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The Secret History of Hatty Ha Ha #1
The Secret History of Hatty Ha Ha ... Begins
Alternate Cover edition of ISBN13: 9780957573154
Hatty lives on an island in the Caribbean and is afraid of mosquitos and the sea. She longs for friendship, love and the truth about her history. But nothing is easy for her and she is constantly met with a wall of silence and a general sneer from some of the locals.
But when Jake visits his father Murray, who is also Hatty’s secret guardian, the young couple are instantly attracted to each other. He realises there is a tale about this young woman which is heightened by speculation and gossip about her background… stories regarding her parents, his father and her.
But unknowingly the young couple’s lives are closely intertwined and their bodies do the same, as the heat of the tropical sun is transferred to their lust for one another.
There are too many secrets being hidden about her life and slowly but surely, each one is discovered, only hurting the people around until something is revealed making Hatty doubt her very existence.
A mysterious and turbulent sexual tale of young love, deceit, jealousy and passion mixed in with the conflict of deep rooted prejudices and regret … The Secret History of Hatty Ha Ha … begins.
Hatty lives on an island in the Caribbean and is afraid of mosquitos and the sea. She longs for friendship, love and the truth about her history. But nothing is easy for her and she is constantly met with a wall of silence and a general sneer from some of the locals.
But when Jake visits his father Murray, who is also Hatty’s secret guardian, the young couple are instantly attracted to each other. He realises there is a tale about this young woman which is heightened by speculation and gossip about her background… stories regarding her parents, his father and her.
But unknowingly the young couple’s lives are closely intertwined and their bodies do the same, as the heat of the tropical sun is transferred to their lust for one another.
There are too many secrets being hidden about her life and slowly but surely, each one is discovered, only hurting the people around until something is revealed making Hatty doubt her very existence.
A mysterious and turbulent sexual tale of young love, deceit, jealousy and passion mixed in with the conflict of deep rooted prejudices and regret … The Secret History of Hatty Ha Ha … begins.
- GenresAmazon
First published February 28, 2013
15 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Mala
26 books14 followersContemporary with a touch of humour, you'll enjoy meeting the leading players, depending on who they are.
All novels are in British English and translate perfectly for all, so don't get too stressed if you don't understand some slang. Right now is the perfect time for a bit of an escape, don't you think? So, just go with the flow and enjoy!
http://www.goodreads.com/SMMala
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 1, 2013
An absolutely abysmal book. If I'd have had anything else to do (even a big pile of ironing), I wouldn't have carried on reading it to the end. The editing appears to be non-existent. The spelling is appalling: mariner for marina, passed for past - these are totally unacceptable errors. The punctuation is worse than that of the average ten year old. It is repetitive in the extreme, long-winded, and for the most part, incredibly boring. The sex scenes are laughable (not in a good way) and far too frequent. Some of the language Mala (the writer) uses to describe Jake's erections (of which there are many)are pathetically puerile. If all the protracted sex was removed from the book, it would be about 50% shorter. Hardly a page goes by without the phrase "the beautiful woman", and I have never read a book where the protagonists are such cry-babies. Hatty blubs almost continually and Jake is no stranger to turning on the water-works either. Hatty and Jake are two of the most unlikeable and annoying characters it has ever been my misfortune to come across, both of whom lack any credibility whatsoever. Their family, friends and enemies are marginally less irritating. On the plus side, Aunt Ethel is quite entertaining, and the dog is fairly normal. The ending is so weak and unbelievable I thought there were pages missing. I can't understand how this book ever got published. It is complete drivel.
August 17, 2021
I really liked this book. It grabbed me right away and I had a hard time putting it down but I had to sleep...
I think the characters are fleshed out very well. They are flawed people, as we all are. Hatty is a 22 year old year old orphan living on an island in the Caribbean. She has so many things she's afraid of and doesn't know why. The island locals make horrible fun of her, especially Gina Glory Glory. No one will tell her the things she wants to know about her history. She knows her mother died when she was born. She knows she had an accident when she was 10 years old. They say she jumped into the sea and tried to commit suicide. But, she doesn't remember.
