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Meant for Each Other
Was Lindsay Varlon just an attractive scoundrel - or Thea's best friend in the world? Cousin Geraldine, the popular and beautiful actress, probably knew the answer, but she was not inclined to help her penniless young relative.
Then Stephen Dorley came on the scene, and Thea was able to see that ordinary, day-to-day niceness is better, after all, than exciting, but slightly dangerous uncertainty. Or is it?
Then Stephen Dorley came on the scene, and Thea was able to see that ordinary, day-to-day niceness is better, after all, than exciting, but slightly dangerous uncertainty. Or is it?
- GenresHarlequin RomanceRomance
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1945
About the author
Mary Burchell
167 books85 followersIda Cook was born on 1904 at 37 Croft Avenue, Sunderland, England. With her eldest sister Mary Louise Cook (1901), she attending the Duchess' School in Alnwick. Later the sisters took civil service jobs in London, and developed a passionate interest in opera. The sisters helped 29 jews to escape from the Nazis, funded mainly by Ida's writing. In 1965, the Cook sisters were honored as Righteous Gentiles by the Yad Vashem Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority in Israel.
As Mary Burchell, she published more than 125 romance novels by Mills & Boon since 1936. She also wrote some western novels as James Keene in collaboration with the author Will Cook (aka Frank Peace). In 1950, Ida Cook wrote her autobiography: "We followed our stars". She helped to found the Romantic Novelists' Association, and was its president from 1966 to her death on December 22, 1986.
As Mary Burchell, she published more than 125 romance novels by Mills & Boon since 1936. She also wrote some western novels as James Keene in collaboration with the author Will Cook (aka Frank Peace). In 1950, Ida Cook wrote her autobiography: "We followed our stars". She helped to found the Romantic Novelists' Association, and was its president from 1966 to her death on December 22, 1986.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 21, 2014
Another Mary Burchell classic. I just loved it, but I usually love all her work.
A young woman is left destitute when her mother dies with no skills in which to earn a living. She turns to her only relative for help, a famous theatre actress. The cousin is jealous of the heroines youth/beauty and steps into the role of evil OW. She denies any form of help or shelter thinking that she will get rid of her, except she doesn't anticipate the kindness of strangers (hero).
I loved the heroine, she was young, fresh and just plain adorable. Poor hero never stood a chance and fell like a ton of bricks! But since he is her senior by 15+ years and "Mr. Man About Town" with quite the reputation, their relationship starts off as just friendship and stays platonic for most of the "courtship".
There isn't much as far as angst except for the petty shenanigans of OW, but it's an entertaining story that just keeps moving you along. A great way to spend a couple of hours.
MB outdid herself here.
A young woman is left destitute when her mother dies with no skills in which to earn a living. She turns to her only relative for help, a famous theatre actress. The cousin is jealous of the heroines youth/beauty and steps into the role of evil OW. She denies any form of help or shelter thinking that she will get rid of her, except she doesn't anticipate the kindness of strangers (hero).
I loved the heroine, she was young, fresh and just plain adorable. Poor hero never stood a chance and fell like a ton of bricks! But since he is her senior by 15+ years and "Mr. Man About Town" with quite the reputation, their relationship starts off as just friendship and stays platonic for most of the "courtship".
There isn't much as far as angst except for the petty shenanigans of OW, but it's an entertaining story that just keeps moving you along. A great way to spend a couple of hours.
MB outdid herself here.
October 18, 2022
Having read a few books of Mary Burchell and liking her writing,I was disappointed with this book. There was absolutely nothing between the so called hero and heroine.Infact the heroine Thea has a good time with hero’s nephew Stephen who was an ideal match for her. The hero Valron helps Thea when she comes to London penniless and her cousin Geraldine refuses to help her. Thea feels obliged to him and valron soon falls for her and decides to marry to support her as she has no one in the world. I really couldn’t understand when and how he falls for her ,he is twice her age and in the end Thea confesses she loves him but also if Stephen had proposed her before valron she would have married Stephen. Basically it looked like she was willing to marry either of the two.
