the future parents said it out loud.
100% expect to see the H cheating in the very near future. Might even choke her dead out of anger one day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2024
I'm still not convinced I didn't happen upon another Anne Hampson 70s book with an incorrect cover after getting within a chapter of finishing this tripe and then being unable to stomach any more. None of the characters were likeable except the proxy-fiance, who at 2/3rds in I still thought would turn out to be the MMC. But no, the TSTL MFC still luuuves -- and proposes to -- a sneering, abusive, completely unredeemable asshat after she finds out he knocked her up ... via rape. What an utterly repulsive book.
January 3, 2010
I can't believe this book is on here! This is a Harlequin Presents book, and usually I don't even read the titles, never mind remember them, but this book is completely responsible for the reader I have become today. I completely absorbed ever detail of the story and loved that Rupert was a prick. I wish I could find this book again.
July 18, 2014
She got drunk while pregnant in this book AND the pregnancy was a result of him raping her and taking her virginity. Crazy stuff.
June 25, 2025
Honestly disappointed that she didn’t choose the other guy.
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