Aunt Delores is Hatty's guardian since she was 1 year old. Murray is the rich man who owns most of the island and the house they live in. Murray loves Hatty like she's his own daughter but sparks fly in every way, shape and form when his son Jake comes to visit!
Her story is told in the voice of several characters, which I don't usually like. But, this author does it very well. One character doesn't bleed into another. They each have their own specific characteristics.
I had a trouble reading the local Caribbean accent speakers at first.
I lived in England back in the 70's so I understand the different names for things by the British speakers. I think most Americans know that a lift is an elevator and crisps are potato chips and chips are french fries and so forth.
It's a great story of love, jealousy, passion, prejudice and hate. But, do not read this book is sexual encounters offend you!
I think the characters are fleshed out very well. They are flawed people, as we all are. Hatty is a 22 year old year old orphan living on an island in the Caribbean. She has so many things she's afraid of and doesn't know why. The island locals make horrible fun of her, especially Gina Glory Glory. No one will tell her the things she wants to know about her history. She knows her mother died when she was born. She knows she had an accident when she was 10 years old. They say she jumped into the sea and tried to commit suicide. But, she doesn't remember.
Aunt Delores is Hatty's guardian since she was 1 year old. Murray is the rich man who owns most of the island and the house they live in. Murray loves Hatty like she's his own daughter but sparks fly in every way, shape and form when his son Jake comes to visit!
Her story is told in the voice of several characters, which I don't usually like. But, this author does it very well. One character doesn't bleed into another. They each have their own specific characteristics.
I had a trouble reading the local Caribbean accent speakers at first.
I lived in England back in the 70's so I understand the different names for things by the British speakers. I think most Americans know that a lift is an elevator and crisps are potato chips and chips are french fries and so forth.
It's a great story of love, jealousy, passion, prejudice and hate. But, do not read this book is sexual encounters offend you!
January 17, 2019
different kind of book. It is a story of Hatty trying to fit in. Depending who see is talking to that is the ascent that she uses, (English, Southern or her own0
January 2, 2016
We meet Hattie as she’s running amok on this tiny island. She benefits from the local gossip mill. They say everything from she’s insane, to she caused her parents death, to her being the rich, American’s daughter, to being that same American’s lover. She tries hard to overlook all of those things and live her life as happily as she can. She attracted the attention of that rich American’s son, Jake. Jake hadn’t been to the island before, and even more importantly, his father never told him just how important Hattie was in his life. These two, find that their lives are deeply entwined, even though they’ve never met or lived on the same continent at the same time. And though they were deeply attracted to each other, it seemed that everyone was against them, but no one would ever say why. But they heart will do as it is wont to do. And this is their story.
I really liked Hattie. She was quirky and fun and liked to talk in riddles. I liked Jake ok. He wasn’t steadfast and his flighty heart bothered me. And how it ended had me in tears. I’ll be honest, if I didn’t know there was another book, I would probably be massively angry. I’ll also be honest and say that I haven’t read the FIRST word of that book, as I wanted to write this review first, but I AM heading straight away into the book, so you’ll be seeing that review next week. I will say my heart broke several times for Hattie. That poor girl does catch any breaks. And the twists in this story are gut-wrenching. Murray, Ethel, Philip, Louisa, and Barney are the ONLY redeemable characters in this book. And luckily Hattie had them and knew they were a constant in her life.
Ms. Mala has this ability to bring people into her environments and makes us care about her quirky and flawed people. I will say that this book is LONG, approximately 800 pages. And know that the second book is about as long. So, this isn’t a quick read, and it runs the gamut of all emotions. That being said, if you don’t like long reads or books that don’t end with happy endings or books that end in cliffhangers, then know this isn’t for you. BUT if you love a good read, flawed characters, an unhappy cliffhanger, then please get this book and the next.