August 10, 2013
Loved this book. I like the misunderstood hero who appears bad, but is really good.
July 27, 2026
4 stars, but 3 stars for my personal tastes.
Meant for Each Other is a well-written, innocent, old-fashioned romance in the manner of Betty Neels. I picked it up because I wanted something gentle and easy to read without too much angst, and it delivered that. It is a very slow-burn romance, however, and its central dynamics are almost the opposite of what I personally enjoy. For me, it was closer to a three-star read, but I am giving it four stars because readers who like these particular tropes may find it perfect.
Thea is nineteen and was still at school when her mother died. She then discovers that her mother had spent almost all her capital and left her with nothing. The family lawyer suggests that she appeal to her only remaining relative, a successful actress cousin in London, for somewhere to live and help establishing herself.
Perhaps imposing upon distant family in this way was considered more acceptable at the time, but I found Thea’s attitude astonishingly entitled. She barely knows this cousin yet expects her to provide a home, financial support and professional training until Thea can support herself. She writes asking to be taken in and, when no welcoming reply arrives, decides to pack her belongings, travel to London and confront her cousin at the theatre where she works.
The book presents this as the brave action of a naïve young girl abandoned by her only relative, rather than as a gross impertinence. I could not agree with that framing. Even heroines in stories set during much earlier periods are often determined to earn their own living rather than force themselves upon relatives who neither know nor want them. Thea instead remains in her cousin’s flat for free despite knowing she is resented and expects her cousin to arrange training so she can eventually find work. I could understand perfectly why the cousin was annoyed by someone arriving and treating all this assistance as her due.
Thea does not come across as calculating or deliberately unpleasant. She is written as an extremely innocent ingénue who simply assumes this is what her only relative should do for her. Nevertheless, her naïveté and helplessness made her seem like a rather useless lump to me.
In fact, I often sympathised more with the supposedly selfish cousin. She has worked hard to build her acting career and earn everything she possesses, so I could not hate her for resenting an unknown young relative suddenly becoming her responsibility. She can be spiteful, but she is not entirely terrible, and I would have liked to see her find some happiness of her own.
The novel also appears to condemn her for being an independent woman who has worked hard, may have slept with men outside marriage and hopes eventually to marry someone wealthy. I did not see why wanting a rich husband made her villainous. She has supported herself and maintained her own lifestyle until the age of thirty in a period when an actress’s career might not last indefinitely. Why should she not want a husband able to provide the standard of living she has earned for herself?
Fortunately for Thea, while she is waiting helplessly at the station and hoping her cousin has sent someone to collect her, a man arrives and offers her a lift. This is Lindsey, usually called Lin, the director of the theatrical production in which her cousin is appearing.
Lin has not actually been sent. The cousin showed him Thea’s letter, presumably while ridiculing its demands, and he felt sorry for the innocent girl arriving alone in London with nowhere else to go. He collects her, takes her to the flat and gently cajoles her cousin into allowing her to stay. Thea later discovers that Lin is even providing the money her cousin supposedly gives her as an allowance.
Everyone warns Thea that Lin is a notorious womaniser and that if he is kind to a woman, he probably wants something from her. This does not match her own experience. As far as Thea can see, he is a considerate man and the only person who has treated her kindly since she arrived.
Lin introduces her to his nephew, who is much closer to her age, so she will have a suitable friend in London. The nephew is a genuinely pleasant young man who takes Thea out regularly while she trains to become a typist. Lin does not see her often during this period, but when he does, he remains kind and slightly paternal.
Thea is nineteen and Lin is thirty-five. I appreciated that it later becomes clear he was not romantically interested in her at the beginning. He did not see a pretty young innocent and decide to take advantage of her. He genuinely wanted to protect a naïve child from coming to harm. Even introducing his nephew was an attempt to provide her with an appropriate companion who could make her new life in London happier.
Eventually, Lin’s nephew has to travel to America for several months because of his work. His mother accompanies him so she can visit family there. Thea loses the two friends whose house she regularly visits at weekends and becomes lonely, so Lin offers to take her out for the day instead.
SPOILERS AHEAD
During the outing, they are involved in a serious car crash. Although the other vehicle was at fault, Lin blames himself. Thea is badly injured, and damage to the tendons in her hand means she may no longer be able to work as a typist.
Lin visits her almost every day during the weeks she spends in hospital. He becomes her devoted friend, and they grow much closer. He feels responsible both for her injury and for the loss of the career she had been training for, so he is determined to provide for her until she recovers and can establish another future.
At the same time, Thea’s actress cousin maliciously throws her out. She is furious that Thea secretly went out with Lin, whom she regards as her own contemporary and has always flirted with. Thea therefore has nowhere to live after leaving hospital.
Lin initially suggests finding her an apartment, but Thea points out that everyone will assume he has installed her there as his mistress. Eventually, he concludes that the only respectable solution is for them to marry. He can support her while she recovers, and once she is independent again, they can quietly divorce. Since neither can think of another workable arrangement, Thea agrees.
We later learn that Lin was already falling in love during her stay in hospital. The moment he recognises it comes after his proposal, when Thea puts her arms around his neck and gives him a sweet kiss to thank him for looking after her.
Juat after this kiss and his moment of revelation, Thea then remembers that although Lin’s nephew and his mother are in America, their housekeeper is still at their country home and had previously invited her to stay. She suggests going there instead, which would mean Lin no longer has to marry her. Lin immediately claims that the house has been closed because the housekeeper has gone away to nurse a sick sister. With that alternative removed, Thea proceeds with the marriage.
On their wedding day, however, her actress cousin gives Thea several letters from Lin’s nephew, claiming she had forgotten to pass them on earlier. The nephew wrote after hearing about Thea’s accident. He explains that he wishes he had proposed before leaving, that the shock of learning she had been badly hurt made him propose now via letter, and that he wants to marry and care for her.
Thea reads this while Lin is driving her away after their wedding for a brief, nominal honeymoon. She is horrified. She believes that had she received the letters in time, she would have accepted the nephew. He is her friend, she is fond of him, and he has offered her a genuine marriage based on love. She thinks she could have loved him and made him a good wife. Now she has married his uncle, meaning that even after a divorce she could never marry him.
She does not tell Lin because he has married her out of kindness and she cannot bear to throw that kindness back in his face. Nor can she tell the nephew that the marriage is merely an arrangement without humiliating Lin and appearing ungrateful for everything he has done.
The letters create a barrier between Thea and Lin. Instead of continuing the affectionate friendship they developed in hospital and perhaps growing closer, they become almost strangers within their marriage. After several weeks, Thea deeply regrets the loss of their former ease. She misses his affection and decides that she needs to speak honestly to him, as she once could.
Before doing so, she takes a solitary trip into the countryside to think. Feeling nostalgic, she visits the home belonging to Lin’s nephew and his mother, although she believes it to be closed. To her surprise, the housekeeper is still there and invites her in for tea. During their conversation, Thea discovers that the woman never went away to nurse a sick sister and does not even have a sister. Lin lied because he did not want Thea to have an alternative to marrying him.
Before Thea can confront him, she encounters her actress cousin again. The cousin remarks snidely that nobody understands how Thea managed to catch Lin. She suggests that Thea’s youth and innocence intrigued him and that, since marriage was the only way he could possess her, he arranged a “legalised affair.”
Thea tells her cousin where to go, but the words remain in her mind. When Lin admits that he lied about the housekeeper, he then mocks the idea that he might have done so because he had fallen in love with Thea. Angry and hurt, she repeats her cousin’s accusation and says perhaps he simply wanted a legalised affair.
Lin agrees and becomes unpleasant, and Thea suddenly feels that he is a stranger. She had believed him to be her kind friend, but now fears that everything people said about him was true. She leaves immediately and returns to the country, where the housekeeper has offered her a place to stay.
During the confrontation, Lin also asks whether Thea would have married his nephew had she received the letters in time. She says yes.
While staying with the housekeeper, Thea eventually understands that she is not in love with the nephew. She has fallen in love with the version of Lin who was her friend: the man who protected her, treated her kindly and made her feel safe. However, she now believes that man was never real, leaving her lonely and heartbroken.
This realisation does not occur until around the ninety-percent mark, which was far too late for me. I prefer heroines who recognise their feelings earlier and spend some time pining for the hero. I do not particularly enjoy romances in which the man gently courts and waits for a confused heroine who remains convinced she wants someone else for almost the entire book before finally deciding to choose him.
That dynamic is central to this story. If you enjoy it, the slow emotional awakening may work beautifully. For me, it was frustrating. I did not enjoy watching Thea remain oblivious and indecisive for the whole book.
I also generally dislike the fantasy of an extremely young, naïve girl somehow capturing an older, sophisticated rake whom more experienced women have unsuccessfully pursued. Everyone is amazed that this sweet young thing has persuaded him to put a ring on her finger, as though her innocence alone makes her uniquely desirable.
I prefer heroines with more life experience and something substantial about them that earns my respect. They can be young, sweet and vulnerable, but I also want them to be fighters who stand on their own feet and have accomplished something. Thea is very much a protected child who becomes fortunate enough to marry a strong older man. That was deeply unappealing to me, and I continued mainly because I found Lin interesting and wanted to know what would happen to him. (Quite frankly, I would have enjoyed this romance more if he had fallen for the actress and discovered her secret redeeming qualities under her misunderstood hard outer shell.)
Lin eventually comes looking for Thea and offers her a divorce, assuming she will then be free to marry his nephew. When she says she would not marry the nephew anyway, Lin immediately declares that if she does not want his nephew, he will not allow her to divorce him.
It turns out that Lin allowed Thea to accuse him of arranging a legalised affair, and deliberately behaved coldly afterwards, because he believed she loved his nephew. He wanted her to feel no obligation to remain married out of gratitude and to be free to divorce him and marry the man she supposedly wanted. Even though it hurt him, he was prepared to let her think badly of him because he wanted her to be happy.
Once he learns that she does not love his nephew, Lin confesses the truth. He fell in love with her while she was in hospital, fully recognising it when she accepted his proposal, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. When she then suggested staying with the housekeeper instead, he realised he could not bear to lose the chance to marry her, so he lied and claimed the house was unavailable.
Everything consequently ends in a warm and cosy reconciliation.
I cannot in good conscience give Meant for Each Other less than four stars. For someone who enjoys sweet, old-fashioned romances built around a naïve young heroine, a protective older hero, a very gradual awakening of love and a marriage of convenience, this may feel almost perfect.
Even I read it compulsively. It is well written, pleasantly paced and delivered the comforting, old-fashioned atmosphere I wanted. My frustration with Thea’s helplessness, the presumptuous opening setup and a romantic dynamic that is almost exactly the reverse of my preference persisted throughout, yet I still kept reading eagerly, so the novel was clearly doing plenty right.
Four stars overall, although for my personal tastes it was closer to three. It was enjoyable enough, but nothing special to me, and I would not reread it.
Meant for Each Other is a well-written, innocent, old-fashioned romance in the manner of Betty Neels. I picked it up because I wanted something gentle and easy to read without too much angst, and it delivered that. It is a very slow-burn romance, however, and its central dynamics are almost the opposite of what I personally enjoy. For me, it was closer to a three-star read, but I am giving it four stars because readers who like these particular tropes may find it perfect.
Thea is nineteen and was still at school when her mother died. She then discovers that her mother had spent almost all her capital and left her with nothing. The family lawyer suggests that she appeal to her only remaining relative, a successful actress cousin in London, for somewhere to live and help establishing herself.
Perhaps imposing upon distant family in this way was considered more acceptable at the time, but I found Thea’s attitude astonishingly entitled. She barely knows this cousin yet expects her to provide a home, financial support and professional training until Thea can support herself. She writes asking to be taken in and, when no welcoming reply arrives, decides to pack her belongings, travel to London and confront her cousin at the theatre where she works.
The book presents this as the brave action of a naïve young girl abandoned by her only relative, rather than as a gross impertinence. I could not agree with that framing. Even heroines in stories set during much earlier periods are often determined to earn their own living rather than force themselves upon relatives who neither know nor want them. Thea instead remains in her cousin’s flat for free despite knowing she is resented and expects her cousin to arrange training so she can eventually find work. I could understand perfectly why the cousin was annoyed by someone arriving and treating all this assistance as her due.
Thea does not come across as calculating or deliberately unpleasant. She is written as an extremely innocent ingénue who simply assumes this is what her only relative should do for her. Nevertheless, her naïveté and helplessness made her seem like a rather useless lump to me.
In fact, I often sympathised more with the supposedly selfish cousin. She has worked hard to build her acting career and earn everything she possesses, so I could not hate her for resenting an unknown young relative suddenly becoming her responsibility. She can be spiteful, but she is not entirely terrible, and I would have liked to see her find some happiness of her own.
The novel also appears to condemn her for being an independent woman who has worked hard, may have slept with men outside marriage and hopes eventually to marry someone wealthy. I did not see why wanting a rich husband made her villainous. She has supported herself and maintained her own lifestyle until the age of thirty in a period when an actress’s career might not last indefinitely. Why should she not want a husband able to provide the standard of living she has earned for herself?
Fortunately for Thea, while she is waiting helplessly at the station and hoping her cousin has sent someone to collect her, a man arrives and offers her a lift. This is Lindsey, usually called Lin, the director of the theatrical production in which her cousin is appearing.
Lin has not actually been sent. The cousin showed him Thea’s letter, presumably while ridiculing its demands, and he felt sorry for the innocent girl arriving alone in London with nowhere else to go. He collects her, takes her to the flat and gently cajoles her cousin into allowing her to stay. Thea later discovers that Lin is even providing the money her cousin supposedly gives her as an allowance.
Everyone warns Thea that Lin is a notorious womaniser and that if he is kind to a woman, he probably wants something from her. This does not match her own experience. As far as Thea can see, he is a considerate man and the only person who has treated her kindly since she arrived.
Lin introduces her to his nephew, who is much closer to her age, so she will have a suitable friend in London. The nephew is a genuinely pleasant young man who takes Thea out regularly while she trains to become a typist. Lin does not see her often during this period, but when he does, he remains kind and slightly paternal.
Thea is nineteen and Lin is thirty-five. I appreciated that it later becomes clear he was not romantically interested in her at the beginning. He did not see a pretty young innocent and decide to take advantage of her. He genuinely wanted to protect a naïve child from coming to harm. Even introducing his nephew was an attempt to provide her with an appropriate companion who could make her new life in London happier.
Eventually, Lin’s nephew has to travel to America for several months because of his work. His mother accompanies him so she can visit family there. Thea loses the two friends whose house she regularly visits at weekends and becomes lonely, so Lin offers to take her out for the day instead.
SPOILERS AHEAD
During the outing, they are involved in a serious car crash. Although the other vehicle was at fault, Lin blames himself. Thea is badly injured, and damage to the tendons in her hand means she may no longer be able to work as a typist.
Lin visits her almost every day during the weeks she spends in hospital. He becomes her devoted friend, and they grow much closer. He feels responsible both for her injury and for the loss of the career she had been training for, so he is determined to provide for her until she recovers and can establish another future.
At the same time, Thea’s actress cousin maliciously throws her out. She is furious that Thea secretly went out with Lin, whom she regards as her own contemporary and has always flirted with. Thea therefore has nowhere to live after leaving hospital.
Lin initially suggests finding her an apartment, but Thea points out that everyone will assume he has installed her there as his mistress. Eventually, he concludes that the only respectable solution is for them to marry. He can support her while she recovers, and once she is independent again, they can quietly divorce. Since neither can think of another workable arrangement, Thea agrees.
We later learn that Lin was already falling in love during her stay in hospital. The moment he recognises it comes after his proposal, when Thea puts her arms around his neck and gives him a sweet kiss to thank him for looking after her.
Juat after this kiss and his moment of revelation, Thea then remembers that although Lin’s nephew and his mother are in America, their housekeeper is still at their country home and had previously invited her to stay. She suggests going there instead, which would mean Lin no longer has to marry her. Lin immediately claims that the house has been closed because the housekeeper has gone away to nurse a sick sister. With that alternative removed, Thea proceeds with the marriage.
On their wedding day, however, her actress cousin gives Thea several letters from Lin’s nephew, claiming she had forgotten to pass them on earlier. The nephew wrote after hearing about Thea’s accident. He explains that he wishes he had proposed before leaving, that the shock of learning she had been badly hurt made him propose now via letter, and that he wants to marry and care for her.
Thea reads this while Lin is driving her away after their wedding for a brief, nominal honeymoon. She is horrified. She believes that had she received the letters in time, she would have accepted the nephew. He is her friend, she is fond of him, and he has offered her a genuine marriage based on love. She thinks she could have loved him and made him a good wife. Now she has married his uncle, meaning that even after a divorce she could never marry him.
She does not tell Lin because he has married her out of kindness and she cannot bear to throw that kindness back in his face. Nor can she tell the nephew that the marriage is merely an arrangement without humiliating Lin and appearing ungrateful for everything he has done.
The letters create a barrier between Thea and Lin. Instead of continuing the affectionate friendship they developed in hospital and perhaps growing closer, they become almost strangers within their marriage. After several weeks, Thea deeply regrets the loss of their former ease. She misses his affection and decides that she needs to speak honestly to him, as she once could.
Before doing so, she takes a solitary trip into the countryside to think. Feeling nostalgic, she visits the home belonging to Lin’s nephew and his mother, although she believes it to be closed. To her surprise, the housekeeper is still there and invites her in for tea. During their conversation, Thea discovers that the woman never went away to nurse a sick sister and does not even have a sister. Lin lied because he did not want Thea to have an alternative to marrying him.
Before Thea can confront him, she encounters her actress cousin again. The cousin remarks snidely that nobody understands how Thea managed to catch Lin. She suggests that Thea’s youth and innocence intrigued him and that, since marriage was the only way he could possess her, he arranged a “legalised affair.”
Thea tells her cousin where to go, but the words remain in her mind. When Lin admits that he lied about the housekeeper, he then mocks the idea that he might have done so because he had fallen in love with Thea. Angry and hurt, she repeats her cousin’s accusation and says perhaps he simply wanted a legalised affair.
Lin agrees and becomes unpleasant, and Thea suddenly feels that he is a stranger. She had believed him to be her kind friend, but now fears that everything people said about him was true. She leaves immediately and returns to the country, where the housekeeper has offered her a place to stay.
During the confrontation, Lin also asks whether Thea would have married his nephew had she received the letters in time. She says yes.
While staying with the housekeeper, Thea eventually understands that she is not in love with the nephew. She has fallen in love with the version of Lin who was her friend: the man who protected her, treated her kindly and made her feel safe. However, she now believes that man was never real, leaving her lonely and heartbroken.
This realisation does not occur until around the ninety-percent mark, which was far too late for me. I prefer heroines who recognise their feelings earlier and spend some time pining for the hero. I do not particularly enjoy romances in which the man gently courts and waits for a confused heroine who remains convinced she wants someone else for almost the entire book before finally deciding to choose him.
That dynamic is central to this story. If you enjoy it, the slow emotional awakening may work beautifully. For me, it was frustrating. I did not enjoy watching Thea remain oblivious and indecisive for the whole book.
I also generally dislike the fantasy of an extremely young, naïve girl somehow capturing an older, sophisticated rake whom more experienced women have unsuccessfully pursued. Everyone is amazed that this sweet young thing has persuaded him to put a ring on her finger, as though her innocence alone makes her uniquely desirable.
I prefer heroines with more life experience and something substantial about them that earns my respect. They can be young, sweet and vulnerable, but I also want them to be fighters who stand on their own feet and have accomplished something. Thea is very much a protected child who becomes fortunate enough to marry a strong older man. That was deeply unappealing to me, and I continued mainly because I found Lin interesting and wanted to know what would happen to him. (Quite frankly, I would have enjoyed this romance more if he had fallen for the actress and discovered her secret redeeming qualities under her misunderstood hard outer shell.)
Lin eventually comes looking for Thea and offers her a divorce, assuming she will then be free to marry his nephew. When she says she would not marry the nephew anyway, Lin immediately declares that if she does not want his nephew, he will not allow her to divorce him.
It turns out that Lin allowed Thea to accuse him of arranging a legalised affair, and deliberately behaved coldly afterwards, because he believed she loved his nephew. He wanted her to feel no obligation to remain married out of gratitude and to be free to divorce him and marry the man she supposedly wanted. Even though it hurt him, he was prepared to let her think badly of him because he wanted her to be happy.
Once he learns that she does not love his nephew, Lin confesses the truth. He fell in love with her while she was in hospital, fully recognising it when she accepted his proposal, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. When she then suggested staying with the housekeeper instead, he realised he could not bear to lose the chance to marry her, so he lied and claimed the house was unavailable.
Everything consequently ends in a warm and cosy reconciliation.
I cannot in good conscience give Meant for Each Other less than four stars. For someone who enjoys sweet, old-fashioned romances built around a naïve young heroine, a protective older hero, a very gradual awakening of love and a marriage of convenience, this may feel almost perfect.
Even I read it compulsively. It is well written, pleasantly paced and delivered the comforting, old-fashioned atmosphere I wanted. My frustration with Thea’s helplessness, the presumptuous opening setup and a romantic dynamic that is almost exactly the reverse of my preference persisted throughout, yet I still kept reading eagerly, so the novel was clearly doing plenty right.
Four stars overall, although for my personal tastes it was closer to three. It was enjoyable enough, but nothing special to me, and I would not reread it.
March 30, 2013
I've been rereading books by Mary Burchell, my favorite romance author from the 70s-90s when I used to read a lot of paperback romances. Mary Burchell rescued Jews from the Nazis in World War II, and often has unusual plots for genre romances.
This is not one of her best. The jacket description is a particularly bad one as well.
Thea is an orphaned 19-year-old. She goes to stay with her only relative, cousin Geraldine, an actress who may or may not be the mistress of 35-year-old producer Lindsay Varlon. (This book was first published in 1945.)
Geraldine would let her cousin starve in the streets, but Lindsay steps in to see that she does not. He also sends his nephew Stephen to escort her to a play. After a car accident, he manipulates her into marrying him (because he is secretly in love with her, of course, not because he has designs on her innocent virtue). After an angry break-up, all turns out well in the end.
Thea is not a particularly interesting character, and her waffling over Stephen vs. Lindsay isn't particularly interesting either. Lindsay is described as a big bad wolf type but is obviously not from his first appearance in the book. Meant for Each Other is worth reading if you are a Mary Burchell fan.
This is not one of her best. The jacket description is a particularly bad one as well.
Thea is an orphaned 19-year-old. She goes to stay with her only relative, cousin Geraldine, an actress who may or may not be the mistress of 35-year-old producer Lindsay Varlon. (This book was first published in 1945.)
Geraldine would let her cousin starve in the streets, but Lindsay steps in to see that she does not. He also sends his nephew Stephen to escort her to a play. After a car accident, he manipulates her into marrying him (because he is secretly in love with her, of course, not because he has designs on her innocent virtue). After an angry break-up, all turns out well in the end.
Thea is not a particularly interesting character, and her waffling over Stephen vs. Lindsay isn't particularly interesting either. Lindsay is described as a big bad wolf type but is obviously not from his first appearance in the book. Meant for Each Other is worth reading if you are a Mary Burchell fan.
June 13, 2025
3 stars
Thea, 19, is our heroine. She has solid values and a mischievous streak that pops up now and then. I enjoy how she thinks and the way she sees others.
Our hero, Lindsay, 35, is reserved, kind, and generous. Lindsay's nephew Stephen is a great guy. Stephen's mother/Lindsay's sister is warm-hearted and accepting. Even the cat is an enjoyable character.
Thea's mother died and left her penniless, so she turns to her cousin Geraldine, her only living relative. She meets Lindsay when he picks her up from the depot instead of Geraldine. She lives with Geraldine while she attends business college. Thea starts dating Stephen. While Stephen and his mom are in the US on business, an accident happens which changes Thea's life forever, leaving her with one choice.
[This is the second time she has used the name Lindsay for a main character.]
This is the 4th book I've found by this author with no grey-eyed characters.
Thea, 19, is our heroine. She has solid values and a mischievous streak that pops up now and then. I enjoy how she thinks and the way she sees others.
Our hero, Lindsay, 35, is reserved, kind, and generous. Lindsay's nephew Stephen is a great guy. Stephen's mother/Lindsay's sister is warm-hearted and accepting. Even the cat is an enjoyable character.
Thea's mother died and left her penniless, so she turns to her cousin Geraldine, her only living relative. She meets Lindsay when he picks her up from the depot instead of Geraldine. She lives with Geraldine while she attends business college. Thea starts dating Stephen. While Stephen and his mom are in the US on business, an accident happens which changes Thea's life forever, leaving her with one choice.
[This is the second time she has used the name Lindsay for a main character.]
This is the 4th book I've found by this author with no grey-eyed characters.
August 24, 2022
What a lovely book. One of Mary Burchell’s lighter stories, because some of her books can be incredibly emotional.
The heroine in this one is just so adorable, its no wonder the older, somewhat jaded Hero falls for her. She is a positive and happy young woman, that is determined to make her way in life.
She is left orphaned and penniless, so she asks her cousin, who is a wealthy and successful actress for a temporary home. The cousin doesn’t even answer her letter, but the Hero who is a friend of the actress knows of her plight and helps her out. From then on, he takes an interest in her well-being.
He even gets his young nephew to take her out so she has a friend her age.
I wont go into more details because i loved how the story developed. I loved how truly decent and honest the heroine was, a true contrast to her bitchy cousin.
❤️
The heroine in this one is just so adorable, its no wonder the older, somewhat jaded Hero falls for her. She is a positive and happy young woman, that is determined to make her way in life.
She is left orphaned and penniless, so she asks her cousin, who is a wealthy and successful actress for a temporary home. The cousin doesn’t even answer her letter, but the Hero who is a friend of the actress knows of her plight and helps her out. From then on, he takes an interest in her well-being.
He even gets his young nephew to take her out so she has a friend her age.
I wont go into more details because i loved how the story developed. I loved how truly decent and honest the heroine was, a true contrast to her bitchy cousin.
❤️
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
August 6, 2022Was Lindsay Varlon just an attractive scoundrel - or Thea's best friend in the world? Cousin Geraldine, the popular and beautiful actress, probably knew the answer, but she was not inclined to help her penniless young relative.
Then Stephen Dorley came on the scene, and Thea was able to see that ordinary, day-to-day niceness is better, after all, than exciting, but slightly dangerous uncertainty. Or is it?
Then Stephen Dorley came on the scene, and Thea was able to see that ordinary, day-to-day niceness is better, after all, than exciting, but slightly dangerous uncertainty. Or is it?
November 15, 2024
Just read the first and last 10 pages, you will save a lot of time.
May 3, 2017
Not too bad, I suppose.
[ I just dislike this 'type' of Hs... the misunderstood rake... it looks good on paper... not so much in real life. in real life, they are sleazy, with hardly a redeeming quality on the personal front. Oh well, the novel isn't bad. I just don't care for the insta-love combined with misunderstood-rake.] [edit: well, turns out our H just has a reputation. nothing concrete. oh well, that's all right then. let's just encourage young girls to ignore reputations.]
[ I just dislike this 'type' of Hs... the misunderstood rake... it looks good on paper... not so much in real life. in real life, they are sleazy, with hardly a redeeming quality on the personal front. Oh well, the novel isn't bad. I just don't care for the insta-love combined with misunderstood-rake.] [edit: well, turns out our H just has a reputation. nothing concrete. oh well, that's all right then. let's just encourage young girls to ignore reputations.]
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