I really liked Hattie. She was quirky and fun and liked to talk in riddles. I liked Jake ok. He wasn’t steadfast and his flighty heart bothered me. And how it ended had me in tears. I’ll be honest, if I didn’t know there was another book, I would probably be massively angry. I’ll also be honest and say that I haven’t read the FIRST word of that book, as I wanted to write this review first, but I AM heading straight away into the book, so you’ll be seeing that review next week. I will say my heart broke several times for Hattie. That poor girl does catch any breaks. And the twists in this story are gut-wrenching. Murray, Ethel, Philip, Louisa, and Barney are the ONLY redeemable characters in this book. And luckily Hattie had them and knew they were a constant in her life.
Ms. Mala has this ability to bring people into her environments and makes us care about her quirky and flawed people. I will say that this book is LONG, approximately 800 pages. And know that the second book is about as long. So, this isn’t a quick read, and it runs the gamut of all emotions. That being said, if you don’t like long reads or books that don’t end with happy endings or books that end in cliffhangers, then know this isn’t for you. BUT if you love a good read, flawed characters, an unhappy cliffhanger, then please get this book and the next.
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February 13, 2016789p Hatty lives on an island in the Caribbean and is afraid of mosquitos and the sea. She longs for friendship, love and the truth about her history. But nothing is easy for her and she is constantly met with a wall of silence and a general sneer from some of the locals.
Jake visits his father Murray, who is also Hatty 19s secret guardian, on the island. Soon the young American is sexually drawn to the local beauty, his one aim to bed her. He realizes there is a tale about this young woman which is heightened by speculation and gossip about her background 26 stories regarding her parents, his father and her.
Hatty 19s other guardian, Delores, doesn 19t trust Jake and has other issues with the young woman, fearful that her lover Murray carries a burning desire for the girl which only ignites her jealousy and resentment.
Knowing that Jake can find out about her background, Hatty negotiates with him on payment though he prefers to be rewarded physically. But unknowingly the young couple 19s lives are closely intertwined and their bodies do the same, as the heat of the tropical sun is transferred to their lust for each other.
And Murray watches on, only making him realize the true depth of loss he feels regarding the one true love of old and how he should protect the young couple from the outsiders who wish to destroy their relationships.
There are too many secrets being hidden about her life and slowly but surely, each one is discovered, only hurting the people around until something is revealed making Hatty doubt her very existence.
A mysterious and turbulent sexual tale of young love, deceit, jealousy and passion mixed in with the conflict of deep rooted prejudices and regret 26 The Secret History of Hatty Ha Ha 26 begins.
Jake visits his father Murray, who is also Hatty 19s secret guardian, on the island. Soon the young American is sexually drawn to the local beauty, his one aim to bed her. He realizes there is a tale about this young woman which is heightened by speculation and gossip about her background 26 stories regarding her parents, his father and her.
Hatty 19s other guardian, Delores, doesn 19t trust Jake and has other issues with the young woman, fearful that her lover Murray carries a burning desire for the girl which only ignites her jealousy and resentment.
Knowing that Jake can find out about her background, Hatty negotiates with him on payment though he prefers to be rewarded physically. But unknowingly the young couple 19s lives are closely intertwined and their bodies do the same, as the heat of the tropical sun is transferred to their lust for each other.
And Murray watches on, only making him realize the true depth of loss he feels regarding the one true love of old and how he should protect the young couple from the outsiders who wish to destroy their relationships.
There are too many secrets being hidden about her life and slowly but surely, each one is discovered, only hurting the people around until something is revealed making Hatty doubt her very existence.
A mysterious and turbulent sexual tale of young love, deceit, jealousy and passion mixed in with the conflict of deep rooted prejudices and regret 26 The Secret History of Hatty Ha Ha 26 begins.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews